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krpalmerI’ve dabbled a bit in legitimate purchases of “digital manga” before, some titles only being available that way in official translation, but have been thinking of late I could turn a bit further towards that (although one reason why is how overstuffed my bookcases have become with printed volumes of the stuff). Looking at the Kobo online store, I did happen to see titles from a publisher that doesn’t seem to have much of a presence in print, and I have to admit the “fanservicey” cover of a volume from one series caught my eye. The volumes weren’t as expensive as from other publishers, though, so as something of a test I bought the first volume of Tohru Uchimizu’s “The Love and Creed of Sae Maki.”
That first volume started off with the high schooler Misao Kuniki being bullied in her new class; as this gets more unpleasant, the popular and successful Sae Maki sweeps in and befriends her. This idyll of rescue, though, fades into a realization Sae won’t let Misao away from her presence and dominance... I have to admit the intimations of “predatory lesbianism” that soon developed around just how Sae takes an interest in Misao got to feel disturbing, for all that the “girls’ love” manga I read ought to be a counter to “when that’s the only representation out there...” and there does seem an element of obliviousness to Sae’s obsession. By then, though, Misao was able to rely again on the kindness of strangers, even if Sae is a much harder force to get away from. More than that, by the end of the volume the escape schemes and Sae’s abilities to respond to them were getting outlandish, and the manga transitioned into something not that distant from the “straight-faced yet absurd” stories I can particularly enjoy, for all that the remaining nasty edge to things did keep it from rising to that level.
The absurdity kept escalating through four volumes, but approaching the end of the fourth I did wonder if I’d have to “wait for another” or if indeed this was about as far it could go... and then it turned out the fourth volume was the last, even if there was a sense of “things having to be wrapped up fast on the command of the publisher,” with a lot of explanations, the kindness of yet another stranger, and a crashing finale. The manga, I suppose, didn’t have the chance to wear out its welcome, even if the translation did read with something of the stilted flavour that’s helped manage to keep me away from run-of-the-mill “scanlations.” It might, however, have helped me transition a bit further towards reading legitimate digital manga in settings I’d only have taken those far more awkward experiences in before.
That first volume started off with the high schooler Misao Kuniki being bullied in her new class; as this gets more unpleasant, the popular and successful Sae Maki sweeps in and befriends her. This idyll of rescue, though, fades into a realization Sae won’t let Misao away from her presence and dominance... I have to admit the intimations of “predatory lesbianism” that soon developed around just how Sae takes an interest in Misao got to feel disturbing, for all that the “girls’ love” manga I read ought to be a counter to “when that’s the only representation out there...” and there does seem an element of obliviousness to Sae’s obsession. By then, though, Misao was able to rely again on the kindness of strangers, even if Sae is a much harder force to get away from. More than that, by the end of the volume the escape schemes and Sae’s abilities to respond to them were getting outlandish, and the manga transitioned into something not that distant from the “straight-faced yet absurd” stories I can particularly enjoy, for all that the remaining nasty edge to things did keep it from rising to that level.
The absurdity kept escalating through four volumes, but approaching the end of the fourth I did wonder if I’d have to “wait for another” or if indeed this was about as far it could go... and then it turned out the fourth volume was the last, even if there was a sense of “things having to be wrapped up fast on the command of the publisher,” with a lot of explanations, the kindness of yet another stranger, and a crashing finale. The manga, I suppose, didn’t have the chance to wear out its welcome, even if the translation did read with something of the stilted flavour that’s helped manage to keep me away from run-of-the-mill “scanlations.” It might, however, have helped me transition a bit further towards reading legitimate digital manga in settings I’d only have taken those far more awkward experiences in before.