Manyuu Hikenchou- Review

Yup... That about sums it up.

Sometimes I prefer to think about the entertainment we all consume everyday to being like the taste of food. There is an incredibly wide range of flavors the globe over that can appeal to someone's palette. Ranging anywhere from the decadently delicious to the downright spew worthy, everything in the world of entertainment has a distinct spice to itself.

Going further with the analogy, if one looks at their entertainment like a meal, one can begin to see how everything stacks up to each other. Is a book you're reading right now something you could see as a hearty home cooked dinner? Maybe a game you play on a regular basis feels like a light afternoon snack you have all the time? Perhaps a television show you watch is like eating a greasy fast food burger? You know that it's probably not the best thing for you, but damn if it doesn't have a good relish to it.

That is where Manyuu Hikenchou steps into the picture. This is the sort of meal that I could never recommend to somebody as a healthy, gratifying choice for supper. This show is like eating a can of processed cheese.

I cannot bring myself to tell a lie; I like this show a lot more than I should, despite of the fact that almost everything about this show puts up a red flag. Irrespective of its questionable subject matter, regardless of its thematic statements, and notwithstanding its general lack in overall quality, I can't help but want to watch more. On several occasions I'll find myself loading up an episode to watch, just so that I can get in a quick and easy laugh. Sure the jokes are shallow and dirty (and the plot leaves you wondering if you should even enjoy this sort of thing) but Manyuu Hikenchou just fascinates me in such a way that it is hard to put my thoughts and feelings into words.

If you can't tell by now, Manyuu Hikenchou is a show that is fundamentally dedicated to a certain iconic part of the female anatomy. That's right folks, this is a story that focuses pretty much exclusively on nothing but breasts. Now I'm sure I lost some of you on that statement alone (and frankly I can't blame you) as this show is definitely not for everyone. In fact, this show is so far beyond not being safe for work that it is practically soft core pornography with a major tit fetish. If I didn't lose you earlier, I'm pretty sure I lost even more of you after that. For those who think they can manage to continue the review, I promise that there are only a few more hurdles left to go.

A knowledge I'm sure a lot of us would like to know.

In an alternate version of Japan's Taihei Edo period, the Tokugawa Shogunate make big breasts one of the most important parts of society. Women possessing gracious endowments live a life of fame, fortune, and privilege. While those lacking breasts are seen as less than human. To better ensure the lavish lifestyles of the Shogunate (or those in the Shogunate's favor) the illusive Manyuu Clan of ninjas (with their knowledge of how to grow large bosoms) help maintain the caste system.

When it becomes time for Chifusa to inherit her position as the Manyuu Clan's leader, she takes a scroll (containing secret writings/techniques on how to grow gargantuan gazongas) and goes rogue. Feeling every woman has the right to be buxom and beautiful, Chifusa dedicates her life to destroying the horribly dehumanizing world that her family facilitates. As her former clan hunts her at every turn, Chifusa's work is cut out for her, but she isn't alone as her best friend Kaede joins her cause. 

You can totally tell when Chifusa steals something.

Let us get it out of the way right now, this is a downright silly story. Essentially we have a Robin Hood-esque tale where the heroine steals boobs (instead of riches) and shares her knowledge of mammoth mammaries with the less fortunate.. Oh? You didn't know that Chifusa has the ability to take someone else's breasts? Guess I must have forgotten to mention that part. Yeah, she has this ability and it leads to some pretty interesting scenarios throughout the experience.

While I won't fault anyone who would not want to get within more than one hundred feet of this show, I can't bring myself to dislike Manyuu Hikenchou either. Pondering over the matter, I feel this show does exactly what it sets out to do, never compromising any part of its vision along the way. This is meant to be a sleazy action-comedy, that only marginally dips into some minor social commentary on the odd occasion. Keeping that in mind, the more I think about Manyuu Hikenchou, the more my fondness for the show grows, much like Chifusa is in the the neighboring gif.

