2014-09-30

Himegoto

Himegoto (ひめゴト), subtitled 'Secret Princess' in North America, is a 13 episode adaptation of the manga with the same name by Tsukudani Norio.  The anime aired in Japan during the summer of 2014.

    Arikawa Hime is a high school student with a few problems; he looks like a girl and his parents travel the world using his name for their expenses.  While trying to escape unscrupulous debt collectors he is rescued by the members of his school’s student council.  Initially thinking they were protecting a fellow female student they soon learn he was only cross-dressing.  They force him to join their group to serve as their dog in order to repay his debt to them.  Seeing he has no choice he decides to go along with their demands and spend the rest of his high school life as their cross dressing plaything.  He doesn't realize what he's getting himself into as they plan to do nothing but offer him up as a fanservice sacrifice in as many situations as they can conjure up.

    I really enjoyed this show for one reason; it completely mocks and shams the entire panty shot fanservice community in the anime/manga world.  This show is really only about fanservice and each episode sets up Hime and a small cast of other cross dressing characters in the most ridiculous and played out scenarios found in anime.  Out of the entire 60 or so minutes this series takes up (each episode is about 5 minutes long) I do not remember any of the dozens of panty shots being a girl.  It was always a male character in the act of being dressed as a girl flashing panties and, rightfully so, their 'junk'.  The story is vapid and the artwork is middle of the road.  The real meat of this show is its attack on fanservice.  The story doesn't even try to hide the fact that the cross dressing characters are male and a number of the plot lines deal with perverts seeking them out because they are cross dressed males.  Japan is just a bit more open about homosexuality and what not.  Beyond the commentary on the darker sides of the industry the show really doesn't offer anything worth the time.  It's not going to be for everyone and many people may not take what I took from it.

    The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll in North America.  I doubt it will see a disc release though.  The manga as well is not available commercially outside of Japan.



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