Ikoku Irokoi Romantan

As anime's go this one is never going to go down in history as the greatest love story ever told. Nor is it going to be notorious for breaking tabboo's or showing some shockingly graphic scenes.

That doesn't mean to say though that you won't enjoy watching it anyway. If you're into yaoi, Ikoku Irokoi Romantan is a nice, short OVA that can provide you with a little boy love fix.

The story isn't groundbreaking but it's enjoyable to watch, the characters are a little bit predictable but I couldn't help but like them anyway. There are some quite unrealistic ... scenes in it which might leave you thinking; Oh that would never happen!

But the point of this anime isn't to bring shocking realism to a gay love story. The point is that it's a fantasy. There are a couple of hot scenes if you're into your boy smut & there are some quite funny moments as well as a little action thrown in for good measure.

I don't think non-yaoi fans would like it all that much but for anyone who wants to watch themselves a non-heavy and fun boy-love anime, then give Ikoku Irokoi Romantan a go.

"Romantic" my ass.

Plot and story:
This short anime is about Ranmaru who recently got married. He ends up drinking on their wedding day and, obviously, becomes drunk. The captain then takes advantage of Ranmaru's drunk state and leads him to a room on the ship where he rapes Ranmaru. Yes. Rape. Non-consensual sexual activities.
Even if it had been with consent, there is no love story or romance. Not even friendship. The captain clearly has no interest in Ranmaru's personality or life and only wants to bang him, which is far from being romantic in my opinion.

Characters:
The captain is a disgrace to Italians, even though ... he's just a fictional character. He's clearly not interested in forming any sort of relationship with Ranmaru. Considering how he has no sense of moral, personal space or respect, I'm sure this isn't the first time he has done this either.
As for Ranmaru, there isn't much to his character. While watching the anime, I couldn't relate to this character, his personality was flat and by the end, we don't know much about him other than about his marriage. Overall, he wasn't an interesting character.

Design and art:
The only plus for this forsaken anime. Ranmaru looks handsome, which is probably the only reason why Captain Rape wanted him.

Ending:
I think I've already made my opinion about this anime as clear as possible.
But at least the horrifying experience was short (Thank God for that).

Overall:
This is just another anime that proves Japan can't create a proper yaoi and/or shounen ai anime.
It completely skips the most important thing in a love story and jumps directly to the bed scene, as if that is what romance is all about.
Before I watched this anime, I was expecting drama, romance and angst. Three typical things in forbidden love stories, which is what the anime was supposed to be. Did the anime have any of these things? No.

As a hopeless romantic person, I want to see actual romance. Seeing two guys in a bed will never impress me. The love needs to be pure and the bond between the characters needs to be strong and well developed. This anime had neither of these things and failed to convince me that these two main characters love each other, which means the anime has failed to show and work with its main genre - romance.
Such a disappointment.
I recommend skipping this anime. Read a fanction or a doujinshi about your favorite pairing instead.

In the story there is a feeling of the main character being traped as he is going to marry a woman he does not like for the sake of his familiy,The story starts when he goes onto the cruise ship he is getting married on where he meets the ships captain who loves Japanese culture,not being able to stand one night even in the same room as his new wife he goes of to the bar where he meets the captain agein,as from then there where coincides of them two which seemed to be destined wherever they go.

The art is very good,thought out the ova's ... there is no point where I could complain about it as expected from PrimeTime who also brought us Koisuru Boukun,Kirepapa etc

The cast of voice actors is great,the main character being voiced by Itou Kentarou who voices Hiroki from Junjou Romantica and the captain voiced by Suwabe Junichi who is Frau from 07 Ghost.

In only two ova's is its hard to not have one dimensional characters,The characters don't change dramaticly thought out the ova's but Im not dissapointed in it,they change enough to be satisfied.

The enjoyment was good,there where points where I wanted to scream of excitement and embarrassment as the main character lives up to his partner's needs which leads him into shame anpon family members and friends.

Overall this is one of my favourite yaoi animes,don't just skip it becuase its not a series,I think for a boyXboy fan this is a much watch !

