The Case for Yui Hatano - A Retrospective on her Early Career

Hello everyone, I'm Ranelar -- new to ZENRA and my first time blogging about JAV.  As a quick introduction, I've been following JAV since the late nineties, and it would be great to share my perspective and passion for JAV with you, the reader.  Hajimemashite!  In my time, I've seen a lot of AV actresses come and go, and only a few have had real staying power.  It takes a curious combination of beauty, ability, popularity, and drive to survive long-term in the industry.  

Profile

It's no secret that Yui Hatano has had one of the longest, most prolific careers as an AV actress.  She's starred in over 2,000 films since her debut in 2008, and shows no signs of slowing down.  She's still top of mind in the industry as she consistently is at the top of monthly DMM and R18 sales charts, holding her own against every new incoming JAV starlet.  She's even been the face of a Taiwanese subway Metrocard!

For those of you who still haven't jumped on the Yui bandwagon, let me help you understand why I think she's one of the best.  I'll focus this post on her early days in JAV.

More than a ZERO Amateur, Less than an Actress 07 (ZER-007) [2008]

Yui started her career in 2008 with the release of More than a ZERO Amateur, Less than an Actress 07 (ZER-007).  ZERO was a Studio Prestige series aimed at introducing new talent to the industry.  The series itself only lasted a few years, from 2007-2009 with only around 17 titles to the ZERO name.  Prestige has since pivoted to the beginning series (BGN) for its newcomers.

At first, Yui looked like many other actresses entering the industry. With wavy brown layered hair and blushy cheeks with pink lipstick, she fit the style popular for the time and didn't really stand out.  Her 4 hour debut, though not anything particularly special, showed off her magnificently supple E-cup body, boisterous performance enthusiasm, and the genesis of the gaspy, begging squeal that I have come to love.  The second act in her debut introduced another veteran AV actress to "teach" Yui more advanced techniques.  Yui was all smiles in her first AV, like most debutantes, and she needed more time to develop her acting chops.

Sky Angel Vol. 93 (SKY-140) [2009]

Surprisingly, Yui quickly dipped a foot into uncensored JAV in 2009 with the release of Sky Angel Vol.93 (SKY-140), a year after her debut.  This was unusual for an actress so new to the scene, as an uncensored release would quickly devalue the perceived purity of a starlet, and likely drive future sales way down.  Uncensored AV was usually performed by less popular actresses and ladies near the end of their AV life.  When I saw her uncensored release, I thought it was a death knell for her career, and expected her to be one of those actresses that was in it for quick money before quickly leaving the industry.  The quality of the AV wasn't great, with harsh lighting and ridiculous outfits (a black and white referee costume with black stockings looked pretty cheap) and a non-cinematic, Americanized-feel.  With Yui so new to the scene, I wanted to see more innocence, and this AV just showed her being nailed hard, especially in the final 3P scene.  Yui continued to do both censored and uncensored JAV afterwards, which was puzzling.  I continued to watch.

I want to be your Step-Parent (OKSN-059) [2011]

Because of her somewhat mature look, she was quickly pulled into MILF, NTR, teacher, and older sister roles.  I feel that she didn't truly hit her stride until 2011, when labels like Mosouzoku started using MILF actresses in their Okaasan series (OKSN).  There wasn't a lot of competition in the genre at the time.  I can only think of a couple of notable actresses that could compare.  Azumi Harusaki was a tantalizing tease in "Seductive Step-Parent's Stop Just Before Coming Completely On To Me" (JUC-446), but she looked not convincing in the MILF role.  Riko Miyase in "My Step-Parent is 2 Years Older Than Me" (OKSN-075) had the looks, but her unusually husky, deep voice was a huge turnoff for me.

Yui's "I want to be your Step-parent" (OKSN-059) really caught my attention when it first released.  By that time, she had ditched the youthful look for darker hair, a more refined wardrobe and a calm, sophisticated demeanor.

I've always liked JAV with an intriguing story, where the viewer is invested in the caring relationship cultivated between the characters.  Yui comes across as polite, but hesitant when first meeting him.  This awkwardness is well communicated through Yui's artificial smiles, over-politeness, and indecisive eye contact.  I like the little details in this movie.  At the start, her hair is tucked back behind her ears, giving her a mature, professional look.  In one of the later sex encounters, they put a braid in her hair, softening her appearance and adding that bit of innocence to her and to the scene as whole.

As they develop their relationship, her nurturing, caring nature (and her amazing body) is on full display.  Her patient, deep sucking blowjob in the 69 position shows she's enjoying providing full-bodied pleasure.  Yui's cowgirl is excellent, with her solid, deep-seated bouncing.  Combined with her panting, pouty moan, and heaving breasts, this AV truly pulled me in.

Your step-parent is in the next room...Yui Hatano (VENU-224) [2012]

Yui took a few years to nail down her signature look, get comfortable in front of the camera, and find her niche.  By 2012, she was firing on all cylinders.  Another amazing AV was Studio Venus' "Your step-parent is in the next room...Yui Hatano" (VENU-224).  This time around, he is studying for exams to get into university and is super stressed out.  She is superb as the reluctant, doting MILF, negotiating with him to give him a blowjob instead of sex, and later resisting him quietly during a video call with her husband, only to let herself get creampied in the end.  Yui really sells the scenes well, and the director even surprises the viewer with a bit of POV sprinkled within the cinematically-shot scenes. 

The riskiness factor of being caught by her husband was well done, the use of strategic camera angles to compose the scene drove up the tension.  The action is fantastic, with a full range of sex positions and soft lighting in a dim room to put the spotlight on Yui's amazing performance. Her energy and passion can be shows when she's really enjoying it at the end.  Her iconic, breathy moan is super hot and unique to any other actress I've seen in all my years of watching AV.  Her body is also peak Yui -- she's in impeccable shape with firm, round breasts. While Yui fits the MILF role well, her performances are always quite different in each AV, which is why I think she's a fantastic actress with more range than AV can really provide for her. 

In Closing

If you previously weren't convinced that Yui Hatano should not only be worth a look, but should be in your top list of favorites, this early retrospective should definitely whet your appetite.  She's got a slim, busty body that would excite even the most celibate of men.  In later years, she developed a piercing, hungry stare that make her more recent AVs totally irresistible.  But that's perhaps a topic for another time.  Yui's got a beautiful face that has aged gracefully, and she's an amazing actress that has not only survived in her long career, but continues to thrive.  She's one of the few actresses that has done both censored and uncensored JAV and is still at the top of her game.  That said, this post has only scratched the surface of Yui's extensive body of work. I haven't mentioned the wide range of genres she's covered over the last 12 years, but if you have a fetish -- she likely has done it!  Yui is one of my top actresses of all time, and I hope she stays in AV for many more years.