北川景子, Keiko Kitagawa
Keiko Kitagawa (北川景子) is a Japanese actress and former model. She was an exclusive model for the Japanese “Seventeen magazine” from late 2003 to mid 2006, and left modelling when she left the magazine. Her first acting role was Sailor Mars in the Sailor Moon live action show Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003-4), and since that time she has appeared primarily in films, including The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) and Dear Friends (2007).
Kitagawa was born on August 22, 1986 in Hyogo prefecture, Japan, and has a younger brother. She grew up in Kobe, and lost many friends in the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995. As a child, she wanted to be a doctor, but by the time she reached high school she was uncertain as to whether she could do that. At around this time, she was scouted by a talent agency, and she decided to enter the entertainment world. Her parents were initially opposed, but they gave their permission, on two conditions: that she give up if she was making no progress within a year, and that she put her studies first and graduate from university.
Fortunately, she made progress quickly. She was chosen as Miss Seventeen 2003, which led to her working as a model with the Japanese Seventeen until she graduated from the magazine in September 2006. In the latter part of the run, she had her own regular feature, “Keiko’s Beauty Honey”. Also in 2003, she was given the role of Rei Hino in the live action television series of Sailor Moon, which began her acting career. She has since appeared in a number of films, including the leading role in Dear Friends. She is also continuing her studies, majoring in commercial science at Meiji University in Tokyo.
She moved to Tokyo when she started working as an actress and model, and has lived there since. She travelled to California for the filming of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and returned there to study English for a couple of months early in 2006.
She describes herself as a stay-at-home person, and likes watching DVDs, listening to music, and reading books. She also likes swimming, particularly backstroke.
At present, she is managed by Stardust Promotion. She has appeared in the films Mizu ni Sumu Hana (2006), Mamiya Kyōdai (2006), The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), Cherry Pie (2006), and Dear Friends (2007). She will appear in the films Sono Toki ha Kare ni Yoroshiku (2007) and Heat Island (2007).
Films
- 2006: Mamiya Kyōdai – As Yumi Honma.
- 2006: Mizu ni Sumu Hana – As Rikka Mizuchi.
- 2006: The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift – As Reiko.
- 2006: Cherry Pie – As Kiyohara.
- 2007: Dear Friends – As Rina.
- 2007: Sono Toki ha Kare ni Yoroshiku – As Momoko Katsuraki
- 2007: Heat Island – As Nao.
- 2003/2005: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon – TV Live Action Series. As Rei Hino/Sailor Mars.
- 2006: Tanabata Nananenkai – As Naomi Setsuraku/Midori Fujikura
- 2004/2005: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Live Action vol. 1 to 12.
- 2004: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Kirari Super Live
- 2004: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Special Act
- 2005: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Act Zero
- 2006: Mizu ni Sumu Hana
- 2006: Mamiya Kyōdai
- 2006: The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
- 2007: Cherry Pie
- 2007: Dear Friends
- 2006: STYLISH STREET BOOK “I’ve been to Hollywood!”
- 2007: Kitagawa Keiko Shashinshū Dear Friends
- 2007: Diet Water Let’s (Suntory)
- 2004: Sakura Fubuki (as Rei Hino)
Dear Friends (ディアフレンズ, Dear Friends) is a 2007 drama film written by Japanese author YOSHI and directed by film director Kazuyuki Morosawa. The film stars Keiko Kitagawa and Yuika Motokariya in its lead roles.
The tagline for the film is “Are friends necessary?” The theme song is also called Dear Friends, which is performed by SOULHEAD.
Dear Friends follows a high-school student named Rina (played by Keiko Kitagawa) who believes that friends are not necessary and that they can only be used in times of need. Thus, she is unable to maintain a decent relationship with her friends and classmates. Her family’s relationship is also lacking; her father does not care much about his family and her mother is over-protective.
Rina eventually discovers that she has a terminal illness and becomes hospitalized for an indefinite amount of time. In the hospital, she is not visited by her family, but by one of her classmates named Maki (played by Yuika Motokariya). Although Maki tells Rina that they were friends in primary school, Rina does not remember her, so Maki takes the opportunity to re-connect with her. A young girl (played by Mao Sasaki) who is also hospitalized tries to become friends with Rina, but she holds fast onto her mantra of friends being unnecessary.
Throughout her hospitalization, Rina begins to lose hope as her well-being falls apart, and she decides to jump off the hospital rooftop as she feels that no one no longer cares about her. However, she is stopped by Maki, who stabs herself in the chest with a knife and declares that she will share the same pain as Rina and that she does not want to lose her friend. Rina shows some hope again when she realizes that she can find friendship in Maki.
Dear Friends
Directed by Kazuyuki Morosawa
Written by YOSHI
Starring Keiko Kitagawa,
Yuika Motokariya,
Masaya Kikawada,
Airi Toriyama,
Mao Sasaki,
Hatsune Matsushima,
Mantaro Koichi,
Naoko Otani,
Yoshiko Miyazaki,
Ren Osugi Release date(s) 2007
Running time 115 min. Language Japanese
