Mei Nagano

Mei Nagano (永野 芽郁, Nagano Mei; born September 24, 1999), is a Japanese actress.^[1] Amongst her film and television credits are Rinko in the film My Love Story!, Suzume Yosano in the film Daytime Shooting Star, and Suzume Nireno in the 98th NHK asadora Hanbun, Aoi.

Mei Nagano
永野 芽郁
Nagano at the Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2022
Born	(1999-09-24) September 24, 1999 (age 25) Nishitokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2009–present
Agent	Stardust Promotion

Early life and career

Mei Nagano was born in Nishitokyo, Tokyo on September 24, 1999. Her family consists of her mother, father, and an elder brother three years her senior.^[2]

Nagano was scouted in Kichijōji, Tokyo when she was in her third year of elementary school.^[1] She made her acting debut in the 2009 action-adventure film Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle as a minor character.^[3] Nagano was a regular model for Japanese fashion magazines Nico☆Petite and nicola.^[4] In August 2016 she became an exclusive model for Seventeen.^[5] In 2015 she played the heroine, Rinko Yamato, in the romantic comedy film My Love Story!.^[1]

Her first lead role came in the 2016 teen drama Koe Koi as Yuiko Yoshioka, a high school student who meets a mysterious boy who wears a paper bag over his head.^[6] Later that year she provided the voice for the character Zaya in the Japanese version of the film Gods of Egypt.^[7] She also appeared in commercials for Calpis Water,^[8] Sekisui House,^[9] Townwork,^[10] UQ Mobile,^[11] and Alpen.^[12] In 2017 she starred in the romance film Daytime Shooting Star^[1] and was announced as the lead for NHK's 98th Asadora, Hanbun, Aoi, which started airing in April 2018.^[13][14] For her lead role in this asadora, Nagano was named the Best Actress at the 98th Japan Television Drama Academy Awards.^[15]

In 2019, Nagano acted alongside Masaki Suda in the drama Mr. Hiiragi's Homeroom, and was named Best Supporting Actress at the 100th Japan Television Drama Academy Awards for her role.^[16] In 2022, Nagano was nominated in the Best Actress category for her role in the 2021 film And So the Baton Is Passed at the 45th Japan Academy Film Prize. She was also named Best Actress at the 64th Blue Ribbon Awards for her role in the same film.^[17] She then appeared in the drama Unicorn ni Notte. ^[18] She also starred in the live-action film adaptation of the manga My Broken Mariko which was released in September 2022.^[19]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2009	Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle			[3]
2010	Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City	Sumire		[1]
	Watashi no Yasashiku nai Senpai	young Yamako Iriomote		[20]
2012	Rurouni Kenshin	Sanjō Tsubame		[21]
	Gachipan: Ultra Max	Seira		[1]
2015	A Stitch of Life	Mari		[22]
	My Love Story!	Rinko Yamato		[23]
2017	Daytime Shooting Star	Suzume Yosano	Lead role	[24]
	Parks	Haru		[25]
	Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High	Mimiko Shiratori		[26]
	Peach Girl	Sae Kashiwagi		[27]
	Mixed Doubles	Airi Ogasawara		[28]
2019	You Shine in the Moonlit Night	Mamizu Watarase	Lead role	[29]
	NiNoKuni	Kotona and Asha (voice)		[30]
2020	Masked Ward	Hitomi Kawasaki		[31]
2021	It's a Flickering Life	Young Yoshiko		[32]
	Jigoku no Hanazono: Office Royale	Naoko Tanaka	Lead role	[33]
	And So the Baton Is Passed	Yūko Morimiya	Lead role	[34]
2022	My Broken Mariko	Tomoyo Shiino	Lead role	[35]
	Motherhood	Sayaka	Lead role	[36]
2023	Mom, Is That You?!	Mai		[37]
2024	Teasing Master Takagi-san Movie	Takagi	Lead role	[38]
	Cells at Work!	Erythrocyte / Red Blood Cell (AE3803)	Lead role	[39]
2025	Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey	Akiko Hayashi	Lead role	[40]

