Review: TEK-076 Idol 5 Star Luxury Soapland Yua Mikami

ID: TEK-076
Actress: Mikami Yua
Release Date: 2016-05-01
Label: Muteki
Genres: Soapland
Reviewer: Mr. Tan

Introduction

Soaplands are another distinctly Japanese invention, one perfect for those hot summer months. Mr. White touched upon them when he spoke about Aimi Yoshikawa, but the summary can be “a man’s bath with a lovely assistant for money.” Of course, there are some soaplands for a female clientele, but those aren’t our concern right now.

In terms of process, the consumer goes to a soapland, chooses a girl, and the house charges the customer for the room. The house also charges the girl for the room and her equipment, but that’s the beginning and end of their involvement. After that, the girl and the consumer negotiate. The law prohibits the exchange of money for sex, so it’s forbidden to have sexual intercourse during the course of a soapland experience.

However, this isn’t a “pure” soapland. Let’s see what my rising favorite Yua Mikami did here.

The Actress

As Mr. White and I have made clear previously, Yua Mikami is a naughty princess with a lightly erotic smile, the girl next door with a lovely face and enticing sex appeal. She has charm, physical beauty, and an indefinable yet recognizable sweetness that makes you want her all for yourself.

Even when she plays the whore, as she does in this film, it does not feel like you’re dealing with your typical slattern. Instead, her pure sensuality continues to convince you that if you’re just the right kind of guy, she’ll abandon her job to be by your side, yours and yours alone. She maintains eye contact with the camera and it seems like she is trying to draw the viewer in to fall for her.

Rating 4.0

The Performance

Yua Mikami is not your typical soapland worker. As a matter of act, I would say she is playing a top-tier escort who happens to offer a soapland course, but more on that later. Mr. White mentioned her charisma and I concur, it is one of her strongest selling points. Yua Mikami’s charisma transforms her into a standout performer. When she combines this with her good sexual skills, she easily lays claim to a status as a powerhouse.

Anyway, while she delivers all of the good cheer that seems to be a requirement for a soapland experience, she goes one step further by explicitly seducing the customer. The heavy use of POV angles allows Yua Mikami to use her aura of sensuality and her girl-next-door appeal to make the viewer melt in her hands. She is looking into the camera as she kisses the customer while simultaneously giving a handjob. She is gazing into the viewer’s eyes as she gives fellatio. She is cuddling with you as you hold her. It’s a powerful illusion that happens to be reinforced with her sexual skills. This is not about an aggressive assertion of dominance via sex, but the persuasion to accept pleasure.

Rating 4.0 

Story/Theme/Setting

The very first hint that this is not the stereotypical soap experience is that when the viewer avatar is waiting in a well-appointed living room, with a glass of champagne in his hand. Yua Mikami appears on a landing overhead wearing a fancy white dress better suited for a ball than a brothel, then calmly, seductively, strides down the steps to kneel before you, all sweetness and good cheer and oh the customer is going to have his brains removed via orgasm, how nice.

There are four scenes, with Yua Mikami delivering sensuality in each of them. A bit over a third of the film is spent outside of the more “traditional” soapland context. Even so, the soapland elements are fantastic. The viewer wants to receive the blessing of her body on his own, whether this involves a handjob disguised as cleanliness or a full-body nuru message as she glides over the AV actor like a human massage sponge. This full-service approach leaves the viewer refreshed and eager for more.

I’m not a soapland expert like Mr. White, so I will confess that this section was graded more based on what I’ve learned about the genre from him. Frankly, I’d have given it a perfect score, but judged it might not have been soapland enough. I’d be willing to issue a correction if he reviews this film and suggests my assessment was too strict.

Rating 3.0

Sexual Content

Three films later, I am beginning to suspect that Yua Mikami will become my Julia – difficult, at best, to provide an objective review. For now, I will endeavor to be as impartial as I can be and feel confident I am not giving her a pass.

For now, Great Scott! When last I described the opening scene, Yua Mikami was all dressed up and on her knees before the viewer. She moves to quickly get the AV actor into a towel, but stops when she notices the actor's erection. What follows is fellatio over a towel. It's rather astonishing how arousing the whole thing is, but once she moves toward full fellatio, it's clear that we are in for a ride. Once she's guided the action toward the couch, we are treated to a fantastic "full service" sex scene, where she even includes the panty-pulled-to-the-side and once again, it feels hot, unlike a certain failure.

Once we reach the next scene, Yua Mikami has changed into a transparent whisp of silk that leaves nothing to the imagination yet charms the viewer. She proceeds to clean up quite thoroughly, using the standard tools of the trade, including the "pervert chair," the "intracrural wipe," and the sudsy soaping. No penetration in this scene, but there is fellatio, and it feels both refreshing and stimulating.

