Originally I had written a fully fledged-out piece for 2020, on the best and worst. I decided to hold off, and incorporate the bits and pieces that I felt most important. So this time, I will be talking about my top winners and losers for the year of 2021, which has fortunately or unfortunately been foreshadowed by 2020. First off, this year has had a lot of AV debuts, as like previous years, but similarly, the number of actresses retiring, or have announced retirement, especially in light of the pandemic, and realizations of their aspirations, have left fans with mixed feelings. One that both questions the quality of new recruits, the sensitivity of saying goodbye, and just a feeling of never-ending change. For long-time JAV veterans, this is nothing new though. So I will talk about the losers in 2021 first, and have attempted to condense it.
First off - The Freelancers
While it may not be apparent to every fan, the fact that the pandemic is still in full force, has caused the AV industry to reduce the number of offers for freelancing actresses. While exclusive actresses haven't had this problem because it is written in their contract, I talked to a few actresses, even a few prolific ones, who said there is still a drop in offers. While this isn't the end of the world for the more popular freelancers, it certainly makes it more competitive for actresses in this cutthroat entertainment world.
2nd - Retirements
Several actresses have announced retirement, ones who have been in the industry since 2015 or even earlier, and it has been clear that the trend of popular actresses to have longer stints. If you look back in the early 2010s or even 2000s, not many actresses would stay for so many years, but now that we have had the retirements or announced retirements of big names such as Nanami Kawakami, Abe Mikako, Rena Aoi, Horikita Wan, etc. That being said, I think we are on the precipice of a new era, so to say. Call it an instinct, but I have a feeling that other actresses like Iori Kogawa and Mana Sakura will also retire soon, whether it be within the next year or in a few.
3rd - Unsaid retirements
I wrote early in 2021 that Meguri had planned on coming back after the pandemic But the issue is, the pandemic is not going away. While this is only conjecture, I believe Meguri will stay active to some extent, you will not see her again on the big screen in the way you'd expect. Additionally, there are actresses like Honoka Yonekura, who disappeared at the end of December, and I confirmed that she was no longer on Glanz Pros agency roster. While this has happened previously, where she took a year-long hiatus, time will only tell.
Winners
Mina Kitano - While I haven't been particularly impressed with this years batch of debuts, one that has caught not only my eye, but many fans as well, is the new debut from E-Body, and current free-lancer Mina. Her acting skills are still rough edges, but she shows promise. Karen Yuzuriha is also a new debut as of March of 2021, and has been doing quite well for herself as she has signed contracts with both Oppai and Premium, which will be nice to see how she grows from there. Also, I'd like to mention Mio Megu, who, while she debuted in the latter half of 2021, has shown lots of growth as she has started to move around to other studios, and am interested in what shell bring for 2022. Granted, it might just flop but who knows. Now I have checked out most debuts from 2021, and while there are a few who are either popular or have caught my eye, I don't have an inkling to mention them yet, as I believe they still have yet to prove themselves. Additionally, I would like to point out Hikari Sena who debuted in August 2020, has done quite well for herself, and despite the consistency, I think she has found her niche in the market, despite competing with many other actresses with similar body types.
To be completely honest, I think it's a tough decision to make for veterans who did well in 2021 let alone 2020 just because they have been really bad years. I will point out Mayuki Itou, who has nailed not only her 2D performances but is a level above anyone in VR, as well as Ai Hoshina. (For Mayuki, her last 3 VRs should have good images, Ai Hoshina has some good eye-candy from Premium VR but up to you).
Unfortunately the same cannot be said for studios that have just started filming VR like Dahlia and Faleno but it's a nice try on their side. Meanwhile other studios will be making headway. This being said, it's important segway into all the different studios leaving DMM. Now, I've heard complaints about DMM having a monopoly, and the money is a ripoff and whatnot so it's great to have competitiveness. I agree, but the alternatives arent much better, especially in VR. So to sum up, MGS and SOD (MGS is larger than DMM, and SOD isn't a knock-off in size) have both left DMM, and made an agreement between each other to help out. While there's nothing wrong with this on the cover, the issue becomes when the products offered are worse. For DMM, which owns R18, that's a free plug for people who live overseas or don't speak Japanese, which MGS has yet to integrate. While you could just use a browser to translate the page, the method for payment can be a hassle (but they don't require phone numbers).
What is more concerning, is the options to view. While the digital option for viewing 2D things is fine, there's no compatibility for VR. The so-called app which you can use has 1.5 stars on Google (WS Player - Apps on Google Play IMAGE). And if you have a headset, they also suggest just using your web browser Needless to say, I'm not too happy. The bright side, however, is that SOD is one of the studios that is working with SLR, which means that eventually, people can watch it on an English-friendly, headset-compatible rig, but then the question becomes time, and if the subscription is worth it to you. (I plan on posting more about this in the future, so we'll see how it develops). Now to talk about veterans Id say it has been a good year for Dahlia, specifically Mino Suzume, Rin Azuma, Ayaka Tomoda, and Tina Nanami, who have been solid rocks for Dahlia, and helping them grow. Asides from that, to me- it feels like most actresses are doing as is, or making do with what they're getting. Ichika Matsumoto is chugging along, Nao Jinguji, Aika Yamagishi, Akari Mitani, Noa Eikawa, as well as many other actresses are doing well, but there hasn't been someone who has performed above their usual, or exceptionally better than other actresses. And that's basically why I can't decide on winners for 2D films.
Anyways, I think that's it for me! Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think about my choices :)
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