Graphis: Ichika Sena

Actress: Ichika Sena (20)
Studio: Graphis

Release Date: 2011-09-30
Runtime: 35 Minutes

6.7/10

Introduction

Ichika Sena debuted in the world of JAV and Gravure back in September 2011 with Max-A and within a few weeks she made her Gravure debut with Graphis. Ichika left the adult industry within the year, a case of a newcomer that likely thought the industry wasn’t the right fit, or perhaps there was a different reason, nevertheless, she produced some content that is worth looking into. This review will be a bit of a different take than prior and if successful, will be applied to all Graphis reviews going forward. This review will consist of the standard video review as seen in prior posts but with the added aspect of a photoshoot review with the intent to dive deeper into the visual mechanics employed in photography. Let’s see how this one and done Gravure debut fared.

Production & Setting (Video)

Starting off the film is a BTS/Interview portion that does include some music during the changing of attire and undressing portions. These are always nice to have in Gravure and it’s rather random where they tend to be placed, in terms of the production, its well done for what it is, the music serves as nice casual background noise and doesn’t overpower Ichika’s responses to the onscreen questions. She is entertaining as well. The setting is your standard living room affair with a colorful cube prop, which when introduced comes with an interesting trumpet track. Lighting is good, outfit and color palette works well, but there isn’t much attention given towards Gravure during this portion. The second scene is where the real content starts and it’s set in the backyard of the house. Ichika is in a bright cheerleader outfit and is jumping around and sometimes sped up through post-production editing. The music is varied but its predominantly a rock music style track. The edits are fairly quick with the scene disappearing in a flash, which isn’t uncommon, this portion lasts a whole five minutes. The outfit does provide a decent amount of contrast to the rather muted background colors but it does seem a little out of place.
 
The third scene again is a short one but the setting is very different. First off the music is subtle to start and then proceeds to the guitar riffs, Ichika is in camo gear with a rifle and is posing as a sexy solider. Scene editing at the beginning give it a bit of a vintage war footage flair and throughout the scene Ichika poses with the gun prop. The setting is in the backyard again and there is more lighting tricks being pulled to blow out the contrast on the edges with the green plants and to darken the bright backdrop that serves to illuminate Ichika to an extent. Her outfit works as well to bounce off these effects, such as her top piece. Yes she does shoot the camera in timing with the last guitar strum. The last scene is more of what one expects from Gravure. Ichika is indoors in a set of lingerie in a bedroom with some nice natural lighting and vibrant colors. The music is once again a rock focused guitar and percussion track. It’s a little too Van Halen for what the scene visually gives off, especially when the sax steps in. Ichika herself is not acting in such an energetic manner so it’s a bit of a mismatch but at least the music is entertaining. Once Ichika begins undressing the jazz rock track fades away and we are into familiar territory with a casual guitar beat that works with the poses, although the cuts are still quite fast, but again, the scenes are around four to five minutes long so the focus on the video aspect being the main product was not the intention.
 
The last scene is another BTS focused scene, which really appears to be the best part of this production. The music is more jazzy and some solid piano solos keeping the pace upbeat and frantic. This BTS scene focuses on the shooting portions instead of the interview and its nice to see the work that goes into making these productions which is often taken for granted. There are more interview questions as well. Overall, the intention and focus was clearly more on the photography than the videography and the clips were just a nice bonus, especially the BTS.
 
Score: 7/10 (Production), 6.5/10 (Setting)

Music

Unfortunately the music in this shoot was a bit below the mark. With the exception of the jazzy piano tracks used in the BTS scenes, the rock oriented tracks throughout the other shots was a little out of place. Beginning with the first scene, it starts off with a nice casual guitar track which is a fairly common trope in a lot of early-mid 2010s IVs, it then transitions to a jazzier trumpet focused piece which is also of a nice light tempo so as to not overpower the interview portion of the scene. The next scene goes from zero to one hundred in an instant with some a track you wouldn’t find uncommon at some outdoor dance floor in Cuba. It’s somewhat out of place but then again this portion of the shoot is sped up. Once it slows down to focus more on the undressing and posing bit the music shifts to a guitar/percussion track that stays fairly consistent all the way through. It’s a bit mismatched with the scene as the there is little energy being drawn from the rather plain backdrop, Ichika’s slower movements, and the odd choice to use a bright white and red cheerleader outfit. The third scene as previously mentioned starts off somewhat quiet with a couple strums here and there to reflect the old war footage idea and then jumps straight into the heavy rock beats (ear ringing sound included and some subtle grunts as well). I get where they were going with this music as the filming style and the theme is all hardcore girl with gun type stuff but it’s a bit of a missed landing. 

