Kanae Kotonami, often called Moko by her close friend Kyoko, is a seventeen-year-old girl with a sharp, refined appearance. She has long, raven-black hair usually styled with bangs swept to one side, and striking blue eyes. Kanae is very conscious of maintaining her slim figure and is strict with her diet, often refusing sweets to avoid gaining weight, though she has been known to indulge unintentionally when stressed.

Kanae comes from a very large and financially struggling family. She has numerous younger siblings and even more nieces and nephews, some of whom are older than her youngest siblings, leading to a chaotic and crowded household. Her family's poverty is a significant driving force for her, as she is determined to achieve fame and financial security. She has secretly taken on role-playing jobs for extra money and has used her earnings to renovate her family home, feeling that a dilapidated house would be embarrassing once she becomes a star.

On the surface, Kanae often appears blunt, abrasive, and highly competitive. She is fiercely dedicated to her craft as an actress and desires to reach the top of the entertainment industry, a goal she pursues with relentless determination. This dedication sometimes manifests as an intense focus, to the point where she can become stuck in a role even when not performing. She is also known for being highly critical of other actors' performances. Despite her prickly exterior, Kanae has a softer side that she is reluctant to show. She finds the idea of having friends to be bothersome, as she feels it requires worrying about another person's feelings, yet she deeply treasures her few close relationships.

Kanae first appears as a fellow applicant at the same talent agency audition as Kyoko Mogami. Both fail the audition, and they later become the second and third members, respectively, of the agency's special Love Me section, designed to cultivate talented but flawed individuals. Their relationship begins with antagonism, as Kanae initially appears set up as a rival to Kyoko, but it quickly evolves into a deep and competitive friendship. Kyoko gives her the nickname Moko, and despite Kanae's protests, it sticks. The two actresses recognize a kindred spirit in each other, bonded by their desperate ambition and their backgrounds of financial hardship. Kanae often acts as a grounding force for Kyoko, able to calm her down when Kyoko’s vengeful or demonic side emerges. She is one of the few people who can sense Kyoko's dark auras and is not afraid to call her out on her more eccentric behaviors, like creating voodoo dolls.

Her role in the story is primarily as Kyoko's best friend and greatest rival. She is a fellow member of the Love Me section, and their partnership often involves them working together on assignments for the agency. Their friendship deepens significantly after they team up to win a commercial audition against a wealthy former bully of Kanae's from elementary school, Erika Koenji. This event solidifies their mutual respect and reliance on one another. Kanae also has a well-known difficulty with acting scenes that involve playing with children. This stems from her exhaustion with her own massive family, and she has a habit of throwing small objects to distract and escape from the many children in her life.

Kanae possesses several notable abilities as an actress. She has an extraordinary talent for crying on cue, reportedly being able to produce tears in just three seconds. She also has a sharp memory and can memorize scripts and other information on the spot. While incredibly talented and driven, her arrogance and bluntness can sometimes be a hindrance, though she matures throughout the series by learning to rely on others. Her growth is especially evident in her relationship with Kyoko, as she moves from seeing her only as a rival to reluctantly yet proudly calling her a true friend.