Endless Game

With the publication of The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame and now Endless Game, english-language readers are finally able to hold in their hand(s) the incomparable work of Gengoroh Tagame. Unlike The Passion, Endless Game contains a single story, focusing on a young man's seduction into a world of sex show performances and prostitution. While there are certainly elements of coercion and humiliation, this is very different from Tagame's usual extreme BDSM work. There are no ropes, gags or torture. And in fact, as he states in the included notes on the story, the consensual nature of the sex represents food for thought in considering deeper themes. Of course the book is enjoyable on less cerebral levels as well. While it might not have the intensity -- often brutal and horrific as it was -- of many of the oneshots in Passion, the sex scenes are prolific, imaginative and explicit. There is a gallery of compelling characters, drawn and brought to life with Tagame's vivid visual style, and filled out with well-translated and sometimes humorous dialog. And as a bonus, two lush color artworks -- more in keeping with Tagame's usual BDSM style -- are included as surprises on the inner covers. English-language readers are particularly privileged to have access to this book; as Tagame writes on his blog, the work is so recent that it has not yet been compiled and released as a book even in Japan. He has added extra pages, and most exciting, its European publication has allowed its beautiful art to avoid the mutilation by censorship that manga in Japan is subject to these days. A third english-language publication, Gunji , is planned for a 2014 release.

I've seen Tagame's work before, but much of it has been way too extreme for my taste, even repulsive. With this book he takes out all of the S & M elements that were common in his work previously, and this makes the book much more accessible for the average reader. The drawings here are very well done, the storyline is fun and playful, and the sex depicted is hot. I enjoyed this book very much and I give it a high recommendation.

Finally I have in my hands this last volume that was missing in my collection. I really liked the story but especially the art of Gengoroh Tagame. After months of searching I finally have it and so I complete my Tagame collection.

Well this was steamy. Interesting story that keeps you thinking about the path the main character is taking... And what could happen next afterwards. One question to think about while reading.. How far would you go to please a person you really like?

This was amazing! It's really graphic but if thats what you want this is perfect . It also is high quality and alot bigger than I thought it would be.

really really loved the story,it is very fascinating,and the art is superb.

I was really looking forward to Endless Game. I like erotic comics, I like manga, and I've read such high praise for Gengoroh Tagame here on Amazon. But I find the work, or at least this work, really subpar. The storyline is pretty bland, not innovative, not satirical, not even particularly tied into Japanese culture to any extent that I can see (granted, as a Westerner, I may be hugely missing the boat there). The art is perfunctory. The bodies are well sculpted and very explicit--all to the good!--but none of the bodies express more than the most rudimentary personality or individuality. And very little attention, or rather none, is given to detail in any other part of the frame. You might think the characters live in an Ikea warehouse universe, because all the locations have the same sterile, anonymous, impersonal look, like an unrented apartment. I realize that many people will say, "I didn't buy this book for interior decoration tips, I bought it for hot sex," but creating hot sex in an erotic comic, to me, relies on creating an entire erotic world, one in which all the details contribute to the finished product. This looks like Tagame was so obsessed with drawing hot men in hot poses, he didn't consider what sort of world these men might inhabit and how that might help to strengthen his erotic hold on the audience. The obvious comparison to make is with Tom of Finland, or Etienne. They create whole worlds in their panals, the signage, the background figures, the locations all combining to create a specific imagined place, images soaked with atmosphere that reinforce the hot sex of the foreground. And to me that's what distinguishes serviceable pornography from erotic art. I'm honestly surprised Tagame has the reputation he does.

Great story and hot, erotic artwork. Looking forward to more translations of his work, will get all that come out