Ranked #2584

Futari Ecchi

I'm not exactly sure if Futari Ecchi, or as I know it, Step Up Love Story is a hentai or if it's just a sexually explicit anime. I seem to be encountering a lot of these type of anime lately... But enough about that, on to this OAV!

There's something very original about Futari Ecchi. It's about a married couple--whoa, wait, what?? Yes, I said it. It's about a married couple. In anime. No trysts? No love polygons where the guy or girl has to take 26 episodes to figure out which person they truly want? No awkward exclamations of unrequited love? No, none of that. This is about a young man and his young wife. There's something rather touching about an anime (hentai...?) that looks at the problems of married life. Mostly about the sex part of married life. It looks at something nobody ever really discusses: bad sex and virginity. The young man and his wife, both virgins at marriage, are having a hard time with their sex life, because, well, he doesn't know exactly what he's supposed to do and she doesn't know what to tell him to do as well. This short OAV is all about him and her learning how to make their sex life and marriage work. Futari Ecchi manages to score major points just for being a literal first really in anime. Or hentai. I still am not sure what this is marketed as...

While there is a decent story, the art and sound weren't the best out there. The characters look generic, and the score is totally forgettable. It could have been much better.

The characters aren't exactly the best. Makoto is sort of dorky, pervy, kind of lame, but is generally very good-hearted and open to advice (mostly). Yura is shy, and sexual talk makes her blush, but she's willing to learn and do things to make things work. They aren't amazing characters, but they do have a certain je ne sais quoi about them that makes you be able to tolerate or like them. The background characters aren't developed at all, mostly.

Step Up Love Story really has taken a step up for anime/hentai of this kind. Well, wait. There are no anime or hentai of this kind. This is a very original, educational OAV about the sex lives of newlyweds. And it shows you, well, there is no shame in not knowing what to do when it comes to sex. People have to learn. You can't put someone in the cockpit of a plane and expect them to know how to fly it, correct?

And just like Makoto and Yura prove, being receptive and being supportive are two of the most rewarding things that can come out of a marriage. Ah, a lesson learned. read more

Futari Ecchi is an Adult ecchi comedy about people who really love each other. During the course of the series, they are learning to accept each other for the good and bad about themselves. Yes, there is some ecchiness in the 4 OVA's like the title suggests. However, very few animes have ever captured what it is really like to be married in the way that it has done. Off the top of my head, probably only Onegai Teacher did as good of job as Futari Ecchi in portraying the awkwardness of two people coming together in marriage for what ever reason in Anime during the last couple of years. It may not be a title for all anime lovers, but I would recommend it for someone wanting a romantic comedy that you can feel good about after you watch it. Just be sure to watch with someone you love by your side.
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