Reviews for Sensual Phrase

If your looking for hot bishonen rockers and an innocent high school girl that gets twisted into their lives with steamy results then look no more! While the Aine's constant kidnapping and inaine naive nature can get really annoying, the story is still pretty decent. The romance factor is not so much a *gag me w/ a spoon* moment as is it is sweet Although i noticed as the story goes on the sex gets dirtier and naughtier. *thumbs up* Th eonly thing that bothered me about the art was the way Mayu Shinjo draws hands and legs. Their fingers are freakishly long! and sometimesshe can get outta hand with guy's height. So in conclusion, plenty of eye candy+ decent story x HOT sexy scenes = SHOUJO MANGA GOLD!!

If you're a sucka for lovefools then this is the manga for you. The main char is a pretty easygoing and simple highschool girl, who gets involved with the vocalist of the hottest rock band in japan. Though it's a bit annoying that you're always putting up with ppl trying to snatch either her or Sakuya(the vocalist) it's pretty much fun watching them overcome all that stuff and keep it together. It gives a warm feel and it's a nice romance to slowly enjoy. I approve!

I've had the pleasure of finding this manga series way back when I was in middle school, I was twelve at the time. While it was the front cover that grabbed my attention (The artwork was appealing and Sakuya's blue eyes attracted me to him), I actually fell in love with the plot and its characters. At the time of me getting the first volume, I didn't even know that it was gonna have sex in it. I mean I guessed it would have some adult themes given the English title, Sensual Phrase, and a flash of Aine's breasts at the end of the firstvolume. And I don't just mean one or two panels that depict people having sex (where it just shows a headshot or even a shot from the waist or ever would be considered an implied sex scene).

The manga is literally littered with quite a few steamy shots of Aine and Sakuya at it, though the worse you see is Aine's breasts, or Sakuya's butt (depending on how the shots are drawn), but still, I'm sure other readers of this series can agree that this manga is definitely filled with smut.

The story starts off simply enough: High School Girl meets a hot musician dude, they fall in love, the girl becomes involved with the hot musician's band/work, and together, they face a string of suitors and rivals vying for their affections, etc, etc. But I have to say that while I enjoyed the story at the beginning (who wouldn't want to stick around to see a hot bishonen guy in his full glory?), but during my second and third times of reading this manga reveals that the story is a little too fast-paced for my liking.

The pacing starts off steady in the first half of the first volume after Aine and Sakuya share their first "kiss," things develop a little more quickly than anticipated. Who knew that one kiss from the sexy Sakuya would make the innocently naive Aine become a dog in heat and want to go to bed with him right away?

Now I'm not saying this is bad, I mean there are a lot of people/relationships like that in the real world, but the story gives off the impression that you'll be seeing a lot of Aine's involvement with the band, Lucifer grow as much as her relationship with Sakuya does, but it doesn't. Aine's involvement with the band is limited to her writing up some sensual lyrics after Sakuya gets her hot and bothered and then she sits there at the concert and watches the band perform her lyrics. And it's at the concerts or rehearsals that Aine and Sakuya would usually meet the "rivals" or "Suitors" for their hearts, whether it's Sakuya's jealous half-brother or some rabid Lucifer fan girls from Aine's school, they usually get these "villains" by the butt-load.

When you think the rivals and suitors would be around for a few volumes, they don't. Hardly any of them make an appearance more than once, save for Sakuya's half-brother, Ralph, who appears three times in total and at random times, might I add? Most of them stick around for maybe half a volume or just one volume, and then they disappear, never to be heard from or seen again.

On top of the drama that the suitors and rivals cause, Aine's and Sakuya's love story develops into a "Rescue the damsel in distress and screw her afterward" kind of story because that's all you'll be seeing after Aine and Sakuya overcome what is the climax of each volume, and when you think they're gonna live happily ever after, they're thrusted into another situation where a good screwing seems to make everything alright.

The characters all have their own quirks and charms, but honestly, the main focus is Sakuya and Aine. Sakuya appears to be an aloof playboy with a mysterious charm, and who doesn't give a rat's butt about manipulating women/girls into doing and getting what he wants. But after meeting Aine, he suddenly feels a strong attraction to her and decides to screw her, but after they first sleep together, he turns into a highly possessive and jealous boyfriend, who in his intense anger and jealous, oftentimes comes close to raping Aine. Despite that, he does pretty much love Aine, because he goes to a lot of lengths to protect her and showers her with as many gifts and affections as he can, even if it means they end up having a good romp. Sakuya's past gets a lot more attention than Aine's, mainly because he's the sexy love god I guess and it apparently gives him more depth and we see the reasons as to why he acts like a sex-driven animal.

