Oh, DearS.
Life is not easy for high school student Takeya Ikuhara. His landlord’s daughter, Neneko, is always hassling him, his friends use him to score pornography from his workplace, and his teacher is an exhibitionist sex offender. To make matters worse, he has just inadvertently taken in a beautiful alien love slave. No, this is not a pubescent boy’s fanfic, it is Duame’s and Geneon’s series, DearS.
Superficially, this 2004 sci-fi comedy series has some of the makings of a great anime. The artwork is rich and beautiful. The voice acting is almost perfect. The writing is, at times, hilarious. However, it might make you want to take a shower. For fans of the 2002 series Chobits, DearS will feel all too familiar. In fact, the two are almost indistinguishable at first. It is yet another story of boy-meets-childlike-yet-hypersexualized girl. But even though the girl in DearS is a sentient humanoid alien as opposed to a walking PC, DearS manages to be far more unsettling than Chobits on many levels.
A year prior to the events of DearS, a race of alien refugees crashed on earth. Unable to mobilize, the aliens publicly announce their intention to live among the humans in peace and integrate themselves in human society. The perfect visitors are dubbed “DearS,” and become an instant phenomenon. Everyone is obsessed with them, except for Takeya (Taliesin Jaffe, Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad), who is irrationally paranoid of an impending alien invasion. One night, he saves the life of a female DearS, who uniquely lacks a base understanding of human customs, and declares herself Takeya’s slave.
It must be said that, visually, DearS is quite attractive. The animation is fluid, and it makes good use of its vibrant palette. The use of manga-style sight gags, such as chibi style and super deformation, is commonplace and feels right at home on the show. Cinematic-ally, DearS sometimes employs unconventional camera angles, which is a neat surprise. It is a rather unexpected quality of the show, and it works to great dramatic effect.
The voice-over work in DearS is superb. Almost all of the actors’ voices match their characters perfectly, which can be uncommon for a dubbed anime. The actors deliver their lines with a level of talent and precision that exceeds expectations, this exceptional voice talent making for some well-crafted characters. That is not to say that there is depth to the characterization, the cast is still largely one-dimensional; yet most characters come off as probable, if not believable, in the world of DearS. Takeya works as the neurotic teen and even reluctant slave master, to an extent. His alien slave girl, Ren (Karen Strassman, Code Geass), is Chobits’ Chi, right down to the childlike mentality, foot length hair, and inability to keep clothed, but she is a solid emulation. Fan-favorite Michelle Ruff (Chobits) plays Miu, Ren’s self-proclaimed rival whose arrival brings an interesting dynamic to the series.
My personal favorite is actually Neneko (Karen Thompson, Samurai Champloo), Takeya’s friend and voice of reason. Neneko is the most sensible character, as she always keeps a cool head despite whatever outlandish situation is happening each episode, and provides guidance to our easily rattled protagonist. Interestingly enough, she is also the least sexualized of the principal female characters, her clothes cover her entire body, her breasts aren’t unwieldy, her hair is perpetually unkempt, and she even wears glasses! Neneko is by far the most realistic character amid a cast of caricatures and anime archetypes, save for her curious propensity for groping female DearS’ chests without warning.
Which brings us to the darker side of DearS: the fan service. Unwilling to gain attention on its own merits, DearS relies on overt sexuality and unnecessary nudity to a nauseating degree. There is wealth of breast fondling, detailed close-ups on barely concealed genitals, and fetish themes that seem endless. Ren spends much of the first several episodes either nude or half nude because, being foreign, she is finds it difficult to grasp the concept of clothing. Her sexuality is made all the more disturbing by her infantile portrayal, to the point where she needs to be taught how to eat when hungry. Her immature mishaps and misconceptions are no doubt meant to portray her as cute, but it comes off more sleazy than anything. Takeya’s teacher, Mitsuka Yoshimine, is even worse. She is turned on by her students, she openly discusses her sexual desires to the class, and she uses her authority to force them into inappropriate situations. Her signature characteristic is squeezing her breasts while wearing lingerie and fetish costumes, and it gets old fast. Wendee Lee (Cowboy Bebop) provides Mitsuka’s English voice, which is a shame because it seems like a waste of talent, reducing Lee to breathy lines and moans of ecstasy.
If that's not enough, there is the simple fact that the DearS are love slaves, whose main purpose is to please earth men (and, presumably, women, but the series conveniently neglects this aspect). This is especially apparent as Ren throws herself at Takeya whenever she telepathically senses his arousal. While the show acknowledges that sex slavery is a taboo in modern Japan, it never condemns the concept. To the contrary, this alien servitude is lauded as a gift, and Takeya’s persistent abstinence is depicted as foolish.
The over-sexuality and exploitation of women found in DearS might be intended to be comical rather than offensive, though the implication that this is what the male demographic wants to see is somewhat offensive. The fact that the writers meant for it to be enticing is an insult to its viewers, many acclaimed and beloved anime series having used fan service in reasonable intervals as a relief from their more substantial elements, such as heavy action or drama. Unfortunately, there is very little substance to be found in DearS. Sexploitation is at the core of the series; but even if you can get past the overabundance of sexual situations, it remains difficult to overlook the fact that DearS suffers from poor pacing and lack of any actual character development. In truth, not much happens during this short series, and it ends up being a forgettable experience overall.
