School of Darkness Episode 1

LINK: School of Darkness Episode 1

Content Warning: 

The first part of this hentai contains graphic depictions of abuse and sexual assault. While many aspects of corruption push the envelope with consent and violence, this material hits closer to home. If this is something that makes you uncomfortable, I recommend skipping this one. 

An Introduction of Sorts 

This time around, I'm doing something a little different. Everything I've reviewed thus far has been homebrew material. Someone took time out of their busy schedule and created a piece of corruption media for limited or no pay. School of Darkness, however, is an officially produced hentai released by a studio. This was produced by a corporation for a profit (I assume) and thus, I don't think I'm going to be breaking any hearts by trashing aspects of it. Expect this review to be a little looser than the others. 

On Hentai, The 90s, and Restraint

Man, hentai kind of sucks these days. I mean, it always sucked. It was always trashy. But nowadays, it feels like the field has become ever more cartoonish and ridiculous - at least when it comes to science fiction, horror, and corruption. They just do not make them like they used to. 

School of Darkness, also known as Injuu Onna Kyoushi, was released in 1995 and it shows. The animation is a little bit more mature and the story shows restraint in what it depicts. 

What do I mean by restraint? The anime doesn't overdo it with over-the-top body deformations (except at the end, where it's used for body horror effect, rather than erotica). The story and mystery is weaved in with the sex scenes. 

Corruption thrives on restraint. Less is more and it's always better to keep some things to the imagination. You never want to make your audience bored. It's the kiss of death for erotica. School of Darkness manages to hold the watcher's attention from start to finish. 

A Synopsis

The story follows Yuko, a young college biology professor. Yuko's boyfriend is physically and sexually abusive and the episode opens on one such instance of this. Reeling from this encounter, Yuko seeks shelter with her close friend Ayano and it's revealed that these two share more than just a friendly bond. 

After a steamy and seemingly therapeutic shower scene, Ayano shows Yuko the McGuffin of our story: an ancient, mummified phallus that Ayano uncovered on one of her expeditions. The remains were found with a strange dagger, but Ayano has not been able to fully decipher what it all means. The archeologist tells Yuko that according to legend, the mummified body part was cut off of a demon. 

Yuko offers her biology skills in analyzing the remains and takes them with her to her lab. From here, we get a look into the life of Yuko's students. We meet our protagonist, the virgin Reika, along with her oafish boyfriend. The pair are currently suffering from relationship problems as the boyfriend (I didn't bother to learn his name) keeps pushing Reika farther. 

The story takes a turn when Yuko's boyfriend shows up to her lab and forces himself on her. Just when things seem like they cannot get any worse for the poor professor, her boyfriend proceeds to use the mummified demon phallus on her as a dildo. 

Yuko is left feeling ashamed and broken in her destroyed lab. However, she is not alone. Having been exposed to her juices, the phallus awakens and grows several sizes larger. Before Yuko has time to react, the squicky thing grows tentacles that latch onto her, holding down her arms and legs. As if this poor woman hasn't suffered enough, the phallus then forcibly enters her, merging itself with her body. 

The demon phallus radically alters Yuko, giving her otherworldly powers and filling her with a dark new hunger. In the next scene, we see her take revenge on her abusive boyfriend by seducing him. This would seem counter-intuitive, but as the scene goes on, we realize that Yuko is literally fucking the man to death. 

From there, Yuko goes on a rampage, absorbing the life force of several men. She returns to the school later with a radically altered appearance and personality. The timid, slightly sad Yuko has been replaced with a confident and powerful woman. These changes alarm both Reika and Ayano.

The final act of the story revolves around Yuko seeking to spread her her affliction to another woman. Given Reiko's innocence and naivety, the girl becomes Yuko's perfect target leading to a frightful climax.

The Review

 There are a lot of goofy things about this hentai. The voice acting and sound editing at times are goofy. There's one scene where Yuko captures a female student and pulls her into a room. The dark, foreboding music swells as the girl screams and then...the music cuts out and the girl just keeps screaming. It's awkward as hell. There are also places where the animation could be better, but this was a hentai from the 90s, so I guess I'll take what I can get.

Like most hentai that touch on themes of corruption, transformation, and possession, it does not go quite as far as I would like. However, this works well for this anime. Remember what I said about corruption and restraint? This work does it well. You are never fully satisfied and left always wanting more until the very end.

Overall, if you like squick, tentacles, and corruption, you'll like this story just fine. School of Darkness also has a sequel with similar themes, but in my opinion it doesn't live up to the first episode. If you're going to check out this hentai, the first episode is your best bet.