JAV Digest 2021: Observations and Trends

Before I was just another JAV fan, however that’s changed since I joined ZENRA a little over a year ago. I’ve started to follow the industry more as a whole. From learning about silly trends to more serious industry wide problems. Like the global pandemic which has altered how much of the industry has operated and those changes may continue well after the pandemic starts to clear up a bit (hopefully). Here are my observations and trends I saw develop in JAV as a whole for 2021.

Short Hair is in Season

Short hair is trendy now. Loads of actresses are now sporting the short haired look such as Yuna Ogura, Arina Hashimoto, and Amatsuka Moe. SOD’s mega hyped up newbie, Minamo also sports the short cut. Yura Kano, who already had a short haircut had it cut even shorter for a bit. It seems everyone is getting the short hair treatment, a trend I wholeheartedly welcome.

Everyone is Hitting the Gym

Another trend I have been noticing is how damn fit and toned everyone is getting. JAV actresses have always been slimmer than your average person but now their fitness game seems to be getting on a whole other level. Flat stomachs, tight buns and just a hint of six pack are becoming more and more common as actresses hit the gym. Normal bodies and fuller builds are giving way to more fit, slimmer, and more muscular women. Another trend I wholeheartedly welcome.

Production Values are lower

Production values seem to be falling all around the industry or at least vary wildly. Sets are less dressed up, less background actors, camera work is a lot more static, and lighting is generally much worse than before. The poor lighting quality being the most egregious and for me worst of the bunch. It is clear when studios bring their A game for a certain video or leave another to their B unit. Likely a change because of tightening of budget purses.

More POV and single cam titles

Piggy backing off the last point, I have been noticing much more single camera and POV titles. Gonzo type videos where it’s just the female and male performers. More handheld shots and static camera scenes. These are probably much cheaper and easier to make than with a standard full filming crew. Another side effect of the pandemic and something I think will continue for a while.

(Being creative within your constraints)

4K Standard Incoming?

This year saw more 4K years than any other year. By my rough counting on R18 there will be about 1000 4K titles in 2021. It has taken JAV a long time to start adopting the new format but it seems the industry is finally starting to take note of it. Most 4K videos are offered by smaller studios but bigger name studios like Idea Pocket or Premium are making the occasional 4K video with some of their biggest stars. What is also becoming more prevalent are 60 fps (frames per second) videos. Which is pretty surprising and a welcome addition. The smoothness of 60 fps and the fidelity of 4K should make for a tantalizing future. If you were like me and a think 1080p sub 30 fps is good enough (and it is), give these higher quality videos a look. They really are a nice little game changer. So, stock up on hard drives, they will be even more valuable and pricey in the future.

Social Media is a Must Now

With physical meet ups being canceled and delayed, actresses are turning to social media to connect with their fans more than ever. Twitter, Insta, YouTube, Fantia, and even Only Fans (and no it’s still censored if they even offer NSFW content). There is no platform that actresses will not use to connect with their fans nowadays. Here is Yume Nikaidou getting into Video Game Streaming. Do note that most of these accounts are likely agency co-managed, if not completely managed, who control their image and public persona. But still the rise of social media usage within JAV actresses should give us a deeper and more intimate look into their lives regardless of their pesky agents. An opportunity for their clients to grow and a likely headache for agencies.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyQ3BEK5Trg7MIUF0QhMHyA/
Yume Nikaidou's Paid Video Game Streams
Could this be the beginnings of actresses streaming as a side gig/future career?

The Petites Are Taking Over

Tiny, petite women are proving as popular than they have ever been with both rising and established stars in Ichika Matsumoto, Mitsuki Nagisa, Erina Oka, Yui Nagase, and Urara Kanon. Ichika was even the top seller in physical media in 2020, toppling big name stars like Yua Mikami, Eimi Fukada, and Rara Anzai. When the dust has settled she has a decent shot at being the top seller for 2021, or at the very least be on the short list of top sellers. There is definitely a big appetite for smaller and youthful women. A trend I think will only continue as studios are catching on and start highlighting more petite women both outside and in the industry.

