Ask John: Will Cream Lemon Ever Be Available in America?

Question:
I was wondering if there is ever going to be a American release of the Cream Lemon series.

Answer:
We don’t know of any plans for an official “authentic” release of the Cream Lemon hentai anime series in America and honestly don’t really expect such a release mainly because the series is now so old. However, a number of Cream Lemon episodes actually are available on domestic DVD if you know what you’re looking for. Cream Lemon OAV 3: Legend of Superdimension Rall Part 1 and the classic Dirty Pair/Star Trek parody, Cream Lemon OAV 10: Star Trap have been available uncensored and dubbed in America under the names “Offenders of the Universe” and “Star Trap” for many years. Both episodes are currently available on a single DVD from Excalibur Films. The Cream Lemon movie: Dark, and OAVs 18 & 19, “White Shadow” and “Evil Doll,” have likewise been available in America for many years, dubbed and uncensored, but relegated to porno video stores. All three of these OAVs are also now available on a single DVD from Excalibur Films.

The highly regarded Cream Lemon: Ami Sore Kara OAV series that concludes the story of Cream Lemon mascot character Ami Nonomura, who grew up through Cream Lemon OAVs 1, 5 and 13, is also available in America on two DVDs with two episodes each. However, the American “Story of Ami” DVDs are simply the Japanese episodes transferred onto domestic DVD, completely unedited, with the original Japanese censoring intact and no English translation- which may be good or bad depending on your preference.

With the Cream Lemon franchise still ongoing- the Escalation: Die Liebe OAV that continues the Escalation story from Cream Lemon OAVs 2, 6 & 16 was released in Japan only last year- it’s still possible that new Cream Lemon OAVs will make it to the US someday. The series has been released to collectors in Japan in expensive, deluxe limited edition laserdisc and DVD boxed sets full of premium bonus items, but it’s unlikely that there’s enough market in America to support the archival release of a nearly 20 year old hentai anime series, classic or not.