So recently one of my friends introduced me to this manga series called Bitter Virgin. He gave it a stellar review and recommended me to give it a try. And so I did. After the second chapter, I was hooked.

 

Plot Synopsis: Suwa Daisuke is the ladies man of his small town high school, and he has his eye on almost every girl, except for one. Aikawa Hinako isn't his type, but when he overhears a deep dark secret of hers, he finds himself thinking of her more and more.

 

The story was what drew me in. That, and its realistic portrayal of what one would do if one is in the same shoes as the characters in the story. I felt that they were real, that they behaved like a real person would, not your typical cookie cutter character that you can find in most shounen mangas (Bleach and Naruto comes to mind). As the story progressed, I came to feel for them, to laugh with them, to cry with them.

 

One can only imagine the kind of pain that female lead Aikawa had to go through. Getting raped by your own step-father (not once, but at least twice) is not a fate that I would want to wish on anybody. And this brings up a very good point. Rape cases among young children do in fact happen, more often than anybody would like. Reports on child rape cases might tend to exaggerate the figures to state a point or to get themselves an edge in the Great Game (read: politics), and while other reports would understate them for the very same reasons, I, for one, believe that the stats are in fact understated. Reporting that you got raped isn’t easy. The sense of shame, anguish and pain that that act of violence brings to the victim makes it difficult for the victim to come out to the open. Rape victims are often seen in a bad light by society - spoilt goods, if you would. Take rape victims in strongly Islamic nations, for example.  On June 25, 2006, a Muslim rape victim, Sabia, was ostracized in Bihar, India. The entire village, as a whole, boycotted her and her family. It’s as if they turned into ghosts, non-existent entities that are beneath the notice of society. And it is through no fault of their own that they are forced to face this type of treatment. You just have to see how Satoko in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni lives to understand how it feels to be treated as if you were a ghost by everyone. It hurts, let me tell you. It really hurts. No one would want to experience that kind of pain, which is why I believe that a large number of child rape cases choose to keep it in the dark. I suppose that they would behave as Aikawa did, showing a strong face to society while shouldering the pain inside them. That is, of course, if they are strong enough to pull off such a feat in the first place. Pity those that aren’t.

 

Ah, this reminds me. Child rapes, in most cases, are usually committed by someone that the victim trusts, or is close to. Aikawa was raped by her step-father, and the same was done to Mayu from Elfen Lied as well. A quick search on the Internet revealed that only 10% of child rape cases are committed by total strangers (this is what I would call pedophiles – stone them!). That they were so betrayed would, without doubt, cause an even bigger wound to the child than it would if the deed was done by someone they don’t know (that is not to say that the anguish is any less if it was by a stranger. That, of course, is wrong.) To use one’s position of trust to so violate an innocent weaker than yourself is downright sick. It completely disgusts me. Its even worse if the person the victim goes to for comfort (if she does in fact seek help) doesn’t believe her, or worse, knows about it, but does nothing or even blames the victim (Mayu’s mother, of course. One can only guess what’s going through her head at that time.)

 

All these, and how it was portrayed in the story, impressed me a great deal. It is not often that one comes across a manga that delves so deeply into the issue of child rape, and to pull it off like it does is enough to make me take my hat off to the mangaka. Sure, a critical reader would recognize the entire rape story as just the backdrop of what is essentially a romance story between Daisuke and Aikawa, but so what? It sets the story up well enough, all the while reminding us about a terrible truth that takes place in society.

 

It also touches on the subjects of single mothers and how unfairly they might be treated by society, and on how Hell has no fury like a woman’s wrath, but that is another post, for another day. For now, I’ll stop here, and wait eagerly for the next chapter to be released.

 

 

 

The battle rages, and new foes keep arising from across the horizon, putting their honor and pride on the line. Endless clashes, and thundering blows echo throughout the battlefield. Bitter rivals come face to face again, and many a score are settled, while new ones are forged in the heat of combat. Vanquished combatants push themselves to their feet again, their fight not yet done, and their time is now. This is SaiMoe International - and it carries on.

Amidst the jousting, certain names are starting to stand out. Unscratched in combat, they stand victorious, proud and tall. But how long will their winning streak last? There can only be one - all the others must fall.

But if there can be only one studio, then that studio will no doubt be KyoAni. With eight of their characters holding places in the top 16, they are totally dominating the other studios. Only heavy hitters like Shana, Fate, and Nanoha have what it takes to stand against the rise of KyoAni characters. Do they have what it takes to make it all the way to the end? Or will we be seeing a KyoAni slug-fest in the later rounds? Who can tell? Both Shana and Fate has been known to pull off surprising victories in the face of seemingly unbeatable odds. They are long standing veterans of the SaiMoe series, and even they are keeping their eye on the up and coming rookies. Will they be thrown off their seat by the likes of Kotomi-chan and Kagami? SaiMoe 2006 winner Suiseiseki have suffered defeats at the hands of these young challangers, coming in at 3-2, so nothing is impossible. If she is not careful, she might even be pushed out of the semis.

What would happen next? The dices is now up in the air, and only kami-sama (and your votes) can decide the fates of the girls. Who shall become the Moe of Moe? We shall find out, as the battle rages on.

PS: Kotomi-chan is showing off she stuff, coming in undefeated in her previous 5 matches. Keep it up, Kotomi-chan! Ganbatte! The upcoming matches will be tough, and the road will grow increasing rough, but I'm sure you can do it. Keep fighting, girl!

Vote for Kotomi-chan. You know you want to.

The next match will fall on Saturday, April 12 @ 0100 GMT. The voting page is here