The Japanese AV industry is still in what many consider to be an 'actor boom'. Thanks to our connections, we've featured previous articles about the comings and goings of the backstage of shoots and we've seen some interesting things. Here's some more about what really goes on behind the scenes:

The real deal on set with a salaried AV director

Welcome to the Japanese AV industry where revenues are always on the decline. We talked with director Noboru Sekiguchi (an alias) about the real condition of the industry.

“We're in the era where AV simply doesn't sell as well. Nowadays 1,000 copies of a title sold equates to a huge hit. For a smaller company like the fetish production company I work for, the number is closer to 200. [Legal] downloading is on the rise, but those sites take 70% of each sale* leaving us with very little.”

To combat the decline in sales, production costs have to be cut. Production companies may still turn out titles from time to time starring famous names, but they also are releasing more omnibus** and amateur titles than ever before.

To be concluded...

*We knew this 70% figure for awhile, but until this article have always considered it to be insider information. It's true that most big legal Japanese PPV sites seriously short-change production companies. Western PPV sites usually only take around 30%. The Japanese industry may be suffering, but illegal downloads aren't the only thing that is killing it. Vultures exist on both fronts.

**This is a major issue studios are experiencing massive fan outrage against. Sometimes famous Japanese AV stars may be credited with starring in an uncannily high number of titles a month, but when you look at the fine print, many are just compilation titles that rehash previous work she's done. Studios have milked this concept again and again and fans are not happy with it at all. Of course, the occasional compilation is fine so long as it's not tried to be passed off as new footage.

To be concluded...