Emi Takei

Emi Takei is a Japanese actress and model born on December 25, 1993, in Nagoya. Aspiring to enter the fashion industry from a young age, she declared to her parents upon entering junior high school that she intended to become a model within three years. Her career began in earnest in 2006 when she entered the 11th Japan Bishōjo Contest, winning both the Model Division Award and the Multi-Media Award.

Following her contest success, Takei made her modeling debut in the November 2006 issue of the magazine Seventeen, which served as her first job in the entertainment industry. In February 2007, she became an exclusive model for the publication and earned her first solo cover on its February 15 issue. She remained with Seventeen for five years and nine months until her official graduation from the magazine in August 2012.

Takei transitioned into television acting in January 2011, securing a key quasi-leading role in the Fuji TV drama serial Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta after winning an audition of eight hundred participants. Shortly afterward, in April 2011, she landed her first starring role in the TV Asahi drama serial Asukō March!. She went on to appear in numerous television productions, including Otomen, Liar Game 2, W no Higeki, Otenki Oneesan, Zero no Shinjitsu, Age Harassment, Fragile, Seisei Suruhodo, Aishiteru, and Black Leather Notebook.

In feature films, Takei achieved prominent roles in titles such as The Cherry Orchard: Blossoming, For Love's Sake, Love for Beginners, Clover, and Terra Formars. She notably portrayed the character Kamiya Kaoru in the Rurouni Kenshin live-action film series, appearing in Rurouni Kenshin, Kyoto Inferno, The Legend Ends, and The Final. She has also worked in voice acting, providing Japanese voice work for the film Fast Five and video games including Dragon Quest Heroes II and Nioh.

Beyond modeling and screen acting, Takei expanded into music and radio broadcasting. On December 12, 2011, she made her singing debut under Universal Japan with the release of the single "Koisuru Kimochi," a ballad written for her by Takuro of Glay. Her media work also includes co-hosting the radio show Emi Takei and Rikao Yanagida's Radio Kūsō Kagaku Kenkyūsho and serving as the image character for the celebrity social networking website Beamie starting in September 2010.

Takei has received several notable awards and high-profile brand endorsements. In November 2010, she became the youngest recipient in history to receive the Best Dresser Award from The Men's Fashion Unity. She won the Best Smile of the Year award in November 2011 and became the first Japanese person to sign a contract with Italian luxury brand Gucci in December 2011. Her career also includes major promotional campaigns for brands such as Shiseido, Lotte, SoftBank Mobile, AEON, and Seiko, along with the publication of photobooks including Kaze no Naka no Shōjo, Plumeria, and Bloom.