Written by Eoghan O'Connell on 28 Nov 2024
Distributor Irodori Comics • Author/Artist Maimu Maimu • Price $10.25
Before I start discussing the first chapter of I Met My Friend's Gyaru Mom in a Soapland, I thought it might be helpful to explain what a soapland is for those who might be unfamiliar with the term. A soapland is a business which exploits a loophole in Japanese law that compensated sexual intercourse, in other words prostitution, which is illegal between unacquainted people. Soaplands take advantage of this by having the client pay for a wash and massage, during which the client and employee become acquainted with each other. Therefore, any exchange of money for sex that follows afterwards is, theoretically at least, is not viewed as illegal under Japanese law. Now that that has been explained, let's turn our attention back to the work itself.
Masaya, our protagonist, is a student who's friends with a boy called Kazu. While they are having a sleepover one evening at Kazu's home, Kazu's mother, Sakura, returns home drunk and, after a quick conversation, they decide to leave Sakura and go to bed. However, Masaya is unable to sleep as it turns out Kazu is quite the snorer, a trait he shares with his mother as Masaya finds Sakura passed out in the living room, snoring just like her son. Her bra, struggling with the size of her breasts, finally gives in and snaps right in front of Masaya and he has the idea to touch her while she's asleep (not cool). However, his groping results in her half waking up and she immediately pushes him down, apologising to him for falling asleep and wasting a customer's time. Masaya is understandably confused by this development but she wastes no time and soon starts having sex with him. The visit to the soapland itself is reserved for the second half of the chapter but to give more away would be too spoiler-y.
While some of the actions within this story are clearly questionable, there's absolutely no doubt that it managed to keep my attention hooked the whole way through as it kept me guessing how the story would progress. Admittedly, the way it concludes leaves me with the expectation that the next chapter will ultimately define the series' style and tone but the discovery and interaction between Masaya and Sakura is a delight to read.
As for the characters, I'm going to discuss Masaya and Sakura mainly as Kazu, thus far, is purely there to enable Masaya's visit and later interaction with Sakura. Masaya makes some dubious choices but it seems clear that he is smitten with Sakura and that he wants to establish a romantic relationship with her. Sakura, on the other hand, is a wild lady and ends up being quite a bit more than Masaya bargained for though she can be sweet in her own way. Their interactions are awkward but in an endearing and often funny manner as they feel out how best to progress their relationship. Admittedly, Sakura does get quite rough with Masaya towards the end, part of the reason why I feel chapter two will be important to establish what types of sexual acts the series is going to cover, but it seems that she's a pleaser and not acting out of any malice towards him.
What I immediately noted upon reading was that the chapter is presented entirely in colour, something that was a pleasant change to the other series I'd been reviewing recently! The artwork itself is quite good with a pleasant colour scheme, some great drawings and even some depth of focus although I do feel there are a few concessions that are made to achieve that. Some objects in the environment stand out too visibly as being rendered 3D objects while the panels themselves are presented somewhat plainly, lacking a strong dynamic feel to them. Still, those are relatively small issues compared to the many positives, particularly with how attractive Sakura's character design is.
Despite a couple of reservations, I ended up being thoroughly entertained and can honestly say that I'm looking forward to seeing how the series develops in its next chapter. If you're looking for a new MILF series to read, I think I Met My Friend's Gyaru Mom in a Soapland is definitely worth the read!
Going by the online persona Immortallium, I'm a YouTuber as well as a Manga, Anime and Video Game enthusiast.
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