Mirei Sasaki (Japanese: 佐々木 美玲, Hepburn: Sasaki Mirei) is a Japanese singer, model, actress, and reporter. She is a member of Japanese idol group Hinatazaka46 and an exclusive model for the fashion magazine Non-no.
Sasaki has appeared in dramas such as Women's Gourmet Burger Club (2020) and Kakegurui Twin (2021), and starred in Koeharu! (2021). She is also a lifestyle reporter for the Nippon TV morning show ZIP!
In 2013, Sasaki became a founding member of the Osaka-based local idol group choco☆milQ [ja]. She left the group on November 1, 2015.[4][5]
On 11 May 2016, Sasaki passed the auditions for new members of Keyakizaka46's subgroup Hiragana Keyakizaka46, now known as Hinatazaka46, which was hosted on the streaming platform Showroom. Sasaki, along with ten other people that passed the audition, joined Neru Nagahama in Hiragana Keyakizaka46 and was known as the "first generation".[6] Her first concert occurred on 28 October of the same year at Akasaka Blitz, where she performed Kanji Keyakizaka46's songs "Silent Majority" and "Sekai ni wa Ai Shika Nai", as well as Hiragana Keyakizaka46's own "Hiragana Keyaki".[7]
During her time at Hiragana Keyakizaka46, she has consistently appeared in every single between "Sekai ni wa Ai Shika Nai" and "Kuroi Hitsuji". She also appeared in every Hinatazaka46 single to date and a Sakamichi AKB song, "Hatsukoi Door", which included select members from the Sakamichi Series.[8]
Sasaki served as center (lead performer) for the main songs in two of Hinatazaka46's studio albums, namely "Kitai Shitenai Jibun" (期待していない自分, "I don't expect anything of myself") in Hashiridasu Shunkan (2018)[9] and "Azato Kawaii" (アザトカワイイ, transl. "Cunningly Cute") in Hinatazaka (2020).[10]
Other ventures
Sasaki portrayed the main character in the music video of Aimer's 2019 song "Hanabiratachi no March".[11] In February 2019, she became an exclusive model for the fashion magazine Non-no.[12] On 18 September 2019, Sasaki hosted the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards Japan along with fellow Hinatazaka46 members Kumi Sasaki, Nao Kosaka, and Miho Watanabe.[13]
As a bread lover, Sasaki hosted her first self-titled special program Kaiten! Mīpan Bakery (開店!みーぱんベーカリー, lit.'Open for Business! Mīpan Bakery') (2019) on TV Asahi CS 1.[1] In April 2020, she became a regular lifestyle reporter for the "Kiterune!" (キテルネ！, transl. This is trending!) segment of the long-running Nippon TVmorning show, ZIP! [ja].[14] She also appeared in the TV Tokyo drama Japan Women's Gourmet Burger Club [ja] (2020)[15] and as Mikura Sado in the live-action series adaptation of Kakegurui Twin (2021),[16][17] and starred in the Hinatazaka46 drama Koeharu! (2021).[18] In 2022, she co-starred in the television series Piece of Cake on Nippon TV, which was adapted into a stage play in January 2023.[19] In March 2023, she co-starred as Yor Forger in the stage adaptation of best-selling manga Spy × Family.[20][21]
Sasaki's first photobook, titled Hizashi no Parēdo (陽射しのパレード, lit.'Sunshine Parade'), would be published on December 17, 2024, her twenty-fifth birthday, by Shueisha. It was photographed in Da Nang, Vietnam, and made with the theme of "sparkling happiness".[22]
Personal life
Sasaki enjoys fishing with her family and holds a class 2 small boat license.[23][24]
↑ 18.018.1"日向坂46ドラマ『声春っ！』今夜スタート 佐々木美玲らが声優を目指す少女に" [Hinatazaka46 drama "Koeharu!" starts tonight, Mirei Sasaki and others as girls aspiring to be voice actresses]. クランクイン！- エンタメの「今」がわかる 映画＆エンタメニュースサイト (in 日本語). 28 April 2021. Retrieved 2022-06-20.