Trapstar's Annual Roundup: Biggest JAV News Of 2023

Like most years, 2023 was a crazy year for JAV. As the industry navigates through the post-COVID era, let me give you a rundown of some of the biggest stories that made noteworthy headlines this year.

Madonna kicked off this year with a much anticipated surprise in February, onboarding veteran JAV actress Yuna Shiina for another term, much to the surprise of her fans and industry insiders. An actress of her stature who left the industry in 2015 at the height of her career, the comeback after nearly a decade had piqued her fans interest.

Yuna’s abrupt departure in 2015 left her fans dejected and longing for a return. Now in her mid-30s, her return to the AV scene is of major significance, especially given her ability to maintain her appeal even after all these years, which our staff columnist Oppaira emphasized in his column

Madonna’s decision to reintegrate Yuna in their roster was seen as a strategic move to boost sales and fill the void created by the restrictive AV law that had a profound impact on the industry and the livelihoods of many actresses, leading to their premature exit from the scene.

However, not everyone perceived her comeback as noteworthy. Most fans formed a theory that financial difficulties might have influenced her to make a comeback. Despite this, her comeback JAV was well received.

Since her return, the 34 year old has done a dozen or so JAV with the red studio and has no plans of slowing down. I hope she carries this energy to the next year.

Follow Yuna on X

In March, Yua Mikami broke the terrible news of her retirement via a Youtube video surprising most fans in the process. I recall it was unexpected yet speculations of this particular event had been anticipated. When it came out, the news saddened many, as Yua had a major influence in the industry.

At 29, Yua had achieved what most actresses would dream of in AV. But, her growing commitments towards other ventures, especially her fashion project, had overshadowed her AV career to an extent, owing to limited releases. Particularly, this shift in trajectory made her retirement seem inevitable. With over half a million views in a few hours, and her retirement hashtag trending on Twitter, her retirement video, generated major hype on the internet.

In hindsight, she had quite an interesting career. Starting off as a member of the idol group SKE48, Yua transitioned to the JAV industry to make a big name for herself, achieving significant fame and becoming a role model for future generation of actresses in the process. One could get the gist of her popularity from her fan events, with a remarkable 70% female turnout in an industry with men as its major consumers.

In her retirement video, she acknowledged that work had took a toll on her well-being but happened to express fulfilment from her career, having won multiple Best Actress awards in her tenure.

She did remain active for the most part though, having released SSIS-834, that marked the end of her AV career. Post retirement, she is doing just fine with her focus being on the fashion line and posting NSFW content on her fan exclusive platform. Earlier, she made the news for double dating two idols from Johnny Kitagawa’s boy band.

Follow Yua on X

Skip to June, we saw that TRE catapulted JAV’s presence in the overseas with Taiwan playing the host but what followed was what no fans expected. Minami Aizawa announced her retirement in a press con at the airport terminal, bemusing fans globally. Apparently, she’d considered retiring post winning the FANZA Best Actress Award in 2019, but postponed her plans due to the pandemic.

Her decision was also influenced by personal loss to an extent. She referenced a mentor’s death from leukemia three years ago deeply affected her. Despite it, she continued performing in JAVs driven by a sense of obligation to her supportive fanbase. However, with the pandemic receding, she felt it was perhaps the right time for her to transition to a new career.

One big factor that influenced her decision was her having issues with her management agency, 44 Management which had reportedly faced severe financial difficulties, with rumors of impending bankruptcy. This situation led to several talents, including Aizawa, seeking other opportunities due to a lack of offers and unpaid dues.

Unlike her contemporary, Yua Mikami, who has a strong international presence and a fashion startup, Aizawa's reach is more limited, mainly to an Asian audience. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the United States, she enjoyed more fame in Japan, than the West. Post-retirement, she expressed interest in acting in Taiwanese or Hong Kong dramas, highlighting a desire to distance herself from the AV industry.

What grabbed attention however was her retirement announcement at the Taiwan airport, rather than in Japan. She wanted to make a statement in a place where the AV industry is less stigmatised compared to Japan, garnering overwhelming support from overseas and Taiwanese fans.

Over her career, Minami had starred in over 150 JAVs and won the FANZA Best Actress award twice. Her retirement JAV released in late October, is a 12 disc set & features over 48 hours of content.

Follow Minami on X

June was a month of retirements, we saw not one but two of the current gen’s biggest names quit AV. After Minami it was time for Hinata who followed the route. At that time, it was revealed that she hadn't released any new AV content in the past two months, intensifying concerns about her future in the industry.

Hinata had announced her plans to shoot a retirement AV with Premium and also surprisingly revealed her desire to have personal relationships with ordinary men, after retirement.

It didn’t take her much time to scale quickly in the industry from her debut with S1 back in 2019 having finished second in the rookie category in that year’s annual awards. Despite her success, she later transitioned to Premium amid uncertainties about her career path. She disclosed plans to conclude her AV journey with a cabin attendant-themed JAV scheduled for release in October

What influenced her decision however was the retirement of her idols Kirara Asuka and Yua Mikami, in her own words. This particular introspection led to her decision to retire and explore life beyond JAV, including pursuing personal relationships.

At that time, she had addressed the issue of piracy, condemning those who illegally download her work while expressing her frustration and the financial impact piracy has on JAV fraternity.

Her retirement JAV released on date garnered major hype and was pre booked before release

Follow Hinata on X

Then came one of the biggest rumors that unfortunately had turned into a big deal by the time I reported the news in November. The developing story on Yuu Shinoda’s retirement was a major news on our site. It followed a series of retirements of renowned JAV performers such as Yua Mikami, Minami Aizawa & Hinata Marin marking 2023 as a year of significant departures in the industry.

