OP Sequence

OP: 「HELP!! -Hell side-」 by 竹達彩奈 (Taketatsu Ayana)
Watch the OP!: Download, Streaming ▼

「 直滑降ファーストラブっ!」 (Chokkakkō Fāsuto Rabu!)
“Down Hill First Love!”

As expected of the likes of XEBEC, the studio that has brought us such timeless classics as To LOVE-Ru, Kanokon, and Ladies versus Butlers!, we’re presented with another series of the suspect persuasion. With that said, it’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into before watching this. As the title suggests, this anime’s premise is based on the concept of masochism, and a heavy case of it at that. Our protagonist, Sado Taro (Fukuyama Jun) is helplessly turned-on from being abused by women, going into a state of pure ecstasy from being dominated. Of course, this trait would be meaningless if we didn’t have our resident sadist to compliment Taro’s disorder, Isurugi Mio (Taketatsu Ayana). With this formula, so begins our journey down the analysis of how a teenage masochistic boy’s mind works.

This episode certainly hit home that this anime will explore all types of niche fetishes, from Taro’s extreme masochism to his friend Hayama Tatsukichi (Satou Rina), who likes to cross dress and finds pleasure in people telling him how pretty he looks as a girl. My first thought was “holy hell what am I watching” but I must admit I found myself being strangely entertained by the fetishes as the episode went on. The many faces that Mio makes are great, going from a seemingly polite ojou-sama to a foul mouthed Yakuza-type character in a span of seconds. Strangely enough, despite her domineering personality, she seems to genuinely find happiness in helping to solve people’s problems. That in itself can be seen as a type of fetish, “Ultra Tsundere” you could say.

What’s really interesting though is that the main characters are not the only ones with fatal flaws, as it appears nearly every character that appeared this episode had some type of weird problem. Taro’s mother and sister, Sado Tomoko (Ohara Sayaka) and Sado Shizuka (Asumi Kana) appear to be a soncon (don’t see that too often) and a brocon, Taro’s school nurse, Onigawara Michiru (Tanaka Rie) appearing to be a sadist herself, and Taro’s classmate Yuno Arashiko (Hayami Saori) either having a fear of men or just seriously hating Taro’s guts to the point that she’ll nearly murder him for touching her. With a cast of characters this fucked up, I can only imagine what kind of sick games and antics we’ll be exposed to during the course of this anime.

The biggest thing going for this show is probably it’s cast of seiyuus, which is surprisingly an all-star team. I hope I’m not the only one who face faltered when they found out freaking Fukuyama Jun is voicing Taro. I certainly wasn’t expecting the voice of Lelouch and Kimihiro to be leading in this anime, but nonetheless it’s definitely a pleasant surprise. It’s also nice to see Satou Rina (MIKOTO-CHWAN) and Hayami Saori leading alongside Jun. Saori will be pretty busy this season, also doing the voices of Agemaki Wako of STAR DRIVER: Kagayaki no Takuto, Ikaros of Sora no Otoshimono, and Azuki Miho of Bakuman, two of which are also leading roles. And of course I can’t forget Tanaka Rie who is always nice to see even though she’s not in a leading role for this series. Yes, the seiyuu casting of this show is definitely nothing to shake a stick at.

Overall, it appears this show will definitely not be for everybody, or even most people (as if that weren’t obvious enough). The interesting thing about this show thus far is that it’s not what you would really call an “ecchi show”. Despite being animated with the moe-blob art style XEBEC is known for using with it’s more fanservice oriented shows, this pilot had very little in the way of nude girls. However, with the crazy characters and twenty different types of fetishes, this show may be even more of a turn off for ecchi fanservice haters than ecchi fanservice itself. I’ll continue to blog this show as I found the abuse and character flaws to be fairly entertaining, and I just can’t pass up the seiyuu team, but this is definitely not for the more closed-minded anime watcher. As I said before, the strong seiyuu line-up in this show is probably it’s biggest surprise and one of the biggest reasons to watch it, at least if you’re a seiyuu junky.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「More-more LOVERS!!」 by 麻生夏子 (Asou Natsuko)
Watch the ED!: Download, Streaming ▼

Preview

86 Comments

    1. gnomtastic, your comments are always troll-like in nature and you’ve probably noticed that I’ve already been deleting a lot of them. However, I don’t want to moderate all your comments completely, so please keep that in mind before posting something that’s trying to draw attention.

