About & Discussion

June 21st, 2010 – (pending)

June 1st, 2010 – Another idol has changed teams. The idol would be Hana Haruna, and changing teams means that she is leaving the world of gravure idols and has signed a contract with Muteki, an AV production house. The sum of money being floated around in some forums is quite a large sum, but rather than speculate on it – I’ll simply wish Hana well. Here’s a look (to the left) at the image from the formal announcement from Muteki. The video’s release date will be July 1st.

April 25th, 2010 – Apparently or at least for the time being, cdjapan has decided to no longer sell gravure idol DVDs. Since they didn’t ask my advice, or yours, we will have to find other web vendors. There has been no announcement on the cdjapan website – but I heard about it on a forum, and besides that, none of the hundreds of links that I have provided connect to the products, nor do the links on google.

Suffice to say it is a business decision. But based on what? I can’t say. Some have said that it is based on the growing concern about pornography in the United States. Well, that’s all well and good, if that is the way you feel. But simply, gravure idol, DVDs, and photobooks are clearly NOT pornographic.

How can they be? There’s no sexual activity, and there’s no nudity. Yes, some models and some production houses push the envelope – and the tease and suggestions of sex are often present. But that is as far as it goes.

All I can say is thanks to cdjapan for the many years of superb service and for making these products available to people all over the world. Now the dollars I spend on DVD’s will go to other vendors. I think the decision is short-sighted, flawed, and utterly a bad business decision. Since cdjapan simply closed down all the links and made no formal announcement or offered any explanation, we will all have to find alternatives.

January 22nd, 2010: For the immediate future, please be aware that the look of my website will be changing. As this site has been open for more than a year as a domain, and before that since August of 2006 as my own site (though hosted by gijo.org), it has basically had just one look. The Also On Video theme was built by Zatoichi and has served me very well.

But after 3 years and 5 months a change is in order. I will be trying out different themes. And since Zatoichi recently upgraded my worpress base to the newest and most up to date version, many more themes will now work. Some will be dark and some will be light colored themes. Some will provide borders for the images and others will treat block quotes differently. So if you show up to read a review and the place looks different, please take it in stride. After all change is good.

January 7th, 2010: Some technical news. Last night the site was down for a few hours for an upgrade. The newest WordPress platform 2.9.1 was uploaded to the site. This will give me more formatting options. Sorry for any inconvenience if you attempted to access the site and couldn’t. Thanks to Zatoichi for handling this tech-side upgrade.

December 20th, 2009: Yours truly started another blog back in Mid-October, 2009, which is called The Arts. It is set up on the WordPress platform. This blog will be similar to Also on Video, only it will be mainly for Art, Movies, Travel, and TV. Only once in a while will we feature any gravure DVDs. If you found my non-gravure posts on AoV interesting, then please check out the new blog.

Here’s the link to it: The Arts – JustMeMike’s New Blog

To get this blog up and running I imported a few of my older posts at AoV. Right now, for the lead story, you can read a review of the Johnny To film Vengeance which was one of the entries at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. You may also find a brand new article about The Actress Who Never Was or The Mysterious Case of Aya Takanashi to be of interest. She made 1 movie and was never heard from again. In fact you will be hard-pressed to find even one image of her on the web. Until now. Check it out.

I am also involved in a Blog over at the Scan Lover website. On this blog, I will be focusing on Asian models, movies, art, and television. This blog is called The Asian Beauty Appreciation Blog. This is a community blog and we are looking for more writers. Check it out.

If interested contact me at jmmaovblog@gmail.com. Thanks

The last piece of news is that I’ve been invited to do film reviews at a website called 7Tavern.com. On this site I will discuss films from Hong Kong, China, Japan, India, and the USA.

June 4th, 2009 – In the last few weeks, we’ve published two guest reviews. The first was by Zatoichi who reviewed the latest Miri Hanai DVD Maison de Miri here. The more recent one was by Mike from Michigan was reviewed the new Hana Haruna DVD Haruhana here. I welcome inquiries about guest reviews. Please don’t use the comments box for reviews. Discussion yes, but no reviews as comments. If you’d like to review a video, please e-mail first: justmemike@att.net. If I have the DVD, then I can add the images for you. If I don’t have the DVD, then you will have to send the images by separate emails. Please remember to send an inquiry first. Thanks.

March 9th, 2009 – One of our favorites, Mikie Hara has been busy. We recently saw her in a Japanese TV Drama Series called Giragira. She had a featured role in Episodes 1 & 2 of this 8 part drama about a married man who was a business executive who lost his job, then had to go back to work as a male host in a Shinjuku night club to support his family. Here’s the cover followed by some stills of Mikie in a non-gravure model role.

