

The story revolves around a violent and strategic love triangle in which all of the involved characters suffer considerably because of Tanagura’s inherent political injustice.

Guy, the mongrel and jealous ex-lover of Riki is so incensed by the way Riki is “stolen” from him by Iason that he sets out on a hopeless quest for revenge. Iason, the most elite of the elite, who has a scandalous love affair with Riki the mongrel, is at risk of being ruined because of it.

More important is the way that “mongrels,” the lowest class of Tanagura’s cut-throat society, are stuck in the ghetto-like city of Ceres. While sexual themes are present and heavy, they ultimately do not dominate the main message of the story. Ai No Kusabi means something beyond being a sexual outlet for a perverted manga artist.
