Review: Taimanin Yukikaze

Taimanin Yukikaze had a lot to live up to, Taimanin Asagi was one of the most accomplished hits in the ero world in years and it oozed quality. With no direct sequel (at the time anyway) a new Taimanin anime based on the Yukikaze spin-off game was announced. Would it be able to match the previous anime and be a worthy addition to the Taimanin name or flounder with little that made it special?

Rinko and her subordinate Yukikaze go undercover as Slave Prostitutes in order to find information on Yukikazes mother Shiranui, another Taimanin who had disappeared without trace. This undercover mission is wrought with danger though as some figures from their past come back to haunt them.

This had the beginnings of an interesting story and seemed to be pushed more in episode one as it sort of fell to the backburner in the remaining two episodes which is a shame as it was quite interesting and going undercover as slave prostitutes conjures up all sorts of potential dirty and disgusting scenarios that come with it. As it is it’ll remain as an unexplored and unexpanded on setup with little developments to bring its strengths to the fore.

In terms of actual sexual content Taimanin Yukikaze is a lot more grounded than Taimanin Asagi. By that I mean the monsters raping, tentacles and extreme acts are nonexistent bar one tentacle scene with Rinko. This is fine in of itself but the scenes it does have then need to be up to scratch and it succeeds.

Most of the scenes here are standard sexual fare for this type of show. Yukikaze and Rinko giving oral, hand jobs, anally and in their pussy all with the slow mind breaking as their modified bodies adjust to the pleasure, they’re reluctant but cannot resist these degrading acts being thrust upon them. It also adds in NTR elements through Rinkos younger brother (and Yukikazes sweetheart) Tatsurou with him always on Yukikazes mind through her sordid ordeal, her light in this hell.

The three episodes break down into the standard formula you’d expect. An episode each for the breaking and enslaving of Yukikaze and Rinko and the third episode culminating in the outcome of what has transpired.

Yukikazes breaking in particular I thought set the tone well with her in a seedy (yet nicely decorated) room. She cannot resist the urge to take this man who she hated, to pleasure him, to allow him to take her virginity was a particular highlight. As Yazaki demeans her, degrades her, plans to impregnate her forces her to bathe in this disgusting pleasure she begins to break. Seeing her take the initiative in these instances with no control as her body fights against her wishes is something I will rarely tire of.

Rinko doesn’t get the luxury of a nice room for her breaking though. In a cell she is humiliated, taken in her pussy as her virginity is also stolen, anally and orally until she cannot resist the craving of a cock and begins to beg, the subsequent scene where she is put in an organic like chamber where tentacles constantly rape her orifices and constantly cum in her as training is brutal and a welcome does of freshness to proceedings. And it was brutal, not all shown but the time passing is more than enough to set the realities in.

The third act is essentially their final descent into perversion as Rinko and Yukikaze prepare to entertain some of the clubs more notable and rich members whilst some threads get resolved. In the DVD box there is a special, a 5 minute special that focuses on Yukikazes mother Shiranui. It is exactly what you’d want from a special that being an extra treat for the fans. It shows her being played around with, toyed with and sexually ravaged after being caught on a mission. This is the first time we actually see her as she is only mentioned by name, it was a nice welcome addition and another incentive to pick up the DVD box.

I have two main gripes with this show; the first is that there is a swathe of content cut out. Take the whole process of Yukikaze and Rinko being betrayed and remodelled into real Slave Prostitutes, it is reduced to a recap where it is most briefly touched upon. I love these scenes so to see them cut out was disheartening.

Then we have Ryal, the one to break Rinko, on seeing him she has a shocked face, she knows of him but us (the viewers) have no clue. At least Yazaki in episode one got a bit of background to make the events for Yukikaze more humiliating and satisfying but here we get nothing. Even the reason as to how or why they had a lead on Shiranui is not explained nor is the ending that conclusive for Rinko as we do not see what happens to her after a certain scene.

It means there are a lot of loose ends by the end of the third episode and it is painfully frustrating to see as the seeds for the story were planted in episode one but (and one can only presume) low sales and interest resulted in this being placed on the rush pile.

My second main gripe is the visuals, namely in the last episode. Episode one is good, scenes flow well, there are decent action scenes to admire and the art is lovely. Episodes two and three (mainly) are where it comes loose with changing of skin tones, recycled movements more prominent, uneven body proportions and off model characters. The latter were real sticking points as the scenes emphasised more and more on their bodies but it is Yukikaze that suffers the most. The lack of polish here is clear as the overall visual downgrade affects the enjoyment of the series greatly.

It’s a great shame as Aoi Nagisas art is beautiful and incredibly arousing to begin with and, despite the said downgrade, manages to stay looking fantastically erotic which is testament to his style. Yukikaze has a loli esque design with tanned skin, petit breasts and a thin body type that looks luscious, the tan marks where her suit was is divine. Rinko on the other hand is more in keeping with characters from other Taimanin series. She has a voluptuous body with large breasts and curves in the right places. This is only enhanced when she wears black stockings and black coverings over her arms. That really did it for me.

I cannot help but feel underwhelmed after these three episodes and it pains me to say that. It is a poor adaptation of the game in parts yet I still enjoyed the vast majority of it, episodes one and two were great and I did enjoy a lot of episode three but the sense that it is lacking just keeps rearing its head time and again. Only watch if you’re a fan of the Taimanin franchise or a huge Lilith fan like me.

Studio: ZIZ

Release: 2011 - 2016

Episodes: 3 + 1 Special
Availability: DVD Singles + DVD Box

7.5/10