Ai no Kusabi

Reviewed: Episodes 1-2 (subbed)

Basic Plot:

In a cold, futuristic world with a bad shortage of females (but not bishounen), your social status is determined at birth by your hair color. Here’s how the social ladder stands: at the top is blonde hair (guys with blonde hair basically rule society and are cutely referred to as “Blondies”), second is blue/silver hair, third is green, fourth is red, and at the very bottom is black/brown (hmmm... I’d be at the bottom then... oh well). It’s common for Blondies to keep people with black/brown hair as “Pets”. Generally speaking, a Pet is only kept for a short while, or until they turn 18, and the Blondies do not engage in actual sexual intercourse with them. They instead make them perform sexual acts on themselves or each other for the entertainment of the Blondies. But remember, since there is a surprisingly low number of females, most of the Blondies are male, as are most of the Pets. What ensues is a very graphic yet well-done yaoi anime. The story itself centers around Iason, a powerful Blondie who takes a young man named Riki on as his Pet. Iason is so taken by Riki that he actually has sex with him and keeps him long after Riki has passed the age of 18 (this basically causes a big scandal). Riki finds himself drawn to Iason as well, but he’s fighting with his emotions and feelings for his best friend/former lover Guy and his general hatred of Blondies.

My Review:

Even though I’m not a huge fan of yaoi (for me, it really depends on the pairing), I did find this to be an enjoyable watch. While Ai no Kusabi is quite famous for being one of the most graphic yaoi anime ever made, I was pleasantly surprised that it had a plot (a complex and involving one at that), and wasn’t just a bunch of guys screwing each other. You’ll really be able to identify with Riki’s feelings and you’ll care a lot about him. Eventually, you’ll even care for Iason. The tone of this series is dark and gritty, somewhat similar to “Venus Wars” in it’s depiction of a socially oppressive future. Humor is no where to be found, but the animation is amazingly realistic yet still has the surreal beauty that you would want from an anime filled with bishounen guys like these. It’s loaded up with Akira-esque action and violence, yet also has some touching romance thrown in. Then there’s the graphically beautiful yaoi scenes that all the fangirls die for. Trust me, it definitely delivers in that area, and you won’t be let down. But aside from all the great things about this anime, it can’t resist the urge to utterly depress you. I seriously felt really bad for days after watching the gut-wrenching ending. It will move you, but you’ll find yourself wishing that you hadn’t been so moved, that you hadn’t taken it so seriously. So if you’re a hard-core yaoi fan, or even a casual one like myself, I definitely reccomend it, particularly if you like your anime serious, dark, and emotionally unsettling. But for good measure, you may want to have something zaney like Kodomo no Omocha or Ranma 1/2 handy to snap you out of AnK’s seriousness.