After taking some time to rest, the condom hero is ready to go again!
Here at SoraNews24, we try to keep up with the latest trends and hits in the anime world. But with all the cool stuff the Japanese animation industry pumps out, sometimes some things slip through the cracks, and so we were happy to learn that one of our favorite anime of 2020 actually got a gritty reboot/sequel in late fall 2021 when we weren’t looking.
We speak, of course, of Condom Battler Goro Revive, the long-awaited but hardly expected follow-up to Condom Battler Goro!
Like its predecessor, Condom Battler Goro Revive is produced by Japanese condom maker Okamoto Industries. But whereas the original Condom Battler videos had an art-style that looked like a low-budget ‘80s anime and a campy vibe, Condom Battler Goro Revive boasts much more modern character designs and polished visuals, looking like something that could slide right in to a late-night anime TV programming block, plus a darker, more dramatic atmosphere.
As Revive’s first video, “He will be back,” opens, we discover that five or six years have passed since the events of the original Condom Battler, and a new crisis threatens humanity as the evil organization SPARM uses violent methods to achieve its insidious ambition of ridding condoms from the world. Opposing them are the virtuous men and women of the Guardian of Moromoro Unit, or GOMU (gomu being the Japanese word for “condom”).
As the commander of GOMU, we see Goro’s childhood friend/love interest Miku and GOMU agent Hayato locked in a desperate battle against the SPARM forces. The now 30-year-old Goro, though, has given up the fight. “Why won’t you take up the condom?” asks Condom Master, the elderly man who trained Goro to become the Condom Battler. “Because it’s embarrassing to carry condoms around!” shouts the fallen hero, recalling how at a class reunion an old school acquaintance with an immature view of adult love chuckled at Goro’s practice of always making sure to have prophylactics on him.
“Is it not more embarrassing to not protect the person you love when they need it most?” asks Condom Master, holding out an Okamoto condom and imploring Goro to “Rise again!”
▼ Condom Master’s choice of vocabulary, tatsu, can mean both “stand up” and “get an erection.”
Goro chooses to face his destiny, showing up just as SPARM us about to breach GOMU’s last line of defenses, and the episode ends on a cliffhanger, telling us the story is “To be condom”…
…but the advantage of us being late to the party is that the second half of Condom Battler Goro Revive is available right now!
▼ Episode 2: Dark side of the condom
Just when it looks like Goro is about to save the day, the heroes are hit with another crisis: the sudden appearance of Dark Goro, the persistent embarrassed self-consciousness Goro feels about condom use.
Imprisoning Goro in a psychological bio-dungeon, Dark Goro goes on a beam-shooting rampage, cutting a path of destruction across the city on his way to his target: the International Condom Center!
It’s then that Miku flashes back to a pivotal moment in her relationship with Goro, when the two lovers lost out to their embarrassment and were unable to have a frank conversation about condom use like two consenting adults. “If only I’d just said ‘Put on a condom,’” laments Miku.
“But I won’t be afraid anymore,” she promises, “Wearing a condom, after all, is something that matters to both of us!,” followed by “I love you Goro, so put on this condom!” as she flings one towards him.
▼ Note: Real-life Okamoto condoms aren’t quite so radiant.
“A condom is a form of love, isn’t it?” the characters conclude as Goro and Miku embrace.
▼ And yes, there’s even a touching ending theme.
Silly as the premise may be, it’s actually pretty admirable of Okamoto to encourage couples to be open and communicative regarding condom use in their relationships. While Japanese society is pretty unabashed in its fondness for sexy things, that doesn’t always translate into individuals feeling uninhibited in discussing sexual health issues with their prospective partner. The idea that there’s nothing crass or trashy about saying “Let’s put on a condom,” and that a woman has every right to make that a prerequisite for lovemaking, is definitely worth promoting, and if it can be done with some cool anime art, that’s twice as nice.
Source: Okamoto Industries via IT Media
Top image: YouTube/オカモトコンドームズ
Insert images: YouTube/オカモトコンドームズ (1, 2)
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