Fans of the Higurashi franchise are well aware of its original visual novel roots. Released originally in 2002, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Onikakushi-hen acted as an introduction arc for visual novel players by introducing the world of Higurashi such as the main setting—Hinamizawa which is based on the real world village in Japan called Shirakawa—and several of the main characters. In the original 2006 anime adaptation, Studio Deen did their best to recreate the horrors of the VN but now in 2020 anime has made tremendous leaps in quality and with Studio Passione—creators of Rokka no Yuusha and High School DxD Hero—now helming the series, we are quite excited to see how visually terrifying this new Higurashi can be! We highly recommend checking out the YouTube trailer as we are noticing already some really upgraded visuals!

While we here at Honey’s Anime love the master horror creator Junji Ito, we have to admit his creation didn’t translate well from manga to anime. Higurashi seems to have actually improved from its roots and now we get to experience true fears in a more modern setting. We have already noticed that this newest adaptation isn’t afraid to get violent with a brutal scene returning from the original series—a certain baseball bat-wielding Keiichi is back at it again—and that has us smiling…but also wondering how far this series will go from its predecessor. Quicker but More to the Point A famous line we hard once long ago is that writing a shorter story is harder to do well than a longer story. Many might have noticed that it seems like Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 2020 is going to be split into two 13-episode cours but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The original 2006 version was 26 episodes that often felt repetitive due to the theme of resetting the story/world with each mini-arc. Maybe with half of the episode count, we will have a greater focus on the dark elements of Higurashi and worry less about seeing the gang play card games or hide and seek for the tenth time.

Horror is usually a very open-ended theme since it can come in numerous flavors. You have horror that focuses on attacking reality—better known as psychological horror—or more violent horror that is filled with blood/carnage. Higurashi has always been one of the few horror anime series that does it all. It has psychological themes, supernatural elements, gore-filled moments, and unnerving real-world concepts/fears. Higurashi to us is the king of anime horror franchises and we can’t wait for those unaware of its existence to see it release in October 2020.

Translation and localization go hand in hand, but they aren’t 100% the exact same thing. Translation is the process of transcribing something from one language to another, while localization is also translation, the material is also modified in a manner that suits international audiences. While localization is more of a video game thing today, it was more common in the anime industry up to the 2000s. One of the most notorious examples of localization in anime was when Ash referred to his rice balls as donuts in one of the original Pokemon episodes. While those familiar with Japanese cuisine were quick to criticize it, the Pokemon anime gets away with such changes because the game doesn’t indicate that it takes place in Japan, so the producers are allowed to get away with such changes so they can market it internationally.

While a majority of subbed anime these past ten years have done away with such practices, there are some recent anime that take a “localization” approach as opposed to being more of a direct translation, and this is more often in practice with dubs. One notable example is the anime adaptation of Ace Attorney. If you listen to the Japanese version with English subs, Naruhodo Ryuichi isn’t Naruhodo Ryuichi, he’s still Phoenix Wright. Considering that the original game series already had a decade presence outside of Japan, the subtitles retain the game’s localization vocabulary to maintain consistency with the game and appeal to its pre-established fanbase. Another present example is the anime adaptation of Koi to Producer: EVOLxLOVE, otherwise known as Mr Love: Queen’s Choice. When you watch it in Japanese with subs, you can easily notice some inconsistencies. For example, Haku is named Gavin and Simon is called Lucien. Like Phoenix Wright, Mr Love: Queen’s Choice is based on a video game and the subtitlers wish to maintain consistency so they can appeal to that game’s fanbase. Compared to Pokemon, Ace Attorney and Koi to Producer are very clear in that they take place in Japan, so viewers have more reason to question the nature of these changes for the sake of localization. In the case of Ace Attorney, the original game came out to the West in 2005, so localization was still a thing despite the obvious nods that it takes place in Japan (as portrayed through Maya as a spirit medium and her traditional kimono), and that a lot of the jokes in the original Japanese version wouldn’t make sense when translated into English or any other language. Considering that the original Mr. Love game came out last year, it’s understandable that some of the changes are iffy, despite how obvious it is that the anime takes place in a Japanese setting, it’s naturally questionable that such changes were implemented. While Lucien is already given a Western name in the Japanese version as Simon (written as シモン, to closely resemble the French pronunciation), it’s really strange that they would take such an approach. Heck, even episode four shows on the main character’s cell phone in alphabet letter that his name is Simon!

One unique translation controversy that has come to our attention recently is the naming of Bam/Yoru in the anime adaptation of Tower of God. In case you didn’t know, Tower of God is based on a Korean Manwha, and there is controversy over what to call the main character. There is no denying that Bam and Yoru mean “night” in their respective languages. The Japanese still refer to Koreans by their names pronounced in Korean (or at least close to it). For example, actor Bae Yong-joon is still Bae Yong-joon (or “Bei Yonjun” based on the kana writing), or Yon-sama. If the Japanese can still maintain Bae Yong-joon’s name, why change Bam’s?

How the Japanese and American television industries operate domestically is a huge factor in why studios need to make money off merchandise. In America, the studio has to make a pilot and show it to networks. If the network picks it up, then the network can pay for either a fraction of the show’s budget, or pay for it all. In Japan, the studio makes a show, and the studio PAYS the network to air it! Due to these business practices, prices for home video are exorbitant and this leads to one of many reasons why studios make their money through merchandising.

