Making it in JAV ain’t Easy

Competition is Fierce

There have been plenty of new faces who entered JAV with gorgeous faces, beautiful bodies, massive assets, charismatic personalities, or fantastic technique in the bedroom but never made it in porn. There is so much competition in JAV, as dozens of new debuts are coming out every month. By my very rough counting of titles tagged with the Debut tag in the last 3 years (2024, 2023, & 2022), there have been about an average of ~400 debuts a year. Again, a very rough counting and not accounting for all the unnamed amateurs that enter porn on other platforms. Many of these rookies don’t last very long, and quite a few are One-and-Done. Studios and agencies are more than okay with signing talent pushing out a few videos and moving on to the next new face.

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First Round Picks

Your success can also be dependent on where you start. Did you get to start with a big brand name studio like SOD or Moodyz or did you start with one of the smaller labels? Even if you got a start with a bigger studio, there’s the question of contract length and status. Exclusive status can be given based on their performance or on how popular they think you will be. Think of it in sports terms, girls who get picked for an exclusive contract can be considered a high-valued prospect. However, being in a famous studio doesn’t even guarantee success because you are now competing side by side with the rest of the popular names among exclusives. You have to continue to bring in the fans, as contract lengths aren't forever. If you can’t live up to their expectations, you could get dropped.

High Level Talent, Sky High Expectations

Analyzing S1’s debut class from 2020, one of the most well-known studios in JAV, and only a handful of them are still around. They started with a select class of 14 with only 3 of them still active in porn today and of the 3 only 2 are still with S1. Getting your foot in the door with S1 is considered great luck for a face. They can promote them to a larger audience, sign them to more lucrative contracts, and give them greater control over video choices compared to a freelancer. However, being a talent with them or any exclusive studio means higher expectations, and none of them are afraid to shed unperforming talent.

Coasting to a Career

Now can you just be a pretty face or have big tits and coast to a career? Sure, you can, and there are plenty of examples in JAV *cough Sakura Miura, Mei Washio, Ria Yamate, Shiori Tsukada, Rena Miyashita, Rara Anzai (that’s a long cough). They may not be very great performers or very ambitious, but that doesn’t hold them back. They are pretty enough or well-endowed enough to be popular enough to stick around for years. Enough being a high bar as these are the top of the top, some of the prettiest faces or incredible figures to grace JAV. Not everyone gets that pass.

The Damn Numbers

Comparison is the thief of joy, and in this day and age, the thief is on a robbery spree. With the metrics readily available, actresses can see their video sales, actress rankings, online follower counts, user reviews, and Exclusive contract announcements. Then they can also talk to others and compare their number of jobs they get a month to their pay rate per film. And we haven’t even gotten into the physical comparisons that actresses can do among their peers as they look at how pretty and well-endowed others might be. This can all be very discouraging for actresses when you look at the leaderboards and see so many names ahead of you. It breeds a competitive market and some can't handle it.

Thief of Joy

Some actresses have talked about the Thief of Joy and how it has affected them mentally and even made them leave the industry due to a perceived lack of success. On her YouTube channel, Miharu Usa stated that she retired because she felt that she wasn’t improving as an actress and wasn't as popular as she hoped. Meanwhile, Miru has talked about her frustration as to no matter how hard she works, she won’t be as successful as others. These are two actresses who worked with the biggest studio around and for over half a decade.

Porn is not a long career

Most people shouldn’t expect a long career in porn as many don’t last that long. In my experience, most career actresses last around 2-3 years, and that’s if we are not counting the wave of One-and-Done newbies that just dip their toes in the waters. Seeing someone last over 5 years is uncommon, and seeing someone last over 10 years is very rare. Your Yui Hatano’s and Mao Hamasaki’s are a rarity and far from the norm. We are talking thousands of faces, of which only a small percentage become career actresses. It's hard to even call it a career for most when it doesn't last that long.

Guide to Success

So how does one become successful in porn? There are so many talents coming into the industry with their own charms and appeals. Rookies with massive breasts, big curves, pretty faces, or salacious backstories. Despite all that, not all of them make it. So, what is the secret sauce? Getting into the door is easy, but what keeps it open? I’m just a fan who watches too much porn and follows the industry but there is something that I think unites many of the success stories and that is drive.

Does it Sound Easy?

Anyone can take off their clothes and get into porn but if you want to make it you need something more than a pretty face and big tits. The biggest stars and longest runners all have that and more.