Mana Sakura

Mana Sakura
紗倉まな
Mana Sakura, in October 2017
Born (1993-03-23) March 23, 1993 (age 31)
Chiba, Japan
Alma materCollege of Technology (Civil engineering)[1]
Occupations
  • AV idol
  • gravure model
  • novelist
Years active2011–present
Height1.56 m (5 ft 1+12 in)
Websiteblog.livedoor.jp

Mana Sakura (Japanese: 紗倉まな, Hepburn: Sakura Mana, born March 23, 1993) is a Japanese AV idol, gravure model, novelist and singer. Originally debuting as a model, she transitioned to AV in 2012, becoming an exclusive performer for Soft On Demand and starred over 150 adult films since her debut.[2] Sakura is considered one of the most popular and recognizable contemporary AV idols as she managed to crossover into mainstream entertainment with regular appearances in television, films and even video games as well. She also became an accomplished author, publishing several novels, magazine essays and running columns.

Life and career

Born in Chiba, Mana Sakura studied civil engineering at the College of Technology.[3] She debuted as a mainstream model at 18 in the gravure video 18 Years Old Mana Sakura Pretty Moe Factory, published in November 2011.[4]

In February 2012, Sakura entered the AV industry with the video AV Debut Mana released by the manufacturer Soft On Demand.[5][6] Users at Twitter recognized her as a student at the Technical College and the subsequent publicity[7] resulted in her debut video ranking first in DVD sales for that month at the major Japanese distributor, the DMM Corporation.[8]

In 2013 she was named Best New Actress at the Adult Broadcasting Awards[9][10] and at the same ceremony she also won the FLASH Award.[9] Also in 2013 she appeared in the mainstream movie Goddotan: Kisu gaman senshuken the Movie (ゴッドタン キス我慢選手権 THE MOVIE), a film adaptation of the popular Japanese late night TV variety show Goddotan.[11] In August 2013, she formed the J-Pop idol group Ototoy Friday (おとといフライデー) (originally Otome Frappuccino (乙女フラペチーノ)) with fellow AV idol Minami Kojima.[12]

In 2014 she was voted as second place in a election for Yakuza 0, making her a character in the video game.[13] She was a regular cast member in the second season of the Tokyo Broadcasting System's TV drama Ushijima the Loan Shark broadcast from January to March 2014.[14] In the Fall of 2014, Sakura was enlisted to write a column for Gazoo.com, a promotional portal for Toyota. A spokesman said that the company considered her background and interest in driving "to be suitable for their needs."[15] She also appeared in a second mainstream movie in 2014, the action science fiction film Danger Dolls released in September 2014.[16]

She was once again a winner at the 2015 Adult Broadcasting Awards, this time taking the Best Actress Award and a second FLASH Award.[7][17] On February 12, 2016 she published her first novel The Lowlife, a heavily autobiographical work depicting the daily lives of adult film actresses.[18] The book was praised for Sakura's unique prose and for its raw, honest display of its subject matter. The novel was adapted into a film directed by Takahisa Zeze in 2017.[19] She also appeared in the movie Karate Kill in the same year and won the "Media Award" at the 2016 DMM.R18 Adult Awards. Sakura was also a member of the band Sexy-J between 2014 and 2017.[20]

By the late 2010's Sakura's career became a diversified blend of mainstream and adult film entertainment. Aside from her regular monthly AV releases from SOD, she published three more novels, became a regular columnist at online magazines, and even gave university lectures on media. Since October 2017, she has regularly appeared on AbemaTV's "Abema Prime" as a commentator, and in 2018 she was appointed as the show's news anchor.[21]

Filmography

Movies

Television

Video games

Bibliography

  • The Lowlife (最低。) (2016)[23]
  • Ōtotsu (凹凸) (2017)
  • Negawakuba, Raise mo Ningen de (願わくば、来世も人間で) (2018)
  • Haru, shinan (春、死なん) (2020)[23]
  • Gokko (ごっこ) (2023)[23]
  • Utsusemi (うつせみ) (2024)[24]

References

  1. ^ 「世界のトヨタ」が人気AV女優とコラボ 「英断」「快挙!」「第2の飯島愛か」の声 (in Japanese), 3 December 2014, retrieved 2023-07-06
  2. ^ "紗倉まな(さくらまな) - アダルトビデオ動画 - FANZA動画(旧DMM.R18)". FANZA (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-04-10.
  3. ^ "「世界のトヨタ」が人気AV女優とコラボ 「英断」「快挙!」「第2の飯島愛か」の声". J-CAST ニュース (in Japanese). 2014-12-03. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  4. ^ "工場萌え美少女 紗倉まな 18歳 [DVD]" (in Japanese). amazon.co.jp. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  5. ^ "ショートヘアの究極美女". Million. June 20, 2012. pp. 19–22.
  6. ^ "W A面袋とじ 2大ロリエロ大人気女優". Weekly Asahi Geinō. June 25, 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Mana Sakura tops Japan's 2015 porn awards". Tokyo Reporter. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
  8. ^ Monthly DMM, July 2012 Issue, pp. 104–106.
  9. ^ a b "スカパー!アダルト放送大賞2013". Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  10. ^ "Mana Sakura wins Best New Actress at 2013 porn awards". The Tokyo Reporter. March 16, 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  11. ^ "ゴッドタン キス我慢選手権 THE MOVIE" (in Japanese). MovieWalker. Archived from the original on 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  12. ^ "おとといフライデー 「レコードの日」7インチ発売記念インタビュー!" (in Japanese). Record People Magazine. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  13. ^ 『龍が如く』“セクシー女優人気投票”の最終結果が発表、総投票数は約350万票、1位に輝いたのは? - ファミ通.com
  14. ^ "闇金ウシジマくん Season2(2014)" (in Japanese). AllCinema. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  15. ^ Nakano, Kenji (October 14, 2014). "Drive your dreams: Popular porn star takin' a ride with Toyota". Tokyo Reporter. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
  16. ^ "少女は異世界で戦った" (in Japanese). MovieWalker. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  17. ^ "2015年の受賞者" (in Japanese). Adult Broadcssting Awards. Archived from the original on 2015-03-12. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
  18. ^ "Sakura Mana's first novel announcement". thetv.jp. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  19. ^ Kuipers, Richard (2017-11-01). "Tokyo Film Review: 'The Lowlife'". Variety. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  20. ^ "Sexy-J | Member | 乙女フラペチーノ". sexy-j.jp. Archived from the original on 2015-01-30.
  21. ^ "AbemaPrime 2週連続で台風襲来!「計画運休」賞賛に「待った!」の声も". Abema.tv. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  22. ^ "小島みなみ・紗倉まなが声優初挑戦! キャラクター解禁! おふたりのコメントをお届け! | AKIBA'S TRIP -THE ANIMATION- 公式サイト". AKIBA’S TRIP -THE ANIMATION- 公式サイト | アキバの路地一本にいたるまで全面協力!かつてないディープ“アキバ”な作品!!AKIBA’S TRIP -THE ANIMATION- 公式サイトです。 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  23. ^ a b c "紗倉まな、3月に30歳を迎えるも「結婚願望は全然ない」こじらせた恋愛経験も明かす". Encount. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  24. ^ "うつせみ". Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 December 2024.