■She will be the legendary idol Ai in the streaming drama “Oshi no Ko,” scheduled to be released in November!
A new cover visual of Saito Asuka, who is the cover girl for July and August of the idol web magazine “Glass Girl,” has been released.
Saito Asuka, who will play the legendary idol Ai in the Amazon Prime Video drama “Oshi no Ko” scheduled to be released in November, is a “legendary idol” who also stood at the center of Nogizaka 46, a top idol group in Japan. The fact that she will be playing the role of Ai has been a big topic of conversation.
In “Glass Girl,” we look at Asuka Saito, who will be celebrating her 26th birthday on August 10th. What kind of idol was Asuka Saito? And what was so great about her? Here, we present the analysis by Shinomoto 634.
In addition, “Glass Girl” also features gravure photos and an interview with Saito Asuka.
■ Age 13. A dark start
Nogizaka46, formed in August 2011, was born as the “official rival of AKB48.”
Among those original members, the youngest was Saito Asuka. She was 13 years old at the time. Among the girls who had passed the final audition, she was standing fourth from the right in the last row.
When she first debuted, she aimed to become a “traditional” idol like AKB48 and Hello! Project, which she had loved as a girl.
She started out with a character that she now admits is a “dark history,” saying, “I love strawberry milk, my name is Saito Asuka, also known as ‘Ashurin’.”
Her small, childish face and cute character as the youngest member of the group didn’t really resonate with fans at first. Perhaps her “childishness” stood out too much. In fact, she was only selected for the senbatsu three times for Nogizaka46’s first to tenth singles. She was a regular member of the under group.
Nevertheless, she took the center position in the undersong “Fusuki” on the CD “Girls Rule” released in 2013. Little by little, her reputation within the group began to grow.
After that, she changes her character from a cute character to a sharp-tongued character, then a cool character.
Then in 2015, the year Saito Asuka turned 17, things started to change.
She was selected as an exclusive model for the long-established women’s fashion magazine ‘CUTiE.’ This was a shocking event as she was the first exclusive model for ‘CUTiE’ since it was first published in 1989.
Furthermore, she was also selected as the visual model for the Asian region for the global fashion brand ANNA SUI, and her strong visual appeal is also attracting attention.
She has been a regular member of Nogizaka46 since 2015. The following year, she rose to the center position in the 15th single “Hadashi de Summer.”
After that, she was selected for all singles until her graduation, and was the center a total of five times. She became the ace of Nogizaka46 in both name and reality.
As the original members graduated one after another, she continued to lead the group as the last first-generation center, and in the final few years before her graduation, she supported the younger members in order to point the way to a new era of Nogizaka46.
Then came May 17th and 18th, 2023. At a concert held at Tokyo Dome, Asuka Saito ended her activities with Nogizaka46. Her idol career came to an end.
■Only I can bring out this side of Saito Asuka!
Looking back on her life as an idol, there was one memorable event that occurred between 2015 and 2016.
At the time, I was in charge of editing gravure photos and conducting interviews at Weekly Playboy (Shueisha), and I often asked the following question to the many gravure photographers I worked with.
“Is there an idol you want to shoot right now?”
Many top photographers responded in unison.
“I want to photograph Asuka Saito.” Her name keeps coming up. In fact, the photographers who mentioned her name have photographed her for various magazines and photo books.
One photographer has captured Saito Asuka’s girlishness and her youthful, laid-back nature, where she doesn’t open up easily, in a photo book.
Another photographer captured her life-size expressions that suited her age.
Yet another photographer captured the darkness within her.
It wasn’t just photographers. Many creators, including videographers, fashion designers, and art directors for advertising, raised their hands and said, “This is the side of Saito Asuka I want to capture,” or “Only I can bring out this side of Saito Asuka!”, each expressing their own version of Saito Asuka.
And it all comes together into a magnificent piece of work.
