Urotsukidōji
First serialized in "Manga Erotopia" from 1985 to 1986, "Urotsukidōji" marked a departure from Maeda's earlier works, with its focus on erotica, dark humor, and the supernatural. Starting in 1987, the manga was adapted into a series of original video animation (OVA) anime releases by director Hideki Takayama. The adaptations deviate significantly from the manga, adding elements of violence, sadomasochism, and rape not present in the source material. "Urotsukidōji" has been credited with popularizing the trope of tentacle rape, and "The Erotic Anime Movie Guide" calls it a formative work in the hentai genre. In 2005, it was  voted as one of the 100 greatest cartoons in a poll by Channel 4. Synopsis. Manga. Amano Jyaku, a mischievous, sociopathic demon/human hybrid, is banished to Earth and ordered by The Great Elder to find the "Chōjin": the unbeatable god of the demon world who is hiding within the body of a man. A group of reptilian/amphibian demons want to find the "Chōjin" and use his power on behalf of the Queen of Demons. Under the leadership of Suikakuju, the Elder's rival and lover of his estranged wife, the Queen of Demons, they hatch a series of  plots to try to capture the "Chōjin", most of which go horribly wrong. Amano is sent to protect the "Chōjin", but after his lecherous friend Koroko and then later his nymphomaniac sister Megumi come to find him, this proves to be more difficult. Anime. Every 3,000 years the is united with the and the by the revival of the , known as the Overfiend in the English version. The saga follows Jyaku Amano—a man-beast—and his quest to find the "Chōjin" and to ensure the safe future of all three worlds. However, he finds his beliefs put to the  test when he encounters numerous demons, who plan to destroy the "Chōjin" and prevent the three worlds from joining. Characters. As the "Urotsukidōji" saga spans over a number of years it incorporates a wide variety of characters. Below is a list of the main characters, which are split into their races: Media. Manga. "Urotsukidōji" was first serialized in Japan in four special editions of the erotic manga magazine "Manga Erotopia" from July 25, 1985 to July 24, 1986. It was later released into six "tankōbon" volumes from December 1st, 1986 to April 1st, 1987. "Urotsukidōji: Legend of the Overfiend" was  first published in English with the launch of the adult label of CPM Manga in July 1998. It ran in a black-and-white 32-page format priced at $2.95 per issue. It was later released into six volumes from September 1, 2002 to October 15, 2003. On December 12, 2014, English-language hentai publisher FAKKU announced plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign to publish a remastered edition of the manga, which would include color pages and chapters omitted from the previous English versions. The campaign was launched on June 20, 2016. The campaign met its goal, and the  first of four volumes was released on December 8, 2016. Anime. There are four main chapters in the original "Urotsukidōji" saga, along with an unfinished fifth chapter that has so far only been released in Japan and Germany, as well as a complete remake of the first chapter. Section::::"Legend of the Overfiend" (1987–1989). The first series was released as part of an anthology video series distributed by JAVN (Japan Audio Visual Network). The anthology series was part of the international Penthouse Magazine brand and featured international and domestic pornographic movies (such as "The Devil in Miss Jones", "Behind the Green  Door" and "The Opening of Misty Beethoven" to name a few). The first three-volume series within the larger Penthouse series was named . These three episodes were adapted from the original manga but skip over much of the comedic sub-stories and subplots and instead shift the focus to the apocalypse and the battle between Suikakuju and Jyaku. The three OVAs were later edited into a theatrical film known as . The removal of certain explicit material resulted in the film being given a rating from Japan's Film Classification and Rating Organization. Shochiku-Fuji distributed the film to theaters while  Shochiku Home Video distributed the film to VHS with the tagline . "Legend of the Over-Fiend" was shown at the Toronto Festival of Festivals on September 16, 1989. A critic credited as "Suze." wrote in "Variety" the film was a "sci-fi-horror schlock extravaganza verging on porno. Films like this are why the word misogynist was invented." The theatrical film was released in North America on VHS on August 11, 1993, by Central Park Media under the "Anime 18" label - it was their first title to be released with the label. The film was also released in the UK  and Australia, with additional cuts being made by the