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SとMの世界 [S to M no Sekai] #1
The World Exists for Me, Volume 1
Once upon a time, the source of the devil R's invincible powers was The Book of S & M. But one day, a young man stole the book without knowing what it was, cut it into strips and used it to create a girl doll named "S" and a boy doll named "M" out of papier-mache. With that act, the unimaginable power that the devil held from the book was divided between the two dolls! While on a class trip in France, Sekai is rescued from a terrible accident by a mysterious young man and the doll known as "S." Soon, however, Sekai discovers that she's not only lost in a foreign country--she's also lost in time! From the creators of the manga classic that inspired the anime Revolutionary Girl Utena comes a dark and gripping Gothic fantasy.
200 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 27, 2024
The World of "S" and "M" aka The World Exists for Me (1-2 / End) by Be-Papas and Art by Chiho Saito.
Sadly this ludicrous train wreck was axed after just two volumes.
If given some more time and air, this could have been an uber-dramatic Dark Romance with all the problematic tropes we love to hate: a wild reincarnation (?) plot, a repeating time loop as seen in Revolutionary Girl Utena, Vol. 1: To Till, SA of minors, time travel, murder, doppelgängers, mysterious magic children with French names etc
There are two planes of existence in this manga: what actually happens VS the symbolic goose chase.
Now, the PLOT (what actually happen) is wild nonsense: Japanese high school girl Sekai (a name that means "World" - Sekai is also the titlar "S") is on a luxurious class trip through France when she wants to confess her undying love to her classmate Midou-kun (a name that means "enshrinment hall" or "Cathedral" - the titular "M"), who coldly rejects her, which leads Sekai to declare the fateful words "well, I would get along in a world without you just fine!"
This moment of declaration, rejection, and Sekai's angry retort are replayed during the manga multiple times, because as soon as her words are out, a weird little French boy appeared, the train broke in two before a galaxy of stars and Midou-kun threw himself in front of Sekai and got run through with a sword!!! Also, time travel.
Are you confused yet? The truth is, we don't quite know why it happened, but Sekai "S" apparently broke out of her time-loop continuum by verbally purging her beloved Midou-kun from "her" world, which broke the train (and time!) and summoned a guide, the young boy "Sauveur" (another S! whose name means "Savior" in French), while also letting the real "M" into her world from another spacetime loop. This evil doppelgänger "M" is the one who stabs Midou-kun, ending not only his life but also the /reality/ from which Sekai originated.
Sauveur, the young guide for Sekai, has a doll with him whose name is simply "S". While Doll S is never seen actually speaking or acting, she is capable of creating time warps that can be traversed and also of pushing Sauveur to act. She can also move just enough to be a creepy lil horror doll. {sopiler}My pet theory is that Doll S is actually Sekai's Alter Ego from another spacetime continuum, just like Evil "M", but whose body was destroyed and who is now trapped inside a doll. Pushing this theory farther, I'd wager that Doll S really wants to get Sekai killed so she can have her body and reunite with Evil M.{/spoiler}
Anyway, Doll S brings Sekai and Sauveur to 17th Century France, where Sekai has a prompt meltdown that is about 50% about seeing Midou impaled on a sword and 50% about the weird peasants running around her, speaking French! Before Sauveur can explain anything, Sekai dashes off into the wild. It takes 0.1 seconds for her to be arrested and put on trial for being a witch, lol. To be fair, she is very likely a witch.
On the pyre, where Sekai is to be burned, she is confronted by Evil M, who taunts her in the flirtiest way possible, before Sekai is snatched away and saved again by Sauveur and Doll S.
This time around, they land in 14th Century France, where Sekai is immediately recognized as the recently burned Joan of Arc (not an "S", but a human of the same face ... might this be what Midou was?) by Guile de Raye (yep, the child murderer ... we'll get to that!) and brought to his fortress.
Also somehow present is Evil M, whom contemporaries know as "Machiavelli". It is still unclear whether Evil M is from the 17th or the 14th Century, or somewhere else entirely. He does not appear to have any real relationships outside of Sekai, who seems important to him, despite his admittance that he killed Midou (to replace him??).
