Sensual Phrase 7

Mayu Shinjo – Viz – 2005 – 18 volumes

There’s an essay by the English Adaptation writer Kelly Sue DeConnick in the back of the book that pretty much says all there is to say about this book: Blackmail! Gender Bending! Evil twins! Sex! Jealousy! But mostly it’s an essay about T.M. Revolution, the inspiration behind the new character in this book.

And… yeah, all those things happen. At one point, a big deal is made about Sakuya and the rest of Lucifer performing in drag, which I thought was pretty great, but I think my moment of zen for this book was the Sakuya line, said with a perfectly straight face, “Aine, yours are the only boobies for me.” It was supposed to be a joke, but that doesn’t make it any less of a slap in the face when it comes. A so-terrible-it’s-funny slap in the face. I mean, Mayu Shinjo’s dialogue is cheesy. Some of the cheesiest I’ve read, in fact. But I find that addictive, in a way. It’s like these characters have bad-dialogue Tourette’s. I desperately need to know what horrible thing will come out of their mouths next. And I love it.

Anyway, there’s a new rival band in town, called D-Revolution. D-Revolution wants Lucifer’s lyricist as their own. And they put Aine in a compromising situation (think Peach Girl) in order to blackmail her into going along with it. She complies, and of course Sakuya knows something is up and gets horribly protective. Later, there’s a romantic rival for Sakuya’s affections, and even though Sakuya promises again and again that he will not stray, Aine can’t help but worry.

And then infidelity happens. And the thing I love about Sensual Phrase is that Aine and Sakuya will most likely forgive one another and everything will be back to normal in a half volume.

Maybe.

Part of me wants this to last a little longer. Maybe. But then again, the unshakable fidelity is what I love most about the series.

Sensual Phrase 6

Mayu Shinjo – Viz – 2005 – 18 volumes

Oh, Sensual Phrase. Why must I love you so? I know you’re no good for me or anybody else. But you’re so addictive.

Only half of this volume deals with the main Sensual Phrase storyline. In the first half, Aine meets the family of one of Sakuya’s bandmates, his wife and daughter. Sakuya, being perfect at everything, is wonderful with the baby. This gives Aine food for thought as she begins experiencing morning sickness and realizes that her period is quite late. In the second storyline, Aine writes another naughty song and Sakuya pulls out another amazing video for it, and yet another band swoops in and is determined to steal Aine to write their lyrics. The story ends on a cliffhanger before we know what the plan is, but… haven’t we seen this story before?

I’ll admit, the story is still mostly just carried by passion and romance. But it’s hard to resist, since as I said before, Sakuya and Aine are such a close couple that it’s hard not to like the story. They are good to each other, and the drama comes from outside sources, the satisfaction comes from watching the two of them pull through. It sounds sappy, and it is. You also have to remember that they have sex a lot, which is something I don’t mention too often, but it happens at least a couple times a volume. The quality is not good, people. But it’s addictive all the same.

The rest of the volume contains two short stories, each focusing on a different member of Lucifer. The second talks about Yuki, the member with the wife and child I mentioned earlier. Not only are Yuki and his wife completely devoted, the same way that Aine and Sakuya are, but his story’s actually very interesting since he and his wife originally come from a very prestigious family of Noh performers. I can count on one hand the number of times traditional Japanese theater comes up in English-translated manga. This story doesn’t go into any detail of Noh performance (just the drama of being in such a family), but that it was a detail that was included at all is pretty great.

The other story is about Atsuro and how he and his step-sister are madly in love with each other. That chapter ends with sex. I was more than a little disturbed by this chapter.

Sensual Phrase 5

Mayu Shinjo – Viz – 2004 – 18 volumes

I took a little break from this series, but I’m going to try and polish it off before the end of the month. I’ve got several long shoujo series waiting to be read, and I’m sure they are all better than this one.

But will I enjoy them more? Sensual Phrase is an absolute riot, and I love every page. It… it isn’t good, but it is extraordinarily entertaining if you’re into this type of thing.

It’s just so unabashedly cheesy. It’s not trying to be anything but the absolute sweetest fanservice. The two main plot points in this volume were Aine getting hypnotized into thinking she was the sister of Sakuya’s romantic rival, and then Sakuya getting hit by a car and on the cusp of death. Through thick and thin, Sakuya and Aine stay by each other, and I think that’s why it’s successful. There’s not a whole lot of doubt or drama between the two, which is where a lot of other shoujo manga get the fuel for plot twists like these. It is almost literally going through the motions with these storylines (there’s no overarching plot aside from the fact Sakuya and Aine are dating, and of course they aren’t going to split up), but there’s something about the faithfulness of the couple that makes it utterly compelling for a genre fan like me.

Then there’s the eye-popping smut that’s scattered throughout the volume. I think Sakuya and Aine have sex three times here, maybe four. There’s also a scene where pop idol Sakuya, in the middle of a concert, turns off the lights, then grabs amnesia-addled Aine from the crowd, brings her back to the stage, turns the lights back on, then re-enacts a steamy music video where he feels up a naked Aine. Live on stage. In front of thousands of screaming teens.

