| "Goaded along by a more experienced friend, Asumi begins a journey of exploring her sexuality, trying new fetishes, and getting comfortable in her own skin as she sleeps with the brothel's women one at a time in her search for Mai." -Seven Seas Synopsis This can't possibly be good, right? Well, it's actually quite nice. I 100% prefer sex in manga to be in the context of a relationship. Loving, toxic, cheating, it all works for me, but something like this is normally tough for me to enjoy. The whole concept of paying for sex with a bunch of different people is gross to me, even in fiction. Still, I do think this is a very good manga. Mostly for the beautiful artwork. Asumi won the poll in a landslide over some truly incredible manga, so tell me what I'm missing here. I say that, but I do own the manga. I think I'm a volume or 2 behind, so I will read the rest this month. |
My Candies:        |
| Here are my thoughts on this. First of all, I like this manga. What I think is wrong is the attitude that some people approach it with. It's very much the same with Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete. People are just too serious. Like, if we were to start looking at Asumi-chan in a serious mode, we'd just have to say that prostitution is not necessarily good, and the heroine ends up even forgetting about her search for a childhood friend as a pretense to have lots of sex, and she even seems to have forgotten the cute kouhai who sincerely loves her, and all that. Well, the point is that all those notions don't stand to reason simply because this manga has nothing to do with reason. It's about the reckless, guilty pleasure of reading a very cute and dirty story about having lots of sesbian lex in whatever form and position. That's it. Maybe we'll get some development, maybe not. Who cares, really. |
| Days without rants: 283 |
| I think Akogarete is actually just good and the manga is not even that lewd (although the anime certainly is). I think it's a very funny take on the mahou shoujo genre as it delves into the otaku culture aspect and a main character who takes her love to the next level. It does have similarly beautiful art and spectacular character designs. I get what you mean though, as Utena does some pretty wild acts with various magical girls. None of which really amount to sex though. It's a battle...hmmmm...I think I'm just fooling myself here as an obsessed magical girl fan. I do enjoy Asumi-chan. It's very...hot and the artwork is stunning. It's a fun guilty pleasure manga for me. |
| My Candies: |
| A manga can easily be a guilty pleasure—especially with titles like MSNA or Asumi-chan, but if I'm completely honest, I don't feel guilty in the slightest. And maybe that's what my point actually is. Having guilty pleasures is okay. And maybe it's not even right to call them guilty straight away. In Asumi-chan, the artwork is almost impeccable, the pacing is very good, and there are many more great things like that. Nothing to feel guilty about. I'm sure that while we all love the emotional aspect of yuri, it would be a lie to say that just seeing beautifully drawn lesbian sex is somehow wrong. Asumi-chan is not the greatest yuri story out there, but I really think it shouldn't be dismissed solely because of how it (at least, at the moment) lacks the emotional depth of some other great yuri works. It is still great yuri. It's just very physical and not quite emotional. That aspect of our lives is quite real, so why deny it? There are lots of terrible H-level yuri manga that don't make you feel happy because of, well, many reasons. But this one does and does big time. |
| Days without rants: 283 |
| So here’s my take. Sex workers aren’t generally held in high regards by society. This type of work being illegal in a lot of places. Manga like this one or “my lesbian experience with loneliness” paint an entirely different picture. The Stress relief and mental health benefits that exist alongside legalized prostitution are fairly well documented. Turns out getting laid is good for mental health for a lot of people. And having access to it legally as a paid service can benefit a lot of people who are struggling with those kinds of things. So this manga showing how this woman comes into her own and genuinely loves the experience and shows the sex workers and the industry in a positive light is something I will always cheer for. Yeah it’s mostly smut but it does say something I think is important. |
| naners~ |
| Just as a side note, after reading what @alphametroid said, sex work is fully legal where I live. It requires, like, registering as an individual entrepreneur and paying income tax, and that would be it. In exchange, a sex worker gets full protection that the law can provide, as well as medical insurance. And, to my knowledge, there haven't been many issues, but when they arise, the police are on the side of the sex worker. Personally, I'd never be able to use such services, though, because I seriously fail to feel attraction to someone I don't love, but that's my own issue, right? I don't see any problem with sex work as a social phenomenon. It existed in its current form since the days of Solon, legal or not, so, in my eyes, it's better to legalize it, thus providing protection and social guarantees to sex workers. This is work, after all. Even if someone gets into this business due to a very bad situation (which is honestly tragic), it's still better to have those guarantees than not to have any. And the situation here proves that this model actually works, more or less. But, once again, that's nothing but my take on it. |
