Dorei-ku The Animation

Eager to know why her best friend’s boyfriend dumped her for a man, the headstrong Eiya Arakawa suggests a meeting with them. Gathered together at a café, Yuuga Oota agrees to answer Eiya’s questions only if she can correctly ascertain the relationship of a couple sitting across from them, which she does on her first attempt. Amazed by her astounding intellect and intuition, he invites her to a private meeting where he introduces her to the concept of Slave Control Method, or SCM, a retainer-like device that has the ability to turn people into slaves.

When two SCM users enter a duel, the devices exert a powerful influence on their brains. Once the duel is over, the SCM amplifies the loser’s sense of obligation and forces them to bend to the will of the winner. Wanting desperately to test his own abilities, Yuuga asks Eiya to act as his insurance in the event that he himself becomes a slave. Granted access to 10 million yen, Eiya’s job is to convince Yuuga’s would-be master to free him from his servitude. Though hesitant at first, Yuuga’s words resonate with her personal yearning for something more from her life, and she agrees to his request. However, when a mysterious organization begins rapidly accruing slaves, Eiya becomes entangled in a game far more dangerous than she ever could have imagined.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Arakawa, Eiya Main

Yamamura, Hibiku Japanese

Katsushika, Julia Main

Senbongi, Sayaka Japanese

Oota, Yuuga Main

Suzuki, Ryouta Japanese

Chuuou, Ataru Main

Konishi, Katsuyuki Japanese

Sumida, Zushioumaru Supporting

Miyata, Kouki Japanese

Edogawa, Ryuuou Supporting

Tomari, Asuna Japanese

Kita, Minami Supporting

Uemura, Ayako Japanese

Toshima, Ayaka Supporting

Kinoshita, Suzuna Japanese

Nakano, Taiju Supporting

Murase, Ayumu Japanese

Chiyoda, Maria Supporting

Hayakawa, Saki Japanese

Hatta, Shinsaku Producer, Planning

Yamazaki, Fumiki Producer

Watanabe, Takayuki Producer

Hashirayama, Taisuke Producer

Reviews

Jun 29, 2018

JiangHaoyi1979

Recommended

As I've finished this anime, I can't help but notice that only 7 (not including me), have made a review of this anime 4 of them gave it a low score, one gave an ehhhhhhh kind of score and only 2 gave it a high rating. But ya know I kinda agree with Graylia when she/he said that this anime is "Stereotypical anime that tries too hard to be dark/edgy and then fails on all fronts. Lackluster plot, characters, everything. Relies on semi-nudity and shock factor to make up for poorly written plot. Disappointing." which is obvious since there isn't a lot who made a ... review of this thing. Then again, this anime as a whole does present itself a certain level of uniqueness, that we don't often see a lot except in a hentai anime like Amai Chobatsu, there the main character is stupid, while here, the characters were victims of the're own pride, perversions, foolishness, negligence and greed, so Ok the Slave Control Method or (SCM) was originally design to be used on pets so that they'll be more obedient to their masters, but as we see such device can be used for one's perversion just as the main protagonist Setagaya Tsubaki were he is that total package for greed and perversion, where I'm glad that he got owned by Minato Takio and then he got owned by Eia and now has to faced some payback from the Yakuza boss Nerima Mouo. Now the character category , Eia Arakawq may have been the main protagonist here, given that he gets to own everybody and frees them at once , but in this anime every character here get's to have their own story, were it wasn't on Eia alone, the thing about this anime was that it's geared up to the characters backstory as to the kind of life they lived and how some tragedies has impacted them and how such cruel device like the SCM has change their lives from having such grandeur of being the master to being a slave , so there isn't any point at all to say that this anime was for Eia at all, though I'm disgusted that even the dog would have its own backstory , but nevertheless it provided the backstory of how the SCM came to be. When it come to the art, I'm pretty sure that them hound were having a field day when they saw them girls in their underwear in the last episode. So how do I rate this? Here's how:

Story-Very Good 8: since it has its own uniqueness were see the side of the character through their backstory and how the SCM has change their lives from being master to becoming salves due to their own negligence, pride, greed, lust, anger and perversions.