Since Giles de Raye and his castle is the new setting, child-murdering shenanigans ensue, none of which truly explain what Sekai is doing there, who "S" and "M" are, what their "Book of S and M" is really about, or who the mysterious "R" is, who is only mentioned at the beginning of the manga as the author of the "Book". Btw, there is no character name that starts with an R. My pet theory is that Be-Papas originally planned to introduce them later in the series, so when serialization got axed, readers never actually met "R".
Also not explained is Sauveur, who does very little saving, despite his name, while Sekai is locked into a dungeon-like room by Giles, who thinks she is in fact Joan of Arc. So what is the purpose of the Giles Arc, that unfortunately also ended the manga?
Simple. Giles is just the backdrop for the first real interactions between "S" and "M". Evil M successfully corners Sekai for the first time, having her at his mercy and being able to talk to her (or manipulate her, rather).
And I've got to say, despite the fact that this manga is unfinished trash, the Sekai X Machiavelli chapters are Dark Romance fire and I loved them. I really wish this had continued (or someone had written fanfiction for this obscure manga!)
I would recommend this to readers who loved the weird mysticism and symbolism of Utena and who want to just roll with the vibes for a while.
Sadly, no lesbians. So 3 stars.
Sadly this ludicrous train wreck was axed after just two volumes.
If given some more time and air, this could have been an uber-dramatic Dark Romance with all the problematic tropes we love to hate: a wild reincarnation (?) plot, a repeating time loop as seen in Revolutionary Girl Utena, Vol. 1: To Till, SA of minors, time travel, murder, doppelgängers, mysterious magic children with French names etc
There are two planes of existence in this manga: what actually happens VS the symbolic goose chase.
Now, the PLOT (what actually happen) is wild nonsense: Japanese high school girl Sekai (a name that means "World" - Sekai is also the titlar "S") is on a luxurious class trip through France when she wants to confess her undying love to her classmate Midou-kun (a name that means "enshrinment hall" or "Cathedral" - the titular "M"), who coldly rejects her, which leads Sekai to declare the fateful words "well, I would get along in a world without you just fine!"
This moment of declaration, rejection, and Sekai's angry retort are replayed during the manga multiple times, because as soon as her words are out, a weird little French boy appeared, the train broke in two before a galaxy of stars and Midou-kun threw himself in front of Sekai and got run through with a sword!!! Also, time travel.
Are you confused yet? The truth is, we don't quite know why it happened, but Sekai "S" apparently broke out of her time-loop continuum by verbally purging her beloved Midou-kun from "her" world, which broke the train (and time!) and summoned a guide, the young boy "Sauveur" (another S! whose name means "Savior" in French), while also letting the real "M" into her world from another spacetime loop. This evil doppelgänger "M" is the one who stabs Midou-kun, ending not only his life but also the /reality/ from which Sekai originated.
Sauveur, the young guide for Sekai, has a doll with him whose name is simply "S". While Doll S is never seen actually speaking or acting, she is capable of creating time warps that can be traversed and also of pushing Sauveur to act. She can also move just enough to be a creepy lil horror doll. {sopiler}My pet theory is that Doll S is actually Sekai's Alter Ego from another spacetime continuum, just like Evil "M", but whose body was destroyed and who is now trapped inside a doll. Pushing this theory farther, I'd wager that Doll S really wants to get Sekai killed so she can have her body and reunite with Evil M.{/spoiler}
Anyway, Doll S brings Sekai and Sauveur to 17th Century France, where Sekai has a prompt meltdown that is about 50% about seeing Midou impaled on a sword and 50% about the weird peasants running around her, speaking French! Before Sauveur can explain anything, Sekai dashes off into the wild. It takes 0.1 seconds for her to be arrested and put on trial for being a witch, lol. To be fair, she is very likely a witch.
On the pyre, where Sekai is to be burned, she is confronted by Evil M, who taunts her in the flirtiest way possible, before Sekai is snatched away and saved again by Sauveur and Doll S.
This time around, they land in 14th Century France, where Sekai is immediately recognized as the recently burned Joan of Arc (not an "S", but a human of the same face ... might this be what Midou was?) by Guile de Raye (yep, the child murderer ... we'll get to that!) and brought to his fortress.
