JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World

JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World (Light Novel) #1

by Ko Hiratori, Shimano (Illustrator), Emily Balistrieri (Translator)

*record scratch*
*freeze frame on Haru Koyama getting choked by a horny naked dude*
Yep, that's me. You're probably wondering how I got into this situation. Not by choice, I can tell you that! It started when my weirdo classmate, Chiba, tried to save me from a runaway truck and got us both killed instead. Idiot. Then we got transported to another world, which I guess is like an otaku dream come true, or something? Chiba ends up with cheat abilities, and what do I get? Nothing! Lucky me, I get to be a sex worker instead. Gotta earn money somehow — but since I have to do it, I'm gonna kick ass at it. This world treats women even worse than the one we came from, so things get...rough. Still, I've made friends with some of the girls, and if I can juggle Chiba's idiocy and Sumo the virgin's emotions on top of all the various kinks my customers throw at me, things will be all right...won't they?

Genres: Light Novel, Fantasy, Japanese Literature, Magic, Manga, Erotica, Novels

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 6, 2017

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn between a three and a four here, because while I'm not sure I really enjoyed the book, I really appreciate what it does. The story is essentially calling out basic isekai tales, specifically ones about nerdy boys who get summoned or reborn in another world. That would be Chiba, but the catch is that while he became powerful and was able to immediately take on quests as an adventurer, the girl who died with him, Haru, finds herself stranded in a medieval, misogynist hellhole. Because there aren't many options open to women (pretty much none, actually), and because she got tricked into being an escort as a middle schooler, Haru ends up going into prostitution, and determines to make the best of it.

Either Ko Hiratori has experience in the field or they did excellent research, because Haru's experiences ring true. She talks big and tries to make it sound like she's not bothered by her profession, but every so often her mask slips, and we can see that she's been a survivor for a long, long time and has convinced herself that she's okay with being sexually brutalized. By the three-quarters mark, Haru has snapped, and it's both a relief and a horror to see, the sort of cathartic revenge that reminds you of Ntozake Shange's poem "with no immediate cause." Haru has done her time as a victim, and frankly the world should watch out.

This isn't an easy read. It isn't for everyone, and it comes with all the trigger warnings for sexual assault. But if you want to see the seedy side of the isekai genre or even just a more realistic (for a given value of the word) take on it, this is a game changer.

[Hyperion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't generally write reviews, but I felt it was necessary for this book as I suspect many will judge it by the title or the subject matter and pass it over. While the book won't be for everyone, I hope to convince you to give it a try. I have just one word of warning: if rape scenes trigger you, then you should probably not read JK Haru. But if you can get past that, I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book but for mature readers only.

Haru is a strong-willed female lead with great narrative voice. The story is focused on her wanting to do her job well and rise to the top 5 girls at the brothel and to do that she must cater to all kinds of men: from inexperienced, to kind, to strange, to cruel, to mysterious. Haru's brutally honest thoughts about said individuals and her experiences make up what humor there is in the book. My only complaint is I want more of the story; I wish the story went beyond the ending we got in the book-Haru was only just starting to look at the bigger picture and the issue of the demon lord.

This is not the type of story I generally read and yet I really enjoyed it. It can be dark and depressing one moment to light-hearted and fun the next. While there are sex scenes in the book, it is not gratuitous sex. The author's descriptions of them are not fetishistic but are raw and powerful. If you're tired of the typical isekai light novel filled with male power fantasy, then JK Haru is for you. Go in with an open mind and you may be surprised how good this book is.

[Ishaan Puri · Rating 1 out of 5]

When you read this novel, you will realize the general writing style leaves one cold. It usually feels like I'm reading the script for a manga or anime, instead of a fully-developed novel. The whole story revolves around a woman being born into another world and has to deal with the sexist world as it pokes fun at the isekai genre that is targeted towards the male audience, that is all there is to the story! The novel is here because it likes to make fun of another genre. The book itself is like 80% emotionless work-like sex. With an inner dialogue that is like "Oh god this guy can't even keep it up" and "I can't believe this fucking world doesn't even have condoms", the guy who gets isekai'd with her gets harem, it's a radical feminist book through and through. It takes a look at the generic male otaku wish-fulfillment isekai from the PoV of a high school girl used to doing things like eating alone at a restaurant or just walking around town without being harassed and says, "Okay, if your genitals are convex this is fine, but if they're concave it's a raw deal."

You will be dead set to find a review that doesn't praise this novel like its 2nd the coming of Jesus, all because it pokes fun at isekai genre, nearly every review here is written by a woman because they love how "this novel breaks the isekai genre that are usually sexist and misogynistic.

