Stainless Night

Can an android learn to be human? I know one experiment we can try to find out.

Another old classic from long-time hentai production studio Pink Pineapple, Stainless Night is a short two-episode OVA from 1995-96 about androids and lesbians. Sometimes when I paraphrase a show's description like that, I have a certain tendency to embellish it for comedy's sake, but in this case I'm being completely literal. There is a bit of an interesting story woven into it, but make no mistake, the majority of the screen time here is dedicated to its cast of extremely frisky young women being entirely unable to keep their hands off each other.

Any college worth its salt advertises its commitment to hands-on learning. I'm not sure this is what they meant, but it sure is an enticing prospect.

The story follows two supposedly college-age girls (Misuzu and Sayaka) who are out on a trip to a remote computer research campus on the edge of the woods, for purposes unspecified. After riling her up with some playful sexy banter in the car, Misuzu jumps on Sayaka the moment they finish unpacking the trunk, quickly establishing that the two are either in a relationship or just inconsolably horny. As they get right down to business, a third face pops up in the window to watch. From out of nowhere, the jealous third wheel and implied former lover (Aki) joins them on this apparent research expedition they're supposed to be on. Aki spends the entire OVA begging Misuzu to pay attention to her with touch-starved puppy dog antics, giving the impression that Misuzu must be one hell of a stud, but even she has a limit to her patience.

Sayaka has also brought her small dog (Lui) along for the ride, who, although a cutie, should definitely NOT be here, for several obvious reasons.

I feel like every lesbian knows at least one clingy puppy dog. I bet Aki grew up assuming she was straight until she had one lesbian experience that blew her mind, and now she can't live without more.

Anyway, after a day of completely failing to do any computer research whatsoever in favor of Homosexual Experiences, Lui starts barking in the middle of the night and bolts out the back door, chasing something down in the woods. Sayaka follows him and encounters a mysterious girl resting against a tree. Confused and frightened, the girl introduces herself as an android, but can't remember why she was out in the woods, or even what her name is. Unfazed by the "android" part, Sayaka decides to bring her back to the campus and help get her back on her feet.

If only to prove this little outing was indeed about doing computer research, Misuzu and Sayaka quickly hook up their new android guest to the campus' computer systems and try to sift through her internal programming for clues on who she is. Her encryption proves impossible to hack, but they can at least determine that based on the android model she most closely resembles, she was definitely (and illegally) modified in some way. Sayaka, entranced by how lifelike the girl's silicone body is - and certainly not acting with any ulterior motives whatsoever - offers to dress her in the only outfit she can suitably find for her (naturally, a maid outfit) and invites her to join everyone for a group picnic.

Honestly though, is there anything more explicitly queer than a group of girls alone in a cabin in the woods tinkering with an android?

The android - who we eventually learn is named Linear - quickly makes friends with everyone (except eternally jealous brat Aki), and the picnic conveniently jogs some memories of her original functions, which were apparently homemaking and housekeeping in origin. And - as evidenced by the maid outfit encouraging her to call people "Master" - apparently a bit sexual as well. That night, while Misuzu does some deep diving on the internet for more potential information (and Aki tries in vain to seduce her), Linear gets a bit "feverish" and requests Sayaka take her to bed and, in a manner of speaking, help alleviate this hot and bothered feeling she's been feeling.

Surprised - but not in the least bit shy about it - Sayaka puts up no resistance and follows her meaning. As things quickly heat up between them, Linear unleashes a secret power from within that she refers to as The Complete Tip, which manifests as a swirling phallic tower of energy protruding from her otherwise anatomically correct mechanical pussy. Sayaka, a true trans ally, doesn't even hesitate at the sight of a magic laser penis and goes ham on it until Linear - inasmuch as possible for an android - cums, and cums so hard that she in fact creates a rolling EMP that blacks out the entire campus.

Yet another example of why Androids are superior to iPhones.

The sudden release of energy also catches the attention of another android lurking about nearby in the woods. This villain - I don't think she's ever mentioned by name, but the credits list her as "Astarisk" - immediately begins honing in on its source, quite certain it was caused by the very thing she's seeking. By morning, she encounters Aki sulking about outside and humping a tree to vent her sexual frustrations. Astarisk decides to use her as bait to lure out her quarry, and proceeds to beat Aki and string her up by her wrists in a tree near the campus.

Once discovered, Misuzu rescues her and makes a beeline for the nearest hospital while Linear and Sayaka stay behind. They unfortunately don't make it, as Astarisk decides not to leave any witnesses alive, firing some kind of wrist cannon at their tires and swerving them into a tree. Meanwhile, Linear suggests she knows what's going on, and that it's all her fault. She believes that bad people like Astarisk are chasing her in a bid to get their hands on the highly-coveted power of the Complete Tip, and that simply being around her will only bring everyone further misery. Sayaka consoles her, pointing out how ridiculous it sounds that Aki got hurt because some villainous bandit wanted to get her hands on Linear's extra-digital techno-dick. Relieved that Sayaka still likes her, the two share a tender smooch, then immediately get right back to what really matters.

I guess when your friend is being rushed to the hospital, the best thing for you to do is to put your mind at ease, and I can think of worse ways to get your endorphins flowing.

