There was a bit of tremors going around the Chinese fandom that caught my eyes, when I mention the topic to a few English speakers the reaction was the same as mine: mild shock and disbelief.  After digging into the story, (as usual, credit to Playno1) we found the story to be an old one.  Despite it's an old story, considering the reactions in both Chinese and English fandom, I think it's a worthwhile story to cover even now. If you know well who Yuma Asami is, skip the next paragraph to the actual story. 

Yuma who?

Yeah most of you young'uns may not have heard of Yuma Asami 麻美ゆま... back in the day, she was a bigger star than most of today's top ranking idols. Her stature is comparable to Yui Hatano (long time veteran) combined with Yua Mikami (top ranking).  My personal favorite title is this Premature Ejaculation Improvement Clinic (I pretend not to see the official English title The Penises Training Camp).  It's not even my most preferred theme or genre.  But her performance in this video is a great example why I and so many fans love her so much.  During sex, she shows great interest and delight in the pleasure and orgasm of the male partner.  Think of someone who has never seen a K***** S******* (famous brandname candy toy) opening one of it for the first time.  There's chocolate and WHAT?! there is a toy inside!  Well that's the look Yuma Asami had when she got semen squirting out of an erect cock.  No matter she was already a veteran with literally hundreds of engagements under her belt.  She looks like she finds delight and joy every time a stud pulls a dick out of his pants, every time the dick becomes hard and erect, and every time (after sufficient fucking and sucking) jizz squirts out of the dick.  This quality of her is irresistible to me. 

Unfortunately she developed ovarian cancer in 2013, ending an 8 years career.  Luckily she had the love and support of her family and the treatment was fairly successful. And over the years, she gave a few interviews and small bits of news so fans know that she is still doing well.  Now given her very positive performance and positive altitude towards fans even years after she left her career, when I saw a sensational headline alleging something suspicious or nefarious was involved when Asami was recruited to make JAV, my first reaction was "Nah, can't be that Asami" then the second thought was "well it's just a sensational clickbait". This story needs a deeper probing.

Yuma Asami's Explosive Exposé (?)

The story was actually not new, back in 2014, Tokyo Sports web did a 20-parts long interview with Yuma Asami and retold her life story. The part about how she started her JAV career was a bit of a shocker.  The girl would would become Yuma Asami grew up in the small town of Takasaki, Gunma.  At the age of 18, she went to Tokyo looking for work, following her older sister. "Tokyo is good if you want to accumulate some money", said her.  Her sister works at an office, but the young girl had a different idea: "I should do something like a race queen or gravure." So on her birthday she signed a contract with a talent agency and started working at a club in Roppongi the next day.

Yuma's parents had a tavern in Takasaki, so the hospitality business seems to make sense. But she found out she doesn't like being a club hostess, "I don't have any conversation skills, and I don't know how to make a man feel good. I can't drink alcohol either." (did you catch life's irony there?) The young girl was able to live some interesting experience: going to high-rise building in Shinjuku, and enjoy the world of adults.  But club hostess is not for her.

So she started doing gravure as Yuma Aso 麻生由真. However, she got very few jobs, and once participated in a J-pop group of 108 people called "Anguish Girls".  Feeling rather lonely in Tokyo, and starting to miss the boyfriend back in Takasaki, who by the way was opposed to Yuma being a gravure model, appearing in men's magazine in skimpy swimsuit.  So she told her agent she wish to return home.  But the agent was having none of it. "You can't quit, you have a contract!" Yuma wants to go home.  Then the agent told her to become an AV actress.  As an AV idol she could live in her hometown and only come to Tokyo (only 150km away) a few days a month.

But Yuma didn't come to Tokyo to make porn.  But the agent told her it's the only way to both fulfill her contract and her wish to go home.  Being young and confused Yuma felt she couldn't consult her sister since it was she who suggested her to come to Tokyo.  The agent put on the pressure, "if you insist on going home, I will take you to see the president [of the talent agency]" The really put the fear in the young girl's heart. The president is an unmovable wall: "you have a contract with us" and Yuma thought that facing the president is scarier than making porn. 

Yuma was somewhat desperate to make money.  She got some debt from before and her parents are still working to cover the debt and make ends meet, while suffering from rheumatism. So Yuma opened the topic with her mother.  Surprisingly, her mother wasn't opposed to the idea.  "It's your life, I won't interfere with your decisions".  The manager also said, "It's not a job that anyone can do," So it's also a challenge, or opportunity.

Another event happened during this time.  At one point, Yuma had a fever at her boyfriend's house and she stayed for about 3 days. During that time she kept asking for sex. But he was put off by her fever and only gave her a hand job. After that she broke up with him. (a lesson to all boyfriends, and a gift to porn)

Then after considering everything: "I'll do it!"

So that's how Yuma Aso became Yuma Asami and made a double debut with Alice Japan and S1 in Novermber 2005.  She was planning to make some money for one to two years and quit at the age of 20.  But the rest, as they say, is history.  She ended up making over 200 titles (not even counting the many compilation releases) for almost 8 years.  Becoming the queen of JAV, mentor to many young girls, an important member of Ebisu Muscats and starring or appearing in many non-porn productions including major roles in several TV series.

After retirement and treatment for cancer, Yuma Asami has returned to public life. She wrote an auto-biography ReStart, and made a music album SCAR Light.