| Days without rants: 283 |
| Ahh yes one important thing that I forgot to mention that @JennyAysgarth had said. The safety of the sex workers is so so important and as long as it’s illegal this is an incredibly more dangerous job. Legalizing it gives the workers way more rights and protection. So it’s not only about the benefits to the patrons but to the workers themselves. |
| naners~ |
| These are some really nice points you guys bring up, but the manga definitely ignores most of them. It has very little to say as far as social commentary on prostitution, aside from painting it in a fantastical light. And let's be honest, sexing a prostitute, doesn't solve your problems and can be addictive and expensive. There are lot's of both positive and negative aspects for both sex workers and their clients that the manga could address. It would be a very different manga though. I think people should be free to use their body without being shamed or judged and I do enjoy reading the manga for what it is, but in my mind the manga does not have much to say. It's fun, sexy, and has beautiful art. It's probably just not for me because I need to have love in a monogamous relationship. Does that make me possessive? I feel like most people are more possessive than me and my level of it is pretty healthy, but then I see harem animanga and I start to wonder. |
| My Candies: |
| Personally, I see nothing wrong with being possessive. It's more or less a widespread trait of many people. And, honestly, I wish a particular ex of mine was more possessive of me, but that's not what matters here. The president is right: Asumi-chan has nothing to do with commentary on prostitution. And it shouldn't have anything to do with it. It depicts a very sweet, trouble-free world, a world where you can escape or just have a good time. That is its only purpose and raison d'être—at least, that's how I see it. And I'm grateful. Not because of whatever views I may have on sex work. This manga was never meant to be taken seriously in the first place. There's Kuzu Rouninsei, Jinsei ga Tsurai no de Yoru no Onee-san wo Yondemita, for example. Another manga that revolves around the same theme. It's a cute and lovely romcom that gets only better if you don't get too serious to think about some real-life implications. It's not even remotely as lewd as Asumi-chan, but it's more or less the same in terms of being just a way to have a great time without a second thought about real-life implications—ironically, it may echo the very idea of sex without any obligations that we are presented in both of those works. Neither of them should be taken seriously. They're comedies, after all. And that's awesome. |
JennyAysgarthFeb 2, 3:03 PM
| Days without rants: 283 |
| metroid is not wrong though, it is nice to see a positive portrayal of sex workers/prostitution. Sex workers are real people who need to be seen as people instead of objects and when legalized they are in far less danger. I get what he's saying. Still, let's not give too much credit to the manga. It is hardly advocating for the rights/dignities of sex workers. Maybe it's changing a few people's image of prostitution, but I think there is little realism to the image it's portraying. |
| My Candies: |
| Oh yes certainly. It’s not like this series is aiming to do anything of the sort. It is for almost all intents and purposes smut. But just portraying the fact that this kind of stuff is normalized in some places is in its own right a boon. So I think it does manage to get across a message that’s good, regardless of the fact it’s not trying to really do that at all. |
| naners~ |
| So previously I think I had only read like a couple chapters, but now I'm finally caught up (26 chapters at the time of writing). This manga is like the cute girls doing cute things of sex work, and somehow I'm finding that it works pretty well. Even with the meandering, it still reminds us that the overarching plot is about Asumi's noble quest to reunite with her childhood friend Mai. Asumi seems to think of her in that kind of way, and Mai seems to think of her in that kind of way too, and they're both kinda trying to find each other, so barring any big surprises, I am considering them to be the canon pairing. At first I was a bit worried that it would try to bring in a new girl every chapter, and leave us with just a bunch of forgettable girls, but they were able to avoid that to a degree. There seems to be a core group around Mai that gets reoccurring roles, and eventually outside of that core group, it seems that Serine gets to become a reoccurring character too. I think the development, interactions, and relationships of the reoccurring characters really help me enjoy this a lot more than if it was just a bunch of throwaway girls and nothing else. It's interesting that Asumi seems to have that mega-rizz that makes the core group at the very least want Asumi to reserve them again. With Serine, it seems like she actually wanted to get with Asumi, and seemed bummed out at the thought that she might have gotten a girlfriend. There was