As for American fans buying DVDs or Blu-Rays that average around $25, or paying at most $10 a month for a streaming service, in many of those instances, the profits don’t go back to the studios. When a company such as Funimation pays for the license of a certain anime, the studio makes the money based on the licensing fees, and it’s up to the licensing distributor to price their products to make up for their costs. So, it all comes down to both Japanese and foreign fans to buy merchandise in order to directly help the studios.

As we stated in the intro, many like to criticize Gundam as nothing more than a giant toy commercial. We’re not here to make the argument that the franchise has nothing of substance, but its merchandise sales were what made it the powerhouse it is today. As some of you may already know, the first Gundam series was cut short by less than ten episodes due to declining ratings. In addition to successful reruns, sales of its models played a big part in its comeback, and why it is one of the most successful franchises of all time. Now, many anime rely on merchandise sales to make revenue.

However, the idea of making money off merchandise isn’t exclusive to Japanese anime, but happens with American animated products as well. This goes back to Masters of the Universe, which kicked off how just about every American cartoon in the 1980s were glorified toy commercials to the point that the Reagan administration (despite their reputation for excess deregulation) had to intervene and require the cartoons to have PSAs just so they wouldn’t be nothing more than toy commercials.

When Power Rangers got big in the US, local networks that broadcasted it got a share of the toy sales (this was actually a first)! On the other hand, Nickelodeon cancelled their latest Ninja Turtles installment largely because of poor toy sales! And why did Optimus Prime and other Autobots die in the 1986 Transformers movie? It’s because Hasbro wanted to sell new toys! With many cartoons now broadcasted exclusively on cable networks, American animation studios have to operate like Japanese studios where they have to pay for everything and can’t pitch it to a network like FOX or ABC. As to why studios today can’t do that, you can equally blame Bill Clinton (a Democrat) and Newt Gingrich (a Republican) for making children’s programming forcibly “educational” for it to air on regular networks.

In case you weren’t aware, Japan’s media was showing a lot of concern in regards to the youth crime between the mid-1990s and the early-2000s, and IWGP was a response to that. To put this into context, while Makoto—the main character—is 20 in this series, you sort of have to put into context what it meant to be a 20-year-old in 1998, when the original novel first debuted. In case some of you didn’t know, between the mid-1970s and the start of the 1990s, Japan had a booming economy to the point that it was a very, very, very close second to the US and the US felt threatened by Japan’s rising dominance, most especially in the auto industry. Lifetime employment was guaranteed and people were spending money like water. Then, when the 90s started, Japan went into a recession along the lines of what the US had in 2008, but was stuck there for the rest of the decade. As a result, Japan’s Generation-X didn’t have the same economic opportunities and benefits as their parents, and difficulties in permanent employment opportunities made some resort to being involved in gangs, as it is portrayed in IWGP’s source novel and dramas. Others in Japanese society blame the rise in youth crime around the time the novel series debuted on “yutori” education, in which class hours were reduced in Japanese schools (which has been in practice for the last 30 years) so as to make schools pressure-free. There has been some statistical data that shows that yutori-style has decreased academic performance, and that working class children will have difficulties getting into higher education and/or getting a good job, and many feel that IWGP is a good way to understand how yutori education has affected the nation’s youth.

If you’ve seen Durarara!!, then you’ve got a pretty accurate portrayal of Ikebukuro (most especially the East Exit side), one of Tokyo’s trendy districts, in that series. As indicated in the title, fans are going to be treated to Ikebukuro in IWGP, but through a different and more modern lens. As opposed to the East Exit of Ikebukuro, the story is going to take place in the West Exit of Ikebukuro Station. As presented in the trailer, there are two notable landmarks of the West Exit you can immediately recognize if you’ve ever been there. One feature is the owl-shaped bushes, and the other is the recently constructed Global Ring outdoor concert venue, indicating that the anime is going to take place in modern day Ikebukuro and not within the time that the novel debuted (since that outdoor concert venue didn’t open until earlier in 2020). What makes the West Exit an interesting setting is that it is where you’ll find most of the bars, love hotels, and semi-legal sex services. Considering the underworld nature of IWGP, the West Exit red light district is the perfect place to portray this world of gangs and mischief!

If you’ve read the novels or manga adaptations or seen the live action drama, then you have already had a taste of what’s in store for this upcoming anime version. What has made IWGP an enduring story for the last twenty years is its outstanding ability to blend drama, action, and comedy. When you get to see the nature of its cast as they are barely becoming adults, these qualities give IWGP its unique identity. The characters and their antics truly demonstrate what it means to be young and dumb, and how you can (or in some cases, can’t) learn from the stupid things you might do. Considering it deals with a bit of gang warfare (though not to the severity of The Warriors or West Side Stories), expect a lot of brutal action and drama as well, especially as it relates to Makoto’s predicament.

