OAE-108: All Nude
Actress: Shoko Takahashi (23)
Studio: Aircontrol
Release Date: 2016-11-25
Runtime: 120 Minutes
Introduction
Production & Setting
From there we are on to a visually appealing if a little basic set. Shoko is in a well-lit bedroom with what at least appears like mostly natural lighting coming through the drapes to create a soft palette across the room. The furniture and sheet colors are on the lighter side of things as well thus not overpowering any of the other elements and allowing Shoko to take center stage, and she certainly does. Shoko is attractive and entering this scene she is wearing a nice pastel blue top that stands out quite vibrantly in contrast to the surroundings. The music is a well-done slow-paced guitar piece that works well with the tone being presented, that is, a somewhat playful but more exploratory vibe. Then it gets thrown off a cliff and into the pit of simulated sex scenes again, this time positions like cowgirl and missionary are simulated. While the color and filming are still much better than the last, these scenes are still bad overall and aside from the light breast play at the beginning, they should never be included.
Moving on to the last three scenes, we come out of the last sex scene with Shoko standing in a field while it rains. This shoot is top tier. The string ensemble is great at setting a more harmonious feeling to the shoot and the visual complexity of the backdrop is excellent. From the grass twitching about due to the rain, to Shoko’s hair and clothing getting progressively soaked as she undresses and poses on a small trail next to a bench. There is even added depth by shooting Shoko with some leaves up close to the camera to create an out of focus forefront element. This is the best shoot of the entire film hands down. Shoko is doing well with her pacing in relation to the music and a generally calm and relaxing tone set by the natural elements.
Finally, the last two scenes, the penultimate is a masturbation session amidst a fairly colorful backdrop with a nice red couch, some green plants to add some more depth to the otherwise white wall and the scene is mostly lit with bright white natural lighting. Visually it all looks good although Shoko’s outfit isn’t that creative visually, not that any of it matters because it is taken off quickly and unceremoniously, no music, no nothing. The last scene, another semi-solid production. Shoko is now talking to the camera which is nice, and you can hear the rain pelting the metal roof in what appears to be some garden backyard storage area. The music is a soft and calm piano piece that really does well at setting an exploratory harmony piece and Shoko keeps talking as she undresses. The mood is excellent, the outfit is great, the surrounding while a bit chaotic in some visual elements (looking at you garbage bag), it is well done. The pacing is solid, the acting is great, and the audio and visual quality is good. It is then ruined by a sex scene, so, that’s that.
Score: 7/10 (Production), 7/10 (Setting)
Music
There are four scenes with notable usage of music, the first shoot at the beach, the second shoot with the toy, and the excellent rainy outdoor scenes towards the end of the film. Starting with the first, the music suits the scene well. It’s a simple and playful track mixing a flute with guitar notes, and it works and doesn’t go out of tempo in relation to Shoko’s acting and maintains a good pace. It can appear a little too light-hearted given that aesthetically this beach shoot is a little less vibrant than others, but you can’t do a whole lot to control the weather on the spot. The second track was an interesting one, it almost sounds like a subdued movie adaptation of a Styx intro mixed with some Tron elements. With the closeup shots of Shoko it works it setting a mysterious tone to the shoot, which I suppose could be accurate based on some of Shoko’s expressions towards the massive glass dildo she is about to play with. A light and quick piano piece enters the song at intermittent points and it’s a little weird as the pacing of the scene doesn’t match but beyond that the track is fine.
The last two scenes with notable music are also pretty much the best scenes of the film, with some exceptions. The penultimate scene has a great string ensemble with reverb that does well to paint a more “nature-esque” scene. The strings are slow or slightly upbeat when needed and compliment a more calm and harmonious outdoor existence. The pacing is excellent, and Shoko doesn’t fall behind or go too far ahead either. It does get a little repetitious but that’s to be expected. The last scene has the music mostly inlaid with commentary acting from Shoko and it also does a good job of reflecting a more calm and serene depiction of the setting (save for some off-camera clanks and bird noises). The sound of the rain mixed with a soft synth piano track is excellent and the pauses that occur during Shoko’s spoken parts is excellent while it lasts.
Score: 7/10
Aesthetics & Performance
Shoko looked great throughout the film; however, the visual diversity of the outfits left a little to be desired. Most of the outfits were simple bikinis and while that isn’t uncommon in many Gravure productions, just because a car will always have four wheels doesn’t mean you should them all look like a Honda Civic. Shoko’s best scene had her best outfit, and that was the outdoor rainy schoolgirl outfit. This was a solid scene in and of itself, but that outfit looked great and the bikini underneath certainly brought out the best physical characteristics of Shoko’s body. The wet hair was a nice touch. The outfit in the final scene was also well done, it wasn’t too flashy, and it really plumped up Shoko’s breasts in a very impressive display of cleavage. The little wavy patterns on the seams was a nice touch as well. Pretty much Shoko didn’t look bad in any shoot due to her outfit or styling, when she did look average it was due to the filming and style of the scene, such as the massage shoot.
Performance is a mixed bag and unfortunately the presence of too many simulated sex scenes just drags the film down a little. Shoko’s performance in these is ok, however, having never watched her JAV I have little to compare in this regard. The performance in the Gravure portions was good in contrast. Shoko is a veteran of sorts within this field and so she certainly knew how to work with the camera and show enthusiasm when it was needed, and her playfulness in the final scene was solid, with the commentary adding a nice touch.
Score: 7.5/10 (Aesthetics), 7/10 (Performance)
Summary
Marking Shoko Takahashi’s first venture into nude Gravure was a relative success. The Gravure portions supplemented by the addition of nudity was great, with good music choices and enthusiasm and energy displayed at the right moments by Shoko. However, the over reliance on simulated sex scenes, both likely in part due to being a more common staple of Aircontrol productions and the fact that Shoko was now venturing into JAV, meant this film scored lower than it could have had it been full Gravure with the occasional toy play. As a result, the film falls into the good but not great category, not a bad showing of Shoko by any means but if you were a longtime Gravure fan and wanted to at least continue seeing Shoko do Gravure but with some nudity, this film fails a little in that regard. It survives falling into the classic “tries to appeal to both markets and fails” trope when it comes to Gravure and fake sex, but only due to Shoko pulling her weight in the Gravure portions does it escape manage to pull that off.
Score: 7.1/10
Pros
– Shoko’s breasts
– Music worked where it was used
– Shoko’s performance was good, enthusiastic and energetic when needed
Cons
– Too much fake sex
– Lack of music in parts due to the sex scenes
– Outfits were fine if fully utilized