Not sure if I should watch this, since I don’t care about Idol/Otaku stuff. How much of the story focuses on…
This is the best asadora in many many years. Absolute classic. It's not about idol stuff, much more than that. It's about life exploration of a teen, aspiration, making choices, etc., and also about lifting the morale of people after the 2011 tohoku earthquake/tsunami. And, Nounen "Non" Rena alone is worth watching. She's one-of-a-kind in Japan. No one else could really play that role perfectly.
is there higher quality than https://www15.myasiantv.tv/kshow/amachan/episode-1 or no ?? 🥺
NHK just switched to a digital TV brodacast across Japan in 2011, so, I'd say that in 2013 (by the time this asadora was released) they were still airing 720p at most, if not a standard DVD 480p. I don't think there's even a 1080p one available, until the TVer streaming was commenced in 2015 that also caters NHK broadcast.
Just watched ep.1. The story can hopefully be good after a few episodes, but a few things bugged me: 1. cinematography is way too "TV production" and felt shallow/cheap, it spoils the atmosphere. They should learn from WOWOW, Abema TV or DMM. 2. That main male lead's acting is awkward. Not fit for main role at all. There are MANY others that can act better. Is he a famous idol singer in Japan?
I feel bad for Yuri Tsunematsu. She's actually a very capable actress, but it seems her talent has been "spoiled" by a number of not so good dramas/movies & not-so-good roles given to her. I'll continue watch this drama for her.
[update: 20 Oct 2025] Watched 3 episodes so far. The story is very good, maybe because it follows pretty much the original manga's storyline (I haven't read the original manga version). Yuri's acting is, as expected, really really good (we can sense the 2 personalities right away), but there's noticeable she "dialed down" a little bit to balance the obvious lacking in the male lead's acting (he can't express strong emotions properly). I hope this drama can make her to be noticed for possible future female-lead roles. This is HER drama, she's the center of the story, just like the cover of the manga.
[update: 12 Dec 2025] Watched 9 episodes so far. The story is very good for a serious-type thriller drama. But unfortunately, the issues above still linger, and too bad that even Yuri's acting has noticeably degraded from the early episodes as well, almost to the point she became "bored" (too many scene re-takes perhaps?). It's frustrating to see. It's like she couldn't get the chemistry with that male-lead. I'd put blame on Amuse agency. Too much hands from their end in dictating the production & casts.
also, i guess the miss k part of the title is the only one who has the text slightly warped because asuka herself…
Maybe it's like a "pun" to Non's other 2025 drama "Shiawase Kanako" where her character got a nickname "K" referring to: Kawaii (cute), Kakkoi (cool), Kowai (scary), etc.
Edit: It turns out the "K" stands for "Kishi" or knight (an honorable title for Shogi players in the 'top hierarchy') & so far only male players that can have that title. I guess the "Miss King" title plays with the impossible, as a King cannot be female.
BTW, I just rewatched the first 3 episodes again, and the warped texts started with one letter only for ep.1, then 2 for ep.2, and so on, up until episode 8. I like that everything is being thought-out down to the very details. And Non's performance (in most of her movies & dramas) typically requires a rewatch, at least 2 times. One to grasp the nuance in her acting & expressions, and secondly to focus on the story.
If there's anyone here who happened to discover Non from Miss King... This is the most recent feature about her on Yahoo Japan. In Japanese, but auto-dubbed & closed-captioned translation are available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8E1X7ROXBA
From Rena Nounen to "NON": A 10-year journey she carved out for herself
In 2013, with the memory of the Great East Japan Earthquake still fresh, actor and artist Non burst onto the scene like a comet in the NHK morning drama "Amachan," becoming a bright light for people. This marks her 10th year since changing her stage name from her real name, Rena Nounen. During this time, she has broadened her horizons, including music, art, and filmmaking, where she has written, directed, and starred in films. What motivates her to persevere through adversity and pursue what she loves? We spoke to her about it.
She is active in a wide range of genres, including acting, music, filmmaking, and art. She voiced the main character Suzu in the 2016 animated film "In This Corner of the World," for which she won the Special Jury Prize at the 38th Yokohama Film Festival. In September 2022, she won the Best Actress Award at the 46th Japan Academy Awards for her starring role in the film "Sakanako" ("The Fish Tale"). In recognition of her creative work, which has continued to challenge free expression without being bound by convention, she was awarded the 16th Itami Juzo Award in 2024. In September 2025, the ABEMA original drama "MISS KING" was released. In terms of music, she released her third full-length album, "Renarrate," in September 2025.
I had to look up her bio she looks amazing young to be 32 in real life
Yes! That's one thing that sets her apart from her peers 😁 She doesn't even change much compared to when she was around 18 (second from right, holding a kitten): https://kisskh.at/photos/jl3zb
in terms of quality Abema Studio is like WOWOW. cinematography is like a movie. I don’t know how to play shogi,…
Abema normally has great cinematography work, but in terms of story, I always thought they were still not on-par with WOWOW, until this one! I really hope they can even out-wow WOWOW with Miss King! So far Episode 1 can make me impressed like "wowowow". It's wowow + Non (which gave me an extra "wow!"), even I don't understand shogi at all.
I feel that this is going to be Non's best serial drama (outside of Amachan). From 1 episode alone, the intensity of the scenes have surpassed anything I've watched in any other Japanese dramas. It's got the top cinematography, direction, editing, and of course Non's ability to get into the Asuka character.
Watched until ep. 7 so far. It has Yua Shinkawa as a guest... Holy kappa! That girl is even looking prettier now at almost 32 than back in 2018. She does not seem to age at all.
Makita Aju 😍She's very underrated. Need more recognition.