Of course, the greatness of the work is due to the skills of top-class creators. But at the same time, the idol Saito Asuka also beautifully expresses and responds to the desires of creators. “The ability to conjure up concepts for creators” and “the ability to respond with high quality.” I don’t know of any other idol who possesses both of these at such a high level.
In particular, the exhibition “Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter / Four Seasons Nogizaka 46” was held at the Tokyo National Museum in 2021. When I saw the photo of Saito Asuka, which was the main visual of this exhibition, displayed in the middle of Japanese art, I was stunned and said, “How can it stand so beautifully even in the middle of contemporary art!” The concept of the exhibition was “a fusion of symbols of ancient Japanese art and modern pop culture,” and Nogizaka 46 may have been merely a symbol representing the modern era. However, I vividly remember being simply captivated by the artistic beauty of Saito Asuka.
Her ability in this regard is overwhelming compared to other idols. She is natural and although she seems reluctant to open up, she allows you to be close to her.
He has the kindness to respond to the various perspectives that creators and artists are looking for, and allows them to cut through them. However, at the same time, he is “beautiful and lovable, yet has a mysterious side.”
I previously published a documentary book about Nogizaka 46 titled “Nogizaka 46 Monogatari” (Shueisha), in which I wrote, “If Ikoma Rina is the protagonist of a boys’ manga who strives for justice, then Nishino Nanase, who is sensitive and lacks self-confidence, is like the heroine of a girls’ manga.”
If Ikoma Rina is “Shonen Jump” and Nishino Nanase is “Bessatsu Margaret,” then Saito Asuka is “Afternoon.” It has a unique worldview and is mysterious, like “Oh My Goddess” and “Parasyte” being published at the same time.
This rare presence drives the creator crazy. It awakens something unsettling in his heart.
■ The idol world’s biggest comeback
Moreover, this aspect cannot be left out when talking about her.
Saito Asuka was an idol who achieved “the greatest uprising in the idol world.”
She started out as an idol at the very back of Nogizaka 46. From the very back, she rose to the center without a single person on the list.
During the time she reigned at the top of Nogizaka, Nogizaka46 was at the top of Japanese idols in both name and reality. She rose to the top of Japan’s idol scene.
In the history of modern idols, there are no other “geniuses who have risen from the bottom to the top” other than Saito Asuka and Sashihara Rino (although Sashihara Rino, who has a “strong character and exceptional ability to promote herself,” is also an incredible existence).
Ai, from the big content “Oshi no Ko,” which will begin streaming as a live-action drama in November of this year, is an idol who rose from an underground idol raised in an institution to become a rising idol at the Tokyo Dome.
Although Ai had the star quality to shine like the brightest star, she harbored darkness in her heart.
In an interview for her graduation photobook “Museum” (Kodansha), Saito Asuka said, “When I was in the upper grades of elementary school, I often had trouble getting along with my friends at school, so I started skipping school.” I imagine that even though she was surrounded by Nogizaka members whom she cared deeply about, there was something dark in her heart as she read a book alone, facing the wall.
That’s why when I heard the news that “Saito Asuka will be playing Ai in[Oshi no Ko],” I was excited by the similarities between her and Ai. I was excited to imagine her ability to “return high quality hits.”
She returns as an idol. Beautiful, lovable, a little evil, mischievous, and drives the creators crazy. And yet, she’s more professional and of higher quality than anyone else.
Although she appears free and natural, she actually has a sense of balance and a spirit of service, and when you touch the soft part of her heart, she immediately cries. She is a kind person who cries for others more than anyone else.
This is her return not just as the “former center of Nogizaka46” but as the “one and only legendary idol.”
Right now, I can’t help but feel uneasy.
TEXT BY Shinomoto634
PHOTO BY Toshimasa Takeda
Styling: Mayumi Ando (Super Continental)
Hair and makeup: Naoko Tamura (GiGGLE)
Flower design: Kayo Kuwahara
“Glass Girl”
https://glassgirl.info/
Saito Asuka OFFICIAL SITE
https://asukasaito.jp
