Ai No Kusabi (Feedback Requested)

If this is basically going to re-voted on, should it be re-flagged?

Just popping in to say I wish I could say that this was the first thing I've come across that involved control by penis-ring, I really do.

At least it's actually with a guy this time.

So, in summary...

Not "pedopandering"* because none of the characters are all that young.

It contains a society where the elites engage in practices that would be considered pretty bad by modern 1st world standards, but then again so does pretty much every realistic book set in Ancient Rome and Greece. Depicting decadent societies doesn't make something cutworthy.

Several reliable people have argued that it isn't really porn, because sex scenes are by far the minority of the work.

• Technically, "pedopandering" should mean works designed to appeal to pedos, meaning children. Therefore it is My Little Pony that needs to be cut for pedopandering.

edited 24th Jun '12 6:00:54 AM by Catbert

Feh, everyone knows that My Little Pony is fine. It appeals to twenty-something men who shop at Hot Topic.

But on-topic, does that mean that historical context of the timeframe being written about can count against anything guidelines deem cut-worthy? Just asking, for future reference.

Yes, it's not porn. Very complex plot about how that society is bad and it's class system discriminates in favor of wealhty people who all happen to be Designer Baby beings from test tubes. Altogether there are 5 sex scenes (6 in the 2012 OVA as it actually depicts a sex scene obscured in shadow that was merely referenced in the book between an 18 year old hetero couple). I was able to get a complete plot synopsys of the 6 Japanese novels from a fan and a typed out chapter of the one sex scene ~I~ concede and agree is questionable from the beginning of second novel in the series (the infamous handjob scene). The chapter title "Memories of the Past: Flashback" start out with the line "5 Years Earlier.." which is how one concludes the protagonist was 15 then since he was currently 20 in story.

I can post that one chapter right here if it's requested as it is the only real arguing point for this series to remain cut. Because 1 person involved was 15 year old.

The remaining sex scenes all take place afterwards. The very next also being in the second volume and the protagonist is at least 17 (maybe 18 due to the time skips). I can also post it if requested.

Then there's two volumes with no actual sex to speak of but mentions of brothels, sex slave auctions an the like. Then there's the fourth volume with one sex scene where the protoganist is 21 when his former master comes to take him back. The last two volumes have 1 sex scene each. One is a fan favorite because it's the two protoganists more or less depicted as in love despite their Masochism Tango chemistry and another is a Dirty Mind-Reading dream revealed of a villain that is very brief. In 6 volumes of novels (aparently 8 in the US aas Digital manga Publishing spaced it out to make more money).

Still trying to understand how and why this was called pornography when it's clearly not and the P5 didn't even exist when this was cut.

(I wonder if the misconception of yaoi fangirls is the only reason this got cut aside from people jumping the gun because certain plot points sounded "obscene".)

edited 5th Jul '12 5:21:42 AM by VeritasVierge

As I recall, jumping the gun over misperceptions about plot points was quite enough for some of the other pages since restored.

In the absence of any commentary, I re-flagged this. If anyone else can find the material and offer an opinion, that'd be great.

(Summary) Ai No Kusabi Novel Volume 1 – Stranger

Chapter 1. A young man, tied up to a bed is being punished by his master for betraying him with a girl, Mimea – a property of another man, Raoul. He is restrained and painfully aroused by the drug he's been given, and in the same time is unable to come because of the ring on his penis. The identities of the man and his master are not told (the scene is probably intended as a kind of prologue that wouldn't give out too much).

Ch 2. A short description of Midas – the city of fun, excess pleasure and sexual enjoyment (basically it’s Las Vegas).

Ch 3. Friday night, hideout of the biker gang “Bison”, Kirie, the youngest member at 17-year old mentions there's a pet auction in Mistral Park. Riki, the leader doesn't listen to it, he seems completely uninterested. That makes the younger boy really angry. He feels ignored and thus humiliated.

Ch 4. Guy, another gang member, Riki's closest friend, and his former lover muses about changes that occurred in Riki. Once he was lively, impulsive and charismatic, now he is calm, quiet and somehow a stranger.

