Japanese AV (Adult Video)

Japanese AV (adult video) is an incredibly diverse universe. It sure is pornography by all definitions – creating and selling explicit depictions of sex for the purpose of arousing the viewer – and it’s easy to find a specialized store in every city that offers this genre. But it is not as taboo as it might seem, and many AV stars are highly respected celebrities with an enormous following.

The pink studios still play a big role in this world, but the industry has also become very diversified. Two main fields can be distinguished: tantai and kikaku. Tantai productions are usually more expensive and focus on one actress. They tend to use girls that are both pretty and soft-looking, and they strive to create a delicate, gentle, innocent sexuality. Kikaku is the opposite, employing a whole bunch of girls (usually 4 or 5 in a video) and often featuring more raw, dirty scenes.

The first AVs started to appear in Japan in the early 1980s as people started to buy VCRs and watch movies at home. 日本AV Initially, the established pink film studios simply transferred their films to this new format. But as the technology progressed, independent directors discovered that video offered a lot of new possibilities. The most innovative of these was the director Tadashi Yoyogi, who incorporated elements of documentary-style filming to explore the hidden sex of ordinary Japanese women and their relationships with men.

At the same time, a large number of young girls began to discover the appeal of acting in adult videos. These young women, who are referred to as AV girls in the media, lead double lives – a sexy career in the video biz and a “normal” everyday life that keeps their sexy careers secret from their friends and co-workers. AV girls work hard to perfect their performance skills, and they usually take great pride in their body. But they are never fully aware of the impact that their work has on the men who watch their videos.

AV actresses have a high status in Japan and many are even admired, but this fame can have a negative impact on their lives. Among other things, it makes it difficult for them to get a normal job, and they are often denied financial credit by banks. Moreover, the fact that they make money by showing their bodies to strangers can also be problematic in some situations.

The career of a typical AV girl peaks around the age of 25, and the majority will be gone by the age of 30. Their earnings decline with each video they produce, and the demands of the business become more demanding all the time. Despite their skills, they receive only a fraction of the price that they would get for a regular actress. With the exception of a few big names, most of them will have their market value peak with their debut, and thereafter their value will diminish.