D・N・A²

Vasectomy: The anime.

Hello fellow few people who still read reviews. It's been a busy semester for this professor, hence the lack of reviews during the year. However, this isn't a post about my sorry real life struggles, it's a  post about another 1990s Animé that is worth revisiting today, almost 30 years after its  original release date.

D・N・A², is a 12 episode Japanese animation based upon the same manga written  & illustrated by Masakazu Katsura, who also created Video Girl AI which we reviewed previously.  Romance, comedy and Sci-Fi blend to tell the story of Momonari Junta, a high school student who has terrible luck with women, and also an axiety disorder that makes it nearly impossible to establish any kind of physical contact with them. Kurimoto Ami is his childhood friend and classmate. Nothing out of the ordinary for a standard animé, right? Fast forward to the future, and the world is awfully overpopulated. A mysterious man nicknamed the "Mega-Playboy" is to blame, and the only way to stop him from getting hundreds and hundreds of women, is to travel back in time, and find him before he becomes the sexual beast women can't resist. Enter,  Aoi Karen, a DNA Operator from the future. Her mission: shoot down the Mega-Playboy with a special DCM (DNA Control  Medicine)  bullet that will obviously, as you've probably guessed by the Anime title,  modify his genetic structure and keep him a normal man forever. While the concept of genetics is not developed to the point  of being a biology class, the word DNA is mentioned several times by a variety of characters implying it's impossible for them to change their nature. Discussions of nature versus nurture, have taken place for centuries in science, novels, philosophy and family discussions. Can you turn the tide, and decide for yourself? Well, that's one of the questions this little Anime will try to answer in 12 episodes.

 

Junta and his women.

Ass from the future.

 

Although D・N・A² tells a story that has been told hundreds of times in both Manga and Anime, the kid who never finds a girl because he's too troubled to dare, is presented here in a hopeful manner despite all the unexpected changes about to unravel when past and future meet for a common goal: The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few. Junta is a kid who means no harm. He's never been popular with girls, and his friends are part of the same stereotyped group. As above mentioned, he probably has an anxiety disorder by current standards in medicine: He throws up whenever he gets aroused. Although this happens rarely on his life, he's decided to maintain distance with women to avoid the humiliation. Kurimoto Ami, his best friend is the submissive stereotyped friend who secretly loves him but is too shy to reveal her true feelings to him. If you can pass the stereotypes that have been ruining the romantic lives of millions of people who grew up watching either Anime or soap operas, then this Animé could be for you.

Once the inevitable future meets the past happens, Junta falls in love with Karen, who will eventually feel the same way. Comedy is all over in the first 6 or 7 episodes. Junta's condition, along with the fact Karen will shoot the wrong bullet, turns Junta into a mega playboy. However, this condition will basically be temporary until he makes love with one of his many admirers. Enter Saeki Tomoko, and Takanashi Kotomi. The first one is of the most popular and beautiful girls in Junta's school, and the ex-girlfriend of Ryuji (the antagonist). She falls in love with Junta because of his Mega-Playboy powers. The second one, is a friend and classmate of Ami's who has an embarrassing problem similar to Junta's allergy: she farts whenever she gets nervous. Kotomi develops a crush on Junta due to his Mega-Playboy DNA. She and Junta spend some time together trying to help cure each other of their problems. 

So, now that the bullet has been shot, it will be up to Aoi Karen to stop Junta from making love with one of his female admirers. If she fails, his transformation will be complete, and the future will remain the same with its overpopulation problem.

Junta's condition.

The power of the mega playboy.

Fan service wise, D・N・A² the scenes are mild, neither nudity, nor sex. These scenes serve the purpose of displaying Junta's problem whenever he's about to move to the next level. This serves as a sub-plot when Kotomi and Junta decide to solve their problem by training at the high school gym. Kotomi is perhaps the girl that gets closer to fully transforming Junta in the mega playboy. On the other hand, Tomoko also attempts to take Junta to her bed, which introduces the antagonist: Ryuji, a spoiled rich kid who's irresistible to women, and the one we could say is the mega playboy Karen is trying to stop.However, he's just an annoying character meant to get into an eventual final fight with Junta just because "her girl" had a thing for him. A sexist son of a bitch from the 90s.

Speaking of themes that haven't aged well, we can't overlook the fact that each character has some degree of obsessive compulsive behavior when it comes to getting what they want regardless of consequences. Moreover, by today standards, these characters would probably spend some time on therapy. On the other hand, I  know this is fictional story telling, and each of these exaggerated character traits serve a comedic purpose, while others are simply not acceptable. Two examples I can think of:

Ami's submissive behavior towards Junta, and the all the crap he brings to her, looks like someone with no self-esteem. Love has never been about giving up your personality, and needs in favor of someone else, that simply isn't love, and it's annoying all these mangakas keep on perpetuating this wrong concept even today. No wonder why some kids have serious difficulties letting their feelings out. In addition, whenever Junta is late for school or skips classes, Ami's ready to bring her class notes to him whenever necessary. In the final episodes, this trait reaches critical mass when she tells him she'll love him regardless what happens when he becomes this mega playboy. Seriously?  Will she stay home with dinner ready until he gets sick of fucking random women until he comes home? That cliché crap was already worn to death in the 90s.

Aoi Karen.

a woman with a mission.

Second example: Ryuji. While his misconduct is somewhat justified by the random DCM bullet he gets shot with, this guy is a potential rapist, an egotistical maniac, and someone with no ethics and morals whatsoever. I get they want you to loathe him because he is supposed to be the bad guy, sure, I get it! This guy is every sexist stereotype feminist movements can't stand today.

Plotwise, the story is quite weak, unless you apply suspension of disbelief. The whole mega-playboy problem could have been solved with a more competent DNA operator, and a vasectomy. No need for special bullets. Once the story reaches its climax, viewers are no longer interested. The comedy is gone, and the Dragon Ball-like fight between Ryuji & Junta makes no sense at all. Two episodes before we had no idea these bullets would give them superhuman strength, and a black belt in martial arts. The rushed finale led to a 3 OVA grand finale, or dare I say the actual ending of the story?

Taking showers is essential.

Gymnastics has its advantages.

Overall, D・N・A² starts off great. The first 7 episodes are the best, comedy and entertainment wise. From episode 8 on, the story is rushed and all the sci-fi added elements don't add up in the end. If you want to see how the story ends, you have to watch the 3 OVAs because, that's where the actual ending is. The problem many viewers found while watching DNA, is the fact that it seems the producers didn't know where to go after episode 7. The rushed final episodes, and all the elements they tried to cover, worked for the worst. The premise wasn't bad, yet the development and ending are perhaps the weakest. Animation wise, the art is beautiful, you can't deny that, and last but not least, the best part of this little anime is its main theme song: