Christophe
Completely Average High School Student
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/2015-12-06hCover.jpg">
<b>Review of So I Can't Play H - Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai by Christophe</b>
<em>So I Can’t Play H</em> is what non-anime fans imagine when you tell them you watch anime. It has magical powers, crazy fight scenes, lots of boobs, and contrived reasons for the protagonist to grope said boobs.<br>
The story of <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> centres on a typical high school protagonist, Ryosuke Kaga, the type of which anyone with even a cursory interest in anime will have seen a million times before. Ah, but wait! Ryosuke has a special trait, something that sets him apart from all other teenage boy anime characters. He is… a massive pervert. Oh dear; I guess nobody informed the creators of <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> that the show they were making has already been made several hundred times before. Anyway, Ryosuke is living his normal everyday life of making sexually suggestive comments to his disgusted female classmates, when he meets a beautiful red-headed girl standing in the rain outside his house. Being the gentlemen that he is, and also being enticed by her wet t-shirt, he invites her inside to get dry. To thank him for the favour, this red-headed girl promptly stabs Ryosuke with a broken sword.<br>
Plot twist: this girl isn’t any ordinary girl. She is Lisara Restall, a Grim Reaper from the royal family of another world, and she has come to our world seeking the special human who is able to provide her with unlimited spirit energy. In the meantime she forms a provisional contract with Ryosuke (Grim Reapers seal their contracts by stabbing you with half a sword – who knew?), so that he can temporarily give her energy to fight off monsters while she looks for her true partner. Ryosuke, the lovable pervert that he is, recharges his energy by engaging in lewd acts, and thus the stage is set for comedy gold: Lisara gets into a battle with monsters and needs spirit energy, Ryosuke does something perverted so he can provide her with it, and Lisara punches him in the face for being a creep. Along the way, other attractive and well-endowed Grim Reapers appear, also searching for the mythical special human with unlimited energy. Supernatural high school hijinks occur, while the ever-expanding female cast all become unfathomably attracted to Ryosuke.<br>
How this formula repeats can, unsurprisingly, get a bit tiresome. What is surprising, given my initial impressions of the show, is that this formula does get shaken up quite considerably. Midway through the series there seems to be recognition of the need for escalating stakes, and Ryosuke and his cohort go on a trip to Grimwald, the fantasy world that Lisara and her fellow Grim Reapers are from. This change in setting and the ensuing variety of battles helps prevent <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> from becoming stale. Ryosuke also develops into a character who can actually hold his own in a fight, rather than just charging up Lisara’s powers.<br>
There is also a big tonal shift: the focus is less on the comedy and nudity, and more on the story and drama. I found this to be in the show’s favour, working to differentiate it from the more typical ecchi comedy which it was initially identical to; if, however, the viewer enjoyed the light-hearted tone of the show’s first half, then this change will likely be quite unwelcome. <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> also surpassed my expectations in how the romance was handled. While avoiding spoilers, it’s safe to say that this series avoids the cliché of drawing out its harem hijinks indefinitely, and instead has a more satisfying conclusion regarding its characters’ relationships.<br>
Ultimately, what will determine the appeal of a show like this, at least for the male demographic that the show is clearly targeting, is how good the girls are. Unfortunately, as a whole the cast of girls are not that strong, and aside from Lisara being the standard tsundere of the group, there isn’t a huge deal to separate the other girls from one another. The voice acting of the characters is competent, with some well-known names involved. Aya Endo voices Lisara, doing a satisfactory job with the whole “It’s not like I like you or anything, idiot!” thing. Ryosuke’s obligatory childhood friend, Mina, is pretty boring, but being voiced by the adorable Kaori Ishihara makes up for it. Misato Fukuen is typically appealing as Iria, one of Lisara’s Grim Reaper rivals who is especially well-endowed. Ryosuke’s voice is provided by Hiro Shimono, a veteran of voicing teenage anime protagonists, and he gives a characteristically good performance here.<br>
For those that enjoy this sort of thing, the boobs are pretty good. The animators clearly appreciate what their show’s main selling point is, and as such the breasts do look nice. There are lots of fights with conveniently dissolving clothing, which always expose breast but never quite get to the point of revealing a girl’s more intimate parts. There is some variety to the sexually suggestive scenes, too. One especially effective scene is where Ryosuke is injured, lying in a bed naked, and a couple of magical maids literally lick his wounds better in a rather lascivious way.<br>
The comedy of <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> can work well, but it does take a backseat to the drama in the latter part of the show. Ryosuke’s insistence on referring to his erection as his “Kingdom” always goes down a treat. The other characters can also be pretty funny, although more inadvertently. There’s a scene where Ryosuke is Skyping his mother, and his harem of girls start trying to one-up each other via webcam in an effort to impress her, eventually culminating in Lisara proudly telling Ryosuke’s mother, “He’s seen way more than just my boobs!”<br>
The art and animation are adequate, if nothing to write home about, and fortunately there are few of the QUALITY moments that tend to define the most cheaply-made ecchi series. The show does use the money-saving technique of having flashbacks to scenes that only happened two minutes before, which can be a bit grating, but is nothing the typical anime viewer won’t already be used to enduring.<br>
MVM’s DVD release contains the Japanese dub with hardcoded subtitles only, and has the standard extras of textless opening and ending sequences, and a couple of promos. Unfortunately the set doesn’t include the fan service centric episode 13, released in Japan as an OVA.<br>
The dramatic change in tone which <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> undergoes about halfway through the series makes it hard to know who to recommend it to. Fans of jiggling anime boobs will enjoy the first half, while fans of romantic drama will enjoy the second half. The overall product, therefore, feels like a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster of ideas, although fairly competently executed. In summation, if you’re just looking for a bit of an animated diversion, <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> does enough to make it worth a watch – but don’t go in expecting it to become your favourite anime.<br>
<b>Final score: 6 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-06h1.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-06h2.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-06h3.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-06h4.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-06h5.png">
<b>Review of So I Can't Play H - Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai by Christophe</b>
<em>So I Can’t Play H</em> is what non-anime fans imagine when you tell them you watch anime. It has magical powers, crazy fight scenes, lots of boobs, and contrived reasons for the protagonist to grope said boobs.<br>
The story of <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> centres on a typical high school protagonist, Ryosuke Kaga, the type of which anyone with even a cursory interest in anime will have seen a million times before. Ah, but wait! Ryosuke has a special trait, something that sets him apart from all other teenage boy anime characters. He is… a massive pervert. Oh dear; I guess nobody informed the creators of <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> that the show they were making has already been made several hundred times before. Anyway, Ryosuke is living his normal everyday life of making sexually suggestive comments to his disgusted female classmates, when he meets a beautiful red-headed girl standing in the rain outside his house. Being the gentlemen that he is, and also being enticed by her wet t-shirt, he invites her inside to get dry. To thank him for the favour, this red-headed girl promptly stabs Ryosuke with a broken sword.<br>
Plot twist: this girl isn’t any ordinary girl. She is Lisara Restall, a Grim Reaper from the royal family of another world, and she has come to our world seeking the special human who is able to provide her with unlimited spirit energy. In the meantime she forms a provisional contract with Ryosuke (Grim Reapers seal their contracts by stabbing you with half a sword – who knew?), so that he can temporarily give her energy to fight off monsters while she looks for her true partner. Ryosuke, the lovable pervert that he is, recharges his energy by engaging in lewd acts, and thus the stage is set for comedy gold: Lisara gets into a battle with monsters and needs spirit energy, Ryosuke does something perverted so he can provide her with it, and Lisara punches him in the face for being a creep. Along the way, other attractive and well-endowed Grim Reapers appear, also searching for the mythical special human with unlimited energy. Supernatural high school hijinks occur, while the ever-expanding female cast all become unfathomably attracted to Ryosuke.<br>
How this formula repeats can, unsurprisingly, get a bit tiresome. What is surprising, given my initial impressions of the show, is that this formula does get shaken up quite considerably. Midway through the series there seems to be recognition of the need for escalating stakes, and Ryosuke and his cohort go on a trip to Grimwald, the fantasy world that Lisara and her fellow Grim Reapers are from. This change in setting and the ensuing variety of battles helps prevent <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> from becoming stale. Ryosuke also develops into a character who can actually hold his own in a fight, rather than just charging up Lisara’s powers.<br>
There is also a big tonal shift: the focus is less on the comedy and nudity, and more on the story and drama. I found this to be in the show’s favour, working to differentiate it from the more typical ecchi comedy which it was initially identical to; if, however, the viewer enjoyed the light-hearted tone of the show’s first half, then this change will likely be quite unwelcome. <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> also surpassed my expectations in how the romance was handled. While avoiding spoilers, it’s safe to say that this series avoids the cliché of drawing out its harem hijinks indefinitely, and instead has a more satisfying conclusion regarding its characters’ relationships.<br>
Ultimately, what will determine the appeal of a show like this, at least for the male demographic that the show is clearly targeting, is how good the girls are. Unfortunately, as a whole the cast of girls are not that strong, and aside from Lisara being the standard tsundere of the group, there isn’t a huge deal to separate the other girls from one another. The voice acting of the characters is competent, with some well-known names involved. Aya Endo voices Lisara, doing a satisfactory job with the whole “It’s not like I like you or anything, idiot!” thing. Ryosuke’s obligatory childhood friend, Mina, is pretty boring, but being voiced by the adorable Kaori Ishihara makes up for it. Misato Fukuen is typically appealing as Iria, one of Lisara’s Grim Reaper rivals who is especially well-endowed. Ryosuke’s voice is provided by Hiro Shimono, a veteran of voicing teenage anime protagonists, and he gives a characteristically good performance here.<br>
For those that enjoy this sort of thing, the boobs are pretty good. The animators clearly appreciate what their show’s main selling point is, and as such the breasts do look nice. There are lots of fights with conveniently dissolving clothing, which always expose breast but never quite get to the point of revealing a girl’s more intimate parts. There is some variety to the sexually suggestive scenes, too. One especially effective scene is where Ryosuke is injured, lying in a bed naked, and a couple of magical maids literally lick his wounds better in a rather lascivious way.<br>
The comedy of <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> can work well, but it does take a backseat to the drama in the latter part of the show. Ryosuke’s insistence on referring to his erection as his “Kingdom” always goes down a treat. The other characters can also be pretty funny, although more inadvertently. There’s a scene where Ryosuke is Skyping his mother, and his harem of girls start trying to one-up each other via webcam in an effort to impress her, eventually culminating in Lisara proudly telling Ryosuke’s mother, “He’s seen way more than just my boobs!”<br>
The art and animation are adequate, if nothing to write home about, and fortunately there are few of the QUALITY moments that tend to define the most cheaply-made ecchi series. The show does use the money-saving technique of having flashbacks to scenes that only happened two minutes before, which can be a bit grating, but is nothing the typical anime viewer won’t already be used to enduring.<br>
MVM’s DVD release contains the Japanese dub with hardcoded subtitles only, and has the standard extras of textless opening and ending sequences, and a couple of promos. Unfortunately the set doesn’t include the fan service centric episode 13, released in Japan as an OVA.<br>
The dramatic change in tone which <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> undergoes about halfway through the series makes it hard to know who to recommend it to. Fans of jiggling anime boobs will enjoy the first half, while fans of romantic drama will enjoy the second half. The overall product, therefore, feels like a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster of ideas, although fairly competently executed. In summation, if you’re just looking for a bit of an animated diversion, <em>So I Can’t Play H</em> does enough to make it worth a watch – but don’t go in expecting it to become your favourite anime.<br>
<b>Final score: 6 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-06h1.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-06h2.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-06h3.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-06h4.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-06h5.png">