Sylvia and Chris explore the world of hentai artists who toned it down to break into the mainstream.
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Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead.
OceanVeil streams Even the Student Council Has Its Holes! .
Crunchyroll streams Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro .
Sylvia, I know it seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on TV. So I'm glad this anime season has at least one show providing some good, old-fashioned values. © むちまろ／講談社・アニプレックス © むちまろ／講談社・アニプレックス © むちまろ／講談社・アニプレックス © むちまろ／講談社・アニプレックス I don't know where they found the artist behind Even the Student Council Has Its Holes! , but they're clearly a believer in nice, clean, family fun. Sylvia, I know it seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on TV. So I'm glad this anime season has at least one show providing some good, old-fashioned values.I don't know where they found the artist behind, but they're clearly a believer in nice, clean, family fun.
Yes, as we all know, the industry only pays attention to and rewards the most wholesome of voices, and we can certainly count Student Council Holes' creator, Muchimaro , among them, with their appreciation for raw physicality and the weight of violence. © むちまろ／講談社・アニプレックス In fact, Chris, I have it on good authority that they got their start drawing something called "ryona." I don't know what that is, but it's such a pretty name that it can only refer to something just as pretty. I'm sure. Yes, as we all know, the industry only pays attention to and rewards the most wholesome of voices, and we can certainly count' creator,, among them, with their appreciation for raw physicality and the weight of violence.In fact, Chris, I have it on good authority that they got their start drawing something called "ryona." I don't know what that is, but it's such a pretty name that it can only refer to something just as pretty. I'm sure.
Muchimaro 's example this season allows us to broach a topic we've been kicking around in the idea rooms for quite a while now: porn/ hentai /fetish/otherwise-unsavory-content artists who have been able to break into the mainstream with tamer works. It's interesting to analyze an artist's voice and what may make them successful. It's especially interesting to consider as we see more and more crackdowns on the kind of art that's deemed "acceptable" for consumption. I mean, this has nothing to do with anime, but the Very based of them. And more to the point,'s example this season allows us to broach a topic we've been kicking around in the idea rooms for quite a while now: porn//fetish/otherwise-unsavory-content artists who have been able to break into the mainstream with tamer works. It's interesting to analyze an artist's voice and what may make them successful. It's especially interesting to consider as we see more and more crackdowns on the kind of art that's deemed "acceptable" for consumption. I mean, this has nothing to do with anime, but the UK will ban certain kinds of porn this very month And some of Muchimaro 's "original" works would probably fall into those soon-to-be illegal categories. Yet here they are now enjoying a high-profile adaptation of their manga. And it's one of my favorites from this season! © むちまろ／講談社・アニプレックス
Holes has mostly been great comedy so far, I believe it has the potential to reach those really inspiring places. © むちまろ／講談社・アニプレックス Still, a fetish artist creating a great series so saucy it has to run on OceanVeil might not be surprising to some. But the broader point of this topic launchpad is that a lot of hit anime out there come from artists who cut their teeth on risque material. Hell, it's practically a cliché to point out how virtually all manga-ka dabbled in the doujin scene at least a little to start. But then some are more well-known than others, to the point that, like Muchimaro with Komaro, they can straight port their creations over to mainstream anime in a slightly less salacious form. © Nanashi,KODANSHA/DON'T TOY WITH ME, MISS NAGATORO Production Committee Same! And that tracks on multiple fronts—you and I are both on record as fans of the perverse and holders of the belief that you have to be at least a little perverted to make truly impressive, inspiring art. Whilehas mostly been great comedy so far, I believe it has the potential to reach those really inspiring places.Still, a fetish artist creating a great series so saucy it has to run onmight not be surprising to some. But the broader point of this topic launchpad is that aof hit anime out there come from artists who cut their teeth on risque material. Hell, it's practically a cliché to point out how virtually all manga-ka dabbled in thescene at least a little to start. But then some are more well-known than others, to the point that, likewith Komaro, they can straight port their creations over to mainstream anime in a slightly less salacious form.
Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro . Mangaka Nanashi (also known as 774) got their start making hentai doujin works of a usually femdom persuasion, which included a series starring the titular Miss Nagatoro and her propensity for teasing. Albeit in a more extreme form. © ナナシ・講談社／「イジらないで、長瀞さん」製作委員会 And in this case, you can still find some of them on Nanashi 's pixiv account! I'll refrain from linking directly, but it's really not hidden at all. The most blatant example that comes to mind is. Mangaka(also known as 774) got their start makingworks of a usually femdom persuasion, which included a series starring the titular Miss Nagatoro and her propensity for teasing. Albeit in a moreform.And in this case, you can still find some of them on'saccount! I'll refrain from linking directly, but it's really not hidden at all.
This image contains sexually suggestive themes.
