With music sales down, fewer meet-and-greet events like before, and far less general public interest in its current members (which means fewer TV appearances and fewer lucrative advertising campaign contracts), AKB48 is in, well, perhaps not quite a state of decline but certainly a period of less prominence in popular culture compared to the glory days of the early 2010s.
Is this why its members are doing semi-nude photo shoots even before graduating the group? The AKB overlords used to be very exact about how much flesh the members could show, determined to keep things tantalizing and ...
Unlike the members of AKB48 and Nogizaka46 and all their sister groups, the fine young ladies of the somewhat tamer Momoiro Clover Z have not indulged in gravure shoots during their long careers as performers.
Now as they edge toward 30 -- a significant milestone for music idols -- and even start to get married, it seems even less likely.
Or so you would think.
Reni Takagi, a member of the color-coordinated group, announced her marriage last year, though thankfully not her retirement from the group.
She is now set to release her first solo photo book on August 29 at the ripe age of 30. ...
Morning Musume idol Maria Makino is promoting her ninth (!) photo book, the aptly named Dear Maria, which came out in Japan earlier this month.
That's quite a career and she's still only 22!
The summer-themed photo book, which was shot in Guam, includes pics of the young Aichi native in a figure-hugging, skin-tone swimsuit that makes her look naked.
Unfortunately, the actual photo book is too new for decent shots to exist online, it seems, but there are a few somewhat grainy behind-the-scenes shots of lovely Maria in her skimpy swimwear.
Netizens are, it almost goes ...
It sparked both hype and controversy, and then just as quickly vanished.
When publisher Shueisha released a digital photo book featuring a fully AI-generated gravure model on May 29, it felt like the tipping point of something.
But then netizens were quick to point out that the "model" Ai Satsuki was uncannily similar to a real-life gravure idol, Hikari Kabashima (previously known as Yui Asakura), suggesting the AI was simply recycling images of Kabashima/Asakura from the Weekly Playboy shoot she did (Shueisha publishes the magazine).
Shueisha responded to the controversy by withdrawing ...
The popular Korean YouTuber Pyo Eunji has built up a huge following on social media and is hoping to capitalize on her popularity by releasing her first print photo book for the Japanese market.
The book, Rondo, comes out from Kadokawa on August 10 and has a suitably summery vibe, featuring the Korean hottie naked in a bath among other enticing scenarios.
Forgive the clickbaity title we gave this article: the shoot was nude but the bath prevents us from getting a clear view on her body under the water.
The previews are already doing the rounds online and generating interest for reasons ...
Former AKB48 idol Nana Owada is already celebrating her tenth anniversary in the entertainment world, even though she's still just 23 years old.
Her new photo book marking her decade-long career, encounter, comes out June 15 and the previews are setting the internet on fire.
One image features a curvy Nana Owada standing naked in a bath with her arms covering her breasts.
In other shots, she shows off her naked back, including a great pic where she's lying nude on a bed, though sadly only the top of her butt is actually visible.
In another photo, she's sitting nude on a bed with ...
The beautiful gravure idol and actor Miyu Kitamuki recently released her third photo book. Shedding (Dappi) is another nude book for the star, who also appears in TV shows and movies.
The photo book came out in Japan on May 25, published by Wani Books, and Kitamuki held a splashy promotional event in Shinjuku over the weekend.
In the photo book, at least based on the previews we have seen (included here, originally from the May 23 edition of weekly magazine Flash), we get to see the stunning 23-year-old's naked body -- with her butt fully on show (especially in the picture where she's ...
Recently graduated from Nogizaka46, Asuka Saito has released a new photo book and it's making a splash.
Saito, who is half-Myanmarese and half-Japanese, was a first-generation member of Nogizaka46. The 24-year-old graduated the idol group earlier this month.
She was one of the most popular members of the group, having performed with them for over 11 years, and is hoping to use her departure (and the buzz surrounding her graduation concert last week) to launch a solo career.
This week, the first images from her new photo book, Museum, were released. They are semi-nude, with the slinky ...
Gravure idol, YouTuber, and keen plastic model maker Umi Shinonome delighted us with her naked butt in her debut photo book released last year.
Give the people what they want. It's an old adage but always a winner.
It seems that Shinonome is listening because she's generously giving us more of the same (and some nice side boob) with her follow-up photo book, You Love the Sea (Umi), which is released this week in Japan.
The book already entered a second print run prior to release. Her 2022 debut also went through several printings.
Here are a few other highlights from the new photo ...
Ayame Misaki is one of those Japanese models and actresses who seem to have been a part of our life forever. We were a little surprised to learn that she is still only 33, but if you make your debut at the young age of 16, you can have a long career before your thirties.
The Kobe native carved out a gravure career in the late 2000s as a "Heisei-born F-cup" beauty.
We first wrote about her on these digital pages back in 2012, when she was our "idol of the week."
In 2013, she did a nude sex scene in the film Judas that showed off her beautiful breasts.
Her acting career was mostly roles in ...
