F3

is a Japanese hentai manga series by Wanyan Aguda, which debuted in 1988 and spanned 5 volumes. The story centers on a 19-year-old girl named Hiroe Ogawa who has difficulty achieving orgasm. Three original video animations ("OVAs") were produced by AIC and Pink Pineapple and were released in 1994. The OVAs originally released in North America by SoftCel Pictures, a division of ADV Films, and later re-released as F3: Ménage À Trois, an obvious group sex reference. Recently, F³ had been re-licensed by Critical Mass under its original title when ADV Films closed their hentai line. F³ was followed by two sequels, and their translations into English highlight some of the difficulties faced in translating adult entertainment materials between two countries with very different laws and mores on the subject: in the first 25-minute episode, Hiroe's attempts to achieve orgasm are assisted by her older sister Mayaka, and include an encounter with their mother, Yayoi. In the two sequels, translator's notes insist that Mayaka and Yayoi are actually Hiroe's neighbor and landlady, respectively, whom she just happens to have nicknamed "Sis" and "Mom." Main characters Hiroe Ogawa (小川広恵, Ogawa Hiroe) - The titular girl of the film and is a student at a nearby high school. She tries hard to achieve orgasm with her longtime boyfriend Sumio, but always fails. She usually resorts to hypnosis, masturbation, lesbian sex, and was once possessed by a horny incubus. Her blue hair often gets her mistaken for Ami Mizuno of Sailor Moon fame. Voice Actress: (JP) Yumi Takada/(EN) Amanda Winn Lee, credited as Helen Bed in the original SoftCel dub/Whitney Thompson in the new Critical Mass DVD. Mayaka (真弥華) - Hiroe's closest friend/older sister figure (younger of the neighbors) and a resident of the same boarding house that Hiroe lives at. Mayaka always tries to help Hiroe with her "problem" pulling out all the stops. During the first episode, she used hypnosis to help Hiroe achieve orgasm by simply touching her. That plan was later scrubbed for Episode 2. Voice Actress: (JP) Arisa Andō/(EN) Tiffany Grant, credited as Lucy Moralez in the original SoftCel dub/Kelly Benz in the new Critical Mass DVD. Yayoi (弥生) - Hiroe and Mayaka's landlord whom they refer to as "mother" and is the owner of the boarding house that the girls reside in. She has a closet full of S & M gear, whips and sexual toys.