Also somehow present is Evil M, whom contemporaries know as "Machiavelli". It is still unclear whether Evil M is from the 17th or the 14th Century, or somewhere else entirely. He does not appear to have any real relationships outside of Sekai, who seems important to him, despite his admittance that he killed Midou (to replace him??).
Since Giles de Raye and his castle is the new setting, child-murdering shenanigans ensue, none of which truly explain what Sekai is doing there, who "S" and "M" are, what their "Book of S and M" is really about, or who the mysterious "R" is, who is only mentioned at the beginning of the manga as the author of the "Book". Btw, there is no character name that starts with an R. My pet theory is that Be-Papas originally planned to introduce them later in the series, so when serialization got axed, readers never actually met "R".
Also not explained is Sauveur, who does very little saving, despite his name, while Sekai is locked into a dungeon-like room by Giles, who thinks she is in fact Joan of Arc. So what is the purpose of the Giles Arc, that unfortunately also ended the manga?
Simple. Giles is just the backdrop for the first real interactions between "S" and "M". Evil M successfully corners Sekai for the first time, having her at his mercy and being able to talk to her (or manipulate her, rather).
And I've got to say, despite the fact that this manga is unfinished trash, the Sekai X Machiavelli chapters are Dark Romance fire and I loved them. I really wish this had continued (or someone had written fanfiction for this obscure manga!)
I would recommend this to readers who loved the weird mysticism and symbolism of Utena and who want to just roll with the vibes for a while.
Sadly, no lesbians. So 3 stars.
May 28, 2020
I remember first obtaining a copy of this from Dark Star Books in Yellow Springs, during their bi-annual street fair one year when I was in high school. At the time, I felt like it was incredibly intense, dark, sensual and fascinating, but as a general cw/tw for my fellow readers, I do feel the need to impress that it was the instance(s) of sexual assault in this book that stuck in my memory more than anything. So please be aware that that content exists in this manga, should you take interest in trying to read this.
Generally speaking, I'm not sure how to classify this. I feel like it could easily be categorized as romance/dark romance, historical, or science fiction (due to time traveling shenanigans.) I don't think it helps that, if rumor is to be believed, I think the series was never finished? For my part, I feel like it's still somewhat entertaining, at least from the perspective of the time travel. I did not recall that the time travel in this book centers around just France, but I find that more fascinating now than I did as a teenager.
As for the characters, I could honestly take them or leave them. All the tertiary side characters are more mildly interesting than the three main characters, who are at this point about as dull as a sack of bricks. If there were more to their characters than the most basic of archetypes, then perhaps I wouldn't be such a harsh critic, but that's really all they are. And as there's only one other volume to get ahold of and read, I have my doubts as to whether or not ANY of them get developed.
Personally, I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't read it if you're interested. The art is gorgeous and the research into different time periods of France is pretty cool. But this isn't one I recommend at this point in time; there are better things you could be reading.
Generally speaking, I'm not sure how to classify this. I feel like it could easily be categorized as romance/dark romance, historical, or science fiction (due to time traveling shenanigans.) I don't think it helps that, if rumor is to be believed, I think the series was never finished? For my part, I feel like it's still somewhat entertaining, at least from the perspective of the time travel. I did not recall that the time travel in this book centers around just France, but I find that more fascinating now than I did as a teenager.
As for the characters, I could honestly take them or leave them. All the tertiary side characters are more mildly interesting than the three main characters, who are at this point about as dull as a sack of bricks. If there were more to their characters than the most basic of archetypes, then perhaps I wouldn't be such a harsh critic, but that's really all they are. And as there's only one other volume to get ahold of and read, I have my doubts as to whether or not ANY of them get developed.
Personally, I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't read it if you're interested. The art is gorgeous and the research into different time periods of France is pretty cool. But this isn't one I recommend at this point in time; there are better things you could be reading.
May 19, 2012
Hmm. Well, it's no Utena. I probably wouldn't have persisted if it wasn't by B-Papas. But then, I probably would have rated it higher - for the delicate artwork, at least - if the heroine hadn't spent quite so much of it fighting off rape attempts.
February 14, 2023
Un primer tomo muy interesante.
