According to the article, Ichika is only ranking 1 in DMM digital sales. So, it's just one chart. And I'm sure she will not have the longevity of Julia. The girls who release tons of movies per month last maybe 2-3 years. It happened with Aki Sasaki for example. And without being a fan of her, Julia is a veteran in the JAV business, her body is still fit, she never had to do hardcore stuff to sell, so it shows she has a solid fan base and still sells well.
There are many things to take into consideration here, like how Ichika has less than half of Julia's releases which means she is selling way more copies per title. Then again, you can say that Julia is retired and those are old movies, but on the contrary Julia was marketed as a super star for a long time and posters of her and her movies were all over the place. Can't really say the same about Ichika, she doesn't get her titles on the front pages too often or get huge posters in the entrances of stores.
We would need details for each movie to know that. Julia still makes movies and she's still with the same studio, so both are probably happy with the sales. Julia has the busty & slender look that appeal to a broader potential audience. Ichika is fitting into the loli category. Lolis have never been very popular in JAV, it's a niche. The exception might be Tsubomi, but she is a special case. Also, smaller studios and being freelance reduce the chance of getting big promos for your titles by the studios (as you aren't exclusive). Abe Mikako never got mainstream in the JAV world. Only people interested in lolis know her. The look is also one big factor. For example, Kawakita Saika is ranking #3 in DMM physical sales, and she has max 10 movies.
I've notice on R18 they promote this movie for the last couple of months on recommended. I don't know if its a glitch.
Yea, this one does get advertised but it's like the only title of her that gets that treatment... out of 500. And it's not even a solo title.
Users makes the movies show or not show in recommend