(must resist)

Expect More Retirements Coming

Even though we are finally recovering from the pandemic, we still saw some big names announce their retirements. 2021 was bloody for JAV with Nanami Kawakami, Mikako Abe, Rena Aoi, Shuri Atomi, and Minami Hatsukawa preparing to leave porn. My guess would be that the pandemic and shut down have made actresses reasses how long they want to do porn. With many of them finding successful careers outside of JAV, such as Ai Uehara, Kaho Shibuya, and Kirara Asuka, others could be considering the same thing. Life after porn is almost a certainty for most in the business. Not many do it for their whole working lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJLX25FVUwM

Mikako Abe’s parody press conference that turned out to be a real retirement announcement

It’s not all bad news at least with all these actresses we got advance notice. Which doesn’t always happen, some even announced their retirement a year in advanced. Hopefully this becomes standard in the future. An actress leaving is always a bummer and sucks, there is no getting away from it. However, knowing it in advance does lessen the sting a little. Let’s hope this is the standard for more established stars.

Older Actresses are Redoubling their Effort

Not everyone is leaving, some are trying even harder in these trying times. Julia, Yua Mikami, Minori Hatsune, Tsukasa Aoi, and Airi Kijima are all having great years. Julia is particular. Her sales have been waning and she left / was dropped by studio Oppai. In response, she has been nailing all her titles with a new vigor. While some are thinking about life after porn, other are making the best use of the time they still have left in it.

(JUL-688-jav-minori-hatsune)

R18 / Fanza’s Empire is showing cracks

Recently we saw Prestige and Maxing leaving the massive storefront that is R18 / Fanza. They take a massive cut in profits and some studios have had enough. The big cut that they take is becoming a harder and harder pill to swallow for them especially when the pandemic has hurt them so much financially. And they might not be alone, other studios may follow suit. If say a major player like SOD (Soft on Demand) leaves, this would be a huge blow to the media giant. As of writing, SOD is flirting with leaving Fanza for good with a few of their titles current and all of their future being unavailable. SOD is a major player and it would be pretty shocking to see a large label like them fully exit Fanza.

(Who will be next to leave?)

Unfortunately, all of this mostly hurts fans the most. Prestige and Maxing, in particular make it difficult for foreign fans to legally purchase their wares. Having multiple sites and storefronts are not that big of an issue. International fans are familiar with subscribing to many sites to get their porn needs. However, the JAV industry wide practice of DRM muddies that appeal. If one site uses DRM that’s fine and a much easier annoyance to put up with. But if a dozen sites all have their own DRM system then forget about it. Customers don’t want to download different apps and programs just to watch one studio or label’s videos. If studios split from R18 / Fanza and start doing their own thing then I think it’s fans that would be hurt the most.

Foreigners and Hafus Welcome

It feels like we are seeing more foreigners and Hafus in JAV with Caucasian actresses like June Lovejoy and Lily Hart and Hafu’s like Coco Sanchez, Lemon Sawa, and Lauren Karen. Not to mention Melody Marks’ brief popularity blip from 2020. JAV seems to be opening up just a little to actresses from other places and backgrounds. Which in this fan’s opinion is a good thing.

Trans and New Halfs

This year I have been following JAV more closely than ever, especially the new debuts and releases that come out. I have been tracking newbies and to my surprise I noticed how common that Trans (or New Halfs as some call them) debut actresses were. Every month there seems to be at least one or two of them debuting from all sorts of studios big and small. I did not expect this much output for what I thought a small niche. Sara Aizawa being a popular name I see getting thrown around among Trans fans. While they aren’t my jam, it is interesting to see how common they are in JAV. I thought they were much more uncommon and rare. I still don’t know if this is a recent trend or just me be more aware of things as I follow the industry more. Either way if you are a trans fan, there seems to be plenty of content for your viewing pleasure.

