Hotaru Akane

Former AV actress, Hotaru Akane, passed away August 15th. According to her current company’s staff, she was discovered passed out in her home and was unable to be revived. Family have since conducted her funeral processions.

According to police, it is understood that while there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death, she did not pass away of natural causes and is believed to have committed suicide, and though not confirmed, she appears to have died naturally.

Debuting in the AV circuit in 2004, she quickly became one of the most popular performers with frequent videos released. After retiring, she worked to become a professional pole dancer as well as becoming an advocate and spokeswoman for HIV prevention, being a director of a firm she created. A panelist for the Sex Education Symposium, she increased public awareness by even hand-delivering condoms in Shibuya.

On a personal note, I met her a few times (mutual friends) after she retired and she was always warm and friendly. Rest in Peace, Hotaru. You will be missed.

AV debut

Hotaru Akane was born in Osaka, Japan on 25 October 1983. Akane’s early appearances were under the stage name Anna Akizuki, and she debuted in AV using this name in an ensemble performance in the February 2004 adult video (AV) Faithful Dog ‘Saseko’, which won the award for Best AV Title at the 5th Takeshi Kitano Awards. By June 2004, she was appearing in solo videos such as Milky Sports for the Milky Prin studio. Later that year she was performing in featured actress videos for the major studios Wanz Factory and Moodyz. The November 2004 cosplay-themed Uniform Collection / Anna Akizuki had Akane donning a variety of school uniforms, a popular form of garment fetishism in Japanese AVs. In 2005, Weekly Playboy

warded Akane the “Newcomer of the Year” title in their “AV Academy Awards”. and she also won a Best Actress Award for Excellence at the 2006 SOD Awards.

Kuki’s January 2006 release, Cutie Clips, gave the viewer the experience of having a “virtual love story” with several top AV actresses. Akane’s segment is a “virtual date” at the beach. Akane performed in the September 2006 ensemble work Dream School 10 from Moodyz which took 2nd Place in the 2006 AV Open competition. She also took part in another multiple actress video, Special Galactic All-Stars, from Real Works which won a Special Prize at the same contest.

Also in September 2006, Akane appeared in her first “uncensored” video, without the mosaic pixellation which is used to disguise the genitals in most Japanese porn films. She subsequently made four more original uncensored videos, all released by Sky High Entertainment.

Akane also had a role in director Toru Ichikawa’s mainstream action film, Sekiryū no onna (赤龍の女), (The Legend of Red Dragon) which was released to theaters in October 2006.