If you guys are the kind of people that say: “I’m open minded”, “I like yuri because it’s different from other anime genres”, “I’m mature enough to watch hentai and enjoy it without any prejudice” and blah blah blah…. Well then, today we’ll find out if that is really true. 😉

In 1995, the studio Pink Pinapple released two episodes of the hentai anime Stainless Night as an adaptation from the ero-manga of the same name. The protagonist is Linear, a girl that woke up after 10 years of sleeping in a capsule. The problem is that she does not clearly remember her past or why she was put into the capsule to sleep for so long.

Close to the place where she awakens, there is a research center which is the destination that Sayaka and Misuzu chose for their vacation. Both women are investigators at the center, but chose it as a resting place, since they knew it would be vacant during that time. As soon as they arrive, senpai Misuzu takes advantage of their privacy and makes love to her docile kohai. They are rudely interrupted by Aki, a younger kohai that discovered their plans for the vacation and thus decides to follow them, though her real intention is to simply spend more time with her adored Misuzu. When nighttime arrives, Misuzu has no option but to sleep in the same room as Aki. Sayaka then sleeps in another room with her puppy, Luey. Something catches the attention of the dog, and he runs into the forest, making Sayaka pursue him. When she finally catches up, she discovers what had sparked Luey’s interest: Linear.

Well, there is not that much to the plot, but it definitely is intriguing. If you are looking for science fiction and sex scenes, this is the show for you. It’s not the greatest love story of all time, but there is certainly love involved, and it is yuri after all (despite Linear being futanari, but let’s go step by step). Two episodes is not enough to describe in further detail Linear’s origin and the reasons behind her high value. That is why, at times, the whole development of the relationship of the main characters feels slightly rushed. And yet, you can truly feel the love involved.

Linear: She is a mysterious and sexy android with amnesia, and she carries a valuable chip inside her body (think something along the lines of Koukaku no Pandora). She has the kind of personality that reminds me a lot of Chikane from Kannazuki no Miko, beautiful, but not totally conscious of that, lonely, serious, and she hides a big secret.

Sayaka: She wears glasses, and that is all that matters! *nosebleed*

Ok, it’s not. Sorry about the little outburst~

She is a quiet girl with the appearance of someone like a hot secretary. She’s the object of lust for her senpai Misuzu, and therefore, on the receiving end of Aki’s jealousy. However, she falls in love with Linear right away.

Misuzu: She is an alpha female or a “lady killer”. She knows what she has and enjoys playing with Sayaka by, for example, making her blush. But she is also kind and gentle with Aki. She’s also a good investigator and can act as a leader when she has to.

Aki: She is another researcher at the facility, but acts like a spoiled child when Misuzu is around.

Asterisk: Another android, but one that has no good intentions and that targets Linear. She is trying to get the chip hidden inside of Linear and is ready to kill, if necessary.

There are no men involved, except for the creator of Linea, who only appears a couple of times in her memories as a protector figure.

There are no men involved, except for the creator of Linear, who only appears a couple of times in her memories as a protector figure.

Let’s just take a breath before we continue. Ready? Here we go.

Most of us yuri fans, especially the veterans among us, have an idea of what futanari means, but let me illustrate for those less experienced. Futanari is the Japanese word for hermaphroditism. In anime, the term is used to describe a pornographic genre that includes characters that show a feminine appearance, but have both sexual organs.

That’s exactly what Linear is. And that’s where most debates begin, because the “purists” among us yuri fans say that sexual acts must always happen between two women with the usual female characteristics.

In my humble opinion, that “special characteristic” is what makes culminate the relationship of the two protagonists. And it’s not because they need it, it’s because they accept each other with their “defects” and “virtues”. When Linear makes love to Sayaka, she simply doesn’t do it because she wants to own her, but because she wants to make her happy, and that is what matters. Be it on Mars, or on Earth, this is love, and in my opinion, this is yuri.

I have to be honest. One of the main reasons why it took me so long to watch this anime was because of its animation. In the 90’s, many of you were not even born, and the animation style simply looked very different from what we know from today’s shows. Just take a look at the “computer” that Misuzu uses in the research center, and you’ll know what I mean, among many other things.

However, we have to give them credit for presenting attractive drawings and the care with which they handled the “special characteristic” of Linear. Because instead of just putting out the obvious depiction of it, we receive an almost poetic way of appreciating it. I just think it was really well done.

It is definitely a nice anime. I enjoyed the characters, the different themes, the horror scenes, well, pretty much the whole thing. It might have worked better as a 12 episode series, though, since they didn’t much clarify the origin of the androids. They could have also added more action scenes and even developed the relationship between many of the characters in a more deeper and more vivid way.

In conclusion, if you are now 100% sure that you really own an “open mind” as well as an “open heart”, then I believe you will truly enjoy this series as much as I did~

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