Oretama

Oretama, plotted by Harada Shigemitsu and drawn by Seguchi Takahiro, has a plot that is such a transparently dumb excuse for hanky-panky that it might just wrap around to brilliant. Through a series of unlikely events, the prophesied harbinger of the apocalypse is sealed in some useless jagoff’s testicle. If he can avoid ejaculating for a month, the world will be saved. Naturally, a parade of sexy devils and the best dating luck at the worst possible time conspire to make this extremely difficult.

The series runs for 41 chapters, long enough for Shigemitsu to fully explore all the humorous debauchery that can be wrung from its premise, and unlike some longer running series (Yuria 100 Shiki I’m looking at you) it manages to come to a logical and satisfying conclusion before overstaying its welcome. Takahiro has all the chops necessary for the job, able to smoothly switch between lewd gags and slapstick (a powerful erection smashing the upper border of a panel is a particularly clever touch) and the occasional moment of genuinely affecting tenderness and yearning.

Content notes: Lesser demon Elyse has a notably juvenile physique, and of course nobody asks permission to touch protagonist Satou Kohta’s junk. Elyse’s habit of puppeteering Kohta into groping her while he’s asleep is probably going to be off-putting for some; I find it intriguing, myself.