I’ve always enjoyed my hentai reviews. Despite sometimes not having much to talk about, I find that this is a genre that doesn’t get the fair shake it deserves. Now don’t get me wrong, there is more slop and trash here than you can shake a stick at. And there are some stuff that makes you raise more than one eyebrow. Still there are some gems among them all that are worth discussing. Today’s entry is one I talked about before, but I one that I wanted to revisit and give another look to. So after the cut let’s re-dive into the Hentai series: Bible Black.
THIS POST WILL CONTAIN NSFW IMAGES. PLEASE READ WITH DISCRETION.
I’m trying something new with my Hentai reviews going forward. I’m going to be dividing my posts into two sections: Plot and PLOT. With that said..
The Plot
When you look at the history of Bible Black and it’s place in the timeline of hentai titles. It is is a show that falls squarely in the middle between the plot-heavy hentai of the early 2000s and 1990s, and the more sex focused series of the modern day. While being a hentai is first and foremost the objective of this series, it doesn’t forget to string those scenes with an actual plot.
A lot of credit can be given that Bible Black is adapted from a visual novel and hence was built as a story from the ground up. That story will run hot or cold for people, but is thankfully at least somewhat entertaining. We follow Taki Mikase, an average high school student who stumbles across a mysterious black book that can enchant people into sexual arousal. After using it to get with the girl of his dreams, Mikase soon finds himself swept up in a twisted and demonic cult whose leader Reika Kitami is determined to escape the deal she made with the devil. There are betrayals, alliances, a dark history tied to a former school generation, and a metric fuck ton of sex.
Now if you removed the hentai from this premise, it would be a pretty interesting idea. The occult has always been something anime has dabbled with, but has rarely gone into an real detail. Too often it an ornament, something to make a club sound interesting, or in the case of say High School DxD, just an excuse to the plot rolling. Black however goes full bore into the dark rituals with sacrifices, magic circles, chants, and more than one nod to biblical lore. At the time of release, I am sure people would have rolled their eyes at this, either finding it ridiculous or just skipping it all together. I can understand that, you don’t come to hentai for the story. But upon reflection and actually paying attention to it, I was impressed by the amount of effort Bible Black put into this. It won’t win any awards, but in comparison to what has come after it, I can’t help but respect it.
The PLOT
Like with anime itself, hentai is a genre that has something for almost anyone. If you are looking to get your certain kink fulfilled, there is probably a series for you. Ranging from the vanilla to the freaky (so much futa here), mundane to the oddly passionate, Black presents a true buffet of what hentai has to offer. This is further helped by designs that give the viewer exactly what they want. I’ve always been a fan of Sei Shoujo’s work, and Black seems to be what put him on the map. All of the girls have a hint of the amazon to them, with broad well built bodies, long legs and breasts and ass that clearly didn’t skip gym day. Though there is a case of ‘same body/face, different hair’ that other hentai suffer from, each of the girls is different enough and put in unique situations that they all manage to stand out. Whether it is Imari’s playful innocence, Saeki’s seductive nature, or Reika’s bad teacher vibe, there is a character that will probably check off one or two of your boxes.
In terms of the actual sex, thankfully Black knows where the money needs to be spent and spends it well. Throughout the six episodes there is a consistent quality to the scenes that doesn’t feel rushed or slapped together. Everything bounces, everything moves, and breasts, tits, pussy and ass are drawn with remarkable (and juicy) detail. Being one of the few hentai that is uncensored you can see that the artists actually looked at female anatomy during development. Furthermore the variety of the sex scenes keeps things fresh. Most notable I was surprised about the level of passion and tenderness there were in some scenes. My personal favorite, Minase and Takashiro manages to be both drop-dead sexy and surprisingly sweet considering the premise of the show. That is the exception however, as the majority go hard in indulging in the orgies and ritual-like scenes. It can be very ‘porny’ at times, but again look at what we are watching here.
Conclusion
Hentai is not for everyone. It is totally understandable that people will want to avoid it with a 10 foot pole. Yet for those who are curious or those who are true people of culture, you won’t go far into a conversation before coming to Bible Black. It is probably one of the most famous series in the genre, and one whose reputation is in many ways earned. For something that often goes the route of zero effort, Bible Black actually takes the time to put in the spit and polish to make the entire affair much more enjoyable. So much so that if someone asked where they should start with hentai and didn’t want go ‘vanilla’, I would more than likely point them to this. It can very well be a ‘gateway drug’ for people of culture. Give it a look if you are so inclined and see what you think. Just avoid that god-awful dub.
Shallow Dives in Anime 