It feels weird to be reviewing not just softcore erotica, but a manga series that is softcore erotica, but here I am. I attribute this to the fact that other series by Katsu Aki have gotten releases here, but undoubtedly his biggest work, in terms of length, and the one that he will most likely be remembered for after his passing – like Toriyama with Dragonball & Dr. Slump – is Futari Ecchi, a series that seeks to both educate and arouse. So, when the first volume of We Started A Threesome ended on a cliffhanger related to the risk of sexual assault, I felt a little hesitant to recommend it. I feel a little better about a recommendation now, though it’s still one with some caveats.

Also, no cover excerpt this time, it’s very NSFW.

To get this out of the way right off the bat – there is no sexual assault coming out of volume 1’s cliffhanger, so good news there. Bad news, sexual assault related to Emito does come up in this volume, though it’s kept off-panel.

So, the focus this volume, to an extent, is two-fold. On the one hand, as we get to know the jerk who was harassing Emito further, we’re also exploring different styles of polyamory outside of the nesting throuple that Lia, Emito, and Suisei are in. On the other hand, the depiction of other forms of ethical non-monogamy – and it’s clear in this depiction that everyone involved in this guy’s other group are practicing ethical polyamory (in spite of his own rapeyness with Emito) – is implied to have considerably more drama and tension to it than what Lia’s more stable trio has. Now, some of this is implied to be the fault of the guy, but we don’t really have anything to compare with, which is also aggravated by the fact that while it’s established that he is sexually (if not romantically) interested in Emito, there aren’t any other guys in his group.

Speaking of which, I do appreciate that this volume does establish that Emito is bisexual, being attracted not only to Lia, but to Suisei as well, though it’s not made entirely clear in this volume if Suisei is also bi. It’s also established that Emito has his own trauma as well – but unlike Lia’s, it is actually related to sexual assault. We don’t see it happen, but we get it established that Emito was sexually assaulted as a minor by a relative (possibly a parent), and that relative is still interested in sexually assaulting him now. Now, there’s a whole book that has been written on Polyamory and Trauma – Polysecure – but I haven’t had the opportunity to actually read it before I read this volume of manga (I didn’t even know it existed on the initial reading), so I can’t say how well this aspect of polyamory is represented. Still, it’s something I need to mention, if only as a heads-up for those would run into problems if they are blindsided by that.

Also, a quick note about the cover – it shows all 3 members of the core trio nude, though with no visible nipples or other genitals. It’s certainly representative of the content within the book, but while you could probably get away with reading volume 1 in a waiting room or on the bus without anyone giving too much of a side-eye unless they looked over your shoulder, this one you definitely can’t get away with reading in public, unless you’re reading a digital version.

That said, a lot of the rest of volume 1’s major points apply here as well – the sex is well drawn softcore. Introducing the idea that Emito is bi does shake some of the heteronormativity of the first volume out, though I would have preferred a depiction of other structures (or lack thereof) of polyamory that depicted them as being as normal as what our main trio has, and some trans representation would have been nice too (reportedly some later chapters of Futari Ecchi included some trans characters into the supporting cast).

We Started A Threesome Vol. 2 is available from Amazon & Bookshop.org (Affiliate Links).

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