JAV Actresses and the Art of Comebacks

If you haven't been living under a rock late last year, you may have already heard of Meguri's much anticipated return to JAV. Zenra writer trapstar has actually reported on a hint from the popular JAV actress way back in February 2024, and it turns out that a comeback was indeed in the works. Her fans, of course, met the news with much fanfare. Meguri's video is her first in 4 years - and she shows no signs of stopping yet.

ALSO READ: BREAKING: Meguri Returns to JAV!

However, historically speaking JAV comebacks can be a hit or miss deal, even for big stars like Meguri. After all, there is just too much going on in the industry, and the comings and goings of each actresses can be a blur. In fact, not many actresses are given the privilege of a special retirement video. The majority simply stop shooting videos and then slowly fade into oblivion.

A successful comeback is even more rare. True, many actresses receive some hype upon the announcement that they are returning. But after the first video, many can't get back to the level of popularity that they had before the retirement. The majority, sadly, have their careers fizzle out after the initial comeback hype.

Of course, there are a few exceptions. One that come to mind is Saika Kawakita. After her retirement in 2018, Saika-chan returned 3 years later. Jumping off the comeback hype, she was able to rocket herself up the top lists, surpassing her past sales and establishing herself further into the industry. She has even become a meme. Saika Kawakita's career is a rare instance of an actress becoming more popular after coming back.

Unfortunately, for the following actresses - even ones who have been insanely successful - a comeback did not create the expected results.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After a consistent run with Max-A, Nana-chan retired without much fanfare, leaving a couple of classic videos, such as XVSR-060 where she plays a naughty nun. Fans adored her face and meaty body.

She suddenly disappeared for a year and nine months, while Max-A continued releasing compilations and omnibus titles featuring Nana.

However, in 2018, Nana-chan returned in XVSR-436, now sporting a more mature look. She dyed her hair and adopted a more aggressive style. Her comeback generated some hype - for a while.

However, aside from a new hair color, Nana-chan's comeback release didn't feature anything new for the fans.

Riding the hype train, she released XVSR-452, in which she wore shorter hair. The new look implied Nana-chan's intentions to catch new fans with a bolder look.

However, she only did three more releases before exiting again - less than a year after the comeback.

So what happened to Nana Ayano's career post-comeback? Basically, not much. With less than five releases, it is safe to say that the comeback might have been a quick move for Nana-chan, who did not wish to stay long and only wanted to make the most out of her JAV career.

However, she does not have much staying power. Her acting is her weakest point, and this did not improve after her comeback. This is why, after the initial hype, old fans and potential new fans were quick to figure that there was nothing much to expect from the new Nana-chan.

Moreover, she did not stray away from her comfort zone. After her comeback, she did the same boring vanilla releases. The fans quickly knew that not much was expected of her by this point, which may have led to her falling off quickly.

All of this is quite sad since Nana-chan had the potential for greatness. She has some top-tier idol visuals, and a nice ass. If only she worked on her acting a little bit, she could have gathered more interest upon her comeback.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In November 2023, she announced joining 8-Man, the agency responsible for re-launching Karen Kaede / Lemon Tanaka's career. She also changed her name to Miyu Ootori and began work on some gravure shoots.

Her post-comeback gravure shots were indeed tantalizing. It featured Miyu-chan with a more toned body, a more risqué aesthetic, and an elevated taste. It's a breath of fresh air for fans and non-fans alike who have become used to Meisa-chan's girl next door look.

She then released ADN-595, her first release after her return, almost a year after her agency change announcement. It is a drama movie where Miyu-chan plays a woeful lady in a dysfunctional household.

You may have asked: is that it?

Not that ADN-595 was not well-received. It got some good reviews, but let's be real. Miyu-chan deserved a proper comeback special.

After her comeback, Miyu-chan released ADN-614, which is another typical Attackers old guy video.

This is where the problem lies with Miyu-chan's post-comeback career. No one has ever given Miyu-chan the S-tier treatment. You'd expect that 8-Man had big plans for her (a special return video, good concept and production, a marketing campaign, etc). But what did they get for her? Two lousy drama videos.

Don't get me wrong - ADN-595, and especially ADN-614 are hot videos. Here Miyu-chan shows the full range of her acting chops. Her body also looks the best since her debut. No more cute flabs - just lean meat that oozes with sex. But 8-Man should have given her a much better "comeback" campaign. If they want Miyu-chan to escape the mediocre prison, they need to upsell her more aggressively. I think I am not alone in saying that she deserves it.

Fortunately, it is still quite early to assess Miyu Ootori's comeback as a failure. But unless she makes a drastic career move, the momentum will surely not last very long.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

However, she suddenly stopped shooting after announcing that she terminated her contract with her former agency. In April 2024, she returned with a new name and a 155-minute comeback video, SONE-217.

In under a year after her comeback, she churned out nine titles with S1, each of them high-quality and well-received by fans. Check out, for instance, SONE-372, where Nanami-chan subjects herself to an endless orgy, perhaps her hardest video to date.

More importantly, Nanami-chan seems to be on track for a couple more years of JAV service, given her steady sales numbers.

So what did Nanami-chan do right? First, she managed to get into better contracts with her new agency. She didn't undersell herself just to get a few measly gigs.

Second, she built on her previous accomplishments and advanced from there. Throughout her career, she didn't stray far from the vanilla route. But she occasionally does something less usual. SONE-372 shows her choosing a more adventurous path. Fans love variety, above all things. Nanami Kodama is giving it to them in a good and steady pace.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Like Nanami Kodama, Lily Haruka built on the same image before her retirement but gave it a new twist. This time, Lily-chan is a lot more assertive and dirty. She's more willing to do it dirty, and she no longer is the shy and hesitant actress that she was. Of course, it also helps that she has kept her face and breasts in good shape.

These, I think, are the keys to a successful comeback. The actresses should offer something new while also keeping themselves recognizable. Moreover, a good comeback campaign plan also helps.

But of course, luck is also a huge factor. No matter how good you look or how good you are as a performer, the sheer number of new actresses that debut day in and day out can still affect how a comeback is received by fans. Without luck (and a sizeable marketing budget), it would be difficult for any actress to start again. The JAV industry is a slippery slope.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you have a favorite JAV comeback? Who's a retired actress that you want to see coming back on screen? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!