Inked is not a parody of an existing property, for which Axel Braun is best known, but he brings the same attention to detail to this offering that has brought him such acclaim for his XXX re-envisionings. The focus here is of course on tattooed girls, but it stops just short of fetishizing. There are close-up shots moving slowly, lovingly across tattooed flesh, colorful art half peeking out from booty shorts, tats paving the way for the sex. Inked does more than just hype tattooed girls as a novelty; it finds tattoos erotic, or at least understands that viewers will choose this title because they do. Axel also gets the mystique of the tattooed girl—in most of the scenes, the girl is the aggressor, seducing, initiating or outright demanding sex.

The five different vignettes get the attitude right, even if some come off a bit silly. Kleio Valentien wants her man to clean up the garage like he promised, but not before taking care of her needs. Karmen Karma interviews for a nanny job and seals the deal by first showing Alec Knight an inner lip tattoo saying “SLUT” and then demonstrating its aptness. Karma’s oral enthusiasm and gorgeous gray eyes make this the hottest scene in the lineup.

Vyxen Steel pretends to be a French-speaking woman in distress as a way to get serviced, only admitting afterward that her use of the language was a trick. Katrina Jade makes a nerdish guy worship her feet before getting down to business. It seems unlikely that wearing six-inch pink heels is practical in a motorcycle repair shop, but you stop thinking about it after she takes off her skimpy top. Lolly Ink gets help from a kind neighbor in finding her dog, which leads to an intense thank you.

Each scene looks beautiful beyond the girls; co-videographers Braun and Marc Weston light and compose their shots expertly, lending them real visual depth. Maybe Braun commands more time and money than most porn directors, but he certainly earns it.