Wikipedia

Karen Iwata

Karen Iwata (岩田 華怜, Iwata Karen, born May 13, 1998, in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture) is an actress and former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 under Team A.[1]

Karen Iwata
岩田 華怜
Iwata at Tokyo, 2024
Born (1998-05-13) May 13, 1998 (age 26)
Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
Alma materNihon University
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Photographer
  • Singer
Years active1998–present
Musical career
GenresJ-pop
InstrumentVocals
Years active2011–present
Formerly ofAKB48 (Team A)
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Biography

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Iwata was born on May 13, 1998, in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Her mother is Miwa Sugawara, who works as a TV personality in Sendai. As a child, Iwata and her mother appeared in local information programs together, and musicals. Iwata has made appearances in commercials as early as 6 months of age.[2] She auditioned for AKB48, but the Tōhoku earthquake struck just before the final screening and she was affected by the disaster, so she considered withdrawing from the audition. However, the auditions were postponed, so Iwata continued to participate and was selected to join the group as a 12th kenkyusei (trainee) in April 2011.[3][4]

In December 2011, Iwata auditioned for a role in the TV animated series AKB0048 and was selected to play the main character, Nagisa Motomiya.[5] As part of the anime project, she sang with eight other AKB48 members in the subunit No Name on the show's theme songs.[6][7] In March 2012, during the Saitama Super Arena concert, Iwata was one of the trainee members who were promoted to full AKB48 members in the new Team 4. She also participated on her first A-side, on the AKB48 single Manatsu no Sounds Good!.[8] In July 2012, Iwata was selected to host a TV program on NHK as part of a series to support the areas affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which included Sendai. She mentioned that she had lived in a shelter for a while before auditioning for AKB48.[4] On August 24, 2012, AKB48 had a major restructuring, in which Team 4 was dissolved, and Iwata was moved to Team A.[9][10] On January 5, 2016, Iwata announced she would be leaving the group.[11] AKB48 held her graduation events for Iwata in March 2016.[12]

Just before graduating from AKB48, she moved to the Japanese major talent agency Horipro.[12] She has appeared in numerous stage productions, musicals, films and TV dramas, as well as appearing in concerts organised by Horipro, performing songs and dances from her AKB48 days. In June 2021, she appeared in a concert to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 12th generation of AKB48, her first appearance in five years at an AKB48 theatre.[13] She played the role of Delphi Diggory in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Tokyo from June 2022 to May 2023.[14]

She appeared as the lead actress in The Last Passenger, a film about the Tōhoku earthquake, for which she won the Best Actress Award at the Global Nonviolent Film Festival (2023). This was her first personal award in the field of acting.[15]

Originally, she wanted to be an actress and dreamed of performing in musicals, especially on Broadway.[15] After appearing on the Harry Potter stage, she began to study English again, and in 2024 she obtained a United States O-1B Visa and began her studies in New York City in June.[16] In order to prepare for her studies in the U.S., she left Horipro at the end of June 2023, after which she is working on a freelance basis.[17]

Iwata attended the Faculty of Arts at Nihon University and graduated from Department of Photography in March 2023.[18]

Discography

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Singles

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With AKB48

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A sides
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B sides
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With Hana wa Saku Project

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Title Release date Chart
position 		Notes
Oricon
Weekly
Singles
Chart
"Hana wa Saku" (花は咲く) May 23, 2012 17 Single by Hana wa Saku Project
Participated in the main single and "Hana wa Saku Iwata Karen ver."

With No Name

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  • "Kibō ni Tsuite" (August 1, 2012)
  • "Kono Namida o Kimi ni Sasagu" (April 10, 2013)

With Wake Up, Girls! Project

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Title Release date Chart
position 		Notes
Oricon
Weekly
Singles
Chart
"Wake Up, Best!3" March 28, 2018 27 as Megumi Yoshikawa, member of I-1 club
Participated in "knock out".

