Ase to Sekken

This is a remarkably charming rom-com that gets pretty ecchi at times but always stops short of the full ‘h’. It’s an original premise, but a pretty familiar story, and I love it. I’d read this as many times as it gets written. The author later admits that the smell thing reflects his own fetish, but it doesn’t get too weird, and it’s not what the story is about.

Some context here might help.

Japan has a huge taboo about body odor. There are laws against having a noticeable scent, and the government will pay to have your sweat glands removed if a third party has filed a complaint that they can smell you. It’s a big part of why taking multiple baths every day is considered an aspirational goal in Japan.

Because of the intense taboo, body odor has become a fetish more than in other countries. Panty sniffing is one manifestation of it. Another is the awkward emphasis on ‘stink’ or ‘strong smell’ in erotic fiction, like a woman being simultaneously grossed out and overcome with passion by the smell of a man’s genitalia or ejaculate. Recognizing a person’s smell is often used as shorthand for intimacy or proof of love.

So the story in this manga, about a man approaching a woman aggressively to smell her, leaning into her neck to get a good whiff, has a different feel for different audiences. Most Americans and many Europeans will see this as odd but maybe charming? But in Japan, this story is intensely erotic, dangerous and exciting. It’s the Japanese equivalent of a bodice-ripper about being captured by a handsome pirate, or sold into the harem of a suave Saudi Prince. It’s not like a hollywood meet-cute; in Japan this is a nakedly sexual story.

PS Even though all the sniffing doesn’t rev my engine (it’s almost as foreign to me as the foot stuff), I like this story so far. The character’s motivations are credible, they feel like interesting people, and I’m rooting for the romance, so this is a recommend from me.