also the hotel visit she did with Asumi that I think was off the record? She even got a memento (umbrella) to remember Asumi by. I think it's interesting to note the structure of the first arc. Asumi was meeting a new girl every chapter and making a name for herself to the point that Mai was able to be alerted to her activities. Then the fateful reservation came through until the fakeout that leads to the Nanao arc. It seemed to me like there could have been a yuri serialization hedging strategy that would have allowed it to end after two volumes if they needed to. It's interesting to see that up to that point, the manga showed the core group hanging out with each other without really giving us any indication of other girls at their agency(?), and at least never showed them interacting until after the fakeout. About the benefits with Nanao arc, I actually quite like Nanao, but Asumi doesn't forget her quest. During this arc we start getting girls that are more about their fetish than anything else, which made them less appealing to me than the girls where you got to experience more of their personal charms, like the core group + Serine. The development with Nanao and Asumi was really cute, and even romantic, but in the end Asumi decided Nanao is not the way. Also in this arc, I really liked the part with Nanao and Ena, where they worked though Nanao's feelings for Asumi. There's something really enjoyable to me about how yuri-coded this encounter was with the outpouring and discovery of emotion. About the sex trip arc (still ongoing), I wasn't as interested in the one-off girls that we'll probably never see again, but Asumi did get to experience a lot of fun new things. We got a lot of Ouka, and I'm not sure if I'm reading it right, but in the Nanao arc, did she hint at actually liking Asumi in a way? The big event of this arc (imo), though, is that Mai, just starting her temporary transfer, got a reservation from Asumi again, so we get another shot at their reunion. Now I wonder if they're gonna keep putting off the reunion until the series ends, or are they gonna give us more story developments after the reunion. Also, I think my favorites of the sex workers, are probably Sayaka and Serine. Also also, I noticed in the bonus with Sayaka, she was wearing a pretty high-waisted skirt, and underneath she was wearing a babydoll. This reminds me of other manga I've read before where some characters were wearing something two-piece like a sailor fuku, with a top and a skirt with a waistband, but underneath, they're wearing like a full slip. I wonder if this is a thing that normal people do? Like the hem of the underwear clearly goes way below the waistband, so it seems maybe a bit annoying to either have to smooth it down past the waistband all the time, or have it bunch up under the top? Anyways I'm hoping to see more development of the characters that we already have in the future. The recommendation for Kuzu Rouninsei, Jinsei ga Tsurai no de Yoru no Onee-san wo Yondemita seems like a good one. I'll have to get to that sometime. |
YummyLunchesFeb 4, 12:33 AM
| idk people keep calling the manga not as lewd as the anime with MahoAko, its a pretty faithful adaptation. It still kinda boggles my mind whenever i hear it, but each to their own i suppose. I don't see it as an issue either way just kind of a disconnect imo. New Asumi development was very intredasting as i think FINALLY maybe we finally get Asumi meeting Mai.... hopefully... if something doesn't happen again and someone doesn't cancel for some convenient reason... I also didn't know she was such a boobie chad, can't thank senpai enough for her reawakening/awakening lol |
 |
| I agree it is a pretty faithful adaptation. They did change the order of some events, but there were good reasons for it. I read the manga shortly after watching the anime and I can say with certainty the anime is lewder for a number of reasons. The most obvious being nips. Those weren't in the manga. Just animating the scenes made them lewder. The extended BDSM scene animations compared to a single panel in the manga just naturally makes it feel that way. There was a lot more nudity. Maybe you watched the censored version? Really it doesn't matter though. I prefer the manga for it's beautiful art and more focus on the girls and otaku culture instead of the longer "action" scenes. |
| My Candies: |
| I don't know if I should be ashamed to not even think about the portrayal of sex workers reading Asumi-chan. I took it first degree: a comedy. That said, this manga is one of my escape doors when I'm tired or when I don't want something complicated—easy to read, fun to watch. Also, I genuinely want Asumi to conclude her quest. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind a happy ending with her senpai, lol. |
| So Asumi's on the road to tophood, huh? |
| I really like this manga though I have an issue with it because Mai is obviously the end game for Asumi but the author didnt really give her any screen time or development up until the very recent chapters and because of that, it made a lot of readers including myself like Nanao a lot more. I will feel really bad for Nanao if she dosent end up with Asumi because they have way better chemistry and fit each other a lot better than Asumi and Mai imo. |
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