Dropped. Sorry. Bad story, kind of distasteful... I feel bad for Aju Makita (I was here for her) having to agree to be involved in this type of movie. SMH.
This might be seen as "favoritism", but honestly I wish Anna Yamada to be in the role of Sakura instead of Kaya Kiyohara. She can balance the strong acting + very attractive aura/energy of Hana Sugisaki (everytime Hana cries in her movies, for some reason I found myself in tears) and the cute/pretty look of Suzu Hirose, because she has both qualities. But I know she's been in a much popular movie with Ryusei already (Shotai/Faceless), so it can't be in both.
How does everyone think of the dynamic of the family? I feel there’s something creepy. Even their closeness…
This is realistic actually. If you encounter wealthy families (business tycoons, etc.) you'll find out that most of them are creepy. They live in their own bubble & only socialize with other wealthy clans. I've worked in a few big private group of companies (those with over 1000 employees), and the family-clans who own these companies are definitely strange and creepy (even more than the family in the drama). Everything seems fake because they wanted to be portrayed as "nice & cool" to the public.
Need motivation to continue 😭 Watched till ep 3 and I feel like it's going bit slower than I expected
The story is actually quite interesting, a mix of typical Japenese "detective-style" genre with a bit of psychological thriller & romantic comedy. Something fresh. But the downside is that only Sadawo Abe here that delivers top-notch acting (as expected from him) who can switch between paces & intensities. The rest of the cast are not quite up to his "standard", definitely not on-par with him. This is the main issue, not the story but the selection of other casts. In comparison, his previous drama, Extremely Inappropriate!, is really good because the other supporting casts really deliver top-notch acting that can "balance" his acting style.
News 
And, Nounen "Non" Rena alone is worth watching. She's one-of-a-kind in Japan. No one else could really play that role perfectly.
1. cinematography is way too "TV production" and felt shallow/cheap, it spoils the atmosphere. They should learn from WOWOW, Abema TV or DMM.
2. That main male lead's acting is awkward. Not fit for main role at all. There are MANY others that can act better. Is he a famous idol singer in Japan?
I feel bad for Yuri Tsunematsu. She's actually a very capable actress, but it seems her talent has been "spoiled" by a number of not so good dramas/movies & not-so-good roles given to her. I'll continue watch this drama for her.
[update: 20 Oct 2025]
Watched 3 episodes so far. The story is very good, maybe because it follows pretty much the original manga's storyline (I haven't read the original manga version). Yuri's acting is, as expected, really really good (we can sense the 2 personalities right away), but there's noticeable she "dialed down" a little bit to balance the obvious lacking in the male lead's acting (he can't express strong emotions properly). I hope this drama can make her to be noticed for possible future female-lead roles. This is HER drama, she's the center of the story, just like the cover of the manga.
[update: 12 Dec 2025]
Watched 9 episodes so far. The story is very good for a serious-type thriller drama. But unfortunately, the issues above still linger, and too bad that even Yuri's acting has noticeably degraded from the early episodes as well, almost to the point she became "bored" (too many scene re-takes perhaps?). It's frustrating to see. It's like she couldn't get the chemistry with that male-lead. I'd put blame on Amuse agency. Too much hands from their end in dictating the production & casts.
Edit: It turns out the "K" stands for "Kishi" or knight (an honorable title for Shogi players in the 'top hierarchy') & so far only male players that can have that title. I guess the "Miss King" title plays with the impossible, as a King cannot be female.
BTW, I just rewatched the first 3 episodes again, and the warped texts started with one letter only for ep.1, then 2 for ep.2, and so on, up until episode 8. I like that everything is being thought-out down to the very details. And Non's performance (in most of her movies & dramas) typically requires a rewatch, at least 2 times. One to grasp the nuance in her acting & expressions, and secondly to focus on the story.
This is the most recent feature about her on Yahoo Japan. In Japanese, but auto-dubbed & closed-captioned translation are available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8E1X7ROXBA
From Rena Nounen to "NON": A 10-year journey she carved out for herself
In 2013, with the memory of the Great East Japan Earthquake still fresh, actor and artist Non burst onto the scene like a comet in the NHK morning drama "Amachan," becoming a bright light for people. This marks her 10th year since changing her stage name from her real name, Rena Nounen. During this time, she has broadened her horizons, including music, art, and filmmaking, where she has written, directed, and starred in films. What motivates her to persevere through adversity and pursue what she loves? We spoke to her about it.
She is active in a wide range of genres, including acting, music, filmmaking, and art. She voiced the main character Suzu in the 2016 animated film "In This Corner of the World," for which she won the Special Jury Prize at the 38th Yokohama Film Festival. In September 2022, she won the Best Actress Award at the 46th Japan Academy Awards for her starring role in the film "Sakanako" ("The Fish Tale"). In recognition of her creative work, which has continued to challenge free expression without being bound by convention, she was awarded the 16th Itami Juzo Award in 2024. In September 2025, the ABEMA original drama "MISS KING" was released. In terms of music, she released her third full-length album, "Renarrate," in September 2025.
She doesn't even change much compared to when she was around 18 (second from right, holding a kitten):
https://kisskh.at/photos/jl3zb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB1iymudeog
I feel that this is going to be Non's best serial drama (outside of Amachan). From 1 episode alone, the intensity of the scenes have surpassed anything I've watched in any other Japanese dramas. It's got the top cinematography, direction, editing, and of course Non's ability to get into the Asuka character.
Is this a student project? Too bad it flew under the radar.
But I know she's been in a much popular movie with Ryusei already (Shotai/Faceless), so it can't be in both.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzuV0q8cEzw
Official Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sx3P1uXI_4
Non is so beautiful here in the interview session 😍😍
Check out the movie Nemurubaka, you'll love her even more!
https://kisskh.at/777674-nemuru-baka