is a Japanese television host,

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, and ''tarento''. She is a former first generation member of the

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a devotional image of a deity or saint used during puja ...

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...

Nogizaka46 is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto, created as the "official rival" of the group AKB48. They are the first group from the Sakamichi Series, which also includes sister groups Sakurazaka46 (formerly Keyakizaka46), Yoshim ...

. Akimoto was the last first generation member to graduate Nogizaka46 after being in the group for over 11 years since its debut on February 22, 2012. Her graduation concert was held on February 26, 2023.

Biography

Akimoto was born in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

on August 20, 1993. Her family moved to Urawa (now part of

Saitama City is the capital and largest city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. , the city had an estimated population of 1,324,854 ...

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

, when she was 7 months old, and she was subsequently raised there. When her parents were deciding on her name, her mother suggested naming her "Miruku" or "Hikari," but after much thought, her father decided to name her "Manatsu" as she was born in the summer. She has a younger brother three years her junior.

Career

She was the vice-president of the student council in middle school and was active in the home economics and cooking clubs. In high school, she was the student council president. In her third year of high school, she was informed about the

first generation member auditions and recruitment. However, Akimoto's career goals at the time were closer towards being a television presenter or actress and she was not actively interested in becoming an idol. She ended up signing up for the auditions on the final deadline date when she stumbled upon the news on her phone. Akimoto passed the auditions on August 21, 2011, becoming one of the first generation members and a temporary main selection member. However, due to her studies and obligations, she was not active with the rest of the members until she graduated from high school in April 2012. Akimoto enrolled in university, but against her parents' wishes she returned to Nogizaka46, training to prepare for her debut. She was present at almost all ''Nogizakatte, Doko?'' studio recordings and Nogizaka46 live concerts as a trainee.
In October 2012, Akimoto was selected as a main selection member for the fourth Nogizaka46 single, "

Seifuku no Mannequin is the fourth single by Nogizaka46, released on December 19, 2012. It debuted in number one on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart. It also reached number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. The music video was directed by Kazuma Ikeda. He later di ...

", during the recording of a ''Nogizakatte, Doko?'' episode, marking her unexpected debut as an official member of Nogizaka46. She debuted as an actress in the television drama ''Bad Boys J'' in April 2013.
, Akimoto is active as a regular main selection member of Nogizaka46. She is also active as a television personality, with numerous appearances on variety shows as a panelist, guest and assistant MC. On August 14, 2019, Akimoto was named the next captain of Nogizaka46, succeeding Reika Sakurai. Akimoto announced her graduation from Nogizaka46 on January 7, 2023. Her graduation concert was held on February 26, 2023. She is the last first generation member to leave the group. Her position was succeeded by third generation member as the new captain for Nogizaka46. On March 1, 2023, Akimoto announced her affiliation with Japan Music Entertainment.

Public image

While Akimoto was part of Nogizaka46, she was adored by her members and was known for her tenacious and patient personality. She was also known as a "people person" because of her exceptional communication skills, as she also hangs out and goes out to eat with many of the Nogizaka members. Within Nogizaka46, she is close nd still remainsfriends with Ikuta Erika, Shiraishi Mai,

Asuka Saitō , is a Japanese actress, model, and television personality. She is a former first generation member of the Japanese idol, idol girl group Nogizaka46 and a regular model for the fashion magazine ''sweet''. As an actress her lead roles have includ ...

, Nishino Nanase, Reika Sakurai,

Sayuri Matsumura is a Japanese actress, television personality, and a former first generation member of the idol girl group Nogizaka46. She is affiliated with Ikushima Planning Office. Career In 2011, Matsumura auditioned for Nogizaka46 and was chosen as one ...

, and

Rena Matsui is a Japanese actress, singer, and novelist. Matsui is a former member of the Japanese idol girl groups SKE48 and Nogizaka46. As a member of the former, she also participated in the main lineup of AKB48's singles. As an actress, she has played r ...

. Despite being in a musical ensemble, she has admitted that she can hardly sing or dance, and her singing voice has been criticized by their group manager, with Akimoto saying, "I'm about the worst in the group in both dancing and singing.".

Discography

Singles with Nogizaka46

Albums with Nogizaka46

Other featured songs

Filmography

Film

Television

Bibliography

Photobooks

* ''Manatsu no Kiatsu Haichi'' (July 28, 2017, Tokumashoten) * ''Shiawase ni Shitai'' (April 8, 2020,

Takeshobo is a major publisher in Japan. Takeshobo was founded in 1972 by Kyōichirō Noguchi, starting Japan's first Mahjong magazine . Other magazines, such as a magazine dedicated to mahjong-themed manga, as well as a magazine dedicated to yonkoma ma ...

)

References

External links

* at Japan Music * at

TVer Tver (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is situated at the confluence of the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. Tver is located northwest of Moscow. Population: The city is ...

* at

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Akimoto, Manatsu Living people 1993 births Actresses from Tokyo Japanese idols Japanese women singers J-pop singers 21st-century Japanese actresses Japanese women television personalities Nogizaka46 members Musicians from Saitama Prefecture Singers from Tokyo