Now these are more real than the housewives we normally see.
What They Say:
Kota Hayami is the superintendent at an apartment building where two busty and horny housewives reside. When the ladies are feeling particularly unsatisfied with their husbands, they call upon Kota for some personalized handiwork. Thinking he’s making mere service calls, Kota innocently arrives at the ladies’ apartments, but it doesn’t take long for Kota to catch on that it’s the ladies that require the maintenance. Fortunately for Kota, he’s got all the right tools for the job.
The Review:
Audio:
The audio presentation for this release is pretty standard as we get a pair of bilingual tracks with the Japanese and English language mixes done in stereo encoded at 192kbps. The show doesn’t really do a lot with the audio however as both the dialogue sections and the action sections of the tennis matches don’t really provide any impact. Everything comes across clean and clear and the tracks are free of distortions or dropouts, but the show doesn’t have a lot of impact when it comes to the soundtrack.
Video:
Originally released in 2006, the transfer for this two part OVA series is presented in its original full frame aspect ratio. Consenting Adultery has a somewhat soft focus to it that helps to give it the kind of warmth that the show wants to exude. While that softness at times may take away from a scene or two, it really works well to enhance the mood overall. Colors look good though there’s a touch of noise in some of the backgrounds but it avoids any serious break-up or noticeable problems. The lack of cross coloration and aliasing in general is a plus and overall this is the kind of show where the visual intent comes across good and without any real problems.
Packaging:
The cover art for Consenting Adultery is a good one though something of a difficult sell for the show. The cover is basic in that it features an illustration of the two lead characters with the sheets pulled around them as they’re in the bedroom. The background is minimal and the women don’t show a lot of skin, but it’s very sexual and seductive in what it brings to the table. With it being an illustration, it doesn’t have a lot of sharp and vibrant colors but that really fits in with the material in the show. The back cover is pretty traditional in its layout with a series of good looking colorful pictures along the side and the top and a brief but decent summary that covers the premise well enough. The remainder is rounded out with the usual production credits and a clean technical grid. No insert is included nor is there a reversible cover.
Menu:
The menu design breaks tradition a bit with Kitty Media as they give us a different piece of artwork than what’s on the front cover. Done at an angle, we get both Hinako and Kyoka together wearing just their bras and panties, though with Kyoka it’s letting her breasts free and we even get a nipple shot. I don’t recall Kitty menus showing much if any nudity before so it’s somewhat of a surprise. The artwork is similar to that of the front cover though in that it’s very nicely detailed and feels warm and natural. The layout is angular for both the artwork and the navigation but there’s little here beyond the show and setup so it’s not much of an impact. The disc performed as most Kitty discs do as it didn’t read our player presets and default to English language with sign/song subtitles.
Extras:
None.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Every now and then, and adult release comes along that simply appeals on just about every level. Consenting Adultery is just such a release as it works well when it comes to the basic plot, the execution, the character designs and the sex. If there’s anything to gripe about with this release it’s the poorly chosen title as “consenting” adultery would mean that both parties in a marriage would consent to it. That doesn’t happen here and the husbands in general are pretty much absent from the show.
The two episode series revolves around a young building superintendent named Hayami. He’s a good looking man who has an easy smile and comes across as a bit shy and almost naïve in his expressions. Hayami is the central character in something of an abstract sense though as he’s the object of affection and sex for two women that live in the building. The first one that is drawn to him is a housewife named Kyoka, a rarity in the real world as she’s a woman who loves sex and has a husband who just doesn’t seem that interested. Only in the movies and porn, right guys? Her husband doesn’t care for her advances first thing in the morning and he tends to work late, leaving her feeling unsatisfied. She finds release in different ways, from some strange TV shows that show full nudity and sex to listening in on a neighbor who is getting her afternoon sex and really getting into it.
The other housewife that comes into play is a young woman named Hinako who is in a similar situation to Kyoka. She really likes sex, doesn’t get enough of it and will do what she can to get it. Much like Kyoka, she’s got her eye on Hayami and his cute and innocent ways but she has the guts to carry through on it by inviting him into her home. She does the traditional seduction thing by having him come in to fix her washing machine while she wears a flimsy outfit and shows off her very cute panties. Hayami is really unsure of how to proceed by Hinako is very forward once things get going and Hayami cannot resist. Nor should he considering how attractive she is. From there it becomes some very good play as each woman continues to seduce Hayami and then discover that they both have an interest in him and deal with the fallout from that.
So what makes this show work so well? Part of it is that it’s so straightforward in its approach. The women want sex and intimate companionship that they’re not getting anywhere else. Hayami is the right guy at the right time and he doesn’t take advantage of it in a bad way. He’s not blackmailing anyone, he’s considerate of their feelings and he tries to help them hide it from their husbands. The sex itself is fun, it’s not humiliating and it’s not anything outlandish. Hayami isn’t taking them from behind while hanging them over the balcony. It’s a bit risky at times, such as when Kyoka masturbates outside of a neighbors window along the walkway, but that’s really the extent of it.
The combination of all of that with the beautiful character designs and appealing set designs is what helps to take this to the next level. Consenting Adultery is really a very solid title that’s good for couples and new folks while still being so well done that it will appeal to the hardcore audience that’s looking for something normal. The lack of serious kink, outlandish costumes and other such things will be able to find a lot to like here. In particular, the character designs are just gorgeous. Hayami is certainly a pretty boy in that innocent way, but Kyoka and Hinako both exude something special. They’re not flat chested waifs and they’re not obnoxiously big breasted either. There are a few moments where Kyoka’s chest seems to get bigger than it seems in other scenes, but beyond that it’s just all good. The character designs reminded me a lot of shows like Boobalicious in which they’re a bit rounder and softer. Not quite pudgy, but they’re more realistic and warming to watch.
In Summary:
If there’s one hentai title that I love to revisit, it’s Consenting Adultery. While the title is kind of awkward, it’s a great show that gets just about everything right. Great animation, hot sex scenes, beautiful character designs and a real sense of eroticism. It has that kind of feel that some of the better shows you see on late night Cinemax in the last couple of years but they’re far more explicit. The story is simple and in a way there isn’t a serious payoff moment for it but it just gets it all right. The focus is squarely on the women getting what they want, grappling with it for a bit and trying to make sure it can work when they both realize they’re seducing Hayami. This is a title that I can easily recommend to just about any adult anime fan as something worth checking out, particularly if you like character designs that aren’t all sharp and angular.
Features:
Japanese 2.0 Language, English 2.0 Language, English Subtitles
Content Grade: A-
Audio Grade: B+
Video Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Menu Grade: B
Extras Grade: N/A
Released By: Kitty Media
Release Date: November 20th, 2007
MSRP: $29.99
Running Time: 60 Minutes
Video Encoding: 480i/p MPEG-2
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Sony PlayStation3 Blu-ray player via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
