Sensitive Pornograph

The publication of Sensitive Pornograph by Ashika Sakura is one of the most anticipated yaoi releases of 2007, preceded by the release of the hardcore OAV of the same name. Unedited, uncensored and unrelenting in its Region 1 DVD release, the Sensitive Pornograph anime is easily the most explicit and raunchiest yaoi anime available anywhere, so English-speaking have had high hopes for the manga. Happily, although it does not go quite as far as its animated version, Sensitive Pornograph the manga does not disappoint in the slightest.

Fans of the anime already know the two stories told in the OAV version: "Sensitive Pornograph" tells about two male manga artists whirlwind romance that develops from sex into love, while "Trophies Belong in the Bedroom" is the masochism-flavored tale of a pet-sitter surprised by the 'bunny' he thinks he's taking care of. These are easily the two best stories in the manga version, so it's easy to see why they were chosen to be animated. "Sensitive Pornograph" is the short and sexy story of Seiji-kun, a brand new manga artist, and his older lover Sono-san, a veteran in the business. A lightweight plot, consisting mostly of the pair meeting, working together and having a small fight, really only exists to connect the hot and dirty sex scenes of the couple doing it in every conceivable position. On the other hand, "Trophies Belong in the Bedroom" follows a much more fascinating story: Ueno works as a pet-sitter and is hired to look after a "bunny" named Aki. When he arrives at the apartment, Ueno discovers that Aki is actually a naked young man bound with handcuffs and silenced with a ball gag. Aki, seemingly uncaring about his place in the world, rather methodically goes about having sex with Ueno in a variety of exciting positions for no apparent reason. Later, we learn that Aki has a "master," who does not treat him nearly as well as Ueno did. Both of these tales were animated nearly frame by frame from the anime and just as much fun panel-by-panel in black and white.

Aside from the animated stories, Sensitive Pornograph contains four more short stories, not quite as good but still enjoyable. "Non-Adult Situations" and "Come Home" both deal with couples who are separated for many years, and meet again under very different circumstances. These also feature lots of explicitly dirty sex, but at the same time they don't skimp too much on the character relationships. Sure, the plots are thin at best, but the reader still finds herself rooting for the couples in the end. "Please, Kiss Me" and "Indirect Youth" are not quite as good as the other four tales, but between a pushy delinquent in the first and a horny photographer in the second, even these stories are an entertaining step above most filler short stories.

Ashika Sakura's art style is simple, sketchy and rather cute, and her characters tend to all resemble each other, but the woman can readily draw a dozen different sexual positions with realism and a sensual flair. Unlike the explicitness of the uncensored OAV, in the manga, the naughty bits are obscured here and there by bursts of white light, but they don't distract from the tasty art at all. The "shaving cream" spurts from the OAV are nowhere to be seen in the manga, happily, so the sexual artwork is actually all quite normal in contrast to those particular quirks from the anime version.

A nice, non-slip dust jacket, a pretty full-color front page, clear translation of text and sound effects, and an all-around quality production are the hallmarks of 801 Media's publications. Sensitive Pornograph also includes a few pages at the end of the book with extra drawings and little tidbits about each of the six stories with the creator's comments. 801 Media has also established the detail of adding short translation notes on the very last page of their books, explaining cultural notes and details. This approach works much better than other translators who try to Westernize the cultural or historical references; even if you aren't sure what the significance of a comment is, the explanation is right there on the last page, and Western readers get to learn a little bit more about Japanese culture. When the production quality is this high, great little details like this really add the finishing touch to an already excellent product.

If you loved the Sensitive Pornograph anime, or even if you've never seen it, the English release of the manga version is a sexy, satisfying collection of short stories with a little something for everyone, from budding young love to strange sadistic games. Tender at some points, downright erotic at others, Sensitive Pornograph more than lives up to its name.