What’s the difference between pornography, erotica, and other works of adult fiction? I believe the answer lies in a manga called Maka-Maka.
On first glance, Maka-Maka doesn’t seem very special. There’s just Jun and Nene plainly on the cover. Then you see the subtitle, ‘Sex, Life, and Communication.’
Sex sells, but the ‘life and communication’ alludes that it may possibly be yet another boring slice of life Yuri manga all about ‘feelings.’ This isn’t the case with Maka-Maka though, not at all.
The two main characters are both clothing designers, and friends with benefits. The majority of the plot features the two girls talking about work, friendship, and sex. With every passing chapter, the reader gets a more intimate understanding of the nature of their relationship as it develops past simple fondling and pecks on the cheek.
You start to learn a little bit more of the why instead. Most Yuri feature scarce amounts of sex scenes, while this one has quite a few. As opposed to being simply about romance, it tends to strip all that stuff away. There’s no romance, these are just the benefits of a friendship.
To that end, the “life and communication” aspect of Maka-Maka only goes so far until it runs dry. You read about their lives, and what sex means to Jun and Nene. After that, it’s mostly sex scenes. Not that I mind, I was just hoping for something a little more consistent.
Though the communication aspect declines, the manga is still able to keep the ample amount of adult scenes somewhat tasteful. It’s not hentai, per se, it’s slice of life. I’m not exactly sure whose life, but it does aim to keep a steady beat of realism.
Surprisingly enough, this manga is in full color, something very few tend to do. The art style is fairly unique, avoiding most manga cliché. The colors are fairly rich, and have a certain depth that adds an element of warmth.
In some ways, I feel that as the amount of storyline declines, the warmth presented by the art style makes up for it. It is drawn in such a way that you can almost tell what the characters are thinking. Instead of canned emotions present in most manga, Maka-Maka takes it a step further, and conveys emotions through the use of color.
Maka-Maka does quite a few things you don’t see in most manga. While I really enjoyed Maka-Maka, I was expecting something a little bit different. I can handle the adult scenes, but I was hoping for something a little bit deeper than this. It has excellent presentation, and is definitely an interesting experience.