La historia me ha resultado curiosa y entretenida. Sekai, la protagonista, no ha terminado de caerme muy bien del todo, aunque entiendo que terminar viajando en el tiempo a la Francia del siglo XVII puede descolocar a cualquiera. Pero me ha sacado mucho de mis casillas que su primordial motivo de supervivencia fuera encontrar a su amado que, además, ya le dio calabazas nada más empezar el tomo. He querido entender que es una adolescente y que es algo normal este comportamiento, pero no voy a negar que me ha frustrado un poco su actitud.
Me ha sorprendido mucho la trama. Es mucho más adulta de lo que esperaba y tiene escenas algo subidas de tono que no imaginaba que estarían. Además, todo el contexto histórico que trata sobre Francia y las guerras que asolaban el país por aquel entonces me ha resultado muy interesante y está bien integrado en la trama.
El dibujo me ha recordado bastante a CLAMP, la verdad. Muy "Sakura Cazadora de Cartas"; un estilo alargado y con los ojos muy grandes y expresivos. El dibujo me ha resultado agradable y lleno de acción y movimiento.
Este primer tomo me ha dejado un buen sabor de boca y con ganas de leer más de la historia porque es mucho más oscura y siniestra de lo que esperaba. Además, tiene un trasfondo interesante.
La historia me ha resultado curiosa y entretenida. Sekai, la protagonista, no ha terminado de caerme muy bien del todo, aunque entiendo que terminar viajando en el tiempo a la Francia del siglo XVII puede descolocar a cualquiera. Pero me ha sacado mucho de mis casillas que su primordial motivo de supervivencia fuera encontrar a su amado que, además, ya le dio calabazas nada más empezar el tomo. He querido entender que es una adolescente y que es algo normal este comportamiento, pero no voy a negar que me ha frustrado un poco su actitud.
Me ha sorprendido mucho la trama. Es mucho más adulta de lo que esperaba y tiene escenas algo subidas de tono que no imaginaba que estarían. Además, todo el contexto histórico que trata sobre Francia y las guerras que asolaban el país por aquel entonces me ha resultado muy interesante y está bien integrado en la trama.
El dibujo me ha recordado bastante a CLAMP, la verdad. Muy "Sakura Cazadora de Cartas"; un estilo alargado y con los ojos muy grandes y expresivos. El dibujo me ha resultado agradable y lleno de acción y movimiento.
Este primer tomo me ha dejado un buen sabor de boca y con ganas de leer más de la historia porque es mucho más oscura y siniestra de lo que esperaba. Además, tiene un trasfondo interesante.
July 2, 2025
Quite simply one of the worst mangas I've ever read.
The story is just a jumbled mess. Sexual assault is an extremely prominent factor and its casual depiction doesn't add any complexity to an already messy story.
The artwork is beautiful, of course, but I find it hard to connect to something that stands by visuals and poor structure alone. I wasn't charmed by any of the characters, nor did I feel compelled to watch them rise out of their struggles or discover more about their unnatural circumstances.
I tried to find a point to the story - any at all, and I couldn't. Maybe, if I reread it in a few years, I'll find something here that I've missed, but I'll have to find the willpower to do so.
The story is just a jumbled mess. Sexual assault is an extremely prominent factor and its casual depiction doesn't add any complexity to an already messy story.
The artwork is beautiful, of course, but I find it hard to connect to something that stands by visuals and poor structure alone. I wasn't charmed by any of the characters, nor did I feel compelled to watch them rise out of their struggles or discover more about their unnatural circumstances.
I tried to find a point to the story - any at all, and I couldn't. Maybe, if I reread it in a few years, I'll find something here that I've missed, but I'll have to find the willpower to do so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2023
I heard that this wasn’t very good but I quite enjoyed it. Yeah, it’s a little fast paced but I don’t think it’s that bad and the art is really good. I think if this series was made into a movie (or maybe 2?) it would not feel as fast paced.
February 28, 2010
wow it's good! what's not to like? there's drama, suspense, mystery, deceit, time travel, and conspiracies. ah, the makings of greatness. i probably won't be reading more of this series though since it's a pretty hard book to find.
June 15, 2011
Very interesting. I love the time-travel elements that are in the story. Recommended to anyone who likes to try something new. :)
August 18, 2015
HMMM...no me gusto mucho,la historia me parece media débil pero el arte es una preciosidad...veremos si mejora en el próximo tomo.
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