<figure id="attachment_469930" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-469930"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="df40429f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/06/6cf9861f3c40667bd103755d9d480c9f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-469930" class="wp-caption-text">Mariko Shinoda was born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1986. She joined AKB48 in 2006 and, after graduating from the group in 2013, has been active as a model and actress. Her latest drama, &#8220;Ochitara Owari&#8221; (Chukyo TV / Nippon TV, Wednesdays at 12:24 a.m.), begins airing on July 1.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Ideal and reality</h2>
“Back in my AKB48 days, I had mixed feelings about being called ‘Mariko-sama.’ I actually wanted to be a classic idol, and I wished I had a cute nickname like Mayuyu. Since ‘Mariko-sama’ became so well established, for better or worse, I started tailoring my character to fit it, saying things like ‘My favorite food is yakiniku.’ At first, I constantly felt uncomfortable with that version of myself (laughs).”
Shinoda Mariko (40), one of AKB48’s legendary “Kami 7” members who placed third in the first Senbatsu General Election and remained a central figure in the group until her graduation in 2013, struggled with personal conflicts behind her glamorous career.
“Because I was older than the other members, I was often cast as a teacher in music videos. Honestly, I wanted to play a student alongside everyone else. I used to wonder, ‘Why am I the only one?’ Looking back now, I’d probably think it was actually a good role to get, but when I was younger, the gap between myself and the others was painful.”
After completing her role as “Mariko-sama” in Japan’s most famous idol group, Shinoda went on to flourish as an actress. In the currently airing drama &#8220;The Revenge of the Betrayed Wife: The Wives Who Formed an Alliance&#8221; (TV Tokyo), she delivers a striking performance as a woman consumed by vengeance against her unfaithful husband.
In the July-season drama &#8220;Ochitara Owari&#8221; (Chukyo TV / Nippon TV), she plays a villainous celebrity wife living in the penthouse of a luxury high-rise apartment.
“&#8217;The Revenge of the Betrayed Wife&#8217; is a dark story where betrayed wives form a revenge alliance, but the atmosphere on set is actually very friendly and cheerful. My role in &#8216;Ochitara Owari&#8217; is also quite heavy, so I’m half excited and half nervous until it starts airing. I had worked with Misato Ugaki (35), the lead actress, on a radio program before. At the time, she was still an active TBS announcer, so I never imagined we’d reunite in a TV drama (laughs). Since I already knew what kind of person Uga-chan is, it was very easy to settle into the set.”
Having transitioned from a member of a hugely popular idol group to an actress frequently cast in distinctive villain roles, Shinoda says the turning point came after she graduated from AKB48 at age 27 and experienced burnout.
“When I was in AKB48, my schedule was packed two years in advance. After graduating, I suddenly didn’t even have plans for the following week. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I still had the energy and wanted to work, but I kept wondering: ‘What exactly is my dream from here on?’
One day, I suddenly decided, ‘I’m going overseas,’ and spent about two weeks in New York. While watching Broadway shows, I was deeply moved, thinking, ‘The people standing on this stage must have put in an incredible amount of effort.’ That experience finally helped me get back on my feet and say to myself, ‘I’m going to try again.’”
Although Shinoda set out on a new path as an actress, she admits she actually carried a complex about acting.
The June 19 issue of &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221; (released June 4) and the paid edition &#8220;FRIDAY GOLD&#8221; feature Shinoda speaking candidly about the drama that became her breakthrough role, &#8220;The Man Who Won’t Divorce: The Deceived Husband and His Devious Wife’s Love Game&#8221; (TV Asahi), as well as the hectic days of her AKB48 career.
For more details and additional photos, see the full feature below.
<div data-friday-gold-link-url="https://friday.gold/article/420936" data-friday-gold-link-title="Mariko Shinoda: The Struggles and Conflicts of the &quot;God 7&quot; Era Behind Her Breakthrough &quot;I always felt uncomfortable with 'Mariko-sama." data-friday-gold-link-excerpt="She broke new ground with her role as an &quot;adulterous wife&quot; in a series of extreme love scenes. ...... &quot;During my time in AKB48, being called &quot;Mariko-sama&quot; was complicated. I really wanted to be a royal idol and wanted to be called something cute like ″Mayuyu″. Good" data-friday-gold-link-thumbnail-wide="https://assets.friday.gold/friday-wp-production-assets/app/uploads/2026/06/3e791a08f68e8cf9fcdabced47a3a5d0-03130032402380.jpg/v/crop-faces:width=256,height=144/format:type=webp?Expires=4102444800&amp;Key-Pair-Id=K2H5GZZHVJCN4V&amp;Signature=LnE4o9qnOA7gu0CHjeuOSEH~8F1QrryJ1MPE~ch41Joci4TJIlPOEDdPhFtwBd0zQf32tvIuLPwP79XRt57fUo2Zl50Yw6ihgAPWjzAInRtVgi1utWPDiEsMQSJup17knE3HGnRnwX2vlmVJFMaILPjdPenjC0YGqPiv2blfiEd517J2JqrWgvE~l~EpTsbvxeSax9foRui7n5t5js614Owf0Q2obhvxPOuXHUYcn0KVx2qiyAy7ZC4-JR0oiZhrdXi6Cmw~k~-iXE~ghsPU2q4us0OrsRmpjBWCwyNRpNQC8W7Zg0TskNccf2qFdOsZEWIQ7Bij0JTYksjmGep2nA__" data-friday-gold-link-thumbnail-square="https://assets.friday.gold/friday-wp-production-assets/app/uploads/2026/06/3e791a08f68e8cf9fcdabced47a3a5d0-03130032402380.jpg/v/crop-faces:width=105,height=105/format:type=webp?Expires=4102444800&amp;Key-Pair-Id=K2H5GZZHVJCN4V&amp;Signature=Tfqwx-KY4Q~sjAo9REv~XbxErIPvSCRgDZmhYTfao5eGIWTjKT6fui0qHdzAdJQbljMgO4KlSf-gbFy~W5UBAo4VLIoL3UMnC-IWfFLr0GSUh0JjsEfznbbhD9UGurVHiftr-Fh~CBjTckonIfgGcsOVI-7tT8v7RlVoCQsZygp9YtTo2InBCF3Lp~U6aMcRU-fN20ohq1OzcNlpe1fwHxqEKpXEFBHax3gxhwCatQ7E1aAk88N8WrqSGfzgKteo6DAl-hgiwRVCZKmuUcVyhaAPvfdlYoCoH2-T92vceLiGROAg9ZXMwwmya7HK4RRPlL0ig7yKzg0-KQl~Kg6DFA__"></div>
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From the June 19, 2026 issue of &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221;

 Kazuhiko Nakamura

 Mariko Shinoda, who suffered from a gap between herself and those around her in the popular idol group "AKB48," lost sight of her goals after graduation, and suffered from "burnout syndrome..." Despite her many difficulties, she has made the leap to become an actress with a succession of offers to play unique "villainous" roles, and speaks candidly about her career.

“I Never Felt Comfortable Being ‘Mariko-sama'”—Mariko Shinoda Reflects on Her AKB48 Glory Days

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