Yuri Light Novel: Ai Yuri Gakuin Youkoso

February 6th, 2010

It’s never a good sign when the clothes are a character in a story. There is the occasional exception to the rule, that’s true, but more often, it denotes a lack of certain qualities that make a story compelling. Qualities such as plot and character development.

And, indeed, Ai Yuri Gakuin Youkoso (愛百合女学院へようこそ) does lack both a plot and any character development. It goes so far as to have thoroughly unlikeable characters, as well, so the fact that most of them seem pretty miserable or are made to be miserable isn’t really that troubling. The only troubling thought that might possibly disturb a reader is that someone out there is actually enjoying this book.

Ichigo is a diminutive and infantile girl who dresses in clothing made by her beloved and adoring adoptive mother. (I do need to point out that this was the single likable quality of the book. Ichigo’s parents died when she was a baby and she absolutely loves and is loved dearly by her adoptive, doting parents.) Because the clothes her mother makes are so cute, Ichigo does not want to wear the school uniform, which is blue with big ugly red buttons and a scarf that clashes. This school is not supposed to have a dress code, which was a big selling point for Ichigo, but when she gets there, she finds that the pressure to conform is harsh. The Secretary and Treasuer of the Student Council, two odious twins Mariko and Ririko, conspire to torture her and ruin her clothes as often as possible. Even the teachers are assholes about it.

When Ichigo find herself without shoes, surrounded by mud, she is saved, then sexually molested by the President of the Student Council who can’t stop herself because Ichigo is so cute and her clothes are so adorable.

The rest of the book follows the President, Aika, as she has her way with a mostly unwilling Ichigo, until after the twins set Ichigo’s room on fire (thus destroying her closet full of cute clothes) and Aika saves her life. Then Ichigo realizes she’s in love with Aika after all, so it’s okay.

Wow, not too many wrong lessons there, huh? Not that any young, impressionable women are reading this book. This is Fanboy World, with nothing that has the vaguest hint of realism; not people, clothes, situations, nothing.

In fact, this book stank so badly, it’s another good candidate for the shredder. Unless one of you wants it. Tell me if you do in the comments and you can have it. It’s a novel not a comic. However, there are pictures by Chi-Ran, so if you like her work – which I really do not – then you might like it. I won’t even make you work for it. You can just *have* it. Really. Take it. Please.

Ratings:

Art – 6 skilled, yet yucky
Story – 2
Characters – 2
Yuri – 8
Service –

Overall – 2

I guess it’s nice that Yuri FanBoys have an imprint of their very own, but so far, I’m really finding Tiara Bunko books to be pretty darn unfun.

10 Responses

  1. darkchibi07 says:

    Isn’t Tiara Bunko like a shoujo light novel label? In any case, if you don’t want it I would like it, please!

  2. No, it’s one of those “shoujo for creepy guys” imprints, which is to say, it’s porn about girls for guys who like to pretend that their love of porn about girls is because they think girls are cute and sweet. You know, Kurogane Kenn’s audience.

  3. Kriegsaffe No. 9 says:

    >When Ichigo find herself without shoes, surrounded by mud, she is saved,

    (drinksip)

    >then sexually molested by the President of the Student Council who can’t stop herself because Ichigo is so cute and her clothes are so adorable

    Pfffffwhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?! What… I… huh? …what?

    That’s… uh… Huh. What the hell kind of… what? That is literally incapable of being any more stupid. Good Lord.

  4. @Kriegsaffe No. 9 – Oh, no, it totally got even stupider when the twins burned Ichigo’s room down, by starting a fire in her closet, so she’d have to wear the school uniform.

  5. darkchibi07 says:

    Well, here’s the label’s website:

    http://www.tiarabunko.jp/

    The look of the other covers made me assume it was a shoujo label considering the ridiculous high ratio of bishies to 1 girl.

  6. Kriegsaffe No. 9 says:

    @EricaFriedman … That’s really impressive, in the worst possible sense of the word.

    WV: “Evenchip.” If those twins had an evenness chip installed, perhaps they wouldn’t have been so quick to make with the burning.

  7. Cryssoberyl says:

    Too bad you don’t care for Chi-Ran. I can understand why others might not care for her frilly-shoujo-on-steroids art style, although I personally like it. Visuals aside though, I also think her works are excellent in how directly they sometimes focus on the characters coming to terms with their own status as women-loving women, and then challenging the prejudices that go with that. Her works often remind me of Morishima Akiko’s in that way.

  8. @Cryssoberyl – I know you’ve said that in the past and, if I take a second to think about it, I agree with you. However, she didn’t write this novel, only illustrated it and the sex is largely non-consensual. Not her fault, but her crazy paving layout doesn’t actually make this novel any better.

  9. @darkchiboi07 – A little late, but if you’d still like this book, you’re welcome to have it. Email me with your address and I’ll send it out to you.

  10. darkchibi07 says:

    Sorry for the late reply, but the address has been sent. Thanks for the offer!

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