Top 30 Doujinshi/Ero-Manga - Part 3 of 6

TITLE: Hanafuda / 華札
AUTHOR: okama
RELEASE DATE: Oct, 2002
PARODY/PAIRINGS: Original
THEME: Drama, Action, Straight Sex, Group Sex ; PAGES: 116 (Full Color)

In Hanafuda, artist Okama takes the most uniquely artistic approach to eroticism that I have ever seen. Although I am no expert in the field, every single page "feels" like a painting from Japanese times of old, lovingly crafted for what seems could have only been hours on end, all in full exquisite color. In addition to the eye-catching pale-skinned characters and their intricately designed clothing, the artist focuses just as much attention on the backgrounds and nature elements. Leaves, flowers, trees, wheat, landscapes, mountains, towns, butterflies, deer, birds, foxes, and more adorn page after page, immersing the reader in the world Okama has so wonderfully envisioned. The last time I felt such a strong immersion in nature was when I saw the movie Mononoke-hime.

The book's story is one I have not heard before: a unique interweaving tale of the love, betrayal, revenge, and heartbreak of two pairs of lovers. Unlike typical sex-driven ero-manga, not one of Hanafuda's numerous sexual encounters comes across as forced or unnatural. Although there is one specific encounter that some readers may find objectionable, each sex scene further enhances the story as well as the depictions and motivations of the well-conceived characters: the honorable and self-driven Izuna, the beautiful and tender Kiri-hime, the sex-inebriated Yone-nobu, the enigmatic transforming Kitsune, and the two cruel "ogres" (hardly resembling the classic fantasy creature) named Red and Blue. A commenter simply known as 'C' on Hentai Rules states: "I felt I was reading more of a manga with great sex scenes than a hentai with a storyline." My thoughts, exactly.

Also, I have an extreme fondness for antagonists who are portrayed with believable motivations and emotions as it allows me to relate to them and be concerned with their fates just as much as the protagonists. The scene in which Red is holding Blue in her arms as Izuna approaches is fascinating in that regard... The reader can suddenly FEEL the wave of emotions running through Red at that moment making the subsequent scene sad beyond words.

Another fascinating aspect of this book is that each of the twelve chapters is themed around the flower themes and special cards of the twelve suits of the Hanafuda Japanese playing cards. For example, the chapter titled Peony has the characters huddled amidst peony flowers and butterflies, that suit's special card. If you read this book while cross-checking with the detailed card list in the Hanafuda wikipedia article, you will discover the unique ways the artist integrated the special cards into the story. I finally understood why the girls in the Chrysanthemum chapter were all laying in a large sake cup. ^_^

In regards to presentation, Hanafuda is an absolute visual delight. Panels are well designed, structured, and organized, and the high attention to detail continues from start to finish. The large multi-colored kanji title on the cover is an eye-catching glossy embossment, and the book itself is A4 sized (8 1/4" x 11 3/4"), slightly larger than a standard doujinshi. I also want to thank the team of dedicated fans who spent months putting together the exquisite English release: their translation and editing were top-notch, and the font choices blend wonderfully with the artwork. If you're a fan of Japanese drawn erotica, you absolutely must check out this breathtaking title, one that truly adds the "art" to "erotic art".

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TITLE: Favo 1
CIRCLE/AUTHOR: Manitou / Nakajima Rei
RELEASE DATE: Original: Aug 13, 2006; "Tipe R" Version: Sep 20, 2006
PARODY/PAIRINGS: Disgaea / Etna x Laharl
THEME: Straight Sex, Humor; PAGES: 24 (B&W)

TITLE: Favo 2
CIRCLE/AUTHOR: Manitou / Nakajima Rei
RELEASE DATE: Original: Dec 31, 2006; "Tipe R" Version: Apr 25, 2007
PARODY/PAIRINGS: Disgaea / Etna x Laharl
THEME: Straight Sex, Humor; PAGES: 24 (B&W)

The lack of high quality Disgaea doujinshi parodies involving Etna is a sad shame. The uniqueness of her wonderfully envisioned visual design as well as her carefree yet crafty personality warrants her inclusion in many more titles than currently exist. For a time, Studio Katsudon's Makai Ojou was my favorite...

