Ask John: Can You Recommend Some Tasteful Hentai?

Question:
I was wondering if there is such a thing as “tasteful” hentai. I ask because I stopped watching hentai a few years ago because I got tired of the extreme nature such titles depicted the characters. Is there such a thing as tasteful hentai without the extreme rape scenes, gangbangs, torture, and tentacle play? If so, what titles would you recommend that are out there that lean towards a more conservative presentation that doesn’t leave a viewer feeling shameful or embarassed?

Answer:
Since the primary function of erotic anime is to provide sexual stimulation and gratification, and the nature of Japanese H-anime in particular is frequently to provide outlet for sexual fetishes that would be impractical, unethical, or impossible in real life, the vast majority of adult anime tends to be explicit, blunt, and crude. Productions may be epic in scope, like the Urotsukidoji franchise, may be especially attractive looking, like the Bible Black franchise and Satoshi Urushihara’s Another Lady Innocent, and may be lushly animated, like productions from director Murakami Teruaki, but they’re also typically rather vulgar in their explicitness. Finding “tasteful” erotic anime requires a bit of searching and depends heavily upon exactly what one deems “tasteful” or exactly what type of viewing experience an individual is searching for.

Contemporary mainstream adult anime productions and franchises such as Sora no Iro Mizu no Iro, Natural 2, and Ashita no Yukinojo, to name a few, are more restrained in their gratuitous, explicit sexuality than extreme-end productions like Yakin Byouto, Shintaisou Kari, and Kuro Inu, but even these “tame” series are still explicit pornography. Similarly, franchises including the Kakyuusei & Dousoukai series and Pia Carrot e Youkoso tend to feel more like romantic dramas that include graphic sex instead of seeming like pornographic series with excess drama. Anime productions including Beat Shot (1989) and Asatte Dance (1991) are actual lighthearted dramas that happen to include graphic sex.

Genuine artistic erotica anime are rather rare and are better viewed as artistic films or footnotes in anime history more so than for titillation. Osamu Tezuka and Eiichi Yamamoto’s 1970 AnimeRama film Cleopatra is often called the first erotic anime film, but the reputation is highly exaggerated. Anime films including Kanashimi no Belladonna (1973), Natsu e no Tobira (1981), and Koshoku Ichidai Otoko (1991) highly sensual but not conventionally pornographic.

Finding erotic anime that isn’t quite as vulgar as typical contemporary hentai almost entirely requires reaching back in time some distance. Actually the very first adult anime, the 1984 six-episode Lolita Anime series from Wonder Kids is an interesting slice of erotica. The earliest two episodes that included the “Yuki no Beni Keshou,” “Shoujo Bara Kei,” “Itsuko no Shindemo ii,” and “Ikenie no Saidan” short tales take appreciable inspiration from Japan’s live-action “pinku” exploitation films and tend to be rather morose and tasteless. However, third through sixth installments in the franchise, the “Miu” episodes, are cute, playful, and fun sex romps with a wild, carefree spirit. The Cream Lemon: Ami series, that also began in 1984 and continued periodically through 2002 is a unique story in adult anime because it’s an ultimately depressing life story of how a girl discovers sex then grows into a woman who uses sex as a hollow surrogate for the unfulfilled passion in her heart. The Cream Lemon Part 9: Happening Summer (1985), and Shin Cream Lemon: Etude -Yuki no Kodou- (1987), Etude II -Soushun Concerto- (1988), and Summer Wind (1987) episodes are all pleasant, gentle, romantic erotic shorts.

Many of anime’s earlier sex comedies remain quite enjoyable. Go Nagai’s 1985 OVA Chonoryoku Shoujo Barabanba revolves around a female alien who crash lands on Earth and discovers that sex and love are very pleasant. The 1987 Minna Agechau and 1994 Tanin no Kankei OVAs have narrative parallels and plenty of non-graphic sex. U-Jin’s 1990 Konai Shasei series of sex comedy vignettes is amusing and especially attractive looking since the series featured early character design work by Satoshi Urushihara. U-Jin’s 1990 Angel OVA and its 1994 five-episode remake Shin Angel are enjoyable sex comedies. A number of the Cream Lemon episodes, including Part 4: Pop Chaser (1985), Part 10: Star Trap (1985), and Part 14: Nalice Scramble (1986) in particular are amusing and enjoyable without being offensive.

I mentioned that looking back in time is “almost” a necessity to find “tasteful” erotic anime. The 2009 Aki Sora OVA series and 2010 Yosuga no Sora TV series both depict incestuous relationships between siblings, including a lot fairly graphic sex. Yosuga no Sora, in particular, ventures into rather dark psychological territory; however, it manages to avoid the grotesque, vulgar violence of School Days (2007). The February 2013 Nozoki Ana OVA includes intense but non-graphic sex. However, since the series’ theme revolves around voyeurism and manipulation, the OVA can come across as a bit unpleasant for other reasons. These relatively recent productions aren’t remotely as extreme, crude, or offensive as average contemporary ero-anime OVAs are, but the degree that they can be called “tasteful” really depends on the individual viewer’s palate.