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Have you ever experienced (or at least imagined) someone close to you going to a distant place, staying there for a considerable period of time, and returning as an entirely different person from your point of view? That's how things happened for Kyousuke Ishihara, whose younger sister Namika has returned to Tokyo from Osaka after being separated by family circumstances for the past ten years. And with that, we are introduced to the short anime series 'Boku no Imouto wa "Osaka Okan"'.

For anyone else, there isn't really much that this 12-episode series has to offer, with each episode running just 3-4 minutes long. Though the ... artwork still looks decent from my point of view, the animation quality is the major letdown here. Where it redeems itself is the fact that this show aims on educating not just the non-Osakan Japanese, but everyone all over the world the ways of Osakan life, and how it differs from the way of life in metropolitan Tokyo.

Ten years. That long period of time is more than enough for anyone to adopt the customs, ways of communication, and many other aspects of culture of a place different from their true hometown. And for those ten years, Namika Ishihara has become a full-blown 'Osaka momma', as how the translators put it. Now, how can an Osakan like her spark some humor in the show? For those who are Japanese, or have a good understanding of the Japanese culture, the humor is in the interactions between Kyousuke (the Tokyoite) and Namika (the Osakan), with interesting results.

If you're ever planning to go to Japan sometime in the future (that includes me) and include Osaka in your list of itineraries, try watching this series. Though the 'Osaka Rules' presented here are just the tip of the iceberg, it's better to know a few things about Osaka beforehand. Watching this series in one go isn't impossible; it should take around three-quarters of an hour to watch all 12 episodes.

For all the flaws that this show might have, it still has a hidden message that it wants to tell everyone: Dealing with a family member, relative, or friend who has adopted a cuture different from that of your homeland's isn't entirely a bad thing; rather, it is to be regarded as a learning experience. Plus, you'll never know when you might get the opportuninty to, or have to go to the place where they've gone to before; the knowledge you've gained about their culture will definitely prove useful.

Whether it's in real life or in fiction, one saying indeed holds true: True love knows no boundaries. In the world of fiction alone, I've witnessed scenes of that sort quite a handful of times. Given the main characters of this manga, it somehow reminded me of Chobits, which featured a human male and a gynoid robot (Persocom, to be precise), with a few differences that made it a masterpiece in my opinion.

Story-wise, Believe Machine introduces us to the life of twenty-year-old Masaru Yoneda and the gynoid robot Yuu (No. U-910710, Prototype Unit 2). What seemed bad luck for Masaru at the start of the ... story turned good upon his encounter with the inactive Yuu. As with any other romantic story, trials are sure to try to separate them from each other, including a big one that tests Masaru's heart and his love for Yuu. Eventually, the ending and short epilogue were truly heartwarming and touching, to the point that I almost got misty eyes. Hence, a caveat for fellow guys planning to read this hentai manga: Have more than just one box of tissues by your side. You never know when you'll be 'shedding manly tears' on this.

Artwork is satisfactory. Even though I was reading it in original Japanese language, where my knowledge of the language is still fragmented, I'd still find myself understanding the plot, since the main characters' emotions were well-depicted.

In terms of character development, Ozaken did a splendid job on this work. In just four chapters, Masaru has moved on in life after his breakup, and showed that he can love somebody once more. Even if that girl was Yuu, who happened to be a gynoid robot, constructed with the most sophisticated technology. If robots of her kind were to be constructed in the real world, calling such accomplishment as a milestone in the scientific community would still probably an understatement.

Honestly, I never thought I'd be encountering this manga series when I was browsing on Fakku!, probably the best-known hentai manga website. And I'm thankful that I got to read this work. Sexual content or no sexual content, works like this are really rare to come by. Sure, I loved CLAMP's Chobits, but Believe Machine, despite being shorter than the former, has surpassed it in terms of plot and character development. Since this is a manga with adult content, this is something I'd recommend with caution, though.

Bottom line: Who says hentai-genred works of fiction can't have a storyline as good as Believe Machine's?

Incest. One of the many taboos as dictated by the judgmental society. One that is considered immoral and wrong in every aspect. Metaphorically speaking, incest is a visually-disastrous model that no average painter nor photographer would ever pay attention to it; it's that ugly, regardless on which angle it is viewed from. Especially if this was to be discussed in my home country of the Philippines, known to be the only country in Asia whose predominant religion is Roman Catholic. The mere thought of one bringing up a discussion of this nature in my homeland would be enough to have him/her suspected of having such ... tendencies, and even worse, ostracized by society for a long time...

Story-wise, Koi Kaze tells the ordeals of 27-year-old Koshiro Saeki and 15-year-old Nanoka Kohinata, actual, blood-related siblings who have never seen each other for more than a decade. A fateful encounter between the two has set the stage for a breathtaking plot that slowly, but surely develops over the course of time. While many comment on the ending leaving the readers to speculate as to what will happen next, this is fully understandable in my case. If this was a real-life story, only one unseen 'Supreme Being' can answer the unspoken questions in the minds of those concerned about the two. After all, 'the future's not ours to see', as a line in a song goes. For Koshiro and Nanoka, 'whatever will be, will be'.

Sure enough, if the story wasn't realistic and powerfully compelling enough, I would have not minded to read a single page of this manga due to its artwork at first glance. However, the more I kept reading, my opinion on the artwork changed as well. Sure, it may not be as good as the artwork of even more recent and contemporary manga titles; however, given the nature of the primary theme of this manga and the pacing of the plot, the artwork appears mellow and relaxing for a change.

Character-wise, Koshiro and Nanoka have been portrayed in the most realistic way possible for an incest-themed story. The way they deal with their feelings for one another despite the obvious taboo of their developing relationship adds to the spice of the plot, and their efforts to keep such relationship away from the prying eyes and eavesdropping ears of society are what one would likely encounter in real life, should they know or be acquainted with someone in this type of relationship.

At first, when I first discovered this title from random searching in Wikipedia, I wasn't expecting that much, given the fact that I thought no other incest-themed anime and/or manga would satisy me other than the likes of Yosuga no Sora and Aki Sora. Koi Kaze, however, proved me wrong in many ways, and I was totally knocked off my feet. By the time I was done reading, I found myself having enjoyed Koi Kaze more than having enjoyed and being satisifed with the aforementioned two titles.

Overall, Koi Kaze is a must-read for those with an open mind towards the sensitive taboo subject tackled here, and something I would recommend with probably a dozen words of caution to those who have not encountered this theme in any work of fiction in any medium of presentation.