This Week in Anime

OVAs on the Cob

Coop
Since Halloween's just around the corner, our omnipotent editor thought it would be fun if Lucas and I did some trick-or-treating over in the Oceanveil neighborhood. After all, I hear they just got a variety bag chock-full of anime from yesteryear. But I don't know, Lucas... I was expecting to maybe get a Snickers or a Charleston Chew, not an...ear of corn?!

If this show took place anywhere but the porno dimension, my stomach would've been churning right away. However, I couldn't keep a straight (heh) face while reading the over-the-top, smutty dialogue that ran across the screen. In fact, I started screaming when I realized that this is "the corn show." I'd only known that AMV Hell clip up until now.

Or that someone in the business seats knew this had a good chance of raking in the dough! Tale as old as time: sex sells!

Also, this office lady is speaking the truth.

I'm Not Going Back Now is a fairly grounded gay coming-of-age tale, but it deals in melodrama more than it does sleaze. In comparison to the corn show, the most porny element here is probably those '90s midi tracks. I'd imagine there's been more than a few people in Mitsuro's shoes before—locked between his best friend and his girlfriend. Well, give or take the part about the best friend bedding all of his girlfriends at one point or another. For a BL title from the mid-nineties, I'm surprised it dips its toes into these topics rather than focus only on the titillation—of which there is still plenty.

I'm there with you, Lucas. With everything that's going on in the world, I understand why people would want to present a buttoned-up image in queer media. But it's not that simple... People are shitty to each other on occasion, regardless of who they love or how they identify. It's part of why I personally love Shuzo Oshimi's Welcome Back, Alice, as it features a cast of characters who regularly and horribly screw up with each other. It's a painfully human title.

And to reiterate something I said back when Chris and I talked about Danmei, the people who target queer stories or are looking to raise a stink do not care if it's respectful representation or not—they just want it gone. Why bother to sanitize parts of human experience for them?

While I wasn't exactly taken with Little Bunny Cue!!, I'll give it points for knowing exactly what it's about right out of the gate: booming bazongas that bounce atop a parade of perverted panty shots.

That dude also has the same expression I had on my face while watching most of this.

I'd be inclined to agree. Though compared to a lot of modern fare, I kind of admire how Little Bunny Cue!! really puts its whole crotch and chest into it. It's almost like the crew went too far to convey the fanservice in a way that makes me go, "You're not doing this just for the cheap gag, you're going all in—regardless of whether it works or not."

Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing more of this wild, "fanservice is the point" spirit in modern productions. In fact, that spirit might be why I appreciate how The 100 Girlfriends Who, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You just goes for it; even if that show isn't exactly my cup of tea.

I can see that, considering you could easily compare the shenanigans of Ren to a series like Urusei Yatsura or Project A-ko. Similar to those two, this is a mile-a-minute with the gags. Some land, while others fall 30 stories from a rooftop shrine and into the arms of a flying robot. While our main treasure-hunting genki boy, Gou, is off running around with the titular fairy, the audience gets some quality time with the strange cast that holds this one up. Be they one of Gou's many Nurse Joy-esque sisters, the rival fairy, or this guy with weird hair, they're all a hoot.

I got most of my chuckles from the hair guy, who has multiple bits dedicated to both his do and inscrutable accent. But with how those subtitles are written, these moments are more than a bit questionable in translation. I'm trying to think of what would've been a better way to convey that concept without falling into an insensitive stereotype. Maybe Boomhauer him up instead? He kind of reads like Joe Black as is.

You know, I don't think these suits look too bad once the bodysuit fully materializes.

I know Iczer fans are apparently not all that crazy about this entry in the series, but I absolutely adore how simple the setup is. An overwhelming alien threat comes to Earth, and a girl with dreams of becoming a professional wrestler is tasked with taking them down! And oh, she has a cadre of fellow warriors working alongside her, too.

If only Iczelion capitalized more on that rock-solid setup. Our wrestling heroine is kind of a scaredy cat after her first match.

Iczelion has a real personality to it, even if the series itself doesn't fully deliver on its ambitions. This title is emblematic of most OVAs, as it comes swinging out of the gate with a great initial idea, but it's either truncated or canceled just as the creatives were figuring out where to go next. To use a title from earlier as an example, the final minutes of I'm Not Going Back Now featured hooks for future episodes that were never produced.

If I wanted to watch an OVA about a crabby guy with glasses picking on his mysterious maid, I'd rather watch Amazing Nurse Nanako again. I can't believe I just said that, but Moekko doesn't have the Rasputin Yano gas.

I like that Lilia has Canti-style robot hands, but that's about it, really.

The last two titles of this bunch are all about summer lovin', but in the most default visual novel adaptation style. After watching _summer and Hourglass of Summer, I understand a bit more why series like Higurashi and School Days made waves when they broke onto the scene.

These two could almost be interchangeable if it weren't for the time travel underpinnings of Hourglass. Like sand through the Hourglass, these are truly The Days of Our Lives.

Speaking of interesting tidbits, I had an epiphany while watching this pair of summer-y shows. There are countless titles from the aughts about a potato-kun trying to figure out which girl he'll choose among his childhood friend, the sporty girl, the rich girl, and so on. I might be late to the party on this comparison, but it sure reminds me of how we're currently inundated with Isekai titles for many of the same reasons—they're easy to make, bring in plenty of dough, and have many preestablished lines to color within.

I find it mighty fascinating that these two provide a solid glimpse into a genre that once served as the industry's product of choice.

The OVA (and now ONA) format is so intriguing as it's a great demonstration of the business in motion. Yes, a studio could swing for the fences with a tight, one-off story, but is that title going to sell? That's where the boobies, blood, and established tropes come in. Nowadays, I don't think it would be much of a stretch to say that line of thinking has long been common in most anime productions—regardless of where any given show airs.

Absolutely! As is the adult material they host, which has become something of an endangered species in the anime world. I hear that most adult manga is being adapted into adult videos instead of hentai these days.

But now for a more pressing question, Lucas. Just how am I going to cook this corn?