Iwata Karen (Karen) / 12th Generation

Karen is experimenting with gameplay videos now (a.k.a. let's play).

https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm39865915

For some reason she decided to do it on Nico Video she says in the beginning of this she has an emotional attachment to the platform… pity, this could be pretty good for her YT channel. But at least it's not geoblocked.

Hoping she sticks with it, and maybe even adds camera eventually. Her editing is pretty good.

 

Dance cover of 'Sangenshoku' by YOASOBI:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Karen and her dance group cover 'Ashura-Chan' by Ado:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Karen is taking part in an eMAH-JONG tournament:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Message video from local celebrities for an event in Sendai connected with Coming of Age - Karen appears at 1:21:

[video privated]

 

DeepL

Former AKB48 member Iwata Karen graduated from Nihon University College of Art after six years of study. She struggled to balance work and life: 'I thought about dropping out many times

Former AKB48 member Iwata Karen reported on her Instagram on 21 January that she had graduated from the Photography Department of Nihon University College of Art.

Iwata posted a photo of herself in a sunny kimono with her degree certificate in her hand. Under the title 'Report', she wrote: 'I graduated from the Department of Photography at Nihon University College of Art. I was able to graduate with the support of so many people.'

She continued: 'Friends I took courses with and worked on assignments with. My homeroom teacher, who always bought me ice-cream and told me to 'work hard at school and work hard at work'. I also had a homeroom teacher who always bought me ice cream and told me to work hard at both work and school. My managers, who worked with my school timetable to organise my schedule, even when I had eight stage jobs a year. I am grateful to my parents, who told me to graduate no matter how many years it took.

She said: "After graduating from AKB48, I can finally concentrate on my acting career! I had a long period of frustration when I couldn't enjoy my work and school at 100%. I thought about dropping out many times. But when I entered university, I remembered that an older student I performed with on stage said to me, 'You'll definitely drop out of university', and I stayed the course again and again. I don't think he even remembered that remark, but he laughed at my motivation, and now I am grateful to him." She also revealed that she had a hard time balancing work and studies.

Iwata is now 24 years old. The first time she wore a hakama was in the 1960s, when she was a teenager, and she was a member of AKB48 in 2011.

Iwata joined AKB48 in 2011 and graduated from the group in May 2016. Since then, she has mainly performed on the stage.

https://encount.press/archives/445790/

 

Karen is currently visiting NYC:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CtEWPFIgFem/



She posted in English: "I went to Times Square, where Broadway is located, and American Museum of Natural History for the first time.
Both were places that I’ve always wanted to visit.
It was very fun time for me.
I’m falling in love with New York more and more!"

 

The film was indeed made and it turns out that the reason for Karen's visit to NYC was to attend a screening of the movie at the New York Independent Film Festival:
https://nycindieff.com/films/the-last-passenger/

Japanese language report from the 'Daily Sun NY' (translated via DeepL):
https://www.dailysunny.com/2023/06/12/nynews230612-3/

Karen tweeted a couple of red carpet photos:
https://twitter.com/karen0513_/status/1668073919448862720



I've done some digging in YouYube and I've found a trailer for the movie:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Karen has announced that she'll be leaving her agency Horipro on 6/30 in order to become a freelance actress:
https://twitter.com/karen0513_/status/1673489535626526720

 

News of a screening of 'The Last Passenger' in LA on 9/29:
https://rafu.com/2023/09/screening-of-takashi-hories-the-last-passenger/

 

Congratulations to Karen who won the Best Actress Award at the Global Nonviolent Film Festival 2023 for her role in 'The Last Passenger':
https://twitter.com/karen0513_/status/1714807401294291095

 

Report on Karen's award from Sendai TV channel KHB5 including comment from her:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Back upthread on 2020/03/28 I posted a video of Karen performing a dance with a choreographer called Otogi. They've now formed a dance duo called 'Boku wa Mada' with a YouTube channel and this is their first release which is entitled 'Kimi no myaku de odoritakatta':


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Karen is interviewed by actor Fuke Norimasa on his YouTube channel:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Interview with Karen about the reading drama '10-Nen-go no kimi e' ('To You After 10 Years') which she's written and she'll perform in March 2024 (the video has auto-translated English CC subs):


if the video does not show watch the video here

The drama is being financed through a crowdfunding project which is just over halfway to its target:
https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/717528

 

Karen has produced a cover dance MV of 'KokoroToIuNaNoFukakai' by Ado:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

NHK News today has an article (with a minute-long embedded video) about Karen's reading drama '10-Nen-go no kimi e':
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240310/k10014385351000.html