Our Nice Ecchi Edition
Konnichiwa Minna, our bento this month is all about Ecchi anime, we explore the ‘kulture’, watch some Ecchi AMVs, talk about aphrodisiacs, give some naughty and nice anime recommendations and we have an Ecchi Anime Challenge this month! Throw in some anime news and interesting stories from only in Japan and we have a filled to the brim anime bento buffet. Remember, AnimeFanatika is YOUR monthly source of Japanese culture, news and anime. Itadakimasu!!
July in the News
Tokyo Olympics opening touches the hearts of gamers
The 2021 Tokyo Olympics brought nostalgia and happiness to every gamer in the world when they played music from various classic games! The list of songs is impressive:
Dragon Quest: “Erdrick’s Theme”
Final Fantasy: “Victory Fanfare”
Tales of Zestria: “Sorey’s Theme”
Monster Hunter: “Proof of a Hero”
Kingdom Hearts: “Olympus Coliseum”
Chrono Trigger: “Frog’s Theme”
Ace Combat: “First Flight”
Tales Series: “Royal Capital — Pomp and Circumstance”
Monster Hunter: “Wind of Departure “
Chrono Trigger: “Robo’s Theme”
Sonic the Hedgehog: “Star Light Zone”
Winning Eleven (Pro Evolution Soccer): “eFootball walk-on theme”
Final Fantasy: “MAIN THEME”
Phantasy Star Universe: “Guardians”
Kingdom Hearts: “Hero’s Fanfare”
Gradius (Nemesis): “01 ACT 1-1”
NieR: “Song of the Ancients”
SaGa Series: “Makai Ginyu Poetry — SaGa Series Medley 2016”
Soulcalibur: “The Brave New Stage of History”
It was unexpected as some sort of traditional Japanese music would have been more expected during the Parade of Nations, instead, traditional Japanese video game music rocked the masses watching the opening at the event or on-screen! It would have been even more impressive if some music from Mario or Pokemon were included but that was quite an impressive ensemble of music!
13-year-old skateboarder reaches gold!
A 13-year-old school student Momiji Nishiya managed to put herself in the records as the youngest Japanese gold medalist in a brand new medal event in the Olympics, street skateboarding. This is quite interesting as skateboarding is not something we usually associate with Japan. She is in her second year of junior high school (eighth grade).
This young skateboarder showed her skills at Tokyo’s Ariake Urban Sports Park when she competed in the 2021 Olympics Street Skateboard finals, but she is not the only skilled skateboarder, out of eight competitors to advance to the finals in Street Skateboarding two other Japanese ladies showed off their skills, 16-year-old Funa Nakayama, and 19-year-old Aori Nishimura. Nakayama ended up with the bronze medal. Way to go, Japan!
Star Wars: Visions
If you love anime and love the Star Wars franchise a marriage of both might just put the thrill-meters way up high. An animated anthology television series made up of anime-inspired original short movies featuring various Japanese anime studios that are scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on September 22, 2021, is set to blow us away.
“Star Wars: Visions will be a series of animated short films celebrating the Star Wars galaxy through the lens of the world’s best anime creators. This anthology collection will bring ten fantastic visions from several of the leading Japanese anime studios, offering a fresh and diverse cultural perspective to Star Wars.”
―President Kathleen Kennedy announces the project on Disney Investor Day 202
From Studio Trigger (Kill La Kill, Little Witch Academy) we can expect ‘The Elder’ by Masahiko Otsuka, which is set sometime before Episode 1 and Hiroyuki Imaishi’s ‘The Twins’ set after the event of Episode IX. From Production I.G. We can expect ‘The Ninth Jedi’ directed by Kenji Kamiyama, and it will also be set after episode IX. One of the other episodes comes from newcomer Taku Kimura at Studio Colorido which promises that his Tatooine Rhapsody will have ‘rock music, action and a concert scene.‘
There are great talents from great studios in this project and whether you are from a galaxy far far away or just around the corner surely this Star Wars anime project will herald in some great entertainment for all of us in September.
