Everyone generally agrees that volume 12 is when the series really started to pick up. In later volumes the cast of characters is expanded and Aki begins to improve and expand the story to include their love lives as well, giving readers multiple points of views from couples other than Makoto and Yura.

The series also becomes more and more informative over time, Aki always adding up to date information from numerous sources. Covering such subjects as medical conditions, various fetishes, Japan’s declining birthrate, birth control, communication and list goes on. He’s actually been able to gather a ton of valid and worth while material that has turned this series into a useful ongoing sex guide, like he originally intended.

Even though things may seem stagnant now, the story and the characters really do evolve over time. An example being Makoto becoming less selfish and Yura becoming more spontaneous. These changes happen gradually and naturally over multiple volumes.

You also mentioned before that one of the problems with this series is that it focuses too much on the sex and not enough on the overall relationship. That is eventually addressed as well. Katsu Aki even recently began working on a new manga called Doku×Koi. Doku×Koi is similar to Futari H in that it is a manual, but different in that it focuses less on sex and more on love, romance and maintaining a healthy relationship. Though I’m not sure if that series will ever make it to the U.S.

My point is that this series does get better and becomes so much more than what it is in early volumes. Each book actually contains two volumes. Tokyopop combines them into omnibuses. I recommend waiting until the sixth omnibus, which will contain volume 12. You won’t be disappointed.

[...] Sutra — From creative sex education to stereotype in only three books. This series had potential to be something different, a sexy yet informative [...]

All the Manga Sutra books have good educational content. However, I don’t know if I would use this series as my primary how-to manual. For a more detailed explanation of the mechanics and techniques of sexual intercourse I would recommend something like the Joy of Sex. Depending on your embarrassment level, you check out a copy at most libraries.

“…where I wish I knew more about sex…”

“So would this one help me like the first one did…”

“…would it just be another waste of greenbacks?”

Justify the way women are treated in this series? No way!

Thanks for pointing out that I should have been clearer! I was trying to mention how the reviews of the series remind me (”how the series reminds me” wouldn’t be accurate since I haven’t read it) of some unjust treatment of people IRL. When you two talk about how lousy the series is, I agree that I wouldn’t enjoy it either.

As to the second point, given that Yura is committed to staying married to Makoto, masturbation would at least give her some sexual satisfaction. Hopefully, once she experienced a few orgasms on her own she would understand what she’s missing and finally voice her frustations to Makoto.

To your final point, men aren’t very consistent with condom use in this manga. More than once a women has expressed anger that her partner didn’t use a condom. They do put up the the risk of pregency for the sex they get.

Honestly, I hope your just being contrarion and not trying to justify the way women are treated in this series.

Sainthood? Hmm…

From the reviews I’ve read, this situation reminds me less of the Bible than of Barbara Ehrenreich’s reportage Nickel and Dimed. Her coworkers put up with bad working conditions for years as waiter/resses, hotel maids, retail clerks, etc. in order to get paychecks in order to pay rent. Likewise, since Yuka’s a housewife it seems as though she has to put up with bad sex in order to stay married to Makoto in order to live in his place. Now does this mean that Yura’s not a saint or that Ehrenreich’s former coworkers are saints?

Ed Sizemore Says: “(Really, someone needs to buy this woman a vibrator and introduce her to the joys of masturbation.)”

OTOH, wouldn’t she still have to have bad sex after that?

Seems like someone also needs to buy her trade school or university tuition and introduce her to the joys of being able to afford to stop having sex with Makoto. Enduring unsatisfying, uncomfortable, or worse sex is still unsatisfying, uncomfortable, or worse even if one does have fun and orgasms some other times.

Ed Sizemore Says: “(Akira’s ability to consistently bring his wife to organism isn’t really for her benefit. It’s so he can brag about what a proficient lover he is.) Honestly, it appears that Aki is saying women don’t have a right to demand sexual satisfaction. They have to take what they get and be thankful.”

Which organisms does he bring her to? I know it’s a typo, but the rest of these reviews leave me wondering if Aki will include men not being considerate enough to consider condoms and women just having to take the organisms they get and be thankful for those bacteria and virii.

[...] of Papillon at ANN. Ed Sizemore enjoys vols. 1 and 2 of Rosario + Vampire but is dissatisfied with vol. 3 of Manga Sutra, while Johanna Draper Carlson recommends vol. 11 of Nana, at Comics Worth Reading. At The Star of [...]

I did read a scanlation of the first volume of Futari-H For Ladies. It was massively disappointing. The new series starts in the second year of marriage for the Onodas. Makoto is still a quick draw and Yura still hasn’t had an orgasm. (Two Years!! At this point I’m willing to call the Pope and nominating Yura for sainthood.) Yura is beginning a diary and the idea is that we are now getting her side of the marriage. We discover that Yura is not happy with her sex life, but puts most of the blame on herself. She’s still not willing to call out Makoto for being a selfish SOB. (Really, someone needs to buy this woman a vibrator and introduce her to the joys of masturbation.)

Makoto’s gynecologist cousin tells Yura that there is no cure for premature ejaculation; Makoto will always have this problem. What?! It might be true that some men are hypersensitive and so may never overcome premature ejaculation, but there is no indication that Makoto has this problem. Otherwise, countless numbers of men will tell you there are proven methods to improve your control. For Aki to say there’s no hope is irresponsible at best.

Later Yura encounters Akira, she reveals to him that she is bored with her sex life. Akira’s recommendation is to try new positions. What happened to the book Akira gave them in volume three of the main series. Did they lose it, or just throw it out when they tried all the positions once? The fact Yura and Makoto are back to the basic three positions shows what a jerk Makoto is.

What you come to realize is that all versions of Futari-H are really about male sexuality and getting women to accept it, as is. Aki wants women to adjust their wants and expectations to those of their partners. If the man wants to be a good lover and make his partner’s pleasure as important as his own, that’s great, but don’t expect it. (Akira’s ability to consistently bring his wife to organism isn’t really for her benefit. It’s so he can brag about what a proficient lover he is.) Honestly, it appears that Aki is saying women don’t have a right to demand sexual satisfaction. They have to take what they get and be thankful.

The heartbreak here is that the first volume of the main series lead the reader to believe that this manga would be about two co-equal partners learning how to have a satisfying relationship and thus a satisfying sex life. There should be an atmosphere of mutual care and respect. Aki promised us a series about people maturing as individuals and as a couple. But it was the old bait and switch. What we got is a primer on how women need to make all the sacrifices and adjustments. A series that defends the old stereotypes of marriage.

I think Ed tried the spinoff and wasn’t impressed, but maybe he’ll say more about that.

Wouldn’t that also depend on how interested anyone else was in having sex with her, not just on how interested she was in having sex with someone? After all, there are horny virgin adults IRL and for non-rapists there’s more to losing one’s virginity than just wanting to have sex…

Meanwhile, there’s a “For Ladies” spinoff of the series in Japan (see http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=4925 ). Is that where Aki Katsu wrote stuff about having fun and orgasms during sex with one’s husband, or is it more about how to lie back and think of affording groceries?