Aine is a ditzy, naive teen who has no backbone. She rarely stands up for herself, unless Sakuya has already knocked her assailants down a peg. She always goes crying to Sakuya whenever she so much as breaks a nail, and of course, she also gets exceedingly jealous of other girls/women fawning over Sakuya so much that she either can't come out and tell him that she feels uncomfortable about him working with another woman, or she actually yells at him and claims he's being unfaithful to her (which wouldn't be much different than when Sakuya expresses jealousy over other guys that seem interested in Aine).

There are some rare moments where Aine stands up for herself, especially in the later chapters when the producer Takuya comes in. Despite that, her character is seriously flawed. Her past isn't explained in full, at least not like Sakuya's, anyways. When we meet Aine's parents and are told of her past, we're told that her parents aren't all that attentive to her and she's pretty much a loner in school, save for about two friends (who don't appear very much, unless it's to add onto Aine's troubles).

Sakuya's band doesn't really get much "screen time" in the mangas. I mean you see them and read some comments by them, but they honestly don't add much to the plot, outside of their own special bonus chapters and comforting either Aine or Sakuya. They only serve to prove that Sakuya is in a band. I mean we see some of their private lives once in a while, but you mainly see them just sitting there, witnessing Sakuya and Aine meeting the next rival/suitor at a concert, or up on stage with Sakuya. Otherwise, they're just practically background characters. Of course, when they do show up, each member is shown to have their own personality but they hardly get any development whatsoever. If it weren't for some of the dialogue, you wouldn't even know what Sakuya's relationship with them was.

I admit, the art looked a bit funky at times, especially with how ridiculously tall the male characters looked and how short the girls were, but still, the art was beautiful just the same. The proportions of the bodies seem a bit weird or even off, but Mayu Shinjo's style gets better. I honestly can't say any more than this.

Despite this manga basically being "soft hentai" kinda deal, I did enjoy the story overall. I mean I didn't particularly like Aine, but I did enjoy seeing her relationship with Sakuya grow, even if the smut scenes were almost off-putting. It was because of this manga that I grew into anime and mangas, and I actually really enjoyed the conflicts that Sakuya himself goes through because he seemed to grow the most as a character, despite the manga's summary listing Aine as the MAIN MAIN character. It's Sakuya's sexy butt that makes Kaikan Phrase the most memorable to its fans.

So if you want a decent story about a regular high school girl meeting and dating a popular boy band singer/idol (even though their romance is a bit unrealistic) then this manga is for you.

Sorry if this is long, I’m going to rant and stomp my feet a little… This manga surprised me a lot. I try my best to give everything a chance and read it the whole way through. This is one of the few I seriously considered dropping. I only got to about chapter 18 and I just wasn’t feeling it. If you look at the chapters though, there’s like 82? So I didn’t want to give up on it so early and I kept reading. There is a lot I don’t like but I am glad I read it all the way to the end. There’s alot of sex, like seriously a lot of sex…

The plot is a heavy romance between the lead singer of a band, Lucifer, and a high school student who writes their lyrics. It’s also about the band and living out there dreams.

As far as the characters go, someone please explain to me why female writers constantly choose to make the heroine spineless and heavily dependent? Why. I understand to some degree every girl wants to be protected but at least make her able to function without being directed all the time. Aine does develop towards the end but I never saw her as truly independent. Sakuya is your typical alpha male, lots of sex, demanding, very jealous, ect. The only thing I really liked about him was his passion for music. The rest of the Lucifer band I really liked though. You get to know them just enough were you can distinguish their personalities. Takayama’s character [the producer] I felt was one of the better. He’s a little rash but you can see how much he cares about his job and the people involved in his work. Where they took his character however, still doesn’t sit well with me. It happened and ended so quickly.

A lot of characters were thrown in obviously just for drama and to create conflict but after that they drop off the planet…It felt really soap opera-ish. I was super disappointed with the band Jesus. The main band in the manga is Lucifer and the upcoming rival at one point was a band named Jesus. They could have done so much with that! But of course that lasted only a few chapters and then you never hear of it again. So much potential in a lot of parts but the story moves so fast it all gets carried away. Aine’s parents also show up briefly. I felt like they were just thrown in there to put some realism into the story, they really had no purpose other than to create a small amount of drama.

