Sexfriend

Mania Grade: C+

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Info:

• Audio Rating: B+
• Video Rating: B+
• Packaging Rating: B+
• Menus Rating: B+
• Extras Rating: N/A
• Age Rating: 18 & Up
• Region: 1 - North America
• Released By: Kitty Media
• MSRP: 29.95
• Running time: 60
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Disc Resolution: 480i/p (mixed/unknown)
• Disc Encoding: MPEG-2
• Series: Sexfriend

By Chris Beveridge     December 02, 2004
Release Date: November 16, 2004

Sexfriend
© Kitty Media

What They Say
Tomohiro has always been good friends with his classmate, Mina Hayase. But even though they've always flirted and joked around together, they've never gone all the way. That changes when they find that the school nurse doesn't mind letting couples use the infirmary beds to relax after classes. But things become more complicated when Tomohiro's other classmates and the nurse herself get in on the action.

The Review!
Sexfriends... something we all need.

Audio:
For our primary viewing session, we listened to this show in its original language of Japanese. The show is very simple when it comes to its audio mix here that even though it's a stereo mix you'll be hard pressed to really notice since it's all just dialogue and the usual sex moans and groans to carry it along. The music track isn't all that catching or noticeable as it plays along so it doesn't really push forward into the show too much. Dialogue however is clear and free of distortions and dropouts during regular playback so you really can't ask for more with a show like this.

Video:
Originally released in 2003, the transfer for this two-part OVA series comes across really well here. Though the show does skimp in terms of animation in a number of areas, the source materials look really great here with rich vibrant colors, wonderfully solid stretches of backgrounds and it's relatively free of cross coloration and aliasing. The style of the show is your typical school setting, though in a brighter setting than normal since it's free of violence and tentacles, so it has a bit of a warm feeling to it as opposed to the usual cold and sterile feel.

Packaging:
Going right for the good stuff with the cover, we get a very seductive shot of the lead character in partial undress of her school uniform set against the windows with a setting sun. It's just spot on with the bit of cleavage showing, the legs and the socks all combined with the bows and all. The back cover provides a similar feel but with her on her stomach and a number of shots from the show lined along her bottom. The summary, on standard rule paper, is pretty brief but so is the actual plot. The discs features and basic technical and production information is all easily found. No insert is included with this release nor is one needed for it.

Menu:
Utilizing the same artwork as the cover, the main menu here is obviously an attractive piece made all the more vivid with the colors here. A bit of very filtered animation plays throughout one of the windows underneath the menu selections while some of the music from the show plays along. It's a good looking menu that's very easy to access and navigate since there's really nothing here but the show itself. Unfortunately as seems to be a 50/50 shot with Kitty releases, the disc did not read our players' language presets.

Extras:
None.

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
A show like Sexfriend is very simple in its nature but it's something that's not done all that much anymore as the Japanese trends have moved away from shows like this. While it's not exactly a happy sappy romance and filled with wild gestures and epic moments, it's also not a horribly depressing and degrading piece of work filled with bodily fluids and solids. Sexfriend is just what it says from the title, sex between friends that may develop into more.

The show opens easily enough with an attractive young red headed girl named Hayase who is trying to get away from a guy she doesn't want to have anything to do with anymore. Grabbing the guy closest to her, she uses him as a new-boyfriend shield to send the other guy away. The unsuspecting classmate isn't sure what just happened, but Hayase leans in close to him afterwards, gives him a smile and asks him if he wants to have sex with her. You know, just because.

As Takabe learns, Hayase is one very horny girl who has a system down pat. The school nurse lets her use the nurses office after school is over for her to bring back her guys and have sex with them without any real fear or problems. She lets them lock the door after she leaves and they go to town. Hayase takes a real interest in Takabe as she finds out that she's his first and decides to keep meeting him day after day. The two really get into each other and find themselves fooling around in the strangest places and eventually going out together, though not really dating, and just finding new ways of exciting each other and pushing the envelope.

Of course, others are also interested and Takabe has someone who is interested in him and you know that nurse is going to come into play eventually, but the entire thing is just so light and fun, though explicit, that you just smile and chuckle along with some of amusing "plot" changes. With this being based off of a PC game, it's got its obvious routes to follow and nothing is too surprising there. The character designs, though somewhat young and almost kind of basic without a lot of real detail, are still surprisingly well done. Hayase in particular comes off the best and is the most enjoyable to watch during all of this though the nurse character has her share of fun. But this is done on a budget in places and you can see where they skimped in a number of places since it's kind of jerky in motion. In a way, it almost fits with the style of the show and the way the characters look so that you can almost forgive it. In essence, even though it's done on the cheap, this was just so much fun that you can look past some of the flaws.

In Summary:
As a lot of anime fans would probably say, everyone should have a sexfriend since it would make their lives better. I have to certainly agree on a number of levels and while there's plenty of fantasy in this show, it's the kind that's not really that bad to dream about on occasion. This is one of those rare shows these days where nobody gets hurt, nobody dies and nobody finds themselves really being tortured or having poop flung around the room. It's not exactly innocent either but it's a show that just enjoys sex and showing people having sex. Mmm, sex. This sounds like a good place to end the review and disappear for a bit.