- Patrick Velky
Life is not easy for high school student Takeya Ikuhara. His landlord’s daughter, Neneko, is always hassling him, his friends use him to score pornography from his workplace, and his teacher is an exhibitionist sex offender. To make matters worse, he has just inadvertently taken in a beautiful alien love slave. No, this is not a pubescent boy’s fanfic, it is Duame’s and Geneon’s series, DearS.
Superficially, this 2004 sci-fi comedy series has some of the makings of a great anime. The artwork is rich and beautiful. The voice acting is almost perfect. The writing is, at times, hilarious. However, it might make you want to take a shower. For fans of the 2002 series Chobits, DearS will feel all too familiar. In fact, the two are almost indistinguishable at first. It is yet another story of boy-meets-childlike-yet-hypersexualized girl. But even though the girl in DearS is a sentient humanoid alien as opposed to a walking PC, DearS manages to be far more unsettling than Chobits on many levels.
A year prior to the events of DearS, a race of alien refugees crashed on earth. Unable to mobilize, the aliens publicly announce their intention to live among the humans in peace and integrate themselves in human society. The perfect visitors are dubbed “DearS,” and become an instant phenomenon. Everyone is obsessed with them, except for Takeya (Taliesin Jaffe, Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad), who is irrationally paranoid of an impending alien invasion. One night, he saves the life of a female DearS, who uniquely lacks a base understanding of human customs, and declares herself Takeya’s slave.
It must be said that, visually, DearS is quite attractive. The animation is fluid, and it makes good use of its vibrant palette. The use of manga-style sight gags, such as chibi style and super deformation, is commonplace and feels right at home on the show. Cinematic-ally, DearS sometimes employs unconventional camera angles, which is a neat surprise. It is a rather unexpected quality of the show, and it works to great dramatic effect.
The voice-over work in DearS is superb. Almost all of the actors’ voices match their characters perfectly, which can be uncommon for a dubbed anime. The actors deliver their lines with a level of talent and precision that exceeds expectations, this exceptional voice talent making for some well-crafted characters. That is not to say that there is depth to the characterization, the cast is still largely one-dimensional; yet most characters come off as probable, if not believable, in the world of DearS. Takeya works as the neurotic teen and even reluctant slave master, to an extent. His alien slave girl, Ren (Karen Strassman, Code Geass), is Chobits’ Chi, right down to the childlike mentality, foot length hair, and inability to keep clothed, but she is a solid emulation. Fan-favorite Michelle Ruff (Chobits) plays Miu, Ren’s self-proclaimed rival whose arrival brings an interesting dynamic to the series.
My personal favorite is actually Neneko (Karen Thompson, Samurai Champloo), Takeya’s friend and voice of reason. Neneko is the most sensible character, as she always keeps a cool head despite whatever outlandish situation is happening each episode, and provides guidance to our easily rattled protagonist. Interestingly enough, she is also the least sexualized of the principal female characters, her clothes cover her entire body, her breasts aren’t unwieldy, her hair is perpetually unkempt, and she even wears glasses! Neneko is by far the most realistic character amid a cast of caricatures and anime archetypes, save for her curious propensity for groping female DearS’ chests without warning.
Which brings us to the darker side of DearS: the fan service. Unwilling to gain attention on its own merits, DearS relies on overt sexuality and unnecessary nudity to a nauseating degree. There is wealth of breast fondling, detailed close-ups on barely concealed genitals, and fetish themes that seem endless. Ren spends much of the first several episodes either nude or half nude because, being foreign, she is finds it difficult to grasp the concept of clothing. Her sexuality is made all the more disturbing by her infantile portrayal, to the point where she needs to be taught how to eat when hungry. Her immature mishaps and misconceptions are no doubt meant to portray her as cute, but it comes off more sleazy than anything. Takeya’s teacher, Mitsuka Yoshimine, is even worse. She is turned on by her students, she openly discusses her sexual desires to the class, and she uses her authority to force them into inappropriate situations. Her signature characteristic is squeezing her breasts while wearing lingerie and fetish costumes, and it gets old fast. Wendee Lee (Cowboy Bebop) provides Mitsuka’s English voice, which is a shame because it seems like a waste of talent, reducing Lee to breathy lines and moans of ecstasy.
If that's not enough, there is the simple fact that the DearS are love slaves, whose main purpose is to please earth men (and, presumably, women, but the series conveniently neglects this aspect). This is especially apparent as Ren throws herself at Takeya whenever she telepathically senses his arousal. While the show acknowledges that sex slavery is a taboo in modern Japan, it never condemns the concept. To the contrary, this alien servitude is lauded as a gift, and Takeya’s persistent abstinence is depicted as foolish.
The over-sexuality and exploitation of women found in DearS might be intended to be comical rather than offensive, though the implication that this is what the male demographic wants to see is somewhat offensive. The fact that the writers meant for it to be enticing is an insult to its viewers, many acclaimed and beloved anime series having used fan service in reasonable intervals as a relief from their more substantial elements, such as heavy action or drama. Unfortunately, there is very little substance to be found in DearS. Sexploitation is at the core of the series; but even if you can get past the overabundance of sexual situations, it remains difficult to overlook the fact that DearS suffers from poor pacing and lack of any actual character development. In truth, not much happens during this short series, and it ends up being a forgettable experience overall.
- Patrick Velky
