Wonder why you ever stopped watching Saturday morning cartoons? Ever have a thing for Jessica Rabbit or Jasmine? Who hasn’t? Let’s be honest here.
Just when all of our favorite animated movies are getting live-action remakes to help introduce the classics to a whole new generation, our taste in cartoons seems to be, let’s say, maturing. In 2018, “hentai” moved up from 4th to 3rd place as most-searched term for both men and women. So it’s no wonder AnimeshinClub has gained momentum and have an impressive Fan Club since joining the Pornhub Model Program earlier this year.
Keep on reading to find out how AnimeshinClub creators Aaron and Mike got inspired to launch their Coming of Age series and what they have in store for their fans.
Is Coming of Age your first series? Can you tell me about on how it relates to your own personal lives?
Yes, Coming of Age is our first series. The show is about Grayson Hartwell, an 18-year old son of a preacher who runs a porn studio out of the basement of his dad's church. Grayson is kind of like a teenage Walter White. He starts off super Christian — always following the rules and listening to his dad — but he explores deeper and darker parts of himself that expose a completely different person than who his dad or the church is telling him to be. That part feels like it’s straight out of our autobiographies. The rest is a healthy dose of fantasy.
Did you base the characters on people you already know?
We originally built our characters one at a time for their own gonzo-style sex scenes. When we wanted to start a new series with more of a story, we had to choose: We could either spend another six months making new characters, or we could use the characters we already had and deepen their backstories and character relationships. We chose to deepen the story.
Courtesy of AnimeshinClub
Where are you hoping the story will go? How many episodes/seasons can we expect from Coming of Age?
For us, this story just gets deeper and deeper as we go along. We are only five episodes in and we have so much going on. Not only do we have Grayson, who is building his own porn channel in his dad's church, but we also have Jazmine, who is a teacher banging students after class. Then there’s Mindy the MILF who is trapped in a sexless marriage and catches herself flirting with her daughter's boyfriend. Kelly just turned 18 and her sex drive is insatiable. And to top it all off, Derrik falls in love with an unavailable woman. It's a lot for only five episodes! We love stories that burn slow over multiple seasons, but still pack a lot of action in each episode. That is our goal for Coming of Age — bigger and better every episode.
How many partners are you? How did you all meet?
It's just the two of us, Mike and Aaron. We're both animators. We met at a film festival a few years ago and hit it off.
You mention in your AVN interview that animation is a marathon. What’s your long-term plan?
We just signed a 6-episode deal with Adult Time to produce the first season of their new Hentai Sex School series which is debuting this fall. Bree Mills will be directing, and we have an all-star cast lined up for voice work. It's going to be the first of its kind for audiences who are interested in animation, who love animation, or maybe are just intrigued enough to check it out.
A nice 5-year goal would be to have a bigger studio space with more artists producing a combination of 2D and 3D content for AnimeshinClub.
Courtesy of AnimeshinClub
Do you have a favorite character? Scene? Why?
We love anything with Pastor Shane. His dialogue is by far the most fun to write. One of his anti-porn sermons sticks out. In episode 4, he says, "We will hunt down these companies engaged in this sinful activity. We will expose them wherever they may hide." And then the camera cuts to the basement floor with Grayson and his classmates making porn. It makes me laugh every time I think about it.
Are you open with your family and friends about what you do?
Yes of course, our wives are incredibly understanding of our work. We talk very openly about what we do with them, along with other close friends and selective family members. It's funny, because you can't tell everyone, right? I (Aaron) just wrote a letter to my dad explaining everything about AnimeshinClub to him a month or two ago. I didn't want to hold back from him, even though, at the same time, I was so terrified he would destroy me for it. I wrote down everything I wanted to say to him and mailed it. I can't believe I was able to wait for 4 days while he got the letter, but it was worth it. He called me up and was actually super proud and supportive. I have felt better about our relationship now than I ever could have imagined. If nothing else, it definitely makes him laugh hearing about my work.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about animated porn?
That we're somehow weirder than other people who make porn.
Since you joined PH and the industry, what has been the biggest surprise thus far?
It's all still pretty surprising. We're so, so new. We just got started and we need to keep our heads on our shoulders.
Courtesy of AnimeshinClub
Has your perception of the industry changed since joining?
Making one great episode or one great scene is not enough. You have to know how to keep the ball rolling.
What are some of the biggest struggles that come with being a porn animator?
The biggest struggle is the time it takes to animate. It takes somewhere between 10 and 20 hours of work at a computer to produce 1 minute of our animation. And that's with no interruptions and all computer systems running perfectly. When we write a story, we really have to commit to it because it takes so long to create. As our Fan Club has grown, we have been able to make significant investments in our technical side in order to produce more.
Why do you think “cartoon” and “hentai” are some of the most-searched words on Pornhub?
Unfortunately for people like me who crave the certainty of knowing things, I think every person has their own reason. Some find the artwork appealing, others like the unique scenarios. A few of our fans have told me that watching adult animation helps them get in the mood for harder content. There are all kinds of reasons to watch and enjoy it.
What it is that makes your work stand out? What do you accredit your success to?
We embrace being different. We provide original characters. We don't do cheap knock-off animations of other popular characters that some artists do to become popular. Everything we do is authentically us.
Follow AnimeshinClub on Twitter and Instagram for photos, videos, and updates on her next project.
Twitter @AnimeshinClub
Instagram @ClubAnimeshin
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