My favorite “manga series only available in Japan without a chance in hell of making it over to America” is now going to be released in America. I am thrilled but still a little skeptical on this news.
Futari H is the centerpiece of Katsu Aki’s career. You might know this artist from his other releases in America, mainly Psychic Academy and the Escaflowne manga, but they just fail to compare to the success of Futari H. With 34 volumes of the manga out right now in Japan, H is still going strong in its monthly serialization in Young Animal magazine.
Futari H is the story about the sex life of a newlywed couple. They are both age 26 and still virgins when they become married, and so they must work together to figure out the surprisingly complicated procedure that is intercourse.
Unlike what many would call “hentai” manga, Futari H looks at sex through a very realistic view. It deals with the problems one will encounter in the act which often get overlooked in other adult comics. For example, the man struggles with premature ejaculation early on in the story. The book fills itself with tips and suggestions on how to improve one’s sex life while also listing statics such as the ratio of age in relations to frequency of intercourse.
Quite simply, this book teaches the reader the ins-and-outs (pun intended) of sex while still having a sweet, funny, and very erotic story. It is a quality title unlike any other manga out there, which is why it has become so popular in Japan and is a personal favorite of this blogger. So I am excited to know that this title will be making its way to America. But is America ready for it?
If you notice in the Amazon listing, Tokyopop is renaming the title “Manga Sutra”, which I think is a wise move on their part. The name Futari H is a play on the Japanese word for masturbation, which is why the title can never be translated into English. I’ve always said it can be translated as “sexurbation”, but that doesn’t sound good, does it? “Manga Sutra” is a great way of telling the audience that the comic is more of a guide to sex instead of just being pornography.
What isn’t going to be good, however, is the backlash that is going to come with releasing this title in the US. The reason why I said this story would never make it to America is because Americans cannot handle sex that well. While it would be okay to have an insanely violent comic imported to America, a sexual comic could only be released in some adult book store. I wonder if big-named bookstores like Borders and Barnes & Noble will refuse to carry the book since it is so explicitly about sex. If these books are not sold in the same location as other Tokyopop titles, then it is bound for failure.
Perhaps the price tag is some indication on how this title will be treated differently from others. Amazon lists the book at $19.99, about double the price of a normal Tokyopop title. Hopefully this will mean that each volume of the US release will be actually be comprised of two volumes of the Japanese release. This could be a very good plan to cut out a 34+ release schedule to only 17+ volumes. Or maybe the books will be bound in some kind of black hard-cover, adding to the illusion of it be being a “sexual bible” like the Karma Sutra.
However, the price increase could also be because Tokyopop is anticipating low sales of the title, and they need to increase the price for it to become profitable. Having a book not sold at Borders, being twice as expensive as a normal book, and knowing that there is at least a 30-volume commitment to the series will kill this release even before it hits the shelves.
I am very worried about this release. It could be revolutionary and show America how manga can actually be used to teach serious material. At a recent job interview, my interviewer was telling me how the best business education book he ever read was in manga format. Having a sex guide manga could be a huge success.
On the other hand, this could just be another great manga title that will just fall into obscurity because America just wasn’t ready for it. You can bet that I will be keeping an eye on what Tokyopop says and how it handles the release of this title through out the rest of the year.
Here’s hoping that they make the right choices.
