Self-proclaimed “talent” pretends to be actress Emi Takei to steal… leotards
A 22-year-old self-proclaimed “talent” has been arrested for shoplifting, in the process of which she claimed to be popular actress Emi Takei.
Misaki Hashikawa went to a specialist shop in Ikebukuro and tried on some 40 leotards, shoplifting 22 of them. She then sold the leotards in online auctions, rather foolishly using her own name.
But if you are going to the trouble of subterfuge, at least steal something with value, right?
Well, actually leotards can fetch a reasonable price. Apparently Hashikawa stole the equivalent of ¥1.1 million (over $10,000) of clothing!
Hashikawa has also confessed to previously shoplifting from the same shop. At that time she said her name was Emi Takei when speaking to the store staff. Amazingly, they didn’t seem to realize that the two were not the same person. Hashikawa said she was going to make a film where she plays a gymnast and so would like to try on some leotards. She then stole two. Apparently she was wearing a face mask at that time (common in Japan when suffering from a cold or hay fever, and frequently worn by celebrities in public) and the shop staff asked to see her full face, but she refused to show them as she “wasn’t wearing any makeup”. Her eyes were enough to convince them to let down their guard.
Emi Takei is the model and tarento currently everywhere right now. Her youthful looks and “pure” face have made her darling of many a man (I once went drinking with a thirty-something Japanese salaryman who said he wanted to marry her as she was “the perfect woman”).
Before she starting mainstream acting and TV ad-fronting, though, she was set to go the way of the Gravure idol. While these days she appears in innocent and respectful attire, you can still find and enjoy swimwear shots from her early career.
While Hashikawa was only a semi-professional model, it seems, her fame has now shot through the roof and she has fans among netizens who think she’s a real beauty.