Even though I am a fairly young heterosexual male (who happens to be rather fond of the particular part of the female form in question) I make no allusions about the material. This show is undeniably lascivious, and undoubtedly speaks to a lot of people's more base and carnal desires. At times though I would like to think that maybe my own attraction here is more than something simply hormonal and indeed goes deeper. Not much deeper mind you (more like puddle deep really) but I'd like to think that Manyuu Hikenchou resonates with a certain sense of humor that wells up in me from time to time. For whatever reason, I find boob jokes to be immensely amusing. Some part of my infantile (or maybe primitive) mind finds the image of beautifully well endowed women who's assets seem to do nothing but cause trouble for themselves and others to be pure comedy gold. Much like how everyone seems able to immediately laugh at the sound of a fart, I just find this sort of thing to be intrinsically funny, and I don't think I will ever truly know or understand the reason why.

Make no mistake, this is a show that I feel is best enjoyed with an ironic mind, and something that makes the show an even funnier watch is the censored broadcast version. It is seriously one of the most unintentionally hilarious things to come along in a while for me. Even with the censoring the show is still pretty lewd, but it at least takes on a more foolish edge. The best way I can describe the censoring here is to imagine that a Jedi Knight from Star Wars is sitting just outside of frame and cranking on his light-saber every time a breast is about to get full exposure. Certain shots become even more amusing when they do away with the beam-of-light-obscuring-technique and instead just make the entire breast glow like some kind of sacred orb of pure energy. In a lot of ways I suppose that it plays into the whole notion that breasts are the most holy and valuable body part in this world, but it just looks so silly. As an example, one of the first (and fairly graphic) scenes that we witness has a character who almost looks like they're comically chomping on a light-bulb because of how it's censored.

It isn't all fun and games though, as there is a darker side to Manyuu Hikenchou, and it cannot go without mentioning. From the outset it is obvious that this show objectifies the female form to an inarguable degree. To the plot's benefit it is about trying to destroy that problem, but in the process all it does it play to the issue more. This is a fetish show through and through, and when I said earlier that there is some questionable content within this program I really do mean it. At points children do share scenes with topless adult females, and there is even a scene where kids essentially molest Chifusa by fondling and suckling her breasts. The scene in which Kaede debuts involves her being outright raped by a female comrade who (as far as the audience could tell) just killed someone moments prior. The earlier scene I used as an example of the dubious censoring still takes on a darker edge when you understand that what you're watching is a woman get sexually violated and physically mutilated. Granted she isn't mutilated in the most literal of sense, but she does have the soul of her breasts (I know it sounds ridiculous but stick with me now) cut from her. This changes her physical appearance from a voluptuous full figured woman to that of a flat chested woman. They show how this change deeply affects her emotionally, much like it would anyone. I do give points for attempting to touch on the subject matter, but the show just doesn't take itself seriously enough to do this sort of material justice.

Looking at the overall artistry to the show, Manyuu Hikenchou manages to get the job done well enough. While it is well out of the ring for being the most poorly animated show I've seen, there are much better achievements out there with the medium. Character designs are sexy and relatively distinct, but tend to blend together at times due to the clear emphasis on fanservice. While there is a variety to the types of characters you'll see, you're never really too far from having someone with a ridiculous bust line enter the scene. Most of the animation efforts obviously go into bringing the breast expansion sequences to life, and while they do look quite titillating (pun intended) the rest of the show suffers for it. Action beats come and go with little to no mind for flow or energy, with static still shots being the name of the game. As a cost cutting measure, I do understand why still shots happen in some of the fight scenes, but I feel it takes a good deal of the momentum out of those moments. Thankfully, every episode has something memorable that keeps the humor going. Be it Chifusa fighting a fellow assassin who can hypnotize someone with her breast jiggles, escaping a perverted monster squid, or even Chifusa struggling against her own growing chest, there is a unique challenge to every enemy encounter. It's not high art, but it's certainly fun to watch.

Uh oh! Kagefusa is getting robbed by Chifusa. You know what the means.

