Jyminish’s “My Shrinking Lover Part 1: A Smaller Destiny”

Good morning all,

Summer has finally arrived in Japan. The months of June and July were primarily overcast, but then the sun appeared with a vengeance in August. I write this with the understanding that the greater Tokyo area is not Phoenix, Arizona, or Doha, Qatar. It’s hot here, but obviously folks reside in even hotter places where the temperatures regularly exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celsius. So, I extend my condolences to those readers surviving such scorching environments. In contrast, outside of the ThereSheGrows office the heat today is projected to reach a high of only 95 degrees Fahrenheit or 35 degrees Celsius. While Tokyo is not as sweltering as Phoenix or Doha, I still fervently hope that winter will come early!

While wishing that the weather was cooler or at least for a more effective A/C unit, daily life also continues to be restrained by COVID-19. So, in lieu of obsessing over the mean-spirited ball of fire in the sky and social distancing measures which keep me from dining in at my favorite curry restaurant, let’s instead turn our attention to something a bit more pleasant. That is to say, it’s time to check out a 3-D CGI shrinking fetish comic!

“My Shrinking Lover Part 1: A Smaller Destiny” by Jyminish consists of over 210 pages and was released in early June 2020. Each page consists of a single panel color image in the JPG format.

The story involves a man named Nils and two women named Lucile and Flore. The trio are working on a size-changing device, the “irradiator.” Nils and Lucile are romantically involved and have been in a relationship for a year. Meanwhile, Flore is secretly in love with Nils ❗ DUN DUN DUUUUN!!! Prepare for a romantic triangle 😀

The group works out of a laboratory in Venice, Italy, which certainly makes for a romantic setting.

After a successful test, a poorly explained incident occurs and Lucile is exposed to the shrinking energy. Apparently, the irradiator activates on its own, sometimes? (NOTE: The only time that the ray activates without a person operating it was the precise instant when Lucile was sitting in front of it. That feels contrived. Ergo, this event needed to happen to advance the plot so the writer just wrote that it happened for unknown reasons and has no intent to address it again. However, perhaps it will be explained in future, as yet unannounced, installments.)

As the story progresses we get two tasteful sex scenes between Nils and Lucile. Furthermore, there is a hint that Nils and Flore may get intimate in future issues. Perhaps we’ll even get a threesome in the future? ❤

In general, the biggest downside to this comic is awkward dialogue. Additionally, and this is minor, but MANY sentences end with double periods. To be clear, it is understandable that the text is a little off since Jyminish comes from France, and thus is not a native English speaker. Nonetheless, when customers are charged money for a product then effort should be made to ensure that the product is high quality. If this comic was distributed without cost then I would have no reason to complain. However, since customers have to pay for this it should have been reviewed to eliminate the problems.

That noted, the story is understandable.

Furthermore, I sympathize with anyone attempting to communicate in a language which they did not grow up speaking. I’m currently watching the anime “Fist of the North Star” on Netflix to further refine my Japanese comprehension. If nothing else, the Man with Seven Scars (the series protagonist Kenshiro) has already taught me “Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru,” ergo “You Are Already Dead!” Although, it’s unclear how often that knowledge will prove beneficial in everyday life. Perhaps I could ask for some chicken cutlet curry at a local dining establishment, チキンカツカレーを一つお願いします, and then throw in お前はもう死んでいる “You are already dead!” if the service is slow, but that seems counter-productive. Maybe I could soften the blow by using the more polite form of “You” and the “masu” auxiliary verb, but still it’d be iffy 😉

Personally, I have made more mistakes than I can count when speaking Japanese. Everything from calling a cute baby scary, by saying “kowai” instead of “kawaii,” to asking my landlord if the air conditioner was “speaking” when I meant “working.” Based on those experiences, if I were to sell a story in Japanese I would ask a native speaker to read through it and check for errors beforehand.

Now, let’s shift focus to the artwork. Overall, I liked it. Although, there were a few odd renderings and continuity issues.

In addition to the above issues, one painting inexplicably changes over the course of a few pages:

The tension between Flore and Lucile was believable and added depth to the narrative. Although, we learn nothing about Nils and he appears to exist solely to give the two lovely ladies someone to fight over. (We’ve all been there right? If I had a dime for every romantic triangle that I’ve been a part of then I could open a satellite office in Venice! 🙂 )

Overall, I recommend My Shrinking Lover. It’s not perfect, but it’s fun and I hope to read its continuation soon. Readers can purchase this for $9 via the following store on Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/jyminish

Jyminish also has a schedule, posted at his DeviantArt page, listing all of his upcoming comics for 2020. It would be wonderful if other creators also posted their schedules!

That’s it for now, until next time friends remember that Kenshiro says to keep on growing!

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