It’s a Harlequin romance for naughty teenagers.

There’s also the author talks, where Mayu Shinjo discusses J-Pop idols, songs, and concerts at length and talks about the fan consensus based on letters she receives from readers.

This whole series is a perfect storm of absolutely everything an average female teenager would love, and it doesn’t try to be anything else. It simply there to put butts in seats, so to speak.

Sensual Phrase 4

Mayu Shinjo – Viz – 2004 – 18 volumes

To finish off tonight’s parade of bad/questionable taste, here’s a review of Sensual Phrase, a series that falls firmly into that genre of cheesy, skeevy, questionable shoujo. But much like Wounded Man, it is a fem salad of things that girls like to see. A hot guy who is strong, stands up for his girlfriend in any situation, shuts down potential suitors cold, and is 100% faithful. Also, lots and lots of sex (yikes, there’s a disturbing theme for the night).

It’s just as ridiculous as Wounded Man, too. This volume is less crazy than some of the other ones (like where Sakuya flies to America and comes back to Japan in a few months president of a rival music agency), but there’s still lots of drama drama drama. Most of the first half of the volume is about Sakuya and Ayako. Ayako is a former flame of Sakuya’s, and she has her sights set on him again. Aine’s in the way, of course, as is Sakuya’s complete devotion to her. Suicide attempts, smear campaigns in the press, outright power plays… none of it works against Sakuya. He always comes back to Aine. Eventually this gets boring, and the story moves on to a new problem, this time between Aine and another new boy idol named Tomoyuki. Tomoyuki begins moving in on Aine due to the fact she looks identical to his dead sister. Aine has no problems comforting him during what was obviously a recent and painful loss for him, but Sakuya is jealous, violent and protective. Of course things don’t go well. But… you know. You have to read it. It’s pretty twisted stuff, and Sakuya gets pretty violent and out-of-character reacting to things. But things aren’t so bad that I have to read the next volume to see if the two of them are going to be together. No. I’m going to pick up the next volume because I want to see what other crazy and taboo topics this series covers next, and to see just how uncomfortably erotic Sakuya’s songs can really get.

There’s an awesome essay in the back of this volume by Kelly Sue DeConnick, the person who did the English Adaptation for the series. Basically, she berates herself for loving the series as much as she does, because it is ridiculous trash. But it is addictive ridiculous trash, and she points out that if you’ve finished the volume and are reading the essay, that means you’ve read four volumes of this series and are reading the essay because you want more. And dammit, she’s right. I love Sensual Phrase to the core of my black little bad-comic-loving heart.

Sensual Phrase 3

Mayu Shinjo – Viz – 2004 – 18 volumes

As silly as this series is, I think its saving grace is that there is never any question of loyalty between Sakuya and Aine. Even when the usual shoujo manga plot devices get thrown their way (Aine lying to Sakuya in order to spare his feelings, and in one hilariously obvious scene, Aine believing that Sakuya is cheating on her), there’s never a doubt in Sakuya’s mind about Aine. And Aine is almost always the same way. With that as its base, there’s all manner of trashy and unbelievable goings-on, but it’s all good, because at the end of the day, nothing is going to split Aine and Sakuya up.

Suspension of Disbelief Theatre continues, in the meantime. Sakuya’s rich and important brother gets the better of him, and Aine finally succumbs to his threats in order to save Sakuya (from a serious, but somehow laughable, situation). What’s the best way to get back at his brother? Maybe suspend Lucifer with no warning, indefinitely, and take an unannounced trip to America? Well, that sounds good. It also makes you wonder just where the brother’s money and influence comes from.

That’s another thing to like about this series. Plot points that usually take volumes to run through the paces in other series take a matter of pages, or maybe a chapter. While, in theory, the condensed story is probably a little sloppy, I love that this series is full of no pretenses. It knows exactly what its readers want.

And after that messy brother business, they get it. A whole lot of unbelievable smut. And “smut” really is the best word for it. It’s not out-and-out filthy, there’s just a ton of innuendo, some barely-shown sex scenes between Aine and Sakuya (although they are certainly having sex, and it does show the two of them in bed together a lot), and much discussion and song lyrics on the subject of sex. One of the plot points at the end is how Aine can’t write filthy lyrics about wanting sex because she’s no longer a virgin, so Sakuya says “No more cock for you until you can write again.” It is entirely straight-faced about delivering such lines, but they are also hilariously blunt.

That mix of complete seriousness with hilarious dialogue is why I love this series. Plus, it isn’t pretending to be anything but what it is. It merely pays lip service to the shoujo manga genre. It’s an H manga for teenagers, through and through. There’s probably something to that.

Sensual Phrase 2

Mayu Shinjo – Viz – 2004 – 18 volumes

I just finished this volume a few minutes ago, and the ridiculous situation at the end is so over-the-top and trashy that I can’t stop laughing. The storyline is taking it very seriously, but these terrible people doing terrible things to one another are so far out of left field that I can’t be mad at it the same way I get mad at B.O.D.Y. Sensual Phrase just has no basis in reality whatsoever. And that’s why I can enjoy it.

