“Meruru” or Ai Nami
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The “Saturday Premium: Truly Scary Stories 25th Anniversary Special” will be broadcast tonight. This article, originally published on December 25, 2021, by AERA dot, is being reprinted (ages and titles are from that time).
[Photo] A rare shot! Here is “Meruru” at the age of 13, said to be the cutest junior high school girl in Nagoya.
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In the drama “Love Is! – Yankee-kun and White Cane Girl –” (Nippon Television), which aired its final episode on December 15, 19-year-old model and talent “Meruru,” or Ai Nami, played a main cast role. She portrayed the antagonist, the love rival of the heroine (Hana Sugisaki), but her interactions with Sugisaki, who is regarded as a leading young actress, felt perfectly natural. On social media, there were comments praising her acting skills, such as “Meruru’s acting surprised me” and “She’s so natural, she doesn’t stand out.”
After working with the fashion magazine “Popteen” (Kadokawa Haruki Corporation), Meruru has been the exclusive model for “CanCam” (Shogakukan) since March, while also appearing in various variety shows. Initially, she had a strong impression as a “silly gal talent,” but recently her charming smile has permeated into living rooms. Along with her good performances in dramas, her popularity has seen a sharp rise. This year, she won first place in the model category at the “Yahoo! Search Awards 2021,” and it was recently announced that her first photo book will be released next March.
What is the reason for her popularity? An editor of a television information magazine shares their thoughts.
“Meruru actually has a surprisingly serious side that isn’t very ‘gal-like.’ Recently, she mentioned on a variety show that she’s been enhancing her solo home time by knitting coasters and making accessories and vases. Also, during a talk show when the topic of club activities like soccer or baseball came up, when asked what sport she thought was cool, Meruru confessed, ‘I prefer art club!’ She revealed that she is attracted to cultural types.”
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Hiroshi Maruyama
Born in Saitama Prefecture. After graduating from university, he worked at a publishing company involved in magazine editing. He later transitioned to writing and is currently focused on web news and entertainment-related articles.
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At heart, a serious and hardworking person