Last summer, I reviewed Sex Ed. 120%, Volume 1 by Kikiki Tataki. I summed it up as “The characters were likable, the lesbian couple is cute and Tsuji’s enthusiasm is just exactly ridiculous enough to keep you rooting for her and this was an incredibly fast and fun read.” Today I wanted to talk about Sex Education 120%, Volume 2, and again, not for the sex ed itself. ^_^

I actually do recommend this series if you have a tween or teen who is into manga and you want to have a lead-in to the various “your body is changing” talks. The information on sexual education is pretty solid, if unevenly presented. More importantly, this series discusses things that would be really cool to have discussed in sex ed, that weren’t in my day, like sexual harassment and the toxicity of pick-up artist culture. Safe sex is always the message and so is understanding your body. This volume has a chapter on menstruation with a focus on menstrual cups.

But why I wanted to review his today was not just the lesbian couple’s origin story, (which we also get – with different perspectives,)  but the end of the book, where one of the lesbian couple is freaked out by her lover’s interest in BL. In the years I have been reading and viewing Yuri, of course I have met many lesbians who like BL. I was very interested in how the book was going to discuss this issue, as the character most interested in BL is largely incoherent about why. Not everyone can explain things. But as with every discussion in this book, it took a turn into a pretty brilliant scene. The lesbian couple and the BL fan visit a BL comic event. The BL doujinshi creator whose booth they are arguing in front of. turns out to be in a relationship with a woman, and she ends up going out with the students to talk with them openly about what does and does not work for them in regards to BL. I found the whole scene really impressive. I know that BL will never be for me, because I’m simply more interested in women than I am in men, but I really liked how the conversation made some interesting points.

Yen does a fine job with the content in this book. The characters have their own voices and stories throughout. I can completely recommend Volume 2, not just for the sex ed, but for the stories of the teachers and students as well.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 10
Service – Almost never except to make a point
Queer – 10

Overall – 9

Volume 2 is available now on Amazon, Bookwalker Global and RightStuf. Volume 3 will ship in February (RightStuf  and Amazon.)