Kaede Matsushima

photo from Graphis Gals 034

Kaede Matsushima (松島かえで). Born 1982. Probably the AV star I've had most exposure to after Ran Asakawa, and another AV star who started her career in the early-2000's. Unlike Asakawa, Matsushima however continued starring in AV well beyond the mid-2000's--with her latest video released in 2010. She has that timeless quality for me. No matter how many videos and pics of her I've seen, I never seem to get bored of her at all. Does she remind me of someone I know? Not really. . .

Trivia: Like Asakawa, Matsushima tends to close her eyes during sex scenes.

Ran Asakawa

photo from Graphis Gals 031

Ran Asakawa (朝河蘭). Born 1980. Considered one of the most prolific AV stars in Japan (though this is mostly by the studio's design), but this was back in the early 2000's. She's one of my favorites, and I've probably seen more videos and pics from her than any other AV star at the moment. Though as with many who begun their careers in the early 2000's, she had already retired from the AV scene by the mid-2000's.

Hikari Kisugi

photo from Graphis Gals 015

Hikari Kisugi (来生ひかり). Born 1980. I first encountered her in the mid-2000s while looking for another AV star's videos (Sayaka Tsutsumi). One of her best features, for me, is her smile--especially close up. I ended up liking her better and decided to look for more videos from her. Like Tsutsumi, Kisugi made an appearance on Moodyz's Dream Woman bukkake series (Volume 38 for Kisugi, and Volume 11 for Tsutsumi). Again, like Tsutsumi, she tended to get cast in submissive roles (which was very much common in AV during those days). Though, Kisugi barely had any simulated-rape roles unlike Tsutsumi. Unfortunately, she isn't quite as well known, so info on her (and her videos) is scarce.

Anna Ohura

photo from Graphis Gals 016

Anna Ohura (大浦あんな). Born 1980. The first half-Japanese AV star I've ever encountered (like the ubiquitous Maria Ozawa, she's half-French and half-Japanese). Also the first big breasted AV star I saw. To this day, I've yet to see a full video of hers. Most of the videos I've seen are clips--and those were back in the early 2000s, which means they're heavily censored. Because of that, I don't have very much info on her either. About all I can say is that her looks change depending on the angle of the shot and the lighting, and even that alone makes her someone to look out for.

Trivia: I have a weakness for any woman who happens to be named "Anna". I also have a weakness for any pretty lady who wears glasses, and she occasionally wears glasses on some of her videos (she actually does have poor eyesight). And like me, she's left-handed.

Nao Oikawa

photo from Graphis Gals 020

Nao Oikawa (及川奈央). Born 1981. I first encountered her in Moodyz's long-running Dream Woman bukkake series (Volume 5). At first glance, she reminds me of this girl I've had a crush on for about 10 years now (ahem, no, we are NOT going to go any deeper into that). Though she was apparently very popular then, AV-wise, I've never really liked her videos much. She was also part of the earlier generation of AV actresses (early 2000s, when the mosaic censorship was much heavier). But she always seemed so out of place as an adult actress. I was actually much happier when I heard she'd moved on to mainstream acting. Recently, I've seen her in some tokusatsu shows (special-effects programs, eg. Masked Rider, Maskman, Ultraman, etc.), and she fits better there as an actress. Still, I watch some of her early adult videos from time to time. For some reason, those early vids have become much more interesting ever since she became a mainstream actress.

Sora Aoi

picture from Graphis Gals 000

Sora Aoi (蒼井そら), sometimes also referred to as "Sola Aoi", is a JAV actress. Born 1983. I don't have as much info about her, as I've only recently discovered her videos. Though I have heard of her name for quite a while. She has that seemingly innocent charm about her that I really like. And she looks good both in video and in photos. Besides adult videos and photobooks, she has also recently appeared on pinku eiga and some b-movie-type asian films.

Trivia: According to Wikipedia, she got her screen name when her agency asked her what her favorite color was (she answered "aoi" or blue) and what her favorite thing in general was (she answered "sora" or sky).