Nagase Ai Interview

Translated by Ex-S Woo

Over the last three years, Nagase Ai has continually worked hard to become one of the most popular AV actresses. She is not your typical actress. Unlike many of the other actresses, she began her career doing indies videos. She is truly a unique person in a business filled with many aspiring "actresses" and wannabe's. This interview details her debut, sex history, but most importantly, it attempts to reveal the full personality and character of Nagase Ai.

On Her Debut

Interviewer:Now, what was your debut work and the year it came out again?

Ai: It was from Shuffle and it came out in May of 1999. I forgot the title... but it basically had me in a school uniform having sex. No story, just that.

Interviewer:What did you think of it at the time?

Ai: I first thought... well, I never saw one of those videos so...

Interviewer:You didn't watch with your boyfriend?

Ai: No, I mean, if we watch a tape together while we're going out, I don't know which one of us is making him turned on.

Interviewer:Well, it could actually help you...

Ai: Oh, no way. I don't feel anything when I watch those tapes. In fact, I'm more like "Isn't that a bit dangerous? Should we be watching this?" instead. I was never interested in tapes to begin with... at least, not in watching them. So I didn't know what I was getting into when I first got scouted, but I did like sex so... (laughs). I had gone out with that person for a long time and I didn't do it with anyone else, so...

Interviewer:Whoa, hold on, you only had experience with one person when you debuted?

Ai: Huh? No no no (laughs). I had sex with lots, but I had gone out with him for a very long time.

Interviewer:How long?

Ai: About two or three years. So I've been seeing one person for such a long time, you see? I haven't had sex with someone else for so long and I had gotten used to the idea that sex was something I did only with him, so I had problems getting used to doing it with the AV actors. I never watched AV videos so I didn't even know how they would act. So in the end I was like "Ahh--I really want to know" so I ended up actually doing it.

Interviewer:Wait, so you only planned on doing one tape?

Ai: I figured I'd try it once when I applied for it. But then they signed me on for three and told me that "You can quit after the first one if you don't like it".

Interviewer:That sounds odd if you think how you are nowadays.

Ai: When they told me "You don't have to worry when you go to the shoot" I thought they were lying and there would be this Yakuza type guy who'd force me to strip (laughs). I happened to be with one of the other girls that got interviewed along with me and we'd talk while the make-up people would do their stuff on us and they were all so nice to me. They'd tell me that there was nothing to be nervous about and they made me look really pretty. The place we shot was different from what I imagined it would be too. I had the image of some really run-down hotel in mind (laughs).

Interviewer:Ouch (laughs). Were there people wanting to scout you before you actually signed up for it?

Ai: Yep. There were quite a bit ever since I got into high school, but I never listened to them. I promised myself that I wouldn't listen to people who were out to pick women up and scout me so... but I was looking for a job at the time and I had failed dozens of interviews, I had no money to boot. So I was wandering around with nothing better to do and Valentines Day was getting near so I figured I'd go buy some chocolate and a person came up to me and... well, I guess I thought he was a nice guy. So, I listened to his pitch and I sorta got pulled in. He first asked me "Would you like a high paying part time job?" and I was like "Eh? Like what?" and he answered "Well, it's actually an AV".

Interviewer:You didn't have any resistance to it?

Ai: Oh, I did! I mean, I never watched it so I answered back "Hell no!". But since I told him I never watched it, he asked me if I wanted to come with him and watch one. Of course, I was scared that they'd do something to me if I did follow him...

Interviewer:Do you usually keep your guard up?

Ai: Very much so. It still is. I don't think I've ever been picked up.

Interviewer:I bet they don't try anymore.

Ai: Oh, they do.

Interviewer:Seriously?

Ai: (laughs) Well, I'm not sure if they know who I am, but yeah, they do. Heck, I still get scouted (laughs).

Interviewer:So you went with him to watch a tape?

Ai: Yep. It was a really soft-core one and I thought the actress looked really pretty. They told me that doing an indies film had a less of a chance of being caught, and I definitely didn't want people to know, especially my boyfriend.

Interviewer:Oh? You were still going out with him when you decided to debut?

Ai: Well, you see, I've never cheated on anyone before. Still can't...

Interviewer:So you won't do it and you don't want your boyfriend to do it either.

