TokyoGirls'Update

The Future of Keyakizaka 46 from Nana Oda’s Point of View

織田奈那視点で語る欅坂46の未来。 卒業後も、地元PR大使継続を
The Future of Keyakizaka 46 from Nana Oda’s Point of View

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A year ago, a movie was released in Tokyo. The title is “Mirai no Atashi (Future Me)”.
A film director from Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, took part and a member of an idol group from the same city was selected as a starring for her first time.
Although the film was screened only in mini theaters, it gathered high evaluation as a local community-based film.

The heroine’s name is Nana Oda, who announced her graduation from Keyakizaka 46 in January 2020. Along with Miyu Suzumoto, who also graduated, and Yurina Hirate (withdrawal) who was the overwhelming ace of the group, she contributed the group’s growth as an early member of Keyakizaka 46.

In a scene from the film “Mirai no Atashi (Future Me)”, that was shot in Hamamatsu City and starring Oda, there is a word the main character, Mari, told to the high school student “Mari”, played by Oda.

“Future me will be fine.”

Only one year later, Nana Oda is no longer in Keyakizaka 46. This time, we look back at the four years of Keyakizaka 46 from the perspective of Nana Oda and her hometown Shizuoka.

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Nana Oda was born on June 4, 1998 in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. In 2015, when she was just an ordinary high school student, she took on the challenge of auditioning at Keyakizaka 46 as her last chance to become an idol that she had always dreamed of. The total number of applicants was 22,509. As one of the 22 members who passed through the narrow gate of about 1/1000, she made a spectacular debut with “Silent majority” in April 2016. Keyakizaka 46’s unique view of the world beyond ordinal idols resonated with people of all generations, and even after its debut, the group has run through idol scenes at a speed far beyond fans’ expectations, including participation in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen and holding solo outdoor festival “Keyaki Kyowakoku (Keyaki Republic)”.

Among the members, Nana Oda was the only person from Shizuoka Prefecture. Her unique and lovable character was loved by everyone, including members and fans, as the mysterious position “The father of Keyakizaka 46”.

Her first memorable blog was posted on November 13, 2015. The blog that started with the title “Doki-doki” contained only 1 photo of an orange on her hand.

odanana_blog

https://www.keyakizaka46.com/s/k46o/diary/member/list?ima=0000&ct=05&dy=20151113

“Mikkabi Mikan” is a specialty of Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
While other members posted selfies and updated their idol-like blogs ahead of their debut event, she invested her thoughts in “mandarin orange” of her hometown.

Before we knew it, “Mikkabi Mikan” has become a byword for her. Her affection for “Mikkabi Mikan” also reached the local Mikkabi Town Agricultural Cooperative (JA Mikkabi). A person in charge who belonged to the citrus department of JA Mikkabi explained how he came to know Oda as below.

“I had a chance to watch the TV program ‘Keyaki-tte Kakenai?’ and suddenly I heard the word ‘Mikkabi Mikan’ from Oda-san. Usually, it goes as far as simply “an orange”, but she said ‘Mikkabi’, so I was impressed to hear that.”

From such a small chance, Nana Oda grew up as a leading part of regional revitalization by idol. In December 2018, a local TV station produced and broadcasted the program titled “Mikkabi Mikan Nanatsu no Himitsu” starring Nana Oda with the theme of “Mikkabi Mikan”.

nanatsu-no-himitsu

https://mikkabi.ja-shizuoka.or.jp/news/single.html?id=44

She kept spreading information about “Mikkabi Mikan”, and before long, “Mikkabi Mikan” became her “icon”.

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Oda_01

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Oda’s love for her hometown produced results even more. Oda was elected as the 2018 ambassador for the local goodwill ambassador, “Hamamatsu-shi Yaramaika Ambassador”.
It was an exceptional promotion that Oda was selected only 3 years after her debut for the honorable position that other talents who were active in the entertainment field were selected before, including Kanako Momota of “Momoiro Clover Z” who is also from Hamamatsu City. At the ambassador inauguration ceremony held in Tokyo in October 2018, she said, “My Hamamatsu love is second to none, so I want to do my best to let people know the charm of Hamamatsu city.”.

An official of the Hamamatsu city tourism and city promotion department, who was in charge of the event, said that he was surprised by the number of media at the ceremony.
“The number of media at the ceremony was the best in my experience. It was by far the most.
Many newspapers reported Oda’s event on their front page, and I thought she was really an idol.”

Oda_05

Along with these solo activities of Oda, Keyakizaka 46 continued to grow as a group. In September 2019, 4 years after the group was formed, they finally held their first performance at Tokyo Dome, which can be said to be the culmination of their career. Keyakizaka 46 achieved a spectacular performance that attracted about 100,000 people in 2 days and was climbing to the highest peak as a top idol. But ・・・

She wasn’t there ―

Oda has not appeared on the front scene since September 2019.
Then finally, she left the group on January 23, 2020.

In her last blog, Oda recalled, “Was it all a dream?” and “I don’t know what I was able to do to you like the idols I was inspired by, but I was really happy to be an idol.”.

Her track as an idol that she ran through in the past four years, and her love for the local community that she has conveyed in that track, has never been a “dream” in the past, but remains firmly in existence. It was a “future” especially for us living in her hometown of Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

(Hamamatsu City Tourism and City Promotion Division) “If no specific request is made, the role of ambassador has been continued. I would like to ask her this time as well. I would be more than happy if she would continue to communicate the charm of Hamamatsu through Oda-san.”

((at that time) In charge of JA Mikkabi Citrus Division) “I think there were many young people who would not have known Mikkabi Mikan without Oda-san. While I was watching the growth of Keyakizaka 46, I was able to get involved, and I was grateful that I could spend a special 4 years. I may not be able to meet her and talk with her, but I hope I can convey this thoughts someday.”

Nana Oda ran up a staircase of Keyakizaka 46 at the speed that she had never imagined before, but at the same time, she must have felt anxiety as if it were a spiral staircase. We will never forget her suffering and groping footsteps.

Again ・・・
A scene from the movie “Mirai no Atashi (Future Me)” set in Hamamatsu City and starring Oda.
There is a word the main character, Mari, told to the high school student “Mari”, played by Oda.

“Future me will be fine.”

The next step for her is to decide on her own steps. We hope there will be happiness in the future. Because, Mikan is loved for its sweetness, and sourness.

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TokyoGirls'Update

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