The Characters from the series "Private Actress"!
Shiho Kobayakawa
The main character and titular Private Actress, she is the hidden daughter of famous actress Sayuri Nagasawa and celebrated actor Masakazu Ogata. She wants to become an actress but is clearly aware of her difficult situation, so she becomes a Private Actress instead.
- All-Loving Hero: Towards the ending, Shiho realizes that the reason she is so good at being a PA is that she comes to love every single client, allowing her to sympathize or empathize with them, as necessary, to fulfill any role they need her to play.
- Becoming the Mask: Several of Shiho's works involve her all but believing she's truly the person she pretends to be. In example, she develops some degree of real affection towards Sendou, the guy whose long-lost daughter she impersonates, to the point that her manager mistakenly believes she's falling in love with him and calls her out.
- Body Double: Some of her assignments, like the one coming from Kyouko Itou.
- Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: The gentle girl to Naoya's brooding boy.
- Clark Kenting: Sort of. All she has to do to disguise herself as an older woman and pose as Ruriko's new assistant is putting on a pair of glasses.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Thankfully downplayed. Shiho does feel jealousy when Tomoomi's work as a P.A involves going out with another girl, but most of the time she does her best to keep her jealousy on check.
- Dead Person Impersonation: She impersonates a reincarnated Miyuki Sugiyama. Shiho must wear special contact lenses since the girl she's acting as had heterochromia.
- Even the Girls Want Her
- Expository Hairstyle Change: She often changes hairstyles according to the role she is playing.
- Foil: To Kana/Satoka.
- Guile Hero: She often acts like one. It's kind of mandatory considering her job.
- Held Back in School: She ends up having to repeat a school year due to her numerous absences.
- Heroic Bastard: Shiho was born from an affair between Sayuri and an already married veteran actor, Masakazu Ogata. Shiho is very aware of it, and this is one of the reasons why she didn't go into stardom from the very start: she doesn't want anyone to learn about her origins. This makes things super awkward when, in the second story, she is hired by none other than her half-brother Kyousuke, who is Locked Out of the Loop note , to pass as his girlfriend.
- It's Personal: Several of her works have her getting emotionally involved with her clients and their motivations, specially if they have suffered painful losses in the past. Specially obvious in the cases related to her nanny Makiko, Mariko Soriarno, and Yuuichirou Minamoto — all of these people were deeply hurt and asked her to take up their cases, so Shiho works hard to do so.
- I Will Wait for You: Tomoomi must take over his family's company, which will require him to be away from Shiho for years. Shiho promises not just to wait for him, but to become the best actress in Japan just like he will become the best executive.
- Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The Light to Kana/Satoka's Dark.
- Mama Bear: She is this to the child-star Konomi. Since the girl's dad/manager's girlfriend is more interested in dominating her career than in her well-being, Shiho decides to protect Konomi — which includes dealing a passionate performance to calm down a Konomi who's in a bad state, and then pulling a Diving Save to save her from being run over by a train.
- Never Got to Say Goodbye: When Shiho was a little girl, she was initially raised by her maternal grandmother. At some point they had a fight and Shiho threw a tantrum and ran from home to an arcade. That same day her granny had a heart attack, collapsed and ultimately died in the hospital.
- Official Couple: With Tomoomi.
- The Rival: To Kana/Satoka.
- Secret-Keeper: Her work involves to be one of these, helping her clients keep afloat lies for different reasons.
- Strong Family Resemblance: With her mother, at least before Sayuri's scarring. Lampshaded more than once in the story, but most spectacularly when a clearly drunk Ruriko sees Shiho's face:Ruriko: SAYURI?! Did you turn young again?!
- Sympathetic Murderer: She once played one of these in the movie she and Kana/Satoka starred in. The trope is also lampshaded when the director comments on how Shiho makes the killer look so sad and woobie-ish that one wants to hug her despite her crimes.
- Teen Genius: As an actress.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Girly Girl to her friend Chie's Tomboy. And the tomboy to Mariko's Girly Girl.
- Tsundere: Type B as long as Tomoomi is involved.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: She is this through and through. Justified in that her work as a P.A. made her discover and live far more kind of experiences than a girl her age normally would.
Tomoomi Hanemura
Shiho's boyfriend and fellow private actor. A snarky, world-weary young man who does his best to both help Shiho and snark at her.- Body Double: At one point, he covers for his relative and the local Fortune Teller, Masaomi/"Johannes", and ends up kidnapped in his place...
- Genre Savvy: He deduces how much of Shiho's attitude is purely acting and how much is true almost at first sight. The discovery almost sends poor Shiho into a panic.
- Heroic Bastard: He is part of a Big, Screwed-Up Family, and is legally the child of his mother and grandfather. The exact specifics aren't delved into, nor is how he was eventually recognized as his biological father's child and heir at all clear.
