Masaki Kajishima (Dual!, Tenchi Muyo!, Masquerade) is back with another silly adventure across space and the bedsheets. Taiyo and his guardian android, Kei, travel through space onboard the Agga Ruter, a special ship not unlike some certain Jurai–related vessels. During their travels, Kei teaches Taiyo very special lessons in how to please women. Now that Taiyo has finally become a man, Kei can start their new adventure to find the Virginia and other key components her master has sent her out to locate. But the space pirates are hot on their trail to claim the ship and the secret components for themselves. The Space Opera hentai animated by AIC comes to DVD as Spaceship Agga Ruter from Anime 18.Â
Stats
DVD: Spaceship Agga Ruter
Release Date: 12/4/2001
Release Studio: Central Park Media / Anime 18
ADR Production: Audioworks Producers Group
MSRP: $29.99
Audio:Â English 2.0Â DD, Japanese 2.0 DD
Subtitles: English
Episodes: 4
Runtime: 120mins
Extras: Storyboards, Art Gallery, Character Sketch Gallery, Production Design Sketch Gallery, Meet the Characters, Anime Artform, Anime 18 Trailers, DVD-ROM Features
Notes: Review is based on a Screener copy of the final product. Preview audio clips are available.
Taiyo may have only recently become a man, but Kei has been using her fifteen years with the boy to make sure he grows up well rounded and well educated in the art of pleasing women. From cleaning rooms to having the right touch to hit those vital sweet spots, Kaiyo has learned how to melt a woman into his arms from the slightest word, action, or touch. However, there is still much to learn. As Kei finds herself being pleased once again by Taiyo, the space pirate Jannis captures the Agga Ruter in order to hand them over to Shiunk for a reward. But when Jannis confronts the crew of two from the Agga Ruter, she is stunned at how silly they act; for a pair of prisoners, they seem fairly jolly. The two even begin to clean Jannis’s ship from bow to stern. Of course, Jannis quickly learns how strange these two are when she finds them in her room. Jannis has been playing a romance sim game, but Taiyo accidently erases her game data. Poems, diaries, sexy photos, the pair find it all quickly and wear the poor pirate captian out as she tries to protect her private things.
Moving on to another part of the ship, Taiyo and Kei soon discover a room sealed off with chains. However, the chains are nothing to Taiyo’s strength and the two curious prisoners find a room filled with scratch marks and a nearly broken bed. Jannis locks Kei in a prison room and takes Taiyo back for questioning about what secrets they and their ship hold. Naturally, Jannis wants to know exactly why Shiunk wants them, because the cover story that these two are his runaway wife and son isn’t believable. Taiyo’s lack of understanding of the real world makes him rather naive, but this always works in his favor. Trying to relax the uptight space pirate, Taiyo touches one of Jannis’s vital spots. In a heartbeat, Jannis is on the floor panting from how turned on she is. Kei has been a very good teacher and Taiyo quickly removes the barriers of Jannis’s space suit to give her the caressing she’s been needing for ages. But as Jannis nears climax, she transforms from a dark-skinned beauty into a sexy-but-dangerous beast. Kei senses the danger and manages to disable the prison door to join Taiyo in Jannis’s quarters. Just as beast Jannis begins to attack, Kei informs Taiyo that he needs to have sex with Jannis. Only an orgasm can bring a halt to Jannis’s inner beast. Jannis, it turns out, is a descendant of a reformed human from the Fighter Civilization.
Shiunk arrives in grand fashion with his space pirate warship to claim the Agga Ruter from Jannis. Kei warns Jannis that Shiunk will betray her, just as Shiunk killed Taiyo’s parents fifteen years ago when Kei adopted him. Jannis takes the advice and the trio manages to avoid Shiunk’s trap, but the space pirate isn’t giving up so easily. Shiunk follows the Agga Ruter and her crew as they begin to search for the first item Kei needs in her quest: the Virginia. Taiyo and the rest of the gang soon find many other women needing a new kind of man in their lives. Captain Martha Igrie finds herself having trouble resisting Taiyo’s innocent charm as she gaurds the Virgina jewel in her quarters. Lt. Col. Claire has equally as much trouble resisting Taiyo after Kei’s lesson that “no means yes” (boy would that one get him in trouble in the States when he can’t tell the difference). And the mighty Yvonne F. Ayano of the rich Ayano family falls into Taiyo’s arms as well when she learns that she can be loved for who she is. No matter where the Agga Ruter travels, Taiyo is getting some lovin’ from new girl after new girl in his growing harem as fun, adventure, and lots of silly jokes carry you through each episode.
Spaceship Agga Ruter is an unfinished story, yet there is more than enough here to enjoy over and over again. Masaki Kajishima’s character designs and series designs carry similar themes throughout each of his shows, so don’t be surprised if you see Taiyo dressing a bit like Tenchi, Kei resembling Yayoi, and many other gags that remind you of classic Kajishima series. And the jokes are endless as the series winds effortlessly through the plot and constant sex lessons for Taiyo. This is a brilliant title for any Masaki Kajishima fan or sex comedy lover to enjoy endlessly. The Japanese cast names have been withheld, but there is no getting past the great performances as Taiyo sounds innocent yet clueless and each of the girls swoon into his arms. Of the ladies, the seiyuu for Jannis and Kei—between their comedic deliveries and bedroom voices—come off as the most fun. The English production from Audioworks Producers Group is fairly accurate, but the acting borders on pitiful and the voice casting is even worse. Everyone seems miscast, from the deep voice of Taiyo (Vincent Baggs) to the cheesy voice of Yvonne (Mina Sands). It’s best if you avoid the English dub at all costs.
Spaceship Agga Ruter is a four-episode series without a real ending, but it’s still worth grabbing for all the laughs and fun sex scenes. Masaki Kajishima series are always fun on multiple levels and his hentai work is no different. If you watched anything Tenchi Muyo! and wouldn’t mind the addition of some sexual humor that goes all the way, you have to check out Spaceship Agga Ruter. The video looks pretty good, but this is an old Anime 18 title so it still contains some hardsubs for signs from the VHS release. There aren’t that many and they don’t take away from the scenes, so it isn’t a very big deal. The subtitles are fine and contain no noticeable errors (the note that Jannis was nineteen when she first had sex gets the usual scoff at ages in American hentai releases). The DVD extras are plentiful with character bios, storyboards using the multi-angle function, and slideshows for art, character designs, and production designs. The DVD-ROM duplicates many of these features and has the episode scripts. Spaceship Agga Ruter is a great sex romp through space from start to finish and should be in every Masaki Kajishima fan’s collection. If I had one wish, it would be for the series to continue, starting with the cliffhanger setup for the planned-but-never-created episode five.