How To Get Dumped In Style
Don’t have the courage to break up with your girlfriend? Try becoming a pervert!
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Kubukurin
Translation/Adaptation: Barbara Vincent
What They Say
Kazuma is ready to end his relationship with Minowa, an older woman, but can’t bear the guilt of doing it himself. In a last-ditch effort to get dumped, Kazuma tries asking for some rather peculiar changes in the bedroom. But how does Minowa react? Other short stories include a beautiful female detective who investigates adulterers, a young Japanophile foreigner, an aspiring actress, and more!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
How To Get Dumped In Style is not an instruction manual but rather a collection of non-related stories featuring men and women who use sex as a means to take their relationships to the next level or, at the very least, recognize and solidify the emotional bonds that bring them together.
Oddly enough, most Project-H of this ilk usually open with the headlining title before exploring branching off into different sexual territories. In this case, “How To Get Dumped In Style” appears halfway through the book. In it, Kazuma confides to a friend his intention to break up with Minowa, his lovely, sweet natured and attentive girlfriend. He doesn’t offer a specific reason for this decision and when pressed, he grows distant. Kazuma’s friend, acting like Anchorman’s Brian Fantana, suggests that the best way to break up with a girl is to become a pervert, to scare them out of the relationship by requesting seriously naughty fun time. Taking the advice to heart, Kazuma begs Minowa to put on a swimsuit before sex, something she is more than happy to do. With the plan backfired, Kazuma confesses that he doesn’t feel good enough to be Minowa’s boyfriend, that sleeping with her is akin to taking advantage of the woman’s good nature. Minowa rebuffs his confession and calms his troubled heart, allowing Kazuma to fully give himself fully to his lover in an intense love scene. The conclusion features a funny, unexpected surprise that sheds new light on their relationship.
The remaining stories in the book feature familiar pairings and set ups. A spurned wife falls for another man while investigating her husband’s infidelities, a voice actress worries over her lover’s inability to differentiate herself from the character she portrays, a childhood friend comes to the rescue to cure impotence, a brother helps his British Japanophile stepsister understand the country’s customs, a maid is caught in the middle of two heirs vying for an inheritance, and things escalate pretty quickly between a member of the school’s Knight Club and the sister of a Kendo Club student.
As to be expected, some stories are better than others.
“Whisper To Me” was an instant favorite because of how it found a way to sexualize a woman’s voice. Naoyuki often calls his girlfriend Yuki “Stella,” the name of the actress she does the voiceover for localized films. Whether its during an afternoon walk or intimacy, Naoyuki can’t stop calling by the name. Although Naoyuki swears his love for Yuki is pure and stable, Yuki is no less distress by his obsession. Her solution to the problem is surprisingly selfless. Yuki ties down and blindfolds Naoyuki, giving him the chance to imagine having sex with Stella. The game goes over very well with Naoyuki at first, but the experience helps him to separate Stella’s persona from Yuki. I enjoyed how the story visually conveys the change, depicting Naoyuki having sex with Stella who then transforms back into Yuki once he learns to recognize her body. It is easily the sweetest story of the set.
On the opposite end of things, “Master By Contract” is weak both in content and resolution. Takuma and Shuji are cousins who have been chosen by their uncle to inherit his property: a large mansion occupied by Yue, a humble maid. Shuji takes immediate advantage of Yue, forcing her to dress up in various outfits while having his way with her. Shuji feels free to do what he wants, as he intends to not accept the inheritance, thinking it is comprised entirely of debt. The story ends with Takuma taking ownership of the house and with no satisfying conclusion, the ending raises further questions. Furthermore, the last minute suggestion that Yue and Takuma were childhood friends is too contrite to ignore.
From an artistic standpoint, Kubukirin designs his women to look as realistic as possible. Much attention is paid to drawing women in a manner that suggests a knowledge and understanding of the human form. You won’t find cartoonish characters with super slim waists or comically huge breasts sizes. The artwork’s only pitfall is that the faces for each character tend to look the same, with hairstyles being the feature that separates the female cast from one another. Kubukirin doesn’t go wild with the sex scenes, which do not stray far from missionary positions. Male genetalia is censored using the “rounded shaft of white light” style while women’s private parts are strategically covered up by their hands. Each sex scene favors covering the female character in a large amount of bodily fluid, with prominent climax scenes implying that they’ve been having sex with firehoses.
In Summary
How To Get Dumped In Style is a breezy and entertaining read. Some of the stories could have been if given more room to grow and develop, either through additional chapters or their own book. The good ones, however, will certainly leave an impression.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: Mature (For Adults 18+ Only)
Released By: Project-H
Release Date: June 10th, 2014
MSRP: $17.95