Ch 5. Three years back, one evening Riki (then 17) visits Guy at his place. Guy already sees the first changes in him. He is drinking expensive alcohol, appears to have money from some suspicious source he doesn't want to reveal. He's somehow nervous, keeps repeating about rare chances and leaving Ceres, the slum they live in.

Ch 6. A story of a past revolution and why it isn't easy to leave Ceres. People of Ceres, a district of Midas, once claimed their freedom from the computer controlling the civilization and independence from the rest of the city. And Midas gave it to them canceling their citizenship, announcing Ceres a separate town. First they thought it was a victory. Then they realized, it was a way to deprive them of their livelihood. Ceres couldn't really survive without Midas, because it WAS dependent on Midas. And without Midas help, the slum came into being. And now, after three years of absence, Riki is back. Changed. Mature (he's 20 now), secretive, and somehow condescending to his companions.

Ch 7. An auction in the high class market district, Mistral Park. Bison after all show up at the place. Riki and Kirie have a little quarrel. Afterwards Riki reflects his aversion towards Kille – the boy reminds him of himself three years ago, and he can't stand it. Crowds of people in the Park – Blondies and the other elite from Tanagura all around...

Ch 8. Some background about planet Amoi. A few words about Tanagura – a nearby city of the elite keeping it's protective arm over Midas. Tanagura is ruled by the supercomputer, called Jupiter.

A better description of the system of social classes in the two cities. Master-pet relationships described, and what other cities on the planet think about it (they don't approve of it, but since Tanagura is the most powerful one, they don't say it out loud).

A pet can be any young, good-looking person from Midas. Pets bred (genetically engineered) by the Academy are considered the most exclusive and of the best quality, and of course they look down at all the other pets. With their appearance they resemble the Blondies – they also usually have blonde hair. However nothing is said about their intelligence and presumably they are not particularly smart.

The elite are genetically engineered, physically perfect people. Their bodies are artificially designed and sterile. Their IQ exceeds 300. The Blondies – the highest of the elite, are the only ones who have a right to personally talk to Jupiter.

9. (Back to the present in Mistral Park) Suddenly Riki feels somebody's eyes on him. He turns and sees a Blondie watching them from the distance. This sight throws Riki off balance and disturbs him. Riki knows the man very well. His name is Iason Mink. He's smiling at him, which makes the young man unreasonably angry. Kirie sees the Blondie's interest and decides to introduce himself. He goes unstopped by the rest.

10. A few monotonous months pass, almost a year since Riki came back to Ceres. Kirie has left them for good. There are rumors that he is making business with "the androids" and is pretty prosperous. (Who/what exactly androids are and what they do, isn't explained. Possibly the rumor referred to the elite, but it is made clear that the elite and the androids aren't the same.)

11. Then one day Kirie arrives in his new expensive car to their hideout. He asks Guy if he has reconsidered an offer. It turns out that Guy received a proposition from Iason. Iason wanted Guy to become his pet. That of course raises serious suspicion in Riki.

End Volume 1.

edited 8th Jul '12 1:57:38 PM by VeritasVierge

Linebreaks. By the Goddess, linebreaks! Don't just post everything as one paragraph.

Relax. Botched copy and paste. Didn't come out how I pasted it in. Jesus. Relax....

Hyperbole and teasing. Sorry. I always forget sarcasm doesn't travel the internet well.

edited 3rd Jul '12 12:03:36 PM by shimaspawn

Okay, so Volume 1 is safe. How are the other volumes?

Chapter 2 – Flashback (Summary)

(This chapter has the questionable content because this apparently happened when Riki was 15 but his age is never stated)

Ch 12. Five years back. Riki's and Iason's first encounter. One evening Riki goes down some Midas street with an intention to pick some pockets. He's being caught in the act by two Blondies. One of them leaves immediately hurrying somewhere, but the second stays with the mongrel. Riki wants to pay him back for his silence. They go to a Midas brothel and there Riki offers his body to him. He is curious if it's true that "the artificial humans" don't have sex, and he wants to find out what in that case the Blondie will do. Iason refuses at first and is snarky but Riki continues to insist. Iason agress to "play the instrument" with his fingers and mocks Riki through the whole thing. Riki quickly regrets his decision and feels ashamed. Afterwards they split not even knowing each other's names.

