Doukyuusei Remake The Animation

Was so hyped for this. Let me tell you it doesn't do the original justice. I highly recommend just watching the original OVA, it's a classic. A nod to the original would have been nice at least.

The girls are the same, MC has a new name for some reason. Can't really say much other than watch the 90's version because it's better in every way except its more HD. Art style manages to be more weird than the original. It doesn't follow the game but that's understandable and I'm sure none of the voice actors are even the same as the ones in the VN ... which is kinda lame I guess.

I only wrote this review just in case because I wouldn't like to see the name of this title get a bad reputation. If you're just watching this randomly and know nothing about the VN or 90s version then it won't matter or if you're just watching it for other reasons...

Will probably finish just for nostalgia reasons but that's about it. That's if there is even going to be more episodes. I'm still grateful nonetheless but damn.

Doukyuusei Remake The Animation follows Takurou, a likable weirdo, as he takes his numerous female friendships to the next level (that level being lots of consensual, romantic, vanilla sex). The story is effectively an anthology, fittingly framed as taking diverging routes in a dating sim. (Doukyuusei Remake is based on a dating sim of the same name, unsurprisingly a remake of Doukyuusei, a classic early 90s dating sim.) As a disclaimer, I have not played either of the source games, nor have I watched Doukyuusei's older hentai anime adaptation.

The story of Doukyuusei Remake The Animation basically just speedruns a traditional dating sim, a plot format ... that hardly requires explanation. Our male lead, Takurou, is friends with various women, and in each story route some event causes him to spend more time with one of them, which rapidly turns romantic and sexual. Notably, Studio Seven puts a lot of effort into making the characters - including Takurou - likable through idiosyncratic animation and behaviors, and it does help make the cast feel a little more alive and real. However, considering these two episodes attempt to cover relationships with a whopping four heroines whose stories don't overlap, these nice touches don't amount to much. The characters are differentiated a little from their barebones archetypes, but not in a way that really contributes to the level of passion in their relationships, so the full burden still lies on the execution of the sex scenes.

The two episodes take different approaches to the sex scenes, but shared between them is Studio Seven's excessive ambition, storyboarding scenes they can't quite animate properly. Episode 1 is rather traditional, though they attempt a greater diversity of angles and more active animation than is typical. Their inability to pull these off results in some strange off-model moments, unnatural movements, and awkward loops. Episode 2 is far gutsier, sporting more wild positions, and unfortunately the animation is even more uneven. Some scenes are uncannily fluid but don't quite have believable movements. Some scenes are a little choppy. Some scenes seem to lack proper in-betweening, with the poses in some frames far too different from other frames in the animation loop. Furthermore, there are frequent cuts between positions, which is a double-edged sword. It helps keep things interesting but is disjointed itself, so when paired with all the other problems with disjointedness, it can become a little too difficult to remain immersed.

I respect a lot of what Studio Seven is trying to do with Doukyuusei Remake The Animation, but I don't think it comes together into something that's particularly good. It's generally fappable enough, though, assuming you like any of the heroines' designs. (Note: The four designs are not particularly diverse.) For fans of vanilla, there are enough solid cuts in the animation that you can find something to float your boat, albeit maybe with some effort to overlook other, less appealing cuts.

This is a good remake, I haven't watched the original but it's a bit of a shame about the ending. All the heroines in this anime get a lot of screen time, but the main heorine at the end only gets a little screen time. The animation is very good, various movements that are rarely used in other H anime are shown here. The finished compilation is also a nice touch in my opinion. The main male character is also interesting, not boring like today's H. The coloring is good, studio seven has various types of coloring styles. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, maybe ... it also depends on the budget. Apart from that, I think 2 episodes is still not enough, because there are still a lot of heroines who haven't been told. I'm curious about the blonde teacher. It's a shame the anime ended early. But overall I like it, after all, watching anime H is the most important thing is the animation.