-These ladies need to realize that Isekai trend is really going to all sort of directions. There's also series where the MC works as a pest exterminator (in another world?!), there's at least 2 isekais about a restaurant in another world, an isekai focused on farming, another one about food (ala shokugeki no soma), an isekai mecha, "reverse" isekai where a demon is a part-timer, an isekai with the MC equipped with guns in a fantasy setting, an isekai with a doctor/pharmacist, then there are isekai novels with reverse harem for ladies which is AS popular as harem is among the boys, you can't hate a genre for being a genre, a genre is a genre if you don't like it you can always move on to a different genre, in the first place isekai stories are broad you will literally find any sort of isekai stories out there day today like the one here whose sole purpose is to make fun of the nerds who love isekai genre.


:In a nutshell, this novel goes out of its way to brutal deconstruction of other-world stories.

[Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't deny that the title/cover had me intrigued and decided to give it a go. But unfortunately the dark humour was lost on me. Didn't find the story a compelling one to read, and more problematic than interesting. Won't probably continue with the series.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow, it's been a long time since I read a novel in a day. That's just how big a page turner this book was.

And what a book it was. Holy moly, that had more twists and turns and emotions than I expected.

This is 100% a dark comedy. I laughed my ass off at the sheer ridiculousness and audacity of this book. This world is awful, but in a way that's believable. Seeing it through the eyes of protagonist Haru helps a lot, as we get a steady stream of snarky commentary on this awful place to take a story and setting that would otherwise be depressing and turn it into one where you root for the main character. And that ending. THAT ENDING. SOOOOO satisfying.

I laughed with Haru. I cried with Haru. I rolled my eyes at the steady stream of god awful men she had to service with Haru. My heart went out to this girl, and I couldn't put the book down. The writing is just that good.

[Anthony Giordano · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Japanese light novel genre is booming Stateside now. This is a great boon for fans of certain titles. Often, we will see recent anime being developed from light novel sources, where in the past, manga was usually the primary source. Depending on the popularity of said title, a manga adaptation might follow. This gives fans 3 venues through which they can enjoy/revisit beloved titles (light novel/manga/anime). Good times indeed.

One of the most popular sub-genres in the industry, if not the most popular, is "isekai" (another world). These are your stories, which, if you think about it, are most in touch with the true escapist element that fantasy is honestly predicated upon. Put your mundane, oppressive, boring world behind, and step off somewhere amazing, where there are no limits to who you can be or what you can do. Along the anime/manga/novel landscape, we see various methods to 'port over' to the new worlds in question...sometimes, as in SAO, it is via becoming stranded through a VR game. Often, well, it requires reincarnation.

It seems within the sub-genre of isekai, there is yet another sub-genre, that of "being reincarnated in some ludicrous manner or another". Yes, you read that right. We have people being reincarnated as slimes, spiders, and, because why not, vending machines.

Another interesting note about these titles is that a good number of them arise not from commissioned publications, but as serialized stories licensed from Japanese message boards. Such is the case with today's book, JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World. Yes, this is assuredly an isekai title. Yes, the title is pretty outrageous and most assuredly in your face. However, the book itself is not a fluff piece. It is a fairly well-balanced work, that, despite some rough edges, offsets its levity with some dark corners and strong characters.

The title, as you most likely could figure, is not just a thesis, but an entire synopsis. Our young protagonist, Haru Koyama, wakes up in a fantasy world, after expiring in our world via the tried and true method of getting hit by a truck. She is joined by classmate Chiba, an introverted otaku who died as well attempting to push her out of the way. Like all standard fantasy alternate worlds, this one is under constant, perennial danger from an evil Demon Lord.

However, our young heroine has bigger fish to fry. Haru learns quickly that, in this world, the cards aren't exactly stacked in favor of the fairer sex. Her former loser classmate, Chiba, courtesy of some banter with the god who guided them over, finds himself blessed with a broken skill set - one that allows him to 'level up' at 16x the normal speed. Also, the society itself is completely male-dominated. The ubiquitous Adventurers' Guild only issues permits to men. In fact, the only open paths for women seem to be as housewife, priestess/healer (the only way women can be attached to an adventurer), or, sex work. With no skills from her old life to parlay here, Haru opts for the third choice; and then does her damnedest to be the best.

So, how does it all stack up?

Story/Writing: You can tell that this was a serialized piece, which was completed in installments. It all falls under a general thematic arc, but you can still feel that with each chapter, each vignette, the progress and character evolution was more specific to that portion than the overall book. This is not a bad thing, but as each vignette has a somewhat different mood, it plays merry hell on the overall feel of continuity.