Reverse Bunny Suit So Hot Right Now

The Reverse Bunny suit, which is just a bunny suit that reveals the midsection and butt while covering their arms and legs, a great twist on an old costume. It has shown up before but it wasn’t until recently that the costume proved to be popular with Rena and Remi’s great title covers. Since then, it’s use has grown. Expect more of this delightful costume in the future.

VR is getting better and better

JAV VR is now a staple with studios regularly using their featured actresses for bigger and better titles. With some actresses being used almost exclusively as VR actresses. Titles are getting longer and with more involved scenarios and plots. It is pretty interesting to see studios try to fit their usual plots into VR videos. NTR takes on a whole new level in VR. Studios are experimenting with how they are shot and what kind of settings they can use. I expect studios to double down on VR as it gets better, cheaper, and more widespread among fans.

The Porn Scrutiny continues

As of writing, Pornhub the largest porn site on Earth is still not able to do business with major credit card companies. They are not alone in the increased scrutiny of porn and adult content businesses. Only Fans, lit up the headlines when they announced that they were moving away from adult content. A move they quickly nixed after a torrent of confusion, bafflement, and ridicule that a site known mainly for their porn would no longer do porn.

On the Japanese side R18 and Fanza have changed certain tags if not outright removing them. I’ve noticed tags be removed, or renamed, or just censored with *****. No longer advertising them but still keeping those types of videos around. Here on ZENRA, we have to avoid certain bad words as to keep nice with credit card companies. It seems like this scrutiny is the new normal for the porn world. For better or worse for both the porn industry and fans.

2022 and Beyond

More Diversity in Porn

I expect a lot of these trends to continue well into 2022. Especially with welcoming more outsiders into JAV. A lot of the JAV market is homogeneous with Japanese talent, which is a big strength and appeal for them. But with how popular actresses like Melody proved to be, It might open up studios to make a bigger effort to gather some talent from abroad. At least with a bigger effort and budget than in the one off titles that they do right now. Or the more likely path is using the foreign born / expat talent at home. I expect us to see more girls like June, Lily, Coco, and the newbie Lauren in the coming future. Diversity in porn is always a good thing to see.

No More DRM Please

The end of DRM is another change I really hope to see. JAV has a massive piracy problem and while removing DRM won’t completely end it, it could help it or at the very least reward paying fans. There are fans who would be willing to put cold hard cash down for their JAV goods and companies should to make it as easy and appealing as possible. Piracy will never stop with or without DRM so why not try to reward these loyal fans and entice new ones. With studios leaving the DMM / Fanza storefronts, DRM free videos are more important than ever. No one wants to use a dozen different DRM locked players to play videos from studio’s own sites. Having to use a bunch of subscription sites is no big deal (no different from Western porn sites) but the DRM makes it a hassle for willing paying customers. Regardless, some changes need to happen if the industry really want to combat their piracy problem.

Less Idols, More People

Many actresses have carefully manicured images (partly from their agency) and I hope that with the bigger role social media they are allowed to become more candid and genuine. I’m not the biggest fan of idol culture in JAV or otherwise. It might work for girls like Yua Mikami, Kirara Asuka, or Kana Momonogi but some girls are better off without it. Fans have really liked the candidness from the likes of Eimi Fukada, June Lovejoy, and Kaho Shibuya in regards to how they talk about sex and their work. Here’s hoping 2022 lets actresses let their hair down more.

https://twitter.com/nanamikawakami/status/1333068944362467329

The End of 2021

With the year ending, I will have been writing for over a year now and with a full calendar year under my belt. It’s been a blast writing for you all and I hope you’ve enjoyed my articles. This year I learned a lot more about the industry than ever before, as I tried to keep an ear to the ground. Here is hoping for more great porn in 2022. And keep an eye out for my Best of 2021 posts coming in soon by the end of the year. I will have plenty more to talk about 2021.

(Ai Mukai)

Til next year, Fried Chikan out