Memories and emotions are crucial in defining who we are as people, and if one were to lose one of those, they would certainly be in a pinch. Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko or "The Pervert Prince and the Stone Cat" is a tale of sacrifice, self-discovery and wishes. What seems on the outside as a mindless tale of erotic tomfoolery and comedy featuring a cast of many girls, turns out to be a story that holds lessons and morals that we can all appreciate.
The story in the first good portion of the series centers around three characters, being Youto, Tsukiko and Azuki Azusa. The plot is decent at this part as it follows the Stone Cat, a powerful deity who can take away something you have and give it to someone who needs it. At this point, Youto makes a mistake by giving away his ability to control his perverse thoughts, and must struggle to get them back from Azuki Azusa. But where the series really started to ring for me was the final 3 or so episodes, in which the story takes a turn to a much more serious tone, truly exploring the power of wishes that can be granted by a deity, and tackles the ideas of sacrifice and family. I would have wished that the series could have been more like the last episodes in the series, but there are positives and negatives to both. If you enjoy romcoms, then you will undoubtedly find enjoyment within the many lighter scenes and episodes of this series, as it seems everyone is trying to capture Youto. What adds to the atmosphere of this is the idea of an entity or deity in this case that can grant wishes, which adds a whole other dimension to the plot. I wasn't really sold in the first three episodes as it seemed like the series was going to drag on as a harem type plot in which nobody truly wins and it's just a battle of love interests, and thankfully I was mistaken as a I braced myself to continue the series. Don't be mistaken, there is plenty of comedy and times where the romance aspect does conflict between characters, there's just other things that help the anime to be more balanced and surprisingly emotional. In the end, it's a bit of a mixed bag. If you're looking for an anime that will only focus on the drama and discovering morals, then you might be disappointed. However if you're alright with the light-hearted "perverted" nature of this anime, and still enjoy your occasional drama (think Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka or Chuu2) then by all means, go for it.
The art in this tale is beautiful, as the characters are very well drawn, and the scenery is also extremely well done as well. There shouldn't be many places where you can complain about the artwork in this anime, as even the animation in the OP and ED are surprisingly good. Watching the anime was a visual pleasure, to see all the characters fully interact and look great while doing it. For the sound, the OP and ED are enjoyable, although admittedly very feminine in nature. That shouldn't really stop you from enjoying the series too much as you can just skip them, so moving onto the soundtrack, it wasn't really anything notably good during the normal school/daily life themes but the piano tracks played during the emotional scenes are pretty solid. In all, the sound in this anime never really jumped out to me as "spectacular" but never left a bad taste in my mouth either.
The characters are crucial, and although some of them are pretty good, some left something to be desired. Simply put, there are a TON of characters in this show. However, you should quickly know that the main elements of the plot revolve around pretty much 3-4 characters. Those being Youto, Azuki Azusa (more in the first half), Tsukiko and Tsukushi. That being said, I'm disappointed that Emi wasn't more developed as there was an arc that heavily featured her. Additionally, it feels that Azuki Azusa is left in the dust in the last few episodes, as she almost completely disappears from your mind. Besides development, there's the obvious question, are they enjoyable to watch? The short answer is yes, the more complicated answer is going to follow. Youto is a very interesting individual and by interesting I mean he's pretty much a pervert, and you figure that out quite quickly. You might cringe a bit in the first few episodes, but please do not drop the show because of Youto's personality. He does tone down because of certain plot events, and he becomes a character that you heavily respect and adore by the end of the series. That being said, although it isn't officially labeled as a harem, most of the female characters are heavily attached to Youto by the end, and since there's no real other male characters, it's mostly fine. Some might grow to dislike certain characters, but overall, there were no characters that I flat out hated. No, you will not be throwing your computer out the window because you hate the MC so much (like a certain anime named School Days) but you may still find somethings to dislike. Basically, you should just stick with the anime, as the final arc, I feel really makes things worth it.
Did I enjoy HenNeko? Absolutely. I love romcoms, and I came for a straight up romcom/harem in which hopefully one of the girls that I favored won, however I left with something much different. The emotional part of this anime is truly something else, and I won't spoil it because it's something that you should experience yourself. I'll put it this way, many people may spend their wishes on the Cat God for immediate benefit. For example, you may want a new car, or you don't want to have feelings for someone anymore. But what happens when there's a chance for you to give someone something that's very important to you, but they really need. Where does the joy of cherishing something dear to you meet sacrifice for your friends? How much are you willing to do? These are all things tackled within this anime (specifically the last part).
Verdict: 8/10. Great watch for those who will stick to the end.
