Hen Zemi OVA 1

Viewed with subtitles courtesy of group: [HiNA-Wasurenai]

 Innocence prior to corruption

Ah, Xebec. It’s an animation studio that I’ve come to associate with subpar ecchi-themed shows as of late. In preparation for Hen Zemi’s TV variant premiering today, I decided to go back and watch the OVAs that I had missed. I didn’t really expect anything different from Hen Zemi / Abnormal Physiology Seminar. However, it surprised me by providing something different from most ecchi-themed shows: intelligence.

The story centers around Nanako Matsutaka participating in a sexual perversion seminar. Yes, you read that correctly. It hardly seems intelligent considering the back story. The basic ploy of the innocent, pure girl in anime being exposed to perversion for both humor and fan service certainly seems fairly routine.

However, the difference comes in how the viewer comes to be exposed to these societal deviants. Gone is the Japanese male youth that frequently stumbles upon girls undressing or conveniently has a penchant for accidently fondling, stripping, or falling upon the closest female in proximity. Rather than the static and uninteresting pervert or harem gatherer, we have the malleable young adult female that’s exposed herself to perversion for the sake of love.

Enter the Panty Thief Prince Charming Komugi

I’m always heavily interested in an anime that represents characters that embrace perversion for the sake of love. However, anime will typically fall back upon static characters at this juncture. The female character will usually just indulge in the behavior after either a submissive or competitive side is provoked. Then, she will continue to act on it with pleasure (typically) for the sake of fan service. Hen Zemi, however, departs from this typical scenario.

The show is about exposure, and the reaction of the innocent versus the deviants. The episode itself breaks down into several skits effectively in which Matsutaka interacts with fellow university students in the seminar. Largely, she is flustered, embarrassed, and even grossed out, but she never outright rejects the perversion she has found herself connected with. Instead, she accepts the reality of the people before her and makes her own choices in terms of acceptance.

That being said the show remains a comedy still, and the free for all sexual humor may leave a viewer uncomfortable. However, it’s refreshing to feel some maturity at the core of a show.

                  I hope the show plays off this idea more