Life is hard for an aspiring pop idol who can’t hold a tune, so thankfully Misora Haebaru has two massive assets that give her a leg up on the competition; her karate skills and intimidating bust size. After falling under seedy management and thrust into an AV video where she has to fight off 100 horny men, Misora manages to defeat all challengers and keep her virginity in check. Unfortunately, she is now in high demand for her fighting skills, and Misora takes on a series of jobs to reach her goal of being a pop idol though everyone seems to be after her body or a fight (often both).
*This Review Covers the first Omnibus which contains Volume 1&2
Combining martial arts madness with the world of Gravure and AV, Booty Royale is a mature manga from the artist of Devil Man Grimoire, Rui Takato. Besides being an adult-themed project, the book also introduces elements of action, comedy, and drama to make it more than just adult titles aimed to titillate–though there is still an abundance of just that.
Given Takato’s work with such a prominent series, it is no surprise that the art direction is top notch, and his ability to emphasize the sexuality of his subjects is impressive in detail. Rest assured thirsty ones, there are plenty of great full-page spreads where the slightest bit of fabric hides away Misora’s curves and naughty bits. Furthermore, the action sequences flow naturally and the reader will be able to follow the movements of the young starlet as she sweeps the floor with sumos and wrestlers twice her size.
To help keep things light there are elements of humor that balance the more “questionable moments” of perversion, keeping it out of the realm of the abhorrent. Undeniably, Misora Haebaru and her friends are essentially a living wet dream with most of their depth lying in their curves, but the writing itself has moments of playful cleverness that give it a degree of substance beyond just appeasing one’s desires to see the women in precarious scenarios (of which there is a fair amount).
—A quick deviation to cover the sexual content— Booty Royale does adhere to Japanese censorship laws, which means that genitalia is blurred out or suggested in a way that implies, but does not show penetration. The content of the book is still very focused on sex and you can expect an abundance of lewdness in this one. At the same time, there are a few deviations that won’t be desirable for some as the book explores non-consensual interactions, loli body types, and even bestiality. All these elements are not the focus and it is rather tame compared to what you will find going down the rabbit hole of degeneracy, but it is still something that features in the first book that readers should be aware of before jumping in.—Disclaimer Done—
If you are looking for an action manga with notes of erotica, Booty Royale is more of the reverse with sexual content featuring pretty heavily in this one. Personally, as a fan of martial arts manga and the prospect of a good entry in the genre with extra mature content thrown in I was pretty stroked (I mean stoked) for this one. Unfortunately, it did not really deliver on that aspect and it leans more into the AV and Gravure culture as a way to push the humor and set up the battles. This, of course, may appeal to others who aren’t as invested in the martial arts aspect of the story.
Thankfully, the art is impeccable and when the action does kick off it flows with confidence and is utterly titillating when dealing with the adult content. On the other hand, the characters are rather one-dimensional, there are some undesirable sex acts (at least for myself), and the martial arts aspect is underutilized. Essentially, depending on what you are looking for, this series will be a knockout or a flop. Yet, even in stating how the work could be polarizing, I myself landed somewhere in the middle as what little I got of the elements I was hoping for in a series was executed to near perfection. I am planning on getting the second volume as soon as it becomes available (out of stock at the time of writing this).
Booty Royale: Never Go Down Without a Fight! is available through the Ghost Ship imprint of Seven Seas Entertainment
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