Oooh, boy... with a home video release finally in hand, I get to talk about the anime "Interspecies Reviewers." And there's so much to talk about...It was weird watching the controversy unfold in real time as it was airing. At the time, it was commonplace for most anime to get a simultaneous release online both in and out of Japan, so Western audiences were watching episodes not long after Japan was. It's also important to note that Japan was preparing to host the 2020 Olympics, and they knew anime and mange would be a big part of their culture on display to the world. In the years leading up to this, they started cracking down a little on pornographic manga and other media on shelves, or at least attempting to hide it, knowing that other countries wouldn't accept what was otherwise commonplace in Japan. I think some creators saw this as an opportunity to rebel, and we got a new wave of yet further unrestricted anime on broadcast television. Compared to a couple decades prior, we went from suggestive situations, to topless nudity, to off-screen sex, to bodily-fluids being wiped off the floor. "Interspecies Reviewers" would, at the time, be the raunchiest yet, outright displaying sex and making it the core premise, only leaving out detailed genitalia. Of course, porn in anime wasn't new, but that was mostly kept to "direct-to-video" OVA that didn't have so many regulations. But "Reviewers" would broadcast weekly on television. In fact, it was one of the shows to look out for that season in 2020. After all, the original manga was a smash hit worldwide, being featured frequently in manga catalogs. Sure, it was "about" sex, and had some nudity, but was otherwise not particularly worse than other manga at the time. The way it approached the topic was humorous, and even refreshing in its honesty! Surely, the anime would also be a big hit, so broadcastors licensed it sight-unseen, assuming it would know where to draw the line. In America, Funimation licensed the rights before the first episode aired, and was preparing a "simulcast" of it: the first episode even got a full English dub before the license collapsed. The premise of "Interspecies Reviewers" was a light-hearted alternate take on the popular "isekai" genre, where people would suddenly be living a new life in a fantasy world that took direct inspiration from video games and other tropes, with no additional imagination. This world has humans, elves, goblins, angels, demons, and so on, mostly living peacefully with each other, going out on adventures to make their living. Like any other society, a "red-light-district" economy grew, giving hard-working individuals the chance to spend the night with a lovely lady... of almost any species imaginable. The series starts with two friends (Stunk, the unshaven human, and Zel, a short beady-eyed elf) arguing about how they each preferred women from the other's species, based on age, appearance, experience, and other factors. The argument puts a spotlight on how complicated and seemingly limitless the possibilities were, so they take it upon themselves to start a review column: they would go out and experience a night with every species in every brothel in the land, and detail the differences to be aware of for other adventurers. Sex, for science!Along with the two main characters are a bunch of their friends who come and go (no pun intended). But primarily, Crimvael is their frequent companion, an angel who they discover had crash-landed and is unable to return right away. Crim goes along with their experiment to visit every brothel, but is much more shy about the topic. Also, Crim has both lady and man parts (not belonging to a particular gender), and quietly fears being found out, less the others want to sleep with him/her for the unique experience. So going along with the plan is partially in an attempt to be a hot-blooded male. Kind of a gross set up, but it doesn't get much worse for Crim after that. Anyway, back to licensing issues. Specifically after episode 3, multiple broadcasters drop the show, including Funimation in America, for the content depicted. Fans were understandably disappointed. But if you were watching the show, you'd understand why it was dropped. After some pretty explict material so far, episode 3 included a sequence where the boys go to a brothel that provides magic to temporarily change their gender, to "experience the other side" of sex. The beady-eyed, assertive men transform into shy and inexperienced women. Some looked young as men, acceptable given their perverted tendancies, but looking like underage girls that were more hesitant gave a very different vibe. They were treated respectfully by female-prostitutes that led them into the experience, but seeing their necks and stomachs bulge was a step too far in an already awkward and disturbing situation. Frankly, I'm amazed this is considered legal to watch anywhere in the world. I think the truth is clear: "Interspecies Reviewers" is porn. It might be relatively soft porn, but it's still porn. To further support the arguement, one of the places to watch the show illegally after legal streams were dropped happened to be one of the world's most synonymous porn hubs. Regardless of the context or the story, it was showing material that would only feel at home with other X-rated shows. But I wonder if the controversy worked in the studio's favor. While some Japanese channels dropped it, it was kept up by others. And after a couple years, the license for America got a surprise rescue from RightStuf.com, an online anime store that happened to have their own publishing label in Nozomi Entertainment, and Critical Mass Video, their dedicated anime-porn line. "Reviewers" would get an English Bluray release throguh Critical Mass, in what is likely the line's "tamest," but also most popular, title. It even got a nice steelbook release, with a soundtrack CD and a hefty book with storyboards, background art, and a manga preview. No English dub, sadly, but I'm not surprised. Also, the disc comes with an intro proclaiming that all humans, elves, etc. in the content were of appropriate consent age, just a reminder that what you're about to see might be a little gross, depending on your preferences.
