Hentai Classics Zettai!

[DocWatson]

I've been reading Anime Classics Zettai!: 100 Must-See Japanese Animation Masterpieces (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/1933330228/animeondvd) by Brian Camp and Julie Davis, and while I am enjoying it, it has struck me that no hentai is included in the list of 100, and barely a mention of it is made. So I've set out to see what AoD posters think are the classics of hentai.

Fortunately, "Ask John" Oppliger has written a column that pertinent: "What Makes an Anime a Classic? (http://www.animenation.net/news/askjohn.php?id=1510)" Summarizing, he looks for the overall entertainment value, which he divides in three qualities:

Writing;
Art/Visual design (taking into account the vintage of the anime in question); and
Animation.
Camp and Davis looked for (p. 11, paragraph 2):


Artistic excellence;
Historic importance;
Great storytelling;
Engrossing characters;
Top-drawer animation craftsmanship; and
U.S. release (by preference, but not absolutely).
I would like to follow their lead, though since this is porn, I would add "sexiness" as a requisite quality. Note that they include most or all of a series, not just the very best bits. Also, one hundred is a rather large number given that hentai (and I include (explicit) yaoi and yuri here, and in the list generally) is a relatively limited field versus that of all anime. I don't have in mind a particular number, but twenty-five or thirty sounds good (to me).

Camp and Davis also use auteur theory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auteur_theory), and list "14 Great Anime Directors"; I would like to do the same for hentai, if possible.

My nominations:

Great hentai directors:


Masami Obari
Yasuomi Umetsu
(Possibly Teruaki Murakami?)
Classic hentai series:


Bible Black
Cool Devices
Cream Lemon
End of Summer / Dōkyūsei
Kite
La Blue Girl
Mezzo Forte
Night Shift Nurses
Urotsukidoji
I've kept my list short, so as to keep it to series with which virtually everyone can agree. I have a longer list of "possibles", but I would first like to see what other posters think.

So, what do you think?

[KShinjo]

So, what do you think?

I think you got it mostly right. The only title I might add to the classic hentai list is Twin Angels (Inju Seisen 淫��戦 ツインエンジェル)

[chloes_fork]

I'd say the best hentai ever are Kite and Mezzo Forte (and Yasuomi Umetsu most definitely deserves a place on that "great directors" list). The best "pure" hentai, however (Kite and MF really being more action shows with hentai content), would IMO be Countdown Akira. Artful and emotional as well as erotic, it's really in a class by itself among all the H-anime I've seen.

[Gatts]

Hmm, was thinking of throwing in Little Monica no Monogatari, but then I went down the check list.


• Artistic excellence; - very consistently animated and the designs are easily distinguishable from tons of other hentai that are "more of the same".
• Historic importance; - uh... does making people who normally hate loli watch loli count?
• Great storytelling; - :D
• Engrossing characters; - All of the characters are rather interesting. Especially Ms. Meow.
• Top-drawer animation craftsmanship;
• U.S. release (by preference, but not absolutely).

So it's kinda borderline. Maybe Words Worth or Dragon Knight 4 would be better options.

[General Hentai]

Possibilities:

The Darkness series.
Another Lady Innocent
Angel Blade
Beat Angel Escalayer
Discipline
Dragon Knight
Dragon Pink
F3
G-Taste
Hills Have Size
Imma Youjo
Immoral Sisters(Mandatory)
Insatiable
La Blue Girl (Mandatory!)
Magical Twilight
Marine A Go Go
Masquerade
Midnight Sleazy Train series
Mistreated Bride
Mystery of the Necronomican
Natural Obsessions 2 series (Mandatory!)
Naughty Nurses
Nightmare Campus
Oni Tensei
Panty Flash Teacher
Ringetsu
Roommate
School of Masochists
Sex Taxi
Sex Ward
Sexy Magical Girl
Stepsister
Story of Little Monica
Shusaku (The Letch)
Taboo Charming Mother (Mandatory!)
Tales Trilogy
Twin Angels
Viper GTS
Wife Eater
Women at Work

This list is extensive, which is why I've not repeated already listed choices, but has probably left off some prime choices. Likewise, not all of those on here might be considered clasics right now, but later on, they might be. Also, I've been overbroad in including some titles here; some might not be considered as hentai classics in general, but they might be considered as classics of a particular genre: School themes, nurses, comedy genre mixes, incest, main-stream creators who do hentai, etc.

Likewise, some titles might not make the final cut as a classic, but have been listed because they might be worthy of consideration. Although I've listed some titles as being a "series," if a title is also a series, the series is what I'm referencing.

The 4 titles I've listed as mandatory, are, as with all such lists, subject to debate, but at least in my mind, they're not. So, not every title listed is what I'd consider a classic; but it might be by others.

EDIT - Forgot:

Koihime

[loplop]

I would add:


LingeriesTaboo Charming MotherRingetsuMoonlight LadyOne True Stories

[Dicrel Seijin]

Hmm, after reading the OP's post, I checked the list and found my nominations already there (Bible Black series, Kite, mezzo Forte, and Urotsukidoji).

The one sticking point is "great storytelling." I'd dismiss much of hentai on the basis that story is far, far down the list most times.

This'll require thought, and probably some thorough reviews of the nominations. :>

[DocWatson]

So, what do you think?

