Rena Matsui is announced in two upcoming roles: the lead in NHK's night drama Blue Flower, Forest of Vessels, airing in fall 2026, and Naira, a teacher, in the VIVANT spinoff Chinggis -VIVANT THE ORIGIN STORY-, which streams on U-NEXT from September 20.
Rena Matsui's next two roles sit in different corners of television. NHK announced in June that she will star in Blue Flower, Forest of Vessels, a 32-episode night drama adapted from Yuki Kodama's manga. She plays Aoko Baba, a pottery painter in Hasami-cho, Nagasaki Prefecture, whose work is challenged by a Finnish ceramic artist named Tatsuki. The series airs on NHK General from Monday to Thursday at 22:45 starting in fall 2026, with Yoko Izumisawa writing and Hiroe Fukagawa directing. Most filming takes place on location in Hasami-cho, and Matsui took up pottery for the role.
In September, the VIVANT side story Chinggis -VIVANT THE ORIGIN STORY- was set for U-NEXT from Sunday, September 20. The four-episode spinoff covers Chinggis's orphanage childhood under Nogoon Beki, his first meeting with Beki, and why he became a police officer. Matsui plays Naira, a teacher, and Bokuzo Masana plays Akram, the orphanage principal. Episodes run Sundays and Wednesday the 23rd at 9:00 PM.
The two announcements share no production staff, format, or broadcaster. What links them is the shape of the work: a lead in a regional craft story on NHK, and a supporting role in a streaming backstory for a TBS drama. Both are adaptations or extensions of existing material. Both give her characters defined by their work. There is no word of a premiere date for Blue Flower beyond fall 2026.
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Sep 13
A four-episode side story about Chinggis, the elite Balka police officer from the TBS Sunday drama VIVANT, will stream on U-NEXT starting Sunday, September 20. Bokuzo Masana plays Akram, the orphanage principal, and Rena Matsui plays Naira, a teacher. The story covers Chinggis's orphanage childhood under Nogoon Beki, his first meeting with Beki, and why he became a police officer. Episodes run Sundays and Wednesday the 23rd at 9:00 PM.
Jun 23
NHK announced production of the night drama "Blue Flower, Forest of Vessels," a live-action adaptation of Yuki Kodama's manga, starring Rena Matsui. The 32-episode series, each 15 minutes long, will air on NHK General from Monday to Thursday at 22:45 starting in fall 2026. Matsui plays Aoko Baba, a pottery painter in Hasami-cho, Nagasaki Prefecture, whose work is challenged by a Finnish ceramic artist named Tatsuki. The story follows their relationship as they create vessels together. Most filming takes place on location in Hasami-cho. Matsui took up pottery for the role, saying she felt the clay fit into her hand and imagined Aoko's excitement. Yoko Izumisawa writes the script, and Hiroe Fukagawa directs. Kodama, a Nagasaki native known for "Kids on the Slope," said she is thrilled to see her work adapted faithfully. The drama will also stream on NHK ONE.