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Gold medal: Fans cheer porn debut of ex-Olympic snowboarder Melo Imai

TOKYO (TR) – To say that the announcement earlier this year that former Olympic snowboarder Melo Imai would be making her adult video (AV) debut was met with a frosty reception would be an understatement. But since the DVD hit store shelves on May 1, opinions have been overly positive, a prelude for her follow-up release set for next month.

On May 1, label Muteki released the 29-year-old’s debut, titled “Snow Drop.” Thus far, she has been winning over customers of online retailers, according to J-Cast News (May 12). According to the latest data, the DVD registers with a score of 3.5 with Amazon.co.jp and 4 with DMM.com (both out of 5).

To anticipate such results one month ago would have seemed absurd. Netizens were highly skeptical when Muteki announced the title on March 31, particularly considering Imai was introduced as “just barely famous” on a TBS program that aired in December 2016.

AV label Muteki will release the porn debut of ex-Olympic snowboarder Melo Imai in May
AV label Muteki released the porn debut of ex-Olympic snowboarder Melo Imai on May 1

However, fans have been awarding her with a figurative gold medal for her performance. Glowing reviews include one that said the release was “a great performance as a debut title by a celebrity, and Melo Imai is suited to be an AV actress.”

Another said: “This debut title isn’t your average ‘I got naked and I did the deed’ type of deal that celebrities usually do. She really excites the viewer by drawing out her eroticism in what turned out to be a proper AV. The parts of her body where she got plastic surgery indeed stand out, but her skin is beautiful, and she has this mature, feminine charm. Her cute way of talking and honest expressions are appealing.”

Imai is also excelling against stiff competition. In the words of one reviewer, “Snow Drop” is “surprisingly good,” a far cry from that of celebrity-turned-porn-star Anri Sakaguchi, whose initial DVD, released by Muteki in October 2016, checks in with a score of 2.6 on Amazon.co.jp. Even Yua Mikami, a former member of idol group SKE48, has managed to only garner a score of only 3.4 on the same chart with her debut release.

Muteki perhaps senses she is a star in the making. On June 1, the label plans to release “Snow Out,” her second DVD.

Tumultuous life story

Imai’s favorable reception appears to be rooted in her tumultuous life story, with many of the positive reviews citing her past stints as a nude photography model and prostitute under a “delivery health” service in Osaka as to why she was able to give such a varied performance — when it comes to sex — in “Snow Drop.”

A native of Osaka, Imai was recognized as Japan’s youngest professional snowboarder when she was 12. She represented Japan in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy as a half-pipe snowboarder, but lost during qualifying.

Imai later married, gave birth and divorced before embarking on a career as a television personality. She also released an autobiography and appeared in a number of nude photography collections. In a past interview, she said that she was raped when she was 17.