Smut That Doesn't Suck: Milda7
So, who wants to hear about some super queer smut? I don't just mean gay, I mean gender destroying. There is literally not another artist out there I can think of like today's subject, Milda7, also known as Rinsu. See, Milda7 was originally a science fiction manga artist, and they brought that talent into more erotic stories, creating strange machines that would be well at home in an 80s cyberpunk OVA (not to mention all the guns). But the reason I decided to spotlight Milda7 in particular is because of their subject matter and who they are. See, Milda7 has a bit of a masochistic streak they put into their art and stories.
Those stories are about men being forced to dress like women, usually with clothing and make-up that can't be removed for years.
I should mention that Milda7 is a real life crossdresser.
Milda7 specializes in a fetish known as feminization. Not to be confused with genderbend stories (which are usually just sex changes, a topic for another day), feminization is a dominance based fetish where a male is forced to dress and act female. It doesn't pop up a lot, but what I have come across has never reached the sheer levels of dedication of a Milda7 work. It's strange I was surprised to find out the artist was a crossdresser years after discovering their work, because stepping back and looking at it again really shows a perspective you probably wouldn't see from someone without some first hand experience or deep interest in the subject.
I did some digging around their blogs and websites and found a few things of note. Their sci-fi manga postings was one thing, but Milda7 also posted an autobiographical comic about the first time they dabbled with forced crossdress play. Also, lots of selfies, which is great. Oh, and they may be a military otaku, which seems strange at first, but does explain many of their work revolving around an all-women espionage group who use their vast resources and armory to make boys wear dresses that are glued to their skin forever. I'm honestly not sure if this is just hobby to them, or part of actual tactical operations. I think it's a mixture of both at times, honestly. I should also mention many of their earlier works have continuity between them, and these women are reoccurring antagonists. They even get names. It's wild.
As Milda's career has gone on, their work has become more explicit, starting significantly with a character narrated comic on a train about an encounter with a molester. However, many of their works are simply focused on the being forced to be feminine aspect instead of anything overly sexual, including one comic I'm translating called Takashi OL (aka office lady). Outside the last few pages that get into the body modification stuff and one single sex scene, the majority of the surprisingly long comic is focused on humiliation and subtle brainwashing, as the main character is under the influence of a strange perfume that causes him to subconsciously present as female, manipulated by the company's head. A lot of the story is just long stretches of Takashi finding some sort of satisfaction from crossdressing, while being unable to interact with the people around them for most of the comic. The turning point ends up being late in, where Takashi starts accepting a female identity and becomes somewhat comfortable in the role, up until the company head tries breaking them out of that role to see their humiliated expression.
The key element of most Milda7 works is BDSM, with male leads being cast into unfamiliar status and being bent to the will of others, usually women, sometimes men. But what sets their work apart is that they trade cuffs and collars for make-up and hair-dos. Dresses and ribbons are put on in such a way that the wearers can't actually remove them, like inhumanly tightly tied hair ribbons, uncuttable hair extensions, or make-up that doesn't wear off for years – if at all. There's even one comic where a group of women use teleportation technology to bind female garb to the very atomic structure of an all male crew. It's also notable that these outfits are never presented in a realistic manner. They're always cartoonishly feminine, with big hair, gaudy accessories, loads of make-up, and outfits that value frilliness over utility. The average woman in these works looks like an average woman in sensible wear, but those forced into feminine roles are given showy, loud wear. They can't be seen as anything else but women.
Exaggerated elements get used a lot to get characters in these situations, which is where Milda's work really shines. That past experience with sci-fi manga comes into play as villains love using absurdly intricate machines in some stories, and they look like the products of nightmares. They're darkly colored and have all sorts of strange shapes and forms, with a large variety of claws, cables and wires. They also come in a wide variety of shapes, including a strange flying bondage dress, or make-up appliers with a ton of little claws and arms moving about. We sometimes even get to see monsters, and they take heavily from darker 80s OVA affair and the work of Giger. Milda7 works have a very strange atmosphere because of touches like these, but its the coloring that really makes in whole.
Milda7 works mainly with pencils and charcoal. Their works are black and white, but feel almost unreal most times because of the odd shading that can be achieved from these utensils. Much of their work also has fade in borders, with images on a one color background. It makes it seem like you're viewing something in a haze, like catching a glimpse of a dream. It's usually used to great effect, both to create threatening atmosphere or give the feeling of a creeping force in the background, but it can also simply emphasize the surreal nature of some stories. Like, in a way, the artist is exploring and expressing an aspect of themselves within their work, something they can't fully explore in their real life. This makes color that is present all the more impactful, as it's often useful to show how unnatural the wear and changing personalities of the leads are, but not necessarily unwelcome. The worlds of these works feel naturally threatening, and the bright colors and lively patterns that appear with clothing and make-up are presented as something lovely or comforting. It's only further offset by an increased darkness around everything else at times.
