Kalen Anzai cast as Ayu in the drama adaptation of "M 愛すべき人がいて"
 

https://twitter.com/tv_asahi_PR/stat...81998930329600



They attempted to remake the A BEST cover with the promo shot. The drama airs on Saturdays in April at 11:15PM.

You couldn't make it up, I guess if u can't be Ayu then the next best thing is to pretend to be Ayu

Avex just said "fuck it" and casted their "make it Ayu but peak Ayu" droid to play Ayu.

Wow. I'm surprised but also not. I think it's an interesting casting that is quite smart. I hope this will help boost Kalen's career.:)

Tbh I'm nor that suprised that :D she already gave some Ayu vibes on her Instagram pictures
Might be the reason why we got the remixes from Kalena first three singles and nothing really new. It will be interessting to see how good she is at acting. Iirc that's something she hasn't really done before.

I am a bit concerned about the casting since we've never even seen Kalen do interviews or anything. I think a lot of people were expecting Kalen to get cast but then who knows how she'll perform as Ayu.

Same, also somehow she only has 10k followers on IG which seems really low for someone with a MAC campaign and obviously a lot of money behind her from Avex.

It's true that we do not know anything about her acting ability. Playing the role of Ayu and her rise to fame will be a pretty demanding role. But this is also going to be a j drama type show as I understand it, not a biopic. So high quality acting skills may not be the top priority when casting. We won't know how it will turn out until it premieres.:think

I am not here for this.

I love this A BEST cover imitation. Lets just hope that drama will be good and received well.

First promo video?
https://twitter.com/maxmatsuuratwit/...31403209510913

I legit thought this was fake when I saw it on Twitter.

My only concern is if someone will sub this :laugh I actually love the concept they went for.

Wait wasn't this already expected by members here? I remember I first found out about Kalen cuz members had stated her whole career was started as a front to be Ayu in the drama. I love the image and so excited for this! Been loving Kalen's remixes of her singles.

Why so many butthurt people? Did you expect ayu to play herself or something? It‘s gonna give her the biggest promo boost since the book came out. Especially if the drama is actually good.

This is a super interesting project and I'm quite sure some subbing group will translate it. They really did Max a favour here ;)

Not super sure though if a group will sub it but it seems like it'll be easily accessible in raw form at least.

I was hoping for a recognized actress to play the drama so it can attract non-ayu fans easily. So Avex is giving all their push to Ms. Anzai? It better turns out good!

Imagine this was planned years ago and Ayu herself was a judge on the audition to find Avex's "new ayu"

Ok.. so when the drama is over Avex can you please give us our precious ayu tribute album right? :love

the bitterness in here... lmao!

super excited for this!

Ironically I think she looks more like Ayu in her videos than she does in an image trying to imitate her haha.

I’m excited for this though.

It doesn't help that the A BEST look is so iconic and then here she has some hairstyle that Ayu's never really had. I'm curious when we will see the first glimpses of the drama.

I love what they did with the A Best cover! Interested to see how this series will turn out.

I'm so excited can't wait!!!

I personally (as I understand this is subjective) don't see much resemblance between Ayu and Kalen Anzai at all, so paired with her absence? of acting experience, this seems like an unwise choice as opposed to booking a known actress.

Kalen does really look like one of those girls that Ayu inspired though in the 00s at least. Not exactly like Ayu though but her PVs and stuff channel 00s Ayu a LOT.

That promo is fire! Is that guy supposed to be Max? Generous casting if so lol.

Yeah, it looks like he's more like Max's son to be honest, lol.

She seems a bit dead on her Instagram, her PV and the -nice- promo picture, while ayu's personality instantly radiates.
But I won't judge her on that. Hopefully she'll be a nice surprise.
Her nose is quite different but as a whole she's a good look-alike.

Well tbqh ayu wasn't much of a charisma queen in her early days, it wasn't until late 2001/2002 that imo she got more confident and comfortable on stages and such... So it's not like Kalen will have to portray ayu holding off Rock'n'Roll Circus Tour performances lol I'm pretty excited for this, and I'm sure they wouldn't hire a "new ayu" who wouldn't have charisma, pretty sure she's looking robot-like on her PVs for a reason, and we have only PVs to judge so far. I'm pretty excited for what's to come (:

I think the resemblence remarkable. Well cast!
I really dig the robotic stare of Kalen, for some reason I think this very empty look suits so good for Ayu.
Like she is really shutting off. Love it. Know I am overreacting, but I am kinda glad that they cast her.
I hope she is good at acting.

Totally agree that she nails the early Ayu fashion/beauty aesthetic, but I feel like another actress could have adopted this effectively also. Ayu's features are soft in contrast to Kalen's, which are more angular and 'striking.' Kalen's version of A BEST really conveys this imo, I think they're both gorgeous however, this isn't to slight Kalen at all, just to point out that I think they're quite different looking.

