Movie: Few would argue that there isn't a need in porn to provide as wide a variety of product as is legally possible. That's why you can enjoy feature porn as well as vignettes or even the circus act gonzo themes depending on who you get your porn from. One company has looked at the market and decided to give animation fans a bit of fun too, yet not in the traditional Hentai style release (or generic rape anime like Cage) and that company is Cherry Boxxx Pictures. I've seen a whole lot to like by these guys in terms of attractive women having sex that seemed enjoyable by all concerned but I can also appreciate that they've tried to expand the market a little too. Such was the case when they released Pornomation recently, a series of short films that managed to show some humor, heat and pretty decent production values.

The movie was actually a series of very short animations and digital art as made by the husband and wife team of Pornotopia; Sagemonn & Karynna. The two have spent years working on still and computer erotic art with this DVD being a compilation of those works. There was very little story and most of the action amounted to a tease of better things to come but fans of anime and porn like myself might find a lot to enjoy here.

Each short lasted a few minutes in length and almost all of them either used a virtual blowjob or intercourse in a science fiction or fantasy setting. The animation looked a bit aged in most cases (keep in mind that something made in 2001, for example, is no longer considered "cutting edge") but there isn't a lot of adult animation being made these days either. The sex in the feature didn't rely on rape fantasies or virtual kiddy porn like Kekko Kamen and that alone is a quantum leap forward for fans of the genre but I was always left wanting more than was on display too. Perhaps Cherry Boxxx Pictures will commission the team that made these shorts to make a full length feature that will stand as the Fritz the Cat of the day but as hopeful I might be at that possibility, the running time of the shorts here was close to 30 minutes, hardly enough material to keep me interested. While it was fleshed out by a BTS feature showing some of what the couple went through to make their art, there's not much that can be said for such a limited production.

In all though, I liked the concept and think it showed a lot of potential but other than acting as a marketing tool for DVD menus or website content, I didn't think the purpose of the DVD was explained very well. As such, I'm going to give it a rating of Rent It for fans of both porn and anime like myself but don't think the stories or animation style were enough for a die hard fan like myself.

Picture: Pornomation was presented in the usual 1.33:1 ratio full frame color as the short films were originally shot. Okay, the films used an anime style that was fairly limited but similar in scope to that seen in the mainstream release Scourge of the Worlds (recently re-released in a special edition). I'd strongly urge the folks at Pornotopia to market their skills to various adult companies for DVD menus and maybe some short films to go along with features but even release a full fledged movie if possible too. There were no compression artifacts and while I wouldn't suggest the animations were very advanced for 2005, with some financial backing I think they'd do just fine.

Sound: The audio was presented in stereo English but the majority of the time, the audio was music (and not the strongest fantasy music available on the market if you catch my drift). There wasn't a lot of separation between the channels and the dynamic range wasn't great yet it was almost always fitting to the subject matter as were the audio special effects.

Extras: The only extra on the DVD was the inclusion of a Behind the Scenes feature that was very enjoyable. I sensed the couple had a kindred spirit and that they weren't just paying lip service to it as they talked about their roots, how they met, and their fantasies as translated onto the small screen. Maybe there'd be a market in the independent film festival for some of their work, although I think restrictions on adult material might squash that.

Final Thoughts: Pornomation served as an appetizer more than anything else and I enjoyed what little material was on the DVD. It was worth a rating of Rent It for anime fans but I think there might be a bigger market across the world too if a full feature of this type of thing were released. If you're looking for some interesting sex between computer generated characters in science fiction/fantasy settings, this would be as good as I've seen.

If you enjoy anime, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVDTalk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003 and Best Of Anime 2004 article!