October 2021 Patron Newsletter (Patreon)

Dear Patrons,

It’s been ages since we sent out a Patron-only blog update, hasn’t it? This was a task that originally fell to our founder Amelia and when she stopped doing it, nobody picked up the slack. For those of you who were invested in receiving these and feel slighted, we are sorry for the years we’ve gone without fulfilling this promise. Ironically, this post is much in the same vein as Amelia’s last update way back in May 2017: discussing new Patreon reward tiers.

For the past few months, the team has been discussing new Patreon rewards that we can offer at various tiers and how to handle the roll out. We don’t want to introduce too much all at once; that way lies burnout. Instead, the plan at the moment is to introduce one new reward a month. Here’s a tentative timeline:

• October (aka, now): Monthly patron newsletters written by the senior editorial staff discussing what’s happening behind the scenes at the site. These newsletters will include staff mini-recommendations for relevant media we’ve enjoyed but don’t have any major plans to create site content for. We’ll also be taking suggestions for podcast retrospective episodes from Patrons donating $3/month or more.
• November: We’ll collect the podcast suggestions and create a poll for all patrons to vote for what they want to hear!
• December: Monthly podcast bonus episodes, format TBD, available for $5/month patrons with transcripts.

After this, we’ll probably take some time to see what is or isn’t working, make any necessary tweaks or adjustments, and figure out next steps. In the meantime, enjoy this month’s recommendations, drop any podcast topic suggestion in the comments, and let us know what you think!

This month's recommendations:

Bodacious Space Pirates

Format: Anime

What’s it about? As humanity expanded into space, so did the need for law and order. Unable to keep up with the demand via its own forces, the Stellar Alliance Colony Federation hired pirates to assist them. Now, there is relatively little need for such activity, but space pirates still operate under a similar system. Marika Kato was an ordinary high school girl and a member of her school’s yacht club, until she receives news that her father who she never met has passed away, and she’s inheriting his pirate ship, the Bentenmaru.

Content Warnings: An arc involving the cast being infected with a virulent illness and having to go into quarantine; otherwise, nothing really of note.

You hear the title Bodacious Space Pirates and you think fan service, right? That was the case for me, at least. However, positive word-of-mouth and an assurance of a lack of fan service convinced me to give this series a try. And indeed, there wasn’t a jiggling boob or gratuitous upskirt shot to be found. They’re not even really pirates committing crimes. Instead, it’s 26 episodes of wholesome space privateers led by a high school girl.

There’s honestly not a whole lot of substance to it, but that’s okay; not every show with a female character has to be subversive or heavy anti-moe. Marika is a good girl who has solid chemistry both in the yacht club and with her pirate crew, and it’s satisfying enough watching her grow into her role as the captain of the Bentenmaru. Probably the most notable thing about it is that it doesn’t have just potential romantic tension between Marika and her friend Chiaki, but an arc involving rescuing a former club member from an arranged marriage so she can be with her girlfriend instead.

-Caitlin

Dick Fight Island

Format: Manga

What’s it about? On a tiny archipelago separated from the outside world, a tournament is held every eight years to determine the future ruler. Warriors from eight different islands gather to test their strength, and the winner will be the one who comes last.

Content Warning: Explicit sexual content

That’s right, I’m recommending a manga about a bunch of dudes fighting to defeat each other in orgasm-based combat. It’s absurd, and graphic, and only has the thinnest veneer of plot. It’s also incredibly sweet and its characters are pretty much universally likable. And, despite the central gimmick of trying to force your opponent to climax, this is a group of respectful rivals who are all having fun consensual sex off the battlefield. It’s also warm, tongue-in-cheek (and other places), and genuinely funny. Take, for example, the dark horse competitor who studied abroad in the outside world, where he learned about the incredible secret technique of… stimulating the prostate, something apparently none of these dudes have heard about in centuries of dick-based combat.

It ain’t deep, but if you’re looking for something both sexy and heartwarming, it’s basically the ideal example of what sex comedy can be.

--Vrai