青木リカ

Born Sharon-Lee Yoshida (Morris) to an American father and Japanese mother, Rika adopted both the first and last name of her manga counterpart as her stage name. Obviously, her mixed-race heritage was a large factor in her winning the part, though she also stood at an impressively statuesque 5ft7 (the average height for Japanese women is 5ft2), further accentuated by a pair of high-heeled boots, perfectly matching the leggy manga heroine. Taro Bonten, the creator of the manga, was full of praise for Rika saying ‘I never thought I’d find someone so perfect’. Despite this, Rika was quite self-deprecating about her looks and, by the language she uses, it seems like she may have unfortunately faced racism while growing up: ‘I look like a monkey, just like my papa. My younger brother is handsome and looks just like my mama.’ Rika’s legs weren’t just for looking at – her height advantage led to great athletic prowess throughout her high school career. Rika modestly stated ‘I was a track and field athlete in high school, running the 100m in 13 seconds flat and scoring 1.6m in the high jump. I also learned karate.’ In reality, her 12.9 second time placed her 2nd in the national high school...