Akane Torikai's manga KISSING MACHINE depicts a matriarchal future where the male population has nearly vanished. the narrative centers on Sanada, an acupuncturist, and Reiho, a male sex worker, as they navigate a society still plagued by systemic oppression.
The Social Chasm Between Not Town and The Town
The setting of KISSING MACHINE is defined by a stark geographic and social divide. According to the report, the story takes place in Not Town, a slum where residents find a degree of freedom through hustling and survival. This impoverished area stands in direct contrast to The Town, a decadent metropolis where luxury is abundant but personal liberty is severely restricted.
Within this divide, the characters Sanada and Reiho represent the fringes of this society. Sanada, a fair-haired acupuncturist, exists as an outcast in Not Town, while Reiho is the only man she has ever encountered. As the source reported, Reiho's role as a sex worker serves as a narrative device to explore compromised agency, illustrating that even in a world dominated by women, certain individuals remain disposable tools for the elite.
Why the Policing of Menstruation Informs the Narrative
While the premise of a post-male world often leads to escapist fantasies, Akane Torikai uses the setting to critique the persistence of patriarchal structures. The story suggests that the machinery of control does not vanish simply because the gender in power changes. Instead,the narrative explores how bodily autonomy continues to be policed regardless of who holds authority.
The report notes that Akane Torikai draws a parallel between her fictional dystopia and contemporary anxieties, specifically the fear of menstruation becoming illegl in the United States. By grounding the speculative fiction of KISSING MACHINE in these real-world fears, Torikai argues that the fight for autonomy is a universal struggle against systemic control rather than a conflict between specific genders.
The Evolution from Sora no Shizuku to Speculative Fiction
This venturre into speculative fiction is a departure for Akane Torikai, who began her career writing shojo manga for young girls before moving into josei and seinen demographics. Her previous work often tackled harrowing subjects with a feminist lens, most notably in her 2013 psychological drama Sora no Shizuku. That series focused on a high school teacher and a student bonding over shared experiences of sexual assault and the pressure to maintain a facade of normalcy in society .
The thematic continuity between Sora no Shizuku and KISSING MACHINE lies in Torikai's refusal to offer easy platitudes. By blending distressing themes of trauma and power imbalances with moments of levity—such as Sanada drinking Starbucks while navigating her refuge—Akane Torikai creates a narrative that is as human as it is bleak.
Fantagraphics's Hige Imprint and the 2017 Localization
Although originally published in 2017, KISSING MACHINE is only now reaching English-speaking audiences via Hige, the East Asian comics imprint of Fantagraphics. The localization brings a work that Torikai admitted she was nervous to write, given it was her first foray into the speculative genre.
Despite the depth of the thematic analysis, certain elements of the world-building remain obscured.. The source does not detail the specific catalyst that led to the near-extinction of men, nor does it elaborate on the specific "lived experiences" Torikai claims informed the story's views on family and class . Furthermore, the report focuses exclusively on the critical reception of the work, leaving the specific reactions of the original Japanese readership unaddressed.
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