SHWD シュード, Volume 3

March 18th, 2024

Two women in military gear lay in the ruins of a battle, laughing and smiling at one another.In Volume 1 and Volume 2, we meet Kouga Airi, a new recruit to the Special Hazardous Waste Disposal Unit, under Sawada Shino, a hard-boiled veteran. Both these women are huge, muscled and strong, a prerequisite in the fight against Dynamis, the inhuman creatures that attack people’s minds.

In Volume 3 of SHWD (シュード), by sono. N, we learn the truth behind Dynamis, and behind Sawada’s ability to resist them and both are as horrible as we might imagine. In a major battle with two Dynamis at once, Sawada loses part of her arm, and her subsequent weakness forces her to rely on Kouga’s generosity. Luckily for her Kouga has fallen in love with Sawada and wants nothing more than to be there for her. This is very much complicated by the aforementioned horrible backstory, but the two of them manage to find a way.

This would have been a very good ending to this series but for one thing…and I absolutely hate to complain about it but… something happened to the art. One of the defining characteristics of the women in this series is their huge, bulging muscles. In Volume 3, Sawada is a typical thin-limbed manga action figure. Kouga remains large, but her muscles, too, have nearly disappeared compared to previous volumes. It’s impossible to not notice, especially as so much of the story previously had been given over to their impressive musculature. And it makes the climax of the story a little less believable, which is a shame.

Setting the change in art style aside, the story itself is quite, dare I say it, cute? Kouga has been all kinds of adorable since the beginning and when Sawada finally notices, it feels right. It’ll take someone like Kouga to heal the many emotional wounds Sawada’s been ignoring. And together they will work to fix the problems other people have created.

While I don’t know for sure, my guess is that the series was killed by either the magazine or the creator, because the other couple is non-existent. Nonaka is not in this volume at all and Leo only pops in towards the end to offer a word of advice.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 8 Even more tragic backstories!
Service – 3
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8

SHWD Volume 1 and Volume 2 are out in English from Seven Seas. There does not appear to be a release date for Volume 3.



Recent Readings of Queered Holmes And Watson

March 17th, 2024

In 1926, John Watson, friend and confidant of Sherlock Holmes, was shot by “Killer” Evans in the the story the Three Garridebs. What Holmes says in the moment is, “You’re not hurt, Watson? For God’s sake, say that you are not hurt!” In subsequent media presentations, this has been portrayed as Holmes using Watson’s given name in a moment of emotional weakness. But surely, long before that, the women who read the adventures of this consulting detective and his bosom friend haddone what fandom continues to do….queer the heck out of Holmes and Watson. Stephen Moffat’s series Sherlock rested heavily on that understood relationship, with an ongoing joke that Watson is constantly assumed to be Holmes’ partner. I imagine that a great deal of research has been written about the way Moffat gave himself credit for a progressive relationship that he did not actually portray. Certainly, many fans of the series did.

But, for many diverse reasons I have found myself reading several books recently that are queer re-thinking of Holmes and Watson and since they are all relevant to our interests in one way or another, I thought I’d gather them up in one overview for your entertainment. As always, links here are to Amazon, but in most cases, give your local library a shot first. They’ll have them.

To begin with, I’ll look a few years back to Claire O’Dell’s Sara Holmesseries. The first book, A Study in Honor, traces the adventure of Janet Watson, newly return from war with faulty cyborg prosthesis, and Sara Holmes. In this series, Holmes and Watson are two queer black women who find themselves on the wrong side of a government conspiracy and corrupt medical practices.

It’s been a while since I read this one, but the tension between Holmes and Watson is not treated as a joke, nor a handwave, nor is it likely to be resolved. Watson’s wounds from the war go deep. Their blackness and how they are treated by the people who require them to work for them is more relevant than their queerness, but both are relevant. The giant conspiracy is a bit unconvincing, but who cares, really? It’s a scifi/fantasy. Handwave the plot and pay attention to the characters.

If you like your Holmes and Watson a little on the dark side, I’d recommend this book and the sequel, The Hound of Justice.

 

Next up is a story that takes the idea of Holmes and Watson and uses them as metaphor. In A Case of Madness:(or The Curious Appearance of Holmes in the Nighttime) by Yvette Knopp, Holmes scholar Andrew Thomas has lost literally everything he thought he was and what is left is not making him at all happy.

A lifetime of pretending he is not gay has failed to prove successful and, after a long horrible night in which he saves someone’s life, but is gay bashed for his efforts, he begins to hallucinate Sherlock Holmes. As his life burns down around him, what is growing from the ashes is a “him” he’s spent his whole life avoiding. 