What will grab most people’s intention immediately when checking out Lapis Re:LiGHTs is the original plot, which is understandable, seeing how unique it is. However, Lapis Re:LiGHTs fails more often than not to really make that plot stand out. While Episode 6 was pretty interesting—several of the girls explore a creepy mansion—the plot never seems to have a focus on anything. We think Lapis Re:LiGHTs could have won over its audience if more magical battles took place that also incorporated the idol themes. We will say that while Lapis Re:LiGHTs does a solid job with producing some cool magical effects and several catchy idol tunes, the story just overall feels underdeveloped. There are still several more episodes—as of writing this article—that could change our mind but until then we still feel this show isn’t doing enough with its ideas.

As we discover early on, the main plot is that our main group of magical girls is placed at the lowest level of their school. The main issue with such a low rank is that if their scores don’t improve, they face expulsion in the coming year! This idea led our girls to make some hasty moves as they tried to become more popular at the academy—and begin to take their magical training classes a bit more seriously. This idea for plot works initially but by episode 7, it seems almost pointless due to one of the group members’ blunders. Lavie—the one dubbed a silly rabbit for her airheaded nature—steals a map without permission to help the group during a class project. After having received news that they gained 10 points for their admirable efforts, they then lose 70 points for Lavie’s actions. Though this folly does cause the group to finally try their hands at being idols—yes it takes 8 episodes before LiGHTs is actually formed—it feels as if their past efforts were pointless overall. We’d be happier seeing our girls decide right away to become idols to avoid the plodding plot from earlier. Plus, the ending of episode 8 alone was just irritating as it once again put our girls’ efforts in a questionable light…

Again, let’s mention that it takes 8 episodes, almost the entirety of the show, before the girls don their stage name and sing their song! LiGHTs’ introduction was the highlight of the show—at least as it felt emotional and cute—but why did Lapis Re:LiGHTs take so long to get to the series main point!? In our honest opinion, if Lapis Re:LiGHTs started off with episode 8—or at least by episode three would have gone this route—we’d think this show could have been incredible. You could have had the girls balance idol practice with magical training and made the show entirely more enjoyable in this venue!

Egoist began in 2011 when Ryo, the vocalist of j-pop band Supercell, was given the opportunity to voice a band in the anime Guilty Crown. That year, Ryo held auditions to find the person who would be his partner in the then-fictional band, Egoist. Nearly 2000 people applied, but the chosen singer was a 17-year old girl named Chelly. Thus Egoist was born as a band within Guilty Crown (though Chelly performed for a while under the persona of the character she voiced in the band, Inori Yuzuriha). Egoist released both opening and ending songs for Guilty Crown as a fictional band, but that was only the start. When Guilty Crown finished, Egoist wasn’t done. The duo went on to become a real band, producing music for other anime series as well as releasing a few of their own singles. Most of their music, though, has been used as either an opening or an ending song from an anime - but we will get into more of those details in the next section. The band has had enough success in the last decade that as of late 2018, Chelly has been slowly rebranding Egoist into her own solo career. A lot of Egoist’s social media has thus been changing, but Chelly remains the voice behind the band these days. We will have to wait and see what happens in the future!

There’s no shortage of anisong bands who got their big breaks through anime songs which helped make them famous and boosted their career. There’s also quite a few anisong bands that have huge careers outside of the otaku world, and just have a few anisong numbers to add something special to their discography. Few bands, though, have the same story as Egoist. After all, they started as a band specifically to make music for an anime! If it hadn’t been for Guilty Crown, we likely wouldn’t have Egoist at all. Luckily for them, Guilty Crown did give the duo a reason to exist - and even more luckily, it was just the start of an anisong career. But let’s back up and look at Guilty Crown in more detail first. Within the anime, Egoist produced “Departures (The Love Song for You)” and “The Everlasting Guilty Crown” in 2011 and early 2012, which served as ending and opening themes for the show. That helped Egoist break into the anisong scene, and from there they released “Namae no Nai Kaibutsu,” the ending theme for the wildly famous detective anime Psycho-Pass in late 2012. Early the following year, “All Alone With You” was Psycho-Pass’ next ending theme. Then came “Fallen” two years later, which was the ending theme for, you guessed it, Psycho-Pass 2. Moving away from Psycho-Pass and closer to the present day, Egoist released “Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress” in 2016, the opening song for the anime of the same name. After signing with Sony Music Entertainment Japan, "Eiyū: Unmei no Uta" was released in 2017 and served as the opening theme for Fate/Apocrypha. Finally, in 2018 Egoist was back to working with Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, releasing the theme for the anime’s film called “Sakase ya Sakase.” Since 2018 Egoist hasn’t been making as much anime music while Chelly gets her solo career sorted out, but we will be looking forward to hearing what the future holds!

