What's It About?

Newlyweds Kurumi and Keiichirou have had a happy first year of marriage getting to know one another and starting their new life together. Except one major thing is missing--they haven't had sex!

Despite being married for a full year, the two have yet to consummate their union and so far there are no signs of that changing. And as their anniversary approaches, Kurumi wonders if they'll ever take things to the next level. While she loves her husband and all his quirks, what she really wants is for him to satisfy the burning desire within her! But with both of them being completely inexperienced and easily flustered, their wedded bliss could turn into a serious pent-up mess!

Virgin Marriage: A Maiden Voyage into Passion's Embrace has story by Chizu Aoi and art by Kiichi Kojima. English translation by Amber Tamosaitis and lettering by Jamil Stewart. Published by Seven Seas (April 22, 2025). Rated M.

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

Does the fact that there are what feels like a ridiculous amount of manga about couples who don't understand sex indicate that sex education in Japan is dire? Maybe, but when one of those series is Virgin Marriage, it's hard to get too wound up about it. The third series in English from writer Chizu Aoi (the others are Loved by Two Fiancés and The The Yakuza and His Omega: Raw Desire, and yes, they're both Steamship titles), Virgin Marriage is all about finding your own pace and enthusiastic consent. It's hard to argue with a story where male lead Keiichiro constantly reassures female lead Kurumi that there's nothing wrong with taking things at your own pace and that there's really no such thing as “normal.”

Or at least, that's what he says, but he's not always great at sticking to it in practice. He is still actively looking for Kurumi's consent when they mutually agree to consummate their marriage, but he also gets a lot carried away and begins moving faster than she's strictly comfortable with. That's part of the fetish the story is working with, of course – Kurumi's protests are meant to be surface-level, with his enthusiasm allowed to be more overt because he's the man. This is supported by other sexist moments in the text, such as the implication that only men masturbate – he teaches her how to touch his penis, but she has no idea how he should touch her clitoris. It's a bit off-putting in a story that's otherwise very keen on the two being equal partners in their endeavors, especially since both of them are meant to be inexperienced.

The plot also doesn't do quite enough with Kurumi's backstory, which involves bad experiences with men that have made her sex avoidant. She's not asexual, she has trauma, and while the author is using that as an explanation, it's too serious a topic to just be brought up and used as an excuse. It's also not amazing that Kurumi is traumatized but Keiichiro is just awkward with women; again it feels like the author is just sort of flinging tropes at the wall to see what sticks.

Still, as far as these “we don't know sex” series go, this one is cute. Kurumi and Keiichiro are sweet and adorable together, and the art doesn't shy away from portrayals of female desire and has at least a rough idea of the anatomy. Our couple is devoted to each other and determined to make things work, so if you like sweet with your saucy, this is a good Steamship series to take a chance on.

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MrAJCosplay
Rating:

Sex can be very funny. It can be awkward, uncomfortable, or emotionally satisfying. Your mileage will vary depending on your preferences and overall experiences, but you cannot deny that it can also be funny. Virgin Marriage is an incredibly wholesome adult series that isn't afraid to play around with the idea that working up to sex can hold a lot of comedic potential, and I love it for that.

This is the story of two young adults who have never had any sexual experience before and, in a twist, actually got married very quickly due to an arranged date by their families. I like how immediate these two clicked and the idiosyncrasies that they share. Their love of flowers is cute, and I like the running gag that the two will often share fun facts about animals and the like as a means of covering up their nervousness. These two are just an awkward nerdy couple with really good chemistry.

It's a simple story about them working up the nerve to want to be intimate with each other that feels genuine. There isn't any forced drama here, even if the story tricks you into thinking there's going to be. The main conflict is just kept incredibly mundane, like trying to earn enough money to buy sexy lingerie or learning what an orgasm is for the first time. There is a setup at the beginning about our female lead having somewhat of a physical sex related trauma that I wish the story had explored a bit more, instead of it just being an excuse for why they haven't had sex yet despite being together for almost 2 years. In that regard, it's a little disappointing, but I think the story has enough charm to make up for it.