I like me some lemons – review of Pop Chaser and Star Trap

Hentai aren’t usually praised for their script (though they are way more imaginative than 3D pr0n); cleverness and sensuality aren’t frequent ingredients. Since the main audience is perceived to be males who just want to release their sexual frustration, you can’t expect anything but the male gaze and fantasies. This means non-con situations, crude shots focused on body parts and not on the whole, no emotional interaction apart from fake moans and dirty talk, and lots of liquids. Everywhere.

And here comes this post to pinpoint you to two rare gems which are lady-friendly and exceptionally well-done in all aspects. Let’s get deliciously naughty with Pop Chaser and Star Trap from the Cream Lemon series!

A. POP CHASER

If you are a lover of the oldies (80s) or a hardcore fan of either Hiryuki Kitakubo or Hideaki Anno, who’s digged into their bios, you’ll probably have heard of Pop Chaser. But for the rest, this title might still be obscure. Especially in the case you avoid everything H.

It is about a lovely tough lady, Rio, who’s on a ‘trip’ in the Wild West on her motorbike, carrying around some guns. She stops by a town which is often plundered and as she needs to rest, she stays at the only remaining -eccentric- salloon and hotel. Rio is approached and seduced by the sweet little Mai, a maid there, and the next day when Zack’s gang attacks, she gets unavoidably involved. The outcome is not exactly what you expect it to be.

 Pop Chaser is standing above all the other episodes of Cream Lemon both animation-wise and directing-wise. In this fourth episode of the long running series (1984-2006) one can notice that there are long ending credits, meaning lots of people worked on it and put an effort worth of recognition. The robots’ movements and battles are smoothly executed, giving them the impression of being elusive and not just strong. I am sure that fans of mecha will appreciate it much more than me. But what has charmed me is something else entirely.

The sex scene between Mai and Rio awes me. It’s the best yuri sex scene I’ve ever had the chance to watch in this medium. It’s consensual, it’s highly-detailed, it’s steamy, it’s tender as hell, it’s intimate and honest. It’s not fake. The voice acting isn’t comically high-pitched and the moaning feels natural, not forced. This scene lasts a total of 7 minutes, which are quite a few considering that most of its kind last 2-3 minutes on average. For me at least, the care and dedication towards their love-making means a lot.

One of the things that female pornography pays a lot of attention to is the way the sex is portrayed as a wholistic experience. It is refreshing that we get such a treatment from a male director. Their bodies are shown entangled from a lot of different points of view and usually they can be seen in a single frame; panning is used moderately and even in that case its purpose isn’t (just) oggling. The techniques employed seem to focus on the lavishly affectionate actions of the characters towards each other and their reactions.

Instead of excessive fluids and vagina shots, Kitakubo decided to take a more artistic, romantic and humane approach. He did that through the use of black space and implied sexual activity; it was also a decent way to cencor things without being annoying and ridiculous (the mosaic, fog or light are ubiquitus in hentai). Giving the spotlight on gestures and body motion was one more way.

Clenching a fist on the sheets might not be groundbreaking but I am really fond of the way Rio’s feet respond to all the tiny details in Mai’s caresses. I can say I’m even grateful to be a ‘peeping Tom’ of such a personal moment between the girls. I can imagine the sounds Rio’s feet make while making a mess of the sheets beneath her or when she rubs her legs together unable to control herself. I can almost hear Mai’s hand stroking Rio’s lap, her thighs, her calves, fondling her breast gently, teasing her back with her fingers featherly… I am getting not only all hot and bothered but also jealous. From watching two fictional characters rolling in the hay. Ain’t it something?

Getting into the pants of a fellow woman and taking them off has honestly never looked so pretty and sexy! The way Mai’s hand falls flat on the lower part of Rio’s abdomen and her finger playfully sneaks under the cloth that hides Rio’s muff; the way Mai’s hand bends and pulls down Rio’s undies is so elaborate, so mischievious and erotic, and so full of emotions that my heart skips a beat.