Attributed to Shi Nai'an, the famous, semi-legendary author without much reliable historical information who was supposedly the teacher of Luo Guanzhong, author of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin is a historical fiction novel written in the 14th century, set in Song Dynasty China, and following the bandit leader Song Jiang and his companions known as the Stars of Destiny, 108 warriors who were originally demonic warlords banished by the supreme god Shangdi but accidentally released after repenting to be reborn as heroes. The story is largely based on written oral tradition from various sources with many variants making it hard to describe the story completely accurately but it involves the adventures and backstories of Song Jiang and the 108 bandit-heroes who eventually all gather in the marshland around Mount Liang and become a band of Robin Hood-esque brothers and sisters who rebel against the corrupt government. Although they eventually receive a pardon after defeating the army in a great battle, many of the heroes later die fighting other bandits while in the service of the emperor or, like their leader Song Jiang, are eventually poisoned by the primary antagonists Gao Qiu, Yang Jian, Tong Guan and Cai Jing, known as the "Four Treacherous Ministers". Although some of the heroes survive, they all go their separate ways making the story have a tragic ending. This tale is best remembered for its many characters who, despite their large number, have unique personalities and the story’s unique tone for the time as it was written in the vernacular of ordinary people with humorous and sometimes racy elements. It’s also worth noting that Song Jiang was a real person who led a bandit rebellion, although Water Margin itself is a fictionalized account and that the novel has been banned many times in history since it basically advocates for rebellion.

Known in Japan as Suikoden, translated versions of Water Margin appeared in Japan by 1757 or earlier and the story became hugely popular during the Edo Period starting in 1805 after renowned Gesaku author Kyokutei Bakin released a Japanese translation illustrated by Hokusai. This began an outpouring of new editions, including one featuring artwork by another ukiyo-e master, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, along with more fanart, fanfiction, and other derivative and inspired works that were extremely popular in that era. The immense influence of Water Margin in the development of the literary culture of early modern Japan cannot be overstated and is still felt to this day.

Perhaps the most well-known example of Water Margin’s influence on Japanese media is Konami’s beloved RPG series Suikoden which loosely follows the original story in the game, including the still-impressive 108 recruitable characters which has remained a core part of the series even if subsequent sequels have otherwise become much more of their own stories. Koei’s turned-based strategy game Bandit Kings of Ancient China is another game example that loosely retells the story and some more minor references in games include things like the Fire Fist archetype in Yu-Gi-Oh! On the anime and manga side, there have been numerous titles influenced by or directly referencing Water Margin including Fist of the North Star, Saint Seiya, and Outlaw Star, along with multiple straight manga adaptations like Numata Kiyoshi’s Suikoden. The renowned OVA series Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still also took inspiration from both Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms in its story and Experts of Justice characters, specifically drawing from original Giant Robo mangaka Yokoyama Mitsuteru’s own adaptations of the two Chinese Classics.

Appare and Kosame’s guide, a Native American child named Hototo, has been searching for years for the man who killed his father. Finally, in a roadside town along the race route, he finds the mysterious outlaw and swears revenge against him, but Kosame begs Hototo not to start a fight that he can’t possibly win. Hototo doesn’t realize it, but Kosame also lost a parent to a cold-hearted bandit attack – when he was a child, he froze and failed to protect his mother from the sword that cut her down. Kosame freezes again when the outlaws capture his entire group and shuffles over to the local bar in shame. With some help from the bartender, he realizes that obsessing over the past is trapping him in the same cycle of sorrow that he’s trying to prevent Hototo from falling into, and that the only thing to do now is man up and prove to those outlaws that his swords aren’t just for show.

Appearing out of the rising dust to the sound of Japanese flutes and Western guitar twangs and rattlesnakes, Kosame declares himself the master of his craft and slices an outlaw’s revolver clean in half. An extra nice touch here is that he actually appears in his own flashback to save his mother and younger self from the bandit, but the scene fades into reality to show him cutting down one of his opponents. He skillfully avoids gunshots while running into close range to catch the outlaws off guard, and then litters the dirt with sliced-up firearms. The “rule of cool” definitely applies here, as it does throughout this entire anime – while It’s true that swords can beat old-fashioned guns if the sword-wielder is close and quick enough, katanas can’t cut effortlessly through solid steel. But who cares? This is awesome! Kosame frees his friends from the gallows and Hototo jumps on the outlaw who killed his father, flailing madly until Kosame reveals that he shares a similar past to the child. He explains that it’s an adult’s job to protect others, and that he won’t let Hototo stain his hands with blood. Then he cleaves an incoming bullet in half, lunges forward, and performs his secret special technique (with calligraphy kanji appearing on-screen, of course) to take the outlaw down for good. To be fair, he did offer the outlaw a chance to surrender first, but we all know that that wasn’t going to happen.