Then I ran across this seductive panel on an image board, prompting my furious search for its source. I quickly identified the artist as Nakajima Rei upon discovering his art style... in particular, his trademark lettering "NI" that he writes on the cheeks of every character. Although I was certain I had found the drawing's source when I discovered the immensely enjoyable Favo, I was sadly mistaken. I then learned that there was a sequel, Favo 2, but online scans were nowhere to be found to confirm. After tracking down and ordering physical copies of both titles, I was delighted upon opening Favo 2 and turning to the second page. ^_^

Favo begins with Laharl getting upset with Etna when she forgets to record his favorite TV program. When she teases him that he should watch more kid-oriented shows, he tries to "prove his adult manliness" by pushing Etna down and having his way with her. She accepts the submissive role, but Laharl's clear lack of sexual experience comes to the forefront as he ejaculates prematurely over Etna's invitingly exposed rear. From this point onward, Etna takes command and things get a bit more interesting...

However, Favo ends on a rare note: It concludes without a climactic finish. Just as the prior events and their expressions indicate they are about to have a powerful shared orgasm, Etna cruelly disengages, much to Laharl's dismay. The doujinshi hints at a sequel which author Nakajima Rei provides several months later with Favo 2, a great conclusion to their sexual exploits.

Nakajima's drawing style is perfectly suited for the character designs of Laharl and Etna, and his depictions of them look almost official, giving these two doujinshi a strong air of authenticity. Etna's attire and appearance, including her delightful lack of breasts, is meticulously recreated. Although one might think that her flat chest is the reason for the lack of breast-play in these two stories, breasts typically play a very small role in all of this artist's works, even when well-endowed characters such as Xenosaga's Kos-mos and Shion are featured. The artist's earlier drawing style in which he drew the nipples with the same shade as the surrounding flesh even further downplays the presence of the characters' exposed breasts.

Instead, Nakajima focuses his attention on drawing what I feel are among the most dynamic and cutest depictions of vaginas and butts. First, Nakajima draws some of the most provocative "present oneself and look back" angles, with my favorite depiction shown to the left... Hell, even her anus looks cute in this drawing. Another example occurs near the beginning of Favo 2 just after Etna drops her panties and sits back. Her coy vaginal spreading is drawn in such a way that gives it immense depth, transforming it from a simple slit to a deep, multi-layered channel of visual seduction. The artist even goes so far as to acknowledge how her firm tail contorts the soft flesh of her surrounding butt cheeks.

The only quibble I have is that the action in Favo and Favo 2 moves so rapidly that there is sometimes little or no transition from one sexual act to the next. Both doujinshi are primarily just a series of sexual positions rising in intensity without any real narrative.

Although there are several minor Etna x Laharl feature-ettes by this author in Destino de Abril and Favo 3, I wholeheartedly recommend Favo and Favo 2 given that they focus entirely on this pairing. If you do manage to find physical copies, make sure you get the "Tipe R" versions since they feature less censoring and, to the discerning eye, slightly more provocative cover art: Etna exposes more of her vulva, hikes her skirt up further, and squeezes her breast tighter.

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TITLE: Remake / リメイク
CIRCLE/AUTHOR: House of Karsea (ハウス オブ KARSEA) / Syouji (将司)
RELEASE DATE: Sep 18, 2005
PARODY/PAIRINGS: Azumanga Daioh (あずまんが大王) / Osaka x Unnamed Male
THEME: Straight Sex, Humor; PAGES: 34 (B&W)

It's not very often you run across a character as unique as Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga from Azumanga Daioh. She sees the world in her own very peculiar way, and I was intrigued to see how her character would behave in a sexual encounter.

When I first stumbled across House of Karsea's Remake doujinshi, I was astounded by the artwork and character designs that were so extremely faithful to the series. It's so good, in fact, that if it didn't evolve into an ero-doujinshi, I might have guessed it was official. Even the plot, which starts out completely innocent, would fit right in with the show: The unnamed male protagonist is forced by his peers to jokingly "confess his love" to any girl in his class. He chooses Kasuga thinking that she will no doubt reject him which would immediately end the charade. Imagine his surprise when she instantly accepts his offer before even learning his name.

As they continue on as boyfriend and girlfriend, the story maintains its innocence until the guy, deciding he wants more out of the relationship than hearing her random thoughts all day, gropes her breast. This leads to what is easily the funniest bit in the entire doujinshi: Kasuga's moaning. Unlike traditional "ah's" and "oh's", Kasuga emits a rather odd "ふえ" (fu-eh) sound that somehow manages to turn the guy on. Her later awkward attempt to sound normal by forcing herself to moan more traditionally is very reminiscent of what I believe to be the funniest moment in all of hentai... Check out this brief clip from Daiakuji episode 6, and tell me it doesn't cause you to laugh out loud.