Super Robot Wars 30
If are a ‘mecha-head’ and always wanted to play a game where you can battle a Gundam with a mecha from Big O or Evangelion then Super Robot Wars is your jam. It is a tactical RPG that brings mecha and characters from various mecha anime together to battle mutual foes. In the upcoming game Super Robot Wars 30 you can expect characters and mecha from the following confirmed series: Super Electromagnetic Robot Combattler V, Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Z Gundam Z-MSV, Mobile Suit Gundam Char’s Counterattack,M-MSV, Mobile Suit V Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam NT (Narrative), Heavy Metal L-Gaim, The Brave Police J-Decker, The King of Braves GaoGaiGar FINAL, The King of Kings: GaoGaiGar VS Betterman, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion III – Glorification, Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection, Getter Robo Armageddon Mazinger Z: Infinity, Mazinkaiser (INFINITISM), Magic Knight Rayearth, Gun X Sword, Majestic Prince, Knight’s & Magic and SSSS.GRIDMAN.
You as a player will follow your characters through battles and adventures, take control of giant mecha on a battle map and command them to defeat your enemies, with options to upgrade your favourite mecha as well as pilots. Super Robot Wars 30 celebrates the 30th anniversary of the game franchise series, which debuted on the original Game Boy. The game is to be released on October 27 but a Steam version is already available for preorder.
Only in Japan
Giant head floating in Tokyo
A giant head floating in the air above Tokyo sounds very anime, right? We have seen Tokyo under attack from demons, ghouls, aliens and all types of bakemono (monsters), but this time it is happening in real life. One Friday morning, just visible above the beautiful treetops of Yoyogi Park a scene unfolded that might have been a horror. A giant head, in grayscale colours having blocky features, looked out over the city of Tokyo in silence, for hours…
It was not the dubious creation of a mad scientist nor an evil sorcerer but a floating hot air balloon, the latest art piece from the modern art group me (Prenounced may) which means ‘eye’ in Japanese. This project called Masayume has started way back in 2019, and because there was no announcement of the project publically many people were caught unaware when the head floated over the city.
According to Masayume’s website they explain why they chose this art piece specifically:
“This face, which is that of an actual person that exists, will be seen from many perspectives through social and mass media. And this face will be looking back at us from the sky of the pandemic, as if to say we must support ourselves in the current situation. It will continue to face these trying times. Looking ahead towards the time when we discover something, we want to continue sharing imagination, no matter what else may be going on.”
Only in Japan, right?
Mecha commercial for Nacho fries
An interesting commercial first aired during the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony that makes us crave an actual mecha anime based on the commercial. The commercial is for Taco Bell promoting their nacho fries but as you will see in the video, it is super sugoi. It feels like the spiritual anime child of Neon Genesis Evangelion, and it’s sad that it is just a commercial!
Wouldn’t you want to see a whole anime series of this team called ‘Fry Force’? The animation is top-notched and it just makes you wish you could binge-watch a few episodes of this. We are ‘hungry with hope’ for more.
Kawaii Kulture: Ecchi anime
Ecchi is a slang word in Japanese for playfully sexual actions. Meaning ‘sexy’, ‘dirty’ or ‘naughty’ in a sexual context it can be used in a verb ‘ecchi suru’ meaning ‘to have sex’ or used as a noun to describe someone festering carnal desires. Western anime fans adopted the word from Japanese media to describe anime with sexual overtones, changing it from the Japanese term that describes a person’s sexual conduct to what has become a way in Western fandom to describe softcore or playful sexuality. This means anime that do not show sexual intercourse or genitalia, but sexual themes are referenced. Ecchi themes are basically a type of fanservice mostly found in seinen and harem anime and manga. It is thus important to differentiate ecchi from Hentai (Japanese word for ‘pervert’), which is anime pornography.
Ecchi is the PG-13 of anime but can also be Rated-R, it is quite lighthearted and mostly use to imply sexual innuendos. Sexual intercourse is not showed but implied, primary sexual organs are not showed, skimpy clothes, partial or full nudity is shown but limited. Great examples of ecchi anime include Sekirei, Queen’s Blade, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Elfen Leid, Freezing, Zero no Tsukaima, Futari Ecchi and Ladies vs Butlers.
Recipe of the month: Japanese aphrodisiacs - To put you in the mood
We have talked about ecchi, but let’s talk about passion-inducing aphrodisiacs, food that brings romance to the next level, that enflames passion and boost sexual performance. Ancient civilizations believed in the power of aphrodisiacs. Egyptians swore on the power of wine-soaked lilies, the crème de la crème of Aztec society drank melted hot chocolate and saffron infusions were the ancient Assyrian’s remedy. History is littered with their aphrodisiac believes duck eggs (still containing the fetus), oysters, nutmeg, basil, vanilla, figs and asparagus to name but a few.
