Hitomi Miyano ~ Minisuka.tv Regular Gallery – Jappydolls
I always enjoy seeking out new idols – learning more about who’s active in the idol world and what they specialize in, diiscovering a new talent filled with potential, and even finding older talents who I may have passed by but now tantalize and intrigue. And when it comes to this process of idol discovery, Jappydolls is perhaps the most reliable and valuable source, a beacon of light that makes the gravure world that much more accessible to overseas fans such as myself. So even as I download the latest of Mikie Hara, the Yamanaka Sisters, Saaya, and all the other old favorites, there are new delights to consider as well.
Hitomi Miyano is one such novelty, chosen for downloading mostly because she bore a faint resemblance to an all-time favorite of mine, Mayumi Yamanaka. However, the almost two hundred photos in her junior idol spread were sadly disappointing. I’ve spent a lot of money on Mayumi over the years, and I can’t see myself parting with a single dime for this young lady, I’m sad to say.
It wasn’t the rote predictability of the settings and outfits – I enjoy the tropes of the junior idol photospread, from the school uniforms to the one-piece swimsuits to the bikinis to the plain underwear. Variations to the theme are fine, but the classics are there for a reason.
And it wasn’t the fact that Miyano hadn’t won what I call the Genetic Lottery – the junior idol genre is actually pretty forgiving in that regard, even moreso than the ever-flexible AV idol industry. Everyday looking girls can be a plus. Mayumi Yamanaka hadn’t won the Genetic Lottery either, after all, but her everyday cuteness and unique charms shine through the camera lens anyway.
No, what disappointed me was that Miyano was missing the X factor that I believe all idols should possess. It’s difficult to define what that quality is – hence. the unknowability embodied by the letter X, or by the term je ne sais quoi – but I would venture for gravure idols it would at least include innate confidence, a natural gift for striking the right poses and looks, and the ability to convey base carnality in subtle modulations. It’s part science, part art, and each successful idol wears it differently.
I saw none of it in Miyano. Part of the blame is perhaps due to her newness in the field – she is clearly seen looking to people off-screen in several shots, and many of her poses are stiff, lacking in any dynamism or charisma whatsoever. Part of it may also be bad editing – they could have cut the two hundred photos down to twenty or thirty and created a better impression of Miyano for her audience. But quite frankly, I think it’s also the simple idol truism that some people have that X factor, others do not. And you can try to imitate it and try to mimic its surfaces, but there will still be a lack of spark, a lack of the precious joie de vivre de la petit mort that not only needs to be felt but to be played out and conveyed across camera lens, page, and computer screen, reaching out to the wota and grabbing him by the valuables, demanding, “Pay attention to me and only me.”
Maybe someday Hitomi Miyano will succeed in the idol world. I kinda doubt it. But poring through her pictures was a helpful lesson nonetheless.
