Tenshi wo Ikasete Item Get!! Zecchou Gacha de Dungeon Kouryaku! · review
Spoiler warning
This review may discuss plot details.
This manga started off surprisingly decently. I mean, decent for an erotica manga. The core premise is admittedly silly, but not in a way that ruins the experience. Basically, the protagonist summons an "angelic servant" who can produce gacha tokens when she hits the high notes, so to speak. The higher the note, the better the token. And these tokens are crucial for the MC's progression, leveling and equipment, the usual R18+ RPG jazz. So yes, it’s your typical plot device to justify skipping the pleasantries and diving straight into the sheets. The art style and worldbuilding are about as standard as it gets. There’s onedungeon, one city around it, and nothing else in sight. The world is sprinkled with all the typical fantasy trappings: inns, guilds, blacksmiths, you know the drill. The society and the economy revolves entirely around the dungeon (though not much of it is fleshed out), and anything beyond the city simply doesn’t exist. That might be due to creative laziness, but oddly enough, it adds a certain mystery to the setting. Which already more than you get from most fantasy titles.
As for the characters, the MC isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but at least he’s a grown man who behaves like one. He’s in his thirties, grounded, and relatively mature. The female lead - his summoned "angel" - is whacky and, let’s say, enthusiastic, but still she is okeyish. Interestingly, the harem aspect goes against the grain: the second "girl" isn’t a romantic rival at all, but rather a sweet granny who cooks and keeps their apartment tidy.
So yeah, nothing revolutionary here, but everything works decently well. I was ready to slap a "recommended" tag on this one… if not for chapter six.
****
And now, a brief TED talk for the less experienced among us. Just a bit of education to avoid future awkwardness.
This is also why I ultimately don’t recommend this manga. Chapter six doesn’t just drop the ball, it punts it into another galaxy.
Also-also, minor spoilers ahead, but nothing too earth-shattering.
In chapter six, the MC, FMC, and the granny move into a shared apartment (they are an adventurer party at this point). However, it turns out our hero is not exactly a bedroom demigod. In fact, he’s pretty low tier. Which is… actually quite realistic. Why would a shut-in suddenly be a master of the craft? Right? At first, everything’s fine. The FMC enjoys herself, but over time, she reaches the stars less and less often. (I'm not sure, why did she enjoy herself at first though, she produced the gatcha tokens like a factory, but let’s just assume she was starving when she first arrived.) The MC and the FMC do attempt to talk about it. Clumsily though, and the situation only ends up getting more tense. Still realistic. This kind of mismatch and miscommunication happens more often than people admit.
Then the MC decides to ask for an advice from the granny. And oh boy...
At first, she’s spot on: the root of the problem is treating intimacy as a gacha token farming mechanic. It’s too mechanical, too hollow. A little bit of a real emotional connection wouldn't hurt, she says. And she’s right. Although, it is not neccesarly a requirement for women either, but it'll definietly boosts the experience. She also suspects that the FMC might be faking her reactions, which felt surprisingly honest for a manga of this genre. For a moment, I thought, "Wow, are we actually going to have a thoughtful, mature arc here?"
But then she drops the solution: the MC and the FMC should sleep in a separate rooms... and the MC should go and visit some brothels to gain "experience." I wish I were kidding. Now, unless Japanese brothels come with hands-on seminars and crash courses about master jutsus, this is objectively bad advice. It does nothing to address the core issue. Worse, it risks damaging the FMC’s already crumbling self-confidence even further. She already feels like she might be the problem; sending her partner off to "train" with professionals is hardly going to ease that anxiety.
Not to mention the elephant in the room. If you had experience with more than one partner you already know, everyone is different. What works with one doesn’t automatically translate to another. You don’t level up your skills universally. This isn’t an RPG. It’s more like learning a new language every time. You need to talk or at the very least, you need to pay close attention to each other. Ask what’s good, what’s not, what feels right, what's not. If not in the middle of the heat at least afterwards. Then practice, practice, and practice some more. With each other, not with a stranger-for-hire.
Hitting up a brothel might give your ego and confidence a little boost - and hey, that does count for something - but when it comes to actual technique, it doesn’t help that much. But don’t stress about it. If you can talk things through honestly and actually follow up on what you’ve discussed, you will get better. Spend enough time with someone, pay attention, and before you know it, you’ll be a total bedsheet god - not for everyone, just for the one who really matters.
TED talk over. I hope it saves someone from taking the very stupid advice of this granny.