Trends That Will Shape the Future of JAV

If you've been following the JAV for quite some time, you might have already noticed how different current JAV is compared to five to ten years ago. Video quality has improved dramatically; AV actresses are crossing into the mainstream; there is less and less of "questionable" AV titles; more beautiful girls are entering the industry, etc.

However, there is a lot more in store for this beloved industry of ours, and they are bound to change a lot of things in the coming years. Let's have a look into them.

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However, some members of the industry have voiced out that regulation seems to have gone too far. The New AV Law of 2022, for instance, has made signing of contracts and shooting of videos more difficult for new actresses. Although the regulation is meant to protect the incoming talents, some industry pundits claim that this goes against their right for free choice in occupation and also puts them in more vulnerable positions.

For those interested in the gritty details of the debacle, our fellow writer Trapstar has made brilliant articles covering the law and its criticisms.

[READ: Ginza Takeover: JAV Actress' Take To Streets To Demand AV Law Revision!]

[READ: BREAKING: Big Changes Coming To The Controversial AV Law!]

On the flip side, some state and civil society regulation have also given the talents more control over their craft. Since actresses are given more flexibility to start and terminate contracts, they are also given more negotiating power when dealing with producers and agents. Thus, we're assured that our favorite actresses are treated like princesses out there - as it should be. Fans can rest knowing that none of the actresses are pushed to do anything that they are not willing to do.

We can also see this today, with many exclusive actresses suddenly retiring after a couple of months or years in the industry, seemingly out of nowhere.

Aside from Japanese state regulations, the industry is also on an economic chokehold. R18.com, one of the largest and most consolidated platforms for selling JAV content in the international market, has been restricted from using Mastercard and Visa as payment options, leading to them closing up shop. Recently, FANZA and FANTIA has been receiving the same heat. With JAV consumers finding no other way to legally pay for their JAV, we can only expect more piracy out in the wild.

The issue has become to serious that even JAV studios are region-locking their websites. Prestige, for instance, has recently blocked all non-Japan traffic into their site, pushing users to access it via a VPN. Prestige has in fact gotten off the R18 boat earlier than other studios, choosing instead to build their own distribution sites where customers can buy their content. Today, most studios such as the giant SOD have gone through this route. We will be covering this Platform War below.

Although there has been considerable pushback from the industry in some areas of regulation, we are also likely going to see more public control over the JAV industry in the coming years. Even today, public moralists are going out of their way on social media to denounce not only the JAV industry, but pornography as a whole. This is surely going to have an effect on the industry in the coming years.

Nonetheless, I think there is not much to worry for the industry as whole, with regards to its existence. The Japanese government and society have come to consider JAV as part of their culture. Moreover, it is a billion-dollar industry that rakes in a lot of bread for the state. It is unlikely that Japanese government will do anything to harm the JAV bigwigs and their business. 

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Of course, while some cosmetic enhancement could potentially lead to some good, we also know of people who have taken them a bit too far.

So what does this mean for the industry? First of all, fans will start to have more distorted views of women's bodies. Since pornography is a fantasy in the first place, actresses making their jugs or butts larger just to fit into the fantasy will minimize the variety of bodies featured on screen.

I call this titties inflation - and that is not a pun. The standard for boob sizes will only go up, and the most ignorant JAV viewers will begin to see the average pair of boobs in real life as too small.

Of course, this is neither good or bad for the industry. Their job is to cater to the viewers' fantasies, not to depict real life sex in a realistic way.

Nonetheless, this would mean a bigger divide between professional JAV and amateur JAV, which we will cover in the shortly. JAV actresses would be compelled to subscribe to very high bodily standards, and while other actresses who can't afford a boob job would simply settle for a less professional work. Just check out S1'S current roster and tell me if I'm delusional.

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We're already seeing this with Prestige, one of the biggest studios in the industry. They are releasing less and less videos per month, especially on their own label. Instead, they are releasing cheaper videos in their sub-labels, thus segregating their "premium" content with the non-premium ones.

At the same time, we are seeing the rise of upstart independent "producers", usually operating outside the confines of JAV industry proper. This is also linked to the proliferation of uncensored amateur videos, mostly working without any legal regulation. Given the availability of cheap consumer video recording equipment, anyone with a camera can now "produce" work in shady hotel rooms.

Sadly, since there is less work in the JAV industry and due to the many legal hoops one must jump through before even setting foot inside a studio, many talents simply opt to grab a quick buck working for these "producers."

And it's not as if the big JAV producers are concerned or threatened. With JAV gaining more mainstream legitimacy and with the possibility of multiple income streams (brand collaborations, advertising, merchandise, and many others), JAV studios do not really mind letting go of cheap productions and allotting more budget for big productions. What results is less work for upcoming talent, and a bigger divide between professional JAV work and amateur work.

What does this mean for us JAV fans? First, it means we'll continue to enjoy high-quality work from the biggest studios.

However, it also means we have to wade through a lot of poor and mediocre adult work if we want to look for "hidden gems." Yes, I personally prefer to look for actresses who are not necessarily conventionally beautiful but have great sex skills. JAV is a lot more than visuals, and sadly, the high-quality videos only tend to feature inhumanely gorgeous and "bankable"/ popular girls. Since mediocre actresses are usually buried in the deep recesses of vendor sites (and there too many vendor sites to look into), it will become more difficult to stumble upon them.

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This is not much different from the Streaming Wars. Back in the day, all you need is a cable subscription to get all the TV programming. Today, you need to have separate subscriptions to get access to each network's catalogue. The industry doesn't want a "one stop shop" that takes a cut from their revenue - they all want to be the dominant platform.

What does this mean for the industry? Well, this means it would be difficult for casual fans to get a feel of the entire industry. Since every studio is building more muscle by the day, and even JAV actresses are getting into the action by building their own brands, it would be more difficult to monitor the industry as a whole.

It also means that eventually, each studio will become its own self-contained universe of JAV content. We'll have to wait for quite some time to see if any one of them manages to take control and consolidate all content into a single platform again.

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However, AI technology is changing really fast, and we also already see some improvements in the rendering in just a couple of months. Take a look at this work by North Skins, AIAV-001, which features another AI-powered face. It still looks weird and clonky, but it is much cleaner looking than AIDV-001.

But let's be honest here: it might take a while before AI technology would come close to a truly natural-looking model. This is why some AI JAV producers did the right thing when they went to the less realistic direction.

For example, AIAV-002 features an elf model that looks out of this world. It didn't need to look realistic, because it is fantasy after all.

But this tells us that the possibilities are endless. In the future, we might see AI videos featuring fictional characters and situations that would be difficult to shoot in a typical studio.

But AI will revolutionize not only the actual videos, but also the way the industry works. AI will surely affect how scripts are written, how videos are advertised, and many others. Front covers will be made using AI tools, sets can be replaced by AI-generated graphics, male actors can be made to look more ugly or more handsome, their cocks shorter or bigger, according to the director's whims.

Who knows what's next? AI videos that use retired actresses' faces and making new videos for them? Hold up - retired actresses Ai Uehara (the pun is definitely unintended) has even released a photo book called Rebirth, made entirely of AI-generated images of herself.

The future, indeed, is getting weird.

Nevertheless, the entry of AI in the industry is bound to create some practical and philosophical problems. For instance, to what acceptable extent shall actresses use AI tech to 'improve' their visuals? Can JAV studios use faces of existing faces and brands? And the practical question - what will happen to the make-up artists?

All of these are pressing concerns that will surely be a matter of discussion for the years to come.

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What do you think are the other things that will surely change JAV in the future? Don't hesitate to share your thoughts with us in the comments!