Dr. Hirasaka is back and this time around he’s using Hikaru’s body as a blender.
What They Say:
Hikaru Kodama, a degraded nurse falls into a deviant trap and becomes a sex slave. In a secret area of the hospital, she undergoes an erotic experimentation. Hikaru, at times shows the true nature of her ferocity. She proceeds to go on a splurge of sexually infused romps that turn her submissive, docile demeanor into a one-woman sex machine
The Review:
Audio:
The audio presentation for this release brings us the original Japanese language in stereo along with the previously created English dub, both of which are encoded using the standard DVD-era Dolby Digital mix, which is a disappointment. The show is certainly from its time in that the dialogue is good and clean and generally center channel-based, but not providing it in a lossless high-definition form on a Blu-ray – even if there isn’t much of a noticeable difference – just feels wrong. Coming in at 192kbps means that this is basically the same as we’ve heard for the past fifteen years. There’s some use of the stereo channels for music and some of the moaning and grunting as they get creative once in a while. But otherwise, it’s the usual routine. We didn’t have any issues with dropouts or distortions during regular playback.
Video:
Originally released in 2005, the transfer for this OVA is presented in a 1.78:1 format in 1080p instead of its original full-frame aspect ratio. The bit rate for this keeps things pretty high with it in the upper twenties for most of it and the result definitely looks good with very clean and solid colors and much more visible details. Back with the DVDs we had before, there was some cross-coloration and aliasing during panning sequences but that’s pretty much non-existent here. Backgrounds maintain a very solid feel to them even with the style and tones used. The visual presentation overall is quite good with a very clean-looking release that’s generally problem-free. I just don’t know why it’s not in its original aspect ratio. Well, I do, in that hentai releases aren’t aimed at the longtime fans but the casual market and those viewers just want something that fills the screen. It’s unfortunate for the longtime fans to not get this in its original aspect ratio and instead get this zoomed and likely slightly stretched version.
Packaging:
The packaging for this release does things right as it goes for the three-way split image with pieces from each cover of the originals being used here. With the logo just below the center and listing that it has all three episodes, it has some great designs and colors that draw the eye. I dislike the 3-movie bit along the top because they’re just OVAs and it’s extra text that we don’t need. The back cover goes for three columns where you get some fairly explicit shots from each episode with a brief summary of them which covers things well. The technical information below is pretty minimal but it covers some but not all of the basics so you have an idea of what’s included. Mostly, the cover looks good when it comes to highlighting the show itself but it’s weak on making clear how it’s all put together. No show-related inserts are included nor is there a reversible cover.
Menu:
The menu layout adopts the design of the front cover to a very appealing effect while mixing in a bit of music and navigation to it. The colors here are much more vibrant than the paper of the cover and it looks great with all the detail that comes from it as well. Access times are nice and fast and navigation is straightforward and problem-free. Everything is pretty easily accessible and while some of the load times between selections may not be as fast as you want, it works without issue and the menu doubles as a pop-up menu as well..
Extras:
The only show-related extra included in the release is a brief photo gallery.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Ah, Night Shift Nurses, how I thought I may get away with never seeing any of you again. Having had a lengthy review career with these titles, they’ve left me scarred and battered in many ways. But the years have also softened me toward them a bit and part of my delight is ensuring that others are exposed to the depravity that comes from it. Suffice it to say, it’s a running joke with a core of truth in that I can’t look at eggs in the same way again. Sadly, now I have to add honey and yogurt to the list as well.
Night Shift Nurses brings us back to the hospital where the positively perverted Dr. Hirasaka works. He’s continuing his various “experiments” with the nurses he’s able to bring under his perverted control. For all sorts of reasons, they’re unable to fight back or escape his grasp and often end up liking what he does to them. Hirasaka is the personification of the creepy-looking doctor and this episode does nothing to take that effect away. This time around his focus is almost entirely on the lovely nurse Hikaru Kodama. She’s been under his control for a bit due to the way he’s blackmailed her over the fact her (obviously adopted) younger sister is a patient there.
Hikaru’s forced into a number of twisted acts that totally disgust her but eventually end up being things that weren’t quite as bad as she thought they would be. The opening has her involved in some nice hanging rope bondage that involves a fair bit of puking. Another has Hirasaka taking her in her sister’s hospital room while she’s slightly drugged out. The worst though is when Hikaru is forced into a similar situation later on; the sex itself isn’t bad as anal material isn’t exactly a new thing to this series, but what’s involved is. She’s at first surprised that he’s not getting a batch of eggs again but she’s even more surprised when he fills her up with honey and yogurt. The mix earlier on with honey, blood, and semen was bad enough but you’d think yogurt would be more than enough.
