Sweet Poolside

Middle school is hard enough without problems like these...

Toshihiko Ota is mocked by his peers for his smooth, hairless body, but his life changes forever when he meets a young woman in swim club with the opposite problem: Ayako Goto, poised for swim-meet glory but too ashamed of her body hair to compete. After Ota happens on her trying unsuccessfully to shave in the locker room, she comes to him with an astonishing request...!
Can they help each other find the confidence to embrace their own bodies?

This sweet yet erotic early work from psychosexual auteur Shuzo Oshimi (Blood on the Tracks, Flowers of Evil) is not your average tale of puppy love. A quiet story of budding sexuality, self-exploration, trust, and friendship, Sweet Poolside is ultimately one of Oshimi’s most focused and sincere works, as well as the basis for the live-action movie of the same name.

Only in his late-thirties, Shuzo Oshimi is already considered a seasoned veteran of the Japanese comics community. Winner of the most important comics awards for newcomers, the Tetsuya Chiba Awad in 2001, Oshimi has been penning quirky slice-of-life dramas now for over a decade for major manga publishers including Kodansha. After drawing nine series, Oshimi's star began to rise in 2008 with the release of his first hit, Drifting Net Cafe. This horror-themed homage to the legendary Kazu Umezzo work, Drifting Classroom, was adapted into a live-action series, and propelled Oshimi onto an international stage. He would soon reach new heights in 2009 with The Flowers of Evil.
As to date he has over 13 works which include serializations and art contributions.