Ch 13. The meeting leaves Riki feeling terribly humiliated – not only was he aroused, he also begged and cried for completion. His relationship with Guy begins to collapse.

Ch 14. Some time later Riki starts making business with a black market broker named Katze. He proves really skilled. He wins himself a name: "Riki the Dark". But the things he sometimes has to do make him feel really nasty (Not sex stuff but lots of criminal activities). He keeps repeating he will leave Ceres one day...

Ch 15. Thoughts about Iason haunt Riki. Their second meeting occurs during some auction in Mistral Park. Riki spots the Blondie who apparently is heading somewhere, and without thinking rushes after him. They finally face each other in some isolated room in the back of the Auction Hall. It turns out to be a trap – Iason informs Riki that he won't let him go.

Ch 16. An hour later Riki is already in Eos. He is angry. But it seems that being kidnapped doesn't annoy him as much as the fact that he is kept alone. In the next room Iason and his fellow Blondie – Raoul Am watch Riki via a screen. Raoul thinks a mongrel pet is a really bad idea. (The first and second scene from the audio drama "Dark Erogenous".)

Ch 17. Kirie meets with Iason. He informs the Blondie that Guy is still rejecting his offer. He inwardly envies the other mongrel – he wants to be Iason's pet himself (he obviously doesn't understand what it really means to be somebody's pet). He tells him that once Guy and Riki were a couple. For the first time we hear that homosexual relationships are common in Tanagura and Midas because there are hardly any women.

Ch 18. Iason talks to Raoul. He says that he is going to get Riki back. He had removed his pet ring, what would normally equal canceling his registration. But with Riki the situation is different. Normal pet regulations don't apply to non-citizens since they have no I Ds. Thus it will be easy to bend the law here. Raoul warns him. He is breaking the regulations by keeping a pet for three years. Iason makes a confession that he thinks he loves Riki.

Ch 19. The short depiction of Riki's training (back when he was 17). First Iason intends to couple him with some other pet, but the idea quickly gets suspended. He keeps Riki naked for the first month to make him get used to his nudity. For the next two months Riki is forced to masturbate in front of Iason's eyes and to present his intimate parts to him. Iason isn't rough, but he definitely is implacable. Riki in turn is of course defiant and obstinate, constantly making troubles – but it only seems to excite Iason. Other pets don't accept a mongrel among themselves, but Riki doesn't care. And after six months Iason couples with Riki himself. It's physically very painful for the young man (ehm... sizes), but he isn't very angry. That's when Riki gets his pet ring. That's when Iason realizes that Riki is special to him, and that he will never let him have sex with anyone except himself (pets are supposed to engage only with other pets to entertain elites. Iason is breaking this strict rule). Even watching Riki masturbating in front of the hologram of a naked woman makes him mad (he slaps the bejesus out of Riki when he sees him). Suspicions start to arise in Eos about Iason and his pet, but Iason doesn't care.

End Volume 2

edited 3rd Jul '12 12:31:23 PM by VeritasVierge

Chapter 3 – Again (Summary)

Ch 20. Katze shows up in Ceres and takes Riki for a talk. He wants him to warn Kirie about the dangers of dealing with Iason and stop him before he gets hurt. He confesses to Riki that he was once Iason's "furniture" (house slaves that are castrated so they can only be used as butlers).

21. Furniture are responsible for the household chores and also are guards and caretakers for the elite's pets and decoration in Eos apartments. They are all young men from Ceres chosen from among Guardian's proteges. Guardian is a place where most of the Ceres children are born and raised. Katze claims that it's in fact sponsored by Tanagura or more specifically – by Iason. It's a kind of payback for the boys and a way to control the birth rate in Ceres – that's how the female population is kept low.

Katze had been chosen. And although he was shocked when he found out he would be castrated, it wasn't that bad at all. He tells Riki how he once managed to steal Tanagura secrets by hacking and how he was punished. He is afraid of Iason. Riki however refuses his request to warn Kirie – he doesn't want to have anything to do with Kirie.

Ch 22. Kirie and Guy go to Iason. Guy finally yielded to Kirie's urges. At Iason's place Kirie takes his payment and leaves. Guy, seeing he's been actually sold, feels cheated. But he doesn't really fight to leave.