Of course, in their short-sighted horniness, Sayaka and Linear both fail to realize that when Linear inevitably nuts again, the release of electrical energy gives away their location to Astarisk. Sensing her approach, Linear tells Sayaka to hide, and that she'll deal with their dangerous foe. Astarisk breaks through the wall and the two get into a brief scuffle, then Linear takes off into the woods to lure her away from Sayaka. But inevitably, she and Lui trail after them, ending up in a small creek out in the woods. Lui, who apparently had taken a liking to Linear offscreen, heroically leaps up to bite Astarisk on her synthetic arm, only to be promptly impaled by a concealed massive spike. At the sight of Lui's sacrifice, Linear cries out in pain, which acts as the same kind of emotional release that activates the Complete Tip's EMP powers and proceeds to short-circuit Astarisk right there in the creek.

And so, with her memories officially back in tow and Sayaka safe, Linear decides to take off, promising that they'll meet again some day. With that, Stainless Night ends somewhat abruptly and on a decidedly bittersweet note, since it's implied that Misuzu and Aki died in the car crash - not to mention Lui being slashed - leaving Sayaka alone with nothing but the hope that Linear will return some day and give her another night of unrivaled android/human relations.

Even if she is a puppy-murdering bitch, I still posit that Astarisk is kinda hot. Y'know, in a weird, Cruella de Vil sort of way.

From a strictly hentai standpoint, I'd call this a pretty saucy production. As with most OVAs worth their salt, the sex scenes are lit dramatically and framed very sensually, with tender string-heavy jazz accentuating the mood. The voice acting is appropriately terrible, but that's why humans invented volume dials. And while there certainly is a lot of sex happening in such a short 45 minute window, the plot still flowed quite nicely. I never felt bored watching it because the porn was engaging and the story was intriguing, with neither element really oversaturating the show as a whole. Sure, each character is unflinchingly horny, almost to the point of silliness, but to me it read like a gaggle of college kids finally experiencing a real taste of freedom, away from the prying eyes of family and peers, eager to dive headfirst into whatever pussy they can get.

And while pussy was indeed the main focus, there was still enough of a story here to tickle the sci-fi-loving pleasure centers of my imagination as well. The obvious question of "can an android learn to feel human" is answered almost immediately (and quite thoroughly) by Sayaka's sheer willingness to get it on with Linear, moaning her name and offering her every pleasure she would offer to any other human lover. To her, Linear is as human as anyone else she would willingly fuck, and no amount of ethereal surge-inducing spirit cock can change that.

Considering stories about androids are often built around affirming their humanity, it's no wonder they're such a popular subject among trans and GNC people.

But an even more interesting and somewhat unspoken element of this show is the underlying reason why Linear was installed with such a strange and highly-specific genital apparatus in the first place. During a flashback sequence, Linear recalls her creator explaining to her that the Tip acts as a conduit for her ability to feel not only physical pleasure, but also emotional release. In her time, Linear was the only android in known existence capable of feeling and processing both of these feelings, making her and her high-tech endorphin-simulation boner a high priority target among other androids and business competitors. It could also be argued they were after the physical power of the Complete Tip - the short-circuiting EMP orgasm was an unintended by-product of the emotional release that her original creator was never able to compensate for - but it's more compelling to think he endowed her with this gift for the sake of allowing her to feel.

Additionally, the fact that her emotional lightning rod manifests as a highly desirable penis also suggests a lot about the creator himself. I suspect he wanted not only a fuckable android wife who was capable of feeling the love he wanted to give her, but one with a dick to boot. I like to think his ideal woman was a transgender maid with a suped up energy cock who could cum so hard she'd black out the entire science facility, because honestly, that sounds WAY more believable than some kind of boring-ass military plot. I mean, that's how *I* would design an android wife were I in his shoes. The fact that Linear finds comfort in the way she's built thanks to Sayaka's acceptance and complete lack of hesitation gives this anime one hell of a trans-positive spin, and that's something to be cherished in my book.

This show literally combines three of my favorite things into a single production: sci-fi, genderfuckery, and sex. I would not hesitate to call this one of the best hentai I've ever watched!

And with that, not much else to add here. An excellent blend of porn and story (with a clear focus on porn, of course) that hits on some very uncommon and delightfully welcome subject matter, doesn't overstay its welcome, but absolutely leaves you wishing there were more nonetheless. The only caveat is that yes, the dog dies, and rather unceremoniously at that. Consider that your only content warning, if you're interested in watching it for yourself.

This is the part of the review where I would usually make some recommendations for similar things to watch, but I'm kind of at a loss here. I'm not sure I've really seen anything quite like Stainless Night. A porno so eagerly horny and chock full of lesbians, with none of the usual attempts at turning them straight - and yet also no man-hating - plus a beautiful trans outlook to it? Not to mention the introspective sci-fi portion, exploring the nature of android sentience through the lens of sex...what a rare combination!

The closest matching show I can think of offhand is maybe something like Blue Drop, which certainly has the sci-fi and the queer angle, but remains decidedly non-sexual. I guess there's also something like Marine A Go Go, which has the salacious androids, but veers more toward comedy and that typical anime camp we all love so much. I'm kind of at a loss for further recommendations, so shoot me a line and let me know if you can think of any other titles that fit the bill!

I wonder if we could encourage more people to plant trees if we advertised them as Personal Humping Stations.

I still have a lot more 18+ titles to sift through, so keep your bookmarks handy for more in the future. I can only hope I'll find another one as enaging and interesting as Stainless Night, but I'm not gonna hold my breath. Good porn can be hard (heh) to come (heh heh) by, but that's precisely why I write these reviews. I can only hope my work helps you find one that resonates with you as well!