On March 26th, it was announced that former Takarazuka Revue top star,�Matobu Sei (35), will be debuting as an actress in the upcoming Fuji TV drama '37-sai de Isha ni Natta Boku', starring SMAP's Kusanagi Tsuyoshi.

The drama is inspired by a true story and portrays the hard struggles of the 37-year-old 'Konno Yuta', who decided to quit his job as a salaryman at a food company and now works as a medical intern at a university hospital. Matobu will be playing Konno's classmate from high school who's working as the head nurse 'Aizawa Naomi' at the same hospital. Aizawa usually doesn't think much of the medical interns that come to work and learn at this hospital, but she comes to worry a lot about Konno. She's happy to unexpectedly meet her old friend again, and is impressed about his way of life.

At the Takarazuka Revue, Matobu made a big name for herself over the years as part of the Flower Troupe, but in 2011 she decided that it was time to leave the troupe. Although it's a given that women who come from Takarazuka possess incredible acting skills, the producers of the drama once again praised her explosive acting power. "Having a Takarazuka top star playing the role of a nurse is definitely something to look forward to," they said.

Matobu herself commented, "Similar to the protagonist in the drama, I'm trying to make a new start at the age of 35. I've been playing male roles at Takarazuka for the past 17 years, and now I want to become an actress. This story is giving me courage." About her role, she added, "She's a positive, hardworking and independent woman, and I will enjoy playing her part while finding out more about her strength and her fragility, every day."

She also commented on her co-star Kusanagi and said, "He has very honest eyes and seems like a person who can never lie. In the drama we are high school classmates, and it will be interesting to depict the similarities and the differences between our characters."

As mentioned in the previous announcement, Fuji TV will be airing '37-sai de Isha ni Natta Boku' every Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. The first episode is scheduled to air on April 10th.

Source: Sanspo