Sweat & Honey

(Tokyopop, 2005)
™ and © 2002 Mari Okazaki
Passion Fruit Volume 1.

Sweat & Honey is an altogether unconventional manga, which is fitting, given that the main theme seems to be non–conformity in a conformist society. But it’s easier to say what this isn’t than what it is. The individual episodes presented here certainly couldn’t be confused with short stories; they’re more like surrealistic ruminations on the themes of isolation and alienation. Readers watch characters, as they unknowingly ache for intimacy, trying to fill their emptiness with something else but ending up with something altogether other. And, while there is female nudity and are intense emotional relationships between women that frequently slide into sexually charged situations, there’s no salacious “fan appeal” to be found here, nor could the material be confused with the spate of dewy–eyed, same–sex manga romances clogging the shelves. Ultimately it’s that rarest of things: an original project. The art is as beautiful as it is strange, having the idiosyncrasy of making the noses of female characters suddenly disappear, which makes them look even more like dolphin–like aliens.

— S.A. Bennett

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