Legends Of Otomejuku: The Lovely Ms. Rieko Miura!

Rieko Miura

Just finished wrapping up the highly enjoyable mystery drama “ Reinoryokusha Odagiri Kyoko No Uso” and while I loved Ishihara Satomi and AKB48 alumna Yuko Oshima in it, the one actress that I took particular notice of was Rieko Miura. As you all know, CoCo was the gateway drug that first got me into J-pop, j-dramas and everything else Japan related, and at the center of it was a big fascination with the adorable anime-voiced princess, MS. Miura Rikeo herself!

Reiko in her adorable CoCo Days circa 1991

 While I watched her in it, it impressed me how far she’d come since her early acting days when Coco had just broken up…the first thing I remember seeing her in was an episode of 1996’s “Mokuyo no Kaidan” show with SMAP’s Kusanagi Tsuyoshi (back then BOTH of them were just starting out dabbling in acting) I was so thrilled at seeing her in a show, for the Rieko Miura fan back then, it was a real EVENT!

Mokuyo No Kaidan (1996)

with Tsuyoshi Kusanagi in Mokuyo no Kaidan (1996)

 From there I saw her in shows like TABLOID and the NHK Asadora AGRI, but you know, back then, she always still seemed like “Reiko from CoCo in a show” … I’m trying to remember when it was when she crossed over from being an IDOL and transformed into a bonafide ACTRESS, and for me, it was when she appeared in GALCIR. She was so great as the dorky wife of the local shopkeeper, and when she revealed her beautiful persona underneath, that was an added bonus- I got to see her be goofy AND sexy! But more than that, I somehow felt that she was finally  “Rieko Miura, Actress (trivia: she used to be an idol!)” and all her roles from then on proved me right!

The Dark and Dorkier sides of Rieko in GALCIR (2006) above and below:

 She strengthened her acting chops in a terrific supporting role in the Misaki Ito/Kyoko Fukada comedy “Yama Onna Kabe Onna “ , it was here that I truly realized she had made the transition from "girl" to "woman". Man, she was so good in this role as the seasoned senior manager of the store, really like the mother hen taking care of both Misaki and Kyoko!

With Fukada Kyoko In Yama Onna Kabe Onna (2007)

After this show, they FINALLY gave Reiko her own drama with her as the lead actress. The show was called “Suite 10”, and I was so excited and couldn't wait to watch it! Unfortunately, no channel picked it up here so I never got to see it! ARGH!

Suite 10 (2008)

To date, even with the advent of the internet and J-drama sharing sites, I’ve still never found someone who had the show, so it's still on my wishlist! I'm not sure how this drama fared during its initial airing, but to date, this remains Reiko's only lead actress drama..
.The next drama I saw her in was the Yusuke Kamiji /Aya Ueto drama “Celeb Bimbo Monogatari” where she honed what would become THE signature Reiko Miura role: The Eccentric, Melodramatic and Extremely Beautiful Woman!

with Ueto Aya in Celeb to Binbo Taro (2008)

with Kazama Morio in Celeb to Binbo Taro

 It was this character you'd see her bring out in shows like the aforementioned Reinoryokusha Odagiri Kyoko No Uso, sleek, sly and sexy! Like I said, I really loved her performance in this show as the sultry Agent S, marvelling at how she became this strong, confident actress, seemingly right before my eyes!

wi Shosuke Tanihara in Reinoryokusha Odagiri Kyoko No Uso (2010)

She could still revert back to playing the sweet and innocent girls if she wanted to, as evidenced in shows like MASSUGU NA OTOKO and UTSUKUSHII RINJIN, where she played more homey, down to earth roles. By this point, I was so confident in Rieko’s success as an actress, that seeing her in these, I simply thought, “huh, Reiko’s in this…” then I stepped back and thought to myself, “you know, ten years ago, you would be flipping out with excitement that Reiko was in a show!” It made me happy that she was so firmly entrenched in the drama biz that I could take her appearances for granted!

with Misako Uno in Massugu No Otoko (2010)

with Dan Rei in Utsukushii Rinjin (2011)

Koko Ga Uwasa no El Palacio (2011)

While not as successful as Hiromi Nagasaku from her sister Pony Canyon group RIBBON, Reiko has managed to stay a relative consistent mainstay in dramas, especially when playing the older femme-fatale vixen types, much to my approval! 

with Sawajiri Erika in First Class (2014)

Recent dramas from her include the Rena Tanaka drama “Utsukushiki Wana” as well as the Erika Sawajiri drama “FIRST CLASS”, and she’s still there playing sharp witted and beautiful women, roles that prove that the cute little genki girl from CoCo TOTALLY had what it takes! Here's to your continued success!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com