Since stepping into the spotlight via "Pinoy Big Brother Otso" in 2018, Kaori Oinuma has been passionately building her name in showbiz. From her early days as a hopeful housemate to landing raved-about roles in youth-oriented series likes "He’s Into Her" and "Tara G," stepping into leading lady territory in "Halfmates," and now playing the third wheel to Anne Curtis and Joshua Garcia in "It’s Okay to Not Be Okay," she’s proven she’s more than just the 'kawaii' girl next door as she's also got range and that undeniable star quality.
In "It’s Okay to Not Be Okay," Kaori brings to life the feisty yet dependable and all-out-in-love Gemmalyn Marie Bautista. But how much of Gemma is actually like Kaori in real life? Let’s find out in this video where she spills 10 fun facts about herself!
First up, Kaori’s got quite an adventurous palate. She eats salagubang (yep, beetles!) whenever she visits her province, where they’re literally everywhere. She didn’t exactly spill this in the video, but with a little "research,' we found out she actually grew up in Nueva Ecija, where she also graduated from Bartolome Sangalang National High School.
We also found out through our "fangirl-level stalking" that her childhood was split between two cultures. Born to a Filipina mom and Japanese dad, Kaori first lived in Japan until she was four before moving to the Philippines. Then, at 13, she found herself back in Japan again with her mom, who worked as a caregiver.
As if snacking on beetles wasn’t proof enough, Kaori's got more receipts of her adventurous side, this time in the form of marathons. She once conquered a 21km run, showing she’s the type who loves to test her limits, whether through food, sports, or life in general.
No surprise then that her wanderlust is strong, with Spain and Edinburgh sitting at the top of her must-visit list, totally on brand for Kaori, whose childhood dream was to be a flight attendant. But when she’s not out chasing adventures, you’ll find her curled up with her ultimate comfort show, "Gilmore Girls."
Turns out, Kaori and Gemma have more in common than you’d think. For starters, they’re both total bookworms (Patrick mentioned in a past episode that Gemma spends downtime at work reading books).
Kaori also confessed that she’s obsessed with black coffee, like, she can easily finish five to six cups a day, which reminds us of Gemma constantly inviting Patrick (Joshua Garcia) for coffee. Except, plot twist, it was Vincent (Enchong Dee) who actually scored that coffee date. The parallels are too cute to miss, right?
Just like Gemma, Kaori slays when it comes to time management. Case in point: she’s balancing a busy showbiz career while pursuing her college studies. While we still don’t know who Gemma’s favorite singer is, Kaori’s own playlist screams Swiftie pride. Where are her fellow Taylor Swift fans at?
Kaori’s already given us plenty of reasons to adore her IRL, so why not double the love? Catch her as Gemma in "It’s Okay to Not Be Okay," on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, and TV5, weeknights at 8:45 PM. Watch it in advance on iWant.