The romance between Aine and Sakuya even though it’s the main focus of the manga, I found the band to be more captivating. There’s was just so much unnecessary drama surrounding Aine and Sakuya its ridiculous. And pretty much every cliché about love is thrown in there as well. About seventy percent of the time you’ll roll your eyes, the rest you’ll find a little funny.

The band was the best part, I looked forward toward those scenes and seeing what they would do next! All in all, I’d recommend it and I would read it again.

Story: 7 [good]

Art: 8 [very good]

Character: 5 [still irritated...]

Enjoyment: 8 [very good]

Overall: 8 [very good]

I'm tossing up between giving this manga a 7 or 8, if only there was 7.5 I would have given it, but I'll settle with a 7. Story: 7 What attracted me to this story is girl meets a famous guy from a rock band, who then hires her to become the band's lyricists. The two main characters quickly develop feelings for each other and soon fall in love - in which they make love ALOT (yes, there are many sex scenes). Along the story there are a few obstacles they have to overcome, such as jealous rivals and ex-partners who intend to break the two apartor intending to snatch one of the main characters away from another. Sometimes I did find it quite ridiculous of the methods they used to break them apart which I considered (in real life) highly illegal such as drugging, kidnapping and rape. And what I find more ridiculous is the amount of male characters introduced in the manga for drama purposes who are quickly infatuated at first sight with the main female character, and who will do whatever it takes to have her.

So as the story goes, I liked how it started in the beginning but it became too messy with its ridiculous plots along the way. I know it's to create some drama, but I think it's too over the top.

Character: 7

Aine the main female character can sometimes be abit insecure and has low-self esteem because she is dating Sakuya one of the hottest guys in Japan. She always has doubts about Sakuya's love and tends to get jealous easily. She is also abit of a clutz and ignorant (maybe too trusting and innocent) who always follow/help strangers knowing that they have a hidden motive i really did shake my head at her).

But towards the end of the manga, her character improves and she becomes stronger from the pain she suffered and endured which I find refreshing.

Sakuya the main male character is very possessive of Aine and can get jealous easily. He has a dark history which makes him fear love and thinks it's a waste of time. But as soon as he meets Aine he changes himself for the better and becomes a happier person. I enjoyed how his character changes over time and no matter how many beautiful women surrounds him, he only cares for and loves Aine and would do anything to protect his loved ones. Not only that I also enjoyed his passion and his love for music and his band mates.

The manga would have been better if we had explored more of Sakuya's band mates, because during the whole manga, it felt like the band mates were just there to fill the pages and not much backstory is said about them.

Also it would have been nice to see where the characters introduced for the plot have been to, it just seemed like they appeared and disappeared without knowing where they are or what they are doing.

Art: 7

The artwork was lovely, although what did bother me was the abnormally large hands of Sakuya and the strange and always varying height differences between Aine and Sakuya.

Enjoyment: 7

I enjoyed the manga and I liked how the author made Aine and Sakuya's love become stronger through its (ridiculous) plots. Although it could do with less sex scenes and focus more on the romance. I wouldn't mind one or two sex scenes, but it got abit too much (like once every few chapters) which made it unromantic and didn't leave much emotional impact - like the author just gave us sex scenes as fanservice.

Kaikan Phrase I found just delightful. This was my second series I read by Shinjou, Mayu. I have read so many of her books and each is different with its own unique story line. The artwork is great, and the story line is just as good. Falling for such a man whom is handsome and famous is another one of those girly dream. There is nothing wrong with dreaming. Everyone should keep dreaming. Mayu’s works tells us that and even though not all over them end with a happy ending, we still learn this is true.

Welll....Sensual Phrase...sorry Kaikan Phrase. When I first read a review for this prior to getting it, somebody had written that it was like soft porn. It is not like soft porn. It is a little more explicit than most shojo...ie. they actually HAVE sex...but other than a breast or two (hopefully two!) nothing leaps out at you to scare you, unlike some yaoi manga, where everything leaps out. I found this manga better the second time I read it, which means that obviously the first time I read it I wasn't so put off that there was no way I'd read it again. However, this is by FAR notthe best thing I have read. It reads a little too much like a soap opera, with everything that you can possibly think of happening in the world of showbiz happening. People are randomly masochistic, constantly desperate to bring down all that is good and true in romance/the world with a hefty dose of kidnapping or drugs, and people are so bitchy (except for the main characters) that you think the world would be better off if everybody just went and threw themselves out of a window. I'm not portraying this in a very favourable light though am I?!

