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Indian Summer currently airs on Hulu and The Anime Network. Hulu requires a Hulu+ subscription for viewing. Anime Network requires it's own subscription if you are watching via Roku, but if you are watching via PC, MAC or Laptop, you will need a Hulu+ login, as the website siphons the stream from Hulu. ADV released the original DVD seen left of this text back in 2009, but Sentai Filmworks is releasing a new HD print February 2016. As of 01/23/2016, both releases are slightly under $20 on Amazon. It's a three episode OVA, with each episode running close to 25 minutes in length.
Indian Summer wanted to be a hentai. It really did, honest! It just tried it's very best to become a hentai. At least, that's the impression I got from watching this OVA. Based off of a seven volume manga series by Ecchi artist Takehito Mizuki, who is also known for drawing the series "Otomari Honey", Indian Summer is supposed to be a comedy of errors. Indian summer is named for 19th century, racially insensitive slang used to describe hot summers in areas of the United States mostly inhabited by Native Americans, which is weird, considering that there is nothing racially insensitive about this OVA. In fact, summer itself is barely mentioned, and the title only pops up before the final-ever credits. The story begins with Takaya Murase, a young man who lives alone and is a perverted otaku. He collects anime figures and has a thing for maids. He's also gifted at sewing and cooking, and works part-time at Cafe Cowbeya, a maid cafe that serves coffee. In the first episode, we see him shopping for a robot at MaidWorks, a company that specializes in human-like robot maid girls with fully functional A.I. While he is dazzled by the hotness of all the robot women, he is most captivated by a robot, who unconsciously grabs him by the shirt while she is lying on the floor. He instantly buys her, and has her shipped to his home. The new robot is Yui, a busty, temperamental blonde in pigtails, who is at first disgusted by Takaya's fetishes. She demonstrates this by throwing away his figurine collection and scolding him for being perverted, which not only fails to curb Takaya's natural naughty side, but also backfires on her in the second episode. Yui at first comes across as annoying and self-righteous, but as we follow the story, we see she's actually your classic "tsundere", running hot and cold. During the three episode run, Takaya and Yui end up dealing with more busty females, such as Minori, the daughter of Cafe Cowbeya's owner, who has a slight crush on Takaya, and wants to become a mother someday, Kuon, a moody and elegant robot who is desperate to find a master to call her own, and finally Sakuya, a bubbly, pink-haired robot, created from the figurines Yui tossed in the trash, whose soul was created from the love (and lust) Takaya showed his collection before meeting Yui. They also are routinely greeted by the store manager for MaidWorks, who becomes a good friend to Yui and Kuon. The cast also includes a few out of place characters, such as Kanae, a temperamental young mother with a larger set than Minori, Ayumi, daughter of Kanae, who is an out of place child who appears in a few disturbing scenes, an then the flat-chested Miko sisters; Sumire and Ran, who usually show up as villains. Amid the oddness is a light story of boy meets robot. Yui at first rebukes Takaya, but ends up falling in love with him, so much so that in the last episode, when it seems she might have lost him to a human, it causes her to short out into a coma. She tries to tell Takaya how she feels, not realizing that she really doesn't need to "win" his heart, because from the first episode onward, she already has it. This is a little sweet to watch, as Takaya tells her straight up that he loves her and needs her, and she just can't understand it. Sure it's sprinkled with Takaya's naughty nature as he keeps making risque costumes for Yui, but when you watch their segments from episodes 2 and 3, you get the impression that in a less-sexual setting, this would be a cute romance story. ... Unfortunately, to get to those short, sweet moments, you have to sift through the weird and uncomfortable. For starters, Minori is the constant target of the Miko sisters, who (in a running gag) keep conjuring a giant octopus monster to abuse her with tentacles. Ayumi's existence is out of place and creepy, especially in episode two, where she escalates from unnecessary kid character, to sexually harassing tsundere. She contributes to one of two PedoBear segments in the series, being preceded by a disgusting half-episode, involving Yui babysitting a half-dressed baby boy. The less said the better, as this was tasteless and excessively creepy. The series is supposed to parody hentai and ecchi anime, so it goes without saying that it's very heavy on fanservice, but you will be spending a good bit of time just fast-forwarding just to keep up with the story. Indian Summer exists mostly to those wanting fanservice. If you don't mind skipping ahead, it has it's sweet side, but the visuals for the non-adult scenes might be off-putting for most. |
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Codename Sailor earthCodename Sailor Earth is a lifelong anime and wrestling fan. IRL she is cartoonist Koriander Bullard, formerly Koriander Ake, a happily married Chicagoan. Her favorite anime is Sailor Moon. A baby in the late 80's, the first anime titles she ever saw were Speed Racer, Voltron and Robotech. Archives
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