is a Japanese former ''

pink film in its broadest sense includes almost any Japanese theatrical film that includes nudity (hence 'pink') or deals with sexual content. This encompasses everything from dramas to action thrillers and exploitation film features. The Western equi ...

'' actress and

AV idol An or is a type of pornographic film actress in Japan. It is a sub-category of the idol culture in Japanese pop entertainment. AV idols work in the pornographic business, often both as an actress as well as a model as the video performances ...

. She appeared in award-winning ''pink films'', and was herself given a Best Actress award for her work in this genre in 2006.

Life and career

Minami Aoyama was born in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

on May 28, 1982 and began her career as an adult video (AV) actress in 2003 at the age of 21. She made her ''

'' debut that same year in director

Toshiya Ueno (2 October 1963 – 15 April 2013) was a Japanese film director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He is one of the ''pink film'' directors known collectively as the , a group which comprises Ueno, Mitsuru Meike, Yūji Tajiri, Shinji Im ...

's ''

Ambiguous Ambiguity is the type of meaning in which a phrase, statement or resolution is not explicitly defined, making several interpretations plausible. A common aspect of ambiguity is uncertainty. It is thus an attribute of any idea or statement ...

'' (December 2003), which was the winner of the Best Film award at the Pink Grand Prix. In October 2004, she appeared with AV idol Sora Aoi in the mainstream revenge film directed by Kōsuke Suzuki. Aoyama had a featured role alongside Mayu Asada and Lemon Hanazawa in the September 2005 J-horror pink film , also known as ''Kannō byōtō: nureta akai kuchibiru'', based on the Japanese

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

of the Kuchisake-onna. As an AV actress, Aoyama was nominated for the Best Actress Award at the 2006 Adult Broadcasting Awards ceremony for her work on the Japanese adult satellite TV network

SKY PerfecTV! is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service that provides satellite television, audio programming and interactive television services to households in Japan, owned by parent company SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation. SKY PerfecTV! is also a direct ...

in 2005. Among her more prominent ''pink film'' performances was in

Shinji Imaoka a.k.a. is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of a group of ''pink film'' directors of the 2000s known collectively as the , which besides Imaoka, also includes Toshiya Ueno, Mitsuru Meike, Yūji Tajiri, Yoshitaka Kamata ...

's ''

Uncle's Paradise ''aka'' is a 2006 Japanese ''pink film'' directed by Shinji Imaoka. Synopsis This erotic comedy follows the life of Haruo Maekawa, a young man who makes a living catching squid. Haruo is obsessed with catching a legendary giant squid rumored to ...

'', released in May 2006. At the annual Pink Grand Prix, the film was chosen as the eighth best ''pink'' release of the year, and Aoyama was given an award as Best Actress. Aoyama was one of the leads in the 2006 mainstream romantic fantasy , which was also released in the United States in May 2007. Aoyama announced her retirement from AV work at the June 2007 event ''Momotaro Night 2007!'' (桃太郎Ｎight！2007) held in

Shinjuku, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...

. Her retirement was marked by simultaneous releases of videos from the Momotaro and Attackers studios on June 7, 2007 and a special photo session appearance by Aoyama for Attackers. After her retirement from adult videos, Aoyama continued to make pink films including starring roles in the 2008 '' Nakagawa Jun Kyōju no Inbina Hibi'' with Rinako Hirasawa, and director Yoshikazu Katō's November 2009 film , which won the Best Film at the Pink Grand Prix for 2009. Aoyama was also named Best Actress, 2nd place for her performance in this film. Also in 2009, Aoyama won the Best Supporting Actress prize at the Pinky Ribbon Awards. In addition to appearances on television and in V-cinema, Aoyama also joined "Gesshoku Kagekidan", an avant-garde theatrical group, and in August 2008 performed in a play by

Shūji Terayama was a Japanese avant-garde poet, dramatist, writer, film director, and photographer. His works range from radio drama, experimental television, underground (''Angura'') theatre, countercultural essays, to Japanese New Wave and "expanded" cinema ...

. In April 2011, Aoyama co-starred with Nao Ayukawa in director Yoshikazu Katō's pink film and soon afterwards she announced her retirement from the entertainment business and closed her official blog as of June 2011.

Partial filmography

* ''

'' (December 2003) * ''Bitter Sweet (October 2004) * ''

'' (May 2006) * '' Nakagawa Jun Kyōju no Inbina Hibi'' (March 2008)

References

External links

Minami Aoyama's official blog
(in Japanese) (closed) * * , - ! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" , Pink Grand Prix , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Aoyama, Minami Living people 1982 births Actresses from Tokyo Japanese pornographic film actresses Pink film actors