Anyway, the licensing thing got a happy ending. Let's actually discuss the show now, and whether it's worth watching in the first place. "Interspecies Reviewers" combines the isekai-fantasy setting with the other growing trend of "cultural education" anime, where the show focuses on the finer details and appreciation of real places, history, hobbies or activities, opposed to a proper story. There's anime about Japanese candy. There's anime about alcohol and fancy cocktails. There's anime about how to exercise. This show happens to be about sex, and the different considerations around it. At times, it's surprisingly insightful. One of the coolest things about "Reviewers" is that it's sex positive, never condeming people who work in the sex trade, and treating the topic as a normal part of life and open discussion. The show celebrates sex, complete with a joyous opening theme that uses the "In The Navy" song melody, and the silly ending theme bookending it. And the opening loosely translates to, "if you've frequented these establishments, no matter your species, you're one of us!"This is a little of a double-edged sword though, when the show tries to work in comedy through the characterization of the perverted leads. Stunk's advances on the bird-maid that works at the bar they frequent are always inappropriate and cross the line, reminding us that these are "men of culture," but not "cultured men." Crim's cross-gender identity is further hinted by an interest in both women and men; the reaction from Stunk and Zel, who don't know about the gender thing, are grossed out by the thought that Crim might be "into that." Compared to all the other adventurous and perverted discussions they had, including transforming into women for a day, why is homo or bi-sexuality off the table in this fantasy world? And of course, while some of the sex talk relates to modern phrases and lingo, it's mostly focused on the fantastical monster girls that serve their patrons, hypothesizing what the benefits and drawbacks of each would be. Monster girls were also trendy at the time in anime (truly, "Reviewers" represents a lot of what anime was during this era). Not every monster you can think of is represented, but most of them are: there's humans, cat girls, cow girls, slime girls, and squid girls. Not enough? There's mushroom girls, fairy girls, witch girls, elves, hyena, and cyclops. Still not enough? There's salamander girls, lizard girls, succubi, zombies, golems, will-o-wisps... anyway, you get the idea. With unique character design styles, the show renders each of them in a cute way that makes almost all of them suitable for pin-up posters. Every viewer will have a different favorite (a later episode even animates the results of what appears to be a real popularity poll held in Japan). For the main characters, they write about what they like and don't like about each experience. The salamander girl is cute and can cook food directly on her skin, but makes it impossible to sleep with her without heat resistance. Fairy girls are tiny, so they can only "serve" clients that are small enough themselves in their pants. A witch that can make decoy copy of herself to serve dozens of clients at once get high marks from all the reviewers, no downsides there if you make the trip.Based on the premise, and the controversy, you'd expect a lot of sex on display. And sometimes there is, but most of these scenes are described and not fully shown, either occurring off-screen or through carefully composited still-frames. Nudity is limited to nipples, no genitalia (at least, not in detail). Sometimes it's quite clever in its censorship (one of the sexiest scenes involves a mayonnaise bottle). The American Bluray release is uncensored, as in it gets what the Japanese release got, but a lot is still hidden by intention. It's still a very raunchy fanservice title, but viewers expecting hardcore sex might be disappointed. All of these features come together into a unique show, but not necessarily a good one. Anime about "cultural education and appreciation" tend to get less interesting and more boring as it goes along, and "Reviewers" suffers from this. Even the lead characters seem to grow a little numb to the adventures as time goes on. The sex-positive disucssions vary and take a downturn when the topics get gross (for example, there's an episode about watching lizard girls laying an egg in a live show, squatting as if the crowd was cheering to watch them poop), or the characters themselves get gross (again, Stunk's personality is the worse offender). The show hints at a larger story in the background, from Stunk's distanced relationship from his father, the machinations of a witch and demon trying to win the district's election, and the action-filled legitimate adventures the crew goes on to make extra cash. But barely any time is spent on any of this before the focus goes back to sex, which is kind of disappointing... I'd almost rather watch a spin-off focusing on THAT instead of the constant adventures in the red-light district. In fact, with my limited experience, it kind of feels like watching legit anime porn with the hardcore scenes removed or censored. What remains matches the quality in animation, quality in story, and in characters. Some of that is interesting, but not great and loses its appeal over time. "Interspecies Reviewers" is still kinda worth watching for being a good adaptation of a popular manga, for being open about sex, and for representing a push of the envelope when it comes to such topics in televised anime. The licensing history is also fascinating, and it was a small miracle that American viewers got to legally see the series at all. But don't expect the show to be a revelation in its quality of storytelling. It's something you might watch on rare occasion, when you happen to be in the mood.