Asuka Kishi's photobook "Trajectory" (Wani Books), her first in about five years, was released on May 22nd. The book commemorates her 15th anniversary since her debut, and the title "Trajectory" means "path" or "track," but for Kishi, it has a double meaning of "miracle." Kishi, who is currently active as an actress, talent, and gravure idol, talked to us about the turning points in her approximately 15-year career.
Ms. Kishi is from Osaka. Although she entered the entertainment industry of her own volition, 15 years ago, she says she was "just a young girl from the countryside of Osaka." She says she "started from a place where she didn't know anything."
She made her gravure debut in March 2012, appearing in the weekly magazine "Weekly Playboy" (Shueisha), which generated a lot of buzz. Soon after, she was offered the role of "Dororich Girl," the image character for Glico Dairy's "Dororich" commercial.
"At the time, long hair was in fashion, and I think many magazine covers featured girls with long hair, but I did the opposite and cut my hair. My manager at the time told me to cut it because 'you'd look too similar to the other girls.' Cutting your hair is a big deal for a woman, and I didn't want to do it, so I went to the hair salon crying and got a bob haircut. After that, I landed a commercial for 'Dororich,' and that year (2013) I started getting more and more magazine work, like doing gravure shoots every day. So, for me, I'm glad I got a bob haircut. People who saw me got the impression that I was the girl with the bob haircut, and I started getting roles in variety shows and dramas in addition to gravure shoots, so I think cutting my hair was a turning point for me."
Mr. Kishi learned firsthand that you never know what will be the trigger.
"When I think about it, it's really scary, but for some reason, when I get extensions and grow my hair long, I get fewer jobs. I think it's become a jinx. So I've gotten into the habit of cutting my hair. It's scary, it's strange, but it's also interesting."
We also asked her about her feelings towards gravure modeling.
"Originally, I was the type of person with very low self-esteem. People often say, 'Isn't it high?', but at first, it was really low. I had no confidence in myself, and even when people complimented me, saying, 'You're cute,' I would often take it the wrong way, wondering if they really meant it. I was also very self-conscious about my body shape, but seeing it in the works of art showed me that it was actually very beautiful, and it really boosted my confidence. I'm so grateful to gravure modeling for being the catalyst that completely changed my personality and my life." (Rokuto Kishibe/MANTANWEB)
