Ikoku Irokoi Romantan

As anime's go this one is never going to go down in history as the greatest love story ever told. Nor is it going to be notorious for breaking tabboo's or showing some shockingly graphic scenes.

That doesn't mean to say though that you won't enjoy watching it anyway. If you're into yaoi, Ikoku Irokoi Romantan is a nice, short OVA that can provide you with a little boy love fix.

The story isn't groundbreaking but it's enjoyable to watch, the characters are a little bit predictable but I couldn't help but like them anyway. There are some quite unrealistic ... scenes in it which might leave you thinking; Oh that would never happen!

But the point of this anime isn't to bring shocking realism to a gay love story. The point is that it's a fantasy. There are a couple of hot scenes if you're into your boy smut & there are some quite funny moments as well as a little action thrown in for good measure.

I don't think non-yaoi fans would like it all that much but for anyone who wants to watch themselves a non-heavy and fun boy-love anime, then give Ikoku Irokoi Romantan a go.

I'll keep this simple - if you're just looking for ANY yaoi, ANY action...be my guest. You don't really have anything to lose with this show, but there's no gain to watching it either.

My main issue with the whole thing is that the relationship between Al and Ranmaru starts with Al forcing himself on Ranmaru while just telling him that it's okay (because somehow that justifies it in yaoi). I watched the first one and didn't enjoy it but figured I had to see it through, and it got worse. The plot goes all over the place and somehow Ranmaru ends up for auction ... in some weird viewing for rich men on ANOTHER boat...he gets sexually assaulted from which he should be traumatized, then they both decide to have sex in the middle of the boat with one of the previous assaulters punched up by Al right beside them. And the fact that Ranmaru is still married never goes away and in the end, he just runs away with Al without ever actually resolving the whole family/marriage part of the barely existing plot. Overall, not a great experience.

This is just your typical yaoi, fits the genre if that's what you're looking for, but overall not recommended. If you want something more on the yaoi side that actually has substance try something like Ai no Kusabi (1992).

"Romantic" my ass.

Plot and story:
This short anime is about Ranmaru who recently got married. He ends up drinking on their wedding day and, obviously, becomes drunk. The captain then takes advantage of Ranmaru's drunk state and leads him to a room on the ship where he rapes Ranmaru. Yes. Rape. Non-consensual sexual activities.
Even if it had been with consent, there is no love story or romance. Not even friendship. The captain clearly has no interest in Ranmaru's personality or life and only wants to bang him, which is far from being romantic in my opinion.

Characters:
The captain is a disgrace to Italians, even though ... he's just a fictional character. He's clearly not interested in forming any sort of relationship with Ranmaru. Considering how he has no sense of moral, personal space or respect, I'm sure this isn't the first time he has done this either.
As for Ranmaru, there isn't much to his character. While watching the anime, I couldn't relate to this character, his personality was flat and by the end, we don't know much about him other than about his marriage. Overall, he wasn't an interesting character.

Design and art:
The only plus for this forsaken anime. Ranmaru looks handsome, which is probably the only reason why Captain Rape wanted him.

Ending:
I think I've already made my opinion about this anime as clear as possible.
But at least the horrifying experience was short (Thank God for that).

Overall:
This is just another anime that proves Japan can't create a proper yaoi and/or shounen ai anime.
It completely skips the most important thing in a love story and jumps directly to the bed scene, as if that is what romance is all about.
Before I watched this anime, I was expecting drama, romance and angst. Three typical things in forbidden love stories, which is what the anime was supposed to be. Did the anime have any of these things? No.

As a hopeless romantic person, I want to see actual romance. Seeing two guys in a bed will never impress me. The love needs to be pure and the bond between the characters needs to be strong and well developed. This anime had neither of these things and failed to convince me that these two main characters love each other, which means the anime has failed to show and work with its main genre - romance.
Such a disappointment.
I recommend skipping this anime. Read a fanction or a doujinshi about your favorite pairing instead.