List of Ecchi Anime

Anime, the distinctive style of cartoon from Japan, comes in many styles. Some are defined by their audience, such as shojo (anime for young girls) or kodomo (those for children). Others are classified by the major theme of the story, like mecha (which involves robot-like vehicles). Ecchi involves more risque anime: romantic comedy with more sexual jokes than most American comedies. Though not pornography, the plots tend to revolve around sexual humor and misadventures. Genre boundaries often blur, but a number of anime shows--many considered classics--can be classified as ecchi.

“Ranma 1/2” was a long-running anime based on the manga by the venerable Japanese manga artist and writer Yumiko Takahashi. It concerns the problems of Ranma Saotome, son of martial artist Genma Saotome and an aspiring fighter himself. While in China, both Soatomes fall into a cursed spring, which makes them both change forms whenever they come into contact with water. Genma changes into a panda, but Ranma changes into a female. Much of the humor comes from Ranma being pursued by both men and women under his two guises, and the way he uses his sex changes to further his own ends. Though not as risque as some ecchi, Anime News Network categorizes it as such even though the sexual aspects of the show remain quite tame and the humor generally very mild.

“Strike Witches” is an ecchi anime originally released in 2007 in original video animation (OVA) format, and then again in 2008 on Japanese television. The show takes place on an Earth-like world where the military protects its citizens by a mixture of technology and magic. Strike Witches are women of high magical potential who fly around the world and battle the enemy with Strike Units, special weapons worn on their legs. “Strike Witches” spawned a sequel, “Strike Witches 2”, two novel series, several series of manga and, as of 2010, four video games.

“Love Hina” originally appeared in the late 1990s as a manga series written by Ken Akamatsu before making the leap to TV in 2000. The plot mostly concerns Keitaro Urashima, who desperately wants to enter the ultra-prestigious Tokyo University because of a promise made to a childhood girlfriend. He fails the entrance exam and instead becomes the manager of a girl’s dorm in the city. “Love Hina” proved to be a hugely popular anime. The entire run of the series, including a final episode never shown on television, appeared on nine DVDs and a boxed set. The series also produced video games, novels, its own reference books and original soundtracks.