Nobody would have thought when she joined Madonna that Yuu would give up on her career. However, things started to unravel earlier in the year. Shinoda faced a period of inactivity, leading to rampant speculation and wild rumors about her personal life. They were certainly wild including allegations of flying to Dubai and indulging in exra curricular activities, which Yuu vehemently denied, warning of consequences for those spreading false information.

Despite her efforts to quash these rumors, Shinoda subsequently withdrew from all social media platforms except a largely inactive Twitch account, fueling further speculation about her future. The confirmation of her retirement came through a recent business trip to Japan by Yi Jian, the founder of ForAver to whom Shinoda's management company confirmed her decision to retire, with paperworks in the final stage. Although her agency attempted to persuade her to stay, they ultimately had to respect her decision to leave.

Her abrupt exit raised questions about the impact of online bullying and whether it influenced her choice to end her career. Her departure is particularly poignant given her significant accomplishments in the AV industry. Her fans anticipated the release of JUQ-449 this November, which marked the countdown to her final work.

While Shinoda had once expressed a desire to end her career with a significant impact, the nature of her retirement remains uncertain, especially since her AV work with Madonna has been characterized as relatively mainstream. With Shinoda's social media absence, details about her final AV work remain unknown, and clarity is only expected by early 2024.

It’s hard to comes to terms with Yuu Shinoda's retirement, but we hope she surfaces soon and updates us on the issue.

Just when we were beginning to conclude this year on a happy note, news hit of a 21 year old JAV idols passing earlier this month. Nanami’s tragic death highlights the darker side of the JAV industry and the human cost often overlooked by fans. A native of Ibaraki, Nanami was making her way up in the JAV industry but struggled behind the scenes, a reality that came to light subsequent to her death.

Nanami's struggle wasn't apparent to many, as her regular JAV releases continued. However, a noticeable decline in her social media activity raised concerns among some fans. The confirmation of her death was shared by a long-time friend, who posted a tweet announcing Nanami's passing.

The friend's statement revealed Nanami's troubled relationship with her peers during her upbringing, leading her to work as a bar maid while still in high school, a period she reportedly found comforting. Her transition into the AV industry seemed to be a choice born out of limited options rather than passion. The statement also noted that this wasn't Nanami's first attempt at ending her life, indicating ongoing mental health struggles.

For instance, one JAV blogger mentioned that when he requested Nanami's agency to send her to Taiwan for fan events, they declined, citing her unstable condition. This incident underscores the potential link between her deteriorating mental health and her death. Then there were these texts she sent to a friend, days before passing that conveyed a sense of hopelessnes & resignation, suggesting her deep emotional turmoil.

Her story is a stark reminder of the human beings behind the AV personas, who face real struggles and mental health challenges. It also shines a light on the industry's harsh realities, where studios continue to profit from the work of deceased actors, underscoring the complex and often troubling nature of the business.

Rena Fukiishi’s highly anticipated comeback by the end of the year was perhaps the biggest news in the later half of the year. Madonna came to her rescue just like they did for Yuna Shiina.

Rena’s comeback was particularly notable because she had been away from the JAV scene for about four years. Prior to her comeback, Rena’s last known appearance was in an uncensored JAV site catering to an overseas audience. Although she was involved in some projects under the alias Mio Shidou on sites like JapornX, her absence from the domestic JAV scene was palpable.

Her new project, JUQ-523, directed by Sotaro Mamezawa, is set to be a 153-minute feature JAV. Fans can look forward to its release on January 9, 2024, available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats. This release is being viewed as a belated New Year's gift for JAV enthusiasts.

Rena’s onboarding by Madonna could benefit both parties, as Fukiishi is at an age that aligns well with the studio’s MILF genre, forming majority of it’s roster.

Her return to the industry is much talked of right now. Particularly, her association with Madonna. Mark your calendars when her comeback JAV drops, it certainly looks promising.

For those of you who have been keeping up with AV news on X, you might’ve come across a tweet or two by Shoko Takahashi.

It’s strange for an individual who used to tweet only occasionally when she joined ListerPro, has remained pretty active on social media over the Christmas holidays, be it hinting at her brunette look or teasing fans with her new set of photographs. Recently, she made a tweet that grabbed my attention.

This tweet which translates to "Can I be on top?", excuse me for having a dirty mind but the first thought I had when I read this was that she wanted to ride on top as a kind of sexual innuendo. However, let's not make anything of it without much context. For the time being, let’s just assume that she wanted to get back on top, as in sales ranking.

Then there’s this Instagram story that she put up earlier from the location of a shoot. Shoko captioned that weather was quite cold but she shot a lot of stuff and urged her fans to look forward to it.

So what are the key takeaways from the above two posts? First of all, it’s not like she’s tempted to post on these platforms out of the blue, it could be that she has resumed work, even more so it could be that she is likely doing gravure shoots like she mentioned earlier in her retirement statement. So far, it has not been made public as to what projects she has been involved with at present.

Being a former AV actress, I assume an 'AV Resurrection' is on the cards, although I hope she takes her fair bit of time to consider a comeback. However, it will be her agency ListerPro at the end of the day that decides her future, so it wouldn’t be incorrect to state that Takahashi's activity these days is to show off her upcoming works.

Moving on, it’s hard to recognise her face in the first glance and I believe most would agree with me on this. The current Shoko Takahashi looks almost unrecognisable in the latest pics that came out. This begs a lot of judgement regarding whether her pics were morphed ridiculously using software or whether she has been taking several round to those aesthetic clinics. In a way, it seems that her former looks have been let go. But alas, she has ended her winter hibernation, now let's just stay tuned to her next step.

Follow Shoko on X

Farewell JAV Fans, until we meet next year with some more exciting scoops!