JustMeMike's New Also on Video

Hitomi Kitamura – Ponyo Ponyo Wonderland (February 19th, 2010)
E-Net Frontier
Catalog # – ENFD 5200 – Region 2 Disc – 16:9 Aspect
Running Time: 92 Minutes

The Skinny: Way back in the fall of 2005, I got my first look at Hitomi Kitamura in her first idol DVD called Yurero Omoi. I predicted a wonderful career for her and said she’d have an ardent following. This brand new DVD (her 20th solo gravure video) entitled Ponyo Ponyo Wonderland, places the curvy Miss Kitamura in the public eye once more. From my perspective, I like what I see.

As usual, the DVD opens with a montage. Following that we find Hitomi on Dreamland Beach in Bali. She wears a colorful print bikini. While the beach action is fairly standard – jogging, building mounds of sand to be crushed by her boobs or by sitting on it, or brushing away sand – Hitomi makes it seem fresh and new because she is extremely animated and lively.

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Hana Haruna – Gekkan Hana Haruna
E-Net Frontier
Catalog # – JENF-1044 – Region 2 Disc – 16:9 Aspect
Running Time: 60 Minutes

If only the DVD was as good as the cover - but it isn't

The Skinny: Let’s start with the basics. As the DVD begins we see that Hana is working as a stage hand. She wears coveralls which pretty much cover her up. She also sports a baseball hat worn backwards – you know – the brim in the back, and eye -glasses. We see her above the stage, up on a ladder installing or working with a spotlight.

Hana-chan looking at herself in the mirror. She's reflecting on her life as a stage-hand. I'm guessing of course

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Miyabi Isshiki – Super Girl wa K-Cup (February 26th, 2010)
Kudeta
Catalog # – KU-43 – All Regions Disc – 16:9 aspect
Running Time: 82 Minutes

The Skinny: Not much action. Lots of bare skin. All indoors. Slow paced music and slow camera movements. Miyabi doesn’t say a word. Still Miyabi is eminently watchable.

Take a very busty girl. Outfit her in one of those cut down tops (no sides to speak of). Have it fit very loosely. Then have her crawl around a room for much of the scene. There’s your first chapter of Miyabi Isshiki’s brand new DVD released on Friday, the 26th of February. The production house is Kudeta, which is new to me. However if you go their website ( http://www.ku-de-ta.jp), you’ll see that they’ve released lots of DVD’s none of which have I seen before.

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Mai Ayukawa – Juicy Fruit (February 19th, 2010)
Japan Media Supply
Catalog # – JCF-026 – All Regions Disc – 4:3 Aspect
Running Time: 84 Minutes including the Making of Segment

The Skinny – A very well done DVD for Mai Ayukawa. This is just her second DVD release and her future looks bright. And speaking of bright – they shot this DVD at a rather new resort in Bali, and the weather was superb. Bright and sunny everyday.

The video has an opening montage, followed by 8 main chapters, then a Making Of segment. Let’s have a look.

The montage was excellent – high energy, plenty of revealing shots, and a fast pacing that served well in building up your expectations.

As the main chapters begin, Mai is wearing a white sweater and blue shorts with a cute floral bikini beneath. She’ll make her way down the stairs and ultimately end up on a black leather sofa.

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The Skinny: Yuko Oshima aka Masako Ooshima is more of a pop idol than a gravure idol. She’s a member of the Tokyo based AKB48 singing group. This DVD is about a trip to Guam.

I wasn’t kidding when I said this DVD was the record of a trip to Guam as we first meet her on a Tokyo street as she tugs along her suitcase to board a bus to Narita Airport. Then she’s at the airport checking the departures, then aboard the plane, then arriving at Guam airport, boarding a van, and finally entering her hotel room. They say getting there is half the fun. Maybe this is so in life, but not in a DVD. In the DVD the fun hasn’t begun yet.

Next is the Night Festival according to the menu, but it is really just a carnival complete with rides, games with cheap prizes, and junk food. Between leaving Japan and this chapter, we’ve already used up a little more than 14 minutes, so basically nearly the 1st quarter of the DVD is wasted. Sure Yuko is quite cute, and has a beautiful smile and amazing dimples, but this was far too lengthy a segment.

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Mayuka Okada – Memoron Mayuka Okada (January 25th, 2010)
Air Control/Melon
Catalog # – OME-75 – Region 2 Disc – 16:9 Aspect
Running Time: 82 Minutes

The Skinny: The prolific Mayuka Okada returns to our pages. It’s not that I don’t like her – I really do admire her bold and brash style. It is really that keeping up with all her releases is nearly impossible. In fact, in 2007, Mayuka had 6 DVDs released, in 2008 there were 11, and in 2009 she appeared in 5. The fact that she has appeared in so many videos means that the producers like her. And they would like her to this degree ONLY if her products sell. The numbers must add up. And there you have it.

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Mami Nagaoka – School Girl Detective (November 27, 2009)
e-Net Frontier
Catalog # – ENFD-5179 – Region 2 Disc – 16:9 Aspect
Running Time: 87 Minutes

LOCATION: Saipan

CONTENT SET-UP:  The Intro/Montage leads to 9 Main Chapters plus an Extra Chapter of Behind the Scenes footage.

THE SKINNY: What we have here is a reasonably good gravure DVD partially spoiled by the inclusion of a hand puppet who amiably chats with idol Mami Nagaoka before and after EACH and EVERY Chapter. I recall reviewing Hiroko Sato in Shanghai back in May of 2007, and a CGI panda appeared a few times. The panda’s on screen time was probably less than a minute or two for the entire video.

Here, I think the hand puppet is getting nearly 10 minutes. Geez, the hand puppet is even in the making of segment. But I digress. Let’s move on and talk about the model.

Mami Nagaoka, or Mami-chan as she is addressed by the hand puppet, has a great figure, a beautiful smile, and a sunny and engaging personality.

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