Mirai Shida

Mirai Shida is one of Japan's most recognizable young actresses. On top of performing in dozens of dramatic films and television series, she has also appeared in many commercials. Her 2005 performance playing 12-year-old Kazumi in the well-received miniseries "Jo'ô no kyôshitsu," about an unconventional school teacher's effect on a student, launched her career. Praised for her realistic and nuanced performance, Shida won Best Newcomer at the Television Drama Academy Awards. She next starred in the live-action television adaptation of the anime series "Detective School Q" and popped up in the award-nominated film "Spring Snow" before starring front and center in the 2006 drama series "14-Year-Old Mother." To prepare for the role of a pregnant teen, Shida asked her mother about the changes experienced during pregnancy, to which she replied, "Except for the belly becoming bigger, nothing else changes." Despite her unhelpful mother, Shida turned in another convincing and memorable performance. She turned in another top-billed performance in "Shōkōjo Seira," a 2009 series based on the popular children's book "A Little Princess." In 2010, she lent her voice to the lead character Arrietty in Studio Ghibli's lauded anime "The Borrower Arrietty," released in North America in 2012 with a different cast under the title "The Secret World of Arrietty."