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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
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.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Uninmpressed,
By
This review is from: Between the Sheets (v. 3) (Paperback)
I really enjoyed the simple art style of this manga. It was very clean and uncluttered. However I found it hard to tell who was speaking. The characters are also poorly developed. Minako loves her friend Saki. She tells you this over and over again. Saki is cheated on by her boyfriend and breaks up with him. She gets a new one and cheats on him with her ex and others. Then when he cheats on her with Minako, she gets angry... She's a cheater who doesn't like finding out that she has been cheated on. Go figure?
I truely wish the characters had delved more deeply into the meanings behind their feelings (and why they would so easily and quickly hop into bed together). I would have enjoyed the story more.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a bittersweet romance,
By
This review is from: Between the Sheets (v. 3) (Paperback)
I want to register a different opinion on this manga than the reviewer below. Not only did I like Ms. Sakurazawa's art style a lot, but I liked her storytelling style. It's very lyrical and oblique, which seems to be the other reviewer's complaint, but I find it to be a great strength. One is left to read between the lines a lot, to hear the unspoken. It's very romantic and bittersweet. I don't typically like manga in this genre; I'm normally more of a sci-fi or horror manga enthusiast. Nevertheless, I found Between the Sheets to be enchanting and emotionally compelling--the sense of melancholy and longing is overpowering.
Highly recommended.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Best friend and...stalker?,
By JenB99 (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Between the Sheets (v. 3) (Paperback)
The Publishers Weekly summary on the information page sums up this story very well. The plot and characters are shallow, and the drawings are minimalist. "Scratchy" is a good description of the artwork style.
I didn't care for the characters in this book. They were both selfish and shallow, and Minako was more like a stalker than a lovesick best friend. Her behavior was creepy, and her inner dialogue became almost disturbing by the end of the book. This could have been cute and sweet if it had actually been about best friends falling in love like the book blurb implies, but stalker stories and catty backstabbing just don't do it for me.
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