The Remastered Renai Sample is Still a Sexy Staple

We live in a world of remakes and remasters. From classic films to childhood video games, nostalgia is a pickax and yesteryear is a diamond mine. I might sound cynical, but sometimes older media can nicely benefit from a facelift. Take Renai Sample by Homunculus — a classic doujin released in 2013 — now retranslated and edited as Renai Sample Anniversary Edition. FAKKU has approached this masterpiece with fresh eyes, creating a definitive version of Renai Sample that stands the test of time.

Renai Sample was one of the four books that FAKKU published when they created “FAKKU Books” back in June 2014. Now, over a decade later, FAKKU has returned to their roots with Renai Sample Anniversary Edition!

Join me on the J-List Blog today as I review Renai Sample Anniversary Edition, published uncensored in English by FAKKU!

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Hey Guys, ’Member Renai Sample? I ’Member…

Everyone remembers their firsts. Their first anime bath scene, or first mind-blowing eromanga. Their first dick-pic flashbang on Omegle. Okay, that last one might not be universal, but the rest are accurate. Renai Sample, first published in 2013, is a classic H-manga from artist Homunculus. It sits alongside Shindo L’s Metamorphosis as one of the early 2010s “my first doujin” experiences.

Renai Sample mostly comprises individual chapters published in Comic Kairakuten throughout 2011 and 2012. Homunculus’s works — at least the ones bundled into Renai Sample — typically revolve around “firsts.” There are quite a few stories featuring virginal sex and hymen breaking, so beware of some blood if you’re squeamish. Some stories feature age gaps, childhood friends, step-family, and fake dating. Truly, Renai Sample is a “sample” of everything Homunculus has to offer.

Renai Sample is a generous smorgasbord of sexual antics, almost universally involving plump breasts, sticky cumshots, and more than a few pregnancies. In some ways, Renai Sample’s content feels very “2013,” leaning more into the mind-break and “sorry I couldn’t hold back” territory. The artwork hasn’t aged a day. The illustrations could easily be published today. Nothing about the artistic direction or style feels thirteen years old — a true credit to Homunculus.

So, if the original was so good, why did FAKKU publish Renai Sample Anniversary Edition?

The Doujin Promised 2000 Years Ago

It’s easy to forget how new the entire Western manga industry is. The modern industry was born in the 1980s, largely popularized by Viz Media and Dark Horse Comics. This era — alongside the infamous 4Kids anime dubs — gave English-translated works a dubious reputation.

Tokyopop didn’t standardize the unflipped, right-to-left reading format until 2002. A few years ago, VIZ and Yen Press still included “you’re reading in the wrong direction” warnings in their manga. Only recent anime adaptations like Attack on Titan Final Season and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End have proven that English voice actors can match or outperform their Japanese counterparts. Nowadays we even have English dubs for hentai!

All this to say that, while a Hollywood flick from 2013 is a perfectly fine experience, an English-translated work from 2013 feels far rougher by comparison. The Western manga industry has come a long way, moving away from clunky direct translations into more natural localizations. That’s where Renai Sample Anniversary Edition steps into a league of its own.

All According to Keikaku

For H-manga, ease of reading is everything. If you’re flipping pages with only one hand, the last thing anybody wants is to stumble on awkward dialogue and lose the mood. I don’t care if the translators are using the linguistically accurate phrase for “pussy.” Translation notes can wait while the characters are getting busy. I’m reading smut, not the dictionary.

Renai Sample Anniversary Edition proves how far FAKKU and the whole translation industry have come in just over a decade. FAKKU has developed a clear, consistent visual language throughout their translated works. They use specific SFX fonts across all doujins, replacing Japanese katakana to make the panels feel less cramped. Their translators use natural language, with more vulgar phrasing that feels truer to horny, dirty talk.

Comparing the original FAKKU release of Renai Sample — originally published in 2014 and revised in 2015 — with the Anniversary Edition, the changes are very welcome. Nothing’s inherently wrong with the 2015 edition, but it reads like a scanlation, with clunky direct translations. The panels are crowded with katakana effects, and inner monologues are rarely distinguished from spoken dialogue. The core beats of Homunculus’s works are there, but Renai Sample Anniversary Edition elevates the whole experience.

Why You Should Buy Renai Sample Anniversary Edition

If you own the original Renai Sample, I highly recommend upgrading to this re-release. In addition to the revised text, the Anniversary Edition features eighteen pages of new content, including a brand-new story. I love seeing behind-the-scenes content like rough sketches and character notes. Maybe I’m just easily satisfied.

Speaking of satisfied, Renai Sample Anniversary Edition is an excellent value proposition: 236 pages, a new cover, and colored illustrations. Whether you own the original or are completely new to Renai Sample, the updated version absolutely deserves a place on your bookshelf. This is an excellent H-manga, but it’s also a testament to the continued evolution of the partnership between Japanese and English eromanga publishers.

Renai Sample Anniversary Edition is available for purchase on the J-List store, shipping physically and completely uncensored!

That’s all I’ve got for you today! Are you going to pick up a copy of Renai Sample Anniversary Edition? Let me know what you think in the comments, and as always, thanks for reading!

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