There are countless Japanese bikini models who claim to be gamers — if only to get otaku street cred and a fanbase. You know, to be one of us. But Haruna Anno is the real deal. We first met the pin-up model when she was 18 years-old and putting her SNES Street Fighter II cartridge in the 'fridge as an experiment. If everyday you have to learn something new, today we might as well learn more about her. Anno's room is a gaming shrine, filled with retro game hardware, an arcade cabinet and games — lots of games. She's dead serious about playing, too. She claims to have once played Chrono Trigger for 36 hours straight and has whizzed through Super Mario Bros. so many effing times that she can clear World 1-1 without looking at the screen. (Granted, we've seen this before, but not by a bikini model!) She doesn't spend her money on make-up or designer bags, but rather, on vintage games. Just listen to her talk:
I think the image of gaming is still a little dark, like otaku in their rooms without any friends playing games. Like, movies have a lot of violence in them, but no one seems to blame them for youth crimes the way the media blames games in Japan. I think that is part of the negative otaku image. For me, games are pop and cool. I want to show people that gaming isn't something only lonely people do in dark dirty rooms. That is one reason I try to display my collection this way and keep my room and clothes clean. I want to show people that anyone, even a young girl like me, can play games.
Interview: Anno Haruna [Otaku2] [Pic, Pic]