It's a damn shameless anime that is proud of the genre it holds. But it's actually also a clever and legitimately funny concept for both comedy and ecchi. Right off the bat, if you dislike ecchi with a passion, this anime is not for you. But if you do not really care or are a heavy enthusiast of this culture, IR is simply a piece of art. Genuinely entertaining. Embraces you and acknowledges your depravity.
For me, that felt strangely sweet and even fascinating. That's quite the charisma that this anime holds.
The sex wasn't even my favorite part of the show. It just has a natural relentless charm to it. Also, thank goodness the anime doesn't take itself too seriously with some backstory or actual fighting 'action' segments. I would have rolled my eyes.
For a level of no-fucks-given, I'm a fucking gay furry, and still enjoyed this show. Come at me.
As much as I'd like to give it a 10 for the meme, I want to be as honest as the interspecies reviewers themselves. Personal enjoyment was a solid 9/10.
Now if you want a try-hard review, go read the rest.
Story '9'/10
The premise is definitely the biggest selling point of this anime. While the quality of the writing is debatable (especially since some of the 'cultured people' have strong biases for the genre), the execution of the 'plot' is clever and simply unique. If an anime turns out memorable because of a story, yes you can count IR's "story", then it serves as a damn good element.
Sound Design 6/10
Who cares? Nah. It's forgettable imo. However, forgettable is much
easier to be lenient with, especially for an anime with different priorities. Besides, the music score isn't atrocious or staggering, and that is more than enough for this type of anime.
The OP and ED are funny though, not jams but definitely fits the anime.
Characters 8/10
The characters are meh, for a serious character standpoint, especially if you want to focus on development or psyche. However, the frameworks of most characters work very well because of the premise once again. That is enough to make the characters worth 'watching for' with the nature of 'reviewing' and being distinct. It even felt like we the viewers were waiting for the episodes as "reviews" of brothels and creatures.
They are not memorable as characters (for me at least), but they serve as good plot devices.
Setting 8/10
Ehhh... it's sorta tricky to rate it. The nature of the anime is to just explore areas (and bodies). So the random direction of the anime is justified. This can also be treated as a negative, depending on what your focus is... but come on. For me, the idea of the various brothels direction is perfect, and I'm glad the anime did not force to be oh-so-grand (like I thought it would with the side plots of actual "fight‐ing adventurers"). It was actually able to elaborate on some worldbuilding aspects, especially with the reviewer notion. Besides, the setting is modeled pretty well for the different creatures to sexualize and be entertained with, basically.
Art Style 6/10
Meh. At least, props to the hundreds of character designs that this anime has to deal with. IR doesn't stand out in this category, but it is satisfactory to look at. I'm not talking about just fanservice. If anything, other elements work fine to make the art style feel comfortable for viewing.
Other Notes:
I think the anime deserved to get its meme status. It's definitely a shifting point in mainstream anime "degeneracy". Whether that is a positive or negative is up to you, of course. But this was definitely a different experience, and definitely memorable for me.