BBFC and OFLC. The film received an NC-17 rating in the U.S. and the distributors made no attempt to edit the movie for an R rating. Planet Earth is not all it seems. It is revealed that humans are not alone and that there are unseen realms running parallel to our own: the realms of the Demons ("Makai") and the Man-Beasts ("Jyujinkai"). To further that, there is a 3000-year-old legend that foretells the coming of the Overfiend ("Chōjin")—a being of unimaginable power that will unite all three realms  into a land of eternity. The story follows the exploits of the protagonists—man-beast Jyaku Amano, his nymphomaniac sister Megumi and their companion Kuroko—as their 300-year search for the Overfiend takes them to a high school in Osaka, Japan. Their discoveries led them to two students: shy, lecherous Tatsuo Nagumo and school idol Akemi Ito. But as the film plunges deeper into the dark and gruesome, Jyaku discovers that the Legend of the Overfiend is not what it seems and that the future of the three realms may be strikingly different from what he is led to  believe. DVD releases. The "Perfect Collection" from Anime 18 is the only English-friendly uncut version of the first OVA available outside Japan. Other versions such as the one on the "Hell on Earth" boxed set and the Australian Madman release with both Legend of the Overfiend and Legend of the Demon Womb have been cut for 45 minutes in total, which included a total of 24 minutes of sexually-oriented scenes. The U.S. DVD releases are now out-of-print. The "Movie Edition", licensed by Kitty Media in 2010 and released in 2011, is the first time any of  the anime has been released on Blu-ray, though it is reformatted for widescreen (the DVD version released alongside it retains the original aspect ratio). The second OVA series was named . This series was not based on the manga, but elements from it were used, with Negumo's cousin Takeaki taking on a character similar to the character of Saburo in the manga and Münchhausen II taking after the character of Suikakuju. Section::::"Legend of the Demon Womb" (1990–1991). The second part of the saga created an ongoing controversy among "Urotsukidōji" fans as to where it fits into the saga as  a whole. One main theory is that the two chapters happen between "Birth of the Overfiend" and "Curse of the Overfiend" of the first OVA. Another main theory is that since the characters and tone are fairly unfaithful to the first three OVAs, it ought not to be considered part of the canon in the first place. The two OVAs were again later recut into a theatrical version, known as Urotsukidōji II: Legend of the Demon Womb; however, whereas the original two OVA episodes in this case censored sexual acts with blurring throughout, the movie edit was fully uncensored and  even featured additional scenes with new animation and effects added to improve existing scenes. No material was taken out in the process—the time difference arising due to redundant credits and recaps—so the movie is to be considered the most complete version. Unbeknownst to Jyaku and Megumi, in 1944, the Nazis attempted to summon the Overfiend's nemesis: the Lord of Chaos (Kyō-Ō). Top scientist Dr. Münchhausen and his son invented a perverse death-rape machine to summon the Lord of Chaos—but the machine overloaded; and helped to destroy half of Berlin—leaving Münchhausen II alive, but  psychologically scarred. During his adolescence, Münchhausen II discovers his father's journal and tries to uncover the secrets of the "Jyujinkai" and the "Makai". He finally succeeds and reawakens Kohoki—a demon banished to hell for eternity—into the human realm and the two form an infamous partnership. Cut to the present day and Münchhausen II is trying to fulfill his father's work—to summon the Lord of Chaos—but to make sure it will work this time, he needs a human sacrifice. And it just so happens Tatsuo's cousin Takeaki Kiryu is on the next plane to  Osaka... DVD releases. The "Perfect Collection" from Anime 18 is the only uncut version of the second "Urotsukidōji" OVA available outside Japan—however, even the Japanese version was censored and this censoring was carried over. As mentioned above, this was rectified for the movie version which is uncensored and contains more original material than the OVAs. Anime 18's DVD release is uncut though others (such as Manga UK's) have again been censored with cuts made. Both Japanese and English-language tracks are included on Anime 18's DVD of the movie, but there are no subtitles. Like the  Perfect Collection, it is not region-coded. Other versions such as the one on the "Hell on Earth" boxed set and the Australian Madman release with both "Legend of the Overfiend" and "Legend of the Demon Womb" have been cut for 14 