Avant-Garde Yumeko is certainly funny, but as expected, Oshimi manages to make his premise into a statement rather than a comedic feast of awkwardness. Whether you want the silly concept to deliver on laughs or you’re looking for Oshimi’s sexual psychology you should be satisfied, and either way the investment is low at a single volume. The return fit my expectations more than, say, Sweet Poolside did. This hits much of the same notes with its cute coming-of-age romance plot, but the sexual tension behind everything feels much more present and thus gives deeper depths to the characters and themes.

Which isn’t to say Avant-Garde Yumeko isn’t simple—it definitely is—but more importantly, its simple message and character motivations have heart and sincerity to them. This story, while seemingly absurd, may resonate a lot with anyone who remembers their awkward, difficult, restrained adolescent period or those who are going through it right this moment. The framework of a girl obsessed with drawing penises may obfuscate this for some, but look at the details behind it all such as the shame, not understanding unfamiliar bodily urges, and denying your own sexuality, and you’re almost certain to find emotions you’ve been through before yourself.

This is what makes Oshimi at his best so brilliant. He looks at these situations with a sense of humor that the hindsight of an adult gives him, looking back as to how convoluted we make sex as young adults, but at the same time he doesn’t deny the actual importance and relevance these extreme reactions have on adolescents and shaping them into adults.

If Yumeko’s phallic-obsessed personality seems too basic and flat, there’s a reason for all that. This is the phase before someone becomes interesting, when their natural desires lead them to places they never imagined, discovering new ideas behind the thick fog of pubescence. Yumeko and her friend begin to become full people only after this manga is over, and that’s how you know Oshimi is still attuned to the days of his youth.

Addendum: As of writing this, I cannot find the one-shot Superfly anywhere on the internet in English. If you’re reading this and have found it, please let me know. I would love to read it.