Mana Ashida (, Ashida Mana, born June 23, 2004) is a Japanese actress, singer, and performer. Her debut was in Asahi Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Short Movie 2, but she gained to notoriety after appearing in the television serial Mother. When she starred in Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien, she became the youngest lead actress in Japanese drama history. In the spring of 2011, she became the youngest lead actress in a television serial drama when she appeared in Marumo no Okite. She also acted in films such as Confessions and Bunny Drop in Japan.
Ashida and her co-star Fuku Suzuki sang the 2011 hit song "Maru Maru Mori Mori", which served as the theme song for the television drama Marumo no Okite.
Early career
In 2009, Ashida made her debut in Asahi Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Short Movie 2. Bokenmama. In 2010, she starred in the live-action film adaptation of the manga Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora. In the same year, she played Manami Moriguchi in the film Confessions. She also starred in Ghost: In Your Arms Again, a Japanese remake of Ghost, which was released in 1990. She received the "Rookie of the Year" Award at the 34th Japan Academy Awards for her role in this film.
In addition to acting, Ashida provided voice-overs for foreign films that were distributed in Japan. She played Agnes in the Japanese version of Despicable Me, and she played a young Fang Deng in the Japanese version of Aftershock.
From late 2010 to early 2011, Popularity rise
Ashida became well-known after participating in the award-winning television drama Mother appears as Reina Michiki, a little child who has been molested by her mother. For her portrayal, she received honors such as Best Supporting Actress at the 14th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix and Special Award at the 4th Tokyo Drama honors.In 2011, Ashida became the youngest starring actress in a Japanese television drama at the age of six, in the special television drama movie Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien. When she starred in the television drama Marumo no Okite during the spring drama season, she became the youngest actress in a drama series. She co-starred in this series alongside Fuku Suzuki, who was 6 years old at the time. The series' final episode had a viewership rating of 23.9%, with an overall rating of 15.48%.
Suzuki marked her singing debut. They performed "Maru-Maru-Mori-Mori! (!)" from Marumo no Okite under the temporary group name Kaoru to Tomoki, Tamani Mook (, Kaoru to Tomoki, tama ni mukku). This song was published as a single by Universal Music on May 25, 2011, and debuted third on the Oricon charts, becoming the duo the youngest group in history to earn a top-10 place on the Oricon charts. The previous record was set in 2006 by the group Kigurumi (). They also took part in the summer edition of the FNS Music Festival, which aired on the Fuji Television network on August 6, 2011. On August 14, 2011, Ashida performed on NHK's Music Japan with Suzuki, actress Nozomi Ohashi, and actor Seishiro Kato. It was the first time all three appeared together on the same show, in a section called "MJ Summer Holidays: Children's Special."
Ashida appeared in many Japanese films in early 2011, including Inu to Anata no Monogatari and Hanky Densha.
Late 2011: Debut as a solo music and variety host.
In the manga adaption Usagi Drop, Ashida co-starred with actor Kenichi Matsuyama. She was critically lauded for her portrayal of the main character Rin. Sabu, the film's director, commended her, stating her laughter "always echoed throughout the set, creating a peaceful atmosphere inside the set." According to Mark Schilling of the Japan Times, she "seamlessly accomplishes her evolution from forlorn waif to perky if unusually perceptive kid, while effortlessly charming everyone." Mana At the 54th Blue Ribbon Awards, Ashida received the "Best Newcomer" award. She was the youngest recipient of this award, breaking the record set in 1983 by actress Tomoyo Harada.
Ashida began co-hosting the NTV variety and chat show Meringue no Kimochi alongside the show's long-time hosts, Masami Hisamoto and Asako Ito, in October 2011. As a result, she was the youngest regular host of a chat or variety show.
On September 15, 2011, Universal Music announced that Ashida would make her solo music debut. Her first song with them was published in October 2011, and her debut album was released in late 2011. The album included songs that "Mama (Mana's mother) would like Mana-chan to sing." During the announcement, her official profile on Universal Music's website was revealed. "Sutekina Nichiybi: Gyu Gyu Good Day!" was the title of the single, a lively dance track with a happy rhythm comparable to Maru-Maru-Mori-Mori!. (Gyu Gyu!). On October 26, 2011, the single was released in Japan and was featured in a commercial for Seven & I Holdings Co. It debuted at number four on the Oricon weekly charts. At 7 years and 4 months old, Mana Ashida became the youngest solo artist to rank in the Oricon weekly TOP10 charts, shattering the previous record of 13 years set by Kumiko Goto in 1987.