In Japan, such remedies exist called biyaku, ‘flirt medicine. Fugu, the Japanese pufferfish is one such aphrodisiac, and yes it is one of the most poisonous creatures on earth, but isn’t that excitement the lure? Fugu contains the deadly poison tetrodotoxin, in fact enough in one fish to kill thirty adults! Fugu, expensive and deadly are only prepared by the best of chefs, and should a normal person dabble in preparing it, you may see death in your cards instead of passion. Aphrodisiacs can be dangerous to love and life…
On the other hand, there is another fish safer to eat, rich in protein, calcium, vitamins A and E and is regarded in Japan as a ‘stamina food’, we’re talking about the Eel (Unagi). It is popular to eat in the summer to beat fatigue. Its phallic appearance and strengthening properties gave the humble eel top tier space the past 1000 years. If for millennia Japanese wives prepared unagi for their husbands in the name of passion, it may just be one of the most reliable and time-tested aphrodisiacs to rely on.
Gingko Biloba (maidenhair tree) is native to both Japan and China and is beneficial to human health in many ways. Some of the conditions it is used to treat include Dementia, Gonorrhoea and Alzheimers. The nuts and leaves improve the body’s circulation, increases blood flow to all ‘major organs’ and is thus believe to trigger arousal and long-lasting erections. It is also a crucial ingredient to many energy drinks. It may just be the herb to give you wings.
Ginnan Okowa (Sticky Rice with Ginkgo Nuts)
Expert Japanese chef shows how to cook eel
AnimeFanatika's Top Five Ecchi Anime list
We bring you our humble choices of ecchi anime that the AnimeFanatika crew have enjoyed in the past. Ecchi can be very broad, thus we bring you ecchi that is zombie horror, comedy, fantasy and Isekai, a wide bouquet of series to choose from for all your viewing needs in no particular order.
Highschool of the Dead
Prison School
Megami-ryou no Ryoubo-kun (Mother of the Goddess' Dormitory)
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?,
No Game No Life
Link of the month
If you want to know about more Ecchi anime we found this very resourceful link that has a lot more Ecchi anime listed:
AMVs of the Month – Ecchi-style
We have great AMVs from two ecchi anime this month. First, we have the isekai anime No Game No Life featuring the song The End is Where We Begin by Thousand Foot Krutch, and secondly, we have the Zombie Horror anime Highschool of the Dead featuring the song I Like It Heavy by Halestorm. Enjoy the AMVs!!!
No Game No Life
Highschool of the Dead
August Anime Challenge: Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai (Censored)
Our challenge this month is an ecchi anime called Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai (Censored), English name: Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist abbreviated by its fanbase as Shimoneta. Shimoneta (下ネタ) is a Japanese word for “vulgar slang”, “dirty joke,” “blue joke,” or “erotic topic.” This anime is based on the light novel written by Hirotaka Akagi and illustrated by Eito Shimotsuki. This series first aired in 2015 and was produced by J.C. Staff under the direction of Youhei Suzuki.
The series is set 16 years after Japan’s “Law for Public Order and Morals in Healthy Child-Raising” which banned coarse language. Tanukichi Okuma enrols in the country’s leading elite public morals school and is blackmailed into joining an obscene terrorist organization hellbent on the destruction of everything that his new school stands for.
Please note the challenge is Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai’ censored version as it is funnier than the uncensored version and we have quite a few fanatiks that recommended the censored version as the best one to watch for the challenge.
Birthday of the month: Tsunade (Naruto)
August 2nd is the birthday of one of the most epic power ladies in anime, we are talking about Tsunade. Her resume is impressive. She is a descendant of the Senju and Uzumaki clans and she is one of the Konohagakure’s Sannin (The others being Orochimaru and Jiraiya). She is known as the worlds strongest kunoichi as well as the greatest medical-nin. Losing those dearest to her heart, such as her brother caused her to abandon her life as a shinobi for a long period, but she is persuaded to return to Konoha to take up the mantle of the Fifth Hokage where her skills prove her to be invaluable to the village.
She is inspired by the mythic Tsunade from the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari, and in that story, the original Tsunade specializes in snail magic. She was actually mentioned in chapter 84 of the manga by Tenten 55 chapters before her formal appearance. Tsunade’s favourite hobby is gambling and if she wins it is actually seen as an ill omen, which is a very interesting contrast to the character. Another interesting fact about her is that she has the same blood type as the other two members of the Konohagakure’s Sannin, Orochimaru and Jiraiya!
Tsunade celebrates her birth month with Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop whose birthday is on August 14 and Renji Abarai from Bleach whose birthday is on August 31st.