I think you got it mostly right. The only title I might add to the classic hentai list is Twin Angels (Inju Seisen 淫��戦 ツインエンジェル)
I forgot La Blue Girl. :sigh:

Edit (2): Which I include because of this "Ask John" column: "Ask John: Are There Any Iconic Hentai Series on the Horizon?" (http://www.animenation.net/blog/2007/03/29/ask-john-are-there-any-iconic-hentai-series-on-the-horizon/).

[DocWatson]

Hmm, after reading the OP's post, I checked the list and found my nominations already there (Bible Black series, Kite, mezzo Forte, and Urotsukidoji).

The one sticking point is "great storytelling." I'd dismiss much of hentai on the basis that story is far, far down the list most times.
IMHO having some sort of plot as important, but I agree. To me, sexiness would take a large part of great storytelling's place.

This'll require thought, and probably some thorough reviews of the nominations. :>
<G>

[DocWatson]

Here is my list for discussion:

• Angel Blade
• Another Lady Innocent
• Body Transfer
• Boobalicious / Milk Junkie
• Count Down
• Dark Love
• Elven Bride
• First Loves
• Hills Have Size, The
• Immoral Sisters
• Lingeries
• Masquerade
• Midnight Sleazy Train
• Moonlight Lady
• My Fair Masseuse
• Mystery of Nonomura Hospital
• Princess 69
• Rei Rei: Missionary of Love
• Sexy Magical Girl
• Taboo Charming Mother
• Tales of...
• Viper GTS
• Weather Report Girl
• Words Worth
Which gives the following a total of two mentions/nominations (some half-hearted) each (which is not final, IMHO, just food for thought):

• Angel Blade
• Another Lady Innocent
• Count Down
• Dragon Knight
• Hills Have Size, The
• Immoral Sisters
• Lingeries
• Masquerade
• Midnight Sleazy Train
• Moonlight Lady
• Ringetsu
• Sexy Magical Girl
• Story of Little Monica, The
• Tales of... / Tales Trilogy
• Twin Angels / Twin Dolls
• Viper GTS
• Words Worth
Taboo Charming Mother has three mentions/nominations.

[General Hentai]

I would add:


LingeriesTaboo Charming MotherRingetsuMoonlight LadyOne True Stories


Total Agreement on Lingeries.

However, I refuse to recognize the anime definition of classic as applying 100% to hentai.

Sex is part of the storytelling of a hentai title.

There has to be flexibility in the analysis of titles for consideration as a classic, top 100, etc. AFI has been picking top 100 movies for a while, and different values must be applied, else the same 100 great dramas would be the same great 100 comedies, the same 100 romances, the same 100 action films. While many of the great films share commonalities, they all excel in the execution of their own particular genre.

Ditto when considering classics for anime and for hentai.

[pianocello]

• Bible Black
• Cool Devices
• Cream Lemon
• End of Summer / D�kyūsei
• Kite
• La Blue Girl
• Mezzo Forte
• Night Shift Nurses
• Urotsukidoji
I've kept my list short, so as to keep it to series with which virtually everyone can agree. I have a longer list of "possibles", but I would first like to see what other posters think.

So, what do you think?

I don't think End of Summer belongs there. There's nothing new or classic about it - loser guy beds lots of girls - this is a "been there, done that". The sex scenes aren't even that great.

[Gatts]

I don't think End of Summer belongs there. There's nothing new or classic about it - loser guy beds lots of girls - this is a "been there, done that". The sex scenes aren't even that great.


You have to remember that when it came out, it was new. Just because there have been hundreds of series since Dokyusei that have the same theme doesn't mean that it wasn't one of the first. Heck it predates Tenchi Muyo.

[jigoku panda]

I'd have to o with from the small number of hentai I've seen

Bible black
Nightmare campus
La blue girl
Viper GTS

but I buy more hentai manga than dvds go figure

[danth78]

I've been an anime fan for 20 years, but I'm just starting to get into hentai. My first consideration is for art style & animation. I also like sexiness, perversion, ridiculousness, and humor. Then come story and characters.

My favorites so far are:

Magical Twilight
Rei Rei: Missionary of Love
La Blue Girl
Urotsukidoji/Legend of Overfiend
Dragon Pink
Tales of/Tales Trilogy
Vixens

[DocWatson]

I don't think End of Summer belongs there. There's nothing new or classic about it - loser guy beds lots of girls - this is a "been there, done that". The sex scenes aren't even that great.
You have to remember that when it came out, it was new. Just because there have been hundreds of series since Dokyusei that have the same theme doesn't mean that it wasn't one of the first. Heck it predates Tenchi Muyo.
Gatts is correct—End of Summer's source material, D�kyūsai, was the first dating sim game. I did include the series more out of personal preference than because I thought it is an absolute classic, but I would like to point out that Wataru (the protagonist) slowly grows out of being a jerk, the art and animation are (IIRC) quite good, and it spawned a raft of sequels (http://www.animeondvd.com/forum/showpost.php?post/162607/), both direct and thematic. It is (IMHO) one of the best romantic erotic anime out there. (Piano: did you watch End of Summer 2?)

[Sean_Connolly]

Bible Black 1
Cream Lemon
End of Summer
Urotsukidoji OVA 1-5
La Blue Girl
New Angel
F3
Nightmare Campus
Words Worth

And a newcomer that is an instant classic...

Hatsu Inu: A Strange Kind of Woman