Crimson Climax

Crimson Climax
Crimson Climax DVD cover
螢子 (Hotaruko)
Genre	Erotica, Horror, Supernatural, Psychological thriller
Original video animation
Directed by	Katsuma Kanazawa
Written by	Katsuma Kanazawa
Studio	Arms Corporation, Green Bunny
Licensed by	Critical Mass
Released	2003
Runtime	90 minutes total
Episodes	3

Crimson Climax (螢子, Hotaruko) is a three-episode erotic anime series produced by Green Bunny. It is based on an H game of the same title created by Tiger Man Project.^[1]

Plot

Returning to her mother's home island after her sudden demise, Ryo feels that the answer to her mother's odd behaviour is within her mother's origins. Despite how her mother had bade her never to return to that island and to never associate herself with Hotaruko, Ryo nonetheless feels that something should be done in order to explain her mother's eccentric sexual behavior and what caused her to act so oddly. However, what Ryo never counted on was that the island contained a dark carnal cult that lured unsuspecting woman for blood sacrifice, seduced them to their highest points of ecstasy and then brutally slew them in blood as an offering to their god; Master Mizuno.

Characters

Inasa Ryō 

A visitor to the island where her mother once lived. As soon as she arrives on the island, strange occurrences are set into motion and Ryo eventually catches on to Hotaruko's schemes. She tries to leave with Ruka but can't bring herself to leave Hotaruko, who is bleeding to death after an assault by Bungo. Toward the third episode, Ryo discovers through the priest that Hotaruko is in fact her mother and that Itsuki was her grandmother; implying that Mizuno is Ryo's uncle.

At the climax she is 'willingly raped' by the puppet housing Mizuno's soul. Ruka kills the puppet shortly thereafter and in retaliation Ryo kills her lover on a whim, compelled by her sudden insanity. At the end, it is revealed that Ryo has suffered the similar fate of other women before most likely by her own brother, Mizuno. After the credits, it is revealed that Ryo has a child, implying that Mizuno has been reborn and that the cycle has begun again.

Hotaruko 

Hotaruko is Ryo's cousin. She is the title character of the original dub, while her names translates to little firefly. Upon first appearance, Hotaruku appears to have a schoolgirl crush on her Ryo. However, as the episode progresses it is apparent that her mere crush is a front for the immense lust she holds towards Ryo. Within the second episode where Bungo rapes Hotaruko, as penance for the death of his sister Itsuki, the mysterious scars on her abdomen are revealed to be a C-section marking implying that Hotaruko has given birth to an unknown child. By the third episode, after Ryo chooses to stay behind with her bleeding cousin, Hotaruko is seen is to be recovering from her scars as she is wrapped up in bandages. It is then revealed in the final episode that she is actually Ryo's mother; implying that Mizuno is Ryo's uncle, Itsuki is Ryo's grandmother and Bungo is Ryo's great uncle. When Mizuno is killed, Hotaruko approaches her brother's body and seems to eat it. At the end of the episode, Hotaruko is shown seated on her brother's throne and has a distended stomach, most likely from consuming her brother.

Ruka 

Ryo's personal servant, best friend and lover on the island. She serves Hotaruko and develops a close bond with her mistress's cousin, Ryo. However, despite Ryo's evident love for Ruka, and vice versa, Ryo still chooses to remain behind with her mutilated cousin Hotaruko; ditching the demands of her lover and completely ignoring Bungo's sacrifice of putting himself in harm's way, which now seems to have been in vain. In the final episode, Ruka murders Master Mizuno and is consequently strangled to death by Ryo at that moment.

Master Komoshi 

The Chief Priest of the island's temple. Father to Kasumi, he appears as a harmless and unsuspecting man on the surface but soon reveals his dark and masochistic nature as he indulges in violent sex or rape with most of the female cast. In the first episode, it is revealed that he has a sadistic and violent relationship with Junko; one of the servers. He often performs the dark cult's religious right to rape young female sacrifices as witnessed through the seduction and sacrifice of Kasumi's lover; Misa. The reason for this is explained later on; the tendons and sinews of the victims used for the frightening mannequin's joints are always best after the victim reaches climax. He reveals in the third episode to Ryo that Hotaruku is her mother, rapes Ruka while implying that they have done this act countless times before and is consequently killed by the mannequins.

Kasumi 

Master Komoshi's daughter, fiancée to Bungo and lover of Misa. Kasumi reveals a sadistic nature as she enjoys 'torturing' those entrusted in her care. This is shown through her lover Misa, and her duty to penalize Junko and Ruka for their misconduct.

She is one of the other characters to be used as a sacrifice, as said by her father during the second episode, and witnessed in the third. Though she engages in a lesbian affair with Misa, Kasumi does hold some feelings towards Bungo even though the two of them are only posing that they are engaged. She shows this towards the end of the second episode where her usually playful and teasing nature takes a dramatic turn towards being sombre and serious as she tells Ryo and Ruka to escape because Bungo had sacrificed his life for them.

It is implied that she is possessed by the scent from the red flowers that seem to influence the women and take them to passionate throes of ecstasy.

Inasa Bungo 

Bungo is Kasumi's fiancé and reveals that he shares the same family name as Ryo. Bungo possesses a brave and clever persona as he fully understands the island's backward custom and is willing to sacrifice himself by gashing Hotaruko and trying to take down the onslaught of demonic mannequins, all for the sake of granting his niece and her lover an escape. It is in only in the third episode that Bungo is revealed to be Ryo's great uncle as his sister Itsuki was Ryo's grandmother, not her mother.

Minor Characters

Itsuki 

Itsuki is shown to be the mysterious blue-haired woman in the beginning of the show, who is driven mad by lust and is then eventually torso-murdered by Mizuno. She is also Bungo's sister, revealed in the second episode. The third episode shows that she is the biological mother of both Hotaruko and Mizuno; implying that she is Ryo's grandmother instead.

Mizuno 

Ryo's uncle and Hotaruko's late brother whose remains have been made into a living puppet. He is something of a god and he requires the sacrifice of young women in order to live on for eternity. In the third episode, he has sex with Ryo after she willingly consents. However, Ruka kills Master Mizuno which results in her own ironic death at the hands of her lover Ryo whom she was trying to protect the whole time.

In the third episode, when Master Komoshi rescues Ryo's body from the field of red flowers, he reveals to Ryo that Hotaruko is her mother and that Mizuno is possibly her father as well as he says to her that if Itsuki had never given birth to the twins, then Ryo would have never been born.

Usaya Junko 

She is one of the servants on the islands and comes from the dynasty of the families that presided there. She is shown to be short-tempered and arrogant. She is also the priest's sexual partner, witnessed from the beginning of the episode through the rough sex they have, and always succumbs to his sadistic needs. During the second episode, Junko is murdered as punishment for foiling the cult's sacrifice and revealing the dark cult's scheme.

Misa 

A servant on the island, and Kasumi's lover. She is sacrificed in the first episode.

References