[Um, this is a joke, by the way. Manic, satiri-nomi-comical. I do not endorse my own opinions, except for the one where I call Hensuki terrible. Sometimes I think that these harem “comedies” don’t know when they cross the line into unfunny abuse or, at the very least, I don’t know why stuff like this still gets made in such an oversaturated market]
Hensuki is terrible. Terrible terrible terrible terrible terrible terrible terrible. I mean, just look at the title: Kawaikereba hentai demo suki ni natte kuremasu ka? or Would you fall in love with a pervert if she’s cute? (Hensuki for short). I thought we hit peak harem with Kono naka ni hitori, imouto ga iru! — My Little Sister is among them! but Hensuki comes pretty close. Oh, and a little sister is among them here too. And oh, it’s terrible.
But. BUT. Buuuut.
The series has attracted some derision for its weak male protagonist Keiki (a real piece of cake). I vehemently disagree and must defend Hensuki on this point.
My boy Keiki (again, a real piece of cake) deserves no such abuse because he already receives so much more on the screen. Did you come to watch Hensuki for some laughable, loveable ecchi harem hijinx like my good friend Oreshura (if we are playing with the titles, My Girlfriend and Childhood Friend Fight Too Much). No, no no no no noooo, this — thisss — is a real psychological thriller, not a comedy. If you laugh (as I do), you only reveal a psychopathic delight in watching Keiki’s spirit break against successive rounds of abuse by an improbable series of female harassers. Hensuki tells the story of a man — no, still just a boy! — broken by too-much female attention.
Let’s catalogue his troubles, by the girl:
- Sayuki, the masochist – unwanted touching, unwanted licking, unwanted exposure. At one point, Sayuki forces Keiki to put his hand down her cleavage to recover a handcuff key by threatening to wet herself if he does not.
- Yuika, the sadist – unwanted touching, forced kissing, sexual assault, regular assault, kidnaping. At one point, Yuika ropes Keiki to a chair and, at another, gags his mouth shut with panties.
- Mao, the fujoshi – stalking, unwanted depiction of Keiki in pornography. At one point, Mao swears to Keiki that she will prevent him from ever pursuing a successful heterosexual relationship.
- Koharu, the stalker – blackmail, stalking. At one point, Koharu builds a shrine of illicit photographs to the target of her stalking… the size of a lecture hall.
- Ayano, the sniffer – unwanted touching, unwanted sniffing. At one point, Ayano maybe-drugs Keiki asleep so that she can undress him and steal his underwear.
- Mizuha, the sister – the perfect supportive little sister. Or is she?
To be clear, Keiki wants none of this attention. When he discusses his plight with his little sister — all in hypotheticals because he cannot admit the shame of absorbing such abuse — she says that she would, hypothetically, repeatedly, call the police. Keiki himself calls the behaviors “sexual harassment” at least once. Cleary, my boy Keiki has gone through enough already. Save your diatribes online about his supposed cluelessness and give him a break.
But that brings me to the pre-dic-shun thread. What will happen next, to our poor boy Keiki, in episode 12, the grande finale? Well…
In addition to the perversions above, we have all of the usual anime girl archetypes: tsundere (Mao), kudere (Ayano), himedere (Sayuki), the perfect little nadeshiko (Mizuha) — blah blah blah, I don’t even care to list them.
But the series misses one key – key – archetype, and only the most important of them all…
The yandere, the bloodthirsty witch who will let nothing stop her from protecting her love …not even her own love’s protestations ~ 😍😍😨🤐
Out of girls and out of time though, who left to assume that role?
Why, only Keiki himself.
Worn down by the abuses and finally cracked and driven mad by his sister’s incestuous revelation, Keiki has no further recourse than to defend his ego by force, if he must. No more. Mister. “Nice Guy.” (why do harem comedies rely on this idea so much?) Show the masochist true terror. Revenge himself on the sadist for all of her indignities. Stalk the stalker into an inviolable corner. Sniff, sniff, the entrails of the sniffer. And the sister?
Hensuki needs a cleansing bloodbath to wash Keiki of that crime of incest from his violated body – never consenting! – and recover his lips of that stolen first kiss.
It won’t happen. But good god, I wish it would.
Hensuki is terrible.
[update: for a more serious discussion on the series, see the comments section in my episode 12 so-called “reaction”]
Everything is Marshmallows! 