Magician A

by Natsuko Ishitsuyo

「知ってた？ 女ってここ穴があいてるから××なんだって この穴から大事なものが流れ出ちゃうから 女は××で××××なんだって」
ビデオショップの奥、ホテルの浴室、夜の美術室、土管の陰、祈祷サークル……禁忌（タブー）を踏み越えた女子高生たちが迷い込んだ、目を背けたくなるほどの『美』の世界。
チェコ国立芸術アカデミー卒、日本コミック界の極北に降臨した恐るべき新人のデビュー作。

≪大森靖子 推薦!!≫
とくべつ強くなりたい女の子は、どんな汚い手を使っていても、美しい。
気持ち悪くなきゃ、気持ちよくなれないし、強く生きるって、とても恥ずかしいことだから。
黒歴史ポイントカードがあとひとつでいっぱいになるとき、それでも“とくべつ”になれなかったらどうしよう！
この漫画に描かれたその焦燥は、いつまでも鮮烈です。

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels

255 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2017

About the author

Natsuko Ishitsuyo (意志強ナツ子, Ishitsuyo Natsuko) is a Japanese cartoonist.
She studied fine arts, first at the Nihon University College of Art, then at the Academy of Fine Arts of Prague, where she graduated in 2012.
Ishitsuyo (pen name meaning 'strong will') has published professional manga as well as erotic doujinshi (amateur comics). Her first book Magician A (2017) has been translated into English.

Reviews

[ribbonknight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Difficult to rate this; I got it by backing a kickstarter a while ago. I often struggle with short stories but didn’t here. The manga-ka certainly knows how to arrest the reader’s attention! Both the art style and subject matter were unique for manga, and a large part of the draw. The stories sometimes shock with the frankness of explicit sexual activity but in every case this isn’t just sex for sex’s sake; all of the characters have got something going on that they’re working through. I’d be interested in reading more from this creator.

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

um..... wow

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: Underage Sexuality, Adult/Young Person relationship, Student Teacher relationship

This book was very well done. It's a collection of short stories that follows different girls as they explore their sexuality. I thought it was well written and well handled, even with some of the dark subject matter. This is also a wonderful translation by Jocelyn Allen! If you're looking for a different look at sexuality amongst women that embraces women, I would recommend it.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange little book. The stories stick with you

[Endon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very weird, but i think good?

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting manga.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really strange

[Channelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fascinating read. While very explicit, and I'm sure some readers may not be able to get past some of the surface elements of the stories, I think the deeper messages are extremely interesting.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

the best part of this book was the afterword

[Billy Shears · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique art style paired with a surreal, melancholic collection of stories. I liked this a lot.