Ch 23. A few days later Riki, anxious with Guy's disappearance, meets Kirie. Kirie – proud of himself – tells him what he did. Riki gets mad and tells Kirie to stay out of his sight if he wants to live.

Ch 24. Riki goes to Katze. Katze says that he doesn't think the deal was about Guy. They both know what it was about, but they don't say it out loud. Katze tries to encourage Riki to go to Iason, at least to talk to him. But Riki doesn't want to go. He is afraid he won't be able to resist his old master. After a year of being alone, he is really starving for physical contact (Riki is now 21).

Ch 25. And after another couple of days Iason pays him a visit. He is disappointed Riki didn't come by himself. Riki wants Iason to leave but Iason says he's holding Guy captive. He offers he will set Guy free if in turn Riki comes back to him. Riki folds and Iason takes Riki easily – the mongrel, indeed, can't resist him. (Sex scene) He puts the ring back on place. He leaves, telling Riki he is expecting him back.

Ch 26. Iason gets into the car driven by Katze and heads home. He isn't really happy with the meeting. He wants something more from Riki than just sex. But he can't see how they could get along in this society – other than in master-pet relationship.

Ch 27. Right after being released from Eos, Guy visits Riki in his flat. But when he's already there, they somehow can't communicate. Seeing a hickey on Riki's neck, Guy suspects that the other man has a lover. Riki in turn, is restless wondering if something happened between Guy and Iason.

Ch 28. Katze visits Guardian to choose new furniture for Eos. The host of this place – Jad Kuga is regarded as an elite of Ceres (he's a rich normal man), thus his son Manon Soul – a young man more-less Riki's age, looks down at everyone in the slum. Ex-furniture holding such a high position really annoys him. He tries to humiliate Katze offending him, but is put down with a few sharp words in return. Now he really hates the man.

End Volume 3

Chapter 4 – Darkness (Summary)

29. Kirie pays a visit in Guardian. He is trying to seduce Manon. He hopes coupling with the elite will boost his own position. Manon yields to Kirie's charm quite easily. Correction per Lebrel:(Brief explicit sex scene.) He tells him about the incident with Katze.

30. Some time later Bisons are invaded by the police and taken to the Police Center. The policemen ask them about Kirie. They apparently are looking for him. They release Riki after they find his name in the pet registry, and not much later they release the others too.

31. Next morning Guy visits Riki. They, as always lately, have a hard time together, and just when Guy is about to leave, they realize there is someone else in the room...

32. Quick flashback to a day or so earlier. Kirie and Manon sneak into the basement of Guardian. They want to see a secret lab that – as Manon claims – Katze told him about. They indeed find the lab. But the sight of the humanoid scary creatures there throws them so much that they run in panic.

33. Back to the present. The unexpected guest is Kirie. He sits curled up in the corner, looking so terribly frightened that almost out of his mind. Riki, still mad at him, starts to beat the terrified young man. Finally Guy manages to calm him down, and at the same moment Kirie unexpectedly shouts out his feelings for Riki. Riki is completely stunned, but finally he agrees to hide the young man.

34. Iason and Katze are talking in the park. Katze informs Iason that his people didn't succeed in finding Kirie yet. He checked the kid's background. Kirie had no close friends, no lover, the only person he seemed to be concerned with was Riki, with whom he constantly argued. Iason makes a comment, that it could mean he had feelings for Riki and suggests to check Riki's place. The remark about love from Iason's lips surprises Katze. But in the same time it makes him feel somehow better.

35. Katze pays Riki a visit. He tells him why he is looking for Kirie. The boy saw too much and has to be taken care of. Manon who was with him in the lab has gone mad. At first Riki denies he hides Kirie, but when Katze threatens he will use truth serum on him, he gives in. Katze takes Kirie and leaves. Guy who is also there, is really angry that Riki gave the other boy away so easily.

36. Riki lies alone in his flat, thinking. Guy hasn't talk to him since the incident with Kirie. The ring is biting into his flesh... reminding him. He can't stop thinking about things Iason could do to him... (Nope, no actual sex here either).

