Review: Forbidden Colors

Of the newer Project H releases the cover of Forbidden Colors caught my eye on this one, beautifully lavish and having a girl in a wedding dress in sexual ecstasy. What is not to love? Having never read anything by the mangaka Nishiki Karasuma before I wasn’t sure what to expect but the tags for the content had me interested so what is the outcome?

The book is comprised of one two part story and an assortment of unconnected one-shots. All of these focus on the same themes of NTR, mind breaking, rough sex and rape though it does walk the line so to speak not going fully down some of the nastier paths. If any of the sounds off-putting to you then it is best to steer clear but for those a bit more open minded it should be fine.

The opening two part story focuses on the girl on the cover. Kanae is getting married but upon going to get her dress she sees her old love Nishijima who was assigned to help her. She had feelings for him but had to call it off due to the increasing rough nature of their sex. Once Nishijima begins to sexually assault her though these feelings come back and the rough sex now is more of a turn on than she would like to admit.

This was easily my favourite story here. Since it is more than one chapter you get to see Kanae develop and progress more. The setup was typical in allowing the NTR elements to be brought to the fore but worked well. Seeing Kanae reluctant at the beginning but gradually recede into a state of pleasure is perfectly paced.

The acts become more and more aggressive, Nishijima reminding her of her past, talks very suggestively to her, putting things in her heads, trying to bring out her true self, how her future husband cannot satisfy her before upping the ante even further making her go home without panties, blackmailing her and making an extremely revealing and perverted special wedding dress. All these small elements add up to a near perfect NTR story as she breaks slowly but surely under the rough pleasure she cannot do without.

My only complaint is that it ends too quickly, the two chapters flew by and I think we could have got a lot more harder, perverse content from it than we had as well as more actions after the end point which is disappointing. It doesn’t detract from the story at all though.

Of the one-shots making up the rest of the book I loved one in particular. Ran works as a host in a bar and she has a thing for a customer. She is coerced into performing for a key customer and this involved all sorts of escalating lewd acts. I really liked this one thanks to not only the designs of the main girl (fish nets and revealing outfit) but also the inventive ways of ‘performing’ for customers from making a martini while bra-less, stirring a drink with an ice pick in her pussy and spreading herself for customers. It was a real joy to see the lewd creativity compliment the simple setup and wonderful art.

The remaining one shots are a mixed bag that didn’t quite click for me but still eliciting some incredibly arousing moments, especially so in the story of a captured soldier who is tortured mercilessly. You have your prioritised elements such as rape and mind breaks but they did not stand out to me. The weakest were a story revolving around an apprentice archer and a girl working in an arcade / gambling hall. The latter in particular had more vanilla feel which I consequently felt less engrossed in. I quickly read them and thought little else unfortunately. That said the bonus at the end of the book where the girls from all the stories interacts I did enjoy, a nice little treat to end the book.

One overwhelming highlight in the entire book is the beautiful art. Nishiki Karasuma manages to really fill out each page. There are no large blank, white areas; the backdrops are lovingly detailed to really add to the charm and visuals. The girls themselves aren’t simply designed, no; each girls outfit is meticulously drawn to accentuate their voluptuous bodies. I must make a special mention to the first story and the stunning way to make a wedding outfit both sexy and perverted. Filled to the brim with the minutest of details it stands out and really helps you get immersed.

The girls proportions are usually the same in each chapter with a change here or there like the hair and facial features. One aspect on the girls that is fine tuned is their expressions throughout their sexual ordeals, from reluctant joy to their ahegao expressions at full breaking point they are displayed beautifully. The girls fill out the panels, pages eloquently with angles focusing in on the areas in which they feel the most unhinged pleasure. Whether it is a humiliating pose, underneath shots or seeing them surrounded by men it is sure to up the erotic level that one step further.

A few poorer, nondescript chapters do stop this book from quite reaching great status and the relatively short length of the opening story was a disappointment for sure. That said the nice mix of kinks, never overreaching into more darker, hardcore elements was a welcome surprise that worked so well. This is absolutely worth a read.

Mangaka: Nishiki Karasuma

Release: 2017 (English Release)

Length: 9 chapters, 1 volume

Availability: Project-H, BookDepository

8/10