How did Hentai made its way to America?

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usamimi
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Re: How did Hentai made its way to America?

Post by usamimi »

Yeah, while there's still some old-school shops like that around, it's nice to know there's alternatives out there (or even places that cleaned up their act a little!)

Ironically, I remember the comic shop in Pike Place in WA still carrying a lot of vintage adult manga releases right up until I moved away. I'm assuming a lot of the older brick and mortor places still might have old stock sitting around, for those brave enough to be seen digging through those "adults only" boxes.
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mbanu
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Re: How did Hentai made its way to America?

Post by mbanu »

If I had to guess why there aren't so many volunteers for hentai preservation, it's because it has the same problems as preserving obscure laserdisc releases, only moreso; the animation is bad, the plot not even bad-funny, and you can't even easily claim historical significance because you have to unmask the pseudonyms first. I kind of wish that more directors and animators would come clean on their "porn names", as I think that would lead to more preservation. Otherwise you have to rely on that truly rare breed, the person who will dig through bargain bin after bargain bin for used, untranslated, censored hentai to find something unique. (^_^;)
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NorthernKaleCity
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Re: How did Hentai made its way to America?

Post by NorthernKaleCity »

Fireminer wrote: Fri Sep 04, 2020 7:12 pm I know that back in the 1990s, you could hire porn on VHS from rental stores ("behind the curtains" and things like that, right?). But what about Hentai works? How did they made their way to America? I suppose that some early fans had already obtained some tapes or manga from their Japanese sources, right? And nudity was not a weird sight to fans at the time, given all the OVA they licensed.
You could order it over the counter at Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, and when it came in, they normally would put in the Mature Audience section of the store, along with the rest of the porn. ha.

The curtains you're talking about are novelty, something the store owner would put up as their way of censoring a portion of their store and making it a must see wonder; and really, those were the mom and pop shops you entered once, and probably never again. The mystique of the curtain was the selling point, but once you walked behind it, more often than not, it was a giant letdown. Sometimes you'd walk in and think, really, all that curtain for this shit?

Blockbuster had it, so did Hollywood Video, FYE, and SunCoast. They ordered it for you. Japan was sending out across the Pacific. It was only a matter of time before it came to America.

And nah, it wasn't weird. Some fans would look at you from across the video store and laugh at you for being a pervert, but you shrug it off and rent Dragon Pink for the fourth time anyways. Fuck it. If it made you happy, it made you happy. :D

Little did we know, those of us who did rent it, now live in a world where hentai lives at your fingertips. It's a nice time to love hentai. ♥
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NorthernKaleCity
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Re: How did Hentai made its way to America?

Post by NorthernKaleCity »

mbanu wrote: Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:56 am If I had to guess why there aren't so many volunteers for hentai preservation, it's because it has the same problems as preserving obscure laserdisc releases, only moreso; the animation is bad, the plot not even bad-funny, and you can't even easily claim historical significance because you have to unmask the pseudonyms first. I kind of wish that more directors and animators would come clean on their "porn names", as I think that would lead to more preservation. Otherwise you have to rely on that truly rare breed, the person who will dig through bargain bin after bargain bin for used, untranslated, censored hentai to find something unique. (^_^;)
You'd be surprised who was involved with hentai WAY before they made their mainstream Anime debuts. I would look up some of their names now and realize, holy shit, SHE was into hentai before she did THAT?! :lol:

It's fun rabbit hole to jump down in. I recommend it. :D
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NorthernKaleCity
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Re: How did Hentai made its way to America?

Post by NorthernKaleCity »

usamimi wrote: Tue Sep 22, 2020 12:17 pm Yeah, while there's still some old-school shops like that around, it's nice to know there's alternatives out there (or even places that cleaned up their act a little!)

Ironically, I remember the comic shop in Pike Place in WA still carrying a lot of vintage adult manga releases right up until I moved away. I'm assuming a lot of the older brick and mortor places still might have old stock sitting around, for those brave enough to be seen digging through those "adults only" boxes.
But you'd have to travel in a group of fans. One guy walking in asking, ey, can I see your old adult VHS tapes, doesn't make for quite the introduction, and al the more reason for the store owner to dial that nine...then a one...and if the creepola starts getting fidgety... :lol:
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Re: How did Hentai made its way to America?

Post by Akage »

NorthernKaleCity wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:38 pmBut you'd have to travel in a group of fans. One guy walking in asking, ey, can I see your old adult VHS tapes, doesn't make for quite the introduction, and al the more reason for the store owner to dial that nine...then a one...and if the creepola starts getting fidgety... :lol:
Maybe it's because I'm a woman, but one of my favorite anime convention experiences is to watch the reactions from (the usually male) anime doujinshi company staff and their clientele.

They often start by pointing me to the yaoi table until I mention that that's not really what I'm in to seeing. I go through a colorful request list. Sometimes they have something, but it's usually "Are you *really* in to that?" When I tell them that I think it's pretty hot, some of them have lost their cool.

I usually bring a good male friend along since he not only likes to peruse the doujinshi selection but loves some of the reactions other anime fans have given him. He's been congratulated a few times in the past for some of the requests I've made :lol:

And yeah, if the people at the booth do find something that fits my request, I do buy it. The amusement is worth the mark-up doujinshi price alone.
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NorthernKaleCity
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Re: How did Hentai made its way to America?

Post by NorthernKaleCity »

Akage wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 6:58 pm
NorthernKaleCity wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:38 pmBut you'd have to travel in a group of fans. One guy walking in asking, ey, can I see your old adult VHS tapes, doesn't make for quite the introduction, and al the more reason for the store owner to dial that nine...then a one...and if the creepola starts getting fidgety... :lol:
Maybe it's because I'm a woman, but one of my favorite anime convention experiences is to watch the reactions from (the usually male) anime doujinshi company staff and their clientele.

They often start by pointing me to the yaoi table until I mention that that's not really what I'm in to seeing. I go through a colorful request list. Sometimes they have something, but it's usually "Are you *really* in to that?" When I tell them that I think it's pretty hot, some of them have lost their cool.

I usually bring a good male friend along since he not only likes to peruse the doujinshi selection but loves some of the reactions other anime fans have given him. He's been congratulated a few times in the past for some of the requests I've made :lol:

And yeah, if the people at the booth do find something that fits my request, I do buy it. The amusement is worth the mark-up doujinshi price alone.
Yeah, I'm probably one of those guys looking over my shoulder thinking, "Holy shit, did she just ask for that? They have that here?" :lol:

I think that's pretty cool. Here's hoping the universe hears you and helps more women to go out there and really share what they want in their hentai. :)
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Re: How did Hentai made its way to America?

Post by _D_ »

Yeah, it sounds like Bill Ward doing drawings for fetish mags. He wasn't into it, though people assumed he was. He was just very mercenary as an artist. If you paid him, he would draw it. I've seen some of those drawings rather than the tamer stuff he did for comics and even skin mags or humour mags like Sex to Sexty. Weird stuff all right...
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