What makes Shiraishi Sei, the star of “Toyotomi Brothers!”, so popular?
Toyotomi Brothers!” is attracting attention for its portrayal of Hidenaga’s wife, Nao, played by Shiraishi Sei.
Originally, it was planned for Nagano Mei to play the role.
Hamabe Minami plays the wife of Hideyoshi (Ikematsu Sosuke), the elder brother who will become the ruler of Japan, and Nagano Mei plays the wife of Hidenaga (Nakano Ohga), the younger brother and protagonist of the film.
The casting of Minami Hamabe and Mei Nagano as the wives of two brothers is typical of NHK.
Hamabe played the heroine in the morning drama “Ranman” (starring Ryunosuke Kamiki), while Nagano played the heroine in the morning drama “Hanbun, Aoi.” The casting showed the significant role of the sisters-in-law in this drama, but Nagano was forced to step down due to a scandal and Shiraishi was selected for the role.
Mei Nagano’s “substitute” Shiraishi Sei’s delicate acting is praised. She will become the “second Haruna Kawaguchi” in “Toyotomi Brothers!”
Source: Tokyo Sports WEB 2026/1/16 (Fri)
“Toyotomi Brothers!” Shiraishi Sei’s “Nagano-eating” looks and acting skills have been met with admiration… Anticipation is building for her path to becoming “the next Kawaguchi Haruna”
Source: SmartFLASH 2026/1/13 (Tue)
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Shiraishi Sei has also appeared in many NHK dramas.
Her role as an underground idol in the 2019 NHK evening drama “That’s Why I Pushed Her” was striking. It was a drama that left a lasting impression on her, along with Yuki Sakurai, who played the role of an office lady who pushes her and ends up getting drunk.
She then played the role of a rookie detective in the sequel to “Oshii Keiji” starring Kazama Shunsuke, “Yappa Oshii Keiji,” and in the 2022 NHK Drama 10 drama “Shimobee,” she played the heroine, a high school girl.
In the drama “Kanakana” that followed, he played the role of a former delinquent office worker who falls in love with the main character (Go Ayano).
In 2023, she appeared in NHK’s “Ooku,” and in 2024, she appeared as a patient in the third episode (out of three) of the NHK Saturday drama “Shrink: A Weak Psychiatrist.”
Since 2019’s “That’s Why I Pushed You,” I’ve been watching every single one of Shiraishi Sei’s works, and I got the impression that “NHK somehow values her.”
With this latest selection, there are rumors that she could be the next Haruna Kawaguchi.
In the first episode, it was great to see him being close to the main character, Koichirou, despite being of a slightly higher social status.
The biggest thing is probably the cheerfulness.
Her cheerfulness complements her rags-to-riches story well.
I’m also looking forward to seeing her as a step-sister with Hamabe Minami.