This sounds dire, but it’s actually more “gonzo fever-dream” than dire. Andrew’s pretty unlikeable, but that’s mostly because he does not like himself. There’s  lot of running around London at night and a ridiculously cheerful ending as Andrew finally sheds his old self. 

Holmes (and, to a lesser extent, Watson) are symbolic here, rather than literal, they indicate the level of self-delusion that Andrew is dealing with. They don’t interact with each other at all, which maybe was a wasted opportunity, but as they are not really characters in the story, but just characters in Andrew’s mind, it’s not that relevant.

 

Which brings me to Nakanomori Kouko Bungeibu no Holmes & Watson (中野森高校文芸部のホームズ&ワトソン). While in Japan last year, this was one of the books I picked up randomly. It was in a Yuri section and had a Holmes & Watson tie-in and, well, you got me there. Was it Yuri, really? Nah, and the ending was the one thing I hoped it would not do., but it wasn’t a terrible read.

Manase Akira’s desire is to be a great detective. She comes to their high school’s literature club room to ask Todo Motoko – whose detective novel is the only one Akira has ever read – to be her assistant. This dumps them into a number of mysteries, from the mysterious extra piece of cake in a cake shop, to the disturbing reason the entire third-year class’s grades have been altered.  Motoko comments off-handedly that Akira is very attractive – something not really expressed by the art in this light novel – and one of the lit club’s sempai shows a slightly more intimate relationship with Motoko than the other members. If there is a Yuri relationship, I’d say Hitomi-sempai “like” likes Motoko, but isn’t going there. 

What we do get is a decent enough Holmes and Watson dynamic from Akira and Motoko. Akira already knows whodunnit, when she asks Motoko for her theories, but likes to have the other girl bounce theories off her to help her think. Unlike Holmes, Akira appreciates Motoko’s writing and when, because of one of the mysteries, Motoko and Akira stop speaking, it’s a major turning point for their relationship.  Of all these stories, it’s probably the least queer, but a solid rep for Holmes and Watson.

And last, the incredible series, The Mimicking of Known Successes and by Malka Older. Once again, we meet two women, Mossa and Pleiti,  drawn together by a series of inexplicable happenings along the railroad that connects human habitations in the rings of Jupiter. A man steps off the platform and disappears – was it suicide or something else? This story drags our queered Holmes and Watson into a massive and improbable conspiracy – as all conspiracies usually are.

This one takes law-woman Mossa to a frontier town, and back to the comfortable, oddly Victorian rooms at college, where she once again meets her old college roommate and former lover, researcher Pleiti. The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles continues their story as multiple students and teachers have gone missing from the university….but no one seems to have noticed.

Of the many Holmes and Watsons in this list, these last two are the least traumatized, most comfortably queer and, in many ways, the best of the Holmes and Watsons. Mossa’s quirks are not pathologized, or dismissed – they are treated as a fact of her existence. Pleiti’s work as a researcher is considered to be an important part of her life, as being a doctor is in Watson’s. In the first book, they address the history between them – in a way that acknowledges that we change as people. I found this to be the most mature relationship on this list. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a queered Holmes and Watson. ^_^

These are hardly the only queered versions of Holmes and Watson to be found, but I hope you’ll give a few of these a chance and let me know about any good iterations you’ve encountered. ^_^



Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – March 16, 2024

March 16th, 2024

In black block letters, YNN Yuri Network News. On the left, in black silhouette, a woman with a broad brim hat and dress stands, a woman in a tight outfit sits against the Y. Art by Mari Kurisato for OkazuAnime News

The upcoming season will be filled with Yuri-adjacent or Yuri-adjacent-adjacent – i.e., cute girls doing things cutely – to keep us busy.  All (or mostly)-female casts will likely provide great moments of intimacy and friendship.

To begin with – our one truly Yuri anime of the season Whisper Me A Love Song is going to be streaming as a simulcast on HIDIVE starting April 13. ANN’s Anita Tai has the specifics of cast and staff.

HIDIVE has also picked up Jellyfish Can’t Swim In The Night, according to Alex Mateo on ANN.

Crunchyroll’s got Shy, Season 2,  and Laid-Back Camp, Season 3, according Alex, once again.

ANN’s Joanna Cayanan asks us to ask Where Does The Doomsday Train Go? Crystalynn Hodgkins has thetrailer for this series, which definitely gives us a plot driven by deep emotional connection between two girls, so there’s that. ^_^

ANN’s Rafael Antonio Pineda has cast and staff notes for Seiyuu Radio no Ura Omote.

Look Back based on Fujimoto Tatsuki’s manga of the same name (which I reviewed in Japanese and English here on Okazu)  is getting an anime film. Anita Tai has the details on cast and staff for that. This is an amazingly intense portrait of friendship and rivalry and loss.

Sound! Euphonium, Season 3 is headed our way. Adrana Hazra has the details over at ANN.

 

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Yuri Live Action

Ikoku Nikki, the long-running manga series by Yamashita Tomoko (creator of HER) is getting a live-action film. The manga has a gay best friend character and is a touching look at creating one’s own family. Rafael Antonio Pineda has the news on ANN.

If you are interested in Baihe, and the many Chinese live-action series that are available out there, please follow DouQi on Twitter, to find out how to watch series like the gender bendy Moonlight Fills The Western Tower.

 

Yuri Light Novel

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Vol. 6 is headed our way this week!

Shuu ni Ichido Classmate wo Kau Hanashi ~ Futari no Jikan, Iiwakeno Gosenen~, Volume 2 (週に一度クラスメイトを買う話 ~ふたりの時間、言い訳の五千円~) continues the tale of two schoolmates whose relationship starts with a financial contact, but becomes something more.

 

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Yuri Manga

Manga Mogura teased us with the news that Kininatteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta by Arai Sumiko has been licensed, no publisher listed yet. As I reported yesterday in my review of Volume 2, there is also a pop-up shop for the series this month in Japan and an upcoming Drama CD next month from Frontierworks.

Shio Usui’s dramatic I Married My Female Friend, Volume 2 is headed our way in April.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou Deluxe Edition, Volume 4 is out now in English from Seven Seas.

I Can’t Say No to the Lonely Girl, Volume 1 by Kashikaze, was low-key a really lovely series. The premise sounds kind of yuck, but it really wasn’t and the story was a lovely, empowering journey. This is hitting shelves next month from Kodansha!

Yukidoke to Agapanthus, Volume 1 (雪解けとアガパンサス)  has been added to the Yuricon Store. I reviewed this “School Prince” story this past winter and found it not to be as stale as the plot implies.

 

 
Yuri Visual Novels

Kindred Spirits on The Roof is 50% off on Steam. This was one of two VNs I have ever made to the end of, so I can recommend it. ^_^

Studio Élan is celebrating the 5th anniversary of National Park Girls this week with 40% off on Steam and up to 40% on itch.io!

 

 

Other News

Thanks to Anime Herald for letting me write up a floor-level view of my favorite doujinshi event – Comitia 146 Event Report!

Melonbooks is doing a big Doujinshi Fair with multiple coupon options, so if you’ve been wanting to pick some doujinshi up from them – now’s the time! They also do digital downloads for some doujinshi, so it’s worth taking a look if there is a circle you like that they have.

Bookwalker has radically reset the way coins work, as they change over to points…and frankly, I don’t think it’s a good deal for users. You can no longer apply points to totals, only purchase things in full with points. Use what coins you have now before you lose them. I understand that they have been eating their hat with the weak yen rate, but ugh. ^_^; 

 

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Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta, Volume 2 (気になってる人が男じゃなかった)

March 15th, 2024

On a background of bright green, two girls drawn in black and white, look up at us at an acute angle. One has her arm draped over a stage microphone, smiling above a mask pulled down to her chin, the other clasps her hands behind her back, looking at us seriously. In Volume 1, we met Ohsawa Aya, a fashionable girl in most ways – except for her retro taste in music. When she walks into a shabby CD store Aya goes gaga over the cool person working behind the counter. Aya falls hard for the person, not realizing that it is the same person she sits next to every single day at school – the apparently aloof Koga Mitsuki. They bond over their shared love of Gen X music.

In Volume 2, the two girls start to think a little bit about their feelings, about each other’s feelings and about their feelings about those feelings.  ^_^ They have little time to process this, though, as student life continues apace. Introverted Mitsuki is scandalized when Aya and her friends include her in their group for the class trip! She appreciates the gesture – but all that socializing, and hair, makeup, boys conversation exhausts her. And of course exam time creates a whole new burden to get past. Koga’s good at what she’s good at…but really bad at everything else. (Well…duh.)

In an interesting turn, we meet Mitsuki’s Uncle Joe’s ex, Kanna, who lives in the US. Kanna is a force of nature, getting to know Aya and even goes so far as to invite Mitsuki to stay with her. I really enjoyed that Joe and Kanna both speak about their history together, so they aren’t just being weird adults with a history, but become fully fleshed out for us. Joe, in particular. Other than a smoking habit, he seems a standup kinda guy. His affection for his niece is very apparent and sincere. I love that, honestly.

