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Local adults-only fiction, anyone?
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Pipe dream: A still from Lucky Kuswandi's Dear David, released on Netflix on Feb. 9. (Courtesy of NetflixID) (Archive/Courtesy of NetflixID)
Do Indonesians these days know, or read, any erotic fiction by local writers?
Lucky Kuswandi’s quirky teen romantic drama Dear David has been comfortably nestled in Netflix’s top ten since its release on Feb. 9.
It represents a somewhat new take on the genre by bringing in, and often dealing haphazardly with, sensitive subject matter, and the film has been receiving mixed reviews from critics and audiences, sparking debates and sometimes hostile discussions on social media.
One of the most discussed aspects of the movie is that Laras (played by Shenina Cinnamon) writes adults-only fiction about her crush, David (Emir Mahira).
While the thought of writing erotica based on someone I know sends a chill down my spine, there are a plethora of books and online publications that bear the tag of “adults-only” and are easily accessible by almost everyone with internet access.
Do people read these kinds of things? They do, and the readership is not something that can be brushed off easily.
“I read some manhwa titles sometimes,” said AAN, a 26-year-old full-time musician and producer living in South Tangerang who asked to use only his initials, referring to print cartoons and comics from South Korea, some of which feature adult content.
On online platforms that host pirated “scanlations” (scanned and translated comics), manhwa has steadily been gaining popularity and has even managed, for a small group in Bandung called Pojok Ecchi (lustful corner), to be the “top of mind” for adults-only comics.
The most read all-ages manhwa title on one pirate site has had 2.8 million readers, while the top adults-only one has had 39,100 readers, alongside numerous mainstream Japanese manga and doujinshi (fan-fiction usually of an erotic nature).
How about the ones written by local writers? AAN said he didn’t know any.
“But that’s only because I don’t know where to read them,” he said with a laugh.
But another respondent, GS, who asked to use only his initials knew where to look.
“But I don’t read them. I mean, they’re way too vulgar for me,” he said.
GS works as a freelance writer in Bandung, churning out digital novels published online on platforms such as Wattpad and Novelme.
He, too, uses some teasing techniques reminiscent of adults-only titles. But “it’s just seasoning, if you will”, he said.
While GS’ work is mostly in the romance and kesatria (heroic tales) genres, another local writer specializes in a different category on the platform: “male adult”.
“It’s not porn, per se, but it teases a lot,” said GS of the category. “Now, this one guy, Ostrich, is the master.”
He was referring to the pen name, “Ostrich San”, of a local writer whose e-book My Beautiful Teacher has garnered almost 2.9 million views and some 169,600 clicks on Novelme. In contrast, GS’ most viewed work has around 112,300 views and 15,600 clicks.
Despite the genre’s significant readership, the rest of the respondents said they weren’t aware of any local erotica titles.
“Like Enny Arrow?” asked one respondent, a 41-year-old music producer and tech executive living in Bandung.
He mentioned a household name, albeit one shrouded in mystery, within the world of Indonesian erotic novels that another respondent, a 31-year-old Bandung-based graphic designer, referred to as an “old people’s read”.
Young people in the 1980s and 1990s would read Enny Arrow novels behind the cover of locked doors and away from the peering eyes of their parents. It was filled with explicit descriptions of intercourse and sexual slang. That experience might be hard to imagine for today’s internet-savvy generation.
“I used to read it, but on forums such as Kaskus or LalatX,” said Rizki, 31, a digital nomad working between Bandung and Jakarta. “I make time to read, but usually not that kind of thing now.”
Others, however, mentioned more obscure work, such as zines circulated among friends in Bandung.
“But not particularly of that material,” said Harry, an artist living in Bandung. He paused for a moment.
“Maybe this one: Ayu Utami’s Pengakuan Eks Parasit Lajang [confessions of a former single parasite],” said Harry. “But it’s an autobiography.”
