You remember Kirika, don’t you? She was the high school student who wanted, above all else, to be a professional manga artist, in the goofball sex manga series Eve no Ringo, aka Eve’s Apple.. After several rejections, she was hired by the grumpiest, most miserable bastard of an editor ever, to draw S&M comics for a Lady’s Comic publication.

To understand the world she was drawing Kirika tried being a dominatrix, a man, tied up, spanked and learned about car sex and fetishes galore. All to become a better mangaka. Grudgingly, the editor from hell allowed a page or three of Kirika’s work into the magazine – but at the end of Volume 2, she had a long way to go before she could really consider herself a professional.

I found the first two volumes of this series in a used manga store, so I was pretty convinced I’d never ever see the rest of it. I am thrilled to report that I was wrong again. Bizarrely, this series has been *reprinted* and is available through Amazon JP. You can click the picture above to reach this particular volume.

So…what adventures will befall our delightfully, no longer naive young artist, you may ask?

Well…

In Volume 3, Kirika experiences a little remote control vibrator research, thanks to Yurika and the school doctor. During a test, of course. :-)

Kirika’s self-proclaimed beautiful rival Mio, in between sex with her editor and some “assisted studying” with Kirika’s friend and assistant Matsuda-kun, learns a little bit about the appeal of S&M comics. (Matsuda, btw, is filled with remorse immediately afterwards, which I personally find quite irritating – especially as he appears to be an excellent lover. How obnoxious would that be – the best sex of your life and then the guy runs off crying….)

We meet one of Mio’s sempai, another manga artist who is a cool, sexy, stylish woman named Kaoru. Kaoru meets and wows Kirika, (who is a bit swept off her feet by the older woman) but it’s Matsuda who really floats her boat. Matsuda is perfectly okay with this, until midway in the act he discovers that Kaoru is a sexy, stylish and incredibly beautiful *guy*. One more guilt-filled night for Matsuda, I guess….

Kirika decides to visit a fetish shop to play dress up. Of course she drags Matsuda along to get his opinion on her dressed as a dominatrix and a maid. The shop owner turns out to be the sexy sadist from a few volumes ago, who promptly ties her up and proceeds to make her learn a bit more about her needs – in front of Matsuda. Kirika is fascinated by the whole idea of being watched and runs home to incorporate her new knowledge into her art.

While Yurika and Kirika work on Yuri’s new soon-to-be published piece, Matsuda and Miyamae-sensei (the older mangaka who was seriously hardcore from the first few volumes) engage in some “study” for her work. He tries to draw some S&M and it rapidly becomes a Disney-esque fantasy with him and prince and Kikira as princess – as all his work is wont to.

Another kouhai is added to Kirika’s stable, as provincial gang girl Yano appears, with a thick accent and wackified antics, which involve her taking hers and the other girls’ shirt off alot.

Kirika gets yet another assistant when first year student Mai joins the chado club at school and asks if she can, you know, help Kirika in any way. She and Kirika get an intense session in and Kirika is motivated to draw, while Mai is motivated to get Kirika alone in a dark room again.

The final few chapters tell of a big party that the publishing house holds for all the mangaka and editors at an onsen, so we have the usual nudity and sex play – but because these are all people who draw and live S&M, it lack coyness or fanservice, really, and is refreshingly uncloying.

In a freak accident, the editor from hell is hurt and Kirika finds that she’s ALOT more upset about it than she would have thought. She overhears the editor and Miyamae talking about her. When she hears him say that she doesn’t need him, Kirika finds herself unexpectedly hysterical. Matsuda comforts her, but there’s definitely a sense that something deeper than just her need to succeed is going on.

Regardless of the trashiness of the subject, I *really* like this series. because the sex is part of the plot, there’s so little ingenuousness, or immaturity about it. And as Kirika and the others become more mature about human sexuality, so does the series.

It’s still goofy and fun, but if you’re not afraid of it, Eve’s Apple has the least objectification of women I’ve ever seen in any sex-heavy manga.

Ratings:
Art – 7
Characters – 8
Story – 8
Yuri – 6

Overall – 7

This isn’t a Yuri story, not really, but its pleasantly omnisexual and has some Yuri service, no goggles needed.