We usually don’t do reviews of short anime but NTR: Netsuzou Trap is a special case. A little too similar to Kuzu no Honkai, this short form anime this is not your typical ecchi anime. It will deal (or at least that’s what the previews promised) with a messed-up erotic story that is more than just groped boobs and lifted skirts.
Japanese Title: 女の子同士のヒミツ
NTR: Netsuzou Trap is based on a yuri shoujo manga series by Kodama Naoko. The series started in November 2014 and is still ongoing in the monthly manga magazine Comic Yuri Hime. It has also been published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment. The anime is being produced by Creators in Pack and directed by Hisayoshi Hirasawa. You can find the simulcast in Crunchyroll.
We have worked hard to get our Anime Info Pages up and going for you all, so I am going to borrow the summary from there:
‘Yuma gets her first boyfriend in her second year at high school. She asks her beautiful childhood friend Hotaru for help. She teases her because she has no experience with boys and because she hasn’t done it with her boyfriend yet. When things escalate, they keep it between them. Without denying their relationship, Yuma gets addicted to it, but at the same time worries that her boyfriend will find out what is going on between her and Hotaru. She knows that the ‘logical’ thing is to remain with her boyfriend, but she also can’t explain these ‘strange’ feelings she has when she is with Hotaru.’
The opening theme song is a rock-pop song, ‘Blue Bud Blue’ by Toujo Haruka.
6 minutes were enough to give us all necessary info we need about the four protagonists. Let’s start with the girls. It was evident from the very first scene that Yuma is the not-so-passive receiver of Hotaru’s advances. Yuma is just a simple girl who wants simple things and makes the silliest excuses for her best friend’s sexual advances because she needs to somehow justify her weird behavior. On the other hand, Hotaru is clearly attracted to Yuma. No matter how many times in the course of the series she says that this thing between girls is just a trial run, her overflowing sexuality is difficult to hide. Couple that with her competitive nature and there you have it; she wants to be Yuma’s first in everything.
It’s still not evident if Hotaru is just playing with Yuma or she has feelings for her. Yuma on the other hand, recognizes that her ‘normal’ kiss with her boyfriend was not as tingly as the French kiss she gave with her best friend.
How did things turn out like this?
Takeda, Yuma’s boyfriend, is the classic good guy. Not the ‘I’m not going to touch you unless you want me to’ type of good guy; that stuff happens only in silly romances. Instead he is the guy who worries if the girl likes him and who blushes and who gives his first kiss without tongue. You know, normal everyday stuff. And if you argue that what happens between Hotaru and Yuma is not simple everyday stuff, then we have a very different approach on what ‘simple everyday stuff’ means; or my school was weird.
Fujiwara, on the other hand, has that look ‘I know what you are doing, bitch.’ Whether he does or not remains to be seen, but from his eyes it’s evident that there is something seriously wrong with him.
We all know that this is definitely not going to stay a ‘secret between girls.’ The question is what will happen when the boys find out.
End Card: The anime will take advantage of the ending card trope that has been going on in anime production a few seasons now. In case you missed it, I suggest you stay after the ending credits. The illustration is from the author of the original manga, Kodama Naoko.
Point of View: This first episode was told from Yuma’s point of view. I don’t know if she will be the main protagonist or the POV will be rotated like in Kuzu no Honkai. I hope for the second. It will be interesting to see how Hotaru sees her relationship with Yuma. The same applies to the boys, especially if they start suspecting the girls.
I liked Kuzu no Honkai and since this anime seems a bit similar in themes, I would have loved if this was a full 24-minute anime. I don’t know if there is enough source material to have justified a full series, but the subtle nuances found in the three relationships could have been expanded a bit more.
In the end, what we have here is two underage girls who are intimate to each other in very different ways. While for Yuma could be an underlying homosexuality that wants to surface, for Hotaru may be something deeper and more sinister. Having boyfriends will bring some interesting scenes, especially when we learn more about the two boys.
Four people – Three relationships. It’s not every day that a short form manages to make me wait for next week’s episode. There is more than meets the eye to this story, and I plan on avoiding online spoilers and reading the manga until the series is over.
Did you like Episode 1 of NTR: Netsuzou Trap? Let us know in the comments below by using either the forum or the Facebook tab! Join us in our new forum and let’s talk about our favorite series! Also, don’t forget to check the last of our episodic anime reviews and the first series reviews for Spring 2017, and then go straight to our new Summer 2017 reviews!
You can check the official anime screenshots from our NTR: Netsuzou Trap Episode 1 Preview Stills and Synopsis. Click on the article for the full gallery!
Official Site: http://netsuzoutrap.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/netsuzoutrap
The first season of the new year is just one month away from its finale. It was a great start with many amazing titles that made these past months worth the extra hours we put in front of our sets. Now, it is time for the cold wind to give way to the pink hues of the sakura tree and for the Winter 2018 season to give the anime baton to Spring 2018.
