We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: the fashion magazine Anan is the place to go for jaw-dropping lingerie photo shoots.
Alright, obviously the gravure weeklies like Friday and Playboy deliver the goods on a regular basis, but Anan makes us sit up and take notice, either because it’s a model or celebrity reinventing herself or just simply because of the sheer quality of the photo shoot.
It’s been doing it for several years now, establishing a real reputation for sexy shoots with idols and models. Past cover shoots that made a big splash include: Kana Kurashima (2021), Ayaka Miyoshi (2020), Fumika Baba (2019), Rio Uchida (2018), Minami Tanaka (2017), Rika Adachi (2017), Maggy (2016), Rino Sashihara (2016), Nozomi Sasaki (2015), Yui Ichikawa (2014), Nanao (2013), Yuki Kashiwagi (2013), Mitsu Dan (2013), Yuko Oshima (2012), Haruna Kojima (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018), Youn-a (2011), Maomi Yuki (2011), Kazue Fukiishi (2008), Ryoko Yonekura (2004), and Shiho (2003). (Anan does a similar thing with sex-themed issues that usually feature a provocative shoot with male celebrity.)
Now it’s done it again with Akane Hotta, who sizzles in the latest issue of Anan in luxury lingerie complete with frills and garter belts. Somewhat amusingly, the choice of image for the cover is actually far tamer than the real goodies waiting inside. It’s the opposite of bait and switch!
Now 30 (which we think is a bit older than most models/celebrities that Anan choose for these sexier issues), Hotta is best known for her work as a model for CanCam, which she left in 2020, and a few regular TV gigs.
The shoot is a tie-up with the Salute lingerie line from Wacoal, which seems to be how Anan funds these lavish celebrity shoots now, and why they have shifted to a lingerie focus (compared to, say, the famous semi-nude ones of the 2000s). Both the Kana Kurashima issue last year and the amazing Ayaka Miyoshi shoot from 2020 were promos for Salute. In fact, as the gallery below reveals, the partnership seems to go back at least as far as the Maggy shoot in 2016, so it’s clearly working! Long may it continue. If we may be allowed to wish for future models and celebrities to appear, it might be Mayuko Wakuda or Haruna Kawaguchi.
