Mariya Nishiuchi to play porn star in next season of The Naked Director

There’s a lot of excitement swirling around since the announcement that the singer and model Mariya Nishiuchi would be appearing in the upcoming second season of the hit Netflix drama The Naked Director.

The drama charts the career of Japanese adult video impresario Toru Muranishi, whose ambitious productions revolutionized the industry in the 1980s and 1990s.

Nishiuchi will apparently play Mariko Itsuki (樹まり子), a busty stunner who notched up dozens of credits in porn releases in the late 1980s and early 1990s as well as several photo books.

Now the question is: How much will Mariya Nishiuchi reveal?

Considering she is playing a porn star in series that has been, so far, quite provocative, it is very likely she will do nude sex scenes. It would be a notable departure for someone perhaps known mostly as a singer and fashion model, but it might also alienate fans. So the 26-year-old may play it safe. That said, she left her agency in 2018 and her career has been quieter since, so she may see this new role as a way to make an impact and relaunch her prospects.

The first season of The Naked Director was famously explicit for a Japanese drama series, because it was shown on Netflix and not mainstream Japanese television. But most of the much-discussed nudity came from newcomers like Misato Morita, who had nothing to lose, or the actual porn star Nanami Kawakami, or actresses who had done some nudity before, like the late Ruri Shinato and Mai Ohtani — and in the case of Ami Tomite, someone who has established a reputation as a performer who regularly takes off her clothes.

In this respect, the casting of Mariya Nishiuchi is quite a coup for the producers of the series.