Okay, maybe I should have just come right out and said it. This month's mixtape is the soundtrack to my imaginary television version of a hentai manga named Take On Me and renamed DOMIN-8 ME when it was published in the US. It's the story of a young man named Tomonori who, in a very awkward way, tries to blackmail a schoolmate of his into sex, only to find that said schoolmate, the tall and sexy Hikaru, is far more perverted than he could have ever imagined and turns the tables on him in ways he never imagined. Tomonori represents every geek who doesn't know how to even say hi to a girl, let alone ask one out on a date, but the otaku fantasy ends with Hikaru's insatiable libido. Their relationship isn't based on emotions or love, just sex, but Tomonori does like Hikaru and she doesn't want anyone else. He is her fantasy, someone who will indulge her every fantasy and try just about anything, be it an alternate orifice, a three-way, an orgy, anything that comes to her mind because even though he's scared and shocked there is no way he would ever want it to stop. She can use him, abuse him, share him if she chooses, he will always be faithful.
There is much more to the story than just Tomonori and Hikaru screwing each other's brains out. Hikaru's sister, Kei, is a 26 year old virgin who has never had much interest in the opposite sex, in part because the opposite sex hasn't had any interest in her. Despite being 26, she appears much younger and lacks curves and a chest, but it doesn't help that she has anger issues which has lead to any guy being remotely interested in her finding himself physically assaulted. Upon discovering Hikaru's relationship, she decides it's time to explore her sexuality by beating up Tomonori and trying to force him into sex, which leads to all sorts of convoluted antics. On top of that, Tomonori's friend Koichi is also in an interesting relationship with the angry Ryoko, Hikaru's rival since childhood. Ryoko is also the dominant force in her relationship, although she dominates by playing submissive to Koichi and forcing him to dominate her. Koichi, despite having a more successful history with women than Tomonori, is still shocked by the forward nature of his girlfriend and her libido and asks for Tomonori's guidance. Of course, once Hikaru and Ryoko meet up, their relationships become a competition and just about every nasty fantasy any of them ever had gets fulfilled.
Despite everything I've said, I don't want anyone thinking this manga is just about sex. I found myself relating to the characters and wanting to learn more about what makes them tick. In a way, Take On Me/DOMIN-8 ME is kind of like the pornographic Scott Pilgrim, hitting upon all sorts of things that people can relate to while also hitting them with lots of things they may never have thought about before. It's certainly not for everyone, and it's VERY ADULT, but I've always felt it was better to live outside the box and try to keep my mind open. I'm not as open-minded as I'd like to be sometimes (I still don't care for most contemporary country music), but knowing that is the best way to work on yourself and I'll keep on living outside the box as long as I'm alive.
Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, this is my imaginary soundtrack to what Take On Me/DOMIN-8 ME would be like if it were a television program. I've included some notes as to why some tracks were chosen or where they would be used in the imaginary series. I hope you find it interesting and this will probably be the last post I ever have about a hentai manga. In the next week there will be another mixtape posted which has NOTHING to do with sex and there will be another Fripp related post too. I'm also writing my Wesley Willis post and that one will be pretty cool if it turns out like I want it to. Thanks for reading and enjoy!
September 2010 Mixtape: Take On Me/DOMIN-8 ME
01 Error - Nothing's Working
This is what I'd imagine would be playing while Kei was kicking Tomonori's ass and then trying to figure out how to make him work.
02 Public Image Ltd. - Track 8
This is the soundtrack to Kei's boring life and her discovery of Hikaru's cache of videos with Tomonori. I'm sure you can guess what kind of videos they are.
03 The Joy Formidable - Cradle
The sound of life moving at the speed of light, or at the speed of an eighteen year old, pretty much the same thinig.
04 A Certain Ratio - Shack Up
Tomonori learns all about Hikaru's kinky ways.
05 Kreeps - All I Wanna Do Is Break Some Hearts (Mungolian Jet Set's Exit To the Jaja Mix)
Wild sex. WIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLDDDDD SEX!
06 Plaid - Abla Eedio
I thought this would be the perfect soundtrack to Hikaru loaning Tomonori to Kei for educational purposes.
07 69 - Jam The Box (Radio Edit)
With a name like Jam The Box and the rhythms contained within, what else could this be the soundtrack to?
08 Beastie Boys - 3-Minute Rule (Instrumental)
I thought this would be fitting music for early in the story when you learn about Tomonori and how he met Hikaru. That introduction, while dealing with sexuality, is more about Tomonori's sheepish nature and his confused and immature decision to blackmail Hikaru, as well as his guilt.
09 The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
Outside, in the rain. Inside, Hikaru telling Tomonori that it doesn't matter that she's 6'1 and he's a lot shorter, all that matters is that he can perform.
10 John Oswald - net
I imagined this as the soundtrack to a commercial or trailer for the program. A lot of start and stop. My brother always said that heavy metal was great sex music. I've never thought that Metallica was appropriate music for such intimate moments, but I think I understand what he was talking about.
11 Galt MacDermot - Space
Tomonori's soundtrack to walking Hikaru to the doctor's office, to which they never make it.
12 Gai/Jin - M.O.D. Theme
Baseball! Seriously, baseball. That's not slang for anything.
13 The Juan MacLean - La Chine
The soundtrack to the first appearance of Koichi and Ryoko's complicated relations.
14 Max de Wardener - Hundreds and Thousands
I thought this would be an appropriate piece for a sequence that takes place outside the story where Tomonori is watching an adult video. The story in the video takes over that chapter.
15 Frank Zappa - I Promise...
I see this piece recurring somewhat frequently in sexually uncomfortable situations.
16 Kraftwerk - Numbers (Single Version)
The soundtrack to the initial showdown between Hikaru and Ryoko with Tomonori and Koichi as the pawns. Clothes are off, of course.
17 Cornershop - Candyman
Tomonori and Koichi discussing their relationships with each other. Tomonori realizing he's less of a wuss than he thought he was.
18 Jungle Brothers - Blahbludify
The final orgy.
19 David Bowie - It's No Game (Part 1)
This is the theme song. All the chaos, the Japanese translation, the screaming, the raw beginning and ending. Chaos can be a glorious thing.
20 Pizzicato Five - Airplane '96
The closing theme, crazy and fun.
21 Squarepusher - Smedley's Melody
Incidental music for some of the lighter moments.
PS - Just in case anyone is wondering about a few of the terms I was using...
Manga: Comics and print cartoons conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th century.
Otaku: a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga, or video games.
Hentai: A Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to sexually explicit or pornographic comics and animation, particularly those of Japanese origin such as anime, manga and computer games.
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