Rika Aoki
Acting
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 record. Given Weekly Myojo’s vested interest in their new star, they were keen to give Rika as much publicity as possible leading up to the film. Between her casting in February and initial shooting in October, she enjoyed constant attention in the pages of the magazine. Being a total amateur, Rika underwent extensive training in acting and modern ballet (presumably to achieve the high kicks necessary for the character’s kickboxing-esque fighting style) to prepare for the role. However, she also received training in singing, clearly showing an intention to push Rika to stardom across all disciplines; at the time it was common for top actresses to record at least one single, but that usually came after they were established names. Her first single was released in June 1972, almost a half year before the film’s release to truly kickstart the hype train. At the same time, she also became a regular on TV screens as the “cover girl” for the variety shows Yo! Don and The 11PM Show. This all ensured that Rika was close to becoming a household name even before the film was released – Weekly Myojo stated that she ‘was a hot topic of conversation nationwide.’
