Sex, the Manga: The Japanese 80s Cult Classic Eternalizing Youth and Rebellion
Many mangas have never seen the light outside of their country of origin, in the majority due to unavailable translation, which is the case for Sex, a brilliant manga born at the hand of Atsushi Kamijo.
Sex only has seven chapters that are available in English, so it’s undoubtedly not talked about enough on this side of the Internet because it was a vital addition to anyone’s manga repertoire during the 80s in Japan.
The title gives an illusion that it’s a steamy story, but Sex is meant to hint at the division of the sexes. A limbo between the shoujo genre [targeted at young women] and the seinen genre [targeted at young men], Sex is a turbulent yet breathtakingly gracious story about delinquency and the path to redemption.
But it’s not your average stale teenage rebellion story. Similarly to the iconic Nana, it poses on self-reflection and the significance of relationships. Sex follows the young Kaho who travels south to Okinawa in search of her long-lost childhood friend, Natsu. But upon her quest, she meets Yuki, a brooding, dark and handsome gangster who runs the neighborhood. Kaho is soon wrapped up in his mob wars, but once Natsu is back in the picture, things straighten up - or so they seem.
It’s a little bit of an irresistible love triangle, but Sex made waves when it was released, and though the plot seems soaked in a saccharine mixture of romance tropes, it’s far from the Hallmark-love-story type. Crude and tender, it’s hypocritically heartbreaking which makes it so sweetly addicting.
Moments of silence and absence are captured in the panels, and Kamijo’s stunning use of monochrome and a touch of realism makes the banality of everyday life scream. It’s humane in the ways you least expect it. Sex is a work of art literally lost in translation, but its impact still resonates in today’s industry.
About the Author:
Mizuki Khoury
Born in Montreal, based in Tokyo. Sabukaru’s senior writer and works as an artist under Exit Number Five.
