It’s an interesting phenomenon when a fictional story makes you figuratively cringe with pain. No, not the kind of cringing that seems to so often occur while watching the likes of Akikan or hundredth filler episode of Naruto: I’m talking about a reaction to real pain, pain that goes beyond 22 minutes of poor animation.
Bitter Virgin, however, is not entirely about pain. It’s as much a dark story as it is a hopeful one, and it juxtaposes an improbable cruelty with an equally improbable shoujo romance in a manner that’s somewhat plausible – and most importantly, effective. It isn’t without its flaws, but looking back, this simple four volume manga series invoked more emotion – and more dark emotion – from me than a fictional story has for a long, long time.
The premise of Bitter Virgin is enough to make most any reader feel uncomfortable. I’m not sure if it hits harder depending on gender or “experience” in anime fandom, but I don’t imagine that very many of you could read a story like this without feeling something. And if you’re expecting a dark setup that quickly sugar-coats itself with vague metaphors and stereotypical shoujo-style blushing and flowery backgrounds, then you’re in for a surprise. I don’t believe there was any shortage of said flowery backgrounds, but undoubtedly, the series does not hold anything back.
Right from the get-go, Bitter Virgin strikes with everything a fan of the genre could want, and then some. I’d assume that it fits somewhere awkwardly between shoujo and seinen, but forgetting about the target demographics, anyone with a bit of common sense would know what to expect from a series like this: blushing, vague words, unspoken feelings, and more blushing. The characters act their parts well, delivering what could at least be an entertaining school romance, and there were a couple times in the first volume where I felt that oh-so-familiar heartwarming sensation that good shoujo always seems to bring.
And speaking of heartwarming, that’s exactly what makes Bitter Virgin so unique: it’s not just a twisted recount of a young girl’s tragedy. It simultaneously covers Aikawa’s past, portrayed from her perspective as well as Suwa’s, and her blossoming romance with the one man that she wasn’t afraid of. It’s difficult to describe, but it shouldn’t take any more than a few chapters to convey the feelings of the writer – the story is neither darkly-themed seinen nor fluffy shoujo, because it’s both.
However, this is where the series’ only real disappointment lies: the strength of the beginning.
Aikawa’s innocent character design does a good job of playing with the reader’s mind and his/her knowledge of her past.
To me, Bitter Virgin’s appeal was all in the premise. It’s a story that makes you think, that made me think about things that I altogether avoid, and it constantly hits the reader with “reality checks” that remind you that life doesn’t always even itself out. Some parts of the story might seem implausible because of that, but I wouldn’t fault it, because it’s necessary to drive the point home. The setup of the series is nothing short of brilliant, and viewing Aikawa’s tragedy through both her eyes and the male lead’s eyes lends the reader an entirely different perspective. It’s thought-provoking, often terrifying, and therefore all the more satisfying if and when things work out.
But as I said, those are the strengths of the premise – and because all of my enjoyment came from the setup, there wasn’t much to be found by the end of the fourth volume.
Frankly, Bitter Virgin seems to me like the kind of story that tells itself from the moment you start reading – the exact opposite of shows like KimiKiss that don’t seem to mean much until they’re complete. The characters developed, the main relationship underwent several difficulties, Aikawa had to learn to cope with her fear of men, and there were a few plot twists scattered throughout…but somehow, none of it affected me. It was all good, and I have no specific complaints, but the impact of the plot seemed to lessen as time went by, concluding rather abruptly without much change. I suppose it’s only natural since the story effectively occurred in the past – the only thing the characters had to do was work out their minuscule problems in the present. The resolution was effectively there from the first chapter, but of course, it took the cast 31 more chapters to realize that.
But complaints aside, the weakness of the ending was overcome by the strength of the beginning. It has probably been since the sixth episode of ef – melodies that I felt such fear at the material I was viewing (coincidence? probably not), and yet, the series does nothing to intentionally scare you. It simply presents the facts as they are, without sugarcoating them, and it leaves you in much the same situation as the male protagonist: awkward, afraid, yet still determined.
And this is where the manga’s strenght truly lies: its ability to punch you in the face with a story that’s neither blatantly crude nor pandering, and to make you realize what life would be like had you been in that situation.
When all is said and done, there were a couple moments of the series that irked me, the main ones being those that felt too unrealistic. There was one particular moment in which Aikawa found herself in danger of being sexually assulted while walking home, which was an extraordinarily convenient excuse to make her remember her past and reveal it to the viewer – and yes, you guessed it, it also gave Suwa an excellent chance to show off his manliness and save her from the Enemy. It remined me, in passing, of Welcome to the NHK, in which the existence of a conspiracy made it easier to direct one’s hatred; without a target, without an Enemy for Suwa to drive his fists into, how could the writer develop the story?
But that, much like the weak ending, was only an irritating blemish on an otherwise perfect picture. Bitter Virgin invokes emotions that are undoubtedly real, and not once did I feel as if the writer wanted me to feel a certain way – the story needs no aids, no astral projection nor angsty mech pilots, to make its point.
And because of that, I believe that it has thoroughly earned the position it holds in the hearts of many, many fans.
~ ETERNAL
つづく
