One topic anime fans like to debate is hentai vs porn, arguing about which one is better and why. Let’s discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each medium in this blog post!
Want to become a famous hentai artist someday? Start by studying the epic Visual Nude Pose Books that J-List added to the site! These high-quality reference books are perfect for artists looking to master specific poses… and for JAV fans who just want to see gorgeous actresses like Rei Kuruki or Aoi Kururugi from all possible angles. Check out the new pose books for artists here!
The Age-Old Question of Hentai vs Porn
It’s really an unprecedented world we live in today, where anyone can access any kind of of live-action or animated porn from anywhere within seconds. Growing up in the late 1970s, if I wanted to see some porn I had to team up with a friend: one of us would divert the attention of a store employee while the other one shoplifted the porn magazine. (Not good, I know.)
It’s interesting to observe how porn and hentai have evolved over the three decades I’ve been running J-List. We’ve gone from VHS tapes and low-res CD-ROMs with QuickTime movies to amazing live-action JAV and hentai anime on DVD and Blu-ray. The popularity of both mediums means that many JAV performers and hentai artists have become famous and celebrated worldwide. What a time to be alive!
Let’s examine some reasons why hentai might be better than live-action porn, or vice versa.
Why Hentai Anime Is Better! Here Are Seven Reasons
- No limits on the story you can tell. Since anything imaginable can be drawn or animated, it’s possible to tell stories about any subject.
- Hentai is a celebrated art form. Animated hentai is closely tied to hentai manga and visual novels, and it’s much closer to “art” than live-action porn. I love the idea that Japan’s hentai artists become famous all over the world, eventually getting invited as guests to anime conventions where you can meet them and get their autographs.
- Focus on story and emotion. The best hentai stories allow us to experience feelings of joy as two characters enjoy sex together for the first time…or feelings of jealousy if the story turns out to be NTR.
- No chance for abuse of real people. With animated characters, you don’t need to worry about real performers who might potentially be starring in porn for the wrong reasons.
- Supernatural stories are easy to create. Want to experience stories about a race of beautiful elves who need a human male in order to continue their species? How about magical girls who fight evil tentacle creatures, with sexy results? Or would you like some amazing futanari visual stories? With hentai, the world is your oyster.
- Hentai can be better for women. Since animated hentai will have more story and narrative and less focus on raw penetration, there’s more for female fans. There’s a married couple who come by our booth at San Diego Comic-Con every year to buy hentai, since it’s the only thing that can get the wife into the mood.
- Hentai is timeless. I don’t think I could stand to watch whatever porn was being made in the early ’80s, but it’s always a joy to revisit the classic Cream Lemon hentai anime series.
No, Porn Is Better, and Here’s Why!
- It’s more natural. We’re all just mammals, after all, and sometimes we want to watch attractive people “do it like they do on the Discovery Channel.”
- It isn’t pretending to be anything other than porn. I’m not sure if Western porn still has ridiculous plots about secretaries taking “dictation” from their bosses, but Japanese porn is refreshingly open about what it is. We know that the actress is on a set with camera and lighting staff standing nearby, and it’s very clear what’s about to happen.
- Less stigma. Some unenlightened people still believe that “cartoons are for kids,” and thus, look unfavorably on hentai anime.
- The performances can be amazing. While there’s plenty of bad live-action porn out there, there are also some amazing performers who really want to make their fans happy.
- You can meet your favorite porn star. Tamatoys parent company TMA holds annual otaku rave events with anime DJs and tons of sexy cosplayers and JAV stars present. You can order shots of tequila and have your favorite porn actress pour it into your mouth!
J-List Customers Reply! Which One Is Better, Hentai or Porn?
I asked J-List’s customers on X to give me their thoughts on the hentai or porn debate. Read the responses I got!
Two big reasons. The women in hentai are more beautiful, and literally anything is possible. And let’s be serious, porn star faces look laughably stupid 90 percent of the time.
- Hentai allows for more freedom.
- No exploitation of humans is possible behind it.
- No bad acting or crappy dialogue or ugly faces.
- Wholesome stories are better.
- It’s art, so more topics can be explored.
No.4: Elves!
I think hentai is pretty cool that it can explore completely fictional sexual scenarios like fantasy, sci-fi, or horror that live-action porn couldn’t do without an unrealistically large budget. Also, hentai is a million times better than live-action Japanese porn because hentai girls are allowed to actually enjoy sex. I’ve never liked how in Japanese porn, the women always sound like they’re in pain.
On the subject of hentai vs porn, I think hentai is better. Some reasons:
- Gorgeous characters who come in all shapes and sizes.
- Real story plots, from vanilla to NTR.
- Creative stories (not the “oops, I bent over to pick up something and…”).
- Great representation of different types of fantasies, and so well done, that you have sympathy for many of them (whether you love or hate them).
- Excellent voice acting, unlike in porn where the girl says, “OH YEAH, FUCK ME.”
More Responses in the Hentai vs Porn Debate!
The hentai vs porn debate is a double-edged sword because some people prefer certain styles for total gratification. In the end, fictional or real, it depends on preferences because either could offer something visually arousing. But human erotica is simpler to produce than animation.
One reason I prefer hentai to porn is that with animated sex I can be sure that no one is being harassed/exploited/violated…although I doubt if the animators are well paid. I prefer to consume hentai to make sure I’m not supporting an industry that might bring harm to real people.
Porn is fake while pretending to be real, but hentai isn’t pretending anything. Also, hentai anime can be a lot more creative with the actual stories.
Hentai is better than porn! You can make the characters as pretty as you want, give them abnormally large boobs, butts, or dicks, or even give them non-human traits. Since art isn’t bound by the laws of physics, you can be as wild or as mild as you want.
Thanks for reading this blog post about the eternal hentai vs porn debate. Which do you think is better for men and women of culture to enjoy at the end of the day? Let us know in the comments below!
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Want to become a famous hentai artist someday? Start by studying the epic Visual Nude Pose Books that J-List added to the site! These high-quality reference books are perfect for artists looking to master specific poses — and for JAV fans who only want to see gorgeous actresses like Rei Kuruki or Aoi Kururugi from all possible angles. Check out the new pose books for artists here!
