Ranked #3965

Hen Zemi (TV)

Raise your hand if you had ever watched something sexually arousing but at the same time repulsive and gross. Now, put down your hand if you're thinking about scat porn. Much better..
Basically, this anime is similar to scat porn. You're disgusted by it. You're aroused by it. You're wondering why they do it. You're wondering why did you even clicked on it when there's hundreds of other videos you could use for the daily "ritual". But at the end of the day, you still can't comprehend it.

Hen Zemi redefines the word "Abnormal"
Quite a refreshing approach from all the cliches in animes you see nowadays.

The story revolves around a girl, Matsutaka Nanako, who joined the "Abnormal Physiology Seminar" in her university year due to wanting to be closer to her crush, Musashi Komugi.
So my first impression was this is a psychology anime and they observe abnormal behavior by abnormal people.
Or so I thought..........
Basically, you join the seminar, if you think you're weird. Which would count as half the population on the net.

Nothing they do makes sense. Nothing they say makes sense. Just like internet trolls. With the exception the characters of Hen Zemi are actually "studying" but trolls are just "trolling"

In terms of art, this series used the "College students in the body of high-schoolers.." approach. Similar to the approached used in "Mitsudomoe" Opposite from the typical "High school girls in mature bodies" you see in a lot of modern day anime.

The anime deals with weird fetishes, sexual innuendos and a bit of word play. Characters are very distinctive in nature which leads to quite a significant impact to your memory. And when I say "quite" I actually mean you will have nightmares about them for the rest of your lives... Yes, just like scat porn...
Not safe for life....

On another note, if you're not in the targeted "Seinen" age group, then you probably wont find this anime that enjoyable. But if you think you've master the art of "Innuendos" and would like to test your skills, then you may find this anime quite humorous.
On a side note, this anime might just turn you a little bit more abnormal... or retarded... Whatever fits your bill.... Don't say I didn't warn you. But I've started sniffing my beer to see if anyone peed in it... Just in case...


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All I can say is Wow. if you thought Hen Zemi was just about fart jokes and perverted comedy, you were wrong. Somewhere within the comedy lies some insight to the human psyche that really blows one away if you sit and think about it.

The review is after going through 9 of the episodes plus one of the OVA's. Originally, I picked this show up not knowing what I was getting myself into. All I knew is that it featured Hanazawa Kana as one of the main characters and that it was a comedy. When I saw some of the content the show had to deal with, I had to cover up my 5 year old niece's eyes and wait until later to further view this show.

The story is, of course, about a girl who takes a strange college course in human psychology. This deals with the less conformist views of the world and dives deep into what many consider taboo. The story is told in a humorous way, but at the same time words what the subject is in a very mature manner. This could vary from the way men are visual animals and how their imagination could shatter a romantic relationship if the reality of their partner's physical appearance does not meet their expectations, to the destructive tendencies codependent couples have stemming from fear of being alone. The experiments the students are put through have much to do with the way they view society and likewise how society views them.

The artwork is fairly good, considering the character design is thicker than most anime is used to. There will be some viewers who will see the artwork as more toonish than anime, but that's subjective. The animation itself flows nicely and the production value seems above average given the 12 minute format.

Sound is always a major factor in a good show. This show doesn't spend much in the background music department, but it makes up for it with their cast of characters and other small details some people seem to overlook. The cast does a great job in delivering their lines and in some (limited) censored scenes, the sound effects make a world of difference between a mediocre and hilarious audio visual joke.

As I mentioned earlier, the cast is one of the reasons I picked up this show. Hearing Hanazawa Kana portraying the somewhat timid Matsutaka Nanako in some embarrassing situations makes my day every week. I seriously never pictured Kana talking about her nipples, but Nanako does. Another great role is done by Kawaragi Shiho, who also played Sekai in one of my personal favorite roles, Sekai in School Days. Seeing her play Makiko is confusing to say the least, as she is almost the polar opposite of Sekai. Very monotone and seldom talks, but her one liners are a real kicker. Each character in the show brings something different to the table and I would write something about each character, but that would make this too long a read.

I have to say that if you enjoy dirty jokes (think Seitokai Yakuindomo or Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san) I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this one. It's got some quirky toilet humor and sexual innuendos that are sure to make people ask themselves "What the fuck am I watching???" on more than one occasion.

Overall, this show is not for everyone, but for those who can take talk about human sexuality, bodily functions and general abnormal behavior, I'd say this is a good addition to your list. It definitely is not something you want to watch near children... or anyone else for that matter. It goes against any and everything considered normal, but it's a nice little guilty pleasure in my opinion.

And for those worried about my niece, she really wasn't watching this with me. She was watching Shinryaku Ika Musume. read more