End Volume 4. (2 more to go which I will put up when I get home from work).

edited 4th Jul '12 11:55:01 AM by VeritasVierge

Chapter 5 – Sore Heart (Summary)

37. (Minor sex scene involved) Kirie has an erotic and a bit scary fantasy of Riki playing the main role.

38. Riki is back in Eos. He sits in Iason's penthouse apartment, smoking and thinking about his decision. He's aware he's developing stockholm syndrome despite the whole sexual slavery thing. Then new furniture of Iason's, Kyaru, comes in informing him that the next day he is expected to go to the medical inspection.

39. Next day, Kalga 84, the specialist clinic for pets and furniture. After the last examination, Riki is called to one of the rooms where he is awaited by Iason. Raoul and Kirie (wearing a Pet outfit) are also there and Kirie's mind was tampered with, as he seems unaware of the world around him or who he is. After Raoul takes Kirie away, Iason shows to Riki what Kirie had in his mind, (that fantasy about Riki) having been recorded by a mind imaging device. Riki is aware that Kirie isn't the only one who looked at him like that. Disturbed by the erotic effect he has on the other men, he plasters himself to Iason asking him for help.

40. Two months later Guy and Luke visit a hacker in Ceres. They want to find out if Guardian has some connections to the black market and if Riki has something to do with that. They think that's the reason of his disappearance.

41. The hacker promises to help them and after they leave, he immediately calls Katze. Katze calls and tells Iason what the two mongrels wanted. Iason wants Katze to give Riki a job in the black market. Riki came to him pleading for it, saying that he can't stand being trapped in Eos. Iason wants to fulfill his request. He has already got him a place in Apatia. Katze asks him if he loves Riki. Iason to his surprise isn't mad at such a straight question, nor is he trying to deny it.

42. And so the Bisons are given the info about some minor illegal business run in Guardian. They are disappointed, but no longer a threat.

• (Massive and very explcit sex scene. The ones the fangirls always talk about and woe is to them they had to actually read through a ton of plot to get to it.)

43. *Riki and Iason are having sex. Afterwards Riki asks his master if it's true that he has problems because of keeping a mongrel pet. Iason seems delighted with the concern. Seems like Riki cares for him, even if just a little.

(Note the way this scene was depicted in the 1994 OVA was with a lot of shadows, cropping and modesty bedsheets so nothing is actually shown. Stuff like Spartacus Blood And Sand and HBO's Game Of Thrones are actually more explicit. The novel here is pretty explicit though).

44. The Bisons are waiting on the street opposite to the entrance to Apatia. Apatia is an exclusive hotel in Midas where the elite keep their lovers. Riki was seen here with some "extremely handsome man" and they want to check it out. Half an hour later Riki indeed shows up and enters the hotel. They follow him.

45. Riki in his apartment suddenly hears a knock at the door. He opens without asking, expecting Iason but it's the Bisons. They want an explanation but he doesn't want to talk to them. That's when Iason shows up. He, on the contrary, wants to explain everything and asks them in. He tells them Riki is his pet, and when they don't believe him, he orders Riki to lick his boots. When the Riki refuses, he uses the pet ring. Riki's pet ring is not only fitted with a tracking device, it is also connected to he ring Iason wears on his finger. By this means he can control Riki – give him pleasure, pain, and even make him pass out.

So Riki – after receiving several painful shocks – complies. Leaning to Iason's feet he just smirks bitterly at himself that maybe it was about time for the truth to come out.

46. Afterwards Riki asks Iason to leave. He wants to talk to his gang. Iason leaves and Riki tells the others that the three years he was absent, he also spent with Iason. Guy is angry. Very angry. He thinks Riki came back to Iason solely to set him free. He says that not everything is over.

edited 4th Jul '12 6:12:35 AM by VeritasVierge

Chapter 6 – So Long Good Bye (Summary)

47. Riki has a long talk with Katze. He tells him that he is concerned with Guy's words.

48. Guy visits one of Ceres' oldest inhabitants – he is famous for his great knowledge about Ceres. The mongrel copies plans of Dana Bahn for Guy. Dana Bahn is an old deserted mine complex situated inside Ceres.