Sakuya’s half-brother is a powerful major record executive from the US with a chip on his shoulder who wants to steal Aine away. That’s the entire plot of this volume. Aine wavers back and forth, finally allowing herself to be taken by the brother for the good of Lucifer and all the fans. Of course, Sakuya does all sorts of outlandish things to keep her away from his sleazy but powerful brother Ralph, including making out with her on live television. Ralph gets back at him by buying out all the television stations and major concert venues in Japan and shutting out Lucifer… you see where all this is going.

And while that’s happening, things stay hot and heavy between Aine and Sakuya. Ridiculously so. Those two have so many terrible, sappy lines it makes my head spin. At one point, while doing the normal blushing shoujo heroine thing while she was being ambushed, Sakuya lets loose with a “I want you inside me… fuck me…” which is not something a nice shoujo heroine says. But that’s her deal, I suppose. She writes dirty lyrics, and everybody loves her for it.

There were lots of hilarious lines in this volume, but my favorite, and probably one of the best lines in any shoujo manga, comes when Ralph is rejecting some lyrics Aine wrote for him: “These are awful. My dog could’ve written better lyrics than these… and my dog is spayed, Aine.” Diss!

This series… is not good for anybody, but is so horrible and ridiculous that it comes off as a lot of dirty fun. It’s the type of series I would have loved as a teen, but would hate to think about teens reading now that I’m older. I can see the appeal. And again, I think this must’ve been hugely popular while it was coming out. I just took a tour of several used bookstores this weekend, and all of them had some or all of the run of Sensual Phrase among the 50 or so volumes of manga in the usually poor selection. That’s… pretty amazing. I think this must’ve made it into the hands of a lot of teen girls while it was running.

Sensual Phrase 1

Mayu Shinjo – Viz – 2004 – 18 volumes

I have three long shoujo series in their entirety right now. I chose to start this one first since I was looking forward to it the least, but I still do want to read it. Mayu Shinjo is very popular, and I’ve never read any of her work (this is all that has been translated into English at the moment, but still). Also, we get this series in more often, by far, than any other shoujo manga at my used bookstore. Usually the entire run. I don’t know if that’s because people are holding onto their volumes of Fruits Basket, or what, but while this was running, it must’ve been very popular. Also, that’s why I wound up with it. I wouldn’t have bought it online (especially since some of the volumes seem to have climbed in price), but $40 for the set from work? Done.

I wasn’t looking forward to it, that is, until I read the first ten pages. I laughed. Then I laughed through the entire rest of the volume. This qualifies as “trashy,” basically because it’s very smutty and because it’s almost entirely emotional back-and-forth without much of a plot driving it, and what plot is there is showbusiness, which is inherently trashy most of the time. But this is so far over the trashy line… it exaggerates everything so much that it is no longer trashy, just laughable. I still think there’s merit in that, don’t get me wrong. Let me explain.

On the first page, the main character, Aine, is entering a lyrics contest. She thinks her lyrics are good, but fears they are too “sensual.” While on her way to school, she is hit by a car, and a handsome man jumps out and begins to fawn over her. He makes sure she is okay, gives her a backstage pass to a Lucifer show (the hottest band du jour), steals her lyrics, then drives off. Aine simply thinks she’s lost the lyrics, and goes to the show. Turns out the mysterious hit-and-run driver was the lead singer for Lucifer, named Sakuya. He sings her song, then takes a dive into the audience and grabs Aine. He fawns some more, compliments her sensual lyrics, and asks her to become the lyricist for Lucifer.

It only gets better from there. Inexplicably, Sakuya moves Aine into her own apartment (what about Aine’s parents? I’ve never seen such blatant disregard for this), and the two fawn over each other plenty, with lots and lots of talk about “sensual phrases.” And, of course, there’s plenty of drama when Sakuya’s fans start to think that Aine’s dating Sakuya and begin to take vengeance, which only gets worse at school when Sakuya enrolls with Aine for no reason.

I mean… it takes what most shoujo manga do in five volumes and crams it into one. And emphasizes smut. No wonder it was popular with teenage girls.

I can’t really add anything else constructive at this point. What do I think of Aine and Sakuya? They are, so far, a shoujo couple, and that’s all we know, there’s nothing to like or dislike. The plot is pretty hilarious, considering it’s about Aine writing sensual lyrics for a pop band. Apparently her lyrics are good because she is a virgin, though she is divested of clothing several times by Sakuya to “motivate” her, and at one point some savage fans that catch wind of this try to rape her to steal her special virgin lyric capabilities.

I suspect she will not remain a virgin for long. I cheated a little bit, though, because I remember running across this site years ago, which has a running tally per volume of how many times Aine and Sakuya have sex, when Aine is kidnapped, attacked, who kisses someone else, et cetera. I know what I’m in for.

It’s silly, it’s ridiculous, it’s shoujo turned up to 11 and made way cheesier and more smutty than you can imagine. I liked it more than I thought I would. I don’t know if the novelty will get me through 18 volumes, so I’m hoping I… get drawn into a possible plot or something. I’m at least very much looking forward to volume 2.