[DVD] Anime Review: So, I Can’t Play H!

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Suz in Anime, Reviews // 0 Comments

First of all, there are a few things you should know about Ryosuke Kaga. Best known for his open pervertedness, Ryosuke loves reading and looking at porn. In fact, the world he lives in is blessed with cute girls and impure imaginations. And last but not least, he is contracted to a Grim Reaper. Yes, a grim reaper.

Based on the Japanese light novel written by Pan Tachibana, SO, I CAN’T PLAY H centres around Ryosuke Kaga, a perverted high school student who meets a girl called Lisara Restall. Lisara isn’t any ordinary girl — she is an elite Grim Reaper, and her mission was to visit the human world and find ‘The Singular Man’.

As Lisara searches through hundreds of people for this single individual, she will need to fight her way through the demons that cross her path. In order to do that, she will need to find a temporary source of power in order to boost her energy. Now where could she possibly find this power?

Luckily for her, Ryosuke is the right man for the job as he is to provide Lisara power in exchange for his perverted spirit. And when you have a Grim Reaper who aggressively fights demons without caring what happens to her body (and clothes), it is essentially a win-win situation for Ryosuke. Unfortunately, it comes with great risk – Ryosuke only has three months to live, and in exchange for his help, Lisara needs to change his fate.

In essence, So, I Can’t Play H is a mediocre series that exploits an average plot with no substance. It’s impossible not to ridicule the content but our curiosity compels us to see how such shows can be enjoyed by their respective audience. With Lisara’s power to be fed on Ryosuke’s perverted energy, the main concept of the show is predictable yet humourous — what else can you expect from ecchi show? These aspects might force the audience to facepalm themselves but it is what makes the show bizarrely campy for fans of the genre.

Now we wouldn’t blame you if you began with low expectations for So, I Can’t Play H. Astonishingly, the story redeems itself halfway by proving that it isn’t any cliche ecchi-harem series. Making a 180 turn, the story unexpectedly perks our attention by introducing an enemy emerging from the shadows, and a plot twist about the ‘Gram’ sword that has the potential to alter the ending, and the audience’s take on the series.

With Lisara sacrificing her own happiness for Ryosuke’s survival, this injection of teenage romance amongst the dynamic drama and action creates fantastic lively entertainment for the audience — almost like a dramatised soap opera. Its wavering storytelling ability may deter viewers from the show but fans will be somewhat satisfied with the series’ climax as we race towards the conclusion.

As anticipated from an ecchi series, So, I Can’t Play H doesn’t fall short of nudity and big-busted girls. In many battle scenes, we can’t help but notice the show’s creative style in drawing out its ~ecchi content. Not only are the girls’ transformations explicitly sensual, but the artistic unveiling of Lisara and the girls’ clothes (and bodies) will excite fans.

Overall: So, I Can’t Play H doesn’t have any defining qualities but its combination of action, romance and ecchi content will alter your view on the ecchi genre. As non-fans, the series isn’t as bad as we thought it would be, especially once you look past the ecchi content.