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
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