The massively ecchi action manga Masou Gakuen HxH is slated for some kind of anime. Depending on the details, this could end up being fantastic news for ecchi fans.
It’s not yet known if the anime will be an OVA or a TV series. Past history suggests that a TV series is more likely, as stand alone OVA are generally bundled with manga or art books, but only rarely for light novels.
There are several clues you can look at to determine what kind of ecchi anime a series will be. Was the language in the light novel explicit? Did the manga source or manga adaptation show nipples? Who’s producing? Who’s directing?
As is often the case, production details are top secret at this early stage. Which is a shame, because the production group will often serve as the biggest clue for a show’s nudity potential.
There is one production clue though, and it’s encouraging. A drama CD for this series was released in March, and the four seiyuu involved (Ayaka Kimura, Hikaru Isshiki, Ichigo Momoi, and Rino Kawashima) are generally known for their work in hentai and eroge. Drama CD casting is almost always kept consistent with productions that come before and after, so it’s likely we’ll see the same group in the anime. Regardless, casting a lineup of hentai/eroge voice-over talents strongly suggests adult content for the series.
The artwork for the novels are co-illustrated by famed hentai artist Hisasi, who also did the character designs for Bikini Warriors .
A manga spinoff of the series just began in Monthly Comp Ace , but it’s too soon to use the manga as any kind of indicator for what the anime might be. Comp Ace is generally known to avoid borderline hentai ecchi series, with the exception of several notable eroge adaptations (School Days , Majikoi , etc.).
The light novel has yet to receive an English translation. That said the following synopsis can be found at BakaUpdates, and it’s more than a little interesting:
Hida Kizuna possesses the HHG (Heart Hybrid Gear) ability, but it is not strong enough to make him particularly important. —His older sister calls him to transfer to a strategic defense school, where many of the students (many of which are large-breasted girls) use their HHG abilities to fight invaders from another world while wearing extremely skimpy pilot outfits. Kizuna’s fighting ability doesn’t measure up, but his sister has another plan– apparently having erotic experiences with Kizuna will allow the girls to replenish their energy or power-up. It looks like his new school life is going to be full of embarrassment!
In terms of premise, HxH is in the same vein as Shinmai Maou no Testament , Kenzen Robo Daimidaler , Seikon no Qwaser or the upcoming Valkyrie Drive . Using ‘erotic’ encounters as a power up mechanism generally leads to good things on BD.
If anyone could confirm mentions of nipples in the light novels, I’d love to know about it.
Lastly, the images from the novels offer important clues. Remember that nipples are generally barred by most light novel publishers, and if you want to show them in that format you have to show only enough to get the imagination going. Well, consider some of the imagery from the first three volumes (out of five):
The erotic content pushes the envelope by light novel standards. There’s visible areola, body on body washing JAV (Japanese Adult Video) style, boobplay, nipple sucking, and even what appears to be anal play.
It’s too early to know what we’ll be getting in the anime. Maybe it’ll just a one episode OVA or maybe it’ll be turned into something bland and forgettable by a company like Satelight or Diomedia. But in terms of potential, HxH easily has the potential to be the next Shinmai Maou no Testament if it ends up in the right hands. And that’s something to be excited about.
