On July 14th, Fukuda Saki and Gouriki Ayame attended a press conference for their upcoming drama 'IS ~Otoko demo Onna demo nai Sei~'. Fukuda showed off her new hair-do to the press during the event, explaining, "This is the first time in my life I've gone short. I was extremely nervous the day I cut it. We cut about 20cm off. By cutting my hair I think I was able to naturally become my character, Haru, and I really like it."

Fukuda plays the role of 'Hoshino Haru', a person born as an 'IS' (an intersexual being). The story of the drama surrounds Haru's life, family, love, and relationships with people surrounding her. Fukuda learned of the term 'IS' through this starring role, and commented, "I think it's very hard to understand everything, but I believe that everyone has their own personalities that make them shine, and plus, who has the right to deny others? I think it's okay to be different. I hope that more people become aware about 'IS' and that 'IS' can live happily."

Gouriki was originally a fan of the comic books, and said, "I believe that everyone has some kind of worry inside of them, and I feel that it's okay to be different. Having your own personality and uniqueness is a great thing. I hope that message can be conveyed."

Other cast members for the drama include Nishida Naomi, Inoue Masahiro, Irie Jingi, Nishimura Masahiko, Takahashi George, Osugi Ren, and Minami Kaho. The drama starts airing on July 18th.

In the meantime, check out photos from the press conference below:

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Source: ORICON