Mayu Watanabe

In January 2018, it was announced that Watanabe would play the titular character in the Japanese production of the Amélie adapted from the movie of the same title. The production ran from May 18 to June 3 at the Galaxy Theater in Shinagawa, Tokyo, and June 7–10 at the Morinomiya Piloti Hall in Osaka.

In April 2018, Watanabe had her first drama post-AKB48 titled Gan Shoumetsu no Wana ~Kanzen Kankai no Nazo~ (がん消滅の罠 ～完全寛解の謎～ ) where she played an insurance investigator.

In August 2018, Watanabe starred in the special drama Meibugyou! Tooyama no Kinshirou (名奉行！遠山の金四郎 ) , a continuation from the same series in 2017.

In late 2018, Watanabe also endorsed the brand Yakult. The commercial was directed by Ikeda Kazumasa who has directed music videos for Keyakizaka46 and Nogizaka46, while choreography was by Sasao Isao who choreographed one of Keyakizaka46's singles. The commercial also features some 33 professional dancers and performers including Spinboy Aichi, SORI and HICKY of the dance team SHIFFLE!! among others.

Towards the end of 2018, Watanabe was named the ambassador for JAL Honolulu Marathon.

On June 17, 2017, Watanabe announced at the 9th General Election she will graduate from the group. On October 31, Watanabe had her graduation concert. Later she had her last handshake on November 18, 2017. She performed at the AKB48 theatre for the last time on December 26, 2017. She sang and performed on the stage of the "68th NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen" on December 31, 2017, and it was her last activity as a member of AKB48.

On October 26, 2016, Watanabe released her third photobook "Shiranai uchi ni".

In 2015, Watanabe received her first leading role in a prime-time TV drama, Tatakau! Shoten Girl, broadcast by Fuji TV and Kansai TV. This drama aired from April 2015, at 10 pm. The theme song for this drama, "Deai no Tsuzuki", was sung by Watanabe, and was also released as her fifth solo single on June 10, 2015. She held solo live concerts to support the single on September 19. In 2015, a web poll conducted by My Navi Student declared her the second Cutest Idol from both the men's choices and women's choices lists, behind Kanna Hashimoto of the idol group Rev. from DVL.

Tokyo Mode describes Watanabe as a girl who used to be an "otaku obsessed with illustrations, anime, and special effects shows". Her public appearances are often accompanied by life-sized animated characters and many fans wear such costumes at her meet-and-greet events. In several episodes of the AKB48 variety show AKBingo!, she demonstrated her specialty of drawing various manga characters in seconds. She also unofficially endorsed the character Pompompurin for the 30th Sanrio Character Awards in 2015.

In 2014, Watanabe become a regular on the television show Utage!, and semi-regular on the TV show Renai Sosenkyo. In AKB48, she was transferred from Team A to Team B in the "Daisokaku Matsuri". She performed an hour-long solo live concert at AKB48's Natsu matsuri. In the elections to determine the member line-up for AKB48's 37th major label single, she placed first, with 159,854 votes. Thus, she took centre position for the song "Kokoro no Placard".

Meanwhile, in AKB48, she received her first center position on the group's 30th single "So Long!", which was released on February 20, 2013. On April 19, she released her second photobook Seifuku Zukan Saigo no Seifuku. In the AKB48 election for the members for their 32nd major label single, she placed third overall with 101,210 votes.

In 2012, Watanabe got her first lead role in the Japanese TV drama Saba Doru, where she played a 38-year-old high school teacher who is hated by her pupils, whilst having a hidden life as the highly popular idol Mayu Watanabe, based on her real-life self. On February 29, Watanabe released her debut solo single, "Synchro Tokimeki", which is also the opening theme for the drama.

Watanabe ranked second overall at the 2012 AKB48 general elections with 72,574 votes. On August 24, during the group's reorganization announcement at the AKB48's Tokyo Dome concert, she was moved from Team B to Team A.

On July 25, she released her second solo single, "Otona Jellybeans" which reached number three on the Oricon weekly chart. Her third solo single "Hikaru Monotachi" was released on November 21, 2012, and reached number one in the Oricon singles chart. The single was released in five versions, including one that has an illustration book. Her B-side "Sayonara no Hashi" was the theme song to the anime film Nerawareta Gakuen for which she voiced one of the lead characters. In July 2013, she released her fourth solo single. "Rappa Renshūchū". A contest was held to determine the cover artwork for one of its editions.

On May 13, 2011 she released her photo book, Mayuyu. She commented that the book "is filled with a lot of expressions that I haven’t shown until now, it’s a book I’m really pleased with!” Regarding her cover picture, she said, “Despite being embarrassed, I did my best on the front cover, so I want a lot of people to look at it!” For AKB48's general election in 2011, Watanabe placed fifth overall.

She appeared on the cover of the December 2010 issue of UP to boy magazine together with Airi Suzuki from Cute. That was the first gravure collaboration between Hello! Project and AKB48.

In 2009, she placed fourth overall in the group's first general election to determine the line-up for the group's 13th single. She placed fifth overall the next year for the group's 17th single.

* RIAJ Digital Track Chart was established in April 2009 and cancelled in July 2012.

Mayu Watanabe (渡辺 麻友 , Watanabe Mayu, born March 26, 1994) is a Japanese singer, actress, and former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 under Team B. In the annual AKB48 General Elections event, she had consistently been voted by fans to rank among the group's top members. She has released five solo singles, many of which have peaked in the top ten in the Oricon charts, and one solo album. She left the group on the last day of 2017.

Watanabe auditioned for AKB48's 3rd generation and was placed in the newly formed Team B. Her official nickname, Mayuyu, was coined by then fellow member Rumi Yonezawa. Her first appearance on an AKB48 single title track was on "Bingo!". She performed in all of the singles except when the lineups were determined by rock-paper-scissors tournaments, and she has appeared on all the A-sides for the group's singles since then.