While there is the occasional foray into more serious/dramatic scenes, the show is at its best when it's making good on the more pervy humor. Clearly everyone is having fun with their parts, and you can tell that they're more than aware of how goofy everything in the script is. Minako Kotobuki plays Chifusa as the typical straight lace kunoichi who takes her task super seriously, but brings out the laughs with how Chifusa can't handle her constant swelling issues. This plays incredibly well against the likes of Aki Toyosaki's Kaede, who forever obsesses over Chifusa's blossoming bosom. The standout performence for me though is without a doubt Kaoru Mizuhara's role as Kagefusa; Chifusa's half sister. While everyone else delivers great comedic work, it is Mizuhara who displays the most range with her character. Seeing her arc where she undergoes a major physical and emotional change from an antagonist into a fun loving anti-heroine is a blast to watch. Listening to Mizuhara sell every moment with Kagefusa really gets me into the series whenever she's on screen.

Miyu Nakamura's score is passable at best. Even with the recurring musical cues throughout the series, most of it feels homogeneous, leaving the mind almost as quickly as it enters. The only truly memorable piece is the show's opening song, but even then that track doesn't resonate with me. While I can't say that any of the tracks are annoying or grating to the ears, I will say that it is wholly forgettable. Sure, the tracks fit the mood of the scenes for the most part, but I can't help but wish that this show could give more impact. Ironically enough, the stand out work in the sound department is actually how much effort the sound effect guys put into the noises that breasts can apparently make. While I can't claim to be an expert on the matter, I am fairly certain that breasts don't sound like they do here when they move. The best way to describe them is such: fill a water balloon, now slosh and flop it around. That is what these character's breasts sound like when they move. Of course, it's stuff like this that only adds to the humor of Manyuu Hikenchou, so I guess I can let it slide.

Overall, at twelve episodes in length (with eight fairly short and indecorous OVAs) I can't bring myself to say that Manyuu Hikenchou is outright bad entertainment. I won't say that it is good, but it's not bad. It's pacing makes it quick enough to get through so that it never really wears out its welcome. I will admit that it's actually pretty fun to participate in the constant shifts with how many different ways/times a boob joke can be done, but that's just me. This is purely nothing more than indulgent entertainment, so in terms of longevity, I don't really see this being the type of show one would come back to over and over again. Unless you're really into this show's tastes, you're probably best at leaving this one where it lies. This clearly has guilty pleasure written all over it. Some of the material present here is so fetishist that I personally can't see the fandom for this work being all that big. If anything else, I swear that in more ways than one, this show is the result of some kind of bet. I know that it is an adaptation of a manga by the same name (which is quite popular in Japan to my knowledge) but honestly, who here would think that a show like this could ever fly? Regardless of one's personal tastes and opinions on the topic, no one can argue that Manyuu Hikenchou does exactly what it's meant to do, and does it (oddly enough) fairly well. With this kind of show (is there even a genre term for this sort of show?) this may in fact be one of the best of its kind. 

Positive Factors

• BEWBS!
• Glorious, glorious fanservice here my friends! If you're a fan of a certain part of the female anatomy, your show has arrived!
• Censored version is perhaps even more entertaining than the uncensored version.
• Each episode has something fun and unique about it. Usually involving BEWBS!
• Voice cast is clearly enjoying their roles, with the fun feeling very contagious. Kagefusa is the stand out player.
• Short length keeps the pace nice and brisk, with it never wearing out its welcome.
• Did I mention BEWBS?!

Negative Factors

• Definitely not for everyone. In fact, I see the audience for this kind of show to be very small.
• Essentially pornography for those who love breasts.
• Some may find the show's overarching themes and certain scenes to be quite deplorable.
• While the scenes involving fanservice are great, the action in the show suffers for it.
• Sound track is mostly forgettable with only the opening being of note.
• Did I mention BEWBS?!

Final Rating: Craptacular! (Racktacular! If you find yourself really into the idea this show is selling!)