However, despite Sakuya's god-awful at times fashion sense, for some reason, animal prints and knit-jumpers my dad would wear are just painful at times, it is a sweet story, and you do what them to get through all the over-dramatised trials they face. Perhaps it was better the second time through because the drama was expected in a way. The 'erotic lyrics' I found mildly disturbing on occasion, but I think that's probably just me.

Aine's character is a little wimpish, she seems to cry a lot, and for people who are supposed to love each other so much, there's quite a lot of doubting going on. But most shojo manga need that, or there is no excuse for random embracing/declarations of affection and stuff. And this series does that better than most with the doubting mostly being mild rather than the 'will he like me' 'does he like me' 'argh' thoughts that seem to go on in most shojo heroines minds. In that case I guess Aine is quite strong as a character.

Character development wise, they develop a bit, but mainly in bursts, rather than a gradual climb. I loved the side stories about the other band members however, and looked forward to those sections the most. Art is nothing special, but nothing bad either. Slightly different portrayal of hot guys than in most shojo, but that might just be the pointiness of the chins.

At 18 volumes, it's a pretty long series, though one is a bonus one, but it doesn't feel that long once you get going. I don't quite know what it is about this manga; nothing stands out about it, but I did enjoy it, no matter how much I slate it here. However, it was a bit more of a guilty pleasure...I read it because I had got it all in one go, and had I had to buy the volumes seperately, I don't know whether I would have been so enthusiastic...

This manga is my top favourite! ^_^ The hole story and the art is amazing!As expected from Mayu Shinjo (one of the best manga artists..from my point of view). Every single manga writed by Mayu Shinjo is unique and lovely... and in every manga,even if the characters go through alot ,at the end love wins, 'cause love is everything! ^_^ I recommend it to all shoujo/romantic/smut lovers!!! P.S. HOPE EVERYONE LIKES IT 'CAUSE I SIMPLY ADORED IT! ^_^ P.S.2 From the anime I really liked the music!

Once upon a time, 'Kaikan Phrase' had a huge sex appeal in the late 1990's. A girl not only falls in love with a rock star, but she also begins to write lyrics for his band. This is actually a very good plot. This manga was at its prime when the music industry was at it's peak for rock and alternative bands, so naturally, going into the 2000's, ‘Kaikan Phrase’ appealed to a lot of young women. The (consensual) sex scenes in 'Kaikan Phrase' are pretty tame by today’s standards, and they were not exaggerated nor too explicit with body parts. The pacing of thesex scenes are not overwhelming at all and are done at the right times plot-wise.

Aine and Sakuya’s relationship introduces a good amount of scenarios that could apply to the music industry in real life (even though this manga is pretty dated). Their relationship isn’t too sugarcoated dealing with the consequences of dating a rock star. Throughout these challenges, Aine and Sakuya face a lot of character development within themselves and the band. They piggyback off each other which is sometimes hard to apply in manga. In the beginning of the series, their romantic chemistry felt pretty generic, but as you read further it is very evident how passionate their relationship really is. The creator of this series, Mayu Shinjo, did a really great job depicting their strong relationship through and through.

However, the biggest criticism I have for 'Kaikan Phrase' is the amount of sexual assault portrayed which is completely overwhelming; and not just by Sakuya, the male protagonist. One of these assaults is never even addressed. It was from a very important character tied to Sakuya and it was just thrown completely under the bus.

Of course, these assaults presented in 'Kaikan Phrase' COULD happen in real life, but both Aine and Sakuya are CONSTANTLY assaulted (by adults), ALMOST unrealistically, in EVERY volume, by MULTIPLE PEOPLE. They’re also both MINORS.

Getting through the first 10 volumes was not only a drag, but the sexual assault scenarios is what killed the manga for me; especially re-reading this now as an adult. The assaults were overdone. If this wasn't so dominating to the plot, this series could've been more comfortable to read.

Sakuya also had a habit of assaulting Aine throughout the first half of the relationship, all because of misunderstandings. However, I give Mayu Shinjo credit for Sakuya’s character development to move past certain behaviors. And of course, this kind of circumstance is realistic. Aine, our female protagonist, is easily manipulated but also stubborn with making sure she doesn’t cause trouble for Sakuya. She doesn’t think through any consequences which causes more harm than good. Her character is a good portrayal of a teenager who thinks they have it together and doesn’t think of the outcome of her actions. This does not excuse the adults that harm her in any way of course.

