Ecchi Anime... or A Marriage Lesson in An Unexpected Place

Before I discovered BBC iPlayer, I wasted a lot of time on Google Video watching anime. Fan-subbed anime is a bit hit-or-miss. There's so much really strange anime out there.

Onegai Sensi is one of the strangest. The plot follows an eighteen-year-old boy and his wife. The catch? The groom is still in high school, catching up after three years off with a mysterious illness. The bride? A benevolent alien babe sent to study the education system on Earth which means... she is also Kei's teacher. In the series' first episode, the two get caught together in an accidentally-compromising situation. To avoid Kei's expulsion and Sensei's job loss, the two fiegn a marriage the later validate to avoid suspicion.

Yes. The plot is hokey. And yes, the anime is full of ecchi breast shots and heavy inuendo. But, beneath that, the story is astonishingly frank. It chronicles the very real obstacles Kei and Sensei have to overcome to make their marriage work. This episode is one of my favorites because it captures so many of the dynamic ups and downs as they learn to love each other:

• Sensei is more intelligent than Kei--she has to learn not to lord it over him, he, not to resent her for it. Kei still copes with bouts of illness--Sensei has to learn not to undermine his masculinity and he has to learn to accept help from her.
• Sensei works full-time--she and Kei struggle to achieve a work, homelife balance.
• Kei still likes to spend time with his friends, to whom his marriage is a secret--Sensei has to overcome her suspicions and jealousies. Kei, in turn, is the object of one of his friends' affections--he has to seriously consider his level of commitment to his wife and to disentangle himself gently.
• And both Kei and Sensei struggle with their shyness and reserve before they can consumate their relationship.

I'm not claiming that Onegai Sensi is high literature. But it is a wonderful example of how important insights pop up in even the most bizarre of places. In one way or another, Adam and I have already found ourselves learning most of these lessons. For something frivolous, the series is surprisingly insightful.

Overall, I'm glad I've watched the series. If nothing else, it's done wonders in teaching me to laugh more at myself as I learn to be part of a marriage partnership with Adam.