The third scene begins with Yua Mikami in a piece of lingerie, a teddy I believe it is called, but that is quickly discarded for a dip in the tub that precedes the main event: the nuru massage. She slides all over the viewer avatar, licking, kissing, stroking, and otherwise pretending she is being soothing when the reality is that she is inflaming passion. After what feels like an eternity of being goaded, penetration is finally achieved, and the sex scene is quite as stimulating as the first scene of the movie.

The finale may be my favorite section. Yua Mikami appears in the bedroom, wearing a red velvet dress. This red dress is the kind that gets the blood boiling in the ears, the kind that makes the viewer want to just rip it off her and get right down to business. However, elegant courtesan that she is, Yua Mikami demands to be held first. At least she is kind enough to let foreplay begin soon and the scene itself is great. Throughout the sex, you really do feel like she's all yours to do with as you wish.

One final detail: she seems more tolerant of facials now than she used to be. I think she's getting used to them.

Rating 4.0

Overall

This film is a truly enjoyable addition to any collection, including soapland fans. Even when she plays the prostitute, Yua Mikami insists on doing so with a certain class that puts her above most of her rivals. It's a strong performance from strong to finish, with Yua Mikami's trademarks of actress charisma and viewer seduction front and center. I, for one, think this strengthens Yua Mikami's ranking in my own internal catalog and wonder when I'll be forced to declare her my new favorite.

Rating: 3.7 B+
Highly Recommended

Review: TEK-073 My Girlfriend is Mikami Yua

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Review: TEK-067 Princess Peach Yua Mikami

ID: TEK-067
Actress: Yua Mikami
Release Date: 2015-06-01
Label: Muteki
Genres: AV Debut, Fallen Idol
Reviewer: Mr. Tan 

Introduction

Among the many interesting Japanese subcultures, idoru culture is probably the most familiar, yet confusing, for Westerners.  Currently, a massive number of idol groups compete for the hollow adulation of a limited fan base, a battle royale of who can come up with the gimmick that best appeals to the shrinking Japanese population (gaijin fans generally don’t count). The music is extremely varied, whether it’s a dependable J-pop stalwart like Morning Musume, the atrocity that is BABYMETAL, or remarkably niche 80s ambient synth pop like Tentenko. There’s something for everyone.

However, the one thing that all idols, solo or in groups, have in common is that they sell a fantasy. It’s a common fantasy, one attractive people have sold to their mundane peers since time immemorial: “you have a chance with me.” It goes one step further for idols, who have a “no relationship clause” printed in font size 72 on their contracts. Man or woman, so long as you’re an idol, you sell that fantasy like it’s the last Coca Cola in the desert. Getting caught breaking that clause results in severe consequences, ranging from quiet demotion to public humiliation right down to unemployment.

Kito Momona was a member of SKE48, a sister group to the best-selling female idol group AKB48. In contrast to its sister group, SKE48 was scandal-free…. except for her. She was abruptly busted down from the mid-tier “KII” team (read as K2, since AKB has the original K team) down to “student trainee,” then after year and a half of shame, she was allowed into the headline “S” team. Eight months later, she was "transferred" to the bottom “E” team, only one step removed from “student trainee” status. The reasons for her frequent (and unexplained) demotions became apparent in the summer of 2013, as she was publicly caught on film breaking that unbreakable clause twice in three months. Things died down, she was supposed to be allowed back into the “S” team, but was abruptly “graduated” out before the promotion went into effect. One wonders what she was caught doing that delivered the finishing blow.

About a year after her departure, we got this, her AV debut as Yua Mikami.

The Actress

SKE48 is an idol group designed with girl-next-door appeal, with most performances at the “home” concert hall to truly sell the idea that these are “idols you can meet,” instead of the more unattainable members of acts like Morning Musume. That does not mean that an SKE48 girl lacks media training. From the moment the movie opens, you’re made aware that Yua Mikami is an expert at playing to the camera and the audience watching her behind it. There’s a hint of innocence in her persona, or perhaps more accurately, purity. This purity is that of sensuality, one that does not aim for the slatternly sloppiness that Mr. White adores. Rather, Yua Mikami embodies the pleasure of sex.

Physically, she’s as pretty as the nickname she carried while she was an SKE48 idol, peach princess. She’s a flower in bloom, one the viewer will desire to pick. Her face is oval-shaped, with sweet features that compel the audience to want to kiss her. Frankly, it seems a waste that the directors chose not place a flower in hair during this film. Her body is long and slender, with a pair of lovely breasts on her petite frame perfectly sized to cup, one in each hand. Vocally, she has a breathy little voice the viewer cannot help but like, particularly during sex.