    2. Well I do agree sorta… Japan has been coming out with a lot of ecchi fanservice animes with very shallow plots recently. I think they need more pure comedies, romance, or epic stuffs… like Sengoku Basara, it doesn’t really have that coherent of a plot but its epicness is over 9000. Angel Beats recently brought us another Jun Maeda tearjerker, and Code Geass had an absolutely epic plot.

      Suppa Tenko
    3. Well, judging a show, only based on a plot summary and one chapter is rather shallow itself. I’ve heard opinions about people who are reading the light novels, and seems to get deeper at some point. i think anime based on light novel’s plot seems to be much more interesting and profund, like kara no kyoukai, ookami-san, durarara, even oreimo.

      david
    4. Ive been watching anime for 14 years and i just base every anime on neon genesis evangelion,cowboy bebop,texhnolyze and such an anime doesnt have to be as awesome as those but atleast it has to be good enough that doesnt dumb down the people who watch them for example Sora no Otoshimono Forte just think as a human being for a second and realize how stupid that anime is a guy wakes up with a boner and has to hide it from a next door girl and then an angel shoots rockets at his junk.Jesus where can i find anime that doesnt suck isnt gay and has a tastefull amaunt fanservice any sugestion is welcome thank you.

      gnomtastic
      1. dude, LIGHTEN UP. no, not every anime is gonna be a masterpiece but it can still be FUN. i don’t know how you could possibly have found 14 years’ worth of anime to watch when you’re expecting everything to be NGE or cowboy bebop. sora no otoshimono isn’t intended to be smart or dramatic, just silly and fun, which it is. unclench a little and try to enjoy anime for once.

        diet otaku
    5. I’ve been watching anime for something like ten years, and watch anime of different kinds. Each time I feel that an anime should be ranked 2-3 of 10, I consider this a clear indicator that this anime is not for me, and of course I will never consider ranking it then.

      As for Suppa Tenko, I think that your view doesn’t solve the problem. For instance, I enjoy Sengoku Basara the least, and couldn’t hold to watch more than 10 minutes of the show no matter how far Omni did recommend it. Does it mean that Sengoku Basara is just thrash? Don’t think so.

      P.S. Same goes for K-ON!! criticizers/haters.

      vladrin
    6. Well… he’s kinda right, isn’t he? Tons of useless ecchi anime for guys that can’t get a girlfriend, so all they have left is ecchi anime… I understand perfectly well, that men like it, but… I don’t really see a good reason to blog about such series, and lol, according to the schedule, you’re going to blog about all the ecchi series (exception is Tegami Bachi). I don’t see what is there to blog about in the first place… a new pair of panties? A new pair boobs? Another “onee-chan” trying to sleep with her onii-chan? xD
      But then again, it’s your blog, so you could say “don’t read it if you don’t like it”. I’m not trying to offend anyone or anything like that, just stating my opinion^^

      But I think that lots of series that you quit blogging about are much more worthy than ecchi series.

      @vladrin: I also couldn’t watch Sengoku Basara, just not my cup of tea, but I agree that it doesn’t mean it’s trash. In fact, I think it’s very good, but it just didn’t go well with me. But I have yet to see ecchi series with a GOOD plot and not some guy/girl in their puberty

      Lee
      1. Ohh, that one? I also hope that it won’t be too bad… Though the art style looks..err.. how do I put it.. anyway, all the series with such art style are no good… I hope it won’t turn into another “White album” or “Amagami” .___.