Hunting and meat-eating were an important part of Japan’s earliest societies in the prehistoric Jomon period as far back as 14000 BC. Jomon people are believed to have raised hunting dogs, created numerous pit traps, and used bows and arrows to hunt animals like wildfowl, deer, boar, and occasionally bears, and were also skilled fishermen. Hunting, and later animal herding and farming, remained a part of Japanese societies well after the pivot towards agriculture thousands of years later and animals like oxen and wildfowl were sometimes sacrificed to gods in prayers for good weather and strong harvests. The introduction of Buddhism from the Korean Kingdom of Baekje in the mid-6th-century brought about substantial changes to Japanese society and its belief in reincarnation meant that adherents should avoid killing animals as they might be reincarnations of their own ancestors. This became codified into law in 675 AD by Emperor Tenmu, although it was not all-encompassing and only applied to cows, horses, dogs, monkeys, and chickens and only between April and September (farming season). Succeeding emperors had to repeatedly reinforce the law, indicating that it was sometimes ignored, but the belief that meat was spiritually unclean, as opposed to the sacredness of rice and rice products like mochi and sake that were now used in offerings to the gods, took hold among the public after the initial law, along with many other superstitions like meat causing blindness that could spread to others. Over time, all meat-eating largely became a year-round cultural taboo with a notable exception being in areas where Christian missionaries and converted lords in Kyushu and the Yamaguchi region of Honshu enjoyed beef and pork dishes, along with other food introduced to them by the foreigners. However, during the Edo Period, the prohibition of meat (and Christianity) reached its height, requiring anyone who ate meat to publicly repent and fast for many days depending on what animal they had ate, although there were still some loopholes including a special “venison permit” talisman from Suwa-taisha shrines in Nagano that allowed you to hunt and eat deer. Surprisingly, meat was also sometimes used as a kind of medicine in some circumstances, giving it a bit of a positive supernatural quality as well in Japanese society, perhaps calling back to earlier beliefs of its association with the divine. It’s also worth noting that certain animals like deer and wild boars weren’t really considered animals but put in the same category as fish, sometimes called the “whales of the mountain” (whales were also considered fish and not banned) or even given plant names like “peony” and “maple”, although those may have mostly been euphemisms.

Attitudes towards meat-eating didn't begin to change much again until the Westernization of Japan in the Meiji restoration but this didn’t happen without resistance. After the Meiji Emperor Mutsuhito ate meat during the New Year celebration of 1872, a group of Buddhist monks who believed meat-eating would destroy the soul of Japan attempted to break into the Imperial Palace, but after nearly 1200 years, the ban was finally lifted, eventually leading to a plethora of meat-based Japanese cuisine like tonkatsu, sukiyaki, and yakitori as well as the embrace of foreign meat dishes that are enjoyed today. Hunting, however, has become much rarer, largely thanks to Japan’s extremely strict firearm laws and other restrictions that make the process of getting a hunting rifle complicated, expensive, and take at least a decade. This, along with the extinction of Japanese wolves, has caused deer and some other animals to become overpopulated to dangerous levels that harm the natural environment even further.

So how does modern pop culture like anime fit into all of this? To start off, there are obviously hundreds of manga and anime about cooking, many of which prominently feature meat like Shokugeki no Souma (Food Wars!), and even some series about realistic hunting in Japan like Okamoto Kentaro's Sanzoku Diary manga but, arguably, the most interesting things in the otaku world involving this subject bring hunting into imaginative fictional worlds. There seems to be a somewhat bizarre fascination with eating monsters as of late, particularly in series like Kuutei Dragons (Drifting Dragons) which basically follows a crew of steampunk whalers hunting giant dragons for both food and fuel from their airship as well as the currently airing Deca-Dence which similarly has people battling monstrous creatures to survive and power the giant titular fortress, processing the strange Gadoll into food and liquid fuel. This is also the main focus of the popular manga Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon) which explores monster eating in a Dungeons & Dragons-esque fantasy setting; not to mention Capcom’s best-selling Monster Hunter game franchise. Does this fixation on monster meat call back to old traditions of hunting now largely suppressed in modern society or an artificial continuation of Japan’s meat cuisine expansion of the Meiji era? Perhaps. A reflection of the country’s current controversial whaling practices? Arguably yes, at least in Kuutei Dragons’ case. Regardless, it certainly appears to be an aspect of many popular series nowadays as part of the overarching obsession with food prevalent in contemporary Japanese culture.

In this fantasy world where races from humans, elves, to demons and to the undead live in harmony, each race exchanges knowledge, ideals, and, of course, their taste in women. Each town contains a thriving community of brothels where everyone, regardless of race or species, can have sex with whatever or whoever they wish. A group of adventurers—Stunk the human, Zel the elf, and Crimvael the angel—are on a quest to visit each brothel, have sex with the various species of women, write reviews of their experiences, and post them in bulletin boards for other adventurers who are curious about interspecies sex. Isekai anime is nothing new and if you look at Peter Grill, it’s another isekai harem anime you’ve seen before. But unlike other harem isekai, the main character, Peter Grill, actually beds the girls he comes in contact with, especially elves, ogres, and orcs. And this got us thinking, does sex feel different with someone who isn’t human? Peter Grill doesn’t touch on the subject too much (at least until the anime animates the chapter with the rabbit girl), but Ishuzoku Reviewers will definitely satisfy your curiosity. Stunk casually has sex with almost any species found in brothels and gives his thoughts, as a human, on what are the ups and downs of making love with, say, a bird girl. And to give interracial sex a broader perspective, each reviewer has their own different opinion—for example, humans making love to elves 500+ years older than them is great because of their seemingly eternal beauty, but for an elf, anyone who is 500+ years older, regardless of race, aren’t great because their mana is weak or is rotting. If you’re looking for the technical side of interspecies sex, then Ishuzoku Reviewers is something you might want to check out, too.

