For Your Consideration – Ishuzoku Reviewers for AOTY

Some people really want to watch penguin girls lay eggs

Otaku Voice Staff

It may not be high brow, but something about Ishuzoku Reviewers caught my attention. Is it the gratuitous nudity? Most certainly, but there is something more to the show. For your consideration, Ishuzoku Reviewers deserves recognition as an early candidate as Anime of the Year.

You cannot argue that Ishuzoku Reviewers has much if any compelling story. The driving force behind the anime is the ridiculousness of the situation the characters are getting into. There aren’t too many redeeming characteristics between Stunk, Zel, and the rest of the misfit gang of promiscuous reviewers. Maybe Crim is worth admiring, but not so much as the show has progressed.

Beyond the Story

The absolute raunchiness of the show is why it should be commended. Ishuzoku Reviewers doesn’t flinch for a second from any taboo topic on sex. Its all laid out for viewers to see. Other shows have to hide the most lewd of scenes, but Ishuzoku Reviewers flaunts censorship, and arguably has lost.

Comedy is something that I find hard to find in anime. Jokes that are slapstick rather than line delivered usually work cross-language. The situational comedy of Ishuzoku Reviewers shines through all. The premise of a ragtag group of heroes sampling the fine fruits of different fantasy species is comedic gold.

The idea of Zel the elf finding the old wrinkled human woman Mitsue so attractive is genius. While Stunk is perturbed by her unattractive outer appearance, its the inner beauty that Zel seeks. That and her comparatively youthful mana. This series is full of these eventful mishaps. The “size” miscommunication with the cyclops brothel. The exhaustive nature of the pure succubus and lilim.

More Than Men Frequenting Brothels

Beyond the raunchiness, and the hilarity of a comedy starring a couple of idiots reviewing other species, is some real heart. Throughout the series there has been an underlying theme of sexual acceptance. It doesn’t always appear at the surface of a show where men bounce from brothel to brothel, but it exists in the show.

The conceit of the show is that different species have a different preference in how they partake in their nocturnal affairs. In this context the reviewers are the conduit to which we explore the wild and magical fantasies of this world. Not everything translates one to one with our own world. Nobody is looking for giant eyed cyclops girls to get down with, but the overall message is there. Some people really want to watch penguin girls lay eggs.

Ishuzoku Reviewers deserves your consideration for your Anime of the Year, not because it is a great anime. It deserves it because it has a unique message being delivered in the most unique and eye-popping way. Even if it asks you to spend a night with a girl made of slime.