Shonen Jump is likely the most famous manga publication on the planet.
In 1968, when Shueisha was preparing to launch the title, they convinced a young Go Nagai to develop his first long form series for them. Harenchi Gakuen (School Scandal) was not only a smashing success, leading the magazine to million copy sales, but it was also a breakthrough in conventions. He was the first to use an erotic undercurrent in manga. It wasn't overt at this point, just opening the door to peek through the crack. But the public loved that peek, and the editors urged him to continue and take things further. Nagai eagerly complied and nudity began to appear as things stepped up to the next level.
Today, this is considered the spawning point of Hentai.
And, today is also
As noted in the subject, this is the big one that got bumped back - and it's too big to fit in one posting. So let's get started...
Over his career, there are two big characters who have spawned many mangas, animes, movies, and tv shows - Kekko Kamen and Cutie Honey.
NOTE: I'm spelling her name Kekko, but you'll see Kekkou just as often. I recommend Kekko simply because searching for Kekko will find Kekkou, but the inverse isn't necessarily so. (With modern search AI, it well could be, but not necessarily)
If you're familiar with these two characters, you probably understand my struggle of how to explain them.
Cutie Honey is a girl who is a prototype android with the ability to Flash! (and she does when she does)
The specifics, hows & whys might vary a bit from telling to telling, as well as the number of those who can Flash!, but the essential bit is this: Flash!ing causes a recoding - structurally and mentally - rewriting Honey to be what she needs to be in the current situation. A surgeon, a motorcycle stunt-racer, a combat specialist - Honey FLASH! - there she is.
Of course, the process destroys her clothing, leaving her briefly naked in transition - Honey FLASH! indeed.
And we're not just talking comics here. (I know, really i do. But i'm gonna do it again)
Cutie Honey has also been cartoons...
...and had a TV series...
...and movies...
...she even got a dark & gritty reboot last year:
Okay - that's the normal one. She'll get her own post, but Cutie Honey hardly really qualifies for Blue Monday.
Then there's Kekko...
Let's see now.
Over at the Big Toenail Of Satan's Spartan Academy, the staff is very concerned about the student's grades. So concerned that there are special punishment rooms and teachers to ensure they keep those grades up:
(The school's reputation for placing students in prime universities would suffer if the grade performance dropped, you see)
The punishment regimes might be considered a tad... Unorthodox?
Extreme?
Reprehensible?
All of the above?
Enter our hero - Kekko Kamen:
Hiding only her face, she bares all to protect the virtue of the students of the Spartan Academy from the depredations of the staff.
That may be the most normal part of the series.
Kekko loves to make an entrance, mocking cartoon/tv/movie conventions by blaring her theme song before she arrives on the scene to make sure everyone is watching her exhibition. In fact, sometimes making an entrance is all she needs to do...
(Okay. Forget what i said in the first panel above. By the time i got to that last page i realized what a mistake trying to keep the Japanese characters unreversed while reversing the page. Beyond the ridiculous amount of work some fixes require, it's just silly since anyone reading the Japanese is going to be annoyed by the inconsistent left/right structure. I'm calling it a bad idea and moving right along.)
Meanwhile...
Kekko's main weapon might seem to be her nunchaku, but her real weapon is her body, as you saw in that last sequence. And she has a signature move to take advantage of that power - the Pubic Hair Jump (which is really kind of odd since she doesn't have any)...
...often followed by the Muffocation Wring:
Most Westerners familiar with Kekko Kamen know her from the rather tamer anime series. Tamer, but still keeping her signature move:
Kekko hasn't had a live action TV series like Cutie Honey has. But she's had 11 films to date, released between 1991 and 2012:
As one might suspect, the adaptations vary considerably when dealing with this source material. But, yes, again - her signature move carries through all versions:
In fact, in one movie we've got a full-on "I Am Spartacus!" moment...
...followed by a mass flying wedge PHJ:
Of course, if this is our hero, one has to wonder what our villains are like, no?
We'll find out more next time as we look closer at Kekko Kamen, in all 3 formats-
Yeah, that should keep 'em staring for a week!
Oh, frell - the mic's still liv-
*Ahem*
That's our show for today. Take care, everyone, drive careful, and we'll see you next time on
In 1968, when Shueisha was preparing to launch the title, they convinced a young Go Nagai to develop his first long form series for them. Harenchi Gakuen (School Scandal) was not only a smashing success, leading the magazine to million copy sales, but it was also a breakthrough in conventions. He was the first to use an erotic undercurrent in manga. It wasn't overt at this point, just opening the door to peek through the crack. But the public loved that peek, and the editors urged him to continue and take things further. Nagai eagerly complied and nudity began to appear as things stepped up to the next level.
Today, this is considered the spawning point of Hentai.
And, today is also
As noted in the subject, this is the big one that got bumped back - and it's too big to fit in one posting. So let's get started...
Over his career, there are two big characters who have spawned many mangas, animes, movies, and tv shows - Kekko Kamen and Cutie Honey.
NOTE: I'm spelling her name Kekko, but you'll see Kekkou just as often. I recommend Kekko simply because searching for Kekko will find Kekkou, but the inverse isn't necessarily so. (With modern search AI, it well could be, but not necessarily)
If you're familiar with these two characters, you probably understand my struggle of how to explain them.
