Someone once made this evaluation: [Hashimoto Arina]'s looks raised the average level of the entire industry, and this saying can probably also describe just how striking "Long-legged sister"'s appearance is. It's definitely true, because even before [Hashimoto Arina] debuted, she was being groomed as an idol trainee. Back when [Hashimoto Arina] hadn't yet entered the industry, she was already an idol prospect. She started attending auditions from the second year of junior high, and in 2013, she became active in the photobook world under the stage name [Iwata Shiki], holding several photo exhibitions at the time. However, back then, [Iwata Shiki] was just a photobook model, and if she got lucky, she might have become a well-known photobook idol. At that time, she was also working part-time at a maid cafe in Akihabara, which shows that [Iwata Shiki] hadn't been discovered by the public yet. So, in December 2015, [Iwata Shiki] transformed into [Hashimoto Arina] and released a photobook DVD, but this wasn't just a smooth progression for a photobook idol—it was paving the way for [Hashimoto Arina]'s debut. In February 2016, [Hashimoto Arina] not only released her second photobook under the Air Control label, but both books came out within three months and included Blu-ray versions, which is quite an impressive treatment in the photobook world. I thought a dark horse was about to emerge, but surprisingly, along with that news came the announcement from the evil empire S1 that she would debut in the industry in March. S1 didn't slap too many labels on [Hashimoto Arina], and they didn't even emphasize her photobook idol background; instead, they introduced her as the "next-generation straight-ball idol," which is a high-spec label from S1. In S1's history, [Hashimoto Arina] is the fifth to receive the "straight-ball idol" title. The first four were [Rukawa Rina], [Ichikawa Maho], [Nagisa Kotomi], and [Narumi Urumi], and each of them was heavily promoted by S1 as annual representatives, with their launch timings carefully orchestrated. From the fact that Hashimoto's first photobook DVD was released first, it's clear that her agency and S1 spent a long time building her up before launching this newcomer. There was also a backstory that no one knew at the time: S1 didn't renew [Sonoda Miyako]'s contract, and in the same month [Hashimoto Arina] debuted, another tall beauty, [Takachiho Suzu], deliberately cleared her schedule and stopped releasing new works. So, S1 was basically putting all their chips on [Hashimoto Arina], treating her as the superstar newcomer for the first half of 2016. It was through the six months of hype and preparation from Arrows agency and S1 that the idol trainee [Iwata Shiki] made a spectacular transformation into [Hashimoto Arina]. However, even with S1's heavy backing, [Hashimoto Arina] didn't become an instant hit, which was due to timing issues. At the time, there was also [Takahashi Seiko], one of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Photobooks," who debuted right after, so [Hashimoto Arina] didn't achieve top results immediately, and audiences were a bit slow to catch on. From the fact that [Takahashi Seiko] won the Best Newcomer Award in 2017 without any suspense, you can tell that [Hashimoto Arina]'s early career wasn't smooth sailing. But almost everyone who watched [Hashimoto Arina] was instantly captivated by her, with many saying she resembled AKB48's local member [Watanabe Mayu], and her pure image gave off that hit-you-right-in-the-heart first-love vibe for a lot of people. So, when [Hashimoto Arina] first debuted, it sparked some sighs from audiences, wondering why such a pure girl would choose this industry. I felt a bit conflicted myself after seeing her, because she's such a high-quality girl, which made me curious about her decision to debut. So, why did [Hashimoto Arina] choose the industry? She herself has said there were many factors; she wanted attention, as she's had an idol dream since she was young, and being supported by fans felt like the highest form of praise to her—she really loved that feeling. Later, a scout approached her, and when she casually Googled the industry, she was completely won over by [Asuka Kira]'s elegance and charisma, so the reasons that led [Hashimoto Arina] into the industry were actually quite simple and pure. To chase that idol dream, S1 and [Hashimoto Arina] put in a lot of effort. She's the type who wants to do everything well, appearing effortlessly graceful on stage but actually putting in endless hard work behind the scenes. At the time, [Hashimoto Arina] thought her body type didn't give her much of an edge in the industry, so she had to rely on her skills to win people over. But she had very little experience back then, which is why she ended up releasing 24 works in just eight months after debuting. For an exclusive actress to complete 24 works in eight months is an insane frequency, showing that S1's training plan for her was very comprehensive. On one hand, it was to build her presence through a high volume of releases and pair her with many of S1's big stars; on the other, it was to help her hone her skills. Back then, [Hashimoto Arina] was incredibly dedicated; while gaining experience, she also joined the industry girl group [SEXY-J]. It was through all this exposure that [Hashimoto Arina] turned things around and officially blew up by the end of 2016, even landing a role as an assistant host on Saitama TV. That's when more and more people started recognizing [Hashimoto Arina], and audiences were usually won over the moment they saw her, thanks to her pure image and those long legs that gave off a clean, first-love feel, earning her the nickname "Long-legged sister." Starting from 2017, [Hashimoto Arina] became S1's strongest new talent from 2016, with more and more people getting to know her. Although she lost to [Takahashi Seiko] in the 2017 DMM Newcomer Awards, by then [Hashimoto] had already built up substantial popularity and sales, so when the AV OPEN 2017 Grand Prize kicked off, she joined [Takahashi Seiko] and [Shiraishi Marin] as one of the event's image representatives.