Soon after, Horikita was awarded her first Best Actress award for her role as Mizuki Ashiya in the Japanese drama adaptation of the gender-bender manga "Hana-Kimi", or "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e". In the same year that "Hana Kimi" was filmed, Horikita also starred in the Taiga drama "Atsuhime" with Aoi Miyazaki. In the same year, she played the lead character who has multiple personality disorder in the suspense movie "Tokyo Shōnen" and reprised her role as a student apprentice in "Always: Zoku Sanchome no Yuhi", the sequel to her breakthrough movie. Horikita's exceptional work was recognized by Vogue Nippon which identified her as one of the eleven "Women of the Year" in 2007.