The word “Gakki,” as actor Yui Aragaki, 37, is known by her nickname, temporarily trended on X on October 21, 2025. [Image] “She has climbed the ladder of adulthood”…New product featuring Ms. Niigaki, “Raw Time” It is believed that this is due to the announcement that another actor has been appointed as the image character for the popular confectionery for which Ms. Niigaki has been used in advertising for many years, which has caused surprise among fans. The announcement is believed to have caused surprise among fans. Ms. Aragaki is known for her appearance in advertisements for Meiji’s winter-only chocolate “Meltykiss” since 2011. It continued after she and singer Gen Hoshino (44) announced their marriage in May 2009, and in the 2012 commercial, her co-star appeared for the first time after 14 years as the image character. Meanwhile, on October 21, 2013, Meiji announced that it would start airing a new graphic and a new commercial, “Winter Rendezvous,” featuring actor Natsuki Deguchi, 24, as the image character of “Meltykiss,” on the same day. The familiar theme song remains the same, but the singing voice has changed. While the new commercial has been well received on X, there have been many comments such as “Melty Kiss commercial is not Gakki? I was so shocked,” “I cried so hard because it was no longer Gakki,” “It used to be a winter tradition, but I miss it,” “I feel the times are changing…” “I’m not sure if I’ll ever get to see her again. However, Natsuki Deguchi is cute.” Some were surprised, and the words “Gakki” and “Melty Kiss” appeared in the trending columns for a while. However, some pointed out that Ms. Niigaki was featured in an advertisement for Meiji’s new product “Nama no Toki,” which was released in May, and some commented, “I get the impression that she has climbed the ladder of adulthood since Meltykiss! Gakki is as beautiful as ever.
