"Nananiji's Idol Swordsman" Mao Asaoka (22/7) to release her first solo photobook! Also trying out swimsuits for the first time

■The theme is “Four seasons with Maosuke.” It will be released on October 6, 2024, his 20th birthday!

Mao Asaoka, a member of 22/7, a voice actor idol project created in collaboration between Yasushi Akimoto, Sony Music, and ANIPLEX, will publish her first photo book on October 6th.

Mao joined 22/7 on February 27, 2022. Affectionately known to fans as “Maosuke,” she has been active both inside and outside the group, including serving as Fuji TV’s “Mezamashi TV” Imadoki Girl from March 2023. Her first photobook, which will be released on her 20th birthday on October 6, 2024, will also be her first solo photobook as a member of 22/7.

In January, in her first blog update of 2024, Mao Asaoka wrote, “My biggest goal as Mao Asaoka is to release a personal photo book.” From there, the photo book project began. 2024 is a turning point for Maosuke, and the production of the photo book began with the concept of compiling this important year into a single photo book along with the changing seasons.

As the four seasons were to be filmed, the autumn and winter parts were shot in snowy Ueda, Shinshu. Following that, they had planned to shoot cherry blossoms in spring, but the unusually late cherry blossom blooming in 2024 affected the shoot date, and the shoot date had to be rescheduled. However, in Okinawa in the summer, they were fortunate that the end of the rainy season was announced a few days before the scheduled shoot date, and they were able to show off their fresh swimsuit looks in fine summer weather. Asaoka herself provided many ideas and images for the photobook, which was created.

She started fencing at the age of 6, and in her junior and senior high school years, she was one of the best in her generation, winning the national championship and even being selected to represent Japan. This led to the catchphrase “The 722nd Idol Swordsman, Mao Asaoka, who plays Touko Kiryu.” This time, she also shows off her dignified fencing skills.

■ Comment from Mao Asaoka
This time, I will be releasing my first photo book. I had always dreamed of releasing a photo book on my own, and I am so happy that it has come true at the big turning point of my life, when I turn 20.
The theme of this photobook is spring, summer, fall, and winter, and I think you’ll be able to enjoy the different sides of me, from cuteness and beauty to coolness, according to the seasons! There are also shots of me fencing and wearing a furisode kimono, so I think it’s a work that could only be created now. I hope that this book will convey my charm to the fans who always support me, and to the fans I will meet in the future.

(C)Buzz Wave / WANIBOOKS / Pygmy Company