If it sounds like a scene out of a porno flick, it should. Because that's
precisely what it is. But it's a dirty DVD with a difference: It's one targeted
specifically at women and was available at all stores across the country, even
those frequented by families.
"Dirty DVD for Girls," the movie from which the scene is derived, was a special
giveaway purchases of the May 31 edition of an an, one of Japan's most popular
women's magazines.
"We sold about 500,000 copies of the sex issue, which is around 200,000 more
than usual," a spokeswoman for Magazine House, publisher of an an, tells Josei
Seven.
For the past 15 years, an an has produced an annual "sex issue." It's often
been controversial; like in 1998, when it featured SMAP heartthrob Takuya
Kimura, then at the height of his popularity, in sex scenes with a foreign
woman. Or again the following year, when another SMAP member, Shingo Katori,
posed nude, as well as in 2002 when squeaky-clean actress Ryoko Shinohara
offered seminude shots.
When it first started, an an's sex issue was fairly tame, offering mild
recommendations to women, like how white lingerie can be a turn-on. Now,
though, it's full-throttle sex, using detailed graphic depictions to explain
techniques and positions, steamy photos and even explanations on combating
sexually transmitted diseases.
Apart from the dirty DVD for dames, which was a first for the an an sex issue,
this year's issue has an extensive interview with Kumi Koda, the singer
attributed for sparking Japan's boom in the culture erokawa -- erotic kawaii,
or cute.
"Dirty DVD for Girls" was made by a major Japanese adult movie company, one of
the many tapping into a pornographic cinema market the women's weekly says is
worth 10 billion yen a year. It starred Nana Natsume, a 24-year-old who is one
of the biggest stick flick starlets in Japan, which also became a talking point
for the an an sex issue.
"Ten years ago, the adult movie market was said to be only about one-tenth of
that for men. What movies there were for women were more like 'How to' types
that explained positions and techniques rather than actual movies with
storylines or sex scenes," Kamon Taira, an adult movie critic, tells Josei
Seven. "Those sorts of movies weren't the kind that sexually mature women were
going to watch. Women want adult movies where the sex scenes are given more
weight than storylines, too. But they don't want close-ups of bosoms or
genitals. They want to be charmed by the looks of the men appearing in the
films and the atmosphere of the places where the sex is happening."
"Dirty DVD for Girls" comes in two parts, each of which is about 15 minutes
long. There are no scenes of women fondling male genitals and no ejaculation
shots, both points that men's magazines have cited as reasons for the an an
giveaway leaving them limp. But women are looking for something different with
their dirty DVDs.
"We want to check how 'real' they can get it. Like, whether the clothes the
women are wearing are fashionable or not," a 29-year-old female office worker
says. "The guy (in 'Dirty DVD for Girls') didn't wear the skimpy little undies
you'd expect in an adult movie, but instead had on a pair of boxers with plenty
of room to move, which was a refreshing change and made it easier to watch."
A 41-year-old housewife agrees that women like dirty DVDs.
"It'd be really nice if rental video stores had sections for adult movies
targeting women," she tells Josei Seven. "We don't want the 'How to' stuff.
Give us the stuff that's gonna make us feel good."
Copyright 1999-2006, Mainchi Daily. Used with permission. All rights
reserved. Ryann Connell is a Staff Writer and Senior Desk Editor for the
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