Finally, Mitsuki and Aya get a moment alone…and it’s as wonderful as you might imagine. The thing that has brought them together is music. Mitsuki plays for Aya and asked her to share “her rock” with her. At this point, they both know what is going on between them, but they are working hard to make it their own.

This volume was much tighter narratively than the first. Arai-sensei’s art has has  a nice balance between the textured perspectives of street art  she was exploring online and a more standard manga style. Panels are often broken out from and angles are still creative – as one can see from the cover.

And what good timing that this was on the to-review pile for today because Manga Mogura – who is usually very good with insider knowledge – broke the news on Twitter that this series has been picked up for an English language release….and maybe Denpa Books has the license.

Muzzle Inc notes that there is a second Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta Pop-Up Shop in the Ginza and Umeda Loft stores this month. And, finally, the Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta Drama CD will be available next month from Frontierworks (who did such an outstanding job on the Hayate x Blade Drama CDs that I still think about scenes from them all the time.)

So it’s a good week for fans of Arai-sensei’s series all around. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8 I definitely like the uncle
Service – 2 Mitsuki being cool is this series’ service
Yuri – 6

Overall – 8

The Yuri has landed, they will probably make great music together. What songs will we hear? Keep up to date with new chapters on Comic Walker! or we’ll see you in Volume 3!

 



How Do We Relationship, Volume 10

March 13th, 2024

Two women smile at us, as they walk arm in arm in a city at night.by Matt Marcus, Staff Writer

The other day I attended an “empty the bar” party for a friend of mine who is moving to Hawaii. Naturally, most of the drinks served were tiki drinks, strong but easy-drinking concoctions of tropical fruit juices mixed with multiple types of overproof rum, often complimented with an earthy hit of allspice dram. The first drink I reached for, however, was not like the others: it was a Bardstown, a potent mix of apple brandy and rye, the kind of drink you nurse slowly as the ice in the glass melts, softening the bite of the booze. I took one large sip and nearly coughed it up onto the floor. I decided to set it aside and make the rounds through the other offerings—a mai tai, a zombie, a painkiller—but I would come back and take a sip of Bardstown here and there. I liked it, but I was not looking for something so intense in such a large dosage.

I was thinking on how to approach this review of How Do We Relationship Volume 10, and as I mulled it over, I was thinking about the discussions I’ve had within the Okazu Discord and elsewhere, especially after Erica’s review of Volume 11 in Japanese. I remembered that Bardstown, and the thought rose in my mind that you can think of manga series like cocktails. Citrus is flashy and trashy like a tequila sunrise—a poor decision in a glass. Whispering You A Love Song is a virgin Shirley Temple: bubbly, sweet, and at worst will give you a tickle up your nose. How Do We Relationship—when the mix is right—is a negroni. It’s complex, with top notes of herbaceous bitterness but lying beneath is a sweetness that carries you forward to the next sip. And if you have a low tolerance it will knock you on your ass. It’s not to everyone’s taste, and it may not be the right drink for every occasion, but those that love it will reach for it over and over again. The rub is, after all the heartbreak we’ve seen these girls endure, I’m sure that a lot of readers are thirsting for some sweet relief. But Tamifull is the bartender, and their hand is getting heavier on the pours.

In Volume 9, Saeko went through a rough stretch leading up to her coming-of-age ceremony only to be saved serendipitously by Miwa. Saeko opens up to Miwa about her past, and the two connect more deeply as friends than they ever had as lovers. Meanwhile, both are having mild struggles with their respective girlfriends, but with each other’s support they should be able to weather these small bumps in the road. The volume ended with a potentially awkward run-in with Tamaki that may blow their “we’ve only ever been friends” story.

Of course, if you’ve read the series this far you know that Tamifull loves to set up a cliffhanger to end a volume only to lead to an anticlimax at the start of the next. Despite a little bit of sulking, Tamaki ends up making use of the knowledge that Saeko used to date Miwa, because she’s in need of some advice. Miwa wants to have sex frequently and she just can’t understand why. But even knowing the “why” does not answer the “how” she will handle it.

What it boils down to is that Miwa and Tamaki have completely different feelings on sex. Miwa’s sex drive is high but has yet to be satisfied; Tamaki mostly feels like sex a chore, albeit one she can sometimes enjoy in her own way. They do have a conversation about it, but you can tell that they are not really understanding each other. Tamaki isn’t really being honest with herself about her needs and wants, and she is definitely unaware of the mixed signals she gives to Miwa. Miwa for her part is letting her anxiety overpower her ability to listen. The tension continues to simmer throughout these chapters.

