This work provides undisputable evidence for why Moyoco Anno is one of the champions of Josei as it quite literally encapsulates the phrase "written by women, for women". If you're interested in the psychological, philosophical undercurrent behind the protagonist's & her fellow's psyche as they deal with the reality that brothels are patriarchal institutions that have long objectified women, this is definitely the manga. It's pretty much a political conversation starter.
Art - 10/10
Hyper-feminine to the point it becomes celebratory of 20th century Paris Salons in all it's maximal, decorated desires. From clothing to makeup, it blends you into this lavish historical world the women, clothes and backgrounds are beautifully (and accurately!!) drawn to intricate detail. Moyoco's art resembles the usual thin laden style of Josei such as in Kyoko Okazaki, barely complicated to the eye and quite forthwith when portraying anatomically challenging (nsfw) scenes. Additionally, many of the men who are appear unconventional/ugly have an impressive level of detail that even in NSFW scenes arent unsightly which I think is a real skill particularly in comparison to certain NTR manga... My favourite thing about the art is that the hurried, more serious scenes were drawn with messier lines which really sets the scene and becomes more appropriate when exploring psychological themes. Overall, I was drawn to screenshot many panels and look back at it forever onwards, but caution, lots of not very detailed nudity.
Plot - 7/10
If you're looking for something action-packed and busy with plot you'd best look elsewhere. This is more like a slow read into the mind of protagonist and those she is acquainted with. The plot aims to investigate many different angles to the protagonist's life so neither does it hyper-focus on the protagonist's suffering. What makes the work so unique is that the author portrays a variety of perspectives from many sides, those you disagree, agree, desire and are grossed out by. She is unashamed of who the readers will encounter and you can really tell. Sometimes, she delegates some chapters to the male characters and uses them to support the plot in both good and bad ways, in such a wildly feminist work, I found myself validifying the men's emotions too. One major criticism, however, is that the end ties too well together which I believe undoes the significance of the plot, it's supposed to go full circle and it does quite nicely but for such a realistic and unabashedly crude story, it sure gave everyone opportune endings that seem so coincidental that it undoes the major systemic criticisms of the real world that have left many real prostitutes without fulfilling endings (not to mention, there wasn't enough focus on those that were implied to have suffered directly from the brothel, but you could interpret this in many ways). Either way, the dialogue was so good I could look past it. Oh, and yes, the plot had themes of orientation and sexuality both minor and sort of major, for me it was easy to forget but I can see why many who are interested in exploring the political message behind desire, love and certain mature themes would appreciate this.
Dialogue - 9/10
Almost as appealing as the art, the dialogue read like a wonderful book. It was beautifully consistent with prominent iconography that really brought everything together, especially at the end. The dialogue essentially lulls you into the same eye-opening development as the protagonist, wherein even her own thoughts and philosophies become challenged frequently and the concept of right and wrong becomes quite blurred. You, too, become slowly adjusted to the objectification and commodification of women as the dialogue breaks down how one comes to the conclusion that they are worth being sold. The men also had significant contributions in terms of dialogue, with such direct feminist commentary such as "The best way to fool a man is with the help of another." One would be surprised to see that the most insightful dialogue comes from a mans perspective, as well as his mutual experience in the pursuit and exploration of love and desire with women. The dialogue really engaged my mind, though, at some times too vague, it was mostly understandable and carried certain metaphors that really shaped my understanding. It was great.
Characters - 8/10
For one, lots of the themes are quite sensitive so it's essential that the characters are written ethically - and they are!! Very much so!! Both the major male and fem characters share about the same detail in terms of backstory or at least what I believe to be appropriate for such a short story. All of which are perfectly aligned with the plot (as they carry or exemplify a certain moral). More importantly, most of these characters are unconventional in different ways, and as such they are presented with vivid personalities and enough of their own individuality as to not reduce them to that master status. There was definitely an open-minded approach to the creation of these characters which I find ethical and authentic, it definitely educates you on the duality of people. The only issue with the characters is that it may have been too short a story, while the other characters were explained enough that I felt a sense of fulfillment, I would have liked to see more exploration for the protagonist.
Overall, this work follows a lot of the trends of great Josei artists, there's a reason she was controversial when her work came out- she's unashamed and willing to break taboos where nsfw, aestheticism, luxury and desire are put front and centre as a criticism of how everyone contributes to a patriarchal society. I thought there were a lot of feminist metacommentary that were very direct and obvious that I had no choice but to to make a review centred around it. As such, this work has a sense of social awareness that can't be ignored, and if you're interested in that then have fun reading~~