The four heroes: Fighter, Paladin, Mage, and the Dark Elf are the only hope in saving the world from evil… But before they start doing that saving-the-world business, they need money. Hey, you can’t save the world on an empty stomach! As we have repeatedly mentioned before, short-length anime are great shows to watch in-between full-length anime. They’re easy to digest, provide short bursts of comic relief, and they are typically shows with niche themes or with very simplistic stories. Peter Grill is a fantasy harem anime running around 12 minutes per episode, consisting of Peter trying to keep his pants up, and Bikini Warriors is about a group of bumbling idiots wearing bikini armor and always getting into trouble. The two anime are nothing alike in terms of story and content (Peter Grill is more heterosexual and Bikini Warriors is yuri), but both are very fanservice-heavy with tons of nudity, obscene humor, and sex scenes. We’d argue Bikini Warriors is even closer to borderline hentai than Peter Grill because, assuming you’re watching the Hyper Sexy version, the sex scenes are very much front and center compared to Peter Grill’s post-coitus affair.

High school student Fuyuzora Kogarashi has found himself in the resort town of Yukemori to find a job, a place to stay, and continue his studies. Kogarashi has psychic powers that grant him the ability to see ghosts and he uses this ability to earn some money by exorcising these supernatural nuisances. Upon arriving at the haunted hot springs resort of Yuragi-sou, Kogarashi meets Yuuna, a beautiful ghost who is bound to the inn and is harmless. Kogarashi’s new life begins alongside the other supernatural tenants of the inn. Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san and Peter Grill to Kenja no Jikan are both harem anime about one guy surrounded by lots of girls vying for his affection and his, uh, junk, and lots of fanservice that is borderline hentai. Both Peter and Kogarashi are very strong main characters who can beat monsters like it’s nothing, and both have one girl in their heart. But what sets the two apart is that Kogarashi doesn’t cheat on the girl he likes. Sure, there are circumstances where Peter was blackmailed by one of the girls, but deep down, he wants his animal instincts to go wild and free. Yeah, we know, Luvelia is a major reason why Peter is easily tempted by other women, but that’s a story for another day. Anyway, Kogarashi on the other hand, made it clear he’ll only “do it” to the girl he loves, and he even resisted the sexual advances of Oboro—a girl who wants nothing but Kogarashi’s genes. NTR and cheating aren’t the most popular themes in anime, and if Peter Grill’s infidelity bothers you, then definitely check out Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san—it has everything you want in Peter Grill, but with more male integrity.

Demi-humans like monsters and mythical beings are living peacefully with humans. Through the Interspecies Cultural Exchange Act, demi-humans can move into the human realm and integrate with human society—demi-humans are assigned to host families and learn about society through them. Kurusu Kimihito is one of these hosts and he’s currently taking care of a snake girl named Miia, and soon after, more and more demi-girls move in to learn more about the human realm. In Peter Grill, ogres Mimi and Lisa, elf Vegan, and orc Piglette all want Peter’s genes, and the more they have sex with Peter, the higher the chance of the girls getting pregnant. And since these demi-girls hate each other, they fight over who gets to have sex with Peter. If you phrase it slightly differently, Peter’s situation is just like any other harem anime—the guy is surrounded by lots of girls vying for his love. The demi-girls in Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou are under the care of Kimihito and since he is a very nice guy, very dependable, and tends to their needs, the demi-girls like him very much. Too much, actually. And, of course, if you found the fanservice in Peter Grill to your liking (huge boobs, chunky girls), there’s a lot to love in Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou.

Hyoudou Issei is your average guy who gets transferred into a school where the majority of students are girls and is desperate to get a girlfriend so he can enjoy benefits like kissing, hugging, and groping her boobs. Issei eventually gets lucky when a beautiful girl asks him out on a date but what he didn’t expect is that the girl is a fallen angel and she’s out to kill him. Eventually, Issei gets killed but brought back to life by the mysterious Rias Gremory, a devil. So why was Issei attacked by a fallen angel and what’s the motive behind Rias resurrecting him? Instead of pondering at the absurdity he has experienced, Issei is enjoying his time with Rias because she doesn’t mind getting all naked in front of Issei. What’s great about Peter Grill to Kenja no Jikan is the abundance of fanservice, from boob shots and humor—like the demigirls spending the entire 12-minute episode seducing Peter by going full naked in front of him or blackmailing him for sex. Sure, 12 minutes per episode is very short, so we have little time to appreciate the show’s finer details. But thankfully, we have harem anime like High School DxD offering a similar and lengthier fanservice experience. Story with fantasy elements? High School DxD has vampires, fallen angels, devils, and catgirls. Main character constantly getting into ecchi situations? Boobs are in Issei’s face every few minutes. A cast of hot ladies? Rias, Akeno, Koneko, and Asia are some of the sexiest girls in anime who never fail to undress in front of the hero. Fanservice? Just like Peter Grill, High School DxD is softcore hentai parading as TV anime.

Humans and monsters have settled their differences after a gruesome war lasting hundreds of years, so the world is finally at peace. The story is about Glenn Litbeit, a young doctor specializing in monsters, and his serpent-girl nurse, Saphentite Neikes, traveling across the land helping monsters with their physical health. Fanservice and monster girls aside, the world-building in Monster Musume no Oishasan is the main focus and each episode gives us an insight into why the war between humans and monsters started, how both sides settled their differences, and what the monster-human society looks like—centaurs are the central part of the transportation system and parcel delivery services and cyclops are in the heavy industries like smithing, just to name a few. Glenn’s position as a monster physician adds more to the world-building by letting the viewers get a perspective on a monster’s biology gives them an advantage to roles as warriors or smiths. In the world of Peter Grill to Kenja no Jikan, the world-building is almost the same—humans and demihumans coexisting, interracial marriages are allowed, and the races settle their differences through friendly competition, and the heirarchy constantly shifting as each race seeks out the strongest warrior in the world for their genes.