The silver lining to this is that the book is, all in all, well-written. Hiratori has put a lot of love into her protagonist, and it allows the readers ease in sympathizing with her. Haru isn't perfect; in Japan, she was one of those materialistic, face in the crowd types (the equivalent of what we call "basic bitches" here). Also, escort and sex work was not entirely new to her when she touched down in the new world. The "JK" in the title stands for "Joshi Kousei", which literally means "High School Girl". However, in recent times, the term has evolved to refer to the compensated dating scene which is prevalent in Japan; and it is basically escort work with the option for sex, and a lot of teen girls engage in it. Haru had done that sort of work to make ends meet in middle school, and she needed to reinvent herself in the wake of it. As the story progresses, Hiratori gives us peeks into Haru's heart, bit by bit, so that you can see, under the veneer, there's a sweet, sensitive, hard-working soul there. And so, by the end of the book, you end up falling in love with Haru as well.

I must also note that, for this book to be so immensely readable to me, a Western reader, a good amount of credit must go to the translator. In this case, that honor goes to Emily Balistrieri. Good job!

World Building: Two ways to look at this one. The world building itself is a bit scanty. We have those aforementioned terms, the ones used in most isekai works, tossed around like window dressing. As for serious discourse regarding industry, economics, climate, etc., it's not there. So is that bad? Not really. Remember, Haru's view is limited to her dedication to working to survive. What we do get is detailed description of life at her workplace. Ergo, we learn about the world in the same manner she does; via her customers. To be honest, that is the best fit for this type of work.

Action: Well, there's action, and there's, ummm, "action". For the former, the clang-clang sword type, there's some, including one magnificent setpiece. As for the sex, well, to be honest, I don't read a lot of that type of fiction, so I can't really appraise it. It is, erm, interesting, to say the least. I did enjoy it, so I'll just say it's well-done.

Overall: Again, all in all it's a fun, heartfelt book. Don't be dissuaded by any perceived implications behind the title. I mean, yes, there is a lot of sex in this book, and there are some precarious situations. But life, as well as this book, is about overcoming those obstacles. While the serialized structure makes it a tad less powerful than a singular piece, and the fact that there are some superfluous elements (the entire Kickin' the Can segment), JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World is a solid book that begs for a sequel.

You can read my full review here:

https://hachisnaxreads.blogspot.com/2...

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a problematic book about which I am torn.

High schooler Haru Koyama is killed in our world along with a male otaku classmate, Seiji Chiba. In the afterlife, they meet a god who resurrects them in a fantasy world. Thanks to a cheat code given him by the god, Chiba quickly levels up as an arena fighter and monster hunter. Haru's opportunities are more limited though due to the sexist and misogynistic nature of the world, so she becomes a sex worker in a brothel called the Blue Cat Nocturne

It's far from optimal, she acknowledges, but as the "JK" in the title signals to those in the know (which I was not until a quick Google search), Haru has been going on "compensated dates" with older men in Japan for many years before her death. So she has experience, has a pragmatic and business-like attitude about it, and is generally sex positive. But she's only 17! And has been doing this for years! As the book begins, Haru is a little annoyed and ashamed that this is her fate, but she is proud of her workplace and strives to give the best customer service as she is competitive and has ambitions to be a top earner for the Blue Cat Nocturne.

The book then becomes a series of sex scenes with various customers, some of which Haru enjoys, many to which she is indifferent, but an ever increasing number that are rough, misogynistic, and outright rape. And while Haru calls out the worst aspects, everything is presented in pornographic detail and can be read as dark erotica as much or more as a condemnation of sexism and misogyny.

Despite everything, Haru remains an upbeat person. Rather than dwell on the darkness about her, she fixates on the little points of light she has managed to kindle in the form of friends, small improvements she is able to make in the brothel, and little victories like a short stint playing a recreational sport before work. She's content enough . . . until the world cruelly snuffs one of the flames.

And then her attitude turns, and the whole book turns with her, rushing toward a catharsis for all the pain and suffering that has preceded. Think I Spit on Your Grave with an exponentially higher body count. It's wild and very satisfying and leaves me wanting to know what happens next. (There is a second book, but it is a short story collection rather than a true sequel, so I'm not sure that will give me what I want.)

I actually read Volume 1 of the manga adaptation of this novel first, not realizing it was an adaptation. I welcomed the chance to read the novel before continuing on to Volume 2 of the manga because it was hard to tell if that multi-volume work was moving toward a point or if it was simply fan service erotica. Thankfully, it does have a statement to make, though the road to it can easily lend itself to an end justifying the means debate.

It doesn't help that the writing of either the original book or the translation is very amateurish at times.