After volume 10, the plot began to move forward when Mr Takayama, a producer, steps into the picture. Honestly, the story got a THOUSAND times better with him involved. This is the turning point where I found myself glued to the manga. You also get to see more of the band members that played in part of Sakuya's stardom. I actually loved the rest of the band members. Even though at times they were filler, they were enjoyable to say the least.

Without saying much, Mr Takayama is the reason why I got through the rest of 'Kaikan Phrase'. Otherwise, I planned on getting rid of this manga completely.

For the life of me I can't part from this manga, but at the same time 'Kaikan Phrase' did not age well in a lot of ways. As a teenager, the "sexy" scenarios seemed so cool to me, but reading this from an adult perspective is traumatizing lol. It is sad that this series was glorified for its sexual assaults when it shouldn’t have been. That really says a lot for the time period this was published in. In the books, Mayu Shinjo did point out on the side panels what type of men she's into. It is implied that the 'assault' scenarios are her kink. So with that said, take this series with a grain of salt if you are concerned about getting triggered, or don't read this at all. This manga appears to be Mayu Shinjo's fantasy more than anything else at this point.

I enjoy the book immensely. It did though have many topics that were getting tiresome for me, with the people out to destroy the band, steal Aine, the main female protagonist, or ruin Sakuya, the main male protagonist, but when I pushed through those chapters and read them I was always pleased and surprise. What I enjoyed most about the story was the love that was represented. Nothing was above it. The whole, “Love conquers all”, type of story with twists. And the twists are what keeps you hooked. It is the same old story of girl meets boy and they fall in love, but don’tlet that influence your judgment on the book for not being a good read. The trials that they face and overcome together are what made this a good book. I was intrigued with the concept of rich and famous rock star and normal girl falling in love with each other. How all the characters want is to be happy and how the media, rivals, and fans acted towards the whole situation of that concept. It shows that when you’re with a famous person your life is under the spotlight too.

You really start to enjoy the characters and get to know them, even the supporting characters. You get to see how they all get along and care for one another in the entertainment world that involves scandals, blackmail and tested faith. You get drawn into the life of the main characters and get to see that the real showbiz life is not just glitter and lights, but made up with sweat, blood and tears.

I would definitely recommend reading. It was a fast read even though it was a long series. It keeps your attention throughout the pages. I will mention that if you are looking for soft sex scenes this might not be your book, but if you don’t mind the sex and looking for a great story you’ll love this series.

I really truly enjoyed this manga. I had moments where I was annoyed and thought about just dropping it and moving on to the next one. But each time I got enthralled again. And I am truly happy that I read the whole thing. It is so touching, beautiful, and truly an amazing love story! It is the kind of love that all girls thrive for and hope that their man will provide. And undying and totally devoted love. The art work was beautiful and detailed. I really enjoyed the eyes. You can really see the depth of their emotions in their eyes. And also theirexpressions are wonderful. I also love that by the end, you can see that they look much more mature and grow up! Aine looks like a mature and beautiful woman, no longer a young girl. Even though Sakuya looks so mature already, by the end he really looks like a mature man. What is so impressive is that it was so gradual, you couldn't tell they were changing, especially Aine. It is more like you look at her at the end and you think,"Wow, she looks so mature!" I really love how Mayu accomplished that! One complaint I do have about the art work is that the main men that came in all looked alike except for the hair style changing a little and the eyes changing a little. But each time you look at them they all look like Sakuya.

Each characters personality was very well developed. So even though they looked similar, their personalities and attitudes truly did set them apart. Everyone was different and unique and the sides stories about the characters just added more depth. You truly are in love with everyone by the end.

The story is very good and intriguing. Even though in some instances it is the same scenario, such as with people trying to tear Sakuya and Aine apart, but they are resolved in different ways and in a way that is unexpected. Each situation is unique to the characters, even though the intent is the same. When I saw the same thing happening again I would get frustrated and annoyed thinking, "This isn't original at all! This happened already!!" But when I would come back I was still just as enthralled, intrigued and moved.

This is honestly a wonderful and amazing story. I would HIGHLY recommend that even if you just happen upon this manga that you should give it a shot and you won't regret it! Even though it's not perfect it's still phenomenal!

Honestly i've read this manga 3 times already. Love the story Love the caracters Love the art! except Aine at the beginning but its understandable since she was only a high school student. And we got to see her grow from a self conscious shy girl to a very confident one. And sakuyaaaa loooove him!! So sexy and overprotective dominant male love it! Bottom line its very good! What else, i love that it gives back stories on every caracter. Also the story shows how the music industry really is and how some people can do anything to acheive their goal, their dream. And lovealways prevails.