- Official Couple: With Shiho.
- Secret-Keeper: For the same reasons as Shiho. Also, about Shiho's parents' identities.
- Spell My Name With An S: His first name is translated as Tomoomi or as Chiomi, depending on the translator.
- Tall, Dark, and Snarky
- Understanding Boyfriend: Concerning Shiho's work as a P.A. and the dangers she repeatedly puts herself through doing it. It helps that he works as one too. He also is completely accepting of Shiho's inability to forget her first love, comforting her instead on the anniversary of the boy's death.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: For the same reasons as Shiho.
Sayuri Nagasawa
Shiho's mother and a famous actress in-universe. She's both beautiful and talented, and kinda jaded by what she's witnessed.
- Absurdly Youthful Mother: Shiho is around 16/17 at the start and Sayuri seems to be in her late 30's, so she probably had her either in her late teens or very early 20's.
- Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The Light to Ruriko's Dark.
- Parents as People: Oh boy. Sayuri is a kind person, but not only she's in a difficult situation (unmarried mothers are heavily looked down in Japan) but she's clearly aware that she doesn't have the emotional maturity to raise Shiho either.
- The Rival: To Ruriko Daichi, as an actress.
- Scars Are Forever: Sayuri gets heavily scarred after a terrible accident.
- Strong Family Resemblance: With her daughter, to the point that Shiho can easily makes herself pass as Sayuri when needed.
Masakazu Ogata
Shiho's father and a celebrated actor in-universe. A good person and vey talented, but with a massive flaw: his womanizing.- Disappeared Dad: Shiho's. Sort of.
- The Casanova: And he's married, at that!
- Locked Out of the Loop: He doesn't even know he has a daughter until late in the story.
- Parents as People: He has shades of this even after discovering about Shiho. He does what he can for her, and is very affectionate when they meet, but there's always the threat of the massive scandal that would come with his divorce...
- Silver Fox: A man over 50 years old, who is still considered as very handsome.
Kana Juumonji
A mysterious girl that Shiho meets at some point in the story.
- Alpha Bitch: She completely dominates a group of girls from a Boarding School for rich kids, to the point of making the girls accomplices and instruments to her crimes. She is also the teachers' darling and given leeways that the other students don't have, probably because one of her victims was a teacher.
- Creepy Crosses: Crosses are her motif, up to her name being written with the character for "cross". And she's a totally evil psycho.
- Cute and Psycho: She is very beautiful. She is also a serial murderer.
- Enfante Terrible: She had been killing people ever since she was a little girl. Her first victim was a girl who bullied her, but soon she began to murder others solely for standing in her way.
- Even the Girls Want Her: She's very beautiful and manipulative, so the trope takes place several times.
- Foil: To Shiho.
- Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The Dark to Shiho's Light.
- Perpetual Smiler: One of her most creepy traits.
- The Rival: To Shiho.
- Serial Killer: Starting from childhood, she has been eliminating everyone she thought was on her way. A little girl who bullied her, a teacher who was suspecting her, her rival in the drama club, another student who found out who she truly was, fellow actresses/actresses-in-training who could out-stage her...
- Teen Genius: As an actress.
- Trauma-Induced Amnesia: She collapses mentally and goes through this after Shiho's punishment.
- Walking Spoiler
Satoka Ryoudo
Shiho's biggest rival in the second part of the series, an incredibly talented actress who is just a little younger than Shiho.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: As a part of her complete re-invention, the light-and-wavy-haired Kana Juumonji cut her hair shorter, straightened and dyed it black to reappear as Satoka Ryoudo.
- Foil: To Shiho.
- Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The Dark to Shiho's Light.
- Perpetual Smiler: One of her most creepy traits is that she almost never loses her smile.
- Trauma-Induced Amnesia: Shiho actually invokes this trope on her, traumatising her so badly in an incident involving fire and the setting of a movie that Satoka mentally reverts to a child-like state, unable to remember any recent events. This is seen as an alternative to killing her: Shiho's last "client" ask her to punish Satoka for causing the death of his girlfriend, which he had been trying to do until he was fataly wounded by Satoka herself, and Shiho felt that this was the best course of action against someone like her.
- Two Aliases, One Character: She is Kana Juumonji, who has re-invented herself after spending time in a mental hospital and changing both her name and her appearance and is now hell-bent into climbing her way to the top, no matter who she has to harm or kill to do so.
- Walking Spoiler: The reveal that she and Kana Juumonji are the same person makes most information about her spoilers.
- What Beautiful Eyes!: Aside of being very cute-looking in general, Satoka's biggest charm is how she possesses incredibly striking eyes. Enough to net her a role where the character's eyes are vital to her look. Shiho also recognizes her as Kana thanks to said eyes.