December 4th, 2008

Welcome to my new home, new website, including my own domain -

http://www.justmemikesnewalsoonvideo.com

After more than two years as a sub-directory of Zatoichi’s wonderful tribute to his favorite idols, which followed the 8 years at my old site, I have relocated because Zatoichi himself has decided to move on. Life has a way of doing that to you. So as his site www.gijo.org will be closing, so too will www.aov.gijo.org. I owe Zatoichi a world of thanks, as he designed the current look of the site.

But there is good news. I got myself a web-host and sent them a bunch of dead presidents. They registered my domain, and set me up on a server. Zatoichi handled the transfer and upload for me. And here we are.

Initially, there were a few casualties – my last four posts – reviews of Rio Natsume, Diana Okuai, and Chiri Arikawa, and a Thanksgiving article featuring artist James Bama, were added to the old site after the data-base had been saved, so they didn’t transfer over. However, since I did save them, they have been republished here .

We did have to tweak the homepage here to repair some lengthy text in the header. But that’s been done. Thanks Z!, So we are now open for business with everything in place . We will continue to bring you features on Idol DVDs, Movies, Travel, and Art as always. So step up and leave me some comments if you have the time.

Please book mark this new page. Aov.gijo.org and gijo.org will close on or about December 12th. There will be a redirect set up that site (hopefully) .

jmm

October 31st, 2007

With an ear to the ground, I’d hoped to hear something about the new Megumi Kagurazaka Undress DVD. Hailed as her departure and final DVD, the ad copy trumpeted about sweet Megumi K showing her all – hence the title Undress.

What I’m now hearing is that this is all hype and there’s basically less to see in this one than in her previous releases. I’m just telling you what I am reading and hearing. I’ve not seen the DVD nor do I have a review for it. That’s why we are here in the discussion page rather than in a review page.

I also reported elsewhere that the new smash sensation in Japan, Hitomi Tanaka, who is releasing an idol DVD next month:

- had already done a JAV video for SOD, and that was going to be released soon. I was mistaken. That DVD actually starred Mitsui Towa. Here is that cover:

In any event here is a new photo of the aforementioned Hitomi Tanaka:

Enjoy!

JMM

August 18, 2007

Thanks to Zatoichi from Osaka, Japan, we have a new design for our rating score display. Though each is only a small image (100 x 85),

they’ll mesh perfectly with the overall layout (again thanks to Zatoichi who is the architect/designer of this web-site). Before the current design, I was using one of the many templates offered by WordPress.

August 15th, 2007

The countdown begins – Two new DVD’s from Yoko Matsugane and Nonami Takizawa (you can see the covers on our What’s Next – Coming Attractions page) should be arriving on the shelves all over Japan quite soon. While I won’t be snatching them off the shelves, I will be acquiring them via ordering them from Amazon.co.jp

January 30th, 2007

Super Bowl Week brings on a certain elements of hysteria, motion, anxiety, and excitement. There was a huge rush of sales of High Def TV’s this week and last. And many of you can’t wait until Sunday evening for the 40-something edition of football’s championship.

We’ve been busy as well. There’s a number of new reviews and columns for you to read or look at or both. Mayuka Okada, Mizuki Horii, Ellie Kisaragi, Harumi Nemoto, Haruna Yabuki, and Kozue have all been reviewed in the last 10 days.

We are also updating some of our older columns involving Art, Travel, and the Movies that were published previously in the old AoV. The old format was Magazine style, meaning that after a month or two on the web, they would be replaced by new issues, and would be gone forever. The new Blog style means they will be on file for the foreseeable future. After all, we aren’t just about Gravure Models.

Be on the look out for our next new column on Art & Travel. You’ll find it to be an interesting article where we take you From Strawberry Fields Forever to Fields of Lavender. The working title is Googoogajoob!. The publish date will be February 17th. Stay tuned. I hope you’ll make time to give it a look.

JMM

January 2nd, 2007

Why is it that some models appear in DVDs that you savor and relish. And others appear only in forgettable DVDs. Case in point is the very busty Yuna Kawase.

Aside from the poorly made Milky, Yuna has appeared in three other DVDs – Honyu, Rennyu, and her latest – Bakunyu HamiJ – Yuna – all of which paraded her on-screen in one set of pasties after another. What ever happened to bikinis.

When are we going to see Yuna in a presentable outfit?

When are we going to see her in street clothes?

With a body like this – when will they get her into a prime-time DVD?

Takeshobo, Air-Control, E-Frontier – are you listening?

JMM

November 5th, 2006

It seemes to me that many of the Gravure Idols are starting to push the envelope. What used to be a genre of pretty gals cavorting on the beaches and other related activities – all in absolutely good taste. I can safely assume that if you are reading this page you have no problem with cute, busty, or sexy girls in bikinis. Right?

But the bikinis are getting skimpier and skimpier. Now we are likely to have a busty bikini idol shed the top, and via an assortment postures and strategic placement of arms, legs, or even just hands – she’s virtually topless.