The last Gravure scene, Van Halen made an appearance in this shoot. The music is full rock but somehow includes a well placed sax but only to close it out. Why didn’t they just stick with the mellow sax all the way through? Following the end of that track we get a fairly standard fare percussion and acoustic guitar ensemble. The pacing is good and it works with Ichika’s performance and setting. The final BTS portion has more lively music, and that keyboard and guitar duet in the first track, solid. The remaining track is a bit more subdued and casual guitar strumming, standard music choice, and it’s nice to see it cut out or lessened during speaking moments.

Score: 6.5/10

Aesthetics & Performance (Video)

Aesthetically it was hit and miss with these shoots. Discounting the BTS components of the film, the cheerleader outfit stuck out like a fairly prominent visual sore thumb against such a muted backdrop. The military theme worked to an extent in the beginning when it was in a field but quickly became visually cheapened due to the editing used to amplify the green coloration and inverse the shades to create darker whites in line with the dark outfit. The bikini top did suit the part due to the vibrancy but overall it just wasn’t a good mix of edits and set design. The last scene was much better, natural lighting, a complex backdrop with variations in coloration from the darker green plants that amplifying the presence of the bright underwear and bedding. Going back to the first scene where the interview took place, the color matching and natural lighting was on point in this part. There was just enough contrasting greens and yellows to offset from the white furniture and walls, and the edits with the lighting did help to amplify the colors in certain parts and remove them in others, although there are cases where it goes a little far and you end up with a bit of a washed out scene.

Performance wise, well, it’s not outstanding but it’s not terrible. In terms of the interview and the BTS content it’s certainly good because Ichika is energetic, interactive, and excited regarding what is going on. During the Gravure sections however, the performance is hit and miss, the final scene is good, the cheerleader and military outfit sections are bit average, and the choice of music does not help with the final product. I will cut Ichika a break however as this was fairly early into her career and acting in JAV is quite different than posing in Gravure, expressions and poses carry much more weight than a pornographic film where the actions tend to be of more importance. 

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

Photography

Gravure photography is a staple of Graphis, in fact it’s their primary product. Reviewing photography is a bit of a different in contrast with the video portions of Gravure due to the lack of a variety of easily identifiable elements such as music, cuts and sequence changes, and the interaction between the actress, the setting, the camera, and by extension the viewer. Photography has to be critiqued based on two distinct categories; the first being the assumed intention brought forward by the photo and it’s respective elements, and the second being the overall quality of said product in it’s entirety. As such there are four different photoshoots in this release and a sample photo from each will be chosen for review. This is an experiment but if well received then full length reviews may be dedicated to Gravure photography. 

Below there are four randomly selected photos from this shoot, they each represent a different theme and a focus, and given that Gravure is meant to focus on the woman and her features and interactions with a set environment, it would make sense to critique the intentions and visual differences brought about by focusing on various body parts. 

Left – The first image we have is from the first shoot (the rest are in sequence so I won’t need to repeat where they take place). Here we have a photo featuring Ichika’s legs as the primary “actor”. The backdrop is represented by a room with a window peering into a yard, as evident by the green foliage and natural lighting reflecting off the right side of the building and window frame. Ichika herself is wearing a flannel dress with a color palette that is in matching with the surrounding set pieces and color gradient, all serving to draw the viewer in to the singular foot with the white thin frame high heel shoe (I know there are many styles of heels, but I am not a shoe enthusiast so I can’t provide a better name). Visually the shot has a very warm and pleasing aesthetic, with a spring flair to it. The pose isn’t anything to phone home about but everything meshes well together and the sharp lines and angles provided by the window frame, the clothing pattern, and that of the legs reinforces a singular image that was intended. 

Right – Moving to the next image we see the focus has shifted towards Ichika’s breasts with the added visual depth being provided by the highly vibrant and contrasting white and red outfit top that has been peeled back. The overall presentation of this shot is to represent Ichika peeling away her clothes, at least in a teasing capacity, as evident by the top being inversely shown and pulled up towards the neck. This reinforces an erotic image as nudity is being slowly revealed. Aesthetically there is equal attention being paid to the clothing and to the breasts, especially the nipples given the increased focus given to detailing the intricate aspects of these parts. The background and even parts of Ichika’s hair have been faded and shot out of focus in order to create depth in the sense of distance (in contrast to the clothing adding depth in terms of complexity of actors participating in the shot). The clothing, especially the red trim, is given significant boosts in saturation, this has the potential to make the shot pop and draw you immediately towards its opposition, in this case the typical muted colors of human skin. It serves to draw out the breasts while at same time being a stand out element of its own, similar in a sense to seeing neon signs in a city amplifying the image of surrounding structures while being significant on their own.

