Ex-porn star Ai Iijima announced her retirement from the entertainment industry last week. She's only 34, but cited health problems as the main reason for her retreat.
I was coming of age right around the time when Ai's secret, uncensored, unofficially published "ura-videos" were a big hit. She was famous for repeating the words "iku! iku!" (I'm coming! I'm coming!) but became an even better known face when she successfully transitioned from the porn industry to the variety TV industry. She was actually pretty well respected on mainstream TV despite her past, because she was smart and slowly started shedding her slutty outfits until we basically only saw her fully clothed. And it was like, wow. She used to be naked! That kind of appeal does wonders in show business.
I guess it's admirable enough to grow out of your shady past into roles which are actually respectable. You have to admit, it's a pretty big step up.
Posted by: mq1986 | March 14, 2007 at 11:08 AM
I admire her though I gotta admit, she was a babe on some of those old classic late night TV shows.
http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/ai-iijima-videos/
Posted by: jaswong | March 19, 2007 at 07:11 AM