Jun 12, 2023
Ooh! I will be the first to review these!
Re: My Mixed Feelings recommendation: Personally, I liked these. But because of the dark and graphic and disturbing nature of some of these stories, I won't recommend it to most people.
Please note that each of these short stories are definitely RATED M FOR MATURE, even sometimes being pretty explicit. Each one has sexual content, sometimes in very graphic detail. There is a graphic rape scene in Onnanoko, and lots of sexual harassment and pedophilia in it too. Please be careful!
**Nude Model**
This is the story of a boy who is dared by a friend to have
...
sex with an unpopular girl in this class as a punishment game. In trying to seduce her, he ends up taking a liking to her. I would say that this story is a pretty good precursor for Blue Period: about a boy who does not know how to express his true feelings, but ends up realizing that art can lay him bare and help him experience true human connections. I think it's a cute story. The first time I read this was actually a while ago, and I still think of it sometimes, just because I think it's a cute idea to have a nude model and artist get together, whether it be romantically or as friends.
**Onnanoko**
This is a story about several boys in high school who are basically obsessed with porn at the moment. A young boy at the school records himself making sexual sounds into a tape recorder, and that recording accidentally leaks to the rest of his school. Basically, because of this, this boy has to see what it's like to be objectified and sexualized by the boys, and men, around him. When he gets into serious trouble, the only person who stands by his side is a girl who he, himself, previously sexualized, objectified, and put down, for the size of her breasts.
This story was really intense and is something I'm going to be chewing on for a long time. It was extremely disturbing but also thought-provoking. I think it says a lot about why young boys should not be introduced to porn at their age. I don't think they realize the damage that they're doing to themselves and the people around them when they only see a woman's body when they look at her. The ending lines of this story were especially chilling -- that basically, he could admire this girl for the size of her breasts, but he, himself, would never wish to live in this world having breasts like hers. To me, it's kind of like, men will profit off of and enjoy the porn industry, but will do nothing to support or advocate for the women who are abused by that same industry.
Yamaguchi was really bold with this story. I really want to hear what other people think of it too.
**Kamiya**
This is a metaphorical story about the Japanese host/ess industry, wherein customers can pay to essentially "date" the hosts that work at clubs. It may seem as though the relationship you're having with the host is real and true, but in reality, once the money dries up, they will have no interest in spending time with you. It is basically like the ultimate parasocial relationship where you think you know someone, but you really don't know them at all. This is the predicament the main character of Kamiya falls into. The energy-and-funds-draining exercise in futility that is loving a host/ess is depicted by having the host club be full of vampires. The main character slowly falls in love with a blood-sucking vampire, to whom she devotes much of her blood, and her money. In the end, she thinks she is special, and thinks she will be rewarded by the good deeds she is paying him -- but in reality, she is nothing more than another blood bag of many to him.
I thought this was a really amazing and clever metaphor for this particular issue, that I really enjoyed. It depicted the situation in a very unique way, especially by having the vampire be gender fluid, meaning that this is an issue that can affect anyone of any gender or sexuality. Its important to not devote your life to someone you know nothing about, especially if there is a financial incentive for them to be hanging out with you.
Overall, Yamaguchi is an amazing artist and very interesting storyteller. This dark and intense way of storytelling is something I've only caught glimpses of in my many, many months of enjoying Blue Period. It is amazing to see her tackle real life issues so boldly.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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