So, I Can't Play H!, shortened to Boku-H, is a Japanese light novel series written by Pan Tachibana and illustrated by Yoshiaki Katsurai. The story centers on Ryosuke Kaga, a lecherous high school student who makes a contract with Lisara Restall, a beautiful Grim Reaper, in exchange for his lecherous spirit. Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai began serialization in Fujimi Shobo's Dragon Magazine in 2010. The series' eleven volumes were released between June 19, 2010, and August 20, 2013. A manga adaptation illustrated by Shou Okagiri began serialization in the May 2011 issue of Monthly Dragon Age, and released five volumes as of December 9, 2013. A 12-episode anime adaptation produced by Feel was announced, and aired from July to September 2012 on AT-X and other networks. The anime series was licensed by Sentai Filmworks in 2013 for distribution in North America. Sentai Filmworks has released the series on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and for online streaming.
Plot
One day, Ryosuke Kaga, a high school boy attending Momozomo Academy, meets a girl standing alone in the rain. Introducing herself as Lisara Restall, an elite Grim Reaper, she visited the human world in order to find "The Singular Man". Ryosuke makes a contract with Lisara, while sucking energy required for her activity in the human world from Ryosuke. The source of the energy is his lecherous spirit. To preserve his life, Ryosuke has no choice but to help in Lisara's search.
Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai began as a light novel series written by Pan Tachibana with illustrations by Yoshiaki Katsurai. The first light novel volume was released by Fujimi Shobo on June 19, 2010 under their Fujimi Fantasia Bunko imprint. The series finished with the eleventh volume, published on August 20, 2013.
Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Shou Okagiri began serialization in the March 2011 issue of Monthly Dragon Age, published on February 9, 2011. The first bound volume was released October 8, 2011, with a total of five volumes available as of December 9, 2013. A limited edition of the fourth volume was released on March 27, 2013, and was bundled with a Blu-ray containing an anime episode. Yen Press licensed the manga for release in North America, with the first volume to release on April 21, 2015.
Anime
An anime adaptation, first announced on December 28, 2011, aired on AT-X and other networks from July 6, 2012 to September 25, 2012. The anime is produced by Feel under the directorship of Takeo Takahashi, with series composition by Naruhisa Arakawa, music by Cher Watanabe, and characters by Kanetoshi Kamimoto. The anime is licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks under the title So, I Can't Play H?, with simulcasts provided by Crunchyroll during the anime's airing and Section23 Films releasing the series in 2013. The series was released in Japan as six DVD and Blu-ray volumes between September 26, 2012, and February 20, 2013, and in North America on DVD and Blu-ray sets on December 31, 2013. An OVA episode was released on Blu-ray, bundled with the fourth manga volume on March 27, 2013. Episodes 8 and later were delayed by one week due to production issues. The opening theme for the series is "Reason why XXX" by Sayaka Sasaki, while the ending theme is "Platinum 17" by Yozuca. The songs were released as CD singles on July 25, 2012 and August 8, 2012 under the Lantis label.
Episode list
Reception
The streaming series was given favorable reviews by Theron Martin of the Anime News Network. Episodes 1–6 received grades from B− for the sub to B+ for the art. Episodes 7–12 received grades from B− for the music to B for everything else. The North American Blu-ray release was reviewed by Chris Beveridge for The Fandom Post. He gave it a favorable review, with an overall grade of "B".