Rating 4.0

The Performance

Technically, this is an AV Debut, but it’s hard to call it such when the actress herself is a pro of the entertainment industry. She already knows what the audience wants; it’s the same thing they’ve wanted from her for her entire career. She has spent years toying with that audience, using innuendo, hints, flirtations. There is nothing she needs to build up anymore. She can deliver what’s been begged from her, but she will do it at her own pace.

It’s fairly clear that even when she was under her contract in her SKE48 days, Yua Mikami did not live like a Catholic nun. Or perhaps the metaphor works better if I say shrine maiden? It would not be surprising if her promotion back to the “S” team involved frequent encounters with senior executives and her demotions involved liaisons with those in her own age group.

Digression aside, Yua Mikami knows what she’s about. Even as she plays the ingénue and flutters her eyelashes at the viewer, she demonstrates good sexual skills and excellent audience appeal. She might not be a pro on Yuma Asami’s tier, but she’s a natural, giving a performance far better than the average AV Debut. It makes me wonder if Anri Okita did as well in her debut. Hmm…

Before I forget, on the strength of her debut film, she acquired the Best Newcomer of the Year Award at the 2016 DMM.R18 Adult Awards. Let me repeat: Yua Mikami managed to secure the award despite possessing only one AV during the time frame considered by the award committee.

Rating 4.0 

Story/Theme/Setting

Initially, I was going to call the setting the least impressive part of the film, but I reconsidered when I did a quick review of the debuts of other fallen idols. Those films usually involve only references to their past careers while following the well-trodden steps of the standard debut film, but this one tosses that idea. Instead, the movie embraces the conventions of the typical non-nude gravure and idol videos and gives them a definitive JAV twist.

The film opens with a false press conference, which my rudimentary grasp of the Japanese language suggests is about as lewd and provocative as you’d expect from JAV. Yua Mikami plays along and never loses her smile as she provides the combination of bemusement and mild disbelief a girl next door would feel at being accosted in such manner. Then comes the first of the idol/gravure homages, which serve as breaks in between the sexual scenes. The first of these is a normal “flirting idol” run, where the girl smiles and flirts with the camera, bringing a smile to the viewer’s face, which makes sense as the idol hasn’t gotten to work yet, so to speak. The second continues off from the first, only this time, Yua Mikami gradually gets naked. Once she’s down to her underwear, she hides behind a translucent window shade which tantalizes with hints of her body without revealing it completely until she’s ready to emerge. The third scene involves a fun bathing scene, where the soap bubbles are removed and reapplied to tease the viewer with her body, and then concludes with a popsicle blowjob which is very hot. Last scene involves her playing around with a hula hoop (during her SKE48 days, hula hoop was her “special skill”) and jumping rope in a swimsuit at least two sizes too big for her, which revels in plenty of nipple slips.

Rating 4.0

Sexual Content

After a great deal of thought, I think I’ve figured out why this film is so highly rated. To borrow an idiom from Mr. White, its success stems from successful blue-balling. It’s over a half-hour before you see Yua Mikami naked, and another half-hour before you finally see penetration, yet the entire time, you’re kept on-edge, lustful, and in need of relief. The first sexual interaction takes place about twenty minutes in, with a pretty decent exercise in fellatio, but Yua Mikami is fully-clothed throughout, so there’s a concession, but it’s still not everything. For those willing to delay gratification, the succeeding scene results in pay-off, as Yua Mikami delivers her first time... being recorded having sex. It’s a pleasurable scene to watch.

The scene after this is a bit more direct. The setting is a rather minimalist room, something you might see in a brothel or massage parlor, and the scene itself seems rather like a showcase, as she demonstrates above-average skill with paizuri (titjob), footjob, intercrural, and cowgirl. The scene after this is a threesome… the wrong kind of threesome. I did not mention this in my Yuma Asami review, but for me, the minimum boob to penis ratio is 2 to 1, so the higher the latter number gets, the less I enjoy it. Still, when required, Yua Mikami does a good job of giving pleasure to both her partners at the same time. It makes you wonder how often she was forced to do that in her previous job.

Rating 3.5

Overall

Our review criteria require me to round to the nearest tenth, so a bit of nuance is lost here. Still, I have to acknowledge that this film is near-perfect and does justify the hype that Yua Mikami received as a result. This one-off became the start of an AV career, which I think may be longer-lived than those of her fallen idol sempais. Yua Mikami was trained in how to play to the camera, so when this skill is combined with her pure sexuality, the resulting movie hits the right buttons at the right times. With Anri Okita’s retirement, I am bereft of an active favorite, but I think I will take a closer look at Yua Mikami’s new films and see if she’s a contender for that spot.

Rating: 3.9 B+(+)

Highly Recommended