The erotic visual novel Nukitashi, about a group of teenagers who rebel against an island that encourages wanton sex, is receiving an anime adaptation titled Nukitashi The Animation. A teaser visual has been released, and the show is stated to be “c**ming soon.”
KADOKAWA is involved in the anime’s production. Further details like the production staff, length, and how the game’s content will be tackled, are currently unknown.
Developed by Qruppo, the Nukitashi visual novel (full title Nukige Mitai na Shima ni Sunderu Binnyuu wa Dousurya Iidesuka?, informally translated by its devs as What’s a Flat-Chested Girl like Me to Do on an Island Straight out of a Porn Game?) was released in Japan for Windows PC in 2018. The game trended online in Japan in 2020 when comedian Crystal Noda introduced it during the variety program Yuushaaaaa‘s Game of the Year 2019 awards; Noda would later cite the 2019 sequel, Nukitashi 2, as the most emotional game he had ever played on the same program. A localized version of the first Nukitashi with English and Chinese options was published by Shiravune in 2023, while the sequel’s localization is set to launch this year.
Shiravune describes the first Nukitashi game’s premise as:
Seiran Island, a tropical eden where people are free to act on their desires under a uniquely libertine law. But even here in paradise, there are those who work in the shadows to bring it down…
United, these misfits stand side by side as the secret society NLNS.
As their founder and head honcho, I, Junnosuke Tachibana,
won’t stop until we’ve crushed this crazy law once and for all!
I’ve even found a benefactor in this crusty old rich guy, name unknown…
He’s hooked us up with a secret base and a buttload of cash already.
In return, he wants us to find someone and “protect her at all costs.”
Apparently, she holds the key to our mission’s success…?
In which case, there’s only one thing to do: locate this mystery girl.
And all while keeping the SHO off our scent, too…
Make no mistake! I’ll stop that law in its tracks, just wait and see!
Nukitashi The Adaptation‘s announcement has caused a mix of bemusement, amusement, and interest in Japan, owing to the visual novel’s abundance of erotic content — the censored version on Steam has an estimated length of two-plus hours, while the regular version has a 40 hour playtime listed on VNDB. “Have the anime industry people finally had their families taken hostage?” @user-yx8ok2iy8r wrote in the teaser’s YouTube comment section, while @user-qr9fn1iv6l joked that they would await the airing of the anime in the family-friendly Nichiasa morning slot.
A number of people in the anime industry have responded to the news with positive anticipation as well. Names like Kerorira (Bocchi the Rock! character designer) and Kenji Sawada (OSHI NO KO co-main animator) retweeted the announcement, while Kanna Hirashima (OSHI NO KO character designer) expressed her love for the game as well as her interest in working on the adaptation.
Nukitashi won the Moe Game Award 2018’s Scenario and New Brand prizes, while Nukitashi 2 received the grand prize at the Moe Game Award 2019. A manga adaptation of Nukitashi, drawn by Mameojitan, started serialization in Beaglee’s Manga Oukoku in 2020. Shueisha publishes the physical tankoubon volumes, of which there are five as of November 2023.
In a Q&A published on Shiravune’s website, Qruppo project planner Nagatosachi said that the game contains “a whole lot of ‘Japanese aesthetic’ built in, including plenty of cultural motifs and wordplay.” Later, in response to Shiravune mentioning the high praise for “its combination of comedy and more serious themes,” they replied, “NUKITASHI wasn’t designed in an especially sane or logical way, so I’m not exactly sure where that comes from. If anything, the writing was more ‘pantsed’–a type of fever dream that more or less told itself.”
Source: @nukitashi_anime
