More than just Tetsuya Tokai and Minegishi…! From fans to lovers: “The dream couple
The leader of the Youtuber group Tokai On Air, Tetsuya (27), has become the talk of the town after announcing that he is dating former AKB48 member Minegishi Minami (28). Tetsuya has been a fanatic of Minegishi for 12 years, since he was in high school. As it turns out, his obsession with Minegishi is quite impressive, as he has been able to fulfill his longtime desire by becoming a celebrity himself.
It is not uncommon for a person who was originally just a fan to become involved in a relationship or get married by avidly following the celebrity of their dreams. However, it is rare to find a couple who became a big couple because they got a chance to get close to the person of their dreams by entering the entertainment industry. I would like to introduce a few of the most impressive cases.
Kaori Manabe (41)
In 2015, she married Kazuya Yoshii (54), vocalist of the popular band YELLOW MONKEY. Manabe, who had a baby that year, has been a fan of Yoshii’s since she was in junior high school.
She was born and raised in Saijo City, a small town in Ehime Prefecture. It takes only an hour by express train to get to Matsuyama, the nearest “city”, and she must have spent her days listening to Yoshii’s songs and looking at his photos.
Such an ordinary girl went to Tokyo, became a gravure idol, met and married Yoshii, who was only a person in the TV world. If this is not a Cinderella story, I don’t know what is. ……
Seiko Matsuda (59)
If there is one person who entered the entertainment industry in order to meet the celebrity of her dreams and succeeded in turning her around, it would have to be the idol of the century, Seiko Matsuda. She was originally an avid fan of Hiromi Goh (65), and when she auditioned to meet Goh as a guest, she won. She was scouted by her agency and rose to stardom.
Finally, she and Goh got together as “top idols”. It’s a story as good as any girl’s manga. Later, the two chose to part ways due to the fierce opposition of those around them, but the words they exchanged, “If we are reborn, we will surely be together,” are still passed down as tearful words of wisdom.
Kippei Shiina (57)
This year, Kippei Shiina, who has been in a relationship with Tomoyo Harada (53) and has been hailed as a “wonderful couple” by both his peers and the younger generation, is another fan who has made his dream come true. It’s been 30 years since then.
Thirty years have passed since then. Thirty years later, Shiina has become a big-name actor who is not ashamed to stand next to Harada, and appears in front of her again. The story of their all-too-pure love is being watched warmly by many people.
Katie Holmes (42)
In other countries, there are people who have had their dreams come true from fans as well. One of the biggest success women of them all is Katie Holmes, an actress who married global superstar Tom Cruise (59) in 2006. Katie Holmes is known to have declared that her dream was to be Tom Cruise’s wife since she was a normal girl before she became an actress. Although she successfully fulfilled that dream and made women all over the world jealous, she was the epitome of “it’s better to leave a dream as a dream” ……. After that, they lost their love for each other because of Tom’s faith and divorced. The fairytale ended after six years.
Princess Catherine (39)
Princess Catherine of the British Royal Family is also a fan of Prince William (39). Although she denies it, according to a friend who was Catherine’s roommate, she has been a big fan of Prince William since she was a teenager and used to put up posters in her room at boarding school and look at them every day.
After that, Catherine succeeded in dieting hard. She entered the same university as Prince William, and appeared in front of him at a charity fashion show in her sexy underwear. I don’t think I need to tell you what happened after that. She is now blitzing her way through her Cinderella story as the future queen.
Nowadays, there are many ways to become a celebrity on the Internet, such as being a Youtuber, which Tetsuya also uses as his title, as well as an Instagrammer and TikToker. In addition, idol auditions are frequently held not only in Tokyo but also in other regions, lowering the hurdle to becoming a celebrity. Like Tetsuya, there may be more people who start out as fans and make their love come true.
Reporting and writing: Nanako
Born in Ehime Prefecture. After working at a broadcasting station, became a freelance writer. She specializes in interviews with celebrities and analysis of popular events, and is always on the lookout for serial dramas and popular Japanese movies. She is a famous beautiful writer in the magazine industry.
Photo: Jiji Press