''Cut'' is a one-shot Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

written and illustrated by

Toko Kawai Toko is a small rural settlement 10 kilometres east of Stratford, New Zealand, at the intersection of East Road ( State Highway 43) and Toko Road. It is located on a railway, the Stratford–Okahukura Line, the western portion of which was op ...

. It was serialized in

Biblos Byblos ( ; gr, Βύβλος), also known as Jbeil or Jubayl ( ar, جُبَيْل, Jubayl, locally ; phn, 𐤂𐤁𐤋, , probably ), is a city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is believed to have been first occupied between 88 ...

's magazine, ''Magazine Be x Boy'', finishing at 5 chapters. It is licensed in North America by

Digital Manga Publishing Digital Manga is a California-based publishing company that licenses and releases Japanese manga, anime, and related merchandise in the English language. Digital Manga also owns and operates eManga, a digital publishing site for manga and ...

, which released the manga through its imprint, Juné, on March 25, 2009. It is licensed in France as ''Juste au Coin de la Rue'' by

Taifu Comics ''Taifu'' (大夫) was a noble title in Japan, denoting a court rank between First Rank and Fifth Rank under the ''Ritsuryō'' system. It was also commonly used to refer to a holder of Fifth Rank, but also for holders of Fourth and Fifth Rank, t ...

. Biblos released the manga on March 10, 2003.

Plot

Sakaguchi is in a sexual relationship with his stepfather who is abusive, but he enjoys the pain because it helps mask darker memories from his past. He then meets another student with a troubled background, who may be the person to help him stop his self-inflicted pain.

Reception

Coolstreak Comics' Leroy Douresseaux comments on the author's "evocative art, in which she emphasizes emotion in body language, facial expressions". Active Anime's Holly Ellingwood also comments on the

manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...

's art saying, "the more serious overtones of this story give the artist a chance to show the more stark and dramatic side to her illustrations and imagination". Pop Shock Culture's Michelle Smith comments on the scenes "involving

incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...

and

masochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...

" saying, they are "not played for titillation".

References

2008 manga Drama anime and manga Digital Manga Publishing titles Manga anthologies Josei manga Yaoi anime and manga {{manga-stub