Sunshine Challenge #5

[autodach]

Challenge #5

Journaling prompt: Be a carnival barker for your favorite movie, book, or show! Write a post that showcases the best your chosen title has to offer and entices passersby to check it out.

I want to rec a manga series: Nana to Kaoru by Amazume Ryuuta.
It's a softcore BDSM coming of age romance that ran from 2008 to 2016.

The titular main characters are high schoolers taking their first steps into the vast world of BDSM, and (of course) falling in love in the process.

Nana is a "mature for her age" kind of girl. She is tall and built like an adult, excells at school thanks to her hard work, is composed and polite at all times. She is also being crushed by the pressure of all her responsibilities and perfectionism and desperately needs an outlet.

Kaoru is a small, weird looking guy. He has a preexisting interest in SM, and therefore an idea how to give his friend a "breather".

The two seem like the typical nerd fantasy couple; an unattractive dude snatching a perfect girlfriend. But when you actually read this, it turns out he's not unattractive, and Nana isn't perfect. Both of them are portrayed as multi-dimensional people.

Kaoru is a good dom - he is new to this, but researches extensively to make sure they're staying safe. He not only loves Nama, but also respects her. That makes him more attractive as a dom/top than good looks ever could.

This is an ecchi manga - so yes, Nana has big boobs, and we zoom in on them a lot. As you would expect.
But what makes this story unique is the focus on actual, realistic SM in loving detail, as well as the well-rounded characters. I couldn't help but fall in love with them and their story, as easily and naturally as they were falling for each other.

Comments

[muscle_wizard]

Love your rec! It's nice to hear about realistic SM and affection in a new to each other couple.

[pauraque]

That sounds really cool! It's sadly rare to find good, realistic stories about people doing kink.

[elyusion]

I actually read a bit of this before, but dropped it because... I don't know. Sometimes I stop reading something to go to sleep or something and then forget to ever come back to it. I have read a lot of this author's other, shorter works though, and I think they're interesting in all their horniness. This post gave me a push to come back and finish Nana & Kaoru, so thanks for that ^_^