Hina Kikuchi:In 2024, she unexpectedly joins Nonno but says, "I want to compete using my own weapons." In 2025, her first starring movie will be released and her third photo book will be released... What are her future aspirations?

In 2024, Hina Kikuchi was active in a wide range of fields, including gravure, the heroine role in a drama, and the appointment as an exclusive model (non-no model) for the women's fashion magazine "non-no" (Shueisha). "I think I was able to have a lot of different experiences," she said, looking back. In 2025, her first starring movie will be released and her third photo book will be released. We asked Kikuchi about her future aspirations.

◇ Still active in the gravure world, "I want to give it my all"

Kikuchi was born on October 19, 2004 and is 20 years old. It has already been five years since she won the Miss Weekly Shonen Magazine title at the Miss Magazine 2020 pageant. In the gravure world, she has established an absolute position, earning the nickname "the strongest gravure queen of the Reiwa era."

Kikuchi admits that before she discovered gravure modeling, "my personality was somewhat of a space-dazed person living my life."

"But since I started modeling, I've had the opportunity to try different things, and I've had the desire to do more and more. I've started to think, 'Is this really what it means to be alive?'"

Her third photo book is scheduled to be released in March 2025, promising to continue to be active in the gravure world.

"As long as my fans don't forget about me, I want to respond to them with all my might and tell them, 'Don't get bored, don't get distracted,'" (laughs)

◇ When asked about the weapon, he said, "I guess it's the body part."

So what did it mean for Kikuchi to join Nonno in 2024? She says that becoming an exclusive model was an unexpected event for her...

"I never thought I'd be able to model exclusively for a fashion magazine, let alone for Nonno, so I was very surprised when I heard about it. When I actually went to the shoot, everyone was really warm and I enjoyed every shoot. I've always loved fashion and cosmetics, so I've had more opportunities to study them, and I feel like I've become more sensitive to trends and my sense of beauty has improved."

She explains that a different style of expression is required than in gravure modeling, and that "I learn a lot every day and feel like I'm making new discoveries."

"I had the feeling that I had had a lot of photos taken of me, so I was a little hopeful that I would be able to do well... But in reality, the shooting methods are completely different, and I had a lot of trouble at first. Even though I'm shooting in the same swimsuit, the way it's presented is different for gravure and fashion, so I was worried at first, but I'm really happy to be able to show both sides of myself as a gravure model, and I hope that everyone will enjoy both sides."

Fans were surprised when he joined Nonno. For Kikuchi, the new experience is stimulating.

"When I think about what my strengths are, I think it's probably my body. I want to compete in the areas I'm best at, the areas I know I can't beat, and I hope to do more in the way that only I can show off my fashion and modeling skills."

◇ "I've always loved scary things" and is eager to take on the horror challenge

Looking back at 2024, Kikuchi said, "This is the year in the five years since I started this project in which I was able to do the most acting work. I was able to learn a lot, and I think it was a year in which I was able to grow as a person."

This includes filming her first starring role in the movie "V.MARIA" (directed by Miyazaki Daisuke), scheduled for release in spring 2025.

"Being the lead was one of my dreams, so I never thought it would come true, so I was very happy. Filming was on a tight schedule, but that's exactly why I was able to concentrate and it was a great learning experience. It was also the first time I felt the responsibility of playing a leading role, and I felt like I was growing little by little every day."

In terms of acting, the genre she would like to try in the future is horror.

"I've always loved scary stuff, and every summer or the end of the year there are special programs on TV that collect scary footage, and I love them so much. I record them and watch them over and over again, and I also have a huge collection of horror manga. Horror has been my favorite genre since I was little, so I'd love to appear in one."