<figure id="attachment_367923" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1000px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-367923"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="c0c842c2"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/04/226d73289f630b8a7d2f66e6cdabf8e6.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-367923" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the November 30, 2018 issue, Kuroki (left) and Yoshida were spotted near Naka-Meguro Station by our magazine. Perhaps they had already been drinking somewhere, as Kuroki&#8217;s cheeks were slightly flushed.</span></figcaption></figure>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the onset of the new fiscal year, a wave of departures is occurring among renowned actors, including Kuranosuke Sasaki (56), Ryuta Sato (44), Tetsushi Tanaka (58), Mikako Tabe (35), Wakana Sakai (43), and Asami Usuda (39). In the midst of this trend, Kuroki Hana (34) also announced on March 29th her departure from the talent agency &#8220;Papado&#8221; at the end of March, opting for independence.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Expressing gratitude towards her former agency, Kuroki commented, </span><b>&#8220;I was a university student in Kyoto when I debuted, and for about 13 years, they provided me with numerous experiences and learning opportunities, allowing me to participate in various wonderful projects.&#8221;</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kuroki&#8217;s former agency, &#8220;Papado,&#8221; saw the departure of veteran actress Takako Matsu (46) in 2011 and actor Eita Nagayama (41) in 2021. Despite their exits, both continue to thrive in their careers. Now, it&#8217;s Kuroki&#8217;s turn to move on. Behind her significant decision lies the influence of a senior actress.</span></p>
<p><b>&#8220;Born in Osaka, Kuroki excelled as the ace of a prestigious drama club during high school and further honed her acting skills at university. She was discovered during a workshop by director Hideki Noda (68) and made her acting debut in 2010 on a NODA・MAP stage play.</b></p>
<p><b>She later gained attention as a promising newcomer in the theater world, appearing in productions directed by the late Yukio Ninagawa, among others. In 2012, she made her television drama debut in NHK&#8217;s Asadora &#8216;Jun to Ai,&#8217; playing a colleague of the heroine portrayed by Natsu (34). It was during this time that she encountered a senior actress who would significantly impact her life,&#8221;</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> shared a film industry insider.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That actress was none other than Yoshiyuki, who was not as well-known at the time. According to an interview article on the news site &#8220;ORICON NEWS&#8221; from January last year, although they had few scenes together in &#8220;Jun to Ai,&#8221; they exchanged contact information.</span></p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="A relationship of always together"></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following that, Kuroki made her debut in a film directed by Yoji Yamada, &#8220;The Little House,&#8221; released in 2014. Her performance in the film earned her the prestigious Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, making her the fourth Japanese actress to achieve this honor. During that time, Yoshiyuki revealed the starting point of their friendship, saying,</span><b> &#8220;I congratulated her via email, invited her out for a meal, and from there, we started going out for drinks occasionally.&#8221;</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the other hand, Kuroki also spoke about Yoshiyuki&#8217;s presence, saying, </span><b>&#8220;She&#8217;s like an older sister, but her down-to-earth nature is irresistibly comfortable, making her a close and trusted friend. There&#8217;s a sense of being like family.&#8221;</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Additionally, in January last year, in the movie &#8220;Ichikei no Karasu,&#8221; starring Yutaka Takenouchi (53), the two actors appeared together for the first time. At that time, Kuroki commented, &#8220;I always want to be together with Yoshiyuki.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><b>&#8220;They seem to always be together in private, and they were even caught having a &#8216;Nakameguro date.&#8217; It seems that Kuroki started seriously consulting Yoshiyuki about her independence around the time of filming &#8216;Ichikei no Karasu.&#8217;</b></p>
<p><b>Yoshiyuki was previously affiliated with the agency before her breakthrough, working closely with a female manager. However, for some reason, they parted ways, and Yoshiyuki left the agency at the end of 2018. She is currently active with her own personal agency. Given Yoshiyuki&#8217;s resilient approach to life, Kuroki reportedly asked her about various concerns regarding independence, and once those concerns were resolved, she decided to leave the agency and become independent,&#8221; </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">shared a television industry insider.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Kuroki has several upcoming projects, including the movie &#8220;Seishun 18 x 2: The Road Continuing to You,&#8221; set to be released on May 3rd, these were offers received during her time with her former agency. With Kuroki&#8217;s undeniable talent and status as an actress, the focus now shifts to what projects she will choose for her first assignments after becoming independent.</span></p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Hana Kuroki in a &quot;tipsy&quot; two-shot"></div>
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<figure id="attachment_367926" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1000px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-367926"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="94ac27ca"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/04/05a080e336082e7f0c7b962c1ae515ee.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-367926" class="wp-caption-text">Both of them were relaxed, both of them with no makeup and glasses. They were so close to each other that one was tempted to ask, &#8220;Are they lovers?&#8221; (November 30, &#8217;18 issue).</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_367927" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1000px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-367927"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="74e75773"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/04/c924bd21bc4614241f5d68fbea8d7286.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-367927" class="wp-caption-text">They seemed to pay no attention to the touts&#8217; voices and disappeared into an alleyway, chatting with each other (November 30, &#8217;18 issue).</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_367928" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1373px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-367928"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7b1d37b7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/04/2206ed421c841ffbd0033fe44f4c141b.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-367928" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In December 2013, after finishing a stage performance in Shinjuku, Kuroki and actor Reo Tamaki (39), who are currently co-starring in the NHK Taiga drama &#8220;Hikari no Kimi e,&#8221; were seen together. In terms of their roles, they portray a relationship of step-siblings.</span></figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_367929" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-367929"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3f5d2c86"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/04/5571987a6405c98df07f6812b9547b9f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-367929" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the location scenery of the drama version of &#8220;Ichikei no Karasu,&#8221; Takenouchi Yutaka (foreground) and Fumie Kohinata (70) can be seen (May 7th &amp; 14th, 2021 issue).</span></figcaption></figure>
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 Kojiro Yamada (1st~3rd), Tetsuko Takemoto (4th), Yusuke Kondo (5th)

 In the midst of the ongoing "independence rush" of actors and actresses, Hana Kuroki announced her decision to leave her agency at the end of March. She says that her decision to go independent was supported by a senior actress with whom she has consulted on various matters and with whom she has a close relationship.

Longing to Collaborate: Did “That Actress” Encourage Kuroki Hana’s Independence?

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