Oh no. Not only does she explode out the rear with everything above, but he then catches a big chunk of it in a bowl, forces a funnel in her mouth, and makes her swallow everything that just came out of her backside. I was practically crying at this point to make it stop, begging for the show to be over. Up until that scene, I had wondered if the people behind this series had mellowed a bit as nothing felt as over-the-top disturbing as some of the earlier episodes in the franchise. But with that one sequence, they managed to outdo the eggs. As Hikaru complains to Hirasaka early on, “My ass isn’t a blender.” Well, after that scene, my stomach certainly felt like it was one.
With the second OVA in the series, it deals more with the relationship between the three primary characters. While there are plenty of people looking on at what’s going on between Hikaru and Dr. Hirasaka, it’s nowhere near as bad as they imagine and it’s only getting worse. Hikaru’s apparent agreement to marriage to Hirasaka in the first episode is now in question as she tries to play it off as something said in passion. What better way to prove her point than by throwing her in the throes of passion again? Hirasaka has some interesting techniques in his list of skills and the use of the tree is something that I have to admit is new to my eyes.
Hikaru’s realization that in some way she does love Hirasaka and what he does to her is reinforced throughout the episodes here but none are quite so disturbing as the moments when he leaves her in suspenders while performing an enema. Work calls him away and she’s stuck hanging from the rafters while being filled up and all she can think is that it’s exactly what she wants. Golden showers have nothing on these brown showers that she proclaims is something that he can do to her every day.
The cleaning bills for that household will truly suck.
While their relationship is as intense as it is, poor Ai is left out in the cold by having to please just herself. This has Hikaru feeling really bad for her since the outlook on Ai’s condition isn’t good and she may die at any point. The good doctor of course overhears that and puts into motion a plan to help Ai be a woman for the first time, in time before she potentially dies. That means a bit of experimenting going on with a new toy that doubles the pleasure for a single person but also works perfectly for two or more. The entire situation is one that Hikaru is surprisingly concerned about, so much so that while she’s in the throes of an enema she can’t help but think of her poor friend. I’m not quite sure that’s a compliment to anyone in the end though.
In the final episode, it does the unimaginable. It takes our favorite nurse, Ren, and moves her out of the night shift. In fact, it takes us out of the standard hospital setting entirely since she and the good doctor are now married and have a small private practice in a small town. With much of what made the original series so distinctive with its heavy medical gear and dominating backgrounds and settings, Kranke takes quite the detour.
The shift to this locale isn’t bad as these two characters are certainly interesting to see in this new light. Hisakawa as a simple country doctor actually works in the context of the show, even more so than what we saw in the city because he’s taking care of mostly old folks with basic problems. He still hits the city on occasion for conferences and other meetings, but the focus is more on him being something of a family man now. The married life seemingly suits the pair as they’re quite devoted to each other, enough so that Ren continues on with the experiments that he likes to perform. One of them includes a new kind of cream that’s designed to excite the pheromones and make everything far more exciting. That actually works better than expected and she’s completely burning up with a need for sex and for some liquid relief.
The Kranke series does still play with some of what’s considered the hallmark of the franchise, and that’s the poop factor. To my surprise, years of watching this franchise as well as the infamous online video Two Girls and a Cup, I’m not quite as scarred by this kind of material as I used to be. So having Ren, in the lake, with poop exploding out of her rear really doesn’t make me cringe at all anymore. It did make me laugh when the fish came by and one of them proceeded to wiggle between her legs to her surprise. What turned me away completely was that, upon seeing that the fish were dying in the poop due to the pheromones, Hisakawa decides to have a taste of it himself. Even worse, he takes some of the dead fish home that have consumed her excretions and proceeds to cook it up for dinner. It’s not that it goes too far, it just goes too wrong for even my now weird tastes and interests.
In Summary:
Night Shift Nurses: Kranke was an amusing series at times that tried to carry on with what the original franchise did. It succeeded here and there but it also took some surprising turns, which is what this show is essentially all about. It was quite interesting to see the two characters out in the world with lots of bright colors and beautiful settings, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel quite like a proper Night Shift Nurses episode. There’s still the poop though and the awkward situations with weird moments. If it’s not eggs, it must be fish… Either way, this spin-off isn’t quite what the original was but that’s both good and bad. Depending on your tastes and interests, this is either high on your list or nowhere near your list. For me, it’s an amusing passing distraction, especially in comparison to the more interesting Experiment series.
Features:
Japanese DD 2.0 Language, English DD MA 2.0 Language, English Subtitles, Photo Gallery
Content Grade: B-
Audio Grade: C
Video Grade: C/B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Menu Grade: B+
Extras Grade: C
Released By: Adult Source Media
Release Date: April 25th, 2023
MSRP: $29.95
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Video Encoding: 1080p AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 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.
