MJ Review: Sensitive Pornograph

[Eric]

Title: Sensitive Pornograph
Manga-ka: Ashika Sakura
Genre: Yaoi
Originally Serialized In: June Comics Piace Series (Magazine Magazine)
Licensed By: 801 Media
Price: $15.95 (US)
Rating: Mature (18+)

I would call this a title that needs no introduction. It is, in my corner of the Internet, fabled and legendary. I have friends who don't take you seriously as a yaoi-fan if you don't show at least some familiarity with this title. It was one of the very first titles I read in scanlation-form when I first discovered the genre. (Oh, the days of [relative] innocence, before yaoi ate my brain.)

For those of you not in the know, here is your crash course. Sensitive Pornograph (please note it is not Sensitive Pornography) is a collection of short stories, each revolving around a different couple. They range from benign to bizarre and span a variety of situations. The couple who inhabits the title story are perhaps the most famous, having been featured in the OVA version (along with only one other story from the collection). The couple are both manga artists, fans of each other's work who met by chance and turned a one-night stand into a romance.

The second story in the book, "Please, Kiss Me", is about two high school freshmen, one of whom admires the other's violence so much that he develops an unshakable crush after being pulverized by him. "Hello, my name is Meguro-san, and I am a masochist". I didn't like this one at all when I first read it in scanlation form - it is surprisingly tame after the explicitness of "Sensitive Pornograph" - but rereads have made me rather fond of it. It shows an earlier form of Ashika's art style, which isn't as lush as the rest of the book.

Next is perhaps my favorite story in the entire anthology, "Non-Adult Situations". It features two friends suddenly reunited after being torn apart in their childhood when one of them is kicked out of his house upon his parents discovering his sexual orientation. It's sweet, tender and very confusing as one of them struggles to pretend he isn't in love and the other struggles to accept what his childhood friend has become. Despite the title, this story resumes the very graphic sexual nature that is trademark to most of the book, with the exception of "Please, Kiss Me."

The fourth story, "Indirect Youth," bothered me a bit on the first reading for personal issues. There is an element of harassment and dubious consent that prickles (I know, I know; I'm a yaoi-fan and I can't stand rape-as-a-romantic-device. It does make life rather difficult at times) but in the end it is resolved in such a way that soothed my ruffled feathers. If it weren't for that, however, this would be another favorite, as it features one of my inexplicable kinks of professional photography motif.

The fifth story marks the other couple to be featured in the Sensitive Pornograph OVA. Though its proper name is "Trophies Belong in the Bedroom," you might be more familiar with it being called some variation of "The White Rabbit." I confess, this one repulsed me on a number of levels, including abusive relationships and forced prostitution. I'm sure it is someone's favorite cut of meat, just not mine.

"Come Home," the sixth and final story, wraps up the anthology on what I felt was a rather weak note considering the strength of some of the other stories. (Left up to me, I might have chosen "Non-Adult Situations" as the closing story, since it has a very emotionally satisfying conclusion.) Still, after the emotional trauma that "Trophies" bestowed, it isn't the worse possible choice either.

All in all, this anthology probably reminds me a bit of season seven of the X-Files -- overall visually pretty with some amazingly memorable episodes, the images from which will stay with you for ages, but with its fair share of weak links. Still, the episodes you love, you really, really love, and the art is iconic. I also approve of the translators' decisions to leave the Japanese honorifics intact. I know it’s a debate among fans, but it is impossible to convey the implications of the different honorific forms in English. The title story wouldn't be the same if it were simply "Seiji" and "Sono" instead of "Seiji-kun" and "Sono-san," and nobody in their right mind would call their lover "Mr. Sono," which is the closest English approximation for that term of respect. The honorifics go a long way towards showing the characters' social status in relation to each other.

The physical quality of the volume is unsurpassed. I love the fact that it’s small, fitting comfortably in my hands unlike the oversized volumes most yaoi manga is printed in. The dust cover (my mortal enemies, dust covers) has a matte finish, lending it a rather elegant feel. The pages are thick, high-quality paper as far as manga goes, and the only technical quibble I might have with them is their decision to leave the original sound effect kanji in place, with small translations out to the side. Still, it isn't worth bitching about too loudly.

Overall, despite the one or two weaker stories, this is a book worth owning, if only for the unbelievably high pretty factor. And, you know, the fandom respect.

Reviewer: M. Jules Michel
Proofer: Highlord (aka Eduardo Menéndez)
Editor: Lissa Pattillo