Ai no Kusabi Part 1 (1992 OVA)
It seems that I just can’t stay away from these old school OVAs and fangirling like it’s 1999! But I’m a big believer in doing what brings you joy - even if it’s something as simple as watching BL from back in the day… I recently did a post about another classic that focuses on desperate love (Zetsuai 1989) and this is another OVA that falls in the same vein - that dramatic love that becomes a legend for the ages! But before I say any more…
PLEASE BE WARNED - SPOILERS AHEAD!! IF YOU’VE NEVER WATCHED THESE OVAS, YOU MAY WANT TO AVERT YOUR EYES NOW!! SPOILER ALERT!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!
So if you’re still reading this then I assume you want to hear more about what I’m talking about, so let’s begin with some background. These OVAs are actually based on novels rather than manga and if you do some digging around, you can find some translations of it on the net. However, if you like a more visual telling of the tale then these OVAs from the 90s are exactly what you need. I’m going to cover the first OVA in this post and the 2nd OVA in a separate one just because of the sheer length of the OVAs (they’re like movies). And in case you were interested - I’ll tell you why I prefer this version over the more recent releases as a separate post (links to the 2nd part of Ai no Kusabi and the comparison posts will be provided at the end).
So to start off the story, perhaps bit of background is needed so you can orient yourself around this new sci-fi world. So we are definitely not on earth anymore, but rather on a small outlying 12th planet called Amoi that’s part of another solar system called Glan. On this satellite, where there was once nothing, a number of scientists came together and used this planet as a means of experimentation - free from taboos or politics. From these experiments, the city of Tanagura was born which was initially run by humans until the computer that they created to continually gather information gained intelligence, becoming an AI that humans could not stand against, named [Lambda] 3000 or Jupiter. If Tanagura is the centre where all the elites live, then Midas is a level down where the ordinary citizens live. However, don’t be fooled because Midas is more like Las Vegas - where people indulge in whims and fantasies and it is known as a city of pleasure. But in order to live here, you must be on the registry and have an ID card. Taking a step away from Midas is Ceres - a place known as the slums where only the lowest of the low live and are referred to as “mongrels” and are never allowed to live and work in Midas because they don’t possess an ID. There is a history lesson behind how Tanagura, Midas and Ceres came to be but if you’re really interested in the details then reading the book will help.
Being the “centre of pleasure” in this solar system, Tanagura and Midas indulge in just about any vice - alcohol that’s actually a hallucinogenic drug (known as stout or trippers), gambling, sex and most notably, a form of slave trade known as owning “pets” and “furniture”. Pets are essentially bred and born to satisfy those who are truly wealthy and can afford to buy them - they are thus seen as a status symbol. Furniture are usually males who have been castrated and are left to run the household and look after the pets of their owners. Those who can afford them are usually the elites of Tanagura, who have their own ranks among them based on hair and eye colour. The darker your hair, the lower your rank, going from black to brown, red through to silver and at the top of it all, are the Blondies - 13 of them in total, who have all been created/engineered by Jupiter and “she” considers them as her “children”. Of these 13, only one is considered the top rank: Iason Mink - Jupiter’s favourite. Although engineered to be perfect, Blondies are sterile but use pets in a voyeuristic way rather than to actively engage with the pet directly - essentially pets are to throw away any sense of pride and have no shame about performing various sex acts - sometimes with other pets. Pets can also be either male or female and are sometimes put together as breeding partners (in order to create more beautiful pets to be auctioned when they’re at the right age).
Phew! I know that was a lot to absorb right off the bat, but I feel you’d benefit from knowing the background first rather than trying to pick up pieces as we go. So this is the world that Ai no Kusabi is set in: Tanagura, Midas and Ceres; Elites (including Blondies), citizens and mongrels - the social caste systems are set and no one goes against the norm… Not until the day that Iason met Riki………..
Full story under the cut…
[Want more? Ai no Kusabi 1994 OVA Part 2 & 90s vs 2012 OVAs here]
