Diazepan Medina
RetroPanda
Fri, 10/10/2025 - 03:36
Minamino Yoko, nickname: Nanno, born: June 23, 1967, was a very popular idol singer and one of the biggest idol-actresses in the 1980s.
One day when she was in her first year of high school, she went to watch a recording of a tv show in Osaka with her friend and got scouted. She was approached by 14 or 15 companies in total and gradually considered becoming a celebrity. Her parents strongly opposed it but she insisted it's her life and it's up to her to decide. While still unsure, a misunderstanding became a last push that led her to the entertainment industry. One day, her mom saw her folding her clothes and thought she was preparing to run away from home, so she consulted her teacher. The teacher told her friends that Minamino Yoko was going to become a singer and her friends sent her farewell cards. There's no going back, she made up her mind and moved to Tokyo in the second year of her high school. She went to audition at CBS Sony, accepted and assigned the producer who once produced the 1970s idol queen Yamaguchi Momoe. She also transfered to Horikoshi High School, the most popular high school choice for idols and young celebrities in that time. In the fall of 1984, she made her acting debut in a Nippon TV drama. On June 23, 1985, right on her 18th birthday, she made her debut as idol singer. Her breakthrough came when she played the lead role in the popular tv series "Sukeban Deka II" and quickly rose to the ranks of top idols in that era. With 8 consecutive (*9 in total) Oricon chart topping singles, playing lead roles regularly in dramas and movies, and tons of commercial appearances, Nanno was an elite idol even among A-list idols in 1980s.
Around 1987-1988, she was known as one of the "Idol Four Heavenly Kings" - a term coined by the media to describe the four biggest rising star idols in late 1980s - along with Nakayama Miho, Kudo Shizuka and Asaka Yui.
^ Kudo Shizuka, Nanno, Asaka Yui, Nakayama Miho
About this song
Released on February 26, 1988, this song reached #1 on Oricon chart and sold 304,130 copies. This is her biggest hit and her signature song.
The song was used in Kanebo lipstick commercial:
^ and because of this, she never performed this song on "Yoru no Hit Studio" singing program since it was sponsored by the rival cosmetic company Shiseido.
Her live performances:
https://www.youtube.com/@kazenostranger/search?query=%E5%90%90%E6%81%AF%...
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1ng411D7Fc
^ on "The Best Ten" that had their own ranking system different from Oricon chart, this song was ranked #2
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1SehXzZEvQ
^ on "The Best Ten" again
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV12W411H7SK
^ on "The Best Ten", singing after Kyon2
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1xs411p7Ci
^ on "The Best Ten" with Tunnels
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1iY4y1b7Kp
^ on "The Best Ten", singing with jiangshi
^ on "Uta no Top Ten" that had their own ranking system different from Oricon chart, this song was ranked #1
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1uW411z71N/
^ on "Uta no Top Ten" again
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1ra411C79e
^ still on "Uta no Top Ten"
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1u44y1n7A8
^ on "Uta no Top Ten", aired from Hong Kong
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1y54y1a7zg
^ this was also on "Uta no Top Ten"
^ on "Super Jockey"
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1L8411Q7HK
^ on "Music Station"
Compilation:
in 1991:
In her career, she has released a total of 23 singles and 10 original albums. She has 9 singles and 3 albums that reached #1 on Oricon chart. Her total sales (all singles + all albums) are 5,654,035 copies. Nanno was an elite even among top idols but somehow she has never performed on Kohaku Uta Gassen. She was also one of the biggest idol-actresses in 1980s. In her acting career, she has appeared in 132 dramas (1984-2025) and 34 movies (1987-2023).
Her songs chart positions from 1985-1990:
#57 (<-- debut song), #15, #6, #5, #6, #1, #1, #1, #1, #1, #1, #1, #1, #2, #2, #1, #3, #11, #7, #9
Other achievements:
- Her photobook released in March 1986 became the highest-selling photobook of a female idol at the time, surpassing the previous record held by early 1980s very big idol Yakushimaru Hiroko.
- Her own radio show "Minamino Yoko: Nanno Koreshiki!" aired from October 2, 1986 to June 24, 1990 was considered as one of the most popular idol radio programs in history, it received three times as many postcards as the second highest rating program at that time.
Minamino Yoko in her dramas:
"Toki wo Kakeru Shojo" (1985)
^ drama version, two years after Hara Tomoyo's movie.
"Sukeban Deka II: Shojo Tekkamen Densetsu" (1985)
"Toki ni wa Issho ni" (1986)
"Fujiko Fujio no Yume Camera: Blue Train Blues" (1987)
"Aries no Otometachi" (1987)
"Takeda Shingen" (1988)
"Netsuppoi no!" (1988)
^ co-starring with Kudo Shizuka. Wink debut song was used as the OST
"Oikaketai no!" (1989)
^ Wink song was used as the OST
"Aitsu ga Trouble" (1989)
Nanno in her movies:
"Sukeban Deka" (1987) (*movie version)
^ winning 3 awards, including a newcomer award at Japan Academy Awards 1988.
"Haikara-san ga Tooru" (1987)
"Bodaiju Lindenbaum" (1988)
"Gold Rush" (1990)
^ among the cast, there's also....(3:26) Aida Shoko of Wink!!
Nanno in commercials:
Miscellaneous videos:
Minamino Yoko
...and decades have passed...
Nanno in 2023
Nanno in 2024
And...this is Minamino Yoko in 2025
^ her 40th career anniversary
Audio-only video as backup: