The world of Japanese erotic material can be traced back before the term ‘hentai’ came into existence. Erotic art, also known as shunga, can be dated back to the Heian period. One of the most famous pieces from that time period came from the woodblock print The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife by Hokusai in 1814. It is noted that the first erotic animation came later in 1969 and 1970 with One Thousand and One Arabian Nights and Cleopatra: Queen of Sex. Although many people think hentai is a booming industry, it isn’t as big as one would think. This column will be used to inform, recommend, and expand the horizon of not only fans of hentai but fans of 3DX as well. From early works to classics and essential titles that every fan should see I welcome you to The View from Japan.
Quick History Lesson
The definition of hentai is noting or pertaining to a subgenre of Japanese manga, anime, computer games, etc. characterized by explicit sexual themes and imagery. It’s not to be confused with the term ecchi, used by fans of Japanese media to describe any work that has sexual overtones as opposed to sexual activity. In the context of anime hentai literally translates to ‘perverted’ or ‘pornographic.’
Although one can easily get their hands on hentai either by the Internet or web store, it only represents a small fraction of the anime industry. Hentai is almost always made for the OVA (original video animation) market due to not being able to air on television. Most hentai anime are adaptations from manga specifically for the adult market. The rest of hentai adaptations are from eroge which translates to pornographic video games. Very rarely is there a hentai that is a standalone.*
If you are interested in the world of hentai and would like to expand your knowledge on the subject, I highly suggest reading The Erotic Anime Movie Guide by Helen McCarthy and Jonathan Clements. A good read to learn more about hentai manga is Permitted and Prohibited Desires: Mothers, Comics and Censorship in Japan by Anne Allison.
My Love for Hentai and 3DX and the Connection Between The Two
I first read about hentai in Anime Essentials: Everything a Fan Needs to Know when I was in high school. I was familiar with the word but had yet to see it with my own eyes. Upon reading the history about it I was even more intrigued. I looked up the hentai titles mentioned in the book and my life was never the same. Two titles noted were La Blue Girl and F3: Frantic Frustrated and Female. La Blue Girl is about a girl who is part of an ancient ninja clan and their super power is casting spells with the power of orgasm. F3: Frantic Frustrated and Female is about a young woman who continually attempts to achieve orgasm, often with the help of other women. Being someone who was new to the world of hentai I was fascinated with its different genres of it. I could pick something silly or something more serious and it never got boring. There is something for everyone to enjoy.
I haven’t been part of the 3DX world as long as I have with hentai but I love it all the same. I stumbled on 3D porn on complete accident. I was surfing the web to find hentai and came across a video that didn’t look like any animation that I had ever seen before. Out of curiosity I clicked on it, and it was definitely intriguing. The woman I was looking at appeared more realistic than what I’d seen in any other animation. In the video she was pleasuring herself with a sex toy and the amount of detail that was put into this short clip was astonishing. I needed to find more like it. After successfully finding video after video of 3D porn a question came to mind. What if 3D porn took hentai to another level? You can have the same liberty of being serious or completely ridiculous and make the clip just as interesting. It is a different style but different is good especially in this case.
Hentai and 3DX go hand in hand as far as I can tell. Both are able to create scenarios that you wouldn’t be able to recreate in real life. They also have characters that only the mind could imagine and do things you never thought possible. However, 3DX can take characters and scenarios and bring them to life. From intricate details to breathtaking scenery, one can be mesmerized by that alone in the world of 3DX. It is something you cannot get with hentai. On the other hand, hentai can be a bit more outrageous with scenarios and characters. What ties them together is both of them are able to create any kind of story your heart desires and can ultimately reach the same effect. 3DX can for sure take hentai further with design but being a long time fan there is some nostalgia when watching hentai. And while people may not like one or the other there is plenty of both to go around.
The ultimate goal for this column is to inform you, the reader, of the ties between hentai and 3DX. This column is also to recommend titles of both that every porn lover should watch or add to their collection. Japan has a multitude of pornographic titles and I will be the one to open a new world to you.
* From Anime Essentials: Everything a Fan Needs to Know by Gilles Poitras.
Image Sources:
~ Cover image: Space Pirate Sara