Art- Good 7: Since it doesn't feature any quintessential, school uniform , but there were some fanservices around here for the hounds to howl for.

Sound-Fair 6: I don't know, I just rate for the heck of it.

Character- Very good 8: Since the mainchacter Eia Arakawa may have been the one to save the day , she cannot be considered as the protagonist , cu'z each episode put the characters to be the protagonist or the antagonist. At one point Ryuuno is the antagonist were we wanna see getting his ass whooped to the eyepatch girl who from this yandere bitch become a slave from one master to the next. which is good since the main antagonist Sategaya becomes Minato's salve despite of having the Judgment SCM and then Minato get's own and then is now a deadman, for what he did.

Enjoyment- Very Good 8: Seeing how good Eia is is what kept me guled to this anime.

Overall- Very Good 8: Well each has their own anime that they like, so to me I like this, it might not be perfect it might have some plot holes in it, but to me it's ok...So to each his own.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Oct 26, 2018

xcomprr

Mixed Feelings

A retainer-like device known as the "SCM" is being sold on the internet and rumours have it if you wear it and challenge another person that's also wearing to a duel, you can turn them into your slave when you win. Ohta Yuuga comes across Eia Arakawa one day after dumping her best friend. After discovering how daring and smart she is, he requests she becomes his insurance partner. He knew the risks of the device but wanted the thrill it would give him during duels while he tested his own abilities. However, he also wanted to be prepared for the worst case scenario and ... that was for Eia to win him back if he ever lost. Despite having just met, Eia thought she understood what he meant and agrees to join him but ends up finding herself caught up in a battle for slaves between masters.

I think this show is another one for the masochists who enjoy seeing others suffering. And as with most masochist shows, there's sex involved (and rape in this case). The show is based loosely on a Manga with a slightly different name, "Dorei-ku: Boku to 23 no Dorei [Slave Region: The 23 Slaves and I]". Direction feels a bit like Death Note or even King's Game because you see brief flashes of rules that the SCM operates on but that's about it. Doesn't have any depth like the mind games Death Note had. Maybe a bit better than King's Game because it isn't filled with gruesome deaths but there is a lot of pain and suffering. It tries to lighten up the mood with a few jokes but mostly crude ones.

Of course, the characters aren't your average person. Mostly people who are most likely under a lot of pressure like hostess and hosts that keep clients company in red club districts, people bored with their daily life including your common dominant little kid character. Games used for duels are also very simple like your usual rock-paper-scissors so no riddles or mystery to join in here - some just there for a joke while some are just messed up.

Each episode basically focuses on someone different. Or something... Their stories intertwine but I think it tries to do too much in such a short series. Characters end up with too little of a role in the main story so you don't empathise with them too much and the plot ends up wearing too thin. It kind of tries to be clever as it alternates between the different masters so you're trying to guess how they managed to outsmart each other but, their schemes aren't very grand to make an impression. It's also odd how the slaves from different walks of life are just suddenly friends instead of trying to find a way out.

It might have been an alright show if it didn't feature abuse but, I guess it doesn't have "slave" in its title for nothing. Art isn't anything impressive and character designs feel a bit off. I don't think there were any OST tracks that caught my attention but the OP "Karakara no Kokoro [Parched Heart]" isn't too bad.

Death Note would probably be a much better alternative to this show with its dark theme and mind games if you haven't watched it already. Just without the abuse.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Aug 10, 2018

iwantcandy2

Not Recommended

I want to start by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this anime. I enjoyed it for all the wrong reasons, but that doesn't change the fact that I derived pleasure from its existence. This anime is a hot, steamy witch's brew of plot holes, contrivances, and WAY TOO MANY CHARACTERS.