First up on our list is Jormungand. Koko Hekmatyar is an arms dealer who travels across the world to conduct business. Accompanying Koko on her adventures is her team of ex-military bodyguards. If you pay the amount agreed upon, things should go fine, but if a customer has other ideas, they’ll find themselves on the wrong end of this group. Evading local and national law enforcement, Koko travels the globe to get the job done. With no shortage of ammo, the cast of Jormungand is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish Koko’s dream of world peace. Did we mention that? Our primary arms dealer has a goal of peace. Just how will that happen? The bodyguards employed by Koko come from several countries. They come from the United States, Germany, Italy, Japan, Finland, and unspecified countries from Asia. Other than Koko and her team with ex-military backgrounds, former child soldier, Jonah, is also part of the group. These characters come from different places and experiences but become a team to support Koko. In addition to a multinational team, Koko and the group travel to various countries for their line of work. Jormungand is a good show for you if action is what you’re looking for.

This anime makes characters out of nations involved in WWII and plays out a lighthearted history of the time. Something very entertaining about this anime is the fun characterization of each country. Italy is friendly and gets along well with Germany. America wears a bomber jacket, talks fast, and loves to make a plan. Russia is always dressed for cold weather and loves it whenever Latvia and Lithuania need some help. Brittan is America’s older sibling and has memories of when America was younger, and they were closer. Though WWII was a solemn and challenging experience for every country involved, Hetalia Axis Powers offers a silly telling of the relationships characterized as a bunch of cute guys. Hetalia Axis Powers makes each country’s character dense with pieces of culture from that country. For example, Italy loves art, hates fighting, and remembers how “grandpa Rome” lived a hard life that gave him scars as an old man. Japan, as a person, is reserved and frequently concerned about how he will get along with all the other new countries he is meeting. Hetalia Axis Powers makes this list for representing so many countries in a very entertaining form but doesn’t make it to the top because the episodes are only a few minutes long, and there really is no plot. This anime can be a little harder to get all of the references for if you ignored world history. The quips go by fast, which makes the rewatch a blast.

This next anime takes place in the year 2071. Spike Spiegel is a bounty hunter who travels space and has adventures looking to find inter-stellar criminals. This lanky sharpshooter is quick on his feet and is no stranger to danger. With his longtime partner, Jet Black, and their crewmates Faye Valentine, Edward Wong, plus their “data dog” Ein, they cruise the galaxy and lookup bounties together. In this anime are jazz soundtracks that make this like nothing else you have seen. Though this show takes place in outer space, there are familiar cultures represented throughout. Faye Valentine is someone who learns she survives years in a preserved stasis but learns she came from Singapore. There are characters at different points that have Mexican influenced garb, like sombreros and ponchos. Along the way, we meet Laughing Bull, who is a descendant of Native American tribes. In Cowboy Bebop, cultures of Earth are still present in space, even though humanity has long left its motherland behind.With wit, skill, style, and a little luck, the crew of the Bebop have adventure ahead.

Rokuro Okajima has graduated from community college and has a dull job in a big company. He travels to the South China Sea to run an errand for his company when he is kidnapped by a band of pirates! They look to use Rukoro for a ransom, but that does not work and the very-much-alive Rokuro to be declared dead. Rukoro, now nicknamed “Rock,” decides to join up with the pirates, and has to make himself useful and get a lot tougher to survive. The group, Lagoon Company, transports goods across the seas of Southeast Asia. While Rokuro is Japanese, the group of their ship, the Black Lagoon, consists of several Americans of different backgrounds. The character Dutch is an African-American Vietnam veteran who is the leader. Revy is a Chinese New Yorker who is the muscle, and Benny is a Jewish Floridian who has really annoyed the FBI. Lagoon Company's base of operations is in the Thai city of Ronapur. The company is familiar with Hotel Moscow, a Russian based crime syndicate. From shore to shore, Lagoon Company will move your product with no questions asked.

Makoto Edamura, through unfortunate circumstances, has been forced to a life of pickpocketing and otherwise tricking people out of money. Self-titled “Japan’s greatest swindler,” his skills meet a challenge when he cons an unassuming tourist who turns out to be the French con man Laurent Thierry. Makoto, called “Edamame,” finds himself in Los Angeles and swept deeper into a world of crime, glamour, and affluence. If he wants to stay afloat and ahead of the truth, Makoto is going to have to lie with elegance. Great Pretender takes place in both Japan and the United States of America. Edamame and his French fellow conman find themselves in the United States working cons against people such as mafia dons. Laurent has a crew who come from his own country of France, as well as Japan and Iraq. This glamorous, vivid anime is one of the hottest up and comers in 2020!

