We kick off with a botched job. Ichika Matsumoto heads to the adult video store to check out her fans in person. These type of videos are a tried a true formula that should be easy fun for fans as we see a porn actress check out the store and have fun inside of it. Sadly this video was ruined by a troubling trend. Nearly all of the outside scenes and store scenes were blasted with censors. Something that has been happening more and more lately but this takes the cake. With how much the film takes place in the store we get almost 2 hours of wall to wall censors in the background. The official screenshots are total bunk and not seen in the final product.

This is a sad trend to see grow in JAV and really takes the wind out of the sails in outdoors films. Especially when this video should be an easy homerun for Ichika. She’s very charismatic and personable. This video is right up her alley and she does a great job in it playing with and teasing the customers. Sadly the censors override all of that. One of the more disappointing films of the year and gets a skip for me. SKIP

Now for a pair of star studded collabs to fix the mood. First is kawaii and Idea Pocket joining forces with Mayuki Itou and Momo Sakura. Both headed to the onsen for a steamy foursome. The two reunite after having worked together before for Beauty Venus 8. The pair play company bosses who are on a trip with their juniors; two younger studs that they decide to have fun with. A nice simple premise and setting with great performing by our leads. There’s only light girl on girl play but that’s not a big mark down for me because how great the chemistry between the two girls were.

Momo and Mayuki come across as long time friends with their effortless chemistry on screen. The real fun of the video is seeing the pair play with and tease their juniors. The scenes are well shot with nice soft lighting on Mayuki and Momo’s beautiful bodies. It’s a good collab and one of the better featuring exclusive stars this year. Proof that girl on girl play in threesomes aren’t required for a great video. Not to say that I would say no to much more of it. WATCH

If our last star collab didn’t have enough girl on girl play for you then this next one will certainly give you your fill. Two good friends IRL in Aika Yamagishi and Akari Mitani pair up for this terrific threesome video. Aika and Akari are very close outside of JAV and this is their third on screen collab. A Nampa style video about the two picking up men for fun. First lets get the bad out of the way because the video is a bit hit and miss. The misses are the camera which uses a lot of handheld shots and Gonzo like style which did a poor job of capturing some of the action. Another was the censors for the outdoor sections (again) and face censoring the guys. I don’t know who thinks it’s a good idea to add more censors even if it’s on the guy to simulate the pick up theme.

With the negatives out of the way lets get to the positives because is a big one and it is Aika and Akari. These two are so fun and comfortable together. They joke and laugh together and it makes for better sex as the two are not shy around having fun with their bestie. And I’m not talking about just kissing and fondling each other. The girls are coming in for fingers and mouthfuls of fun into each other’s pussies. The clear standout scene is the last with both girls so loose while having a blast filming. My favorite moment comes in when Akari hydrates Aika with some water via mouth to mouth exchange. It’s a wild fun capper to a great star team up between friends. It’s a great video that is held back by some questionable choices by the production but nonetheless great. MUST WATCH

Don’t call it a comeback because she never really left. Kana Yume now known as Jun Mizukawa is back on her freelancing ways. It’s been years since she was allowed to roam free where she did in my opinion her best works. Kana’s a veteran actress who has been around for well over a decade now and seems to be starting another new chapter in her career. Does she still have it in her for the grind after all of these years? From the looks of this title I think so.

A dramatic piece from the up and coming studio Yonaka’s; makers of cinematic AV. A simple story about an Office Lady who turns a deliver guy into her object of her awakened lust. Some of the scenes outside of the first aren’t on par with Yonaka’s usual cinematic quality however that’s made up for the great performing by the star. Kana is terrific as this sultry women whose passion awakens as she starts a relationship with the man. A relationship that edges towards femdom in the end. The final scene with the man in front of Kana as she teases him is very femdom-esque and should appeal to fans of legs. With almost a decade and a half Kana’s kept her body in such great shape while performing her all as usual. If we are seeing the return of freelancing Kana then sign me up. WATCH

Our next video is more about eye candy than quality. Aka Asuka aka Shiose aka Nagi Hikaru has gotten a big glow up recently. The big busty broad from S1 has gotten even prettier than before which is a big reason why I wanted to check her out again. And again I was pretty disappointed. Aka is a beauty and has a great body but watching her feels so empty. Her performance feels so lackluster with her doing just enough to coast by scenes. Her new face seems to have made her even less emotive and expressional. So pretty and yet little substance to really grab onto. Still you can expect me to check her out again after she got another big upgrade by turning her big chest into a gigantic chest. SKIP

Speaking of beautiful eye candy who are not known for their performing; Tsumugi Akari. A porcelain skinned beauty with a fragile appearance. She might not be a great performer but can hit it out of the park when the right title fits her. And this title fits her to a T. In it she plays a quiet librarian with a kinky secret fetish for books as one lucky man finds out. We get a subdued film about the two sneaking around the library as Tsumugi gets herself hot and bothered by the literature while using the man’s cock to finish her off. The video is a rarity in that Tsumugi’s performance absolutely killed it.