I'll make this review short and simple, as the anime was just that.

I must say, I find myself surprised at how much I actually enjoyed this. I find that I enjoy objectively watching yaoi in attempts to find stories of romance that I enjoy. This one actually caught my attention.

Although I am strongly against what i call the 30 minute I love you, I did very much like the idea. A man forced to marry someone he doesn't love, only to find the one hes been waiting for right under his nose. The bit about the human trafficking wasn't entirely necessary...but eh, I can ... live with it. My only other issue is that Al was a bit too perverted for my taste...

The Seiyuu's and the art were as good as I could have asked for, and I love the serious tone! I'm a business kind of person.

All and all, well done for a two episode yaoi!

I'll keep this simple - if you're just looking for ANY yaoi, ANY action...be my guest. You don't really have anything to lose with this show, but there's no gain to watching it either.

My main issue with the whole thing is that the relationship between Al and Ranmaru starts with Al forcing himself on Ranmaru while just telling him that it's okay (because somehow that justifies it in yaoi). I watched the first one and didn't enjoy it but figured I had to see it through, and it got worse. The plot goes all over the place and somehow Ranmaru ends up for auction ... in some weird viewing for rich men on ANOTHER boat...he gets sexually assaulted from which he should be traumatized, then they both decide to have sex in the middle of the boat with one of the previous assaulters punched up by Al right beside them. And the fact that Ranmaru is still married never goes away and in the end, he just runs away with Al without ever actually resolving the whole family/marriage part of the barely existing plot. Overall, not a great experience.

This is just your typical yaoi, fits the genre if that's what you're looking for, but overall not recommended. If you want something more on the yaoi side that actually has substance try something like Ai no Kusabi (1992).

The reason why l gave the story a 4 is because there is no story. OMFG the whole thing is just basically sex. He gets married to a woman he doesn't love but bangs someone else not to mention the fact that he's MARRIED. Also, what was going on with Al???? Wasn't the first time rape? After the whole cruise thing, it is revealed that Al is the captain of the ship. Very convenient isn't it??? He just so happens to be in control of the ship. He waited until the main character (I can't even remember his name anymore) was drunk like wtf?????? Also, ... why was there a random getting lost scene?? Because it so happens that while he was walking down the road he came across Al. How convenient was that? Then proceeded sex again. Again the denial thing about not accepting Al's feelings which causes him to leave. Its like the main character can't do anything except depend on Al like what kind of character is this? Also, l love how his character is like macho since he is the head of the mafia and stuff but he acts the complete opposite. The kidnapping scene was even more of a disappointment. I ended up skipping the whole thing but from what l could tell at the end was that he got saved by Al and then sex! As for the ambiguous ending about staying together or some shit like that. Did he forget he was married???? Isn't this basically cheating???
The art was mediocre and the background just looked like blobs of colour. Not to mention the fact that all the other side characters were there to make Al look good. Infact the only person who had a personality that was somewhat real was probably the main character because Al was creepy as hell and l bet he didn't even like him. He just wants sex so how is that romance?!?!?! Was there even any sound because l don't remember that at all. MY God l hope no one watches this. Only recommended for those who are bored as hell and have nothing to do in their lives.

I was enjoying myself until this one thing happens that's really fucked up. The plot is barely there, the characters are barely developed and the art is good only some of the time. Also if you're looking for porn this isn't it. The nudity is next to nothing.

I'm only giving this a 6 because if it was just the first episode I would've loved it but the second episode only seems to exist because someone asked "What can we do to make this worse?". So I thought I should warn people. Since I regret watching the second episode. Unless you're into fucked up shit.

This ... show is apparently supposed to be romantic but the relationship is more awkward than anything. I will admit that I found that awkwardness fun at some points but it was mostly annoying.

This is the problem with changing standards: it's evident that Ikoku Irokoi was received better in its hayday than it is now. It's not that this anime is bad, per se; it's more that it reflects the inclinations of the early 00s.