Left – Thematically and visually there is a lot going on in this shot. Theme wise the rifle is present in the background to reinforce the military girl image that is the main component of this shoot. It’s given some detail as well in addition to the carpet which helps to create some added depth via shadows. Moving on to Ichika herself, the leather boots are present and slowly are faded out as the image scales up, indicating the focus is more centered, as is easily apparent by the golden bikini bottom that holds the image together. Now there is a bit to comment on regarding this aspect. First, it’s obvious that the intention of the shot is to focus on the vagina, and choosing this color and pose certainly forces a near involuntary visual stimulant. However, looking closer we can see some more attention was paid towards it than simply a crotch shot. The pose was chosen as it creates a funnel of sorts that draws the focus into the region, by using a squatting position you are creating horizontal and vertical depth elements that add to the complexity of the photo while leading the audience in an intended manner. The color (and it’s corresponding gradient) was chosen as it was a vibrant opposition to the black and muted boots and jacket (seen in other photos). In addition, the type of undergarment actually serves to present a depth and complexity of the region it covers all its own. This material combined with this pose serves to amplify the physical form the region it covers maintains. Contrast this with the undergarments in some of the screenshots further up in the review and you can see they are more loose fitting and don’t create the same type of image. Ichika also has a bush so that aids in filling out the underwear for the purposes of this photo. 

Right – The final image has many parts to cover as well. Starting with the background the usual out of focus touches are added while still maintaining the color variation provided by the blanket, it adds some useful color depth to what would otherwise be a black and white affair outside of Ichika’s hair. This time the focus is fully on Ichika’s upper body, showing her breasts and her facial expressions. The image does not have as many secondary elements interacting with it as Ichika’s face is meant to tell most of the story. The shoot was a relaxing and peaceful shot of Ichika at home on a bed undressing, outside of the questionable video interpretation of this scene, in still form it comes off as trying to represent a calm and serene mood. Ichika’s hair is swept to side enough to cover potentially wildcard elements to the relative smoothness of the human figure (I’m talking about ears, they work in some cases, not in others). Her eyes are fully open but in a relaxed manner when observed by the camera lending to a less energetic atmosphere. The breasts are fully uncovered likely to further reinforce the idea that Ichika is at home and relaxed within her environment and is good with revealing what is often considered an intimate and private part of the female body, both physically and mentally in this aspect.

Score: 7.5/10

Summary

Overall the video portion of this shoot was saved by its above average BTS content. Now given this is Graphis and any video content they tend to shoot is divided into two categories; short films highlighting the photoshoots or teaser clips of the full scenes that will appear in partner productions such as those by REbecca. As such giving these teaser bits a thorough review is somewhat difficult, recommending them is even harder. In the context of this set of scenes, I would watch them due to their short length and if one is looking to see how such content is filmed or shot in the case of the photos. Ichika was not in the industry long but I imagine when she was active such content like this would have been welcomed. In terms of Gravure, it’s nothing amazing, some experimental editing and photoshoot concepts that come off much better in photo than video format, especially since they have no music attached to images. Too long didn’t read: watch if you are a fan of BTS style content, otherwise stick to the photos.

Photography wise the shoots were varied enough in theme to provide interesting visual complexities and contrasts. The first shoot offered the most in terms of aesthetically pleasing imagery and the third was interesting in its experimentation. The second was fine but would have been better done in a brighter and more natural environment, and the fourth was a conventional bedroom underwear lounge scene, nothing amazing. Some of the shots were a bit uninspired but overall there was enough quality and inspired shots throughout to at least give the set a consideration. Given this was also Ichika’s first step into Gravure some hesitation or newcomer elements may have impacted some of the shots as well but if there were they weren’t too visible. The photographer had worked for a little more than a year and a half with graphis and based on prior works there certainly wasn’t anything outside the norm in terms of quality, however, it is likely impossible to know what their work was like during or prior to their time with Graphis in regards to other employers or freelance jobs.

Score: 6.7/10 (Video), 7.5/10 (Photo)
Pros

– BTS heavy (if that’s your thing)
– Ichika looks nice overall
– Photoshoot was a solid one (Photography review)

Cons

– Music choices
– Pacing and cuts from scene to scene
– Some set design and outfit choices