The story is about people engaging in high-stakes games where the loser is psychologically compelled to become the winner's slave. However, the narrative is too disjointed and forced to deliver on any of the tension or intrigue. Instead, it's a sea of constantly changing power dynamics, coincidences, and weird sex stuff.

The only way I would ... honestly recommend this show to someone (based on its own merits, and not on so-bad-it's-good voyeurism) is if someone is looking for a light BDSM romp. MAL currently doesn't list this as ecchi, but the master-slave dynamic is definitely taken to its logical conclusion. If that's your thing, then I'm glad you've finally found something to scratch that itch.

Anyways, the story is too all over the place to be anything other than an increasing amount of absurdities that dogpile onto each other like a drunken, disorganized orgy until some sort of climax is reached and everyone heads home without making eye contact. 2/10

The animation is...something else, that's for sure. Characters are off-model as often as they are on-model. I genuinely couldn't tell you what some characters' hairstyles are supposed to be, because the second they start moving, it dissolves into mush. The dog is a particularly fine example of the animation team being incompetent and lazy. Like, most of the time they weren't even trying. Add in the bland color pallet and awkward facial expressions, and there are no good visuals to be found. 3/10

The soundtrack is passable. It was never standout, but neither was it stand in the way. It's bare competency stands in stark contrast to the rest of the production. 6/10

The anime's biggest flaw is its characters. That's not to say there are no good characters, as a few of them have interesting motives and backgrounds. However, the cast is so crowded that none of them are given enough screen time to really develop. You could have still had a complex, high-stakes game with a lot of players if you cut the cast in half. As it is, you aren't given enough time to get attached to any of them. Except the dog. The dog is a fucking rockstar (more on him later). 4/10

When all is said and done, there were several occasions that I laughed out loud at the sheer ridiculousness of what was happening onscreen. It has the feel of an old-school anime, with its wacky plot that is going to take itself deadly serious no matter how zany things get. If you bother paying attention, the plot holes are so face-palming delightful. In no particular order, here are some of the gems from this series (SPOILERS):

-If the little shota wanted to free his mother so bad, why didn't he just trick the head gangster into a battle with the slave device? Like he's passing the gadgets out like candy to his underlings, even though these things are millions of yen and he's trying to save up enough money to free his mom.

-We are supposed to believe that this device that can force the loser of a contest to become a slave was originally developed...to help train pets. Yup. If Fido's having some trouble being housebroken, just challenge him to a contest to make him SUBMIT TO YOUR WILL. Especially since the explanation we are given for how the device controls the wearer is by inflicting them with a crushing since of responsibility. Because we all know our pets are emotionally complex and bound by duty and societal expectations.

-The self-described crazy lady has apparently never heard of Craigslist's missed connections. The entire reason she's doing all this is...to reconnect with a one-night stand. You DO know that private eye's exist, right? That there are other, better ways to track someone down than to wonder around town betting your free-will and collecting slaves.

-THE DOG. THE DOG IS SOMEHOW THE SMARTEST CHARACTER. Like not only is he able to understand humans completely, he grasps the nuance of the situation and the life-or-death battles. And like...no one finds that weird. They all just take it for granted that the you can explain the rules of the game to him and he'll bark in agreement and go to town. "Hey dog, first person to omnomnom this flatware WINS." "ARF!" Does this take place in an alternate universe where dogs are super intelligent? Is that why the SCM was designed as a dog-training device?

So when all is said and done, Dorei-ku provided a decent amount of enjoyment (6/10). However, even on the grounds of so-bad-it's-good, there are better shows out there you could watch if you want to laugh at some bad anime. Additionally, I honestly couldn't tell you how this show stacks up when it comes to BDSM fan-service, as that's not my area of expertise. Overall, I'd give this show a 4/10, and tell people to give it a pass.

But that dog, man. That dog is my hero.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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