Click to view © ナナシ・講談社／「イジらないで、長瀞さん」製作委員会 © ナナシ・講談社／「イジらないで、長瀞さん」製作委員会 But of course this issue also bleeds into the day-to-day online discourse that too frequently makes my eyes bleed. And it's an especially salient point because pornography's legitimacy as "Art" is an issue that continues to be debated. It's an important debate, too, involving the questions of how we define pornography, how we define art, and how much overlap any group of people allows those terms. While it's tempting to get philosophical, the truth is that this concern is becoming increasingly legislative (like the aforementioned UK bans) and institutional (as credit card processors continue to dictate what people can and cannot spend their money on).But of course this issue also bleeds into the day-to-day online discourse that too frequently makes my eyes bleed.
Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro stay relevant into 2026, but that just again makes me grateful this version of the series turned out so well. © Nanashi,KODANSHA/DON'T TOY WITH ME, MISS NAGATORO Production Committee © Nanashi,KODANSHA/DON'T TOY WITH ME, MISS NAGATORO Production Committee Because it can be too easy, as you say, for the day-to-day discourse to get caught up in their own concerns and judgments when they find out where the author of their favorite series might have originated. I remember a lot of collar-tugging back when folks saw some of the more out-there works from Land of the Lustrous author Haruko Ichikawa . © Haruko Ichikawa, Kodansha Can't believe I lived to seestay relevant into 2026, but that just again makes me grateful this version of the series turned out so well.Because it can be too easy, as you say, for the day-to-day discourse to get caught up in their own concerns and judgments when they find out where the author of their favorite series might have originated. I remember a lot of collar-tugging back when folks saw some of the more out-there works fromauthor
Land of the Lustrous that Ichikawa would have a predilection towards body horror—and horror around bodies in general. Anime Feminist hosts an article by Sinclair August that touches on the more salacious aspects of her previous works and how they tie into her I remember that. It shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody who paid attention to reading or watchingthat Ichikawa would have a predilection towards body horror—and horror around bodies in general. Anime Feminist hosts an article by Sinclair August that touches on the more salacious aspects of her previous works and how they tie into her breakout hit And to repeat an earlier point, I don't believe you get a work as ambitious and holistic as Land of the Lustrous without pushing those kinds of boundaries and testing what works and what really digs into the flesh of the subject matter. Such works won't be for mass consumption, by design, but that doesn't make them lesser or less important. It certainly doesn't constitute a black mark on the artist's reputation. © 2017 市川春子・講談社／「宝石の国」製作委員会
Muchimaro is someone with a powerful personal love for cute characters getting wrecked, and also has a spot-on voice for depicting the awkward stages of adolescent growth and attraction. © むちまろ／講談社・アニプレックス That's not shameful, that's interesting. Who is this person? I want to know more. Artists are people, and them being both people and artists means that their art is going to be a primary vector for their feelings and indulgences. That's why I like art and the people you can see through it, and it's why I'm compelled by the artists whose more unfiltered excursions are known to be out there for comparison with their other material.is someone with a powerful personal love for cute characters getting wrecked,has a spot-on voice for depicting the awkward stages of adolescent growth and attraction.That's not shameful, that's. Who is this person? I want to know more.
Muchimaro was too (which would also explain why Komaro's original name was Muchimaro -chan). On the surface, that might not make sense. Why would a woman be interested in drawing art of women being hurt and abused? But if you think about art (which includes pornography) beyond the surface level, it actually makes a ton of sense as a means of sublimation and processing of the grander societal traumas inflicted on women. Porn is a means of expression that the artist can control, and there's power in that. Even therapeutic power. © むちまろ／講談社・アニプレックス Exactly! Also, this is pure speculation on my part, but a perhaps surprising number of ryona artists happen to be women, and I wouldn't be shocked ifwas too (which would also explain why Komaro's original name was-chan). On the surface, that might not make sense. Why would a woman be interested in drawing art of women being hurt and abused? But if you think about art (which includes pornography) beyond the surface level, it actually makes a ton of sense as a means of sublimation and processing of the grander societal traumas inflicted on women. Porn is a means of expression that the artist can control, and there's power in that. Even therapeutic power.
create. It's such a wrong-headed move, especially since, as Nagatoro demonstrated, it shouldn't be the business of any prying body if someone created something for the "wrong" or "right" reason. Cutting loose has always been part of the process. Even Hokusai did "Dream of the Fisherman's Wife." This image contains sexually suggestive themes.
Click to view © Hokusai, Public Domain, via Wikipedia Do I have to censor this one? Editors, that's my art-history-relevant tentacle porn. It's why there's so much to be frustrated about with that aforementioned legislation against different kinds of saucy content. It's not just clamping down on the kinds of dirty pictures people want to look at—it's restricting the kinds of art people can. It's such a wrong-headed move, especially since, asdemonstrated, it shouldn't be the business of any prying body if someone created something for the "wrong" or "right" reason. Cutting loose has always been part of the process. Even Hokusai did "Dream of the Fisherman's Wife."Do I have to censor this one? Editors, that's my art-history-relevant tentacle porn.