Meanwhile, it turns out that Yuria struggles with depression (surprise!) and does not want Saeko around when she is in that mood. Adding to her feelings of personal failure at work, she feels miserable about Saeko’s decision to aim for a high-paying office job to help support her dream of starting her own salon. Saeko feels like she’s acting with the best of intentions, but she can’t convince Yuria to accept her choices. The injection of this point of conflict feels like a hard left turn for Yuria’s character in a way that seems calculated. On a metatextual level, I can feel the hand of the mangaka planting the seed of destruction for the relationship, which is a bummer especially after all the work and growth that those two have accomplished together. Nevertheless, it is darkly funny to me for this turn to happen right after I sang Yuria’s praises in my last review.

That’s not to say that this volume is all doom and gloom. When Tamaki reaches out to Saeko to talk about Miwa, it is a nice moment of vulnerability for her and an opportunity for Saeko to help her friend. Miwa also runs interference with Yuria and helps smooth over the current rough patch with Saeko, demonstrating how much she cares about Saeko’s happiness. Yuria and Saeko have a fun onsen trip together, and at the end of the volume they visit Yuria’s hometown to meet her twin sister and her fiancé. All of this great character growth building off of the last volume. That said, there isn’t much relief to be had because of the festering undercurrents that are flowing beneath both relationships. Think of it like replacing the Gosling’s in your dark & stormy with the Reed’s Extra.

I’ve noted in past reviews that the way this series tracks time is quite loose, and in this stretch I felt it most acutely so far. It was surprising for me to realize that by the  end of this installment over a year has passed since the end of Volume 8. (Someday I will map out each volume on a timeline for the blog, which I will update eventually I swear.) That leaves an awful lot of time that we don’t get to see. In particular, we don’t really spend any time with Miwa and Tamaki enjoying an outing without some kind of tension undercutting or tempering the proceedings. What Tamifull choses to show has always leaned towards scenes that drive the plot forward, which naturally means conflict. It can be exhausting, unless you are someone who has a high craving for drama. After all we’ve seen Miwa go through, I think we deserved to have her be happy and satisfied on the page for more than a few fleeting moments.

There is one other pattern in Tamifull’s writing that I am starting to notice, which is that relationship developments for side characters function almost entirely to comment on or signal something about the main pairings; in this volume, it is Mikkun and Rika who serve that purpose. It can feel a touch on the nose, like when Tamaki voices her empathy for Mikkun’s old ex-/current/soon-to-be-ex-again girlfriend, who is described as  sex-repulsed. Tamifull does mention in the author commentary that there are lots of dangling threads for the secondary characters that had to be cut to keep the story moving, and this is one of the consequences.

Personally, I’m still enjoying the story even if moments started to wear on me. There are plenty of elements of Tamifull’s writing that I continue to appreciate, such as the continuity of character. I briefly turned into Leo DiCaprio pointing at the TV when Tamaki observes that Miwa has a preference for romantic clichés, something that goes all the way back to the beginning of the series. Also, Saeko’s tendency play caretaker makes another appearance as she tries to keep Yuria from falling deeper into a self-care spiral. The dishwashing scene is a very well observed moment of caring for a partner who struggles with depression that really hit home for me. It’s the depth and nuances of small moments like these that constitutes the sweetness that lingers after the bitterness fades.

Apropos of nothing, I am always amused when a series sums itself up in a single panel

If nothing else, How Do We Relationship continues to serve up the most potent dose of painfully relatable love in the Yuri/GL space. If you’ve missed that stinging sensation on your palette from earlier in the series, you’re going to be savoring this volume.

Art – 9 You know you’re in too deep when you start to notice how the way the character’s noses are drawn has been subtly changing over the past few volumes
Story – 8 You can start to feel the needle move back towards the negative, which may be fatiguing for some
Characters – 8 There is some unevenness with Miwa and Yuria in the service of drama that feels a touch heavy-handed
Service – 6 Yes there is sex but I’m also counting Saeko in her job hunting suit in this score
LGBTQ – 10 Is there really any doubt at this point?

Overall – 8 The bitter top notes are starting to overpower the other flavors, but it is still plenty potable

Volume 12 is currently available in Japan and you can catch up completely with the simulpub chapters on the VIZ Manga site or app. A college LGBTQ drama so real, you’d swear you owe tuition. 

Matt Marcus is a serial enthusiast whose range of appreciations include guitars, watches, and a particular genre of Japanese popular media named after a flower. Outside of writing for Okazu, he cohosts various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, where he frequently bloviates about video games, anime, and manga. He also hosts a blog Oh My God, They Were Bandmates analyzing How Do We Relationship in greater depth.