The Spring 2021 Manga Guide

Dick Fight Island

What's It About? 

The tournament to choose the next king of the islands is about to begin. The rules are simple—whoever comes first loses! Participating warriors protect their mighty swords with armor that grows larger and more elaborate with each tournament. But one warrior has returned from studying abroad with a technique certain to force a pleasurable eruption! Is there a competitor alive able to withstand it? Or is this deft warrior destined to become king?!

Dick Fight Island is drawn and scripted by Reibun Ike and SuBLime Manga has released its first volume on digital platforms and in print for $6.99 and $12.99 respectively

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

Put this one on the list of "books I wouldn't have thought to pick up if not for work." Dick Fight Island is basically what it sounds like: a battle manga about guys waging war with their wangs, albeit perhaps not in the way you're thinking. Then again, it's published by SuBLime, so maybe it's exactly in the way you're thinking; because if you've ever read a shounen battle manga and thought, "Gee, I love all of this homoerotic subtext," then you are about to become one very, very happy reader.

The plot of the story revolves around an archipelago of tropical islands that somehow remained undiscovered until the late 20th century. Each island in the chain has its own unique culture, but they all share one very specific cultural trait: the beauty standard revolves around men's butts. In fact, boys yearn for the day when they, too, will be deemed old enough to wear the ass-baring pants that are the usual attire for adult males. Either in tandem with this or because of this, along with an ancient cult of python worship, every four years a king of all of the islands is chosen in a contest of endurance…sexual endurance, that is. Yes, the men all face off in a tournament to see who can go the longest without ejaculating, and the final man standing is the next king. (Or can choose a king.) Chosen contestants spend four years training between tournaments in a regimen that isn't considered sexual at all. In fact, when two of the competitors end up pairing off, people think it's a little odd.

This year, of course, things are going to be a little different, because one of the contestants has spent the last four years attending university in England, where his roommate (who would really rather be considered his boyfriend or lover) taught him a secret unknown on the islands: the prostate! Yes, now he has a secret weapon on his side, and he's going to use it…probably. Because, you know, now he's actually in love with his roommate Matthew and while he doesn't want to disappoint his people, he's also not that keen on getting sexy with other men. This romance plot aside, the whole thing really is as ridiculous as it sounds.

And you know what? It's actually kind of fun. It's not my usual thing, but it has a good sense of humor about its ludicrous factor (in fact, I'd argue that it's deliberately silly; just look at that dick armor – some of it has axe blades on it), and it feels like the creator has made an attempt to actually create a fantasy culture rather than letting the concept do all the work. Plus it's largely uncensored with no lightsaber penises, which will make a difference to some readers, and most of the men are very masculine looking, which sets it apart from a lot of other BL. I wouldn't suggest it for everyone, but if you're into goofy BL and crazy crotch armor, this is a surprising amount of insane fun.

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Lynzee Loveridge

Rating: Oh. My. God.

Alright kiddos, you'll have to sit this one out. Dick Fight Island, possibly surprising no one, is porn. There's a lot of dicks of various sizes flopping about in these 200-odd pages, and the very nature of the plot means a lot of opportunities for ADULT CONTENT. So now that I have warned you, let me tell you why this work defies our rating system. The very premise of a "1-5” system cannot account for things like cultural cock battles. Exactly what metric do we attribute to gladiator-style games of chicken where the first one to ejaculate loses?

That is the premise of Dick Fight Island, the story of a chain of just recently discovered islands where an elected member of each clan fights in the WYRM TOURNAMENT in elaborate dick armor in order to cause the other to erotically cry “Uncle” first. The last man standing can crown himself or his clan chief as The King of Sexy Islands. The contestants all have unique looks and battle approaches (and in some cases preexisting relationships) that factor into the individual battles. What's most important though is that you don't take any of it too seriously. This is a culture where assless chaps are equated to cultural costume after all.

And honestly? Some of the relationships are actually kind of cute. There's some sincerity between a few couples that makes the shenanigans a little more enticing when the premise could have made it all shallow and silly. And it is silly! One clan member basically introduces the concept of the prostate to an entire population that has been ceremoniously jerking one another off for time immemorial. But still, I laughed a handful of times and the art is all very attractive. So hey, this manga is exactly what it says on the tin and I appreciate its unabashed confidence.