Weekly Shonen Sunday Special Focus: Yui Aragaki

Translated by: Dylan Acres

Our Gakki plays Akane Tendo in Ranma 1/2 (NTV). ^[1]
To fully immerse herself in the role of Akane, she cut off a whopping 25cm of her hair!
With her first short haircut since junior high school, she's full of positive energy.
This is the latest version of Yui Aragaki!

Photography by Tatsuo Watanabe
Styling by Yoshie Michiken
Hair and Makeup by Nobuyuki Shiozawa
Interview and Text by Suehiro Kokoro
Design by Yasuo Shimura + Bay Bridge Studio



After I got my hair cut, I feel like I'm closer to my true self. The most fun thing is... ... Having bedhead! Every morning, it's fun. I'm going to take a "bedhead photo" as a keepsake. Now, don't be surprised when I show you my bold new side!

I want to excite someone, and I want to be excited myself.

Ranma 1/2 was the very first manga I fell in love with.
Special Ranma 1/2 Talk

Ranma 1/2 was the very first manga I fell in love with when I was in elementary school. I really love Rumiko Takahashi's sense of humor. ^[2] The characters transformed into animals and changed gender, which I enjoyed. My "Ranma fever" was rekindled in my senior year of high school, and I re-read the whole thing.

Then I realized the charm of the awkwardness of the distance between Ranma and Akane. The relationship between the three of them, who don't express their feelings to each other, is great (laughs). They don't communicate, but when the time comes, they take action, don't they? That's what's great about it.

My favorite story is the one about defeating Orochi.

In volume 2 of Ranma 1/2 I love the scene at the end where the two of them hold hands and head home. Ranma doesn't say it aloud, but his feelings are written in a way that the reader can understand, and it's so... so... Ranma... I mean, what do you think of a guy like Ranma who doesn't confess his feelings? I want him to confess his feelings... but with a guy like Ranma, it's OK. He actually puts his feelings into action, and it's nice when he says how he feels. But, I wish he'd actually say what he's really thinking!



Born June 11, 1988, in Okinawa Prefecture.
Height: 168cm.
Blood type: A.
Movie: The film Kirin no Tsubasa: The Movie - The Newcomer was released on January 28, 2012.
TV: Ranma 1/2, in which she plays Akane Tendo, will air on Nippon Television from December 9th.

Enjoy the gravure pages twice as much

Should I watch it first and then read it!?
Should I read it first and then watch it!!!!?

Yui Aragaki's haircut transformed her look! She reveals her innermost feelings. Her hair is now shorter, and she's even more beautiful. We were completely shocked, but...

I heard you cut your hair all at once for Ranma 1/2. Do you have any regrets?

Aragaki: It won't grow back for a while, (laughs). It's been a while since I last had it this short, since I was in middle school. But... I've always wanted to cut it! I want to excite others, and I want to excite myself, so I've been thinking about cutting it if I get the chance. But the opportunity just never came.

Actresses often wear short wigs when playing roles that require short hair.

Aragaki: This time, for my role as Akane in Ranma 1/2, I thought, "I have no choice but to cut it! I can't fully become Akane without it!" Finally, I was able to cut my hair.

What has changed since cutting it?

Aragaki: A lot. First of all, washing my hair is fun!

That's it!

Aragaki: It's because the sensation of touching it with my fingers has changed. Even on the day I had my hair cut, I went to the hair studio and had my hair washed, but it still looked cute... I went home and washed my hair again right away (laughs). I'm still not used to it, so I put in a lot of shampoo. If your hair is short, you should only need a little shampoo, right? So it's fun to wash your hair while the foam is thick. ...Oh, my hair, I was so happy! That's right! There's something even more fun!

What's that?

Aragaki: I woke up and I had bedhead! It's so funny! It's been about 10 years since I last woke up with bedhead. Every morning is so different. I take pictures that are so funny, and I call them "today's bedhead."

Aragaki-san you're amazing, somehow, it seems you've gotten even more of a glow to you (laughs).

Aragaki: Up until now, I've had long hair, a sweet, innocent, good-student-type image, and a bit of a weak, demure "girl" image. But in reality, I'm actually more boyish. I'd been hiding that so well, so (laughs), but as soon as I got my hair cut, I thought it was time to let it out! So, I've got momentum, and I think I've been reborn as a "more bold me" (laughs).

I'm looking forward to seeing the spectacular results!!

Aragaki: But I do have worries.

You have worries?

Aragaki: My hair grows faster than most people. Normally it grows 1 cm per month, but it's grown 1.5 cm! I wish it stayed short!!

---

Footnotes

• [1] Gakki is Yui Aragaki's nickname amongst her fans.
• [2] Yui Aragaki and Rumiko Takahashi would meet again for an interview in 2025 as the second season of the relaunched Ranma 1/2 anime was about to begin.

---