However, those who are less prudish about cartoon eroticism may appreciate how Ore Dake presents absurd situations in an entirely comedic light - always self aware about what absurdity it is presenting to the viewer, rarely taking itself seriously. This allows the non prude to suspend their moral boundaries and enjoy the hijinks as they are intended to be received. If you can reach this level of understanding, then Ore Dake becomes a quality ecchi comedy, managing to entertain with silliness as much as it does titillate with fanservice from very cute girls and a MC who is morally obligated to touch them.
Like so many other ecchi, the narrative set up exists purely for the sake of justifying the fanservice - a young heroic adventurer Noir must engage in erotic acts in order to replenish his life points and enable the use of his magical skills. What makes this gimmick particularly effective, is that there are many situations where an obstacle appears that cannot be cleared without a certain LP threshold. Sometimes its a monster that is too powerful to defeat otherwise. Other times it may be a curse that he has to cure, but needs enough points to do so. The sense of urgency that is created from these objectives, and the fact that engaging in perversion is the lone solution to solving these obstacles, gives rise to the comedy as you watch dire crisis become cleared by utterly ridiculous solutions.
Another way this gimmick is effective, is in the sheer variety in ways that Noir does gain his power through erotic acts. In one episode it may be a kiss, another a panty flash, another he may get a lap dance, another his face might get sat on (don't kink shame bro) use your creativity and it probably happens here short of sex. This keeps the fanservice from ever becoming particularly stale or repetitive, an issue that many fanservice shows run into. I can safely say that this is one of the more creative ecchi in recent memory, in terms of how the service is executed in the short window of one cour.
It is a prerequisite that good ecchi have multiple best girl candidates, and that is certainly the case here. Each of Noir's harem has their own valid case and do appeal to different lewd tastes. What makes them especially likeable is that nearly all receive a dedicated episode of exposition that explains the motivations of their character. You learn a good deal about what drives them, and also get an understanding of why they grow to love Noir. It's not just because he's the main character, or that he's strong, he genuinely wants to help them out of the goodness of his heart and is very reliable.
It is also very important to note that all the fanservice is equally reciprocated - Noir isn't a rapist or sexual harasser, nor does he receive any unwanted advances. The girls are just as perverted as he is, if not more so.
One may also appreciate the periodical humor in this show, particularly as it relates to pop culture. Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy 7 is in this anime. Don't ask me why. Younger Toguro from Yu Yu Hakusho is in this anime. Also don't ask me why. You know how almost every adventure MC has a goal related to their journeys? Meh, Noir wanted to be a librarian so that his family could earn a stable income. Ore Dake lays it thick with the homages and contradictions to popular adventure rpg tropes, but not so much so that it becomes obnoxious or even too obscure for the viewer to spot. If you've ever played a RPG, and have even the slightest understanding of Japanese media, you're gonna spot the homages throughout this show and probably laugh at how they are cleverly delivered.
It is typical for one cour shows of this ilk to have an incomplete ending that leaves you hanging, as the anime is merely intended to be a teaser for the source material. Ore Dake bucks that trend and actually concludes itself nicely by the end, while also leaving room for an additional season if need be. Such a continuation would give me reason to increase the score above an eight.
Should you watch Ore Dake? Yeah, if you don't abhor ecchi. It's designed for those who who can tolerate the genre and is never off putting enough to cross a point of no return that makes you question your morals. Generally a fun time with likable and cute characters, a funny set up that doesn't run out of creativity all the way until the end, and even becomes surprisingly dramatic at times as the tone shifts at various points. In all you have a pretty damn solid show for the genre, that is better than what the MAL score says it is as per usual for ecchi works.
