Faithful and Unfaithful (Adult Content)

Adultery is always an interesting, albeit controversial, subject when it comes to these forms of media. I quite enjoyed one that covered this topic, that being An Older Wife's Supple Cage, and despised another. Thus, I felt wary when it came to Faithful and Unfaithful, anticipating either delight or disappointment.

We are introduced to a young couple, Sasahara and Riko, who have been together for two months. Things seem to be going well until one day when Sasahara sees Riko making out with another man in the middle of a busy street. Heartbroken, he pours his heart out to his friends until, on a train ride back home, he learns that the man Riko was with is the boyfriend of Mika, the girl he's traveling with. Understandably, this realisation comes as a shock to both of them and they end up back at her place, finding solace in each other's company.

For a story that starts out with a man being emotionally devastated, it actually ended up becoming a surprisingly sweet story. The story doesn't spend too much time on the characters wallowing in misery, instead focusing on their efforts to overcome their heartbreak. There are a few good visual gags, check out Sasahara's shirt in the example above, and there was a very emotionally satisfying moment in the last quarter, a moment that felt like Sasahara and Mika had finally come to terms with what was happening and embraced it. It's a simple story with the main twist played early but that doesn't take away from how heart-warming it ultimately was.

Sasahara turned out to be a surprisingly decent guy. I was fully prepared for him to be pitiful throughout the story but his effort to process his pain proved to be surprisingly believable such as getting drunk and wanting to hang out with his friends and party throughout the night. However, once he learns about Mika's partner cheating on her, he becomes concerned for her, letting her vent and trying to keep her drinking in check. Even when it comes time to get physically intimate, he expresses concern for Mika, asking her whether she's ok with what's happening. I'll admit that his fascination with Mika's armpit didn't gel with me but those moments are quite brief and didn't take too much away from the sex itself. Mika is also likeable in her own way, her endearingly inept attempts of cheering Sasahara up shifting to anger and assertiveness once she realised that she'd been betrayed. We don't really get to know Riko or Sasahara's friends and most of what we know about Mika's boyfriend comes from her drunken rant which paints him as a despicable person, understandably.

The artwork of Faithful and Unfaithful is very appealing. The character designs are on the more realistic side, looking more proportionally correct and featuring a lovely amount of detail. These designs actually remind me a little bit of the works of Inio Asano and the way characters look in those series. However, Urasuji Samurai isn't afraid to let them look exaggerated when the moment called for it, just look at Sasahara's face on the second page above. Backgrounds are also detailed with some nice use of effects such as motion lines and screen-tones and, while the paneling isn't exceptional, there are some lovely shots and blending of panels with a few uses of characters stretching beyond the borders of the panels.

Faithful and Unfaithful proved to be a surprisingly pleasant read and, while it is perhaps a little too simple to be particularly memorable, I found myself enjoying the experience. Those seeking a heart-warming story with some raunchiness would do well to read this.

You can read the title for free on doujin.io.