[Beatriz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting this level of brutal commentary in a light novel, bet it pissed off a lot of nerds. Good.
That being said…

- It has some pretty silly moments that I now expect from LNs that make me cringe a lot on the inside (I wanted that can sport bit to be over sooo badly. It read like a children's writing project) and don't get me started on the dialogue - for instance: you really do not need to write the moans in "nnn..AAAh" like, no.

-The explicit descriptions of sexual abuse could have been cut down by a lot, the point was made the first few times and the meaning got lost quickly (every time a new client got described I already knew what was going to happen and I just wanted to skip the whole thing). I'm not squirmish by any means but It started to get grating even for me to be reading what surmounted to a bad porn every few pages - like I said, there's a purpose to it, sure enough. It's calling out the inherent sexism and exploitation behind basically every romance or smut trope otaku culture has and how disregarded woman are when It comes to sex. Still, at the same time, due to the sheer amount of repetitions and length of these scenes, we are left with pages and pages of soulless written hentai.
*Some of these scenes also made me feel pretty sick, when I mentioned this got brutal I wasn't exaggerating, so beware of every kind of sexual TW.

- Haru's a high schooler and the text tends to be extremely predatory in nature in that regard. And It doesn't seem to be all part of the commentary, either. It's legit fetishising her age.

- Unfortunately, by the end I felt like the author was trying to put a way to positive spin on her situation - like she couldn't escape or change It so might as well enjoy It kinda? - and I think that wasted the climax of the book and the critical takes It wanted to make. Only in the extras we see her actually trying to leave her profession

+ I do want to point out that haru's not a main chara that you come across very easily - which is amazing. Pretty great job at characterization done there. It's the unlikable chara done right: she doesn't want sympathy, she's not innocent nor really nice, but also not cruel nor annoying- she's just surviving the way she knows how and trying to cope with a very shitty reality. Her life even before being isekai'd was pretty rough, so she's got some thick skin from the get go, but nobody's invulnerable and we get to witness that throughout her journey.

+ Female charas interactions were really heartwarming... Until The extra stories in the end. I will ignore those 'cause it's mostly disappointing stuff.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better At the End

This book has a huuuuuge TW for rape, CSA, torture, and other nastiness. I was conflicted between a 3 and 4, but went higher due to improvements near the end.

For some reason I thought this would be a more light-hearted take. It's very dark, definitely about survival sex work and sex trafficking.

The first half or so of the book I was really, really starting to think it was just torture porn. Haru almost seemed like an MRA caricature of what "popular girls" are like.

But as the story goes on we see more of her, and especially her interactions with the supportive women in her life. I really love books where the female main character isn't the *only* female character, and one in which women support each other. This book meets that further in.

The setting shows a deeply misogynistic society, and a very hard look at the men. Some of the ways they act are beyond what would be typical to experience for many readers, mixed with common failings that anyone who sleeps with men could have encountered.

Haru, and other women in the story, are extremely disempowered earlier in the book, but near the end band together and become more powerful. Not enough to radically overthrow society-- but to live their lives a bit more for themselves.

Overall, I'm glad I stuck through to the end for the catharsis and character development. Leaving halfway would have left me with a very bad taste in my mouth.

[DJay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, So I'll put it like this. If you're looking for a nice feel good book. I would NOT suggest this book at all. If anything, this has got to be one of the more "realistic" books that fall in the isakai genre. The main character is NOT the dude, but the girl who lived a pretty decent life in Japan and got stuck in a crappy world and is working on trying to make the best out of a bad situation. With all that said, Haru is in fact a sex worker in another would, and the book is written completely wrapped around that aspect.

Thing is, the book is NOT about sex, but about the relationships she has with different people. There are some things that are brought up throughout the story that also let you know that Haru is not the gun ho type of girl she tries to pretend to be.

Ok, so the con's about this book. Both of the people who got transported to this new world are pretty much useless people. One is the pretty girl that got by off her looks and the other is the nerdy boy who was shunned for being weird. Both characters are incredibly unlikable, but it's not them that makes the story worth reading, it's literally everyone else in the story that makes it worth reading about.

...I will say that I'm happy as hell about the other idiot (I don't even remember his name) getting the short end of the stick in this story. He DESERVED it.

With that said, I'm going to chew through the next book because I do like the fact that this isn't a Disney story. There are happy endings, there are sad endings, and there are things that you waiting to see blossom.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An utterly fascinating alternate perspective to the usual isekai nerdy male power fantasy. What happens when two people die and get transported to a typical fantasy world and one is a guy who gets overpowered abilities while the other is a girl who gets nothing and has to make ends meet selling her body in an inherently mysogynistic society?
Of course, due to the subject matter this book contains SO MUCH SEX so be forewarned, also trigger warnings abound. I enjoyed the twist 3/4 through the novel and Haru herself is a wonderful character. I just wish the novel had reached a true conclusion instead of sort of trailing off with two epilogues that only furthered some character development instead of plot development.

