Playing supporting roles in mainstream movies is clichéd, how about we introduce you to an actress who does that in JAV!? Kikka Arashiro is someone you might've seen a lot if you happen to have watched a considerable amount of JAVs in your lifetime but somehow it's hard to recollect her name, right? But, when we got her to sit down for an exclusive interview with ZENRA, we actually unearthed a lot about the life of an extra on a JAV film set, juggling maternal roles on & off the screen and of course her love for anime & manga. Trust me, when I say she's just like us, and this interview is as raw as it comes. Certainly, it is worth a read!

The Life of an Extra

Q: What does a typical working day look like for you? Do directors frontload the scenes to allow you to leave early, or do you end up staying most of the day?

A: I usually arrive on set in the morning during the initial photoshoot for the box cover. Shooting starts around noon and I’m done around 5PM in order to make a pickup from daycare. Since I am a parent, I’m thankful to the directors as they will often shoot my scenes back-to-back. If a shoot requires travel, I will leave home as early as 6AM. And for extra busy shoots, I will be on set till late in the evening. The shooting style of the director can vary and with it, my own responsibilities throughout the day.

Q: Some movies see you mostly as a wallflower with little to no lines. Other times such as the aforementioned series by Sadistic Village, you are essentially the lead character. For the latter, do you prepare more beforehand?

A: If a movie has lines, then like other performers, I will need to spend time memorizing them before the shoot. This also includes physical activities as well if the script calls for it. Sometimes I will ad-lib lines and even when there is a script, will sometimes voice suggestions.

Q: Has the New Law affected your own casting? Or do performers who don’t appear in any sexually explicit roles have more leniency?

A: For a while offers diminished because the more people in a shoot, the riskier things get.

Read More: Big Changes Coming To The Controversial AV Law!

Q: Your Twitter says "女子ＡＶエキストラ希望者はDMください". Are there any active-duty female extras in the industry thanks to your guidance?

A: While I don’t teach acting, I do help new extras get attuned to set life from reading cast lists and specialized lingo that may appear on them such as N/D for ‘night/day’. Due to lighting, some shoots take longer to prepare and thus extras should keep this in mind.

Q: Sometimes you need to stay in bed and pretend you don’t know they’re having sex in the background. What does one do during that time? Have you ever accidentally dozed off?

A: Even laying in bed requires a certain amount of acting ability as I need to figure out an ideal amount of tossing, turning, and muttering to do. There was one time though when I did actually tune out so soundly after I came to, the filming was complete and nobody was in the room.

Q: Actresses are all part of agencies that handle things for them whereas male actors don’t have such agencies. What about background actresses like yourself?

A: Like male extras, I am totally freelance. There is no agency. There are a few examples though of extras that have some type of agency affiliation.

Straight from the set: Kikka with Marina Yuzuki

Q: What is one common misconception fans may have that you’d like to set straight?

A: Even scenes that don’t have any sexual acts but may still involve other types of hard play such as BDSM, we still clearly have a ‘no go’ list and have meetings before the shoot starts.

The Life of the Industry

Q: Before the current legal climate, it seems like switching out performers (such as if one was sick, suddenly canceled, etc.) was a feasible practice. Since you are on more sets than almost anyone else aside from production staff, may you share any interesting stories of studies dealing with last-minute changes be it with missing performers or set issues?

A: Since the Law because contracts to shoot times require at least a month and cannot be altered, there have been cases of filming being canceled due to a sudden illness. This is another reason why there are fewer movies with larger casts including extras.

Q: Over the years there have been many changes to AV—most notably the New Law. However, from your experiences, has the actual structure of a shooting day changed as well? Any major differences between a 2014 set and a 2024 one?

A: There are fewer movies with multiple actresses in them. One woman, one movie is becoming more of the norm. This is because of the delisting system where even if one actress requests it down the line, the movie has to be pulled.

Q: Not factoring in the cost to cast a famous performer, it seems one of the great things about JAV is be it a big studio or a smaller one, the cost to produce a movie probably does not vary too much. In terms of the set experience itself though, is there any major differences when being on a Wanz Factory (DMM) set compared to an independent one such as Sadistic Village?

A: Studios like Wanz Factory will usually make use of pre-existing studios whereas Sadistic Village often builds things up from scratch. Of course, there will still be variances within the studio depending on the need of the shoot.

