There is nothing more wholly American than baseball. While thousands of people willingly pay money to watch their favorite teams spend two hours throwing balls at each other, I can usually be found in the nosebleed seats debating whether or not it’s socially acceptable to go for my third helping of nachos. Though some treat the sport with a near-religious fervor, it’s one of those competitive events I find to be fairly boring. However, I can’t deny the impact the sport had internationally. Baseball was introduced to Japan in 1872 and took on a life of its own. When I visited the country almost 15 years ago, it was in the aftermath of their World Series and the energy of their national pastime could still be felt throughout the city. It was actually pretty amazing to see people so devoted to a sport.  

That energy couldn’t muster any change of opinion for what I think is a boring public spectacle that only gets fun three beers in, when you’re confidence is high and you’re ready to throw punches at the guy rooting for the other team. Much like everything else, leave it to Japan to find a way to make baseball relevant to my interests. Suketto Sanjou is a silly hentai OVA about baseball—if you don’t like sports anime, don’t run away. We’re here to talk about a porno, after all. Ryuuji is a former high school ballplayer who joined up with a local market’s team and it’s during one of these matches he encounters Sandy Bash, an import player the opposite team nabbed as a ringer. Sandy overflows with sex appeal, drawn in a rowdy and completely outrageous style. With her incredibly huge breasts barely contained in a thong bikini swimsuit/uniform, Sandy is a walking distraction made to challenge Ryuuji, though we don’t actually get to see her play. That’s because he spends her time at bat preening and promising Ryuuji a lay if she gets a homerun. That plan goes slightly awry after Sandy is lured by his team captain to switch sides in exchange for booze. Whether or not they expected such a betrayal, the other team brings in their second ringer: a gorgeous dark-skinned beauty named Wendy Crawford. 

The baseball game is merely a pretense to introduce these wild characters that Ryuuji gets to have sex with over the course of two episodes. And boy, does he run the gauntlet! First, he’s left dumbstruck as Sandy has sex with Wendy right on the field using a double-ended glass dildo. Ryuuji’s teammates are too busy partying to notice this lewd display, giving him all the leeway he needs to join in and go at it like rabbits. Next, Ryuuji gets some time with Wendy, who fills in for Sandy because she got called in last minute to do war…or paintballing? It’s never really specified! Wearing a beautiful white sundress that makes her look even more gorgeous, Wendy and Ryuuji enjoy a lengthy affair at a love hotel in a hot and steamy scene that provides some great body shots and camera angles. Then, in the second episode, Ryuuji gets to do it all over again as he, Wendy, Sandy, and the rest of the team party it up at a hot spring to honor their victory. Again, the older men that make up his team are too busy dividing their time between food and drink to notice their star player fucking his female teammates like there’s no tomorrow. 

Suketto Sanjou is all about the bountiful presence of its female leads, Sandy and Wendy. Their hard, muscular bodies are punctuated by heavily endowed chests and bottoms are sure to delight viewers who enjoy muscular women. I like how both women have different personalities both inside and out of the bedroom and the one thing that unites them is their mutual lust for our protagonist. Sandy is a rambunctious blonde who is open with her sexuality, stepping up to the plate and immediately promising to pop Ryuuji’s cherry (“I’m not a virgin!”). He’s slightly put off by her behavior only because he’s so focused on the game but when he’s invited to participate in a threesome, he shows no hesitation. Wendy, the dark-skinned, silver-haired beauty, is a distinct opposite. Well, almost. She’s much more reserved in the presence of other people and doesn’t acknowledge her sexuality as openly as her blonde and busty rival. That is until she is on the receiving end of Ryuuji’s lovemaking. Hungry for pleasure, Wendy’s guard drops whenever she engages her partner in sex, exposing her sensual nature. The idea that Ryuuji would actively pursue Wendy or Sandy is never made explicit but there’s the fleeting suggestion that if Ryuuji did have to choose, he’d go with Wendy. Seeing her go to bat in the first episode, he expresses the thoughts that she fits his “type.” However, when he experiences a bout of amnesia after hitting his head at the onsen, he is more than happy to tangle with Sandy.

Suketto Sanjou won’t win over those looking for a story or watch as a deep, romantic connections blossom between two sports-loving consenting adults. Nor will you find much insight into why the characters behave the way they do. It’s porn at its purest, most simple form: introduce the characters and get them fucking as quickly as possible. Sandy and Wendy are drawn with the most attention, their features rather exaggerated and accentuated in a way to make them memorable in the pantheon of top-tier hentai sex pots. Ryuuji is a nice enough guy who, like most harem comedy leads, ends up playing the straight man between the two women. But unlike his chaste, PG-13 counterparts he’s got no problem with whipping his dick out at the slightest suggestion. A short and airy OVA defined by big butts and boobs, Suketto Sanjou is fun though not quite a knock out of the park. More like an energetic in-field fly ball.