She’s not a very animated person or a loud personality. However she slide into the role of the quiet librarian like a hand fits on a glove. Pulling off the subdued lusty inner self that lets out during the sex. Tender passionate kissing, slow grinding on cock, and her usually great long blowjob sucking. This was Tsumugi at her best from the first to last scene. It’s hard to pick standout scenes but I would call out the first sex scene in the office and bathroom stall blowjob that has some book fetish play going on. I would love to be proven wrong about Tsumugi like this over and over. MUST WATCH

Our next quality video stars the rising Ibuki Aoi. She has looked better than ever and putting it all together. One of the top stars at Moodyz today, Ibuki is just peaking right now. This is the best video I have seen with Ibuki. Here she plays a school sports team manager who takes care of her team any way she can. A great staple in JAV and Ibuki’s entry is no less great with her looking fully stacked on all ends. Her cute face and big round ears come into contrast with her soft tiddies and washboard like abs. Seriously one of the best tummy and waist in JAV today. All of that with a great attitude, fun personality, and an improving performance.

Her performing is usually up and down but here she’s on top of her game especially on the sex front. Terrific at pleasure her teammates be it in a bathroom giving double blowjobs or educating a group of them by letting them all have sex with her. She’s also loosened up and having more fun. You can see smiles shoot across her face as she is making out with one member one moment or calling for another to fill her up the next. The way Ibuki has been shaping up recently you might hear more about her in my End of the Year awards for the best in JAV. MUST WATCH

Speaking of Moodyz stars our next star is like a future one with Rena Miyashita. The social media savvy star has been in hot demand this year especially on the modeling front. And its not hard to see why with beautiful face, big eyers, and adorable expressions. On the AV side she’s been getting better gradually with this title letting her show her loving side. This video is about a new couple finally getting it on with their trip to an Onsen. A great eye candy title if up and performing from our star.

Rena is a beauty and you can see that on full blast during the blowjob scenes. The first scene, the bathtub, and the POV blowjobs are all the highlights of the film. She’s so beautiful and great eye candy to look at and to have look back at you. Especially the first scene where her loving looks while looking up to her man were too adorable to resist. She can still improve a lot in her performance. Still a little too timid and stilted during the actual sex. And sadly the bath part of the Onsen theme was underutilized. CHECK

Our next one is worth a quick chuckle when we see Rio Kuriyama in her “ugly duckling” phase. However the laughs are gone when we get into the action and it’s wall to wall passionate lusty sex. It’s a pretty basic video about two friends who start an affair after reuniting. Really it’s two hours of Rio Kuriyama showing why she might be the best performer at Madonna and on the shortlist for best overall today. By the way she sucks dick while maintaining eye contact or how she brings in her partners body while pounding into him harder. In one scene she bends over for the guy and spreads open her legs and pussy for him to continue pumping into her. Rio’s at her best when she’s fucking with such desperation and appetite. MUST WATCH

We cap off with a video that is a total hit on one part and a total miss on the other. Ai Hongo plays a swim instructor who finds herself the object of affection for her star pupil. Ai’s been steadily shining at S1 and is one of their better performers. The outfit selection here was spot on and Ai wears the heck out of them all. Especially the black number they squeeze her into in the finale. Definitely want to see more of that one. One piece suits are usually so conservative and boring but these, and Ai’s body, made the film.

However the big miss in the film was that they made Ai the sub. She plays the typical reluctant female costar and it’s not until the end that she gets to act more assertive. The final scene has her enjoying it a lot more and the scene is easily the best of them all. I wished the entire film was like it. We could’ve had more moments like Ai greedily sucking off the guy while she rubbed her clit with her swimsuit. Mismatch aside this is worth watching for the outfits and the stellar ending. WATCH