I have two major no-no’s when it comes to the shows I watch, and one of them happens to be graphic and excessive violence against female characters. Unfortunately for Mayumi, failure of any kind results in cruel punishment by the high school’s male faculty, their ringleader being the principal “Toenail of Satan.” Yes, you read that right. The story follows innocent and unlucky first-year Mayumi Takahashi as she struggles to meet the high expectations of Sparta Academy. Kekko Kamen draws inspiration from what is often recognized as the first erotic manga series ever published, Nagai’s controversial Harenchi Gakuen (translates to “Shameless School,” 1968-1972), in that its story takes place in an abstract, absurd world. To put it simply, mangaka Go Nagai is known as the “creator of modern ecchi,” and this shows in his work (including Cutey Honey !). However, what probably surprised me the most about the original manga is that it ended up spawning a whopping eleven live-action films between three separate studios!
The OVA also led to a light novel released later in the same year which I found a bit odd considering the titular Kekko Kamen’s design is pivotal to the story (yes, light novels do tend to include illustrations, but Kekko Kamen must be seen to its full extent). Go Nagai’s campy action/dark comedy Kekko Kamen (1974-1978) debuted as a manga comprising five volumes before being adapted into a four-episode OVA by Studio Signal (1991-1992). In a nutshell, Kekko Kamen is a manga-turned-series about degeneracy, misogyny, and overcoming both while clad in nothing but…well, nothing. Regardless, I have learned that my anime tastes are rather vanilla in comparison. Whether or not they’re reading too much into a series that’s supposed to be absurd.
Kekko Kamen is not even that, per say, but…it’s definitely one of those things that makes one question whether or not what they’re seeing is real.
Sometimes, you happen upon a premise that just leaves you speechless. I admit, I’m not quite sure where to begin with Kekko Kamen.
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