"I want to live no matter what! It's all I have to say. But I do like playing with myself. (Pause) A lot."
Princess Sakuya bound and delirious in "Blood Royale."

A pirate with the clever moniker of the One-Eyed Devil kidnaps two conveniently stranded princesses and takes them aboard his ship. Working for a mysterious woman, he promises to turn both captives into love slaves before the night of the next full moon. Both Princess Milte and Princess Sakuya are bound in chains and subjected to the usual anime debaucheries: torture, rape, total subjugation by tentacled beast and, just for fun, corprophagia (the eating of excrement!). There is no ancillary plot to speak of; merely a series of debasements enacted upon the helpless women. Both are eventually broken and learn to surrender to "the land of dreams," where, apparently, domination and humiliation are all the rage.

Even for rabid fans of this type of entertainment, there's precious little to recommend. Though most every fetish is covered here (c'mon, they're eating excrement!), the stylized storytelling and poor editing cancels out any tension and, god help you, supposed titillation. Whether dictated by budget constraints, artistic vision or a little of both, the visual approach of "Blood Royale" is sub "Speed Racer" quality. Much of the action takes place upon a ship but because there is no real sense of place (or space), the characters might as well have been locked inside a castle dungeon. Director Jyumachi Minamizawa chose to tell this non-story with minimal movement, abstract backgrounds and an over emphasis on close-ups. His choices make for poor continuity and give each "scene" an episodic, fractured quality. Even fantasy anime porn needs some kind of element to ground the action. Without sense of place, all you're left with are a series of wet orifices - either being penetrated or discharging something. A much better title, a more honest one anyway, would have been "Captive Orifices."

Adult anime of this nature can be entertaining. Both Sacrilege and Behind Closed Doors were similar "chapter animes" that offered a sense of humor and clever visual flair to the requisite sexual shenanigans. "Behind Closed Doors" in particular exhibited a sophisticated madness within its alpha male fantasy narrative. "Blood Royale" has little in common with either of those titles. Aside from the nautical "naughty pirate" theme and vague period trappings, this DVD is more or less a specialized porn entertainment. One that would not even please the porn aficionado as the stylized posturing dilutes the more extreme actions.

Taken as a purely visual exercise, "Blood Royale" does have a certain visual flair. The composition of some of the images and abstract backgrounds are often quite striking. The pirate ship and other odd exterior "shots" are well rendered. There is also a certain visual poetry in the transitions between the stylized torture sequences. But, this being anime porn, who gives a seeping crack? (And, for the record, there are an abundance of seeping cracks on display here...)

This Anime 18 release is typical of their line of product. The full frame picture is sharp and colors are vivid. The Dolby Digital Stereo sound is serviceable; all the incomprehensible dialogue on the English track is clear as are the sound elements. The extras vary little on all of their releases; "Anime Art Form" short, two storyboard-to-screen comparisons and previews. There is also a rather telling trailer that sums up the whole endeavor. Much is made of the excrement sequence here - which is probably what distinguishes this title from some of the other "urine only" entertainments. The catch phrase (strangely, not on the DVD art) proudly proclaims, "The treasure is from her booty!" If that precious line of copy makes you salivate, then "Blood Royale" might be just the anime treat you're be looking for.