(born February 9, 1979, in
Kanagawa
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanagaw ...
,
Japan) is a Japanese actress, model and
gravure idol
A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thou ...
, who has appeared in various magazines and photo albums.
Her first photo album was released in 1996 and titled ''Mystic''.
Fuji TV
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
selected Hiroko as its Visual Queen of 1998. She has body measurements of 89-62-90 cm, and stands 1.57 m tall.
Life and career
After graduating from junior high school in
Sagamihara, Kanagawa
is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 723,470, with 334,812 households, and a population density of 1,220 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Sagamihara is the third-most-populous city ...
, Anzai moved to
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
to attend Tsurukawa High School. Since the school does not allow students to appear in television commercials, however she left Tsurukawa to attend North Toshima High School, where she completed her studies.
In 1996 Anzai made her show business debut as a gravure idol, despite being one year short of the Japanese
age of majority
The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when minors cease to be considered such and assume legal control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thus terminating the contr ...
. For this reason, she actually attended the
coming of age ceremony twice. Several years later she confessed to having lied about her age during an appearance on the Japanese television variety program
Downtown DX. Host
Masatoshi Hamada
is a Japanese comedian best known as the '' tsukkomi'' half of the popular owarai duo Downtown alongside Hitoshi Matsumoto. His nickname is . Hamada is married to Natsumi Ogawa, with whom he has two children.
Early life
Hamada was born near ...
joked, "Just one (year) is ok, isn't it?" In fact the misrepresentation was considered to be a relatively minor offense, and in the end the confession caused relatively little uproar.
During the late 1990s Anzai published several photo collections and made frequent appearances on number of television
variety show
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp ...
s, but in 1999 she made the switch from gravure idol to
fashion model
A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thoug ...
, appearing in
teen magazine
Teen magazines are magazines aimed at teenage readers. They usually consist of gossip, news, fashion tips and interviews and may include posters, stickers, small samples of cosmetics or other products and inserts.
The teen magazine industry ...
s. Together with popular singer
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her success and relevanc ...
, Anzai gained popularity among junior and senior high school students as a fashion leader.
She made her music debut with a CD released by
Avex Group
is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...
in 2000, featuring appearances by
Namie Amuro
Namie Amuro ( ; ja, 安室奈美恵, Amuro Namie, label=none; born September 20, 1977) is a Japanese former recording artist, producer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of ...
,
MAX, and
V6, and produced by
Eurobeat
Eurobeat refers to two styles of dance music that originated in Europe: one is a British variant of Italian Eurodisco-influencedAng, Ien & Morley, David (2005). "Cultural Studies: Volume 3, Issue 2". ''Routledge''. pgs. 171, 173, 170. . "Eurore ...
producer
Dave Rodgers
Dave Rodgers (born Giancarlo Pasquini; 21 February 1963) is an Italian singer, songwriter and producer known for his contributions to the Eurobeat genre of dance music. Born in Mantua, Italy, he formed the band Aleph before contributing to the lon ...
. She has also appeared as an actress on television dramas.
Anzai's interests include
judo
is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...
and swimming. During junior high, she competed in the Kanagawa Prefecture judo tournament, where she finished in the top eight. She has been known to throw fellow guests over her shoulder during appearances on variety programs, and often speaks on
talk show
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...
s about the rigor of her training during junior high school.
In November 2007 it was reported that Anzai's relationship with Kaname Kawabata of the band
CHEMISTRY had ended.
By that time, Anzai had largely retreated from show business, though she did serve as spokesperson for the foreign brands import shop Toko Pacific.
Anzai returned to show business in September 2008 when she appeared in the magazine ''Blenda Black''.
[ In the magazine, she described in detail both her work and her mental state during the previous seven years.
In March 2009 Anzai began writing a ]blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
. In May of that year she appeared in the television program ''Jabekuri 007'' ( Nippon Television) after a long absence from the medium.
Media appearances
Television dramas
* The Gift (1997, Fuji Television
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
)
* Days (1998, Fuji Television
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
)
* Kyu-kyu heart jiryou shitsu (1999, Kansai Telecasting Corporation
JODX-DTV, virtual channel 8 (UHF digital channel 17), branded as or , is the Kansai region key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and Fuji Network System (FNS), operated by the . Kansai TV is a company affiliated in Hankyu Hanshin Holdings ...
)
* Nijuu-sai no kekkon (2000, Tokyo Broadcasting System
formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...
)
* Star no koi (2001, Fuji Television
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
)
Variety programs
* BiKiNi (October 1997-September 1998, TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certifie ...
)
* Ucchan Nanchan no homura no challenger, kore ga dekitara 1,000,000 yen!! (April 1998-March 2000, TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...
)
* Gogoichi (April–September 1998, Fuji Television
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
)
* Koi no Tune-up!! (October 1998-September 1999, Nippon Television)
* Tokusou TV! Gaburincho (October 1998-March 2001, TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...
)
* Kato/Ken/Takeshi no Sekimatsu Special!! (1998, Fuji Television
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
)
* Gravure no bishoujo (MONDO21)
* Jabekuri 007 (2009, Nippon Television)
Commercials
* NTT Docomo Hokkaido
* TuKa Cellular Tokyo
* Shiseido
* Coca-Cola Japan
* Lotte Yukimi Daifuku
* ARAX Notion Pure
* Myojyo Shokuhin Ichihara-chan Ramen
* Toshiba
* Japan Red Cross
* Tokyo-to Jouhi Seikatsu Center
Films
* Nagisa no Shindobaddo (1995, Toho
is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer ...
)
* Kishiwada Shonen Gurentai Yakyu Dan (2000)
Photo collections
* Mystic (1997)
* Heroine (1998)
* Embrace (1998)
* Pleasure blue (1999)
* Privates (1999)
* Saigo no Ao (2000)
Books
* Happy Girlie (2000)
* Fashion Book AF (2001)
* R (2001)
Slide collections
* Hiroko Anzai '97 No.1 Bishojo Idol(1997, VHS)
* Kono Mune wo Anata ni (1997, VHS)
* Hi! Roco & Roco Fuji Television Visual Queen of the Year (1998, VHS)
* Final Beauty Anzai Hiroko (1999, VHS and DVD)
* Feel in Italy (2001, DVD)
* ЯESOLUTION (2001, DVD)
Music
Singles
* True Love (2000)
* Necessary (2001)
* Andersen (2001)
* Let You Go (2001)
Album
* ЯEAL (2001)
DVD
* RESOLUTION (2001)
References
External links
*
Anzai Hiroko
at JMDB
Official blog
Previous Ameba blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anzai, Hiroko
1979 births
Living people
People from Sagamihara
Japanese gravure idols
Japanese television personalities