Night Shift Nurses

Night Shift Nurses is the North American localization of Yakin Byoutou (夜勤病棟), a Japanese OVA series adapted from the visual novel of the same name by Discovery. It was translated by Lighthouse Productions, licensed by Central Park Media and distributed in the United States by Critical Mass Video. The series is particularly notorious for its explicit depictions of rape, sadomasochism and paraphilia.

Setting
Night Shift Nurses, as was originally written for the game, takes place in an undisclosed area of Japan, mainly at the fictional St. Juliana Hospital. A majority of the game is portrayed on campus with minor visits to the character's residences and surrounding towns.

Plot
Ryuki Hirasaka is an unemployed, middle-aged Japanese gynaecologist, single, independent, and living on his own. One evening, he receives an email from the fictional St. Juliana Hospital, a local institution, offering him a temporary job opportunity. He contently accepts, scheduling to meet with the president the following day.

That afternoon, semi-formal and with a portfolio, Hirasaka commutes to the hospital. After an acquaintance with Ren Nanase, a nurse who escorts him to the president, he is frightened to discover his potential employer is a woman he had brutally raped in the past, Narumi Jinguji. In spite of the excruciating atmosphere, however, Narumi explains her wish to develop a department in the hospital that caters to the sexual interests of patients; in need of his expertise to oversee the operation. Overwhelmed with lewd excitement, Hirasaka agrees.

Characters

 * Ryuji Hirasaka (比良坂 竜二)
 * Ryuji Hirasaka is the aforementioned antihero of the series. A knowledgeable practitioner, his life takes a sharp turn when he is invited to direct and corrupt a team of nurses at his new place of work. An unconvicted sex offender, Hirasaka is vicious, controlling and intimidating, often cold reading those under him to learn about their vulnerabilities and how to exploit them. He sports a mullet and is bespectacled.
 * Ryuji Hirasaka is the aforementioned antihero of the series. A knowledgeable practitioner, his life takes a sharp turn when he is invited to direct and corrupt a team of nurses at his new place of work. An unconvicted sex offender, Hirasaka is vicious, controlling and intimidating, often cold reading those under him to learn about their vulnerabilities and how to exploit them. He sports a mullet and is bespectacled.


 * Narumi Jinguji (神宮寺 成美)
 * Narumi Jinguji is the thirty-two-year-old head practitioner of the St. Juliana Hospital, specializing in gynaecology. Voluptuous and enticing, she arranges to meet with Hirasaka one afternoon to offer him the chance to sexually discipline a select group of her nursing staff for the purpose of developing a prostitution ring. As a previous rape victim of her own employee, Narumi exhibits bursts of psychological imbalance and unrest. She is noted for her long green hair. Like Hirasaka, she too wears glasses.
 * Narumi Jinguji is the thirty-two-year-old head practitioner of the St. Juliana Hospital, specializing in gynaecology. Voluptuous and enticing, she arranges to meet with Hirasaka one afternoon to offer him the chance to sexually discipline a select group of her nursing staff for the purpose of developing a prostitution ring. As a previous rape victim of her own employee, Narumi exhibits bursts of psychological imbalance and unrest. She is noted for her long green hair. Like Hirasaka, she too wears glasses.


 * Ren Nanase (七瀬 恋)
 * Bright and friendly, Ren Nanase is a twenty-two-year-old nurse at the St. Juliana Hospital who is arguably the most iconic character of the series. She is the first nurse Hirasaka meets and the first who genuinely welcomes him as a friend and superior. When her love for an inpatient boxer, Naoya Ohkawa, is discovered, Hirasaka learns of her match fixing and uses it as blackmail. Like the nurses to come, in spite of the abhorrent treatment she receives, Ren develops Stockholm syndrome and becomes emotionally attached to her abuse. Ren is distinguishable by her incredibly long hair, of which is usually tied into a ponytail.
 * Bright and friendly, Ren Nanase is a twenty-two-year-old nurse at the St. Juliana Hospital who is arguably the most iconic character of the series. She is the first nurse Hirasaka meets and the first who genuinely welcomes him as a friend and superior. When her love for an inpatient boxer, Naoya Ohkawa, is discovered, Hirasaka learns of her match fixing and uses it as blackmail. Like the nurses to come, in spite of the abhorrent treatment she receives, Ren develops Stockholm syndrome and becomes emotionally attached to her abuse. Ren is distinguishable by her incredibly long hair, of which is usually tied into a ponytail.


 * Remi Shinjyo (新城 礼美)
 * Remi Shinjyo is a twenty-seven-year-old Senior nurse of the hospital maternity ward. As a headstrong superior, Remi is outwardly proud, fastidious and authoritative, especially to Ryuji. Although it is not mentioned until later, Remi is responsible for an act of malpractice that resulted in the death of a patient. Of all the nurses, she is the only one not a virgin.
 * Remi Shinjyo is a twenty-seven-year-old Senior nurse of the hospital maternity ward. As a headstrong superior, Remi is outwardly proud, fastidious and authoritative, especially to Ryuji. Although it is not mentioned until later, Remi is responsible for an act of malpractice that resulted in the death of a patient. Of all the nurses, she is the only one not a virgin.


 * Ako Fujisawa (藤沢 亜子)
 * Shy and quiet, Ako Fujisawa is a twenty-three-year-old pharmacist. The daughter of a wealthy family, she is falsely accused of stealing drugs from her department and this is used as the basis for her series of abuse. In much the same fashion as Ren, Ako develops delusional, obedient feelings for Hirasawa. Owning to one of the elements of the show, Ako becomes a coprophile.
 * Shy and quiet, Ako Fujisawa is a twenty-three-year-old pharmacist. The daughter of a wealthy family, she is falsely accused of stealing drugs from her department and this is used as the basis for her series of abuse. In much the same fashion as Ren, Ako develops delusional, obedient feelings for Hirasawa. Owning to one of the elements of the show, Ako becomes a coprophile.


 * Hikaru Kodama (児玉 ひかる)
 * Hikaru Kodama is a twenty-one-year-old amateur nurse, newly employed and specializing in pediatrics. As her department suggests, Hikaru absolutely loves children and, like them, is energetic. She is the fourth and final nurse to be subjected to Hirasaka and by far endures the most inhumane practices. Hikaru is noted for her pigtails and baggy stockings. She has an adoptive sister, Ai, hospitalized for heart problems.
 * Hikaru Kodama is a twenty-one-year-old amateur nurse, newly employed and specializing in pediatrics. As her department suggests, Hikaru absolutely loves children and, like them, is energetic. She is the fourth and final nurse to be subjected to Hirasaka and by far endures the most inhumane practices. Hikaru is noted for her pigtails and baggy stockings. She has an adoptive sister, Ai, hospitalized for heart problems.

Reception
As a result of the unrestrained content of the series, Night Shift Nurses is usually regarded as one of, if not the most graphic hentais ever released. Several minutes of particularly unruly scenes were even banned from North American releases. Industry aggregator Mania.com gave the series an F, citing that although the animation is "clean" and "slick", the quantity of edits made for the American release yields it one that ''"[...]I in no way [can] recommend." Animetric.com'' published a more favorable review, giving the show a 3 out of 5 stars, praising the art and animation while criticizing the abrupt ending.