Do you hope this continues?

Of course you do – but I’d still like to hear what you have to say on the topic.

JustMeMike

November 3rd, 2006

Just published the much anticipated Erina Yamaguchi – Great J review. You can click the link to go right to it. The news is she still has an amazing body. As for the DVD – Zatoichi and I agreed on this one. You will find a link to Zatoichi’s review as well on the review page. As they say, be careful what you wish for – and as Jagger says, “You can’t always get what you want…”

November 1st, 2006
The Hiroko Sato review is now available. Rush right over to the review page. You’ll be glad you did.

October 29th, 2006

The new look of the website is pretty cool. The prior design was very clean and simple. It was called Black Letterhead. This new one is called Also On Video 1.0. It offers some more color and more visuals for the readers. The architect of this theme, designed to work within the WordPress framework is none other than my fellow Gravure Idol aficianado who goes by the name of Zatoichi. Thank you so much.

JMM

October 28th, 2006 – Finished Milky with Yuna Kawase. My my, doesn’t she has a healthy upper torso. The trend for bigger and bigger bosoms is definitely taking hold in Japan.

JMM

October 28th, 2006

One of my readers made a comment about my reviews -

- A good Idol review site indeed, but it seems that most of those idols are only from the category “busty” & “big boobs”.

Well, yes. It is true. I do like the curvier idols. But I am willing to look in different directions. The standard gravure idol is not going to take off her top, or heaven forbid, appear naked. Stars like Yoko Matsugane…

and Megumi Kagurazaka have held that line, and refused to cross over, but they have lowered their tops to a degree. Note I said lowered and I didn’t say dropped.

Other idols have a foot firmly in both the gravure camp and the AV camp. This list would include Sola Aoi (right below), and The Naked Venus herself, Yuma Asami (left below).

Rin Aoki began her gravure career with a series of romps at the beach resorts. These fit solidly in the gravure camp.

Eventually the producers at Layfull Productions decided to put Rin on display for their Eight label.These producers were definitely pushing the envelope. Their models were nude but never naked. Cleverly positioned flowers or chocolate sauces, or straight out pasties to cover the models nipples began the costume du jour. And there was lots of simulated sex.

Rin Aoki went further and further toward real sex by first performing solo simulated sex, then she interacted on a very personal level with an inflatable male dummy, then with another woman, and then ultimately, she crossed the line and performed with males and went all the way. And so Rin Aoki’s carrer has changed direction.

My column will change direction as well on occasion, and thanks to Oracle for his comments. Soon you will find a new item in my Reviews. I’ll be looking at Karin, a bikini gravure model.

She’s changed direction too. Her latest is called Karin : All Nude, and it an eye-poppingly grand DVD.

Yes, she is a bikini Gravure model, and yes she’s curvy. But not as over-the-top curvy as you’ve become accustomed to in my reviews. The difference is that this time, she is nude. And the DVD is superbly done. Very tasteful. Watch the reviews column for this one.

Yes, it is a change of direction. And as Oracle says, a little variety is a good thing. That’s a wrap.

JMM.

October 7th, 2006

This column, Also on Video, appeared for many years on the BEArchive website. in fact my last two columns at the BEA are still available. The April 2006 AoV featured Rio Natsume, Megumi Kaguraza, and Hitomi Kitamura. The March 2006 AoV featured, Rio Natsume, Hina Kawai, Yuri Kobayashi, and a double review of Chisato Morishita.

My partner and co-producer of the column, Al-The-Editor, passed away a few months ago (June 2006). He will be missed.I am going to continue the column on my own. Of course you readers will miss the elegant and delightfully subtle British humor that Al applied. But we want you to continue to see the newest and the best of idol videos, with a few DVD’s from the West tossed in here and there.

My host here at Gravure Idol Jo [Edit: site is now closed] is the creative and talented Zatoichi, who almost single-handedly is doing his utmost to create support for the idols. He’s a resident of Osaka, Japan, and I live in the metropolis known as New York. We’ve joined hands across the Pacific.

Occasionally you will see a review of mine on his pages, and you’ll see that he will drop by AoV to offer his opinions and comments.Meanwhile we want you, the readers to have a good time here. You can search for an article within the Archives either by the Calendar Months, or by Subjects like:

ART

TRAVEL

MOVIES

and DVD Reviews of Gravure Idols and other assorted lovelies.

Or you can find the Index to Reviews & Columns which is located on the Home Page to see what interests you. If you know which model you’d like to look at, you may try the Search feature which is also located on the Home Page. Just type the Idol’s name in the Search Box and if we’ve written about her, those articles or reviews will be assembled for you. Works just like google only it looks ONLY on our website. We have another resource for you – our What’s Next/Coming Attractions page.