Q: Some background actresses have gone on to have careers as actresses including mature actress Miki Yoshii and gyaru star Alice Otsu. What allows an actress to transcend background acting and become a star?

A: Yoshii-san has been performing in AV since the 90s and came from a theater background after finding how interesting our industry is. “Love is the key to success” is a Japanese saying that holds especially true here. If you love acting, you will succeed at it.

Read More: New To Me MILF Edition: Miki Yoshii

The Life of You

Q: Some may wonder why someone wants to be a career AV extra and never an actual performer. Is there a reason why you have never crossed into being a full-fledged actress?

A: In another era I did non-adult work including body part modeling on TV and the like which sometimes had me in states of undress. Around this time I met the president of a company called Taiyo Publishing. They had an AV department at the time and he told me if I was not afraid of AV, I should give working there a try, and later on the in-house director said if I was not afraid to act in AV, I should give it a shot as well. This is probably a different way to enter the industry compared to regular AV actresses.

Q: In SDMU-145, you played the owner of a massage clinic located next to a hiking trail that essentially acted as a rental space where fellow hikers could massage each other. While the director probably came up with the overall premise, how much input did you have? Do you really think a massage clinic by the mountains where hikers have to massage each other is a viable business plan?

A: This one takes me back! That movie did quite well and was on the charts for a while. The director has since moved on to another line of work, but in that movie, he gave me my first opportunity in a lead role. This was shot during a time when extras were only given scripts—and hired!--on the day of the shoot so I went in mostly in the dark. If anything, if I was approached ahead of time, I probably would have turned it down. This movie had a lot of ad libbed lines to flesh out the backstory and thankfully it worked for the better. I’m happy users abroad appreciate it as much as I do!

Q: In one of the “羞恥男女が体の違いを全裸になって学習する質の高い授業を実践する共学高校の保健体育” movies, there was a moment you had your hand on an actor’s erection. Until now I thought there was a strict separation between extras and “performers”. Was this moment intended to happen or was it spur of the moment?

A: This was planned. In fact, even for this role, I had to be tested for STDs (though the studio covered it). We figured if we’re going to do this type of scene, it should be done right! While it was known I would touch in that scene, the extra didn’t think it would be as firm as I ended up doing it—a little bit of mischief on my behalf.

Playing the athletic instructor: Kikka in SVDVD-622

Q: While you are not a ‘known name’ like a famous actress, by now for most any AV fan you’re certainly a ‘known face’. On that note, have you had any interesting fan encounters in real life? Any foreign fan encounters?

A: Even now I am surprised when my name appears on sites like Twitter and other sales sites and platforms. Until I was approached by ZENRA, I had no idea users from abroad were watching me. Seeing me or any AV performer on the street may be different than encountering celebrities as approaching us in a way would be revealing one’s sexuality.

Q: Have you been on sets where you could tell during the shoot itself the movie would bomb or be unusually successful? Any interesting stories about this?

A: It’s honestly hard to tell even by seasoned directors and actors. A film can feel so-so during the shoot and sell very well, but other times the opposite happens as well.

Q: Having to often play a maternal role, are there any personality traits you bring from your personal life to the screen?

A: If I can ab-lib, I may take things from my personal life. If it’s a set acting role, I may emulate an anime character. Even in ‘bad roles’, while I may emulate ‘bad’ characters, I try not to go overboard with the evil. And in matronly ones, I’d channel anime characters with similar traits. Of note are the many times I have played matronly figures in FAPRO movies, a legendary drama JAV studio whose movies are directed by Henry Tsukamoto. Very recently, I did a movie with Das directed by Jo Asagiri. There, in DASS-376, I played a matronly role of sorts looking over Waka Misono and Mizuki Yayoi. Among the many I did, this one may have been one of the more memorable ones.

Q: If you’re staying while they are filming a sex scene without you, what do you normally do? Do you watch? Do you help on set?

A: Normally, I am not present. Too many on-set during these scenes can distract the performers. However, scenes that require me, for example, to come in partway through will see me waiting just off-set.

Q: Since you have worked in so many films, have you formed any friendships with any actresses?

A: Yes, thankfully. Working together, especially during challenging scenes can lead to many friendships.

Q: Have you ever found that an age gap between yourself and the female lead has been difficult to handle on set?