So before you completely dismiss this anime, consider a few things:

1. It seems that not many have focused on Ranmaru's wife despite her serving as a catalyst in this anime. Kaoru, who he wed to for the sake of his family, was physically and verbally abusive, which only gets worse over time. As a result, Ranmaru meets Al, who he immediately becomes attracted ... to.

There's a stark contrast between Kaoru, a highbrow yakuza's daughter who repeatedly shows her disdain for marrying a brutish, old-fashioned man she believes to be beneath her, and Al, a chauvinistic gentleman who's aloof enough to prioritize having a good time. So the anime presents a situation where Ranmaru is faced with two choices: the wife he doesn't love and that doesn't love him back, or the man who seems to fetishize the very traits his wife loathes, and that Ranmaru himself is proud of. It's obvious to see why it's called a "Love Affair".

2. Although there was non-con in the series, it was NOT between Al and Ranmaru. Not only did Ranmaru not stop or want to stop Al's advances (even when he wasn't drunk), but he plainly acknowledged it, his bemusement stemming primarily from cultural differences and his naivety with relationships. I won't go as far as to say that there's enthusiastic consent, but their relationship would better be classified as dubcon at least. That still might be a deal-killer to some.

Al, despite his gracefulness, is kinda scummy, but so is the whole cast. There is no development to be found here; there's only a string of tangentially-related one-night stands that clumsily guides the viewers to the grand finale. You'll be terribly disappointed if you expect anything more than what the title indicates. (Admittedly, there are things here and there to give the feel of 'the heart grows fonder apart', but that feels like a bit of a stretch.)

3. And, finally, keep in mind that this is the same creator of Viewfinder and Crimson Spell, the former of which was briefly animated. If you're expecting a well-rounded, tame, wholesome couple with no problems whatsoever, you won't find it with Yamane's works. Instead, try Given, Cherry Magic, Sasaki to Miyano, or any of the other BL series that are more suited for the times.

With that said, I personally have always enjoyed this (albeit with a few eye-turning caveats), especially as the smut was more daring then than it ever will be now, but I realize my opinion is a sorely unpopular one. Taking the larger audience into consideration, it's very likely that some viewers new to BL or searching for a mainstream-compatible series will not find enjoyment in Ikoku Irokoi, which is why I struggle to recommend it. That said, it doesn't erase the few charms the series does have, between its above-average animation and some lighthearted scenes here and there to soften the mood.

Ok, so the anime itself was short, it was slightly rushed and stacked. The plot was faint, but as a yaoi it was good.
Story was good, because it was obviously a love story. The idea of it being held on a cruise ship and outside of Japan was good. The story takes place in an equally romantic place, Italy. And while the whole idea of an affair happening among the main characters has been done, this one didn't over exaggerate on that factor too much. In fact- the wife seemed mellow about it. The molestation is another element in the story that just presents another ... evil to the story I suppose, and I think gives another reason for the mains to fall even more in love.
The artwork was,,,,,well personally to me amazing! The way both main men were drawn just brought out the sexiness and the beauty. Especially Al- his blond hair, so shiny- and Ranmaru's whole body, and his kimono- very nice. The backgrounds and scenery were nice too, and detailed.
Both sound and character were 8. The majority of the sounds were either fighting or sex- oh and the woman's rage. It was decent and just made certain scenes stand out. Characters didn't have too much background, enough for the story and to the characters themselves. and how what was there was explained eventually and made sense.
Enjoyment over all- it's yaoi...gonna love it. I appreciated the artwork and the awesome characters. I would recommend if you're into romance and something different from the usual one-shots. ^^

I just want to say that this is probably the third, fourth, or fifth yaoi anime that I have ever seen. And despite the many moments of homosexual gestures and sexual activity. I find the anime itself, to be really interesting and I am not just talking about your basic comedy in an anime, but the actual drama or love story behind the anime itself, I guess this is going to be quite odd or even strange. But, as a straight man I find myself actually growing to love this genre of anime despite what most conformists might think. I almost cried on one of ... the yaoi anime that I watched not that long ago. Because it was such a beautiful love story, that took place during the edo peroid of the tokugawa shogunate. Anime, even yaoi, can grow to touch even the parts of different people.