The Other Side of Oryo: Maki Yoko

Maki Yoko as Oryo in RYOMADEN

When actress Yoko Maki arrived on the scene in the NHK Taiga Drama RYOMADEN as Narasaki Oryo, Sakamoto Ryoma's future wife, I must admit I had reservations about her portrayal. I wanted a pretty and vibrant girl to fill the role, and at first, it didn't look like I would be satisfied. As time went on, Maki proved herself as a pretty cool and tough chick, and though she still didn't really captivate me like Aoi Yu's take on Omoto, I still liked her enough, and that's where it pretty much stood.

Maki Yoko, Fukuyama Masaharu

So one day my friend Car is online looking for makeup, and looks up Yoko Maki to see if they listed what kinds and brands of makeup she used since she liked her look a lot. Soon, however, she would be calling me up to tell me that she'd seen the most eye-opening and unexpected pics of Yoko Maki ever!


Car had always suspected all along that under the plain and calm exterior of Oryo, Yoko Maki was actually a pretty actress, and BOY was she proven right! Going online, I located the book that Car had seen, a wonderful shashinshuu collection called MISS ACTRESS, and in THAT pictorial, quiet and Sensible Oryo looked like this:

Yoko Maki MISS ACTRESS

HOLY EFFIN' TOLEDO! My god, that's about as FLAT-OUT, Lusciously SEXY as you can GET without "Crossing the Line", a line that in some circles may be arguable that it HADN'T been crossed! WHOAH! Whodathunk that under that drab kimono was such a FOXY GAL!

Ah, I'll certainly be watching Oryo with a LOT keener eye come tomorrow's episode of Ryomaden! Sad to have come across this wonderful side of her with Ryoma already winding down!!