minutes in total, which included a total of 7 minutes of sexually-oriented scenes. The U.S. releases are also now out-of-print. Section::::"Return of the Overfiend" (1992–1993). The third OVA series was named . This is where the saga begins to focus less on the remaining central characters and introduces other secondary characters, none of whom are present  in the manga. The four parts were edited for western audiences as Urotsukidōji: Return of the Overfiend, in some cases cut into a pair of films. At the end of "Final Inferno", it is discovered that the Chōjin is the offspring of Tatsuo and Akemi and of Tatsuo's horrific metamorphosis into the Demon of Destruction—who needs to "destroy the old to make way for the new". Twenty years have passed and the Chojin has been prematurely born. He summons Jyaku Amano to protect him and to help to discover what has happened, sending Jyaku forth to search for  the evil born in the east. Unfortunately a new race called the Makemono (Demon-Beasts) have arisen following the apocalypse, ruled over by the fanatical cyborg Caesar and his mysterious comrade "Faust". It is apparent they are the cause behind these events and intend to resurrect the Kyō-Ō. Jyaku, along with the Makemono Buju and Caesar's traitorous daughter Alector, need to stop the two dictators from ruling the land of eternity. The question is, who will succeed? Section::::"Inferno Road" (1993–1995). The fourth OVA series was named . It was banned outright in many countries (including Britain), but was edited  again for the west under the title Urotsukidōji: Inferno Road. Continuing straight after the climax of "Return of the Overfiend", Jyaku and the survivors head for Osaka to help the Overfiend after his climactic battle. On the way they find a kingdom where children rule over adults (OVAs 1 and 2). Jyaku's problems are furthered when an old nemesis shows up at the wrong time (OVA 3). The third OVA in this series, "The End of the Journey", stands alone plot-wise (wrapping up the story arc from "Urotsukidoji: Return of the Overfiend", on which the first two OVA  have no bearing), and was originally intended to be a theatrical release. It is based on the final chapters of Maeda's "New Urotsukidoji". NOTE: Inferno Road was originally intended to have another ending, which was fully completed but ultimately discarded. This ending was to have revealed that the apparent Chōjin as seen at the start of "Urotsukidoji: Return of the Overfiend" was not in fact the real Chōjin, but yet another Makai. This alternate ending was to have set up the abandoned The Final Chapter. Section::::"The Final Chapter" (1996). The fifth OVA series was named , also known as Urotsukidōji : The Final Chapter in the west. Only one episode of this was partially completed, the released version containing numerous examples of animation that is missing in-between frames. The story, as such, concerned the arrival of the real Chōjin who creates a new hermaphroditic race to wipe out all remaining life on Earth. After giving birth to the Chōjin, Akemi "reawakens" in a hospital, along with Jyaku, who had barely survived a recent confrontation with the Chōjin (whose form constantly mutates between male and female). Destroyer God Tatsuo also reappears (after supposedly being killed by Kyō-Ō in "Urotsukidoji: Return  of the Overfiend") and continues his ravaging of Earth. Still in love with Tatsuo, Akemi runs out to find him. Meanwhile, Jyaku is confronted by some of the Chōjin's new 'children', and engages them in battle. However, his efforts prove almost futile, as they are constantly regenerated by the Chojin. Akemi eventually finds Tatsuo, still in his God form, and pleads with him. He clutches her in his hand (similarly to the end of the first episode) and prepares to kill her. However, she is rescued at the last minute by Jyaku, although she condemns him for doing so . Section::::"New Urotsukidōji: New Saga" (2002). This series was named , also known as Urotsukidōji: New Saga in the west, and was released in North America on March 9, 2004. This three-disc collection is a retelling of the first episode in "The Legend of the Overfiend". It has the same basic plot as "Birth of the Overfiend", the only difference is that Ozaki is now one of the main characters, and the story focuses more on him, while Nagumo is now a supporting character. New "Urotsukidoji" manga. After the popularity of the anime version of his work, Maeda sought to redo  the "Urotsukidoji" series. Inspired by the post-apocalyptic story in the anime version, Maeda fleshed out the story and also took it into the realm of the post-apocalyptic. The "Urotsuki" video series and the "Urotsukidoji" horror film are the only anime works which have borrowed from this series.