Hentai, literally translated from Japanese as pervert, is a word that is used to define the Japanese Anime style that deals with explicit material. Although a niche genre in terms of the broader span of Anime, Hentai is gaining an ever-increasing market share for those after something a little more adult from their animated programs.

Hentai as a word is different in meaning when used in the Western world. Hentai and its common abbreviation H, deal with the entire catalogue of Japanese animated explicit material, whereas in Japan itself, the term merely refers to the most extreme acts and not to the category as a whole. Indeed in Japan the term Ero would be a more accurate description than westerners use.

Hentai is an enormous sub-genre of the Anime world within mainland Japan, with both the Manga and the Anime forms being one of the most productive and successful sub-genres of all. With Manga accounting for roughly 40% of all book sales in Japan and Anime around 25%, the importance of Hentai as both commercially and historically relevant cannot be overlooked.

Although a form of Hentai appears in some more mainstream Anime, Legend of the Overfiend is a prime example of this. A special category is reserved for the sub-genre within the DVD and film industry, which covers explicitly with Hentai Anime, potentially the most controversial and alienated form of Anime overall.

The reason that Hentai has such a controversial history insdie the animated community is two-fold. Primarily Hentai covers explicit and boundary-pushing acts. At the far end of the spectrum is content that breaches both social and legal norms. All of which are illegal to show in New Zealand. Such titles are always banned by the New Zealand classification boarded and are unable to be released or viewed in the country.

For enthusiasts, and there are a great deal out there, it's important to be aware that Hentai is dealt with slightly differently than other pornographic material. As with most Anime, the look and design of the characters and the environments are crucial with its success, something like Naughty Nurses from writer Shinbashi Makino is built around clean and crisp nurse and hospital layout, adding to the attractiveness and appeal of the main characters. More to follow in our next introduction piece next month.