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woolfinbooks's review
funny
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ladies On Top Vol. 1 follows 24 year old Mizuki and 28 year old Shinomiya as they try to figure out their relationship’s sexual dynamics. Mizuki and Shinomiya have been dating for around a month. They’ve attempted to have sex before, but neither can make it happen. Neither know how to communicate their feelings, which leaves them in several awkward situations.
Tropes: miscommunication, top/bottom
Content/Trigger Warnings:
anxiety
mild internalized misogyny (Mizuki feels shame over wanting to be in control sexually)
mild misogyny (the idea men should be in control during sex)
nudity
sex (not very graphic)
sexual mockery (in the past someone told Shinomiya he sucked at sex)
social pressure
Shinomiya felt a lot of anxiety about having to perform well due to external pressures from a coworker and an ex-girlfriend who told him he sucked in bed. After they nearly had sex when Mizuki took control, Shinomiya showed her an article about pegging. That was a pretty big deal for him as his ex had shamed him for finding similar things on his phone. Mizuki wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but wasn’t dismissive of it either. Even though she has a desire to be the top/dominate one, she doesn’t actually know how to do that yet.
The newness of them discovering kinks and roles was very real. It was refreshing to see newbies who don’t know everything right from the start. It’s slowly paced because it needs to be. Their relationship is very new. They both have confidence and trust issues due to past relationships. They needed every single page of this manga to build up trust and communication skills with each other. The fact that they didn’t 100% get it right every time made it even more relatable.
I loved how we get to see sexual anxiety from a man’s perspective. That’s not something I’ve personally read before, but I feel like it was done well. It breaks down the thought process of why he feels so much anxiety. Yeah, Shinomiya has a moment where he tries to be all ‘macho man’ to cover up his anxiety, but we get to see the beginning of him moving away from those thoughts and lean into his desires.
I also loved how we get to see Mizuki sexual acceptance. She knows she wants to be in a more dominate role in the bedroom, but doesn’t really know much about the mechanics of that. All she knows is that being submissive makes her extremely uncomfortable, to the point she's pushed everyone else away. Getting to see a dom build up their confidence and eventually take over a situation was **chef’s kiss**
With four volumes out so far, I’m looking forward to reading more of this series. The author knows how to write a realistically paced flawed romance, and respects the journey many people in the dom/sub/kink communities go through before we figure out who we are. My one hope is that the next volumes keep this same pacing and don’t jump to them magically knowing everything now that Mizuki has taken control.
Tropes: miscommunication, top/bottom
Content/Trigger Warnings:
anxiety
mild internalized misogyny (Mizuki feels shame over wanting to be in control sexually)
mild misogyny (the idea men should be in control during sex)
nudity
sex (not very graphic)
sexual mockery (in the past someone told Shinomiya he sucked at sex)
social pressure
Shinomiya felt a lot of anxiety about having to perform well due to external pressures from a coworker and an ex-girlfriend who told him he sucked in bed. After they nearly had sex when Mizuki took control, Shinomiya showed her an article about pegging. That was a pretty big deal for him as his ex had shamed him for finding similar things on his phone. Mizuki wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but wasn’t dismissive of it either. Even though she has a desire to be the top/dominate one, she doesn’t actually know how to do that yet.
The newness of them discovering kinks and roles was very real. It was refreshing to see newbies who don’t know everything right from the start. It’s slowly paced because it needs to be. Their relationship is very new. They both have confidence and trust issues due to past relationships. They needed every single page of this manga to build up trust and communication skills with each other. The fact that they didn’t 100% get it right every time made it even more relatable.
I loved how we get to see sexual anxiety from a man’s perspective. That’s not something I’ve personally read before, but I feel like it was done well. It breaks down the thought process of why he feels so much anxiety. Yeah, Shinomiya has a moment where he tries to be all ‘macho man’ to cover up his anxiety, but we get to see the beginning of him moving away from those thoughts and lean into his desires.
I also loved how we get to see Mizuki sexual acceptance. She knows she wants to be in a more dominate role in the bedroom, but doesn’t really know much about the mechanics of that. All she knows is that being submissive makes her extremely uncomfortable, to the point she's pushed everyone else away. Getting to see a dom build up their confidence and eventually take over a situation was **chef’s kiss**
With four volumes out so far, I’m looking forward to reading more of this series. The author knows how to write a realistically paced flawed romance, and respects the journey many people in the dom/sub/kink communities go through before we figure out who we are. My one hope is that the next volumes keep this same pacing and don’t jump to them magically knowing everything now that Mizuki has taken control.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
anxiety mild internalized misogyny (Mizuki feels shame over wanting to be in control sexually) mild misogyny (the idea men should be in control during sex) nudity sex (not very graphic) sexual mockery (in the past someone told Shinomiya he sucked at sex) social pressure
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