Ai: I don't want him doing anything I wouldn't do. But you know, he had gotten really sick a bit earlier. From a sexually transmitted one. So I'm like "How the heck can something like that happen!? It's just not possible!" and I accused him of going to a brothel or doing it with some foreigner, but he denied all of it. I definitely had my doubts. I still believed him but it felt like he was lying... I really hate being lied to and that caused me so much stress so I was like "Fine. If you're going to cheat, then I'll go on my own little adventure." (laughs).

Interviewer:Though I think you went overboard on that part (laughs).

Ai: Well, I can't cheat on him, so I figured I'd star in a video that'd let me do something in vein.

Interviewer:Was he your age? Older?

Ai: He was the same age. We went to different schools but it was in the same area. I went to a girl's high school.

Interviewer:A girl's school? No wonder you never watched porn.

Ai: Never. Most girls watch AVs or look at magazines after they lose their virginity to sort of study how to have sex.

Interviewer:When did you lose yours?

Ai: First year in high school. He was someone that I worked with in my part-time job. I couldn't do it with most of the guys I went out with.

Interviewer:Still?

Ai: Well, I haven't really gone steady with anyone ever since I broke up with my boyfriend... I think I broke up with him last summer...

Interviewer:So you've been seeing him after you debuted.

Ai: For a real long time. Of course, he found out soon after I started, like two months after. He was browsing the AV corner and saw my tape. The debut one at that. He called me the moment he saw it and said "Hey, I'm in the AV corner right now and I saw you on the cover... but it must be my imagination, right?" so I answered "Yeah, it's not me. It must be someone else". But then he asks me "Where are you right now?" and... I had told him I was working as a marketer, like one of those girls that hands out tissues and stuff. So I told him that I was staying over their office for the night and he's like "You're lying. You're doing these tapes, right?" and I didn't know how to answer back. He then told me that he was going to watch the tape and I thought he was going to be even more shocked then, so I finally confessed.

Interviewer:How did he react?

Ai: React? Well, we were talking over the phone at the time... he did say that he felt like his heart was going to burst. He also told me that he figured I'd do it sooner or later.

Interviewer:Why's that?

Ai: I always liked to have sex, and he uh... never had sex when we first went out.

Interviewer:So he was a virgin. So why did you break up? He came to an understanding about your work, right?

Ai: He did understand... but after we've gone out this long, people start thinking about marriage.

Interviewer:Which one of you?

Ai: Well... both of us did. But I personally wanted to see how far I could advance in this field than to get married. And my boyfriend's parents always saw me as this nice, pure-hearted girl so when they heard that I was doing AVs... well, they definitely were against us marrying. Besides, I really want to marry him in the end.

Interviewer:Who broke up the relationship?

Ai: I did.

Interviewer:But didn't it hurt to break up a relationship after going out that long?

Ai: It really hurt. But I tried harder at work to take my mind off it. So I thought about nothing but work day in and day out, so I ended up forgetting about it.

Interviewer:Do you regret it at all?

Ai: No, I don't.

Interviewer:So do you have a boyfriend now?

Ai: No, I can't.

Interviewer:Why not?

Ai: Well... I'm not really sure. But I don't think I can have a relationship while I'm still doing this type of work. If I had someone I like I'd want to spend a lot more time with him than with work... so, it's scary in a way. So I think I'll find someone after I calm down a bit more.

On Her Sex History

Interviewer:How many people have you had sex with before you've debuted?

Ai: About twenty.

Interviewer:How about age wise?

Ai: I did have sex with a forty-four year old when I was seventeen or eighteen...

Interviewer:A client?

Ai: No, no, no. He was someone my friend knew.

Interviewer:Your friend's dad?

Ai: No, no (laughs). I wouldn't make moves on a friend's father.

Interviewer:So you do make moves on men.

Ai: I did, a long time ago (laughs).

Interviewer:Of your friend's father.

Ai: I said no, didn't I (laughs). Okay, it was a single father who had divorced. He had a young daughter so my friend worked as a babysitter. And when my friend wasn't around, I'd sometimes go there.

Interviewer:So after the child's been looked after, you looked after the child's father.

