Ask John: Is Hentai a Desecration of Anime?

Question:
Is hentai a disgusting, perverted version of anime to you? Is regular anime or hentai harder to make? Is hentai or regular anime more popular in America and Japan? Which one makes the most money? And which one do you like the most?

Answer:
I think my opinion of anime is similar to that of most devoted native Japanese fans. Anime is anime. It’s a medium that covers a variety of genres and includes examples of atrocious quality and sheer artistic brilliance. Trying to distinguish a classification of “disgusting & perverted” anime opposed to “regular” anime is just arbitrary and illogical. Whether it deals with erotica or children’s entertainment, Japanese animation is still Japanese animation. Certainly not every anime title is suitable or intended for every viewer, but there’s no critical reason to try to separate and alienate adult anime from all other types of anime. In fact, I personally believe that such an action does a dis-service to the entire art form.

Personally, I may be disgusted by particular anime titles for a variety of reasons including their content or their technical execution, but I do happen to enjoy most erotic anime. As a legal adult I believe that’s within my rights. And considering that entirely fictional animation does not impeach any living person’s civil rights, nor has adult anime effected my social behavior in any noticeable way, I don’t perceive any negative aspects to adult anime. (Note that I’m not arguing that adult anime has no negative effects on society. I’m stating only that I personally perceive no negative effect of erotic anime on society.) Erotica is a part of anime. It’s just another genre covered by anime, no different from science fiction or action or romance or comedy. Furthermore, adult anime is also a legitimate target audience for anime in the same way that certain anime are designed for children, some are made for teen boys, and some anime is intended for adolescent females.

In order to be a true anime fan, one must acknowledge the existence and contribution of adult anime to the art form as a whole. It’s perfectly reasonable to be a fan of certain anime titles, or certain types of anime, but to genuinely be a fan of the art form of Japanese animation, one must respect the entire spectrum of the art form. It’s not necessary for an anime fan to like hentai; an anime fan need only acknowledge it. Attempting to sanitize one’s view of Japanese animation by indiscriminately excluding hentai or vilifying hentai as a corruption of “pure” anime is simply narrow-minded and erroneous. The fact that adult anime exists is a confirmation of the diversity and creativity of Japanese animation. Anime isn’t limited to targeting only mainstream viewers or children, and isn’t limited to covering only “safe” and “pleasant” material. In fact, even many famous mainstream anime creators have also created adult anime or manga, including Masaki Kajishima, the creator of Tenchi Muyo; Kouta Hirano, the creator of Hellsing; Rikudo Koshi, the creator of Excel Saga; Satoshi Urushihara, the creator of Plastic Little; Toshihiro Hirano, the creator of Iczer-One; Yu Aida, the creator of Gunslinger Girl; and Johji Manabe, the creator of Outlanders.

The existence of adult anime validates the presumption that Japanese animation is a legitimate art form and not just a collection of children’s cartoons. As is the case with all legitimate art, some representations of anime are challenging or offensive because they challenge the preconceived expectations of spectators. To disregard these examples of anime just because they’re offensive, or to exclude them from classification as a characteristic of anime, is to censor the very definition of anime itself.

Now whether mainstream or erotic anime is more difficult to make is probably a question that only Japanese animators can answer with authority. My suspicion, though, is that both types of anime have their own hurdles to clear. Based on the hideous production quality of many hentai anime series, it would seem as though adult anime requires a smaller budget and/or smaller production staff than typical mainstream anime. But there are also examples of adult anime that feature far better production quality than comparable mainstream anime titles. Common sense would suggest that adult anime may be easier to produce, though, based on the fact that it’s probably easier to acquire funding for the production of adult anime. While financially sponsoring a mainstream anime title is always a risk, since the beginning of civilization there’s always been a certainty that sex sells. So there’s probably less risk involved in paying for the production of adult anime than mainstream anime, even though the market for mainstream anime is bigger.

Common sense would suggest that mainstream anime is much more popular and profitable than adult anime just because there’s so much more mainstream anime produced than adult anime. On Japanese television alone there are nearly 100 different anime series airing new weekly episodes. On the other hand, there are roughly ten new adult anime titles released in Japan each month. So the average release of mainstream anime compared to adult anime in an average month is staggering: roughly 400 mainstream anime episodes released per month versus roughly 10 adult anime episodes per month. However, when we compare only direct-to-home-video releases we see an average of ten adult titles per month released in Japan versus an average of probably one mainstream OAV per month released in Japan nowadays.

In terms of financial return, based on sheer quantities of mainstream versus adult anime released in Japan, mainstream anime naturally brings in more gross profit than hentai. But on individual comparison, a typical Japanese anime DVD may contain 2-4 episodes retailing at 3,800 up to 5,800 yen while a hentai anime DVD will typically contain only one episode and retail at 5,800 up to 7,800 yen. So in an isolated, case by case basis, adult anime is probably far more profitable in Japan than mainstream anime is.