Shiho's boss
Shiho's manager at the PA Office
- Benevolent Boss: Shiho's.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Everyone Calls Him Boss.
- No Name Given: We never learn even his surname.
Makiko Mori
Shiho's childhood caretaker, a kind woman who hides a very sad secret.
- Cool Big Sis: Shiho sees her as such, ands calls her "Mori-neesan" ("Big Sis Mori")
- The Mistress: She used to be this to a rich and corrupt politician, and a child was born from said relationship. When Shiho finds out, she decides to make herself pass as said child to keep an eye on him.
- Parental Substitute: To Shiho, of who she was the nanny, since Sayuri cannot always take care of her due to her work and the need to hide that she's an unmarried mother.
Fuyuka Sakuragi
A girl who dies in odd circumstances, and whose demise kicks off the Boarding School two parter.
- Bully Magnet: She was verbally harassed, had her sketchbook ripped and stepped on, and had bullies spying her.
- Cute Bookworm: She was a talented artist
- He Knows Too Much: The reason for her murder. She accidentally witnessed one of Kana's crimes, and was literally bullied to death when she was considering the idea of talking to the police.
- Posthumous Character
- Sacrificial Lamb
- Staircase Tumble: The technical cause of her death. Made worse by some crows picking at her face and eyes.
Miyako Kuni
One of the students at the Boarding School, and a friend of poor Fuyuka
- Japanese Delinquents: Implied to be this, as she skips classes and doesn't care for the teachers.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Harsh around the ages and all, she was the only one who offered Fuyuka some solace and tried to help Shiho gather info.
Maki Kouno and Mai Housaka
Kana Juumonji's lackeys in-school.
- Creepy Crows: Mai can command them to her will.
- Girl Posse: To Kana's Alpha Bitch, and Mai also has shades of Beta Bitch.
- Heel–Face Turn: Maki.
- Peer Pressure Makes You Evil: While neither girl is a peach, it turns out that Kana has them completely dominated through fear. When Maki begins to break through and is heading to a Heel–Face Turn thanks to Shiho, Kana convinces Mai to attack her as retaliation.
- Tomboyish Ponytail: Maki
Naoya Koshiba
Shiho's first client and first love. A young man who has been through a very harsh life...- Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: The brooding boy to Shiho's gentle girl.
- First Love: Shiho's.
- Heroes Love Dogs: He has a cute little puppy named Queen. She's taken away from him when his hemophilia gets worse and contracts AIDS, which really doesn't help with his issues. Shiho finds her, however, and brings her back to Naoya few before he dies.
- The Lost Lenore: Shiho's. Lampshaded when she tells Tomoomi about him and finished by saying that even when she does sincerely love Tomoomi, she'll never forget Naoya.
Hiroki Matsumae
A young man with VERY bad luck, who steps into Shiho in the perfect moment...
- Butt-Monkey: The few times he appears.
- Eye Scream: Happens to him in one of the last chapters, and it's the first time his bad luck is Playedfor Drama.
- Intrepid Reporter: He tries to be this. Doesn't really work.
- Secret-Keeper: Despite being a tabloid reporter and finding out about Shiho's mother, he doesn't tell anyone because he wants to see how far she will go.
Shuuto and Yuuto Tanabe
Two handsome twin brothers with completely different viewpoints. Shuuto is a male model, Yuuto is an everyman, and Shuuto hires Shiho to help Yuuto with his love troubles.
- Fake Twin Gambit: Shuuto and Yuuto are actually the same person, with Shuuto being a Split Personality created from Yuuto's childhood trauma.
- Polar Opposite Twins: Older twin brother Shuuto is hot, self-assured and seemingly perfect. Younger twin brother Yuuto is just as handsome, but is an awkward Shrinking Violet. However, this turns out to not be a case of twins, but opposite split personalities.
- Rape as Backstory: As a child, Yuuto was sexually abused by his uncle, resulting in the creation of his other personality "Shuuto".
- Split-Personality Takeover: Yuuto's childhood trauma created a personality named "Shuuto" that dealt with extreme anger issues coming from the sexual abuse, and under his influence he burned his uncle's house and killed him. From then on, "Shuuto" and the original Yuuto co-existed more or less in peace, and Shuuto aka the now dominant personality shaped himself into a famous Mr. Fanservice — until Yuuto took control back and fell in love with Girl Next Door Kana, causing "Shuuto" to snap, fully take over and try hiring Shiho to get Yuuto's would-be girlfriend away. And then it turns out there's a third personality, "Satoru", who has been lying dormant underneath the two, but wants to get this mess resolved...
- Theme Twin Naming: Shuuto and Yuuto.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Yuuto lost it and developed two alternate personalities after being hideously abused.
Ruriko Daichi
Sayuri Nagasawa's long-time rival in the acting world. A beautiful woman with a sharp tongue, a taste for liquor, and a very cynical view of life.
