Review: Hataraku Otona no Renai Jijou The Animation

Sometimes a cover can be an indication of what will be inside and this is the case with Hataraku Otona no Renai Jijou based on the game of the same name by Akabei Soft3. So does this single episode elevate itself above the rest of flounder in the pool of blandness?

Oga works in a nondescript office environment and frequents a café by day and bar by night. The girls who go there and his co-worker Miyu have an eye for him and he knows it. He acts on their affection and his impulses and thus starts his sexual adventures.

I have mixed feelings on the way this is told. Normally I am not a fan of setups that exist only to dive into various sexual escapades with minimal back-story, especially so when you have one episode but I did like the quicker pace and chance to experience 3 different girls and scenarios. Though there was fairly sufficient context to what was happening it did end up feeling like a compilation and perhaps more obviously an advert for the game, nothing wrong with that but it does dampen the viewing experience as you see and get to know so little of the characters whilst teasing other girls who we see little of.

This is a strictly vanilla show with consensual if risky sexual activity. There is oral, pussy play and a few nice variations and scenes to freshen up proceedings. I appreciated the latter as it made more interesting and slightly more unique, if you’re going do an advert then display the strengths.

What struck me here and what kept it relatively fresh compared to other vanilla works is that each sex scene had the air of danger about it. Not in a physical way but in a way of the two being caught by someone else. I do like these kinds of scenes and I think it really helped this episode as it took this into each scene but made good changes.

From the opening as Oga is with Miyu in the office late at night indulging in some salacious activity, Tomoe being ravished in the park or Yurika finding pleasure behind the scenes at the bar each scene had something about it to set it apart. The office scene in particular had some really nice moments including some special photocopying.

My favourite though scene was by far between Oga and Tomoe in the park. Public and outdoor sex has always been a favourite of mine and this had enough innocence and lewdness to make it feel good. Tomoe opens up her shirt while Oga strips her down to her panties as he fucks her in embarrassing, revealing positions but doesn’t force her into anything, they satisfy each other.

The camera work in each of these was good and showed enough of the surroundings to make it clear of the danger involved. From wide shots showing the outside or characters in another building in clear view as Miyu and Oga are fucking it highlights the lewdness in it whilst also keeping focus on the girls as they are embarrassed, excited and aroused by this. It truly captures that sense of joy from outdoor sex.

As nice as these scenes were, they were just that: nice. They are perfectly fine with some genuinely sexy and arousing moments but little exceptional, nothing that hasn’t been done before despite its efforts and content. It certainly isn’t helped by the compilation feel or lacking in background for the characters and their personalities. We get tidbits but not enough for my liking.

This notion of ‘fine’ extends to the visuals as well. With animation by Pink Pineapple you expect a solid outing and that is what we get. The long shots, recycling of frames and slow movements do make it suffer a bit but the art helps elevate it. Sure it’s not the best or most polished but each girl looks lovely from their outfits to their distinct hair types. That said Yurika and Miyu have very similar designs whilst Tomoe has a smaller, petit frame which stood out so it’s not completely diverse.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would thanks to the focus of the material and way it was presented. It hasn’t done quite enough to make me want to play the game though nor does it stand out too much on its own thanks to the compilation feel. If you like vanilla and adult settings then it may be worth checking it out.

Studio: Pink Pineapple

Release: 2016

Length: 1 episode

Availability: Mandarake, CD Japan

6/10