AKB48's Yokoyama Yui to star in new Kansai TV Spring 2018 drama "Hannari Girori no Yoriko-san"

AKB48's Yokoyama Yui will be starring in the new Kansai TV Spring 2018 drama "Hannari Girori no Yoriko-san" (The elegant & glaring Miss Yoriko) which will begin its run from 24 April 2018 in the Tuesdays 1.25am timeslot. The drama which consists of 4 episodes, is based on the same-titled manga by Asano Yukiko. She plays the lead character Shindo Yoriko who works at a cigarette shop in Kyoto located 2 mins away from a World Heritage site and looks scary with her glaring expression but actually has a heart of gold and is just awkward in front of others. Through the eyes of Yoriko, the famous sights of Kyoto and the little-known culture and habits of Kyoto are introduced in a heartful manner. Nakao Masaki will play Yamada Yuichi who is a magazine editor transferred to the Kyoto office and meets Yoriko when he becomes the neighbour of her childhood friend.

Yokoyama said that she was shocked and happy about being offered her first leading role but she wondered if she was good enough to take this on. With regard to her character, Yokoyama revealed that she can identify with how Yoriko is misunderstood because of her fierce expression because she herself is always viewed negatively in the same way. As Yokoyama also finds it difficult to convey her thoughts, she felt that the two of them are alike in many ways.

As for the romance storyline with Nakao, Yokoyama praised her co-star for being frank and cute. There was a scene at the coin laundry which was especially memorable to her because it was very sad. Yokoyama also related that Nakao was the one who took the lead during the enjoyable filming process. On the other hand, Nakao commented that Yokoyama was very well-loved by everyone on the set and that she was similar to Yoriko in many ways.

Sources: Oricon / Sanspo