Ayumi – Big Love – June 25th, 2010
Spice visual / Mare
Catalog # – MMR-107 – All Regions Disc – 16:9 Aspect
Running Time: 68 Minutes
The Skinny: I’m not exactly sure what is about Ayumi that makes me admire her video work as well as her flat out great looks. Ever since Summer Jewel and Eternal Summer, I’ve been a big fan. Maybe it is her smile, or maybe it is her womanly hips. And maybe it isn’t just any one thing but instead, a combination of many things. Read on.
The montage begins the idyllic video set in tropical Bali. There are 9 main chapters each with names rather than numbers between the opening and the closing credits. The video concludes with about 4 minutes of behind the scenes which include a few questions which Ayumi answers while offering up some her best smiles. Sweet. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s have a look at the the chapters.
The first Chapter, called Balcony, opens with Ayumi wearing a beige knit sweater and cut-off jeans shorts over a white bikini, Ayumi is in a high energy mode. She’s all smiles with lots of movement as she works her way out of her outer clothes. You will also note the high energy of the camera movements, I mean many rather than quickly, and editing. The angles are varied throughout and there a lot of editing cuts which gives us even more visual changes. All to the good.
In Two called Garden, we are still outdoors. Ayumi nows wears a blue mono-kini which is basically a bikini but is still just a one-piece swimsuit. The same visual style is present with our model making excellent use of the structure’s wooden supports.
Three has us indoors. A dressed for business (black skirt & dress shirt) Ayumi also sports eye glasses. In this one she’s much more relaxed as she poses on the hotel room’s bed. First the shoes, then the stockings come off. Eventually Ayumi is wearing only a black trimmed in red bra and panties set. This is a glamor posing scene – there won’t be any implied or pseudo-sexual antics. Watch for a great angle on Ayumi’s bottom as she turns over on the bed. Other than Caitlyn Smith’s song Fold …
How lovely your eyes tell me just what you’re thinking now…
And how I wish I could get into your head … somehow.
… there isn’t much music in this scene which plays out without Ayumi smiling, but the song seems to fit with her expressions and mood, making this a beautiful to watch chapter.
A pool scene follows with Ayumi actually swimming, actually getting her hair wet, and no sign of any inflated plastic to keep her afloat. Ayumi wears a navy bikini. The music is another song from Caitlyn Smith. This one is called Broken Vase:
Picture me, a broken vase,
Put me together again …
Next up is a Chapter called Dance – yes, Ayumi dances. Not so well that I would be praising, but not so bad that I would be damning. In fact, she must have been dancing to a tune which wasn’t the one we heard on the music track because her rhythm didn’t seem to fit the cadences of the music.
I haven’t been able to track it down but the song contained lyrics about lots of broken bibles, and picture perfect idols. But it hardly seemed like a dance tune for a Balinese patio.
But as you can see in this image to the left, Ayumi’s dance costume was just a colorful but quite small bikini, so even though the music wasn’t a match with the song, likely added in later, she still gave us a nice set of visuals.
In the next one, Ayumi wears a white tank top and bikini bottoms. The legend on the shirt reads Full of Love. While Ayumi shows off her beautiful figure and great smile, we hear yet another song by Caitlyn Smith – this time it is Stand With Me.
…Tell me I’m a fool if I don’t fight
Stand with me, till everything’s all right
Ah, the wonders of double side tape. The scene has a nice late afternoon glow to it. But I’m sure that spending time with Ayumi would induce a glow at any time of day and wherever you might be.
Ayumi next appears in a bejeweled black mono-kini. It’s a slow paced walk around the grounds (not very far), and the side-less, backless, and neckline down to below her navel, bathing suit reveals some of Ayumi’s curves. And she looks superb with the tropical Bali setting with the lush foliage, behind her. As nice as she looks, I also must give kudos for the superb location to the producer and his team.
The next chapter begins with Ayumi wearing a white blouse with a floral pattern. There’s a wall behind her and we can see the sunlight on her face. Only the name of this chapter is Bath Room, and this scene begins with a shower. I’ve long reported to you about these Balinese shower rooms, that have walls but no ceilings. Call it open aired rather than outdoors. After the shower we have Ayumi, in just a bikini, on the veranda of her second floor room. Once more, Ayumi looks great with Bali greenery behind her.
Twelve minutes remain for the Main Chapters. Ayumi is in bed. Ohayo (Good morning) she says. The scene has just the natural lighting. Ayumi begins wrapped in a sheet. But soon she lowers it, and we have some posing in a white bikini.
Six minutes later, Ayumi wearing a pale blue dress steps into the swimming pool. Slowly the closing credits roll. Then we have some behind the scenes footage for the last 4 minutes or so.
Summary: Ayumi seemed to slow down as the video progressed. I don’t mean that she stopped working hard. Instead, the director gave her less and less to do, and whatever it was, he may have said – do it slower, please.
Still despite the fact that she doesn’t get a lot of video work, she began in 2006, this one along with the two Summer videos make up 60% of her video portfolio. Those 3 out of a total of five, would make anyone’s highlight reel. Despite the slim videography, I still believe that she’s one of the finest gravure models. I compare her to the wonderful model now actress – Hiroko Sato.
I’m going to score this DVD at four point zero. It isn’t seriously flawed, has interesting music which probably says more about the tastes of the producer and director than it does about Ayumi, and the locations and settings were superb. But as I said above, it seemed to lose energy as it progressed. I’m looking forward to Ayumi’s next DVD.