Review: Joou-sama wa M Dorei

S&M is one of my favourite kinks so whenever I see an anime or manga that taps into this I am eager to consume it. That was the case with Joou-sama wa M Dorei. At one episode long I wasn’t expecting the earth but went in with somewhat high intrigue and excitement as I do for any S&M based work, does it manage to match that or flail about?

Yumi is a nurse who appears kind and gentle, underneath this veneer though she acts as a Queen who treats men as the masochists they are because of her hatred towards them. When a former patient of hers falls in love he professes to her but she quickly shoots him down. Angered and not thinking straight what will he do and will we find out the reasons Yumi hates men so much?

I like this plot, it sets up the scenario as they story elements are given a subtle yet detailed look. The larger focus is there but they are still, in the grand scheme of things minute. It delves into why Yumi hates men, why she is a Queen and it gives snippets of Hiroyukis affection for Yumi and this is fine, it doesn’t pad it out, it makes sense and helps build up Yumi before her eventual turn which I liked. When something like this is done it makes it more engaging, more immersive because you know more about the character. It also gives some focus to Hiroyuki as well and his thoughts.

There are 3 major scenes here, the first 2 are vanilla as Yumis father has his way with a woman and the second as Hiroyuki fantasises about Yumi. Both are fine, the anime being older helps a bit here as not only is this uncensored but there is a certain charm with the character designs, they look their age sure but it makes it fresh compared to what we have today. The scene with the father is given the most attention and yeah it’s a vanilla sex scene, it is arousing in parts but feels a bit too bland for me and didn’t really impress me. Vanilla is just not my thing.

To say this series focuses on SM there is a surprisingly light amount of it here which I thought was a shame. Yumi may wear her Queen outfit a couple of times but that’s it and the only real S&M scene is when Yumi is tied up in the public park. This did disappoint me, for a show with that name I was expecting something more substantial.

The actual bondage scene though was wonderful and has produced what for me is some of the most memorable visuals. After Yumi spurns Hiroyukis advances and treats him as the immature wishful thinker he is he hatches a plan to teach her what he can be. He pays a few shady guys to kidnap her as she walks home and this is where the fun begins, she fights back at first but is powerless as they strip her and open up her bag to find her bondage gear. They tie her up to the swing exposing all of her body as they rope digs into her pussy. Minute by minute her mind begins to change and as she is whipped she begins feeling pleasure until she actually begs for more.

This is the scene I was waiting for, the preceding scenes didn’t do it for me and I was getting impatient but this was worth the wait. Seeing Yumi reconcile in her mind what she really thinks as she is being whipped, pleasured, seeing the sight of the rope tied up against her body, seeing her exposed was worth it. It turns the tables on her and what comes from it is joyous if brief.

Visually this shows its age but not as much as I thought it would. Movement is smooth but there is still limited actual animation in most scenes and when there is such as the sex scenes which get the fuller focus there is some frame recycling but it’s not downright noticeable. The camera work here always emphasises the girls bodies and always in a position of either submission or domination through high or low shots and wider shots to display their helplessness or control.

The art is fine if dated as can be seen in some of the clothing choices of the guys, Yumi herself isn’t the most sexy of women but she looks lovely for the most part with a shapely figure that comes to the fore more when she is tied up or in her red bondage gear. The faces seem a bit off as well, from noticeably small features to flat expressions which doesn’t convey the characters feelings as much as I’d like.

I walk away from this to be honest a bit disappointed, given the title and images I was expecting more S&M than was given, this is even more frustrating as what was given was delectable. I did like the story elements though and how they tied in some turns but that doesn’t remove the feeling of disappointment I have. It’s about half an hour long and if you don’t mind lighter bondage and do like vanilla scenes then I’d say give this a watch.

Studio: NuTech Digital

Release: 2002

Length: 1 episode

Availability: N/A

5.5/10