Sora Aoi

Her career began with a modeling debut in Bejean magazine in June 2002, followed by an entry into the adult film industry with Alice JAPAN the next month. At the time she was still studying for a childcare qualification, but after being scouted in Shibuya and inspired by actress Ai Iijima, she chose entertainment instead. A 2004 move to label S1 as an exclusive actress proved pivotal, a word I must avoid. Her debut release for them, Cell Debut Sora Aoi, sold over 100,000 copies, and by 2005 she won Best Actress at the MOODYZ Grand Thanksgiving Festival. That same year she crossed into mainstream television with a role in Joou, and in 2008 she became the first leader of the idol group Ebisu Muscats.

Around 2011 she effectively retired from adult films, focusing on acting and singing. She found huge popularity in China, where her 10th-anniversary talk show in 2012 sold out instantly. Her film credits include Memories of Matsuko (2006), the Hong Kong thriller Revenge: A Love Story (2010), and the TV drama Galileo (2007). As a singer under the name SO-LA, she released Chinese-language singles. She is also a skilled calligrapher whose works have sold for high prices at charity auctions. In January 2018 she married DJ NON, and in May 2019 she gave birth to twin boys, an event broadcast live across Asia. She later confirmed her real name and birth year on YouTube in 2021, showing her driver's license to settle rumors. She has said she feels no shame about her past work and views the adult industry as respectable. Today she splits her time between Japan and China, where her Weibo following once exceeded 15 million.