TOKYO (TR) – Actress and former gravure idol Akiko Hinagata is shedding her clothes and revisiting her controversial television past ahead of the release of her first photobook in 22 years.
Publisher Shufu to Seikatsu Sha will release “Sangenshoku” on October 16, featuring Hinagata, 48 in her first swimsuit shots since she was 20 years old. But behind the glamorous comeback, the actress recently opened up to the site for weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun (Oct. 11) about the grueling reality of 90s variety television and the dark, crime-focused drama roles that defined her career.
While she shot to fame as a bikini-clad 15-year-old, it was her plunge into gritty, sensational television dramas that cemented her status in the entertainment industry.
Hinagata recalled her time starring in the highly controversial TBS drama “Seija no Koushin” (When the Saints Go Marching In), a dark production based on a real-life criminal case involving the horrific physical and sexual abuse of intellectually disabled individuals at a facility.
“I received mounds of documents about the actual incident and the ensuing court trial before I even got the script,” Hinagata revealed, noting it was her first time acting in a production based on a real criminal case.
Psychotic stalker
The drama sparked massive public outrage and protests at the time due to its extreme violence, which included a character being blinded. Hinagata played Taeko Mizuma, a girl with mild intellectual disabilities who is repeatedly sexually abused until she becomes pregnant, unable to report the crimes due to her condition. “It was called a problematic work, but it really made me think,” she said.
Her breakout as a serious actress, however, came through her terrifying portrayal of a psychotic stalker. In the TBS hit “Stalker: Sasou Onna,” Hinagata played Michiru, a woman relentlessly obsessed with a man played by Takanori Jinnai.
“The word ‘stalker’ wasn’t even common in society back then,” Hinagata noted. The show’s script was heavily altered mid-broadcast to become increasingly extreme and sensational to feed viewer demand.
Beyond her dramatic roles acting out crimes, Hinagata also detailed the punishing environment of 90s variety television. As a regular on the legendary, long-running comedy program Mecha-Mecha Iketeru!, she faced grueling shooting schedules where talent would be held in waiting rooms for two full days just to film a simple talk segment.
Too embarrassing
Despite her idol image, the show’s notoriously strict producer pushed her to be combative on camera, once even dubbing the teenage Hinagata as the biggest “sadist” on the cast.
Now, more than two decades later, Hinagata remains close with her former comedy co-stars, though she admits keeping her upcoming swimsuit return a secret from them.
“I didn’t tell them in our group chat,” Hinagata joked. “It’s too embarrassing. It’s basically like having your relatives or your weird uncle look at your gravure photos.”