A: Yes. Students, for example. There are not enough female extras to play them thus there may be times when I’m asking to step in. I’d even apologize to the performer for the unusual situation. Conversely, there have been times I’ve been given a matronly role with the actor being older than me.

Q: Have you ever scolded an actress outside of the filming itself?

A: No, as it’s a professional relationship. However, if I get asked for advice, I’d be happy to help with time-permitting.

Q: Are there any actresses you look up to specifically?

A: Many though in particular are actresses that even when I may mess up, will smile encouragingly. Among non-performers, I respect Tsubasa Kanda who writes a lot of scripts. Originally an extra who took on many nurse roles, she’s now very involved in the actual movie creation and I hope to emulate her more as time goes by.

Q: In some movies, you are seen bringing food to the table for a meal. Do you ever cook on set for people?

A: I do not. The most I’ve ever done is peeling apples. With cooking comes a risk of food poisoning. The distance to studios can be far which is another reason why I don’t bring cooked food though there have been times I have gone with ADs shopping to decide what best to buy for the shoot.

Kikka features in the latest JAV starring JULIA

Q: Speaking of meals on set, what is the best meal you’ve ever had on set?

A: A makeup artist once cooked a delicious steak with all the fixings for a VTR movie where the food is shown but later vanishes in a time-lapse and I got to eat it after.

Q: For the female leads, it is very easy to see how many films they do per month. With exclusive actresses that is typically just one per month while I’ve seen freelancers do more than a dozen. How many do you typically do as a background actress, and what is the most you’ve ever done in one month?

A: Before I gave birth, it was as many as 25 titles a month though now it’s closer to 10-15 which is closer to the average for most extras.

Q: What is the most interesting role you’ve played as an extra?

A: As noted above, SDMU-145 was the first time I was given a lead role so that is one I hold close to my heart. It was originally going to go to another, but she did not want to stand out so much. My career trajectory if I did not take that role would have been a lot different. The first movie I did with Sadistic Village was SVDVD-471 and it was an incredible experience. The cast was huge with so many male extras being instructed to do random medical things in the background. It was a very challenging role at the time for me.

Q: I know you were recently happy when 六反りょう followed you on Twitter. What is your favorite work from him?

A: That would be 「亭主元気でマゾがいい」.  Despite his masochism, I can’t help but appreciate his courage and positivity and how he never gives up.

Here she explains how she wanna channel the Ryoko san on screen, "I want to play the role of Tamiya Ryoko!"

Q: Do you have a favorite manga/anime? What are you watching/reading now?

A: Jutsu Kaisen is what I recently started watching. I also look forward to seeing the movie version of Demon Slayer and the TV recreation of Golden Kamui.

Q: Is Slam Dunk the best sports manga? My favorite is 黒子のバスケ.

A: The best! While I don’t read too many others, Kuroko’s Basketball also is popular so I may read it one day.

Her excitement can be judged from this tweet, "I watched Slam Dunk for the third time! I decided to buy the new edition after all. The interview in re:source was also interesting to read, so I'm glad I bought it."

Q: I see you are a fan of Pokemon, do you have a favorite one?

A: Outside of GO, I don’t know much about it, but I play almost daily.

Read More: Top JAV Anime Parodies

Q: You eat a lot of snacks, what is your favorite?

A: Most anything I like, but there is one called 天使のはね which is great because it doesn’t make a sound when eating which is perfect for on-set munching. Sadly, it’s only sold in Okinawa...

Q: You’ve played a lot of roles in your career, what has been your favorite to play?

A: There’s so many, but the lecturer role in SDMU-898 directed by Ota Miguwa is up there. He works hard and ensures the performers give it their all.

Q: You often play a lot of nurse roles, what is it about nurse roles that find you playing them so often?

A: There happens to be many hospital settings in adult video. It helps that I am good with that stiff kind of dialog which may be a reason why Sadistic Village casts me so much. Even with other studios, if I play a matronly role we still may work it in that I work as a nurse.

Who comes to mind when you're thinking of playing nurse side quests in JAV? Hint: Kikka

Q: I’m sure you’ve seen Doraemon or Crayon Shin Chan a million times now. Are there any such shows you can’t stand?

A: The last few episodes of Demon Slayer. The wait for the final battle was almost unbearable!

If you've made it this far, make sure to follow her on X, as well as ZENRA. Keep reading more intimate interviews here!