Cover sampler


First, yet another update to the collage-making Perl script. I added a number of tweaks so that I could reduce blank spots and overlap. If my interest holds up, I may add code to search for the largest empty areas more intelligently, but the current version works pretty well, and only took 13 seconds to generate a 1024x4096 collage of 481 naughty-book covers at 36% of their original size.

Warning! Clicking on the thumbnail loads a 1 megabyte JPEG that is unlikely to be work-safe:

Naughty-book cover sampler

Yes, I’m up to 481 covers. Some of them are second-rate, and some of the titles reflect subject matter less innocent than the cover images, but there’s a lot of terrific cheesecake in there. I’m probably going to track down the names of several of the artists so I can look for collections of their work.

One thing I didn’t do as I was idly gathering covers was keep track of the original pages on Amazon, so if I want to do something with the book titles, I have to type them back in by hand. This isn’t too bad, since I can sketch most unfamiliar kanji on my laptop’s trackpad, and find most of the remaining oddballs with Ben Bullock’s Multi-radical search tool, but it turns out that for many of the books, the really spicy bits are in the sub-titles, which are often too small to read. In some cases, the large title is just the series name.

Still, I’ve done enough to confidently state that at least one of the following words appears on the cover of almost every naughty novel in Japan. Sometimes three at once, with three at once. Cut out and save this handy guide!


tsumawife
花嫁hanayomebride
人妻hitozumaanother man's wife
未亡人miboujinwidow
義母gibomother-in-law
義姉gishisister-in-law (elder)
義妹gimaisister-in-law (younger)
兄嫁aniyomeolder brother's wife
伯母/叔母obaaunt (older/younger)
従姉/従妹itokofemale cousin (older/younger)
hahamother
ママmamamother
お姉さんoneesanolder sister (also young woman)
aneolder sister
imoutoyounger sister
姉妹shimaisisters
教師kyoushiteacher
先生senseiteacher
保母さんhobo-sankindergarten teacher
管理人さんkanrinin-sanlandlady
秘書hishoprivate secretary
美人bijinbeautiful woman
美少女bishoujobeautiful girl
恋人koibitolover
天使tenshiangel
天女tennyocelestial maiden
誘惑yuuwakutemptation
あこがれakogareyearning
mitsuhoney
秘密himitsusecret
ないしょnaishosecret
みだらmidaranaughty
煽情senjousuggestive
甘いamaisweet
個人kojinprivate/individual
授業jugyoulesson
学習gakushuututorial/study
温泉onsenhot springs
パラダイスparadaisuparadise
学園gakuenschool
密会mikkaiclandestine meeting
吐息toikisigh
moefascination
香りkaoriscent
ごっくんgokkun"swallowing"