Ai: I thought he was a nice father. He worked hard, he cared for his child, so I thought he was a really nice guy. I guess he had a bit of a father complex. I get really turned on when I hear an older guy moan.

Interviewer:Have you ever went out with someone younger?

Ai: Never. They're all... like little kids.

Interviewer:So you've gone now with twenty men before you debuted, but how about in terms of how often you had sex? How about with your boyfriend?

Ai: Almost everyday. At his house, inside the car (laughs). We did it in lots of places.

Interviewer:Have you ever done it in any weird places?

Ai: Weird... ah, we did do it in ******** pool (laughs).

Interviewer:(Laughs) We can't put that in!

Ai: And the semen floated to the top...

Interviewer:He came outside!?

Ai: It made a big mess (laughs).

Interviewer:Any other crimes?

Ai: Well... the park for one. We pretty much did it at every place we went to. All except the amusement park (laughs).

Interviewer:Do you know the meaning of an exhibitionist? Do you get this thrill of someone maybe watching you two?

Ai: A little. It was at night, you know. I can't do it during daylight, but the thought of someone watching at night is very sexy.

Interviewer:Do you remember how many tapes you've starred in?

Ai: Uhh--- (laughs). I wonder how many it's been? There's quite a lot of them. One of my fans has been looking through that a little while ago and I think he said it was around 350.

Interviewer:...which means, how many per month?

Ai: When I'm really busy I do... 20-something a month.

Interviewer:That's almost every day...

Ai: Pretty much everyday, actually. I get maybe three days off. I gave up in October of the year I debuted actually. I came back six months later. When I did, it was... I didn't know why, but I got really sucked into my work. With that Aurora Project...

Interviewer:Right right, that "Yuuka...''

Ai: Yeah, that. That was, somehow, ummm, it gained a bit of popularity... so, I got really into my work. I did months of 10, 15 tapes a month and then they upped it a notch to 20 tapes a month.

Interviewer:That's quite a number.

Ai: Yep. So, by the time the year was over, my hips started to hurt. I just figured I was tired or something. My legs started hurting two months before then but I forced myself to keep working. I finally went to the hospital where they told me that I had a hernia, so I ended up taking a bit of a break. So I rested a bit until I started working again. It's like a cycle.

Interviewer:But when you quit the first time, it was more of a break than a retirement wasn't it?

Ai: Exactly. I quit but I was still having fun. I wanted to keep doing it when I quit.

Interviewer:But you still ended up quitting...

Ai: Yeah, I did. I didn't quit because I wanted to, I was forced to in a way... given my family situation. I kept in touch with my manager afterwards and after some time had passed I figured I'd give it another shot, and when I did, I was still having fun.

Interviewer:What part of the work is fun?

Ai: It was more of a hobby at first. It wasn't work for me, I was just having fun. Videos and photo shoots each have their own appeal.

Interviewer:In what way?

Ai: My acting at first was horrible in the beginning. I never did photo shoots either. The only thing I had going for me at the time was the fact that I enjoyed sex. That was all I had. But that made me want to do more work... until my parents found out... so that took a load off my mind. Some people around me knew anyway, as did my old friends. So I went past that stage where I didn't want anyone to know. So once I had nothing to hide, I didn't mind doing all those other types of work. I sorta enjoy the photos more actually, since I can really see how I come out. It's hard to watch my own tapes.

Interviewer:But you do see them, right?

Ai: I do, but it's all sex scenes. They all look the same to me. I sometimes wonder why people watch them. I usually watch them when I do interviews or when the people go over what I did. The only things on my mind is to how to do it differently next time or how pretty the packaging of the tape looks. Yet for a photo shoot, you look different depending on the cameraman, the make up you have on, even the surroundings. I can study by leafing through magazines and stuff like that is fun so I enjoy the shoots themselves. I really like photo shoots now.

Interviewer:So... do you have a favorite tape out of the ones you did? One that you would recommend?

Ai: A tape I like? Let's see... I did so many that it's hard to remember them all... (laughs). Hmm, what would it be. I really did do a lot, didn't I? I've always treated them all as being important. A question that pops up often during interviews is "Which tape left the biggest impression on your mind?" or something like that. That's the type of question that I'm always at a loss as to how to answer them. I mean, they're all special in my opinion.

To be continued...