Really though, the aesthetics don't matter - it depends on the acting and whether she can effectively portray Ayu's mannerisms from back then. I don't know whether Kalen has actually conveyed that in her PVs - forlorn/curious glances and an aura of being distant, sure, but I think early Ayu was more charismatic and versatile than we give her credit for. Anyway, I'm excited to see the first real trailer or preview - surely we'll get one soon if this is coming in April?

Really excited for this! <3

Trailer!

https://www.facebook.com/AyuTrollada...4300772358405/

I'm so freaking excited!! Is this better than a new album??

AbemaTV? So it's gonna be free to watch for everyone (with Japanese proxy)?

Dorama as a genre... in general... is low-culture entertainment. Sorry, but it’s true. It’s going to be OK at best, which is fine for what it is.

Kind of sad to see so much criticism of Kalen here. Her entire reason for going into music was to bring back the experience fans had with Ayu, Kuu, Namie, etc. You know, the very thing we all complain about Ayu not doing anymore. So, I think we need to cut her some slack. She's the only new artist fighting to bring back something we all miss. She's done a beautiful job so far with her music. All three of her singles were well planned, clearly had investment from her label, and MAC gave her major campaigns to promote all three.

At a certain point, it'd be nice if people would realize the difference between a copycat and an artist. A copycat is someone trying to capitalize on something while it's popular. An artist is someone trying to make space for and exemplify an artist-fan experience that's been dead for over 10 years. And a heroine is an artist who does it all at the expense of more immediate and bigger payoffs.

I love AK. She's really passionate about doing this, and not just for herself.

Edit: Here's an interview: https://popcrush.com/kalen-anzai-jin...pop-interview/

^
Sorry I might be wrong and I have nothing against her but it just sound like she has been created by avex since day 1 to play on Ayu’s nostalgia. I’m pretty sure she was casted for playing Ayu in the drama even before her musical career . It’s definitely something planned this girl has no background in the industry. What she does is nice etc... but to me all of this is fabricated and done in purpose.

Welcome to pop music lol

I think many of us just want to see if she can act okay. She is certainly her own person.

My pain points with her music don't really apply here. Her demeanor that she shows is so...robotic at times. And I assume it's intentional. So I think I'll be interested in seeing her not be that way in this role.

I like Kalen enough. I've been following her for the potential at this point.

At the end of the day, it's not a big deal imo. But it's fun to follow how this develops as an ayu fan :)

I think just in terms of what they've chosen to show about Kalen with her acting in the PVs or how she's been in photographs, she has a very doll-like feel to her but way more lifeless than Ayu was back in her day when she was called a doll. We'll see how she does in the drama but what we have seen so far isn't exactly promising, you know?

Intentional or not, they made me extremely intrigued to see her acting. So the hype is real. I mean, I can’t even picture her talking lol The only thing I see is a robot.
And while her music is not bad, I can’t stand her voice. We’ll probably have some covers of ayu’s songs I think.

I can understand this, but I'd also like to argue that none of us consider A Song for XX to be Ayu at her peak vocals. Every artist starts somewhere. Her first single came out last May. It says more about us that we're comparing Kalen 9 months in to Ayu 4 years in. AK has so much room for growth. And lest we forget that Ayu was a product too. The only reason Max signed her was because she was fashionable, attractive, and could write songs. Had he not pushed Ayu to go back to New York, Hamasaki Ayumi would be a checkout clerk at a Shibuya outlet.

It's not like Ayu was acting as a legendary diva though that early on in her career. It just seems like too big of a leap.

P A R T Y P O O P E R

As a person who never watches doramas, I can't wait to see to see this dorama

Yes, but homies are hoping for Marion Cotillard’s transformation into Édith Piaf in La Vie en Rose, but like... no. Not in this maudlin-ass, stiff af entertainment country. Don’t get me wrong, dorama has its place, but don’t let’s all pretend the McDonalds is getting a Michelin Star for the McRib.

I read on a Chinese site that Daniel Day Lewis was coming out of retirement to play Ayu, but he got Corona and now can’t, so they went with Karen.

Kalen posted this in Account in her story: https://instagram.com/ayu.secretdiar...d=9itururxj5q1
Do you think this is related to the drama?

ˆ
https://i.imgur.com/GfwQ1LV.jpg

^So nice :D

Same thing with Shohei's "Masa", they're "in character" posting on instagram

So Avex is A-VICTORY now :roflmao

First trailer!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9v1gAwg...d=dvhaipczpn3j

Looks great! I cannot wait!

Thanks, I hate it!

Lol the drama.

The trailer looks fine to me.

Looks like regular dorama quality, that works for me, she looks great in the SEASONS costume.

Wow, it feels surreal to finally see her speak :))))

The trailer looks nice and promising to me.
Kalen looks so cute in that tv Spot pedronekoi posted the Link to.

I'm considering to re open my Instagram account after leaving the app for 1 year and 4 months just to see their posts (of course I also miss Ayu a lot) but so much content there! What should I do? lol

omg isn't it ayu's writing??? the symbols look identical to Deji Deji diary's handwritten messages from ayu.

