IMPNO-019: I'm Not Naked, I ’m Wearing Knee High

Actress: Kisaragi Natsuki (23)
Studio: Impact

Release Date: 2020-02-03
Runtime: 60 Minutes

6.9/10

Introduction

Kirsaragi Natsuki, also know as Takahashi Ayaka in this film, is a relative newcomer to both JAV and Gravure, having debuted in mid October 2019 and releasing this film less than 5 months later. Her first foray into the world of Japanese softcore is with Impact, a somewhat new IV producer having started out back in 2016. This film features the standard tropes of Gravure such as music, various outfits, and some light toy play. Many rookies have issues getting into the groove when it comes to Gravure as it’s quite different than what one becomes familiar with in JAV, so let’s see how Natsuki fares.

Production & Setting

Overall, standard gravure fare here. Production wise you have music that matches the scenes, although there are some odd style changes that don’t seem quite necessary. Lighting and set design is good, although it’s evident it’s all shot in the same house. Outfits work and in some of the later scene you get good color contrasts and the use of shadows to create a more sultry vibe. Starting off there is the typical scene montage before stepping into the first scene with Natsuki wearing some bunny ears in a brightly lit living room. Natsuki goes through a variety of poses and the camera work goes through a decent balance of close up shots and wide angles. The room isn’t anything impressive but it works to provide substantial lighting. Natsuki doesn’t get into any weird poses but performance wise in this scene (and in others) there is room for improvement. Off to the second scene and Natsuki is in a maid outfit in another brightly lit room. Camera work is more interactive and faster paced in this shot, as is Natsuki’s performance. Definitely a more “fun” shoot. 
 

Moving into the next couple scenes, we now have a darker backdrop with some contrasting colors with the chair, Natsuki’s attire, and the overall room design. Shots are pretty standard fare undressing and what not, until the second half where now we are getting into some casual rope play, which is then used for a jumping rope and bouncing ball scene, which is the most energetic shot of the film. Right off of that upbeat scene we move to another generally muted color palette backdrop, white bed, white drapes, white walls, Natsuki wearing white attire with a bridal veil, only contrasting the scene with some red stockings. The scene is pretty average, even includes some basic oil massage applications and some lollipop play. The lollipop portion isn’t particularly well done because Natsuki begins bouncing around while eating, and the angles aren’t that appealing, nor are her smacking sounds that are emphasized over the music.

Finally we approach the last two scenes, one is basically a vibrator toy session which doesn’t really bring much to the table, the backdrop is whatever, the music is drowned out by the toy, and the sticker sheet that was stuck over Natsuki’s undercarriage looks like some half assed papier mache that was made 3 seconds before the shoot. Although I will admit there are some appealing shots prior to the toy play and the dark nighttime color contrasts coming out of the windows are good to add some darker hues to the setting, but those are ignored once the vibrator comes in. The last shoot is where the film shines I think. The setting while basic offers a variety of surfaces and colors to add complexity to the shots, including some good use of the shadows from the railings. Natsuki’s outfit is also really good, even having a light touch of red on the shoes, this just makes some parts of the scene pop a little. The lighting is obviously artificial as this is an evening shot but it works well thanks to the focus on using the shadows to add complexity to an otherwise basic shoot.

Score: 7/10 (Production), 7/10 (Setting)

Music

The music is hit and miss here. Discounting the opening montage, the first scene has a generally upbeat but even tempoed piano piece. It serves to create a more relaxed tone for introduction of Natsuki, and it mostly works, but it may have been a little too upbeat for what was presented based on Natsuki’s performance. The second scene has a much more fleshed out upbeat tune and with it comes a more interactive and embellished performance from Natsuki. The music does compliment the setting as a whole, sort of like listening to an introduction tutorial track in a video game while the maid talks to the player, it works overall. The third scene has two tracks, the first is far too fast for what is seen at the start, Natsuki is slowly undressing and posing and this music be running at 60mph. The second half of the scene has a more relaxed but still upbeat track, it honestly reminds me of some casino remix track from a sonic game (speaking of video games earlier).
 

The last three tracks are fairly varied, the first, during the wedding dress scene is a very slow piano piece. It’s a nice track but it doesn’t quite mesh with what is seen on camera. Listening to piano while some hands rub oil on a person that doesn’t change poses or interact with the actions is generally pretty boring. It gets a little better once the hands are gone but then it’s interrupted by an overly emphasized lip smacking session as Natsuki eats candy. The next track is actually pretty good as Natsuki takes some decent poses in the evening lit bedroom, but that gets tossed out the window as the freight train sized vibrator invades every aspect of this scene, it’s like listening to the radio with constant feedback because you can’t quite get the connection stable. 

Lastly, we have the music for the last scene. Much like how the last scene is arguably the best scene in the film, the music that is chosen is as well. It’s slow, complex in its instrumentation and pattern. The setting is more sultry due to the lighting, shadows, and Natsuki’s outfit in addition to her performance. This scene is the best part of the film which is a shame since it’s not heavily promoted in contrast to the other more light hearted fan service ones.

Score: 7/10

Aesthetics & Performance

Visually, Natsuki looks good in almost every scene, the outfits work and mesh well with the backdrops. The only real negatives are that most of the scenes are too short, understandable given the film is only an hour long, but some scenes with solid outfits are burned through too quickly or used poorly, such as during the wedding outfit scene or the vibrator portion. The last scene again is an exception, its a solid outfit and it meshes well with Natsuki’s performance, the music, and the backdrop. Natsuki herself looks good but her expressions and mannerisms could use work. When she was more bubbly or sultry it worked well, but the rest of the time it looked like she was bored waiting in line for a coffee.

That brings us to the performance aspect. Natsuki’s engagement is hit and miss. In some parts it’s good, with her being more upbeat when needed or more toned down. However, the rest of the time she just looks either disinterested or is faking it a little too much. Her reactions to the vibrator I wasn’t a fan of, but then again I generally don’t like these sorts of shots in gravure in general. Her lollipop scene was ok, she could have made a little more effort to eat it in a more attractive manner, but I blame the producers for that part as well. Overall, her performance was ok, not stellar, but again, this is her debut gravure film and she was still fairly new to the whole acting in front of cameras while nude thing, so perhaps her more recent films are better.

Score: 7/10 (Aesthetics), 6.5/10 (Performance)

Summary

Not a bad first debut into the world of Gravure. Natsuki did alright, however she needs to work more on her expressions. Visually she looked good but looks aren’t everything in these films and the rest of the production sort of landed in the average range. Musically it was good, but some pieces just didn’t jive with what was being presented on screen, and there were times where the other additional sounds received far too much auditory emphasis over the music which was responsible for dictating the pacing to the viewers. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Natsuki, but it would have to be either with a more prestigious label or it has to look pretty enticing.
 
Score: 6.9/10
Pros

– Natsuki looked good throughout
– The music overall was good with only a couple bad tracks
– The settings though uninspired weren’t poorly lit or poorly filmed

Cons

– Natsuki’s performance most of the time
– The vibrator scene and lip smacking lollipop sounds
– Outfits were underutilized or just plain fanservice style