        Lee
  1. With all the abuse of male perverts in anime, I’m honestly expecting some sort of “horny men’s rights” movement to spring-up in the near future.

    But seriously… can’t ecchi series try something new? I think most people are (or should be) past the point where a pervy guy getting randomly abused is funny. :p

    caramel_cod
  2. I loved the episode for all its quirks and different and yet comedic approach to fetishes. There’s definitely a lot going and with all the possible avenues opening up with each character, it may be the wild ride I’m looking for this season. Hayami-san and Taketatsu-san being part of the cast are mostly what pulled me to watch this series. I’ve honestly started watching without expecting this much entertainment.
    Suzuku is right tho, it may not be to everyone’s taste.

    Shinjiro
  3. Kind of weird that I find nothing wrong with brocon, but I felt a little weird with the mom thing (not that I dislike it, in fact I’m looking forward to it).

    I loved it. I hope they continue with the lighthearted stuff and don’t bring rape or almost rape victims in the mix like a certain anime from the last season.

    Isn’t Yuno the one that hit him in the flashback?

    I didn’t notice Yuno had such big breasts until I saw the ed sequence…

    Guess who’s my favorite heroine now?

    Antics
  4. I didn’t expect much from this since XEBEC’s last production, Ladies versus Butlers, left a sour taste in my mouth, but I couldn’t stop myself from helplessly laughing from all of Mio’s and Sado’s quirks. While it may not be a series everyone can bear watching, I found the first episode to be utterly hilarious, and I plan on watching more of this.

    Btw, if you could handle Seitokai Yakuin Domo, I’m pretty sure you can survive the kinkyness coming from this.

    Click
      1. Hahaha. You know, SYD was like getting slapped and then wondering what happened until you get the following slaps and finally realizing “Oh right, I’m watching it”. This could be in the same ball park as well and that’s interesting to me. Suzuku, the physicality is an added bonus. 😉

        Shinjiro
      2. You’ve got a point there.. Though SYD set my standards for ecchi anime pretty high. And after watching P&S, the entertainment value of this show wasn’t up to par. But I think I’ll keep watching it. I love the artwork and.. well.. the artwork is nice! Eheheh.. ^^;

  5. I get the feeling this show will feature alot of fetish material aside from masochism,cross-dressing,complexes and the like.Mind you that the last name of the protagonist is “Sado” which kinda sound like it came from sado-masochism.

    fluidity
    1. My thoughts exactly. Azu-nyan ftw. Now for the wagers…
      How many episodes until they exploit Taketatsu Ayana’s “Nyaa” THIS series?
      I say before episode 3, they’ll have something to do with furries/catgirls.

      TehJawknee
      1. SYD ep 3… bondage AND beastiality… talk about screwed up. But yeah, I’m guessing sometime the next couple episodes they’ll have Ayana Nyaaing. Hell, they did it for KissXsis and Mayoi Neko Overrun, why not here?

        Yes, I know they didn’t for Alice in HOTD, but she’s a supporting character there. Starring roles are a different topic. 😛

        TehJawknee
    1. I’d like to think it is…but mind you, Suzuku did add:
      “we’re presented with another series of the suspect persuasion.”
      Mind you, it might just be a classic of the genre. We’ll see as the episodes roll on 😛

      Shinjiro
    1. I LMAO’ed so hard at that! Touché!
      The difference with Lelouch is that this character is actually begging some more AND yet, trying to get away from this. Oh, the contradiction! 🙂

      Shinjiro
  6. Well… Jun did the whole cross dressing character a couple seasons ago in Working!, so it’s only fitting that he now plays a masochist. I also find his voice fits the character ridiculously well.

