A Stalker's Guide to Nishiuchi Mariya

    
Mariya is a growing actress in the Japan drama world. She is just 20 years old, but has done a few big dramas already. I got to know her through Switch Girl in which I found her not only pretty but also very funny.  I love comedy dramas a lot and Mariya has easily become one of my most favorite actresses. 





Her latest drama is Switch Girl 2, which was adapted from a popular manga. The first season ran in 2011. Mariya played a character named Nika who would switch from the perfect girl at school to a slob at home. Not only was she great at making the faces when she was surprised or worried about something, but she also perfectly showed a girl falling in love. 

Mariya was perfect at switching back and forth the way Nika does in the manga. So it was fun to watch her act out when she spazzed. She didn't just have one worried expression, she was able to create a few different faces. I had read the manga a bit after I watched the drama. I was really surprised how accurate Mariya depicted the original character. There were bits that were changed in the drama but that's to be expected. 

I had already thought she was lovely in the drama, but after knowing the original story I was even more amazed with how she had acted. The rest of the cast were good as well but Mariya had my attention all the way. 





Mariya had me laughing throughout the drama with her ridiculous ideas and gestures. She is so pretty and even with the odd expressions, she still looked good. She is the prettiest Japanese actress to me and I love seeing her in comic roles. It's just way too entertaining, it's really hard not to laugh as she make the faces she does. 

If you haven't seen this drama, definitely give it a try  I guarantee you, you will laugh. ^_^ 

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This drama, as well as the previous one, was a manga as well. Mariya played Urahara who is a quiet and intelligent girl. One day she knocks into Ryu (played by Yamamoto Yusuke) who is the delinquent of the school. The first drama I saw her in was Switch Girl and I already became a fan, but after watching this drama I was  even more impressed with her. 

Mariya's character is completely opposite of Nika from Switch Girl. In this drama she is very quiet, attentive, and shy in talking. Her character progression was like Urahara's in the manga. Urahara was a girl who didn't really pay attention to other people nor did she really have goals of her own until she meet Ryu. You can really see this in Mariya's expression when she is impacted by something that Ryu said to her.

This is a supernatural drama where there are 7 witches in the school. Ryu can copy the witches power when he kisses them. Urahara has the power to switch bodies with someone and the first person she had switched with was Ryu. They had done this a few times because she did not want to go to the gym.

Of course when she had switched bodies with Ryu it was wonderfully done, she was a whole different person. She was the delinquent that the school was afraid of.  Like in Switch Girl, it was just a blast to watch her play a funny character. From her face expressions, to the way she reacted being "Ryu" who was in her body, to how she acted with other people. 




 As I was watching this drama there was a different air around her when she was changing with Ryu. She was a very quiet girl then as soon as she change with Ryu she was completely different. She got to be rambunctious. I mention this a lot but I really do laugh when Mariya is being ridiculous. It may be seen as "overacting" but it doesn't feel it when you watch the drama all the way through. It flows right in with the character almost exactly the same way it is in the manga. 

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I haven't finished this drama completely yet, but Mariya is also in this one. I watched GTO because I was already a fan but when I saw Mariya was in it, I got very happy. :) Her character's name was Katsuragi Miki. She was a girl who didn't want to go school and her dad was very busy with work since he was a cop and in a very high position. 


Mariya's character is a girl, who felt like no one really cared about her. Mariya did a good job with that role - Her face was blank and she showed a cold expression very well. Since I saw her in Switch Girl and Yamada mostly, it was very impressive to me how she was able to show a cold face. 



Few More Facts About Mariya

• She is a popular former model of Nicola
• She is an exclusive model of Seventeen in Japan
• She has a older sister Hiromi Nishiuchi

This the first article I wrote for MDL ^_^ I hope you enjoyed reading about Mariya. She is a talented actresses so please check out her dramas.


 If there is an actor or an actress that is worthy of a Stalker's Guide in your opinion, and you have watched enough dramas of his/hers to prove it, please contact Elisabetta about it.