NTV conceals the identity of its female lead for the autumn 2013 drama "Hakuba no Oujisama Junai Tekireki"

NTV will be airing the autumn 2013 drama "Hakuba no Oujisama Junai Tekireki" (Prince Charming on a white horse - the appropriate age for pure love) from 3 October at 11.59pm on Thursdays but is keeping the identity of its leading lady a secret until the first OA. This is the first time that any drama's lead has been deliberately concealed and NTV even covered the face of the actress on the posters of this drama.

The story of the drama features the heroine as Hara Takako, a senior high school teacher at 32 years old who is unsure about her future as a single woman when she suddenly meets a newbie teacher played by Miura Takahiro who is 7 years younger than her and falls for him. However, Miura's character already has a fiancee so Takako starts to rekindle her feelings for a senior teacher played by Nakamura Shunsuke as they had been involved in an extramarital affair in the past.

According to the production crew, the reason for keeping the leading lady's identity under wraps is to ensure that female viewers can put themselves in the shoes of Takako and not let the leading lady's image stop them from feeling emotionally involved in the story.

There are four hints as to who the leading lady is:

1) This is her first leading role in a drama since one and a half years.
2) She is about the same age as the heroine in the drama.
3) She is single.
4) She is well-known and high on the popularity rankings.

When interviewed about this arrangement of hiding her identity, the actress said that although she was unsure initially, she accepted the rationale behind the decision and will try hard not to disappoint viewers. As she had little experience in romance dramas, she feels shy about having feelings for a younger man although it is just within the drama. She also revealed that her own Prince Charming in real life has not appeared yet but has not taken any concrete actions to change the situation.

Source: Yomiuri Hochi