“Takane Takamine is the goddess of her high school. With perfect grades, athletic prowess, and unrivaled beauty, this student council president is the apple of everyone's eye-including Koushi Shirota, a below-average student with no friends or social prospects whatsoever. But he'll soon find out the secret behind Takamine's unbelievable success-her underwear! When she strips, she can undo any of her past actions, and now that Koushi knows, Takamine won't let him off so easy…” (Yen Press)
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Leading off of the absurd premise of time travel through underwear removal, ” Please Put Them On” is the newest mature title released from Yen Press. More ‘lewd' then ‘hentai', the series is a drama with comedic undertones which offers a titillating tale of erotic humiliation. While awkward teasing of a helpless male in mature manga is common, Yuichi Hiiragi's approach makes this project a noteworthy addition to fans of mature manga.
Notably, the perfectly honed erotic aesthetic of Hiiragi is flawless in its capturing of certain ‘key assets' of Takane. A picturesque beauty, she is not only gifted with looks but physical and mental talent that has made her a stand out among her peers in every manner. Undeniably, the young girl is put on a pedestal, regardless of the task at hand. Celebrating her brains as much as her looks, the character reflects the goddess status that Koushi perceives her as. It is objectification? Certainly, but Takane carries a certain sense of empowerment in her actions that give a needed depth to keep the series from being nothing but a teenage fantasy. Ultimately, Yuichi Hiiragi succeeds in giving the story depth through strong personalities over just devolving into senseless objectification.
The narrative, admittedly, is a bit harder to get behind as its absurdity is essentially a set up for panty shots and bare breasts. Essentially, time travel through underwear disappearance acts as a set up to have Koushi squirm in awkward situations. However, there is a certain appeal to the absurdity that gives the release a nice comedic touch. For example, Koushi tasked with covertly slipping on a pair of panties on Takane during class is a scenario so ridiculous it is hard not to laugh along with his predicament. Essentially, “Please Put Them On” requires the readers to accept the bizarre sequences as they are; they are not intended to be taken seriously.
The first volume leaves the reader with more questions beyond just exactly where the panties end up and how Takane affords to go through dozens of pairs a day. Thankfully, there is substance to the relationship between the two students, even hinting at a past event that may have endeared Takane to Koushi years ago. Overall, the focus of volume is on building awkward perverse scenarios, but the tease of a deeper narrative exploration going forward is a welcome development.
“Please Put Them On” is likely to land as a guilty pleasure for many manga fans.. It is undeniably absurd and enjoyably ‘lewd' with light comedic touches and appealing art from Yuichi Hiiragi. Overall, readers willing to indulge and leave any hang-ups aside will find a lot to love (and ogle) in the erotic tale of time traveling via underwear removal.
