Akari Uemura: “I Want to Keep Doing Expressive Work — And I’d Like to Try Acting Too”

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The story

Former Juice=Juice member Akari Uemura, asked on a YouTube show what she wants to do going forward, said she wants to “keep doing work that lets her express herself” and “find something to really dig into,” also touching on the idea of trying her hand at acting. In response, Hello! Project’s board on 5ch lit up with a ranking comparing her post-graduation workload to that of other OGs, along with debate over whether a 28-year-old newcomer could hold her own in an industry full of peers with a decade of experience. Meanwhile, since she already has regular TV and radio gigs, there was also a gap in perception with the “isn’t she just bored” take.

What people said

1AnonymousSep 1, 2026 17:58
tps://youtu.be/jYa4iKmyuTA?t=826
(In response to "What do you want to do going forward?")
I think I'd like to keep doing work where I get to express myself. I feel like I gave everything I had as a member of Juice=Juice, so there's a real sense of pride in that. If I'm going to build a new foundation next, I want to find something I can really dig deep into — because people who dig deep into something are just cool.
2AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:03
Guess she'll end up like Yamagishi?
58AnonymousSep 1, 2026 19:06
Re: #2
Could you stop talking about Rikoriko like that? (nickname referenced in the thread, likely for the idol just mentioned)
6AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:05
She's great as an assistant on MBS Radio, so
I think she should just keep doing radio,
paired up with those middle-aged-guy hosts on the morning and midday shows
7AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:07
And she hasn't even done a single stage play since graduating
12AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:10
Was it more like a vacation for her, personally?
15AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:12
Re: #12
She's got a regular TV show and radio shows going, that's plenty of work already
13AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:12
She's about to turn 28 and NOW she wants to try acting?
40AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:37
Re: #13
Horiemon: "Even I could do it."
16AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:13
Re: #1
Post-graduation workload ranking

Kasahara
Kudo
Tamura
Sayashi
Makino
Iikubo
Miyamoto
Wada
Ikuta
Fukumura
Takeuchi
Morito
Inaba
Yamagishi
Ogata
Hamaura
Sasaki
Kitagawa
Uemura ← this one
Miyazaki
Sato
Katsuta
Koseki
Murota
Kogata
Fukuda Hana
Ishida
Hirose
Niinuma
Kaga
Kishimoto
Yamazaki Yume
Ichioka
Nakanishi
Takagi
Asakura
Kamikokuryo
Shimakura
Aikawa
Takase
Suzuki, Fujii, Nomura, Tashiro, Yagi,
17AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:13
Is she prepared to start out playing bit parts?
21AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:16
Re: #17
Ms. Ishida…
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HNLXKTRaYAA4iAQ.jpg:orig#.jpg
23AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:17
Re: #21
It actually suits her, no?
18AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:14
Because she gets to live off Juice=Juice's leftovers — get it, since it's "Juice"?
19AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:14
Actresses her age are all seasoned pros with over a decade of experience,
so showing up as a 28-year-old rookie in that world is just too much of a stretch
25AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:19
Re: #19
Hello! Project grads get cast in stage productions even without prior experience
20AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:15
She doesn't have the presence to carry a lead role like Miyamoto does, so it'll probably be tough
22AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:17
It comes down to whether she's got the range to take on roles like Ishida does
24AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:17
Was she ever really that passionate about "expressing herself," though?
26AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:19
Anyway, how close is she even with Konatsu?
27AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:21
Wonder if a drama role will come her way through Kato Konatsu's connections
29AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:21
Can she swallow her pride the way Ishida did?
31AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:25
Gravure modeling counts as "expressive work" too, you know
33AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:28
No idea what Sasaki and Uemura are actually trying to do
their fanbases keep shrinking too
34AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:29
She should've just gone straight into stage acting back then
36AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:31
Maybe she should take a workshop together with Inaba
37AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:33
Oh right, she was in a TikTok drama, wasn't she
38AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:34
Suddenly announcing she wants to act —
bet that annoyed Kato Konatsu a bit
42AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:37
Sasaki's main job these days apparently:
attending every single event up until Akiyama graduates

That's about it 😂
44AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:39
Heard she even went to Shakunetsu (a scorching-hot outdoor event) too
going to every single show — how much free time does she have
if that's the case just go back to ANGERME already
47AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:41
Re: #44
No thanks 😝
46AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:39
Heard Rikako's finally about to get serious
48AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:44
Judging by how the talk went she didn't deny it, but she probably won't actually act
seems perfectly happy with her easygoing life of Burando, radio, and the occasional fan-service gig
49AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:45
Apparently this is the year Sasaki really goes all out
51AnonymousSep 1, 2026 18:49
Is she stubbornly avoiding M-Spe because she's set on becoming an actress?
59AnonymousSep 1, 2026 19:10
What has she even been doing since graduating…
60AnonymousSep 1, 2026 19:11
Re: #59
She's got one regular TV show and two regular radio shows, though?

Background and points of debate

Within Hello! Project, many members who graduate go on to become actresses, talents, or voice actors, so fans tend to pay close attention to “how much work someone keeps landing after graduating.” The workload ranking posted in the thread reflects that culture. Opinions split mainly over how realistic it is to break into acting at 28 with little experience, given that actresses of the same age typically have over a decade of experience — though others pointed out that Hello! Project graduates tend to land stage work fairly easily even without a track record. It’s also worth noting that Uemura herself already holds regular TV and radio spots, so the impression that she’s “done nothing since graduating” doesn’t match reality. Her interest in acting is, for now, only something she’s said in an interview — no concrete role or project has actually been announced.

※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Akari Uemura: “I Want to Keep Doing Expressive Work — And I’d Like to Try Acting Too”.”

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