In the future, most of Earth has recolonized on Mars. The story starts when a girl named Tuesday runs away to journey to Mars’ Alba City to make a living in music. There, she meets Carole, a girl about her age who lives alone and always has. Carole plays her piano in public one day, where she encounters Tuesday, who lived a sheltered life until this point. The two hit it off and start making music together. Overcoming one obstacle after another, the two find themselves in a televised competition for talent. Can Carole and Tuesday bring their love of music to the next level and make a living from songwriting and performing? In an age where most tasks are handled by AI, they have a long way to go to get to the top. Because most people from Earth have relocated to Alba City, the mix of characters in this show represent many different cultures. From the Chinese landlord who always is sitting downstairs smoking a pipe, to their manager who immigrated to Mars from Texas, everyone comes from someplace different. Even panels of the audience listening represent lots of different ethnicities in one spot. Once the “music scene” is reached, the artists themselves vary greatly too. A couple of megastars remind the viewer of Beyonce and Jay-Z. The music performed goes from electronic to soul, to rock, and the piano-guitar duet of Carol and Tuesday.

Appare Sorano is an inventor interested in steam-powered machines. In a whirlwind of a show’s introduction, Appare and his companion, Kosame Isshiki leave their lives and Japan behind and head towards America on a steamboat Appare invented. Upon their arrival in Los Angeles, California, they have no money or friends, but they decide to take part in the “Trans-America Wild Race” to use the one-million-dollar prize to return home. Appare builds a machine, makes some friends, and they depart! The race goes from LA to New York, so they have a long road ahead. Because this competition has such a large prize, Appare and Kosame are not the only international contestants. Jing Xialian, in her traditional Chinese attire, is looking to break stereotypes around women racecar drivers. Accompanying Kosame and Appare is the young Native American character, Hotoro. Hotoro has memories of his lands being taken and his parents killed by a man with a certain tattoo. Hotoro is looking for revenge, and soon learns the man who killed his father worked for the Mexican garbed “Gil the Butcher.” There are also several drivers from the European-based “BNW.” This is an “amazing race”-themed show with a whole cast of people looking to win for their own reasons. Watch Appare-Ranman if you like your adventure served with a side of comedy.

Yuri Katsuki is an ice skater who experiences a great loss in competition. At a low point emotionally, he returns home after college to lick his wounds and figure some things out. Yuri is not in competition form anymore, but he loves to skate. One day, some children take a video of Yuri performing a routine originally done by a Russian competitor, Victor Nikifrov. Victor sees this video and makes his way to Japan to offer to be Yuri’s coach. Yuri accepts, and the two begin a journey to take Yuri to the international competition stage. The relationship between Yuri and Victor is one overflowing with comedy and romantic tension, as Victor has found renewed inspiration from Yuri’s viral video, and Yuri has long looked to Victor in the ice-skating world. Most of this story is about Yuri and his journey, filled with all kinds of surprises from the ever-challenging Victor. During the international competition, we meet skaters from other countries, whose likeness resembles several professional athletes from around the world. In this anime, you get to see performances from China, Thailand, Sweden, Italy, Canada, South Korea, Russia, Japan, and more! Just like the Olympics, this event has athletes from all over the world, representing their country and doing their best. This anime has been well-received by fans and is worth a watch if you already love watching ice-skating at the Olympics every few years.

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There is a tremor. Then a small quake. A pause. Then civilization-collapsing shifts in the Earth, and chaos follows. As the name suggests, this anime is one where Japan begins to sink into the sea. This story follows Ayumu Muto, her brother, and her parents. After the disaster begins, all family members of the Muto household start the story by beating the odds and finding each other, though they were apart then the event arose. Though this family has this small victory, the road ahead is littered with death, uncertainly, and the natures of humans when society fails. This story is exhilarating, but not for the faint of heart. Nihon Chinbotsu 2020 takes place in Japan and centers around the Muto family. The two children in this family are of Japanese-Filipino descent, as their mother is originally from the Philippines. The Muto family teams up with some interesting characters on their journey, including Daniel, a lighthearted man from Yugoslavia, and Kaito, who is a famous Estonian YouTube star who has been uploading videos during the dangerous journey. In addition to having several different countries represented, this anime also has moments that show both the differences in Western and Eastern culture (an example being crossing fingers) and a strong love and lament for Japan, especially by older generations. This show is like a roller coaster, so buckle up and open Netflix.

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From a young age, Souma Yukihira has helped out in his family’s restaurant and honed skills in the kitchen. As Souma nears high school, his father decides to close the shop and travel around the world cooking. Souma makes plans to attend Tootsuki Culinary Academy at his father’s recommendation. Believing he already knows how to cook just fine, Souma soon learns that while he has enough skill to make it into the academy, there is a long way to go before he can take the top spot. Tootsuki Culinary Academy is an internationally known school, so professors and students alike are from around the world. The first instructor they encounter is from France. Souma makes a rival who comes from his family’s restaurant in Italy. Even though they are not from these countries, some characters appear to be representative of America and India as well. In addition to people, Food Wars! also has topics about different foods of the world. This anime takes the number one spot because it has substantial cultural differences with people and subject matter. Additionally, this anime has a big fan base. If you are reading this list and have not watched Food Wars!, it is our first recommendation!

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