It was difficult to comprehend why I was not nearly enjoying this as I hoped I would. Is it because it is too much of a good thing? There are high points to Ishuzoku Reviewers. Don't get me wrong; it's not bad by any stretch. The biggest compliment I'll give is its art and animation. Although, it did take me a while to get used to the way it looked and how it flowed. There were times when it got too crazy and over the top, even for someone like me. But once I got used to it, it got its hooks with me. The characters all look flashy and distinctive from one another to give them their own unique identity.
Many hilarious comedic moments that pop up are genuinely funny. I would not say there was one that made me go uproarious with laughter, but there was plenty of it that I could tell were pretty memorable. The punchlines come down to how shocking and abrasively crude all of the characters can be in various sexual escapades. While it does get a little old after a while, when it works, it works. Ishuzoku Reviewers
This is where I get to the criticism. Despite its admirable intentions, things about its fanservice hold it back from being one of the classics in the ecchi genre. For one, while it's more hardcore than a lot of ecchi out there, it is one thing to keep putting up the same thing repeatedly without feeling repetitive. However, Ishuzoku Reviewers somehow manages to make too much of a good thing and make it boring. I noticed that in every episode, they all follow the same formula and repeat it repeatedly. So while I was enjoying the fanservice and the funny sex jokes, it started to feel a bit tiresome by the halfway point.
Normally with ecchi, there are other aspects besides the fanservice that you can grab on to take a break from it. Because if most of what you are doing is fanservice for 20 minutes an episode, that usually leads the audience to become tedious with it. I know it's a running joke for one to have a plot in the first place, but sometimes it can elevate it if the writers put some thought into a charming story involving our characters. For Ishuzoku Reviewers, the plot itself is not complex at all. Our main characters are going through what they think is the sexiest creature/monster species they think is fuckable and rate them accordingly. Kind of like how I do here!
From looking at the summary, it does seem promising. In hindsight, it isn't bad or cringeworthy as it is having fun with the idea and going full-blown crazy with its ridiculous premise. Do I necessarily want to watch 24 minutes each episode, which amounts to about 5 hours in one sitting? If it was not formulaic in its approach to structuring the episodes. But I feel as though the creativity behind the ecchi and comedy scenes started to drag as the show went on, and it is a shame that it could not keep it going for as long as it was.
Are the characters at least charming despite their lack of a strong plot? Most definitely. They all have their great moments and unique personalities that carry through the show's running time. All of the girls they meet are also similarly charming and sexy in their particular way. Although none of them match the standard of character development you'd see in anime in general, I've come to realize that was never the point of the show. While many may find that to be a cop-out, if the primary purpose of the characters' existence in an anime is to be entertaining and it succeeds, then the lack of development can be forgiven if they do it right.
Despite my criticisms of Ishuzoku Reviewers, do I still think it is good? Well, I guess the biggest takeaway for me is this: I don't know if I would even call this a great ecchi show, but I am happy that it exists. I'm glad that it is gaining some traction, despite the dumb memes and hordes of weirdos that try to put people down for not liking it. I am all for ecchi to grow and be respectful, but we also have to be polite as fans if we are better angels of our nature. Maybe we will get a hentai cut of this, in which case that is an automatic ten out of ten if I ever heard one.