Cutie Honey is a girl who is a prototype android with the ability to Flash! (and she does when she does)
The specifics, hows & whys might vary a bit from telling to telling, as well as the number of those who can Flash!, but the essential bit is this: Flash!ing causes a recoding - structurally and mentally - rewriting Honey to be what she needs to be in the current situation. A surgeon, a motorcycle stunt-racer, a combat specialist - Honey FLASH! - there she is.
Of course, the process destroys her clothing, leaving her briefly naked in transition - Honey FLASH! indeed.
NOTE: Most of the images for this post contain nudity and have been moved to our back room for adult content. The text remains that you may make a fair guess as to whether or not you wish to look at the pics.
Please follow this link to The Other Voice Of ODD! archive of the original post to view the artwork.
Please follow this link to The Other Voice Of ODD! archive of the original post to view the artwork.
And we're not just talking comics here. (I know, really i do. But i'm gonna do it again)
Cutie Honey has also been cartoons...
...and had a TV series...
...and movies...
...she even got a dark & gritty reboot last year:
Okay - that's the normal one. She'll get her own post, but Cutie Honey hardly really qualifies for Blue Monday.
Then there's Kekko...
Let's see now.
Over at the Big Toenail Of Satan's Spartan Academy, the staff is very concerned about the student's grades. So concerned that there are special punishment rooms and teachers to ensure they keep those grades up:
The punishment regimes might be considered a tad... Unorthodox?
Reprehensible?
All of the above?
Enter our hero - Kekko Kamen:
Hiding only her face, she bares all to protect the virtue of the students of the Spartan Academy from the depredations of the staff.
That may be the most normal part of the series.
Kekko loves to make an entrance, mocking cartoon/tv/movie conventions by blaring her theme song before she arrives on the scene to make sure everyone is watching her exhibition. In fact, sometimes making an entrance is all she needs to do...
(Okay. Forget what i said in the first panel above. By the time i got to that last page i realized what a mistake trying to keep the Japanese characters unreversed while reversing the page. Beyond the ridiculous amount of work some fixes require, it's just silly since anyone reading the Japanese is going to be annoyed by the inconsistent left/right structure. I'm calling it a bad idea and moving right along.)
Meanwhile...
Kekko's main weapon might seem to be her nunchaku, but her real weapon is her body, as you saw in that last sequence. And she has a signature move to take advantage of that power - the Pubic Hair Jump (which is really kind of odd since she doesn't have any)...
...often followed by the Muffocation Wring:
Most Westerners familiar with Kekko Kamen know her from the rather tamer anime series. Tamer, but still keeping her signature move:
Kekko hasn't had a live action TV series like Cutie Honey has. But she's had 11 films to date, released between 1991 and 2012:
Kekko Kamen
Kekko Kamen 2
Kekko Kamen 3
Kekko Kamen: Mask Of Kekkou
Kekko Kamen: The MGF Strikes Back
Kekko Kamen Returns
Kekko Kamen Surprise
Kekko Kamen Royale
Kekko Kamen Premium
Kekko Kamen Forever
Kekko Kamen Reborn
As one might suspect, the adaptations vary considerably when dealing with this source material. But, yes, again - her signature move carries through all versions:
In fact, in one movie we've got a full-on "I Am Spartacus!" moment...
...followed by a mass flying wedge PHJ:
Of course, if this is our hero, one has to wonder what our villains are like, no?
We'll find out more next time as we look closer at Kekko Kamen, in all 3 formats-
Kekko Kamen created by Go Nagai (bless his hentai heart)
Yeah, that should keep 'em staring for a week!
Oh, frell - the mic's still liv-
*Ahem*
That's our show for today. Take care, everyone, drive careful, and we'll see you next time on
Er, gotta be honest - not really my 'cup of tea' (too explicit). Not a fan of Manga at all in fact. Much prefer Kurt Schaffenberger or Jim Mooney Supergirl stories from Adventure Comics. (Some in Action Comics as well.)
ReplyDeleteNo worries. It's definitely not something with appeal for everyone. By hentai standards, this is a fairly tame series eschewing explicit graphics and nary a sign of tentacle rape. But even mild hentai is still hentai, and this one gets pretty outre with some of the concepts.
ReplyDeleteYou've left me wondering, though... just what sort of Jim Mooney Supergirl stories have you been reading?
Jim Mooney's nudie comic, Pussycat, is lined up for a later ep of Blue Monday)
Can't recall if I've ever seen JM's Pussycat, but I certainly 'admired' the way he and KS used to draw Supergirl when I was a kid. In fact, I still do. Maybe it was the blonde hair and the short blue skirt.
DeleteCan't recall if I've ever seen JM's Pussycat, but I certainly 'admired' the way he and KS used to draw Supergirl when I was a kid. In fact, I still do. Maybe it was the blonde hair and the short blue skirt.
DeleteCan't recall if I've ever seen JM's Pussycat, but I certainly 'admired' the way he and KS used to draw Supergirl when I was a kid. In fact, I still do. Maybe it was the blonde hair and the short blue skirt.
Delete