The more pretentious part of me is fascinated with these works because they feel like the artist is exploring their own gender identity at times, or simply their sexuality. That autobiographical comic I mentioned gives signals that Milda may be more than a fetishist, describing their own fixation on femininity. I've mentioned it before when discussing some thoughts from a bigender friend of mine, but crossdressing fetishism is usually used by those questioning their gender identity to explore and contextualize the idea of not being their assigned gender. It just makes Milda more interesting as an artist, as they state in their Twitter profile that they're a boy by day, and woman by night.
There's also little details in these works themselves. Milda doesn't just focus on the normal feminine signifiers, but the details often ignored that really show their interest in femininity. Takashi OL, for instance, puts a ton of focus on Takashi wearing a hair-do that shows the back of their neck completely. That's a feminine thing, but not one that comes up often among the average person's views on femininity. There's also the presence of strange items like weighted earrings or flower decorated swimcaps, which are far too specific and unseen among normal fashions. These are works made by someone who cares deeply about how they present themselves to the world.
Milda7 stories are a strange mixture of erotic, intoxicating, hilarious, and shocking. I really can't say I've seen an artist quite like them, and we'll probably never see someone similar. Everything about them is original, and I'm glad to see them experiment more with comics outside their smut comfort zone nowadays. I can't say for sure if Milda7 themselves are queer or not, but their work definitely is.
Those stories are about men being forced to dress like women, usually with clothing and make-up that can't be removed for years.
I should mention that Milda7 is a real life crossdresser.
I did some digging around their blogs and websites and found a few things of note. Their sci-fi manga postings was one thing, but Milda7 also posted an autobiographical comic about the first time they dabbled with forced crossdress play. Also, lots of selfies, which is great. Oh, and they may be a military otaku, which seems strange at first, but does explain many of their work revolving around an all-women espionage group who use their vast resources and armory to make boys wear dresses that are glued to their skin forever. I'm honestly not sure if this is just hobby to them, or part of actual tactical operations. I think it's a mixture of both at times, honestly. I should also mention many of their earlier works have continuity between them, and these women are reoccurring antagonists. They even get names. It's wild.
The key element of most Milda7 works is BDSM, with male leads being cast into unfamiliar status and being bent to the will of others, usually women, sometimes men. But what sets their work apart is that they trade cuffs and collars for make-up and hair-dos. Dresses and ribbons are put on in such a way that the wearers can't actually remove them, like inhumanly tightly tied hair ribbons, uncuttable hair extensions, or make-up that doesn't wear off for years – if at all. There's even one comic where a group of women use teleportation technology to bind female garb to the very atomic structure of an all male crew. It's also notable that these outfits are never presented in a realistic manner. They're always cartoonishly feminine, with big hair, gaudy accessories, loads of make-up, and outfits that value frilliness over utility. The average woman in these works looks like an average woman in sensible wear, but those forced into feminine roles are given showy, loud wear. They can't be seen as anything else but women.
Milda7 works mainly with pencils and charcoal. Their works are black and white, but feel almost unreal most times because of the odd shading that can be achieved from these utensils. Much of their work also has fade in borders, with images on a one color background. It makes it seem like you're viewing something in a haze, like catching a glimpse of a dream. It's usually used to great effect, both to create threatening atmosphere or give the feeling of a creeping force in the background, but it can also simply emphasize the surreal nature of some stories. Like, in a way, the artist is exploring and expressing an aspect of themselves within their work, something they can't fully explore in their real life. This makes color that is present all the more impactful, as it's often useful to show how unnatural the wear and changing personalities of the leads are, but not necessarily unwelcome. The worlds of these works feel naturally threatening, and the bright colors and lively patterns that appear with clothing and make-up are presented as something lovely or comforting. It's only further offset by an increased darkness around everything else at times.
There's also little details in these works themselves. Milda doesn't just focus on the normal feminine signifiers, but the details often ignored that really show their interest in femininity. Takashi OL, for instance, puts a ton of focus on Takashi wearing a hair-do that shows the back of their neck completely. That's a feminine thing, but not one that comes up often among the average person's views on femininity. There's also the presence of strange items like weighted earrings or flower decorated swimcaps, which are far too specific and unseen among normal fashions. These are works made by someone who cares deeply about how they present themselves to the world.
Comments
Post a Comment