On November 23, 2011, Ashida's debut album, Happy Smile!, was released in Japan. It debuted in the eighth position on the Oricon weekly charts, making Mana Ashida the youngest artist in the top ten at the age of 7 years and 5 months. She broke the previous record of 13 years and 8 months set by Canadian vocalist Rene Simard in 1974.
By competing in the 62nd edition of the annual Khaku Uta Gassen singing competition, Ashida and Suzuki became the competition's youngest entrants.
Ashida voiced Annie, the female lead character in the Japanese anime film adaptation of the Magic Tree House series, from 2012 till the present. She sang the anime series Jewelpet KiraDeco!'s theme song. "Zutto Zutto Tomodachi" was also featured in the 2012 anime film Jewelpet the Movie: Sweets Dance Princess. Ashida also starred as Princess Mana in the film. On May 16, 2012, the song was released as asingle and peaked at number 17 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Charts.
In Fuji Television's summer drama series Beautiful Rain, Ashida played Miu Kinoshita, the daughter of a single father who suffered from juvenile Alzheimer's disease. She also performed the theme song, "Ame ni Negai o." Ame ni Negai o, written by Yumi Matsutoya, was Mana's debut solo performance of a drama theme song. On August 1, 2012, the single was released in Japan.
On December 27, 2012, she performed her debut solo concert at Tokyo's Curian Shinagawa General Citizen Hall.
In the 2013 picture Pacific Rim, Ashida makes her Hollywood debut as a teenage Mako Mori. She apparently auditioned for the role in October 2011 and wowed the judges with her rich expressiveness. She traveled to Toronto to film the film and met Guillermo del Toro. Del Toro allegedly authorized Ashida to call him "Totoro-san" since she couldn't pronounce his surname.
On January 2, 2013, Ashida starred in a Celebrity Kids Edition of the Japanese version of the show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. She earned the top prize of one million dollars, making her the youngest top prize winner in the Millionaire franchise.
Ashida appeared as Post, a child abandoned at birth, in the television series Ashita, Mama ga Inai in 2014. Her performance in this television series was well-received, with 50.8% of viewers expressing high satisfaction with her performance in an Oricon poll. In 2015, she played a 10-year-old firm CEO in Rugged!, her first starring role in an NHK television drama.
Ashida is an only kid who was born on June 23, 2004 in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. Mana-chan, a combination of her given name and the Japanese honorific used when addressing children (-chan), is her most popular nickname. Ashida mentioned that she enjoys the K-pop group Kara. She enjoys riding unicycles and reads more than 60 books every month.
After clearing the entrance exam, Ashida was accepted into Keio Junior High School, one of the most prestigious Junior High schools in the Greater Tokyo Area, in April 2017.
Ashida graduated from Keio Senior High School in March 2023.
| Year | No. | Title | Notes | Chart position | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oricon Weekly Singles Chart [80] | Billboard Japan Hot 100* | RIAJ Digital Track Chart | ||||
| 2011 | 1 | "Maru Maru Mori Mori!" | Collaboration with Fuku Suzuki; theme song of drama Marumo no Okite | 2 | ||
| 2 | "Sutekina Nichiyōbi (Gyu Gyu Good Day)" | First solo single | 4 | |||
| 2012 | 3 | "Zutto Zutto Tomodachi" | Theme song of Jewelpet Kira Deco! | 17 | ||
| 4 | "Ame ni Negai o" | Theme song of drama Beautiful Rain | 16 | |||
| 2014 | 5 | "Fight!!/ Yuuki" | Theme song of the 81st edition of The Nationwide Contest of Music sponsored by NHK | 30 | ||
| 6 | "Maru Maru Mori Mori! 2014" | Collaboration with Fuku Suzuki; theme song of drama Marumo no Okite SP 2014 | 50 | |||
| Bodytype | Slim |
| Height | 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 m) |
| Weight | 38 kg (83 lbs) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 18 years old (in 2023) |
| Date of Birth | June 23, 2004 |
| Full Name | Mana Ashida |
| Profession | Actress |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Birthplace | Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
Qualification: Keio Chutobu Junior High School Minato City
Profession: Actress
Known For: Marumo no Okite
Net Worth: USD $1 Million Approx
Father: Not Known
Mother: Not Known
Marital Status: Single
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