After watching the NHK drama special "Idol", the story about Japan's first idol, ANGERME Ise Layla revealed on her blog that she actually had been taught by Matsuko Ashita, the main character of the drama.
"Idol" is a drama depicting the life of a real-life singer and actress, Matsuko Ashita, who was active in the prewar and postwar periods. Actress Kotone Furukawa played Matsuko Ashita, with ANGERME OG Tamura Meimi as Matsuko Ashita's colleague, and Hello Pro members as dancers.
Ise confessed, "Actually, Matsuko-san was the grandmother of an acquaintance of mine who had taken care of me since I was a little girl!". Matsuko-san got married after the war and lived in Hokkaido, and it is believed that Ise, who was born in Hokkaido, had a connection with her.
She added, "In my mind, she is more like a lovely grandmother than Matsuko-san. She gave me a fan and congratulatory gifts for entering junior high school, and although we didn't see each other very often, she loved me like a grandchild."
Before auditioning for Hello Pro, Ise had been taking ballet and other lessons with the aim of joining the Takarazuka Revue. "When I told her I was aiming for Takarazuka, she lent me her kimono and taught me Japanese dance. She really helped me a lot!" She expressed her gratitude.
She had heard about Matsuko-san from her mother, who told her that she was "Japan's first idol and an amazing person who was active in the Moulin Rouge (a theater in Shinjuku). However, she did not know the details, and after watching the drama, she said, "I was really happy to learn more about Matsuko-san...!!! Once again, what an amazing person I had met".
When she was aiming for Takarazuka, "I had a lot of guidance from Matsuko-san," she says. She was mentored by "Japan's first idol" and went on to become an idol herself. Although Matsuko-san passed away in 2019 and without telling her that she had become an idol herself, Ise said, "What she taught me will live on in me forever, and I learned from the drama how to be an 'idol' like Matsuko-san. In this day and age when there are so many different forms of idols, any idol can be wonderful, but I want to continue to do my best while always keeping my fundamental feelings in mind!!!!" she said, expressing her determination as an idol.https://ameblo.jp/angerme-new/entry-12758662628.htmlhttps://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/5c816 ... 62fa4fa060