BREAKING: Mao Hamasaki's Dating Reality Show Comeback, Nana Yagi Makes Mainstream TV Debut!

Catch up on the most trending gossip that we had our eyes on in January

Just when you thought that ABEMA TV had run out of ideas for the next season of their famous dating-reality show, they swoop back in and say, hold my rosé. Yes, the guilty-pleasure dating show is officially back for Season 6, and once again, it’s stacked with a mix of current and former JAV actresses guaranteed to keep you awake well past midnight.

ABEMA, through its X handle, teased the new roster this week, and I’ll admit it, I did a double-take. The casting this season feels less like a coincidence and more like a carefully engineered mix of both former & active JAV stars.

Leading the list is JAV sensation Mao Hamasaki, who, last we checked, had retired from JAV. Mind you, she hasn’t disappeared yet. I guess she had enough free time to participate in the show. Either way, Mao knows exactly how to keep her name circulating.

Then we have not one, but two Wakas filming for this, Waka Misono and Wakana Sakura, because clearly ABEMA enjoys confusing viewers and inflaming fan comparisons. The matching-name energy aside, both bring very different vibes to the table, which should make for some deliciously awkward early episodes. Rounding out the cast is Suzu Otonashi, officially the youngest of the group and already being positioned as the fresh-faced wildcard. Every season needs one, and trust me, the internet always chooses a favorite by episode two.

As if the cast weren’t already enough to hype it up, production flew everyone out to the picturesque Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc, an island best known for honeymooners and couples pretending their relationship is perfect. Nothing says “find love under pressure” quite like filming a dating show in a literal romantic paradise. Sunsets and beaches, the setting alone deserves its own credit.

The show will air every Tuesday at 11 p.m. Japan time is prime hour for bad decisions and live-tweeting, and yes, there’s a familiar face waiting in the wings. Veteran JAV actress Kurea Hasumi, who happened to announce her comeback a little while ago, appears this season as a special guest alongside the panel of judges, and let me tell you, her presence landed louder than expected.

What really stole the spotlight for me was Mao debuting her blonde hair, an unexpected move that sent her fanbase straight into civil war. Some hailed it as a bold reinvention. Others… not so much. Love it or loathe it, one thing’s undeniable: she commanded attention. As the most senior figure among the entire lineup, Mao's aura formed with just a makeover.

Let’s not even get started on how the show has consistently raked in generational talents in the past. Previous seasons featured names like Sumire Mizukawa, who has since shifted her career westward. This season feels like a bridge between eras. Some cast members are rising, some redefining, and some quietly reminding us they’re still very much in the game.

So yes, Season 6 has already aired, and it’s messy, glossy, and full of subtext. If this is ABEMA’s idea of subtlety, I can’t wait to see what happens once the cameras really start rolling. 🍸

Speaking of appearing on a terrestrial show, the cast of ABEMA TV’s dating reality show isn’t the only folks making a TV debut; much to my surprise, Nana Yagi announced her debut on terrestrial TV as well. Her long-anticipated TV drama finally went live in Japan on January 7, and yes, Nana herself broke the news on X with the kind of excitement that’s hard to fake.

The drama in question is Reiwa ni Kannou Shousetsu Tsukuttemasu, loosely translated to English as Reiwa Erotic Novel Writing, airs every Wednesday at the late hours of midnight on TV Osaka. Announced officially on the 15th, the series boasts a surprisingly heavyweight lineup. Famous TV actor Shuichiro Naito leads the cast, joined by comedian Yoshimi Tokui of Tutorial fame and model-turned-actress Nashiko Momotsuki. Not exactly a niche lineup, which makes Nana’s inclusion all the more interesting.

The plot is inspired by a real-life manga from France Shoin, one of Japan’s most prominent erotic novel publishers; the drama walks a fine line between workplace comedy and cheeky provocation. It’s playful, a little lewd, and is aptly appropriate for the time slot it lives in and leans all the way in.

Nana plays the role of a “Neighbor” a girl next door figure who exists within the protagonist Mashiro’s imagination. It’s not a loud role, but it’s enough to lead the plot. And if you’ve followed Nana’s trajectory lately, you know she’s up to big things.

This isn’t her first brush with mainstream TV, either. She’s been steadily expanding her résumé, popping up in web dramas like Is My ‘Love’ Weird? Case.02 and even landing appearances in Netflix titles such as The Naked Director 2 and Death Kiss Game, the latter being exactly as unhinged as the name suggests. Day by day, Nana has been gradually shifting her focus into domains that don’t always roll out the red carpet for adult actresses, and doing it without the usual fanfare.

Nana Yagi had previously appeared in famous Netflix shows like Death Kiss Game & Naked Director 2

Of course, she hasn’t abandoned JAV entirely. On the work front, Nana recently appeared in a Moodyz JAV filmed around a missed-train scenario that spirals into a night of lustful misadventures.

What strikes me most about her current status is that she isn’t pivoting away from one world so much as standing confidently in both. Television drama on one hand, adult work on the other, and she’s handling both with ease.

Is the new TV show, Reiwa Erotic Novel Writing, going to change her career overnight? Maybe not. But it doesn’t have to. Sometimes a breakthrough isn’t about noise, it’s about placement. And right now, Nana Yagi is exactly where she needs to be: visible, versatile, and very much on the entertainment industry’s radar.

Watch this space. Something tells me this chapter is only getting started.

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