49. Guy studies the plans closely. The rest of Bison watch him curiously, but he is very secretive and doesn't give his plans away. Guy does other shadey deals.

50. Saturday evening. Riki leaves Katze's place and almost immediately bumps into Guy. The other man insists they go to a bar and talk. Riki tries to get rid of him when he suddenly feels dizzy...

51. He wakes up in some old, shabby room. Guy informs him they are in Dana Bahn – the tracking device in Riki's ring is useless here. He tells Riki he wants to hear his true feeling. Riki says that as long as he has the ring, he belongs to Iason and Guy has no right to interfere. Guy decided to go to extremes to "free" Riki of Iason. He will cut off Riki's penis in order to get the ring off.... (Oh god how obscene!!)

52. Iason calls Riki from his office. Nobody answers the phone. It's late, Iason starts to worry since Riki has never stayed out so late. Raoul comes and is concerned with Iason losing his position. He says he wouldn't like to be the one who would brainwash Iason's mind. Which would be Iason's punishment for breaking rules for a mongrel pet. Iason continues to not care.

53. Katze is worried too. He can't sleep at night. He suspects Riki's disappearance is Guy's doing. First thing in the morning, he calls Iason. First word Iason says into the receiver is "Riki." He is disappointed hearing Katze. He tells him to stay out of this. He disconnects leaving Katze with a sore heart and a load on his mind (he is REALLY concerned with those two). Iason decides to act anyway.

54. Two days later. Midas and Tanagura have been searched thoroughly to no avail. The tracker is still silent. Guy calls Iason. He tells him he has something to return to him. They make an appointment – Wednesday, 15:00, Dana Bahn.

55. And two days later Iason takes a taxi and goes to Habei – Midas district closest to Dana Bahn. Taxis don't go inside Ceres, so rest of the way he goes on foot. He meets Guy in front of the mine, they go inside. Iason wants Riki returned but Guy is smug and mocks him. Guy shows him the removed pet ring. Iason gets mad understanding what happened. He grabs Guy and twists and shatters the bones in his arms. Guy isn't going to give up in spite of the pain, when Iason again asks where Riki is, he spits at him then says they will both die in this place and sets off an explosive. Iason beats him some more.

56. Riki wakes up after the impromptu "surgery" he didn't want. He checks his crotch and just as expected – finds nothing there. Guy is not in. Riki waits then suddenly Katze arrives. He scolds Riki, calling him an idiot. Riki tells him about his feelings. He doesn't blame Guy for what he did. When they were together Guy was always the dependent one, always accepting Riki's whims and moods, so now it's like a payback. But in the same time, he doesn't want his relationship with Iason to end. Only it's too late now. They leave for Dana Bahn.

57. They arrive at the place. Katze wants to go inside, but Riki insists he will do it. He goes, finds Iason and unconscious Guy. Riki pleads Iason for Guy to live and it's them that drove Guy to this. Explosions rock the place. Riki is carrying Guy, they try to escape, the gate collapses, Iason throws Guy and Riki out through the gate (superhuman elite strength et al) in time but doens't make it himself. The gate has closed on his legs and cut them just above the knee. He tells Riki to take Guy and go. Riki does. But when they are outside, he leaves Guy with Katze, and comes back to his master. To die with him. Because risking his life like that, Iason showed him how much he loved him. They decide to have One Last Smoke and "kiss" by touching the ends of their cigarettes and then embrace. The place explodes.

58. Great explosions in Dana Bahn ruin also nearby parts of Ceres and Habei. Raoul summons Katze and asks where Iason is. He thinks the explosions could have something to do with his disappearance – he managed to track down that Iason went to Habei. Katze tells him everything, omitting only the fact that Guy has survived. He knows Raoul will inform Jupiter about the event, and that – save for the computer – nobody will find out the truth. Iason's name as the top Blondie can't be blemished.

59. Katze comes back to his place. And finally gives way to his emotions. He begins to cry desperately.

60. Guy wakes up in the hospital and quickly realizes his whole arm has been removed. Next day Katze pays him a visit. He tells him about Riki's last wish – change Guy's identity and face, erase his memory. Katze didn't order it yet. First he wants to talk to Guy. He says that face and identity are to be changed anyway. But the memory... Katze thinks Guy should live with the knowledge of what he did. After all that's what is called living. He says he thinks Riki and Iason really loved each other. Now he and Guy are the only ones that remember and can talk about it.