[El Melanómalo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine. I appreciate the concept and the criticism of the typical isekai world, but most of the book felt like torture porn, which is not really my thing, and the end just felt like a power fantasy, a feminist power fantasy (which is slightly refreshing in an isekai tale), but otherwise just a plain old power fantasy. As a result of this, even though I liked many things about the book, I didn't really have the greatest time reading it. I would recommend reading it just for the novelty, though.

[Kris · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise is interesting. But said premise goes absolutely nowhere, and the twist, the reveal that happens at the end, retroactively makes the story make 0 sense, and makes Haru, the protagonist, come off as a selfish brat. I don't want to spoil anything, but something needs to be said: The premise is a lie. That's all I'll say.

By the end I sat there with a "What was the point of this Novel?" "What did it want to tell? What point did it want to get across?" . There is non. It was written by someone who, clearly, hates isekais targeted towards men. They make fun of every single trope in them while at the same time making every single male human character, a comically evil monster. Except the demon lord, oh no! The demon lord is kind and hot and the MC is in love with him! Obviously! But it also has 0 to say against said trope or genre and it falls into every pit other trash in the genre falls into. The twist at the end is just, such massive garbage.

"I fucked God." "God is dead." When my sword got too heavy from the blood of my enemies.." Those are actual quotes.

Seriously, by the end I thought I was reading a fanfict some teen on Tumblr wrote. It gets that bad.

[poet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent all the way through. Good characters, good fun, and drama that worked. An excellent "real" take on the whole isekai thing that I totally recommend if you're okay with the content warnings.

[kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

i learned so much

[Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

In recent years we have seen a proliferation in Japanese light novels parodying the by now stereotypical ’transported to another world’ (isekai) story. We have seen titles such as Reborn as a Vending Machine, So I'm a Spider so What? and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. Yet no one has taken the parody as far as Ko Hiratori with her dark comedy JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World. It offers a disturbing but also a completely original take on the sub-genre that has come to dominate the light novel scene.

[Honeymilk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly it’s a 2.5 cuz this worked wayyy better in the manga format ngl.

The manga volumes adapted this exactly but in a way that didn’t feel so… annoying and more interesting. It’s harder to sympathise and feel for Haru in the light novel compared to the manga because of how it’s written which is a shame cuz I really liked the storytelling when reading the manga, and you really feel like rooting for Haru to get a happy ending for herself there.

Anyway read the manga adaptation instead. It’s the same story line but better paced and you get the emotions better (plus you get to visually see the silver-haired man in all his glory lol).

Huge trigger warning though because of the nature of the story.

[Ville · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, it... really has nothing going on for it? I am between one and two stars, it isn't very good but it is readable, I guess, if you have nothing better to do.

The world is a stock standard lazy isekai writing: demon lord, monsters, levels, skills. No elaboration how and why any of these actually work. A lot of the other reviews seem to consider this criticism of isekai tropes, but the book really doesn't do or say anything interesting about them, this is just the world the book is set in.

The descriptions of sex are cold and clinical, which for the most parts makes perfect sense, as for Haru those are just part of the job. But the scenes where Haru actually supposedly does actually enjoy it, are mostly written the same way.

Main character, Haru, is a hard character to root for, since she has no actual goal in the story (other than improving her sales stats in the work she constantly complains about having to do). She takes no actions towards defeating the demon lord, even after hearing that it might be a path to return to her old world, nor does she attempt to find any other job. Going to the forest is supposedly impossible for a woman, except when the plot calls for it in the end... The only semblance of another goal or dream is when she wants to start a restaurant that caters to women, but that dream is immediately dropped when she is told that women eating out without a man is 'shameful'. This clearly isn't even that big of a taboo, since the restaurants she ate at before hearing about it had no issues serving her, nor did the other patrons look at her badly enough for her to notice. In any case, going against societal norms and trying to change the attitudes of the people would have probably made a better story than the every day life of a sex worker we got.


The book tries to be a story about a powerless Haru trying to survive in another world and the uncomfortable situations she has to endure. Except it falls flat when in the end we learn in a bit Deus ex machina way ( we, the readers; Haru knew from the beginning ) that Haru actually not only has powers, but is basically the strongest being in the city. Which means anything she 'had to' endure was actually a choice: she absolutely could have ended any uncomfortable situation at any point (self defense and even retaliation was legal in this world, no?), she simply didn't think it was worth the hassle of causing a scene. She complains that Chiba was never there to protect her when it would have been needed, while also doing nothing about it herself despite being more than capable.