Appearances

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TV dramas

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Films

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Anime

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  • AKB0048 (April 29, 2012 – July 22, 2012), as Nagisa Motomiya
  • AKB0048 Next Stage (January 5, 2013 – March 30, 2013), as Nagisa Motomiya/Atsuko Maeda the 14th

TV variety shows

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Stages

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References

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  1. ^ "AKB48公式サイト｜メンバー情報" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  2. ^ 岩田華怜 (April 30, 2020). "生まれまして。 - 岩田華怜オフィシャルブログ" (in Japanese). Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  3. ^ "【東日本大震災１０年語り継ぐ】元ＡＫＢ・岩田華怜 仙台で被災１週間後に最終審査挑戦 避難所訪問で「お帰り」横断幕に迎えられ「ふるさとの光になる」" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. March 7, 2021. Archived from the original on August 6, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "AKB岩田華怜、中2でNHK冠番組 被災地支援番組ナビゲーターに決定" (in Japanese). Oricon. July 17, 2012. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  5. ^ "アニメ「AKB0048」公開オーディションで声優選抜9名決定" (in Japanese). Natalie. December 13, 2011. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  6. ^ "AKBまゆゆら"声優選抜"が新ユニット「NO NAME」結成！ アニメ主題歌デビュー" (in Japanese). Oricon. April 26, 2012. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  7. ^ "TVアニメ『AKB0048』、主題歌は声優選抜メンバーのユニット"NO NAME"が担当" (in Japanese). My Navi. April 27, 2012. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  8. ^ a b "AKB48、新曲選抜メンバーは過去最多36人 まゆゆ筆頭に次世代エース候補が台頭" (in Japanese). Oricon. March 25, 2012. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  9. ^ "Reformation of AKB48 in Tokyo Dome Concert" (in Japanese). August 24, 2012. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012.
  10. ^ Green, Scott (August 24, 2012). "AKB48 Announces Tectonic Line-Up Shift". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016.
  11. ^ "岩田華怜がAKB卒業を発表。泣き崩れるメンバーも" (in Japanese). Oricon Style. January 5, 2016. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  12. ^ a b "AKB岩田華怜が卒業「女優に向け」ホリプロ所属" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. March 15, 2016. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  13. ^ "AKB48 12期生10周年特別公演に関するお知らせ" (in Japanese). AKB48. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child official website" (in Japanese). TBS Television and Horipro. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Bailey Hiroe (November 6, 2023). "舞台ハリーポッター卒業後、米国の映画祭で最優秀主演女優賞を獲得！岩田華怜がNYへ挑む" (in Japanese). Newsweek Japan. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  16. ^ "元AKB48岩田華怜、留学先から緊急帰国 3年前の共演者「すごくキレイになってしまって直視できない」" (in Japanese). Oricon News. November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  17. ^ "元AKB48岩田華怜、ホリプロを6月で退所へ 今後はフリーで活動" (in Japanese). Oricon News. June 27, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  18. ^ "元AKB岩田華怜、日大芸術学部卒業を報告「６年かかってしまったけど…」抱いていた葛藤明かす". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). April 21, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  19. ^ "AKB48、過去最多36人で新曲初披露 HKT兒玉ら15人が初選抜". Oricon Style (in Japanese). March 24, 2012. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  20. ^ AKB48岩田華怜、元bump.y宮武祭が『ソロモンの偽証』に集結！ (in Japanese). Cinematoday Inc. February 3, 2015. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  21. ^ AKB48岩田華怜、映画「殿、利息でござる！」で時代劇初挑戦 (in Japanese). Natalie. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  22. ^ 咲-Saki-阿知賀編：実写版で桜田ひよりがドラマ、映画初主演 伊藤萌々香、小倉優香も出演 (in Japanese). MANTANWEB. October 4, 2017. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  23. ^ "The Last Passenger". "The Last Passenger" Production Committee. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  24. ^ "有り、触れた、未来". eiga.com. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  25. ^ "Broadway Musical Footloose Official website" (in Japanese). Suisei Musical. Archived from the original on August 21, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  26. ^ "Danganronpa the stage 2016 official website" (in Japanese). Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  27. ^ "メンバー全員が出演する舞台『Wake Up,Girls！ 青葉の記録』ビジュアル公開――追加キャストも発表！" (in Japanese). Famitsu.com. October 23, 2016. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  28. ^ "『舞台 サイレントメビウス キャスト・役名大公開！』" (in Japanese). Oddstage. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  29. ^ "CEDAR Produce vol.3 群盗" (in Japanese). confetti-web. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  30. ^ "GIN GAN EN » 銀岩塩vol.3" (in Japanese). GINGAEN. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  31. ^ "CEDAR Produce vol.5 悪霊" (in Japanese). confetti-web. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  32. ^ "PARCO PRODUCE ブライトン・ビーチ回顧録" (in Japanese). Parco. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
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