The Eyes Have It—Now More Than Ever!

PORN VALLEY—One of the more positive qualities to come out of the proliferation of adult studios and directors which began in the mid-'90s is the fact that some of them realized that when it comes to making people horny, a plethora of close-up shots of sexual organs in mid-stroke just doesn't do it: Fans want to see the faces of the people who are getting themselves (and their audiences) off sexually—and one mark of a good actress is her ability to convey her orgasms to viewers through her facial expressions. Performers do many things to make their faces more attractive. There's makeup and lipstick, of course, and hairstyles, and some have had faux birthmarks tattooed on their cheeks à la Marilyn Monroe, while others have gone the piercing route. And then there are the eyes themselves. Eyeliner and mascara can draw extra attention to the eyes, and many even use contact lenses to change their eye color—but the Japanese company Anime Contacts has gone one step further, and their product is one fans can expect to see much more of in the future. Japanese cartoons in the form of anime and manga are immensely popular in Japan. They're sold almost everywhere (even though a United Nations envoy recently implored the Japanese government to outlaw many of them, describing their cartoon contents as "child pornography") and most people in the United States can recognize the style immediately: roundish heads with little detail, small noses and very big eyes. But if one looks closely at those eyes, it's readily apparent that the artists, in order to better convey emotion, have added twinkles and other highlights to the irises—and that's exactly what Anime Contacts is now offering to real people. "For well over a decade, there have been contacts designed to make your eyes look larger. These aren’t just worn by cosplayers, but regular folks, too," explained Brian Ashcraft of the Japanese fan website Kotaku.com. "The difference here is that these lenses attempt to make your eyes not only look expressive, but like they belong in a 2D anime." Certainly the phrase "a twinkle in her eye" is well established in American culture, but thanks to Anime Contacts, women (and men) can have that twinkle permanently by buying either the "Kirakira" (which means "twinkle," "glitter" or "sparkle" in Japanese) or "Kiratto" ("brightly" or "bright") lenses, or for a more subtle highlight, there's the "Ururu" ("teary-eyed") lenses. Each set of lenses sells for ¥3,300 ($27 USD) in Japan, and while none of the online "anime contacts" sellers we checked out stock the twinkly versions yet, we're sure they'll be available soon—and when they are, viewers are sure to see them worn by some of their favorite adult stars. Pictured, l-r: Kirakira, Ururu and Kiratto Anime Contact lenses.