[Tsunami Noai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, but not good either. Themes around women's rights and misogynistic society are brought up, but not really ever challenged. There are a few turns that are interesting that have no foreshadowing and the follow up to those turns leaves a lot to be desired. Its definitely a different flavor of light novel from the run of the mill isekais and that is appreciated, though more time could have been spent polishing it up to be more coherent and fleshed out.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually a fan of the Light Novel style; too much of it is horny teenage boy wish fulfillment. However, JK Haru was a great twist on the tropes of isekai. I loved that Chiba, who would be the hero if this were a normal entry in the genre, is a selfish, oblivious jerk. I love that Haru keeps pretending to forget his name. I love Kiyori, and her development from a sheltered virgin to someone becoming aware of the misogyny around her.

The only reason this doesn't get full marks from me is the "Kick-the-Can" interlude. The chapter is as if all the Quidditch bits of Harry Potter were crammed together right in the middle of one of the books, and it kills the momentum of the story, first because the rules of the game aren't explained well, and second because Haru's tactic kind of runs counter to the feminist themes in the rest of the book. Still, I hope J-Novel Club picks up the next volume ASAP.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first person perspective really does the story a disservice because we never get a true look into Haru's mental and emotional state until 60% of the way into the book. Haru rationalizes everything that's happening to her so hard it reads like Hiratori is writing a story fetishizing the dangers of sex work instead of sympathizing with the sex workers. Ultimately, JK Haru does what it set out to do and condemns the misogyny of the shonen isekai genre. I simply recommend reading the manga as it shows us more of Haru's true feelings. Also, you don't have to read the phrase "my beautiful pink pussy" over and over.

[Moni]

I’ve been dying to see people take down the isekai genre which is basically a male fantasy genre that fulfills men’s desire to be well liked and powerful (in the worst and annoying ways possible). Full of sexist tropes and bland guys that aren’t interesting even with their new features.

[frog · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5★

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of grody violent smut but its heart's -extremely- in the right place. Had a moment near the end where I had to put down the book and gut-catharsis-sob at a twist for like six minutes.

[Apparently a reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I came into this not expecting anything and at the same time expecting a lot, safe to say I was surprised when this book broke both of these expectations.

This book was amazing, the 1st act let us see how haru tried to cope with her surroundings and get used to life as a sex worker in this sexist world, her personality shines through always and I loved how her eccentricities were always pointed out by other characters because to us she just seems like a girl who's just more energetic, but to the people from the other world she was exotic and unique, the

The 2nd act showed us a lot of the cruelty of the world she lives in, the obvious and the subtle, from guys that buy her abusing her and other ones just claiming her as their "woman", to the kids getting irrationally mad at haru for kicking a guy who was trying to assault her in the nuts, because like haru said this world is delicate and gentle to men and harsh and grueling to women, there was never a moment where I wasn't uncomfortable with the men in this story(with a few exceptions)

The 3rd act blew my mind, the plot twist that blew my mind and made me go back and look for any hints of this and finding a lot, actions and events that have a deeper meaning after the plot twist suddenly mad sense, it hit me like a truck and I was absolutely gagged and gooped, literally had to let the kindle go and shake my hands at the wall and scream type of crazy.

In conclusion, the story is great with a lot of depth that is boosted by a very compelling main character with a lot of personality, it has some flaws like the story getting kinda slow before taking off again, and the lack of depth shown as to how innocent kids like haru's kicking the can team turned into the fucked up adults in the story, misogyny is pervasive and it buries itself deep inside someone and is very hard to get rid of so I just wondered the ways this story would implement that but I was kinda disappointed that it kinda didn't, we get a semi explanation in the short story about this world's version of the first humans story but it just sounded like the most incel story ever, but that was very surface level at best so I just kinda wish it did more with it.


Now this is just my opinion and not at all about the quality of the story itself, but I was kinda confused about queerness being non-existent in the story, I get that this story is mainly a feminist story and it sent its message well, but I can't help but wonder how queer people exist in this universe, where women are almost always forced to have sex with men how does a woman who likes women survive, a gay man who doesn't look at women that way, how a person who becomes a woman sees the world anew, or how someone who becomes a man and still has empathy for women after transitioning. Like I know gay brothels exist I just hoped we would see them, I'm talking a lot but in the end feminism and queerness are a closely tied together topics and ideas that it feels weird not to see one of them in the story.

