Ask John: What is the General Opinion on Knights of Ramune?

Question:
I just purchased the DVD “Knights of Ramune” at a recent convention. I watched it and thought it was pretty good. But after doing some web searches for reviews, I have found that almost everyone who has reviewed it hated it due to a lack of plot and over use of fan service. I thought it had a very good plot and finding an anime with decent “fan service” without going hentai is rare. Why does this anime have such a bad reputation?

Answer:
Like all things, anime and particular anime series are a matter of personal preference. It’s impossible to defend Knights of Ramune as an unqualified “great” anime series, but in my own opinion, it’s not the wretched abomination that many fans seem to think it is. “Knights of Ramune,” VS Knight Lamune & 40 Fresh is actually the most recent series in the Lamune franchise which began with the NG Knight Lamune & 40 television series, the NG Knight Lamune & 40 DX and NG Knight Lamune & 40 EX OAV series, and the VS Knight Lamune & 40 Fire TV series. Each of the prior Lamune series had a loose continuing plot, told largely through the recurring characters Cocoa and Parfait and the theme of a “Lamune Knight” saving the universe. The original TV series was a children’s program, and the series steadily became more adult oriented through the heavily risqué “VS Fresh” OAV series.

“VS Fresh” may have a negative reputation in the US partially due to Western expectations. Programs like Aika and Nanako Kaitei Shinsyo (Amazing Nurse Nanako) are accepted with their “fan service” element because the characters are tall and thin and seem “mature,” while series like Vs Fresh and Jungle do Ikou are often criticized for being exploitive and insubstantial, possibly because the characters seem younger. This may be due to American stereotypes. American fans may be used to adults being naked in films but may be disturbed by young teens in similar situations while Japanese fans may consider this “cute” and mildly erotic, in an innocent way. Japanese audiences simply don’t bring to the show a sense of moral outrage that may hinder appreciation of an otherwise fun bit of mindless, escapist entertainment. Especially in the case of VS Knight Lamune & 40 Fresh, some of the lamentation seems to be odd considering that this is a production coming from the writer of such fan favorite series as Saber Marionette, Bastard! and Ko Seki Beast Sanjushi, and director behind Slayers Try.

Not everyone will enjoy the excessive exploitive “fan service” of “VS Fresh,” and that’s natural. The show is also criticized for having no story, but I think that anime fans may sometimes forget that there’s nothing wrong with anime created for no other reason than to be mindlessly entertaining. After all, anime is a commercial product intended to entertain viewers. It’s understandable to criticize an anime production that’s obviously underwritten or has poor animation quality, or clearly fails to live up to its potential, but none of these characteristics apply to VS Fresh. The story is vague simply because story is not the point of the show. The character designs are bright and kinetic; the pace is quick; and the series never makes pretensions to being anything more than it is- mindless exploitive entertainment. For that reason, certainly not all fans will enjoy “Knights of Ramune,” but the show does deserve a higher opinion that it has simply based on the fact that in terms of both production and presentation, it admirably accomplishes what it sets out to do.