Minami Hamabe

Minami Hamabe was born on August 29, 2000, in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Her acting career began after she won the New Generation Award at the 2011 Toho Cinderella Audition. She quickly gained recognition, starring in several films and dramas, many of which are live-action adaptations of popular manga and video games. A significant early role was playing Meiko Honma in the 2015 live-action TV series *Anohana*. Her breakthrough came with the 2017 romance film *Let Me Eat Your Pancreas*, where she played the lead role of Sakura Yamauchi. This film was the fifth highest-grossing film in Japan in 2017, and her performance earned her the Newcomer of the Year award at the 41st Japan Academy Prize.

Hamabe continued her career progression with roles in commercially successful films and television series. In 2019, she starred in *The Great War of Archimedes*, which grossed over 1.9 billion yen in Japan. The year 2020 saw her in lead roles in *Cursed in Love* and *The Promised Neverland*, with the latter grossing over 2.1 billion yen. She also appeared in *Murders At The House of Death*, which earned over 1 billion yen. Her work in television includes *Dr. White* in 2022 and co-starring with Ryunosuke Kamiki in the 2023 *Asadora* series *Ranman*, an role she was directly chosen for by NHK without audition.

More recently, 2023 marked a period of international recognition for Hamabe with her roles in two major films: Hideaki Anno’s *Shin Kamen Rider* and Takashi Yamazaki’s *Godzilla Minus One*. Her performances in these films earned her the Best Supporting Actress award at the 66th Blue Ribbon Awards. She also hosted the 74th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen in 2023, showcasing her versatility beyond acting. Her work demonstrates a consistent trajectory of significant roles in both blockbusters and critically recognized projects.