    Jaysus
  7. It’s like SYD finishes and this just steps right in and fills the role, albeit in a different approach.
    Definitely looking forward to more, both for the cast and to see what fetishes they’ll toss in here. :p

    koukiryu
  8. i really hope this show ends up going in the direction of “accept your fetishes,” because there’s no reason for a guy to try and rid himself of something that clearly brings him near-orgasmic amounts of pleasure when there’s a plentiful supply of sadistic cuties willing to kick his ass (not to mention his crush turning out to be a trap).

    diet otaku
  9. Ah, I love your blog because I could never differentiate one seiyuu from another before. But now I know quite a few. Thanks for that. ^^
    And we gotta love a dominatrix Aya-nyan 😀
    Oh, by the way, your link to Hayami Saori leads to xxxHOLIC. Might wanna fix that – unless you intended that o_o

    Daniel
  10. I had my reservations about watching this but after reading your review I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did. I love it. Interesting trap, Hideyoshi has a rival now!

    ClementIV
    1. I have absolutely no idea why you would say that. Never before has the cross dresser ever had an attraction to the main character. Nor has any other character on any show ever had the hots for the main character.

      BTW, I like your username. The V could use some work, though.

      Da5id
      1. well, i was teeling about the impression you get while watching the episode, at some point, i was like wtf, not a gay show, at least, that type of show with some yaoi undertone are not to my likings, but. But, even though, i like this show and seems to get much more interesting after half of its run.

        david
  11. A pattern (and possibly a formula) I’ve been noticing is the less big chests there are in an ecchi anime, the more character is present, or at least noticable. Although, I’m pretty sure there have been plenty of shows with big chests and lots of character and plenty in the other extreme as well, so don’t quote me on that.

    However, if anyone can find more instances of this pattern, DO quote me on it BECAUSE I SAW IT FIRST AND HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN THE PATENT AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    Oh, and post them.

    Da5id
  12. The seiyuu cast is a nice surprise, and the Op by Taketatsu Ayana isn’t so bad though I enjoy the ED abit more. Even if Tanaka Rie plays small parts in the series the Blu Ray and DVD set will greatly make up.

    Bluance
  13. I saw somewhere (before reading this) say this had brocon and soncon and was put off. I just can’t stand those amongst others.
    But after reading this I decided to give it a go and I enjoyed it. I might have picked it up eventually because that’s usually how I roll; watch the ones I want first then get bored of other daily things so I watch the ones I wasn’t going to.
    This is how I come across some of my favourite shows which is surprising and annoying.

    stefkov
  14. This 1st episode was not that good. I liked Kanokon, To Love Ru, and Ladies vs. Butlers but don’t seem to enjoy this series as I did those. Not sure I’m gonna bother watching any more. Of the new series that have aired Bakuman seems to be the best. Letter Bee is good too and so was Sora No Otoshimono but thats a continuation from last year. Iron Man was also a disapointment.

    Karmafan
  15. Impressions of first 10 minutes, while I would rank plot 6-7 out of 10, Characters get 10, Character design 10, animation 8-9, and energetic music suitable for it 7. Definitely passu!

    Each season I follow 2 to 4 anime shows at max, and rarely comedy. This is the first on the list. It just tells me how much the harsh criticizers of the show were subjective/biased in their review.

    vladrin
  16. You know… It would be nice if Japan’s anime industry made a show where the male lead beats the women up. Just so there can be an “opposite coin” to garbage like this. But then I’ll get all types of insults for even typing what I’ve typed and being honest about it.

    Then again, not everybody’s like MARVEL or Stan Lee; coming to Japan to utilize the “powers of anime” for the good of humankind and world entertainment. Making “lower animu” for losers so they can (temporarily) forget about their own problems is what they’re great at doing.

    \_(^_^)_/

  17. I missed this in the preview!

    wew, another ecchi series stereotype…

    seriously, is there any male protagonist in an ecchi-love comedy series whose not “M” with his tsundere partner??

    ufobaby
  18. MAN, anime should not show girls kicking a guys balls(treasure), since that could cause testicular cancer..!!! im not kidding, one could die for being kicked there (it pains me to look LOL), and im sure that 90% of the girls if not 99% (excluding doctors) dont know this… O.o, and well the anime its superb, with a SUPERB cast…

    Trejon

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