The Many Faces of Kyoko Mogami (Skip Beat!).

It’s expected as an actress that Kyoko would have many faces.  Now I love Skip Beat!, I loved it so much, I’ve already written one post on it, and now I’m going to write one more! (Check out the original post here)  This time my post is about the many faces of the main protagonist, Kyoko Mogami.

Top image, Kyoko when we first meet her

Now Kyoko begins looking like this – (it’s not really appealing, and at the beginning I was really annoyed at the art, because, well, when reading manga, the art has a tendency to affect how one reads a manga, BUT the artwork grew on me after the plot hooked me like a stupid little trout fish!)

But then Of Course Kyoko’s heart is ripped into shreds by the villainous Sho Fuwa and she transforms herself so that she can kiss his ass in Show Biz.  So she looks like this –

Kyoko after her transformation

Lalala Kyoko has a new look and thus transpires to move in show biz, having found her calling, at last, she begins to take on acting roles.  At first her roles are limited to commercials, and less (because she’s so new, and she has yet to debut, and she’s a member of Love Me, meaning she has to learn how to make others love her.  Since her heart had ultimately suffered from Sho Fuwa’s treatment is under lock and key, it’s no surprise she has such a hard time getting the audience to love her.).  Her first job after juggling the embarrassment of her Love Me uniform and her Love Me jobs, is one she achieved with the combined acting strength of herself and her friend Kanae Kotonami.

Kyoko in Sho Fuwa’s PV – it’s an unbelievable transformation I think!

From the commercial that Kyoko and Kanae star in, Kyoko debuts.  And thus receives another offer.  Even though she receives one, Kanae has many because she is beautiful (compared to Kyoko who is plain – but who I think has the biggest personality of them all.  I just love it when characters are so well developed that their characters, no matter how plain they seem, are in truth very beautiful because of their personality).  SO Kyoko takes on the job which is essentially a role in Sho Fuwa’s Promotional Video (PV).  She chooses it because she decides that she’ll use him as a stepping stone, but not, as Ren Tsuruga thinks, because of revenge.  Here Kyoko is depicted as a beautiful angel–so beautiful that even Fuwa is shocked for a moment–who eventually kills the devil who Kyoko’s friend (in the PV) had fallen in love with.  Of course she does struggle with maintaining her acting when it comes to the moment where she kills Fuwa.  But even so she triumphs, succeeding so that she stuns him with her acting, and not just her altered looks.

Bottom image, Kyoko as Mio, she’s actually quite scary throughout the manga!

From there, Kyoko receives a job related to the upcoming remake of a famous drama.  She accepts knowing that she’d be acting opposite Ren Tsuruga, but not before she finds out the play that she’s been given.  Her role is ‘Mio’ and is essentially a bully.  Mio is an extremely dark character that Kyoko plays really well.  Once again, she is transformed. Her appearance is so different.  Adapting to the role, Kyoko changes the original look and ultimately helping the director find his Dark Moon (the drama name).  She has short black hair and a scar on the left side of her face that isn’t covered by her fringe, and is visible to others.  When Kyoko altered the look of ‘Mio’ she did it with the intention of portraying a character who (since it’s a remake as well as an adaption) chooses not to get rid of her scar because she wants to remind her sister, who is so very beautiful just what she had done to ‘Mio’.  The scar is a reminder to everyone why ‘Mio’ is the way she is, and why she is so evil.  Her performance is significantly different to the original ‘Mio’ but the intentions and interpretations are the same.

Kyoko as ‘Natsu’ – gorgeous right? And, later, super scary! And also my favourite transformation so far!

After her hit as ‘Mio’ Kyoko finds herself flooded with more bully roles.  Though of course she begins conflicted that she is only attracting bully roles.  However through the teachings of her temporary mentor–the actor of ‘Katsuki’ from the original drama–she accepts the roles.  Her role as ‘Natsu’, like ‘Mio’, she is a bully, however her setting is different.  Set in a highschool scenario, ‘Natsu’ is a popular girl with a nasty mean streak.  At first Kyoko has difficulty adapting to this role because unlike ‘Mio’ who had a ‘princess-like’ atmosphere, ‘Natsu’ is a regular highschool girl. So it’s awkward at first.  BUT when she adapts, it’s quite amazing.  Once again Kyoko becomes the ultimate someone else.  She’s someone whose model-like, high-school-clique-like and who has the baddest mean streak of all.  ‘Natsu’ is gorgeous, with short hair and a superior like air, she rules over her henchmen–or in this case, henchwomen.  Kyoko’s transformation is amazing, once again, she does it.

Kyoko as ‘Kuon’ though I don’t consider it a very big transformation

During the brief period of mentorship, Kyoko did take on one role as practise.  She acts as the former ‘Katsuki’s’ son.  Dressed as a boy, with her short hair and american clothing, Kyoko succeeds, though she translate the role to being a younger version of the required role.  She goes by the name ‘Kuon’ — and for the readers, the readers know who Kuon is, and who Korn is, But Kyoko doesn’t, so imagine Ren Tsuruga’s surprise!  But still, everything goes off without a hitch and Kyoko remains as dense as ever about Tsuruga.

NOW for the final, and last, because it is up-to-date with the current chapters, the character of Setsuka Heel.  Though this character is not officially being filmed in anyway, she is another face of Kyoko Mogami.  She acts as Cain Heel’s sister (Cain Heel is Ren Tsuruga disguised due to the current running plot line – I won’t give much away).  Anyway, she’s pretty trendy, and has a gigantic brother complex, just as Cain Heel has a sister complex.

Kyoko as ‘Setsuka Heel’ – Poor Ren Tsuruga I think!

Related articles

• Skip Beat!! vol.190 (eitotaku.wordpress.com)
• Skip Beat (ranjaniramblings.wordpress.com)