The trailer looks a bit cheap and definitely cheesy, but I'm here for it. I can't wait. I wonder if Kalen will record any song herself or simply "dub" Ayu.

It looks more low budget than I expected

Interesting! The trailer looks okay. It looks like the show will be a regular jdrama. It's going to have the usual tropes and qualities of the genre. I am a little confused though, in the trailer, it doesn't look very 90's to me?

Yeah it really looks low budget, almost as "good" as the short recreation we had on the TV show few weeks ago with the horrendous wigs haha. I guess all Japanese dramas look this cheap though? I'm not the target for this kind of stuff.
It's unfortunate they cast a girl whose eyes feel completely dead to play a girl whose big expressive eyes have always been part of her celebrity.

J drama in general are not that qualitative .... most of the time the acting is very cringy or overplayed. I think it’s okay don’t have high expectation it’s not an high budget series like in US. I remember when I saw Hana yori dango years ago ! The acting was bad but the drama was funny to watch ;)

Kalen looks amazing in the SEASONS shot omg! Acting so far looks like what I expected, I think I might enjoy it tbh

Looks nice!! I wonder if we could watch it in English sub titles next time?

It's pretty typical drama quality. I think it's also produced in part by a net TV company (AbemaTV) so it's not gonna be super up there in quality.

Enjoyed the trailer! Hoping I can watch the series when it comes out.

Gosh I wish my Japanese wasn't as rusty as it is now :( I'd love to watch this without having to wait for subs.

The trailer looks good to me :)

New photo of M cast!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ETWJ6KkU...g&name=900x900
https://twitter.com/A_world_ayu/stat...8907326869504/

主題歌が浜崎あゆみの「M」であることもわかった。

Looks like the theme song is confirmed to be M.

Also some more cast were revealed. The image shows a lot of the staff with Max but the article mentions more people related to Ayu like her friend, grandma, manager, etc.

https://i.imgur.com/5dP7p3K.png

https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/371598

This is definitely below-par quality for even a dorama.

That promo image looks like it’s for an unaired, rejected season of LIAR GAME

Seems about the same to me. It's really not that different from any run of the mill one each season. Definitely not high end though at all. But then again most of the dramas Ayu had CMs for were sort of never in that type except maybe the how beautiful you are/Hello new me one, I guess.

I think the blobby look is to look like the old blue/pink avex promo stuff but it should have been blue.

They did a good job with the A BEST cover promo, and the trailer, but now we get this. Man o man, where to begin...

Why’s that woman got an orange peel on her eye though

More details about M-Ai subeki hito ga ite
https://ayu-vogue.net/post/612881752...o-ga-ite-as-we

Thanks Aderianu!

Oh man, I'm actually really excited to see this lol

thanks for all the info! I'm kinda excited to watch this and I never watched a dorama before lol

I've just watched 2 doramas and 2 j-movies in my life, mainly because idols were on it (Teppei Koike, Yamada Ryosuke, Matsuura Aya, Goto Maki) so sure I'm gonna watch it for Ayu

Here's a bigger version of the new promo picture and another picture

They changed Avex's name and added/changed characters from the novel, I hope that works well and doesn't affect too much the plot.

Does casting EXILE’s Alan Shirahama mean that they are putting more serious effort into this drama? Sounds like a pretty big headliner.

ˆ Shohei Miura (the guy that will be Masa) and Minami Tanaka (the girl with the eyepatch) are very well known artists. More know than Alan Shirahama himself. To be honest, everybody in the cast is pretty huge.

Kalen always looks like she's not looking at the camera, because of the contact lenses.

The girl with the eye-patch concept is a choice....

Suddenly the girl with the eye-patch is the new protagonist XD

Is the girl with the eye-patch supposed to be LICO?

EDIT: Oops sorry... I didn't read the description properly.
Secretary huh. Okay, it is getting interesting.

well, at least make her wig looks like evolution era or something lol. that looks like cheap version from her rainbow pv

I also don't understand the hairstyle choice... it's not ayu's most recognisable one and I don't remember her having that hairstyle a lot in those days (or at all...)

I instantly thought of this look when I looked at the poster

https://i.imgur.com/0oPKo73.jpg

Yeah the hair they chose for Kalen is a weird length and I don't think Ayu's ever had it look like that... the ends are usually a lot less blunt and lighter. I think they chose better hair for the M/SEASONS recreations at least and the "high school" Ayu.

too many things make me cringe about the whole book, and now drama, thing.

suffice it to say this is not for me.

Kalen's hairstyle reminds me of ayu's one from RAINBOW PV except it was a little shorter.

She is not supposed to look exactly as ayu if that was the point ayu would have starred the drama herself...

I think it's pretty clear that she's supposed to look like Ayu. If it wasn't, they wouldn't do these looks:

https://i.imgur.com/VUgPRNV.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ZszUhYk.jpg

Yep, at first I thought her hair choice was a bit odd but then RAINBOW came to my mind. It's actually quite similar.