Anime Review | So I Can’t Play H (Lights, Camera, Action!) Page 1

Anime Review | So I Can’t Play H (Lights, Camera, Action!)

So I Can't Play H (UK Rating: 15)

There have been many series that rely on the trope of an everyday human finding his life turned upside down thanks to the sudden appearance of a supernatural young lady. Series like Shokugeki no Soma, Busou Renkin and, of course, mega hit Bleach. This time, the young lady is a scythe-wielding Shinigami named Lisara Restall, who has come to Earth from her world of Grimwald in search of "The One." She needs to use the energy of a human to stay in this world and does so by forming a contract with a seemingly typical teenage boy, Ryosuke Kaga. No signing on the dotted line here, though! Instead, just a nice quick penetration, as Lisara drives a broken Legendary sword straight into Ryosuke's chest, establishing a conduit for her to absorb and use his energy, thus keeping her on Earth to continue her search and to imbue her with strength for battling… tentacle monsters.
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Ah, tentacle monsters. An age-old signal that this series may contain some adult themes and So I Can't Play H does not disappoint in that regard! True to its name, the series is filled with H moments - H being a common term in Japan for anything "Hentai" or perverted. Falling squarely in the category of the comedy ecchi series, this is filled with accidental nudity, harems and panty shots. Viewers be warned, as this is the uncensored version of the originally broadcast anime and so the usual conveniently placed bright lights and steam that would obscure anything that would make the series X-rated are completely absent. While there are no sex scenes or bottomless scenes, topless scenes, including nipples, are abundant throughout and the series places plenty of focus on these moments.

"The One" that Lisara is hunting for is all based around the fact that the energy a Shinigami can draw from a human is directly proportional to the human's driving force. Any person with a special skill or talent can act as a battery of power for the Shinigami and Lisara's "The One" would be someone with a spectacular level of skill or the most special talent. In the meantime, Lisara is stuck temporarily with Ryosuke and his driving force... his perversion. Whenever he finds himself in a somewhat NSFW position, his energy bursts forth, making for some hilarious moments, especially as he undergoes special training to be able to call to mind dirty thoughts to power himself up. Screaming out mnemonic devices to excite himself enough to recharge his perversion power for Lisara to draw from is a sight to behold.

Lisara and Ryosuke hunt for this special person, while extending the cast with other Shinigami and the token childhood best friend who secretly loves Ryosuke, but, sadly these characters are all quite one-dimensional, with not much charm to ingratiate themselves with the audience. This, combined with unimaginative designs for the monsters, a story that is disengaging, and a climax to the series that feels both rushed and confusing, all adds up to a forgettable final product.

This two-disc set from MVM is available now and contains all twelve episodes, along with a textless opening and closing, and the original Japanese TV promotional videos including the originally broadcast TV adverts.

4/10

Subpar

If there's one word that can encompass the entirety of this series, it is "mediocre." These ero comedy anime are very common and there are so many out there that it takes something special to stand out or make an impact and So I Can't Play H is missing that something. There are funny moments and fans of the genre will enjoy what's here, but those wanting a quality guilty pleasure ecchi anime would be better off waiting for MVM to release its recently announced Monster Musume.

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Anime Review | So I Can’t Play H (Lights, Camera, Action!)

So I Can't Play H (UK Rating: 15)

Subpar

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