That's all<3 this book is awesome and I love it!! 4 stars

[Lils · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unsurprisingly, I was pretty hooked to this book and finished it in one night, I guess it helps that it's a short simple read haha. A lot of it as the title suggests revolves around sex and some details into what goes on and how our MC Haru reacts to it, so it may feel explicit to some, but it's not too over the top and is pretty much what would expect to see in a light novel/manga story about sex work. The highlight of this story is definitely Haru's personality and honestly, her existence is what makes this book interesting. Like the usual isekai, she dies and gets taken to another world but instead of getting to live a happy fantasy adventure, she's forced to survive using the only skill she knows she can sell for money, which is to be a prostitute. Even though it's dreary and she has to suffer a lot of crap, Haru pushes through it by having good friends she can complain with, and just overall accepting that this is her life, and working hard to make it a good life despite the misogynistic world she's landed in.

Chiba (her isekai buddy) is probably one of the worst guys ever, like I know he's awkward, but the way he says things to Haru just makes you want to punch him, he's like the personification of a creepy otaku that thinks he can cheat in this world with his new skills, not that he and the other guys in this novel are really important though, since they're all kinda just there to show the different types of guys Haru has to deal with, and how life is. Sumo is best boy after the rainy hooded guy (that is probably the Demon Lord). Anyway, in terms of story, there's nothing really special about it, because it's what you would typically read when it comes to these types of stories, but I did enjoy the "twist" where Haru actually did have a cheat skill, and I definitely enjoyed how in the usual sex worker story, we always have the characters be forced to accept that people being treated like trash and dying is the norm, which in a sense is still here, but Haru's revenge on those "monsters" was sorta a wish fulfillment "happy" resolution to that because those disgusting people got what they deserved for once.

Overall, the story is a nice light hearted novel that goes a bit dark but not really, since despite everything Haru goes through, she lives positively hoping to be a pacifist just living a normal hard-working life surrounded by some crappy people but also many good people. Another thing I found very enjoyable aside from Haru was how much Kiyori was influenced by Haru's mindset and became a sort of "bad girl" in the sense that she was able to start expressing herself more, be determined to change how women should be perceived and had a similar tenacity to Haru when it comes to living I guess. Anyway, it was a pretty fun read, but I definitely would have wanted a nicer resolution?

[Hidekisohma · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I picked this up on a whim at an anime con and i had NO idea what to expect going into this. and... well...weirdly enough, it was actually pretty good.

The story is about Haru and her classmate getting isekai'ed into a fantasy world. the only problem is, while her friend gets cheat powers, she does not. So Haru ends up getting a job working in a brothel. The book is essentially about her adventures as a prostitute working in this brothel.

One thing i will say is that this book does NOT shy away from the adult scenes. they're pretty in your face about that. it's very sexually graphic. So if you were wondering if they'd do a fade to black thing, nah, this is straight up written pornography at times.

Throughout the book she makes friends with the ladies who work there as well as several of the people who visit the establishment. We meet some nice customers and some bad ones, but you get to see really the wide gambit of people who visit that kind of place and learning about their mannerisms and personalities actually kept me engaged.

Haru isn't exactly the greatest character in terms of personality, but she's not so annoying or irritating that she's unbearable. that goes to the guy she got isekaied with. God i can't stand that character. He's selfish, full of himself, and a pain in the butt.

*spoilers*
I was worried that she would end up with him, but thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case
*end spoilers

Toward the 3/4 mark we get hit with a twist which, i honestly didn't see coming and really enjoyed actually. i'm not going to state what it is, because you should read it for yourself, but needless to say, it made me go "Awww snap" in a way i never thought i would for this kind of book.

The side characters, by far and large are pretty entertaining. Her friends who work at the brothel with her are okay, and there's a fat customer she nicknamed sumo who's actually quite endearing. The only character i don't like is a female cleric who gets introduced as the male's GF. She's one of those quiet, innocent characters who gets on your nerves very quickly.

Which brings me to the thing that knocks this book down a tiny notch. Basically when the book's over, they decide to do a 30 page extra add on side story with this character. And considering that she was my 2nd most disliked character, i didn't exactly take joy in her sidestory and was more forcing myself to get through it.

All in all, despite being basically smut with a story, i really enjoyed it. I actually found myself wanting to know more about the characters and find out where Haru's journey was leading her. If they made a sequel i would totally read it.

Score even 4 out of 5.

[James Starvoice · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I was confused if the book and manga are one and the same. I read the manga and I loved it, so i bought the book too.

My opinion of the Manga:
I'm a huge fan of Ko Hiratori's bold approach despite what the more sensitive readers might think of it. The story is addictive. Haru's character is very rich, human, and very real. Her emotions complexity are fascinating. I am astonished how Ko Hiratori was able to capture her mental and emotional side so perfectly. Haru represents a very common, yet hardly ever approached, kind of women that most writers pretends don't exist.
I love the manga, and i will continue to read it, and even purchase a paperback copy, even after I have already finished the book.

