That being said Futari Ecchi can be called a love bible, a how to guide for dummies, or Manga Sutra. That's not to say that it is purely about sex. Futari Ecchi in essence, is a psychological, sociological, scientific, and medical, examination of human relationships and the ways in which sexual interactions plays a role in said relationships.
For those of you reading this thinking that you are already a sex expert; I guarantee that you will learn something from this manga, regardless of your degree of sexual experience.
The story is definitely one of the strong points that makes the whole thing work. It's about a man and a woman who meet through an omiai (match making session) and fall in love. The catch here is that they are both virgins, but are too shy to tell each other at first. The entire story is presented in the form of a romantic comedy which keeps the story lighthearted and enjoyable. Once they tell each other that they both have never had sex before, they decide that they will learn about sex together. What makes this so extraordinary is that it gives the reader an opportunity to learn more about relationships and sex as the characters do.
The psychological effects relationships have on individuals is thoroughly examined. The repercussions of adultery are explored (don't worry the main characters never commit adultery). The reasons for sexual fantasies in men, symbolism in dreams, and the reasons why women tend to prefer to have a certain level of intimacy before sex are all looked at from varying perspectives.
By sociological I mean, graphs, charts, figures, and statistics are habitually given to inform the reader about the differing ways in which men and women view relationships. These statistics are made to fit into the current situation the characters are facing. These range from what men and women think is necessary in a successful marriage to preferred sex positions. What makes these statistical studies even more interesting is that the author actually cites his sources in the manga. Of course since the manga began in 1997, you have to take some of the data with a grain of salt as it may no longer apply. Also about 90% of the statistical data applies only to Japanese people as they made up the groups who were surveyed. The remaining 10% is data acquired from surveys of Americans which makes for an interesting read as the Japanese data is contrasted to the American data.
Now scientific and medical might sound strange, but it is true in more ways than one. The author goes in depth in informing the reader about the differences in morphologies of sex organs for different individuals, and the advantages and disadvantages these differing morphologies have on sex. The hormones of men and women are also discussed and their effects on both sexes are also a reoccurring topic.
Thus far I have neglected to mention that there are numerous sex scenes in Futari Ecchi, though nothing immediately below the waste is shown (at most you will see a banana, literally). These scenes serve two main purposes in the manga. 1) To show the love, affection, and intimacy between our protagonists (which actually comes off as very sweet and innocent). 2) To inform the reader about sexual positions and convenient ways to transition between these position (which for some, might come in handy).
It is important to note that about 70% of Futari Ecchi is advice for men about women, which is probably why there is another version called Futari Ecchi for ladies.
All in all, the balance of lighthearted story telling plus the enlightening information about relationships makes Futari Ecchi one of the most unique mangas ever written. Most adults would definitely enjoy reading this manga.
