Luv Luv: Make More Love & Peace, Sounds of Love, Object of Desire

Object of Desire cover

Finishing up my coverage of the Aurora Luv Luv titles … these are the three titles I haven’t yet covered from line of explicit sex manga for women.

Make More Love & Peace

by Takane Yonetani

A sequel to Make Love & Peace, about the girlfriend of a cop. This series is the only one in the Luv Luv line (and it’s only two books), but regardless of format, it’s still their most rewarding read because it’s about more than sex and pairing up. Ayame and Koichi have lives and interests and a relatively stable relationship, so the stories can cover more than “does he love me, or is he only using me for sex?”

Make More Love & Peace cover

Ayame rarely gets an uninterrupted date with Koichi, because he’s always being called away for a case. And she’s such a soft heart that even when she does make plans, she brings along someone else. Ayame saw a runaway shoplifting and wants to help, but the lying girl sets her sights on Koichi. Little does she know that their bond with each other is stronger than that. It’s quite amusing to watch the younger girl’s transparent schemes, and her babyish behavior provides a change of pace to the usual stories. (Which involve the two having a lot of sex in between being interrupted and vowing their love for each other no matter what.)

The sex is more interesting because it has meaning behind it, the two affirming their faith and enjoyment in each other. And there’s a nice message about not having to choose among people you love, about having enough feeling for all of them. Another chapter features Ayame meeting Koichi’s high school ex-girlfriend and learning a different side of his past. There are two unrelated backup stories, one about a shy librarian who hooks up with a player, the other featuring a makeup artist embarrassed by a facial scar.

Sounds of Love

Sounds of Love cover

by Rin Tanaka

Sounds of Love, on the other hand, is horrible. Kazune is the “manager” for a great pianist, which means she watches him adoringly while he plays and then has “hot sex” with him in the dressing room. She wanted to be a professional herself, but her playing puts people to sleep. (It’s ok, the boyfriend reassures her, because he appreciates how “calm” and “relaxed” she makes him feel.) Instead, she contributes to music by supporting him, the true genius.

Ick ick ick. Beyond the problems with this setup, she’s got no personality, and he’s a two-dimensional selfish artist. I didn’t want to read one story with these characters, let alone the four included here. There are two other, unrelated chapters. The first is odd, about a writer who needs to stare at his ex-girlfriend as a “model” in order to create. It’s noticeable because it’s the only bondage story I’ve read from this line. He ties her up to get back at her by giving her pleasure at his whim. The second story is a sweet workplace romance where an assistant names a new product while taking care of a sick executive.

Object of Desire

Object of Desire cover

by Tomoko Noguchi

A collection of six unrelated stories by the same author, Object of Desire has a more distinctive look than the other Luv Luv books. It feels more “indy”, as the characters have darker eyes and more solid presence. It reminds me of the work of Erica Sakurazawa.

In the first chapter, a well-built girl is tired of guys pretending to ask for dates when all they want is sex. Then she meets one who’s direct about his desires. She’s refreshed by his straight-forwardness, plus they find out they have other interests, like shogi, in common. Only he has a girlfriend. This was a great story, refreshing in two ways, one major, one minor: there’s an actual story to it, with rising and falling action and conflict and resolution, and we see her pleasuring herself in one scene, acknowledging other avenues beyond needing a boyfriend.

The plots of the others are unique as well: A guy’s girlfriend drives him crazy texting him all the time, so he fools around. A schoolgirl loses her virginity to an exchange student staying at her house. A klutzy girl who works as a maid embarrasses her business boyfriend. A studious virgin loses a bet with a schoolmate, so they have sex in a case of opposites attracting and working out the kind of relationship that works for them. There’s a second story with these two, in which he speaks wisdom:

What are these manga about?
Baseball and young love, which are the same thing, kind of.

Their role reversal is funny. She wants sex, but he wants to be pure. She doesn’t know any other way to express her feelings, though. (The publisher provided review copies.)



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