- Functional Addict: Even when she drinks a LOT and is borderline alcoholic, her acting talent is genuine.
- Lady Drunk: And she's terrible when drunk.
- Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The Dark to Sayuri's Light. Lampshaded in their typecasting: Sayuri almost always does Nice Girl roles, while Ruriko is cast as the Rich Bitch and was known as the Japanese Ms. Fanservice (comparisons to Marilyn Monroe included)
- Rich Bitch: Less in the sense of being entitled and cruel, and more in being incredibly bitter.
- The Rival: To Sayuri, as an actress.
- Tsundere: She's said to be a Type A, and it shows perfectly when she sends very passive-aggressive messages to Sayuri after she gets scarred... but she and Shiho realize much later that this was Ruriko's way to encourage her.
- White-Dwarf Starlet: She isn't one yet, but since she's already 42 years old she's very aware that soon she will fall into the trope. And the idea utterly terrifies her.
Johannes aka Masaomi Hanemura
A powerful and popular Fortune Teller, and very handsome to boot.
- Chick Magnet: Hell yes.
- Fortune Teller: He has Psychic Powers that allow him to see the future. And as far as we're aware, he's no Phony Psychic.
- Revenge: Masaomi's cousin and best friend who was like a brother to him committed suicide about the time Tomoomi properly arrived to the Hanemura clan, since the girl he (the cousin) loved fell for Tomoomi; Masaomi blamed Tomoomi for said death and brewed quite the Batman Gambit to "punish" him.
Misaki Touno
A popular actress with deep, deep issues.
- Driven to Suicide: Misaki was driven into madness and suicide by Satoka, with everyone else believing she had broken down over failing to correctly nail an incredibly difficult role that was originally destined to Sayuri.
Konomi Yushiro
A child-star whom Shiho met through her work as a P.A.
- Bratty Half-Pint: At the beginning.
- Lonely Rich Kid
- Missing Mom: Konomi's mother died when she was little and she misses her terribly. It's not helped by her dad being about to marry her manager, which Konomi cannot accept. It turns out she actually left to the USA and Konomi's dad told her she had died to spare her trauma. And then it turns out she died while in the USA.
- Sailor Fuku: She wears one in her first apparition.
- Spoiled Brat: She seems to be this at first. It turns out she's more depressed and moody and misses her mom, rather than actually bratty; later, she's more cheerful and relaxed.
Ookada
The manager and only friend of Satoka, Shiho's rival
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: He uses glasses and is very, very ruthless in his work.
- Tall, Dark, and Snarky
- Undying Loyalty: To Kanna/Satoka, because he was raised by her family.
Mariko Soriano
A beautiful half-Filipina aspirant actress, who Shiho takes under her wing.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Has the looks, but is actually kind of a Shrinking Violet.
- Birds of a Feather: Mariko and Shiho bond over their dreams and their similar family troubles.
- Calling the Old Man Out: What Shiho does in Mariko's name after she's injured by Satoka, telling her distant father what happened and urging him to take care of her now that she truly needs him.
- Facial Horror: She gets acid thrown into her face right before the audition by a jealous Satoka's orders. We directly get to see this happen, and later Mariko is the hospital with the left half of her body wrapped in bandages. (Sayuri says her injuries can be treated well, however, and she and Mariko's father arrange for her to get the best medical care possible.)
- Mistaken for Prostitute: In her first scene, Mariko is being harassed by some guys who think she's a Street Walker. Shiho bails her out.
- Naïve Newcomer: Mariko has just arrived to Japan when she appears in the story, so Shiho has to give her quite the pointers and then takes her under her wing.
- Royal Bastard: Mariko's Japanese dad, Akihiro Yamagata, is a married man as well as a rich entrepreneur. She thinks he doesn't acknowledge her, aside of sending her and her mom money, because he's scared of having his reputation smeared.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The girly girl to Shiho's tomboy.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Mariko comes to Japan not just to start her acting career, but to meet the Japanese father who doesn't answer her calls or replies to her letters. She believes that, since Yamagata's company is very influential in Japanese media, she'll be able to meet him or at least will have him watch her perform on-stage. Too bad, Yamagata is actually Satoka's sponsor, and not to mention he's known for sponsoring young actresses in general; Satoka feels so threatened by the presence of Mariko and by her bond to Shiho that she immediately puts Mariko in her hit list....
Yuuichirou Minamoto
Another private actor.
- Destination Defenestration: Tries to do this to Satoka. She's Genre Savvy enough to make him fall off the same window instead.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Tried to go the Bath Suicide way too, so he has slash scars on his wrists.
- Psycho Ex-Girlfriend: Rare Male Example. He's Misaki's vengeful ex-boyfriend.
