Title: Manga Sutra Futari H Volume 2: Foreplay Author: Katsu Aki Publisher: TokyoPop Publish Date: Original 1997; English tr Pages: 356 Genres:: Manga, How-To Guide, Humor Reviewer: J. Arathoon

Rating:

Manga Sutra tells the story of Makoto and Yura, two newlyweds who are just starting to learn about sex and what it has to offer. When the book begins, Yura is somewhat reluctant about sex; once her enthusiasm is piqued, however, a series of obstacles continues to keep things interesting. Yura’s risqué sister, Rika, and her no-good boyfriend play a prominent role in distracting the couple from each other, as do Yura and Makoto’s meddling families and Makoto’s co-workers. There are other issues, too, like Makoto’s temporary bout of impotence, or just simple misunderstandings caused by lack of communication.
 
The book is told in traditional manga style, interspersed at random intervals with little sidebars displaying sex facts and statistics. The art is fairly generic but certainly serves its purpose. However, one point of note is that the art has clearly been designed to be essentially softcore. Although we see lots of copulation, the actual genitals are never shown. Penetration is typically indicated by a scientific-looking cross-sectional illustration, as if from a biology textbook. During sex, the genitals are often covered by text bubbles or the like; however, in the few instances where we get a straight shot of Yura’s body (never Makoto’s), her genitals are portrayed as something like a Ken doll—completely smoothed over. It is a disconcerting image.

It is not too clear how useful this book would be as an actual sex manual. In addition to the neutered genitals, the book has some decidedly questionable advice and mindsets. For example, although she enjoys sex, it is made clear throughout that Yura does not orgasm; Makoto repeatedly laments the fact that he is not able to please her adequately, and it is generally indicated that this is because he does not last long enough in bed. However, since women who can achieve orgasm through intercourse alone are in the minority, wouldn’t it be more useful to show lots of different ways that Makoto can help make Yura’s pleasure and satisfaction a priority, rather than indicating that a man’s ability to last forever in the sack is the single dominating factor in determining what makes him a good lover?

The writing is often funny and the translation from Japanese to English is virtually seamless. Through narration, the author repeatedly breaks the fourth wall to humorous effect. For example, when Makoto has an erotic dream, and thinks to himself, “I wonder when that dream started,” the narrator leaps in and tells us. “It started on page 19.” Although the gender relations are not necessarily as feminist and sex-positive as one could hope, for the genre this is generally fairly well handled. At its core, this is the story of two people learning to enjoy sex; not always getting it right, but trying their best and having fun along the way.