Television drama

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2010	Hagane no Onna	Young Ineko Haga	Episode 6	[41]
2011	Tokidoki Mayomayo	Tamako	Episode 36: Onee-chan to Yobanaide	[42]
	ABU Asia Kodomo Drama Series	Mizuki Mishima	Season 7, episode 2: "Ensoku"	[43]
	True Horror Stories: Summer 2011	The patient	Short drama	[44]
2012	Stand Up! Vanguard	Sumire Mizuhara	Television film	[45]
2013	Yae's Sakura	Young Yamakawa Tokiwa	Taiga drama	[1]
2014	Platonic	Sari Mochizuki		[1][46]
	The Man of the Tokyo Olympics	Teen Grace Miyako Wada	Television film	[47]
2015	Suiyo Mystery 9: Hoshin	Chinatsu Miyashita	Television film	[48]
	High School Chorus	Miki Kondo	Episode 3	[41]
	Summer Stalker Blues	Aki Nakajō		[49]
	Teddy Go!	Anne Amano		[50]
	Chō Gentei Nōryoku	Miyuki Hashida		[51]
2016	Love That Makes You Cry	Remi Funakawa		[52]
	Koe Koi	Yuiko Yoshioka	Lead role	[6]
	Sanada Maru	Senhime	Taiga drama	[53]
2017	Super Salaryman Mr. Saenai	Momoko Sasahara	Episode 8	[54]
	Fugitive Boys	Renko Aokawa		[55]
2018	Hanbun, Aoi.	Suzume Nireno	Lead role; Asadora	[56]
2019	Mr. Hiiragi's Homeroom	Sakura Kayano	Lead role	[57]
2020	Daddy is My Classmate	Sakura Obika		[58][59]
2021	Ichikei's Crow: The Criminal Court Judges	A defendant	Cameo	[60]
	Police in a Pod	Mai Kawai	Lead role	[61]
2022	Riding a Unicorn	Sana Narukawa	Lead role	[62]
2023	Burn the House Down	Anzu Murata	Lead role	[63]
2024	The Gift of Your Heart	Ame Aihara	Lead role	[64]
2025	Brighter Days	Saho Takahashi	Lead role; television film	[65]
	News Anchor	Hana Sakikubo		[66]

Other television

Year	Title	Notes	Ref.
2018	69th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen	As a judge	[67]
2020	Terrace House: Tokyo 2019–2020	Guest studio commentator for episodes 33–36	[68]

Japanese dub

Year	Title	Role	Voice dub for	Notes	Ref.
2016	Gods of Egypt	Zaya	Courtney Eaton		[7]

Music video appearances

Year	Artist	Title	Ref.
2011	Funky Monkey Babys	"Love Song"
2013	Southern All Stars	"Eikō no Otoko"
2015	She's	"Long Goodbye"	[69]
2016	Sakura Shimeji	Hidarimune	[70]

Bibliography

Magazines

• Ribon, Shueisha 1995-, as an exclusive model since 2010^{[citation needed]}
• Nico☆Petite, Shinchosha 2006-, as an exclusive model from 2010 to 2013^{[citation needed]}
• nicola, Shinchosha 1997-, as an exclusive model from 2013 to 2016^[4]
• Seventeen, Shueisha 1967-, as an exclusive model since 2016^[5]

Photobooks

• Moment (2019)^[71]
• No cambia (2020)^[72]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work(s)	Result	Ref.
2019	43rd Elan d'or Awards	Newcomer of the Year	Herself	Won	[73]
2021	34th Nikkan Sports Film Awards	Best Supporting Actress	It's a Flickering Life	Nominated	[74]
	46th Hochi Film Awards	Best Supporting Actress		Nominated	[75]
		Best Actress	And So the Baton Is Passed, etc.	Won	[76]
2022	64th Blue Ribbon Awards	Best Actress	And So the Baton Is Passed, Jigoku no Hanazono: Office Royale	Won	[77]
	45th Japan Academy Film Prize	Best Actress	And So the Baton Is Passed	Nominated	[78]
	47th Hochi Film Awards	Best Actress	Motherhood and My Broken Mariko	Nominated	[79]
2023	77th Mainichi Film Awards	Best Actress	My Broken Mariko	Nominated	[80]
	46th Japan Academy Film Prize	Best Supporting Actress	Motherhood	Nominated	[81]
2024	47th Japan Academy Film Prize	Best Supporting Actress	Mom, Is That You?!	Nominated	[82]