The Literature Club is a refugee for the five high school girls who call it theirs, but it seems that their loud readings of explicit content haven’t gained them any fans at school. So the girls now need to keep the school from closing the club and will do anything above-board or dirty to make sure it stays!
While trying to save the club, Kazusa is still trying to process walking in on her childhood friend Izumi masturbating at home but the two of them are starting to repair that bridge (all the while Kazusa continues to see innuendos in everything around her, like in bowling balls!). They’re both helped by Nina, one of Kazusa’s fellow club-members, who’s able to break it down for both of them that boys and girls (or at least, Izumi and Kazusa) attach different feelings to sexual desire. Although, now Kazusa is starting to feel rather anxious that with the gorgeous, confident, and “adult” Nina around that she’ll never have a chance with Izumi.
These threads take a backseat to the lives of two of the other Literature Club members however, as the club’s two upperclassmen both have some things preoccupying both their minds and the readers. Sonezaki can’t get over how one of her male classmates mentioned how much she looks like a popular celebrity, even if the rest of their classmates pointed out that no, Sonezaki doesn’t have bangs, wears glasses, and never wears make-up. It bothers her so much that soon after she shows up at school with a haircut, contacts, and possibly some make-up, proving her classmate “right”.
Some people might not like that scene and read it as “Sonezaki changing herself to impress a boy she likes”. But didn’t read it like that to me — it felt much more like a girl taking the advice of a friend and trying something new. Ignoring for the moment that she herself isn’t even sure if she likes her classmate or not, the girls of the Literature Club (especially the upperclassmen) seem proud to think of themselves as “weird” and “not like other girls” which is an unhealthy attitude to have. Having Sonezaki realize that her self isn’t tied to her appearance, and that merely being fashionable doesn’t make you vain or air-headed, is a good moment for her to have now rather than later.
The other upperclassman member of the Literature Club however, probably isn’t like most (or possibly any) of the other girls at school. Hongo has continued to use online chat rooms to gain “experience” for her planned authorial debut (which hinges on the gimmick of being a high school girl writing erotica) but Hongo truly isn’t emotionally mature enough to really understand what she’s getting into. In a moment of desperation, wanting something more “real” to base her writing off of, Hongo sets up a meeting with her chatroom partner in real life and it turns out to be one of her (male) teachers!
Thinking back to when I watched the anime, this was a storyline where I could see what the intent was but don’t think it was pulled off as well as it could’ve. Hongo’s teacher, nicknamed “Milo” by the Literature Club (who have no clue about his connection to Hongo), doesn’t have any interest in her in any sense but he also doesn’t realize how seriously Hongo takes, well, everything. Milo is brushing her off but he seems surprised at how aggressive Hongo is and how she just doesn’t have the emotional maturity to handle what she’s trying to get into and that his more subtle brush-offs won’t be enough. I’m not fond of this subplot for that reason, and there is honestly an even more disturbing “relationship” involving Nina and her former mentor that’s touched on in these volumes, and I completely understand if this is a deal-breaker for some potential readers.
If that isn’t however, O Savage Maidens continues to be both a riot and a cringe-fest as these very relatable and realistic girls handle puberty. I suspect that many readers, of all genders, will see parts of themselves in the cast which is both the manga’s greatest strength and the reason why it’s hard to read a lot of the series at once without cringing at your own past self.