No Money!
(Okane ga nai!)
Reviewer: Sapadu [email]Overall Rating:B
Media Reviewed: DVD
Creator: Hitoyo Shinozaki
U.S. Licensed: Yes
Released by: Kitty Media
Run time: 4 30-minute episodes
BL Content: Hard (nudity, sexual situations)
Genre: Comedy
Other media: Japanese manga Okane ga nai
Oh, what is there to say about Okane ga Nai? For starters, the basic plot is that Ayase Yukiya (or possibly Yukiya Ayase, as I have no clue which is his given name and which is the family name) has been auctioned off by his less-than-ethical cousin to pay off his debt. The winner of the bid: Kanou Somuku (or Somuku Kanou; the anime is never really clear on the order the names are meant to go in). As the winner of the bid, paying a whopping 120 million yen, Kanou expects to be paid back by the little Ayase, but gives a (what he believes is) reasonable offer: for every time Ayase surrenders his body, Kanou will pay him 500,000 yen. Naturally, as Ayase is still not understanding what has transpired in the bid, the transactions are often not voluntary, which sets the stage for what could be a very dark anime if it weren't for the fact that Kanou's true desire is for Ayase's heart, as well as his body.
A lot of the rest of the episodes are involved in Ayase's debt, him looking for ways to pay it off, Kanou fighting to protect Ayase while somehow or another never being able to admit to the boy himself how he feels, and the developing relationship between them. The first scene between the two was a very Sleeping Beauty-esque (and very brief) scene of Kanou attempting to kiss Ayase before he woke up. The next interaction between the two is the infamous rape scene, which I mostly skipped through since the idea disturbed me on a personal level. Indeed, when I first heard about this interaction, I was very turned off, but decided to give the anime a shot and was pleasantly surprised to see that there are many more fluffy scenes than you would expect (including, but not limited to, Kanou attempting to cook and the noises in the background that tell you he's obviously inept, a kiss during the middle of a Russian Roulette that makes virtually everyone in the room gape in utter shock, and a book entitled "How to Care for Small Animals").
Beyond just the sweet, even if sometimes bitterly so, moments between Ayase and Kanou, their personalities are engaging to watch. The first two episodes are all from Kanou's perspective, so you can tell right from the get-go that, even after forcing the little uke into a less-than-romantic first time, he feels disgusted with himself, because he really does care about Ayase. To best describe his personality, he's similar to a lion that's being tamed: forceful, powerful, and serious about his business, but capable of licking any bites he gives. However, the third episode is completely from Ayase's perspective and adds a new level of intrigue to the game: while it seems for a while that Kanou's mostly forcing Ayase in their encounters, he's not entirely unwilling. What Ayase's issue really is is more that he doesn't want to admit that he wants Kanou, and he doesn't want to be used like an object, but rather, have their relationship just as two people. Part of it comes from the stigma that Ayase feels from, essentially, being turned into a... harlot... but also because he still doesn't understand who Kanou is, why he's so obsessed with Ayase, or what their history once was. For a viewer like myself, this was a nice little touch, especially since Ayase admits more than once that Kanou, despite doing things that Ayase sees as wrong and uncomfortable, is still kind and gentle to him.
I feel like I've said too much, already, but there's still so much to be said: the Kuba twins, who are Kanou's right-hand men; Someya Kaoruko, Kanou's childhood friend who is also one of his clients and an okama to boot - gotta love the okama... just gotta - all provide a backdrop that often serves as comic relief, but sometimes also help move Kanou along in his relationship skills, however indirectly. Then, the art style, while apparently not as popular as I percieve it, is something quite enjoyable in its own way. Each character has a different style used to bring out their features - Kanou's harshness, but also possiblity for being caring, if domineering, resembles the features of a shark, while Ayase's innocence and sweet temper are personified by features that are often compared to a cute little hamster or something of the like. And you can usually tell who the "Bad Guys" are by their lack of any appeal, whatsoever.
To change topics, the music is varied - some pieces, while maybe a little too dramatic, help add to the scene in a particularly emotional turn of events, while other times, they could be really ignored. The voice actors of virtually all the repeated characters (that is, the characters who are important enough to have their pictures in the opening theme) portray their roles with good variety, from Ayase's soft-spoken voice that is high pitched, but still male at the same time, to Kanou's gruff snarl which still manages to have passionate, heartfelt tones, to Someya dancing between distinctly masculine to teasing, and possibly deliberately overdone, feminine - it all adds up to an enjoyable listen, that can make an emotional moment deeply touching or break the tension of a dark episode with humor.
As for other media, I've never seen it, but I will say this: given how most other animes might fantasize the events, Okane ga Nai gives a startlingly accurate peek into the dark world of human trafficking - even if Kanou's personality changes the overall outcome, the idea of buying, selling, and trapping the victim in debt by heaping on interest rates or fees for care is eerily similar to the real world. Thankfully, for all yaoi and shonen-ai fans, the "owner" is not a bad guy and there is actual emotion in the relationship to make it sweet and heartwarming.
In summary, I enjoy it enough that I wouldn't mind watching it as a rental, but I'd wait to see the whole series before deciding if it was something I'd want to purchase.
