Review: W.W.L.

Sometimes you have a mangaka you want to champion above all others, they may not have a perfect record or be high profile but you love them all the same and want others to know. This is the case with Taira Hajime for me, I’ve read most of their fantasy works but when I came across W.W.L. I had to check it out, an ero work with a western setting intrigued me greatly so how does it fare?

This manga has not been translated, fan or officially into English, due to this my review will be based on the Japanese version and so elements of story will not be gone into as deeply due to language barrier.

Set in the wild west some rogues kidnap a saintly woman and use her for their sexual bidding. Little do they know though that there is a vigilante out there willing to tackle vermin like them. By putting herself into the fray this vigilante opens herself up to the same dangers the kidnapped woman faces.

The grasp I had on this story I liked, the general setup and setting was unique. The vigilante herself appears to be a rich girl masquerading as a seeker of justice which I quite liked. The idea of a rich girl doing something as outlandish as that is a lot of fun as she is not just contempt to live out her silver spoon led life though it does harm it that the motivations are lost in language.

The content here ranges but generally keeps in with the forced slavery and rape angles. Both girls are subjected to humiliation, rape, bondage and the like throughout so if that sounds off putting to you then steer clear from this.

The first standout scene was the vigilantes capture. Seeing a wanted poster for a girl she finds the same girl in the street passed out, she goes to help but is immediately drugged. Donned in a beautiful dress from her regular life she wakes to find herself bound and at the mercy of this girl, the drug which heightens her stimulus regions and men ready to take advantage. They claw at her, rip her clothing, groping her breasts, licking her before viciously fucking her. Seeing her manhandled like this, the pain of not being able to fight back and the drug taking effect is what I adore, its rough, the fear strikes her and the pleasure gradually begins to warp her mind. The image of her lying there, still bound covered in bodily fluids is one of pure perfection.

The second I want to highlight is the bar scene. Shackled and forced to work, wearing a revealing outfit she has to traverse the bar with a rope digging into and rubbing against her pussy. Every movement sees her wince before the ugly slave in control pull it forcing her to her knees like a dog as she’s whipped and degraded before being raped and offered up to the people in the bar. The lower than dirt slave having his way with a beauty is lovely and the sight of the rope digging into her pussy, the anguish she shows is delectable. Seeing her thrust upon by the men, savagely raping her and the ecstasy she begins to show being used as a public outlet is so salacious and fits in with the brutality and disregard the rogues have. What follows leads to another sublime scene but that is best left for you to view yourself.

There are no overall bad scenes here there are a few which feel a little lacklustre. These are mainly for the kidnapped woman who goes through some fairly standard sexual use. She is tied up, forced to give oral and be the plaything of the rogues but it never quite feels arousing enough. Her scenes keep relatively stale by comparison to the vigilante who is put through all manner of heinous acts.

One disappointment is the western setting not being used quite as well as I’d like. The characters look the part but the world doesn’t quite give off enough to make it feel truly unique. There are scenes that could take place in many other books which, if given a bit more detail would make it feel more western in nature. Part of this is down to the mangakas art style which doesn’t allow for much in terms of backgrounds which is a shame.

With this not being translated the question must be is it good with the language barrier? Absolutely. You get a gist of the overall story from the images, character reactions and so forth with only a few instances where it can take a moment or so to realise what has happened. The sex scenes are wonderful and thanks to little indicators such as the subtle changes on a girls face or their bursting heart shapes eyes you know what is happening.

Visually this has Taira Hajimes trademark style, for better or worse. I have made no mistake about my adoration for their artwork and that remains here in a slightly older release which means a bit less refinement. The girls are thin yet sexy, have long legs and ample breasts which for me is just what I want. The angles and framing always place the right amount of attention to accentuate the girls best features whether they are bound, bent over or toyed with.

The ‘issues’ that some may have with the art remain. The girls have basically the same body with only slight facial features and hair colour / style differing. Due to the language barrier I did actually get mixed up with the two leading women such were their similarities. The backgrounds are also very different using a mix of location specific ones and an almost liquid-esque mix. For me this is no issue and part of the charm but for some I certainly understand the feeling of cheapness here, it’s distinct but divisive.

A few mediocre sex scenes aside I greatly enjoyed this, there were issues I had sure and the language barrier will stop me praising as much as I want but it stands well in Taira Hajimes pantheon of works. If you haven’t liked this mangakas works before this is not going to change your mind but if you are a fan or intrigued then by all means give this a read.

Mangaka: Taira Hajime

Release: 2006

Length: 9 chapters, 1 volume

Availability: Mandarake

7.5/10