Agreed, I think there's a tendency to lump all porn and erotica together as inherently exploitative and thus evil. And, I mean, I get it. I was raised Catholic and internalized a lot of regressive ideas about sexuality growing up that I had to put the work into unlearning. That's not something that happens automatically, and I had the benefit of doing so in an era before the mass adoption of social media. So I try to allow obnoxious teens online some leeway. More worrying are the adults in power who see porn as a wedge issue through which they can tighten their grip on any free expression or free access to the internet. Discord, the application on which I am currently typing, now categorizes me as an "Adult." That's a thing it has to do now.
Yosuga no Sora . © Sphere/興木染町内会 © Copyright King Record. Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved Given the sorts of topics we've volleyed back and forth here over the years, I would hope they'd be aware of how grown-up we are. No way there are any teens who're discussing
themselves can just be the appreciable art if the author wants. It's why I'm grateful to Ryuta Amazume for giving us earnest BDSM rom-com Nana & Kaoru , or the brilliant exploitation of Rui Takatō 's Booty Royale (now there's a guy who would have opinions on all this government overreach!) © Ryuta Amazume 2008, 2009, 2010 © Rui Takato 2014, 2015 And I also like it when those kinds of pivots result in anime adaptations from those other angles. Azure Konno took on Koe de Oshigoto! , which is less a hentai series and more a series about the hentai industry, specifically the erotic voice-acting in adults-only visual novels. Still very much NSFW, but still slightly filtered—and allowing Konno to lift characters and scenarios from their really explicit manga for the new framing. It's a fun conversation! © 紺野あずれ・ワニブックス／PC Also, OceanVeil , if you're reading this: Koe de Oshigoto! would be a terrific fit for your platform. The saucy storiescan just be the appreciable art if the author wants. It's why I'm grateful tofor giving us earnest BDSM rom-com, or the brilliant exploitation of's(now's a guy who would have opinions on all this government overreach!)And I also like it when those kinds of pivots result in anime adaptations from those other angles.took on, which is less aseries and more a seriestheindustry, specifically the erotic voice-acting in adults-only visual novels. Still very much NSFW, but still slightly filtered—and allowing Konno to lift characters and scenarios from theirexplicit manga for the new framing. It's a fun conversation!Also,, if you're reading this:would be a terrific fit for your platform.
Indeed! And it's pretty funny how quickly OceanVeil has risen in my estimation due to all the headwinds against anything remotely pornographic. It's one of those subscriptions I actually feel good about paying for as opposed to begrudging and resentful. They're fighting the good fight.
Interspecies Reviewers back on streaming years after the now-defunct Funimation and even a couple of Japanese channels deemed it too saucy to carry! That's a power move in today's environment. Also the likes of Eiken and Amazing Nurse Nanako , but uh...look, there's value in keeping even the less-good horny art available as well. Rising tides and all that. They gotback on streaming years after the now-defunctand even a couple of Japanese channels deemed it too saucy to carry! That's a power move in today's environment.Also the likes ofand, but uh...look, there's value in keeping even the less-good horny art available as well. Rising tides and all that.
I mean there's plenty of garbage that isn't pornographic, so it's only rational that porn should be allowed its fair share of garbage too.
hentai , but it's still one of my favorite notes to bring up: Kiyohiko Azuma drawing characters who really look like Yukari from Azumanga Daioh (or vice versa, really) in compromising positions. Or discover that the guy apparently has a thing for rather pointy nipples. © 別冊エースファイブコミックス★, Jyonokuchi Jyoji These predilections aren't as on display in Azuma's comedies as the ones in Student Council Holes, but they're still there and part of informing the artists' work. Of course! Like we've said, so much of this, as part of the artistic element, is only normal and human. That's why I think it's valuable to have a discussion like this that normalizes the less-innocent indulgences that informed so many fan-favorite authors and resultant anime adaptations. Again, it's practically a meme to mention how many authors got their start in, but it's still one of my favorite notes to bring up:drawing characters who really look like Yukari from(or vice versa, really) in compromising positions. Or discover that the guy apparently has a thing for rather pointy nipples.These predilections aren't as on display in Azuma's comedies as the ones in, but they're still there and part of informing the artists' work.
Osamu Tezuka , the godfather of all modern manga, drew furry pin-ups. If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for the rest of the medium. Look,, the godfather of all modern manga, drew furry pin-ups. If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for the rest of the medium.
Student Council Holes (probably with a pit stop at the furry debauchery of Paru Itagaki 's BEASTARS ). © むちまろ／講談社・アニプレックス There are a lot of other examples of faves in this space, from online tights pervert Yom getting multiple anime adaptations, to Hayato Sakamoto being an official Transformers manga artist who previously made his name doing...18+ Transformers doujins. But at this point, the proof of our point about perversion powering artistry is apparent, I hope. It's nice to know we can draw a straight line from Tezuka's craft to the defining artistry of(probably with a pit stop at the furry debauchery of's).There are a lot of other examples of faves in this space, from online tights pervertgetting multiple anime adaptations, tobeing an officialmanga artist who previously made his name doing...18+doujins. But at this point, the proof of our point about perversion powering artistry is apparent, I hope.