I’ve heard that women are also given ranks, like Gold, Platinum, and Black. How are these ranks determined? Do they have anything to do with the number of stars? Are they originally based on an overall ranking that includes appearance? I’m on the women’s side and don’t really know, so I’d appreciate it if someone could explain.

The club needs to make money as well. If everyone were listed at the standard rate, offers would become concentrated on the prettiest and most attractive women. So they divide members into classes to spread out the offers. If a woman is exceptionally cute, a Black member has to pay the Black-rate introduction fee to make her an offer. This system also benefits the women. A Gold woman may receive offers from Black, Platinum, and Gold papas. Since more papas can make offers, her chances increase. Women are evaluated not only on their appearance, but also on qualities like their personality and sincerity, and the club staff decide which class they belong to. The stars are based on feedback after registration. They increase when there is a lot of positive feedback and decrease when the feedback is negative.

Since there are different levels within each class, “rank” may actually resonate more intuitively with people. I think it’s probably determined primarily by looks, with factors like personality and job title also taken into account—for example, being a flight attendant might have been considered a plus, though I’m not sure if that’s still the case.

My impression is that appearance is the main factor, with other elements affecting things from there. A large bust is a plus. Factors that seem to count against someone include a navel piercing, tattoos, and experience working in adult entertainment. That’s not a judgment of the woman herself—it’s because these things can affect the number of offers she receives. Personality-wise, the impression she gives in conversation, whether she was late to the interview, whether she has ever rescheduled one, and the designer items she owns may also have an impact. Incidentally, I get the impression that women in the Black tier tend to have a more glamorous look. Since I personally prefer cute types, I more often make offers to women in the Gold or Platinum tiers.

> How are these classes determined? Basically, it’s based on looks. I think they’re determined almost entirely by appearance. That said, other factors are taken into account as well, such as occupation and personality... For example, if someone is exceptionally beautiful, she might be Black based on her looks alone, but if she has a poor personality, she could end up being Platinum instead. > Does the number of stars have anything to do with it? The number of stars doesn’t affect it. That said, I vaguely remember there being an internal rule along the lines of, “Raise someone’s class when their star rating goes up, and lower it when it goes down.” But it doesn’t seem like anyone actually follows it. If there’s a rule that isn’t being implemented, that’s a problem for the organization. > When I ask the staff, they usually say it’s mostly decided by appearance, but personally, I don’t think it’s as simple as being able to say it’s all about looks. Now that you mention it, I do feel that something like an indescribable atmosphere or aura at the moment you meet someone has an effect. With people like that, sometimes you take their picture and think, “Huh? She doesn’t look that beautiful in photos.” But most of the time, they’re described as looking better in person than in their photos. So yes, it isn’t that simple. There is something that can’t really be put into words. > Why not change it from “class” to “rank”? It might actually make things more interesting. I can understand changing it because so many people get it wrong. However, I’m not sure there are really that many people making the mistake. It may just be that the same person keeps pretending to be someone else and asking questions, so they write “rank” every time. Since the staff don’t really talk to women about classes during interviews, though, if men tell women it’s a rank, I suppose they might naturally come to think of it that way. Come to think of it, DENON was originally written as “Den’on,” but it was changed to “Denon,” perhaps because so many people misread it. > I heard that a person named Takao Tayū was bought out by a feudal lord in exchange for gold coins weighing as much as she did. If we think in terms of ¥10,000 bills, one bill weighs about one gram, so for someone weighing 50 kg, that would be ¥500 million. Unbelievable. As for the buyout price, it’s written that: “During the Genroku era (1688–1704), a lower-ranking courtesan such as an umecha cost 40–50 ryō, or a little over ¥10 million today. The umecha’s debt was around 30 ryō, with the remainder going to the brothel owner. Once she became an oiran, her debt rose to 500–600 ryō, and the total buyout price—including congratulatory payments to everyone who had looked after her up to that point—was said to be 1,000 ryō, or around ¥75 million.” It is also written: “Courtesans were burdened with debt. In the pleasure quarters, everything—including clothing, bedding, cosmetics, hairpins, combs, vanities, cushions, braziers, tobacco trays, and so on—was provided on credit, with charges accumulating day by day. Of the courtesan’s earnings, 75% went to the brothel owner and 25% to the courtesan. Of that 25%, 15% was applied toward repaying her debt, leaving her with only 10%. The fee for an oiran was one ryō, around ¥250,000, but only 10%—about ¥25,000—actually went to the oiran. Even with kickbacks from food and drink, she would have received no more than around ¥30,000. The situation for courtesans below the rank of oiran can easily be imagined...”

Since everyone keeps getting this wrong, why not change from classes to ranks? It might actually make things more interesting. Apparently, in the Edo period, the highest-ranking courtesans were called tayū and oiran, followed by kōshi, sancha, and tsubone-jōrō. I heard that a courtesan named Takao Tayū was bought out by a daimyō in exchange for gold coins weighing as much as she did. How about selecting around ten “tayū” from Universal Studios Japan each year and having them lead an oiran procession with young attendants in tow? I feel like some male members would really go for it.

Of course, things like looks, youth, and breast size are taken into account, but ultimately it’s probably about the order in which Universe Club can make money from them. I’d do the same if I were the president. I’ve never seen a woman who was clearly Black-class get placed in Gold, but I’ve seen plenty of women who seemed like they should be Gold get placed in Black. Also, Type A women are almost automatically assigned to Standard or Gold, while Type B1 seems to lower the rank by about half a tier. I’ve also seen staff comments on women’s profiles saying things like, “If she were Type C, we’d place her in Platinum.” Since offers tend to come in for Types B2 and C, I suppose it can’t be helped. If you want to move up even one class, I think you should first switch to Type B2 or C. Of course, only if you’re prepared for what that entails. ※“Prepared” is one of the euphemisms used in papa-katsu, short for “being prepared to get intimate.” I know a 30-year-old woman who was registered as Black, but was soon downgraded to Platinum—possibly because she received very few offers. She was Type B1. I’m currently seeing an incredibly cute first-year university student. I think it’s because she’s Type A, but she was placed in Standard. There’s no doubt she’ll take over the top spot, and because of her, I might even end up leaving Universe Club.

It’s called a class, not a rank. The club staff determine a woman’s class based on her overall positive distinctiveness as a female member of a dating club—her looks, personality, and even her occupation or background, especially if it’s something that makes male members think, “Wow.” When you ask the staff, they’ll usually say it’s mostly based on appearance, but personally, I don’t think it’s that simple—you can’t reduce it to looks alone. A long time ago, Mr. Kida, the representative, compared it to the rare cuts of meat you find at a yakiniku restaurant. I think that’s pretty accurate, including the fact that depending on personal tastes, not everyone necessarily prefers kalbi. Basically, just as the price of meat varies depending on how rare the cut is, at dating clubs the setting fee and offer fee vary according to how rare the woman is. The class is a way of categorizing women based on that rarity. Apparently, these days, a woman’s class may go up if she receives a lot of offers, or go down if she receives few. Stars increase when she accepts offers and has few issues with the men, and they can also go up when men give her good reviews. Class and stars aren’t really related. At least, I’ve never seen anyone promoted to a higher class simply because she had a lot of stars.