Introducing Meru Nukumi, a model extremely popular among teenagers. Nicknamed Meruru, she works exclusively for Popteen, a monthly fashion magazine for teens that has produced an army of well-liked models and actresses, such as Nicole Fujita and Miyu Ikeda, who is known by the nickname Michopa.
Only recently graduated from high school, Meruru is also a sought-after personality on TV variety shows.
"Hello, nice to see you today," she said as we met for this interview. I was surprised, as I thought she might enter the room with her signature greeting, "Happisu!" (a combination of "happy" and "peace").
Meruru, who charms fans with her kind, polite manner toward them, is also very courteous during interviews. Being a model, she excels at striking poses for the camera, so the photo shoot finished quickly.
Her activities have expanded beyond magazine modeling, and she's appearing on TV variety shows more and more often. In March, she made a guest appearance in "Downtown Now," a popular show hosted by Masatoshi Hamada and Hitoshi Matsumoto of the popular comedy duo Downtown.
During the show, she called Matsumoto "Mr. Hamada." Matsumoto murmured, "It's been a long while [since I was mistaken for him]," while Hamada burst into laughter. Meruru's fearless attitude toward the big-name comedians was a talking point of the day on social media.
In fact, she did know their correct names.
"I was on my dream show, and I was so nervous that I thought too much, 'I mustn't make any mistakes.' It backfired," she said. "But they were both very kind. I'm grateful to them."
She's daring, but it took a while before she could confidently talk on TV shows. Born in March 2002 in Aichi Prefecture, Meruru started modeling in her fourth year of elementary school.
"Once, I was scolded during a photo shoot for being too suntanned, which traumatized me. I stopped playing outside so I wouldn't get suntanned and ended up talking to nobody," she recalled.
At Tokyo Girls Audition 2015, she won two awards. Even after becoming an exclusive model for Popteen from December that year, she would remain quiet in a corner of a photo studio.
Then older models and staff members came to her and taught her how to behave, saying things like, "When you arrive, you have to say hello," and "You have to show respect to older people." The modeling industry was surprisingly similar to school sports clubs, with a clear hierarchy by age.
"I didn't belong to any school clubs, so I didn't know anything about hierarchy or seniority. At first, I found it a bit scary, but then I gradually realized it was necessary for society. I think I'm here right now because they were strict with me back then," Meruru said.
The magazine frequently carries articles about competitions among its models, such as the rankings of readers' favorites.
"Sometimes we've been fiercely at odds with each other, but we became super good friends after getting over the competitions. My fellow Popteen models are more like my sisters-in-arms than friends," Meruru said, even though she was frustrated over not doing as well in the competitions as she wanted to.
A turning point came in 2018 when she appeared on a reality show about romantic love on the Abema TV streaming service. Titled "Taiyo to Okami-kun niwa damasarenai" (I won't be deceived by the sun or a wolf), the show features young men and women trying to complete various tasks while freely falling in love. Meruru's single-minded, earnest personality won her much attention, and her Instagram followers increased from about 20,000 to about 160,000 in the two months after the show started.
"When I received the offer, I thought there was no way to fall in love on a show. But when I actually went to the shoot, I was naturally tempted to get a crush on someone. The cameras didn't bother me at all," she said, looking back on the show.
Gaining confidence from the experience, Meruru continued improving herself and rose to No. 1 in Popteen's favorite model rankings chosen by readers. She finally appeared alone on the magazine's front cover in its June 2019 issue, which sold out in about a week, a surprisingly short period of time.
Today, Meruru brings good vibes to photo sessions and shows her natural self on PopteenTV, the magazine's YouTube channel carrying scenes from photo shoots and special features. She reveals her slightly goofy, sweet side on the videos but looks sharp in the areas of her specialty, such as presenting her own fashion style.
"I love fashion, so I want to start my own brand. I'll work hard because I also want to have a regular TV program. Oh, I want to do acting as well," she said when asked what she'd like to do in the future.
Her manager said: "She's really cheerful and hard-working. She looks very contemporary at first glance, but inside she's disciplined in an old-fashioned way. For example, she makes it a rule to communicate with her fans on social media every day. She's very professional and modest, so she's popular with photographers and other staff members."
Even after growing into an admirable young lady, Meruru retains her innately shy nature.
"I can't even make a phone call to reserve a table at a restaurant, because I can't speak with a stranger on the phone," she lamented.
In her first stylebook, titled "Happisu!," she discusses what Popteen has not reported, from her worries and struggles as a model to her private life. The book is filled with her youthful charisma and also contains photos of Meruru wearing her own clothing, coordinated by herself in 100 different ways. Each page carries positive words from Meruru.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
