"First Among Idols" KEENA Dreams Big, Facing a 'No Way Out' Test at Action School

FIFTY FIFTY's KEENA has taken her first step toward a new goal as an action actor. Having previously expressed interest in acting, KEENA visited an action school to personally learn and challenge herself with action techniques.

"I want to play a villain" Passion shown while practicing in front of a mirror

KEENA has expressed an extraordinary interest in acting. Expressing her ambition to take on strong characters such as villains or mafia, KEENA even shared her daily life of practicing acting alone in front of a mirror. Her appearance of setting up situations while acting out scenes in her imagination showed a seriousness that went beyond simple interest. This passion led to this visit to the action school. KEENA embarked on serious testing, stating her goal to become number one as an action idol.

"There is no going easy" Harsh basic training at the action school

The atmosphere at the action school was much stricter than KEENA's expectations. Along with the school's guidance that "there is no going easy," KEENA began learning basic movements. This ranged from boxing-style punches that must be shown for a long time in front of the camera to movements for dodging an opponent's attack. In particular, the process of learning the guard movement to protect the face when dodging an attack and how to dodge "coolly" required details unique to action acting, which is different from idol performances.

In the subsequent reaction class, the importance of acting as if being hit was emphasized. Rather than simply moving the body to an opponent's attack, the process involved learning how to be hit "coolly" while internalizing the signs of pain. KEENA continued training to develop reflexes by repeating reaction movements using her abdomen and legs. Following instructions that memorization and reflexes are essential due to the nature of action, which requires preparing for unexpected situations, the training proceeded with tension.

"Could be completely edited out" Limits and challenges revealed in real combat coordination

The climax of the training was a real-combat test coordinating with several people playing detective roles. KEENA took on the role of a violent crimes detective and showcased comprehensive action movements. However, the speed and intensity of the real combat were on a different level from practice. Tense moments continued, with joking warnings like "you could be completely edited out" whenever the timing of dodging an attack was off or the movements were not smooth.

In the dialogue acting and action coordination given as a final opportunity, KEENA also felt the pressure of real combat. While acting out urgent situations and continuing her movements, KEENA also faced her own limits amidst the repeated training. Instead of an immediate pass, the test results left her with the task of building her skills through more training. Through this challenge, KEENA showed herself preparing for the next step while experiencing the weight of the action genre.

Source: original video (YouTube)