The facial expressions shout aloud excitement and amorous play. Their gazes towards one another are very loving and frank. The blushes are a mix of arousal and embarassment and the viewer can comprehend this. Rio’s half-lidded eyes show a calm yet sweltering desire taking over. Her abandonment to the joy of sex is obvious in her upwardly shut eyes and the small gaping mouth. When Mai closes her eyes serenely while embracing Rio’s tummy, we can spot pleasant familiarity. By hovering over Rio’s lips in the afterglow Mai leaves a sense of sweet longing. All these combined with the endearing use of the suffix -ko burst into fireworks of candies in your chest.

And then you’ll ask me ‘what about the second half of the episode?’ And I’ll have to give you both a warning and a ‘listen to me first’ sign. There’s a gang destroying and stealing as I’ve mentioned before. You definitely don’t expect them to treat exactly like gentlemen the women they kidnap; so yes, the show descends that path and I’ll have to warn you about rape. I initially winced, since I get highly disturbed by such plot turn even in fiction, but here with wackiness on our face already from the start, things are a liitle bit different.

Clearly it’s kinda s p o i l e r i s h, so act accordingly. Where were we? Ah, talking about an unpleasant situation. Initially we see very briefly the gang being savages with the girls. Then how Zack treats Mai and how the latter reacts takes most of the time. Thankfully, the gang leader, who’s at least handsome, is less savage than his men, therefore we are spared very cruel scenes and apart from a few tears, things aren’t that painful. What turns the tables is that Mai somewhere along the way, somehow gets the upper hand, having changed mind about Zack banging her. She gets on top and doesn’t let his piece even when they are attacked, which hilariously leads to their destruction. The other girls find the opportunity to take their revenge, too, and batter the gangsters.

In case you still find this offensive and nasty, please wait till the end credits roll. You’ll be surprised to see the whole cast gathered, smiling goofily at the camera and someone, obviously the director, thanking them for their good work! It’s an amusing display of a meta wink and reassurance that everything was consensual betwen the ‘actors’ at the same time. Needless to say, I was elated to see such cleverness and sensitivity. I hope you appreciate it, too.

B. STAR TRAP

If Pop Chaser is a parody of westerns, Star Trap is a joke at the sci-fi space operas. Its logo uses a font that look awfully similar to Star Trek‘s and Star Wars‘. Like Pop Chaser it’s full of pep, pokes fun at the notion of valor and graces us with some mouthwatering yuri action.

Kanata and Lan may be cuties, but they are not to be underestimated as they have super powers. Kanata can transform to everything imaginable and handy, while Lan is über strong, can lift tonnes and in emergency cases is able to release a destructive wave. They have a small problem, though, with getting a bit carried away and they end up inflicting too much damage in the testing laboratory, thus their salary is reduced and they’re send to relax. Soon enough the planet is threatened by a gigantic alien ‘planet’ which abducts women. They are called to save Earth as the ultimate solution, they get unwillingly involved and they win with the power of their sex flair!

Unlike Pop Chaser, Star Trap is more conventional with its directing of the sex scenes and simultaneously more shameless. There is more drooling and love juices. The shots zoom in on breasts and genitals just for (male) gratification. The phallus is what contributes greatly to orgasms, which are expressed through your standard fair of gaping mouths and sweat droplets sprinkled in the air.

However, Star Trap isn’t without its pros, otherwise it wouldn’t be included in this post. It keeps sex consensual and presents it under a positive, fun-loving light, while being careful with precautions, namely putting a condom on the sex toy (which is *cough* a cucumber *cough*). It also is brave enough for the era in which it was created and had no cencorship whatsoever. Moreover, I am content with what they’ve done with the gender roles within the couple: Lan is the one almost always topping and the strongest of the two and yet she’s very feminine both in looks (long hair) and in the chores she undertakes in the household (cooking).

In the second sex scene and towards the end a reversal of roles in the couple takes place and I find this even more fascinating as the repertoire in the boudoir of most people is versatile and isn’t dictated necessarily by seme-uke dynamics. Additionally, even when the scenario turns faux heterosexual, tenderness isn’t completely absent either through kisses on Lan’s back or through the lotus blossom position. Star Trap has its own charm.

Generally, out of the 16 translated episodes of the Cream Lemon series these two are worth your time as entertainment and as art. Try them out and enjoy yourselves!