And that’s where it all ends. I guess you could call Itsuki a “one manga-hit wonder” but you should be careful. His bondage amputee cyber dolls might come after you, hopping on one leg or crawling, using whatever part of their bodies they still have available, while they mesmerize you with their haunted eyes.

But then again, you might like it, so there is really no need to run. You might say that tying up hs “victims” is a bit over the top, considering their condition, but let’s not forget that bondage is a sexual art rather than a practical one. And this is manga. Nothing is over the top.

Moving on, meet Jerome Abramovitch, another “disturbed” fellow (but hey, define normality for me, if you please…) who could, supposedly, get along really well with Takashi. The only difference is that Jerome’s career was more than meteoric.

Although Takashi’s cyber girls may seem more disturbing and visceral, Jerome’s amputee mannequin series had a more profound effect on me. Maybe that’s because one of my favourite movies as a teenager was “Mannequin” (1987), starring a young and highly erotic Kim Catrall as Emmy, a mannequin who comes to life every now and then. (And no, I don’t think Kim is hot in “Sex and the city”)

“Jerome’s inherent nature to seek, explore and be that which is different has gained him the kind of recognition and marketable appeal that can only be attained by such an unconventional and driven individual. Jerome moves seamlessly between object, subject, voyeur, and documenter.”   (Emptykingdom.com)

While Takashi seems to enjoy punishing his amputee cyber dolls with the suave art of bondage, their eyes crying for help, Jerome’s girls look feminine, fragile and alluring.  And that’s how we get to another “philia” word. For all you agalmatophiliacs out there, Jerome is the guy to watch. (Yes, I’m talking about the mannequin lovers. Although, considering the amputee mannequins you might also be acrotomophiliacs. God! These Greeks really knew how to name their deviations.)

And to add the final and perfect ingredient to the mix, meet Sophie de Oliveira Barata. Her artistic views might be slightly different from those of Jerome and Takashi. She designs artistic limbs for amputees. Sophie says : “Having an alternative limb is about claiming control and saying ‘I’m an individual and this reflects who I am.’ Her amazing work was thrust into the international spotlight last year when model and singer Viktoria Modesta wore her Swarovski crystal leg at the London Paralympics closing ceremony.

“Being a self-confessed fashionista, things that I’m into tend to change all the time, and like most key pieces in my wardrobe I would only wear it a number of times. The first time I wore a limb that was so obviously bionic, it gave me a total sense of uniqueness and feeling mutant human in the best way possible.” said the Latvian born Viktoria.

The modern redhead Eva who seems to be tempted and seduced not by a single snake, but two, is Jo-Jo Cranfield. She too is an amputee and her fantastical arm is part of de Oliveira Barata’s Alternative Limb Project.  “I wanted people to have to look at me twice with amazement. I’d rather people just asked me outright how I lost my arm. This is so out there — like I’m wanting you to look at me — that it makes people feel OK to ask questions.” said Cranfield, a motivational speaker and para triathlete, who was born without an arm below the elbow.

Take the triathlete Jo-Jo, singer Victoria and add the likes of Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius (his tragic story only adds an epic dimension) and you might have a new breed of superheroes ready to take on the world and it’s ruthless challenges.

In his play “Behind close doors”, Jean Paul Sartre says that “hell is other people”. Considering their views of art, in general, and amputees in particular, I wouldn’t mind seeing Takashi Itsuki, Jerome Abramovitch and Sophie de Oliveira Barata locked together in the same room, with no way out. What’s there left to do other than… talk?

Cristian Balint is an actor who worked with Francis Ford Coppola, Cristi Puiu, Radu Muntean and Radu Afrim, among others. He is also a writer, photographer and decent poker player. Currently living in New York and Bucharest.

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