AKA: Rei Rei

Genre: Softcore hentai comedy

Length: OAV series, 2 episodes, 23 minutes each

Distributor: VHS and R1 DVD from SoftCel

Content Rating: NC-17 (nudity, sex, slapstick violence, one relatively non-violent murder)

Related Series: N/A

Also Recommended: Buttobi CPU, Elven Bride, Magical Twilight, Oh My Goddess

Notes: None

Rating:

Rei Rei: Missionary of Love

Synopsis

Kaguya is a supernatural being who has taken it upon herself to listen to the cries of hearts in agony and assist them as needed. This is usually done through numerous sex acts, or near-sex acts, usually aided with her magic abilities. The result is usually total chaos.

Review

And what we have here is an anime title, a softcore hentai, with some serious potential for amusement. From the lead star, Kaguya, who is rather funny, kind, uninhibited and -- yes, very, very beautiful, you have a great beginning just there.

Of course, it helps that the art is just gorgeous. Especially the opening, taking place in Kaguya's celestial(?) palace flying high in the sky, the numerous locations -- usually inside someone's mind -- and, admittedly, also the more rural settings of (most likely) Tokyo. Those are all more than adequatly drawn and designed. Even the characters are greatly drawn and animated, especially Kaguya herself.

The plot idea isn't really a bad idea either. Sure, it's ... er, lending some elements from Oh My Goddess, as Kaguya is there to offer her assistance when needed. In fact, she reminds me of a somewhat less inhibited Urd personality-wise. And yes, she is pretty much stealing the show when she is featured in the scenes.

The main problem with Rei Rei is, unfortunately, the side characters. Mainly, the people needing her help. The first patient is a wimp who will make the anime version of Keiichi Morisato look like Tamiya in comparison. (And let me just say that I have nothing against nerdy types in anime. Keitaro from Love Hina is one of my favorite characters in the anime's I have seen up until now.)

Anyway, this guy comes across as particularly whiny when we are introduced to him, and even though he does manage to grow some semblance of a backbone by the end of the episode, I didn't manage to muster any symphaty for him and his problems. To the episodes' credit, the PLOT of the episode -- stopping the girl of his desires from being murdered by her female lover and the amusingly insane way they went about solving it -- did manage to entertain me.

That was the first episode, and the second? Well, let's just say that the recipient for Kaguya's help is yet another whiny, little boy who -- since this is hentai -- is reluctant to take that final step in the relationship with his girlfriend, who herself is getting well and truly tired of waiting. Can't say I blame her. And while the rather roundabout way Kaguya went about solving his problems was amusing as always, this time the problem was more than it seemed. You see, Satoshi (said wimp) has some issues with his mother leaving him at a young age, something that had stunted his growth into "becoming a man." The rest of the episode was, by and far, not quite up to the level of the first one.

As it stands, Rei Rei is an anime that squandered the potential it had to become something a lot better. It's not like it's bad or anything, but the few flaws it had ruined any chance it had to be considered equals to superior hentai fare like Buttobi CPU, Elven Bride, or Dragon Rider. It's a shame, but it's how things stand.

Rent it if you're curious, but I won't recommend you buy it.

A weak three star, but it does deserve more than just two stars, if nothing else. — Stig Høgset

Recommended Audience: Adults only. It's hentai, you know. And while the murder of the girl in episode one might be somewhat disturbing, not to mention the scene where she literally crawls up her murderer's genitalia after being resurrected by Kaguya (though offscreen and not completed, since it was just a dream sequence) it's not too bad. Meaning she doesn't get exploded from within compared to another, even worse hentai I have reviewed. There's sex, of course, though of the softcore variety. There's no rape here, and contrary to what the cover might lead you to think, there's no tentacles either.

The slapstick violence is rather odd, though. Basically, when the girl in episode two tells off our main male lead, it's shown as him being hit with axes in the head and shot at with rockets and things like that. It's merely symbolic and rather hilarious in its non-bloodedness.