Horikita Maki

Selected List of Recognitions

• 47th Television Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Nobuta Wo Produce)
• 49th Television Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Kurosagi)
• 29th Japan Academy Awards: Best Newcomer (Always: Sunset on Third Street)
• MTV Student Voice Awards 2006: Best Teen Actress
• 54th Television Academy Awards: Best Actress (Hanazakari no Kimitachi E)
• Vogue Nippon -Women of the Year2007: One of the eleven recipients
• TV Life: Best Actress (Hanazakari no Kimitachi E)

See also

• List of Japanese idols

Other works

PV appearances

• Bump of Chicken : Namida no Furusato PV
• Remioromen : Sangatsu Kokonoka PV (2005)
• Janne Da Arc : Furimukeba PV (2006)
• Going Under Ground : Hatsu Koi (2008)

Photobooks

• Shinkaron
• Bijomegane 2
• Hikokigumo
• NS Eyes
• Koisuru Nichiyoubi: Watashi, Koishita
• Castella
• Missmatch
• Cinematic
• Shinkansen & Love
• S

Games

• Layton KyojuSeries (Voice of Luke)

Career

Television and Print Endorsement

Apart from modeling for photobooks, Horikita started as a print and television endorser in 2003. Her well-known television commercials were her advertisements for Fujifilm (where she appeared alongside Japanese idol Tomoya Nagase ) and Lotte . In 2008, she was chosen as Honda Cars Japan's endorser ofSTEP WGN.

She is also a staple image endorser for Suntory and NTT DoCoMo. In 2008, Nihon Monitor recognized Horikita as one of Japan's top endorsers during its annualMost Popular Personality in TV CMs..

Movies and Television

Horikita had appeared in several drama series and movies since 2003, but it was her roles inDensha OtokoandNobuta wo Producethat opened more doors of opportunity for her. Her promising portrayal of the titular character inNobuta wo Producebagged her a Best Supporting Actress award from a Japanese award-giving body. The role propelled her into popularity.

She bagged her second Best Supporting Actress award inKurosagi, a drama series which resulted from the successful chemistry between Horikita and her co-star Tomohisa Yamashita inNobuta wo Produce. A number of producers and scriptwriters have come to recognize her acting skills and soon she was given the lead role forTeppan Shoujo Akane, and the role of a mastermind bully who pulled the strings from behind a class of rebellious students in the dramaSeito Shokun!, where she co-starred along her agency senior Rina Uchiyama . She was also cast in the horror movie,One Missed Call: Final, the last installment of the One Missed Call franchise with agency colleague Meisa Kuroki and South Korean actor Jang Geun-suk .

Soon after, Horikita achieved her first Best Actress award for her role as Mizuki Ashiya in the Japanese drama adaptation of the gender-bender mangaHana-Kimi, orHanazakari no Kimitachi e. During the same year that she filmed forHana Kimi, Horikita also starred in the Taiga dramaAtsuhimewith Aoi Miyazaki , a suspense movie where she plays the lead character who has multiple personality disorder entitledTokyo Shōnen, and the sequel to her breakthrough movie,Always: Sunset on Third Street,Always: Zoku Sanchome no Yuhi. All of her exceptional work paid off when Horikita was chosen by Vogue Nippon as one of its eleven recipients of the prestigiousWomen of the Yearaward for 2007. Other recipients of the same award include Ayase Haruka and Anna Tsuchiya .

October of the following year, she was once again seen on television opposite Yuzu 's lead vocalist Yujin Kitagawa, leading the cast of Fuji TV's golden time slot in the dramaInnocent Love.. Horikita also appeared in the TV Asahi special that was aired in December,Danso no Reijinas Ri Kouran , a famous actress in China and the United States during the 1950s, while the lead role of Yoshiko Kawashima , announced earlier that year, had been taken by Meisa Kuroki . Towards the end of the year, She had been cast asNaomi, the female protagonist ofDareka ga Watashi ni Kiss wo Shite(based on Gabrielle Zevin 's popular novel,Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac) a Hollywood-Japan collaboration film directed by internationally-acclaimed director and self-confessed Japanese culture fanatic, Hans Canosa. (2007)..

Horikita had gone on to star in two other television dramas,Atashinchi no Danshiin 2009 andTokujo Kabachi!!in 2010 with ARASHI 's Sho Sakurai .

Radio

Horikita was one of the six young female hosts of the radio show ,GIRLS LOCKS!, a sub-portion of the Japanese radio program,SCHOOL OF LOCKS!, broadcast bytfm. She usually calls her listeners in response to their letters and gives them book recommendations. Her stint was at ten in the evening, every third or fourth week of the month. Other hosts of this radio show include Yui Aragaki , Chiaki Kuriyama , Nana Eikura and Kii Kitano .She graduated from the program on May 2009.

Voice acting

Horikita had also ventured the world of voice acting, debuting as an anime seiyu for one of the characters inNobita and the Green Giant Legend 2008.Her most prominent voice acting stint was when she provided the voice for Luke, a character from the video game series,Professor Laytonseries .

Early 2009, she had also dubbed a character from the Belgian 3D animated movieNat's Space Adventure 3D/Fly Me to the Moon. She provided the Japanese voice of the protagonist, a young male fly who was determined to explore the outer space. She has also voiced over Shawnee Smith 's character, Megan "Meg" Penny, in the Japanese dubbed release ofThe Blob.

Biography

Childhood

Born Marina Hara on the sixth of October 1988 in Kiyose , Tokyo , Japan , Horikita is the eldest of three girls. She was boyish during most of her childhood. For instance, in middle school, she enjoyed playing basketball and baseball with her friends; she also preferred playing Dragon Ball Z with the boys than playing dolls with the girls.

Despite her boyishness, Horikita looked up to her mother. This was revealed when she appeared on KAT-TUN 's variety show,Cartoon KAT-TUN, where she mentioned that she loved imitating her mother when she was younger.

Education

In junior high school, Horikita served as the vice-president of her school's student council and the vice-captain of the basketball club. In class, she was dubbed as the “Boss of 3-C” in recognition of her status as the class representative. As she became more active in the entertainment industry, she had to put her club and council activities on hold. Being unable to meet her many commitments, she finally withdrew from her school activities, concentrating solely on completing her high school education and her budding career in show business.

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"のび太君がタイプです！“王女”堀北真希がアニメ声優初挑戦" (in Japanese). Sankei Shinbun. Archived fromthe original on 2008-01-28. . Retrieved 2008-01-21.
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