The End

One key differences about the 1990s OVA of this. Riki is depicted as already being 17 when he meets Iason for the first time and have their thing. However, in that OVA, Iason immediately takes him captive after that since it's only a partial adaptation. So that OVA is 100% clean with nothing questionable. The second OVA series that so far covers the first and second volume is also clean and has been airing on Japanese TV.

Now guys... Why so much plot in my porn?

edited 4th Jul '12 8:10:33 AM by VeritasVierge

... Welp, I'm convinced. Thanks for the summaries, mon; now I know what to do.

You're welcome, Komodin. You're one of the hardest working P5 members of the "How Much More Can He Take?" variety with all the weird stuff you gotta read/watch through.

edited 4th Jul '12 8:30:58 AM by VeritasVierge

Real life got in the way, but I waded through the last three of the books so far released in English only to find that Veritas Vierge has done a ton of summarizing.

Looking over VV's summary, it looks like the summary (s)he's working from omits two books. The publication history of the series is kind of tangled; the first paperback edition (which is revised and greatly expanded from the hardcover edition), from Seibidō under their Crystal imprint, is incomplete, covering only six of eight books. The complete series was then re-released by Tokuma Shoten in six volumes; the first four are semi-omnibus (books 1-4 correspond to Crystal 1-6) and the last two are the new material. The English edition was originally based on the Crystal edition, and will have eight volumes (corresponding to Crystal 1-6 plus Tokuma 5 and 6).

VV's summary looks like it covers Crystal 1-4 plus Tokuma 5 and 6, omitting Crystal 5-6, so it's missing a bit of plot. Focusing on the parts important for the purposes of this forum, there's no sex whatsoever in V5, and one moderately graphic sex scene between Iason and the newly recaptured Rikki at the end of V6.

Also, to be a stickler, the sex scene between Kirie and Manon in V4 is indeed explicit, although it's fairly brief.

edited 4th Jul '12 10:12:52 AM by lebrel

First, I'm a woman. Next in Japan, there are 6 volumes. Digital Manga Publishing stretched them to 8 volumes here with what would be 7 and 8 not yet released. I didn't skip two volumes really but it does create a mix up so thanks for breaking it down.

I also stated before I read French translation of the books so I don't know how the English and original versions may compare. To top it off, Japan got a revised issue with some variations and changes by the author. Something which I also can't comment on. The version I read didn't cover much on Kirie and Manon so it could be what I read was lacking in translation for that section?

edited 4th Jul '12 11:43:18 AM by VeritasVierge

As I explained, the English edition is 8V because it is a hybrid of two editions, not because DMP "stretched" the series. The six DMP volumes that are out are the six Crystal volumes, which ends with Rikki's coming-out party and the sex scene that follows. The end of the series was never published by Crystal; DMP had to relicense the series from the new publisher to get the last volumes. The Chara edition is still six volumes because the first four have more chapters per volume than the Crystal edition does.

I don't know anything about the French edition, I didn't even know there was one. So I don't know what edition(s) their translation was based on; it still looks like there's some missing plot, but it may be due to the fact that it's being heavily summarized.

At this point, all I'm concerned about is whether or not the work is pure porn. Going by VV's summaries, it appears that there's a substantial plot beyond the sex scenes. With that in mind, I'm still holding firm to my angelhead vote. It's alright as far as I'm concerned.

Lebrel, can you chill for a second? Take a deep a breath. :P I was thanking you for breaking it down and explaining. I'm using the term "stretched" because DMP ended up having to release more volumes than there were in Japan. That's all.

Yes, I heavily summarized and left out a lot of plot (like all the subplots about other rival gangs for one). I wanted to focus on the actual main plot to sex scenes ratio that's relevant to this forum. I don't have time to do a real lengthy summary and nobody cares really for the actual story content outside of it's sexual content concerning if it panders to pedos.

edited 4th Jul '12 1:18:58 PM by VeritasVierge

I'm in agreement with Komodin on this one, based on the feedback we've had so far. Voting Keep.