The novel: My feelings about the book are a bit more complex.
First of all, the book will not pass as a proper Novel by many standards. It lacks proper editing. The translation is so-so. the focus on "overly-detailed" sex scenes is a big "negative" for many readers. The dialogue is confusing and you will find yourself at loss many times as to who is talking due to lack of interlocutors (unless you're truly immersed into the story). The language used is "too modern" for a primitive world, and "too japanese" for english readers, and too "comical" for proper novels' speech (I mean the excessive use of stuttering like "W-What" "D-Don't" or use of "unfinished sentences" which is the kind of dialogue only used in manga). Many english words were misused. Many scenes and short-descriptions could have been written better. And a lot of Japanese culture influence on the text was left unexplained, like the use of certain words and sentences that are very common for Japanese readers, but in english (and for foreigners as a whole) it makes no sense whatsoever.

All in all, the novel is more of A SCRIPT FOR A MANGA than it is an actual novel. It will cost a lot of time and money to turn it to a proper english-novel.

That being said: If you are as big of a fan about the story-line itself, as i am, then you will be able to overlook all the negativity i mentioned and "read into the story itself". And you will not be disappointed. This is an amazing tale. Original. Fascinating. Not easily predictable. At some point it made my eyes watery, and at another it took me by complete surprise.

I love the story. It's wonderful.

If Ko Hiratori is reading this: I want you to know that I'm buying the next book, and I will be following your work from now on, my friend, and I hope you have a look at my work (Natir Whitebridge) you will not be disappointed ;)

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that is that hits the mark for around 90 percent of the novel.

There has been a lot of attention paid to the parts of the novel that are (a) a skewering of the Isekai genre and otaku culture, and (b) the "feminist" themes of the novel. And while these themes form the major substance of this novel, there is a lot more to enjoy here.

The plotting of this story is tight, very tight. It's worth thinking about the relationship between Haru (the main character) and Chiba (Haru's class mate who is transported to the new world with her). We see the story from Haru's point of view. Her interactions with Chiba are a gauge for the reader: as Haru's character ascends within her portion of the world, Chiba (who should be the more comfortable of the two with this world) ends up on a downward spiral.

There is symbolism woven into the story in ways that aren't completely obvious at first. For example rain is most associated with one character. However, the effects of the rain on Haru particularly notable. (I won't go into details as I don't want to spoil any of the plot points.)

So, where does this story go wrong? It's near the end in the big lie and reveal. Why does it go wrong? It's clumsily handled, and interrupts one of the most pivotal scenes in the whole book. The really disappointing part of this is that there was an easy way to handle this: the is a scene a few pages earlier that could have woven in the majority of the exposition, allowing the pivotal scene to flow better with only small interjections to reinforce the just revealed information.

The other problem is the "lie". Many have pointed to a lot of little hints throughout the novel that clue that the lie isn't true. And while this is true, I would have liked to see a mis-direction instead of an absolute lie. I think it would have been more interesting, and avoided introducing another character after the pivotal scene.

[Tarl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm... how to start this review?
Well, I picked this book up because I saw a couple people talk about the title on YouTube and figured I would pick it up. Not that the people talking about it went any deeper than the title, but the premise sounded unique and the unorthodox blurb about the story got me curious.

First off, if you are picking this up to get your rocks off, it won't do it unless you've never read anything erotic in your life. I think there were only a couple scenes that actually did anything for me, and it was because the author did a phenomenal job setting everything up emotionally and describes everything perfectly. But yeah, realistically you're probably going to get a tingle or two and that's it.

The plot, the plot is an interesting one. For starters, 2/3 of the book goes by before you ever learn about what make JK Haru special. That, or you've read the synopsis and already know, and have spent the entire novel like me wondering when it will come up. Other than that, it's mostly JK Haru trying to be the best prostitute she can, and weirdly enough, it's oddly charming.

Honestly I am not sure where this novel will go on after this one. The sequel book is a collection of short stories, which to me is a warning sign that the author doesn't know either. (mostly because that is what I would do if I was lost in the weeds for a sequel plot) Still, this is a very unique isekai novel and one I actually recommend fairly highly. The sex is a good mix of teasing without super details that most actual eroticas get bogged down in. The relationships between Haru and the other characters are believable and endearing at points.

In the end, I bought the ebook and hard copy of this book because I enjoyed it so much. I will be getting the sequel and waiting to see if an actual series will happen. If you are looking for something to tickle your more adult bone, as well as a unique story all around, this is a book I can not recommend enough to you.