Between the Sheets by Erica Sakurazawa

Between the Sheets

Erica Sakurazawa

Sakurazawa’s single-volume tale concerns two friends in their early 20s: Saki, a beautiful blonde; and Minako, her not-as-pretty brunette sidekick. As the story opens, the women make out together in a nightclub to dissuade a would-be suitor from hitting on them. And unbeknownst to Saki, Minako has developed feelings for her that are closer than friendship. This first book in Tokyopop’s series of yuri manga, or girl romance, explores the boundaries and transgressions of close female friendship with a lesbian subtext. It’s romance manga with adult situations and sexual content targeted at 20-something women who have outgrown the more juvenile shounen-ai. While it has a racier attitude toward contemporary relationships, the sexual content isn’t gratuitous or exploitative, unlike traditional manga. Also absent is the usual romance esthetic; Sakurazawa shuns flowers, bubbles, exclamations and hearts, favoring a spare, loose style. She draws characters in a quick, almost scratchy style that places the emphasis squarely on the characters’ lives and loves. Slowly, the dynamic between the girlfriends changes and becomes destructive, with decidedly soap opera-like twists and turns: Minako lives vicariously by sleeping with Saki’s boyfriends. Saki tries to sever ties with her increasingly obsessed friend, and their friendship unravels. While Sakurazawa’s innovative, sophisticated drawing style attempts to paint a realistic portrait of contemporary romance and her subject matter is provocative, the storytelling is not: the shallow plot of unrequited love weakens her efforts. Character development is also negligible, as the girls aren’t particularly engaging or likable, merely aloof in their narcissism and angst as they float restlessly from one aimless encounter to the next.

Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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