Book excerpt: Torikai's work is a frank and nuanced examination of the emotional and practical effects of sexual violence, rendering the messy realities in gorgeously refined linework and dialogue far more naturalistic than most manga. The author veers away from blunt indictment to paint one of the most complex and fascinating psychological portraits of both rapist and victim in any medium. Very much not just for manga fans, Sensei's Pious Lie will appeal to readers of graphic novels and literary fiction in general. 24-year-old Misuzu Hara is a shy, introverted high school teacher, content to play the passive role of observer...until her quiet life is shaken to its foundations by two men: one her friend’s fiancé, the other her own student. In Sensei’s Pious Lie, Akane Torikai weaves a complex web of sex, ambivalence, desire, and violence that combines to produce one of the most nuanced and affecting explorations of the intersection between power and gender available in any medium. 18+