Kasuga's sexual encounter remains rather traditional and isn't nearly as weird as I thought it would have been. Thankfully, Kasuga's uniqueness resurfaces again after the encounter when she discusses the concept of "blue cum". The story has several very brief cameos from other Azumanga characters, and the events of what happens immediately after the classic scene from the show in which Kasuga loses a shoe while walking home from school with Chiyo is a nice touch.

Between House of Karsea's awesome artwork and Yuecchi's excellent translation and editing, this title is a must for Azumanga Daioh fans seeking a well-produced erotic parody.

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TITLE: Flossy Frosty
CIRCLE/AUTHOR: Rapid Rabbit (急行兎) / Tomotsuka Haruomi (ともつか治臣) aka MrPavlov (Mr パブロフ)
RELEASE DATE: Dec 28, 2008
PARODY/PAIRINGS: Final Fantasy XI / Shiva x Unnamed Male
THEME: Straight Sex, Drama; PAGES: 56 (B&W)

To fully appreciate this doujinshi, one should familiarize oneself with the official origins of Final Fantasy XI's Shiva which one can find nicely translated on this wiki. This plot-driven doujinshi uses the official tale as the backbone for the first of its two stories...

First Story: The Mirror's Illusion
Although the first story is rooted in the official canon, author and artist Tomotsuka Haruomi noticeably diverges via some shocking and graphic twists that I will not spoil here, further depicting Shiva as an even more tragic and emotionally fragile character. Her deep-blushed reaction upon baring her body to her determined male visitor serves as the beginning of her internal emotional struggle as she rediscovers the warmth of physical pleasure... an experience she has not had in a long time.

Adorning the underside of Shiva's large breasts are ice-like textures that give them a fresh and unique visual design and make them a constant eye-catching highlight throughout the story as well as a subject of curiosity in her partner. Immediately after Shiva exposes her breasts, her companion gently fondles one of them and is strikingly amazed at its warmth given its ice-laced appearance. He then embarrasses her even further by commenting on their immense size after comparing them with those of her past human form portrayed on a nearby painting. Although Shiva's sexually-pronounced outward appearance initially conceals the deep emotional scars from her past, her introspection amidst the ensuing passionate love-making causes her long pent-up emotions to rise to the surface as evident in her wonderfully drawn teary-eyed expression on the bottom panel of page 19. In fact, the physical/emotional dichotomy of this encounter is what I found to be the most fascinating aspect of the first story. Whereas many artists would simply take Shiva's visual design and use it for a shallow, uninspired sex story, author Tomotsuka-san takes it one step further and imbues her with true emotion. Great stuff!

Second Story: My Shining Star
The second story does not contain the elaborate backgrounds, plot, and flashbacks from the first. However, it does include the same two characters in the first story as well as introducing a new male summoner and his own Shiva "copy": an alternate version of Shiva who can be summoned indefinitely from a crystal as long as the true "mother" Shiva from the first story exists. Although these Shiva copies are typically nothing more than empty emotionless shells who do their summoner's bidding, the Shiva copy in this story somehow acquires feelings, and her emotional bond to her summoner is what leads her to the brink of death as she nearly sacrifices her own existence to save him. Although he could summon another Shiva copy upon her disappearance, he simply cannot bear to see this specific Shiva die and desperately seeks the aid of the true Shiva to save her. As the dying copy resigns to her fate, she requests that her master take care of the next Shiva he summons, implying that her unique identity... her memories, experiences, and feelings for him... would be completely lost if she did expire, adding an emotional significance to her existence.

During this Shiva's ensuing sexual encounter, her breasts become a focal point as they grow in size as her master continues to fill her with his seed. In fact, the transformation of her entire body from child-like and near-death to voluptuous and healthy makes for a rather unique and appealing visual progression throughout the story. To top it all off, there's even a little sumata thrown in for good measure. Although My Shining Star lacks the detailed polish of the first story, it is still a very enjoyable follow-up, giving the reader two doujinshi for the price of one.

Although I was amused by FF13's twin Shiva tribadism transformation sequence, I find myself yearning to see Shiva's character rise beyond just an elaborate summoning scene. However, with each passing FF game, I continue to be let down with her shallow portrayals, and I never would have thought that my favorite depiction of this fascinating character would be in an ero-doujinshi. Both stories feature excellent artwork, captivating emotion-filled character portrayals, and passionate love-making, making this doujinshi the best Shiva-themed title out there and one that I am very proud to own.

As I was doing online research for this review, I was delighted to discover that Tomotsuka-san is also the artist for some of my favorite stand-alone drawings featuring monster-girls. His earlier works focused on female characters and monsters from Final Fantasy XI, including Garuda, Shiva, mithra, Marilith, and other lamias.