Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime November 2013 (コミック百合姫)

November 21st, 2013

My initial thought on Comic Yuri Hime, November 2013 (コミック百合姫) is that it was “pretty good.” Let’s see if my memory is correct. ^_^

The volume opens up with “Yuri Danshi” which I have stopped reading altogether. I think one of the actual Yuri couples has drama, but watching it through the filter of a Yuri Fanboy has just lost me completely.

“Citrus” isn’t a terrible, awful story, but again, the forced filter of Yuricest – a plot complication that has no real place in the story but is simply there to interest the fandom that is interested in that  – just isn’t working for me. It’s the “one too many” problem. Each trope added to the checklist means one less actual bit of character development the author will take the time to work on. Since my idea of fandom is not checklisting a story, but looking for original and well-developed elements, I’m just not compelled by this story.

“Hitorijime My Fair Lady” starts off messy, but shows some spirit. A student who is into the finer things in life, falls for a stylish woman on the street.

“Tsuki to Sekai to Etoile” continues as the politics and secrets in the school grow darker and deeper.

The gag comic strips, “Nekoyama-sama to Inugami-san” and “Kimono Nadesico” are, as they always are, gag comic strips.

Kurokiri Misao’s “Prism Emotional” is a Yuri pop idol series and Morishima Akiko’s “Yurippu chu” is also a Yuri pop idol series. Synchronicity strikes again. Both are totally different in tone and story line and both have some interesting characters. Of the two, Morishima’s feels more bitter, with a musician who is signed by a company, only to be turned into an idol, something that upsets her greatly.

Minamoto Hisanari has a story that I am sure some people will find adorable, but that just creeps me out and no matter how many people think it’s terribly clever to write “brought a cat home” story using a cute girl instead of the cat, I’m never ever going to like it.

“Watashi no Sekai o Kousei Suru Chiri no You na Nanika” has arrived at the moment where Ruki is going to *have* to confront her feelings about Sa-chan. She and Sa-chan have the long talk they really needed to have before anything could go anywhere…and it looks like it might go there after all. ^_^ This was a spectacular chapter of Amano Syuninta’s so-far excellent manga and I could feel my mood-o-meter immediately shifting towards the positive side.

So by the time I arrived at Takemiya Jin’s “Game” I was in a good mood and the secret doujinshi writer plot felt comfortable, rather than worn.

“BGMRSP” is still a gag school life comic with more oomph than it’s mirror comic, “Yuru Yuri.” The elections are over, but the school couple contest is ahead and our protagonists are being paired up, regardless of what they want.

The book ends up with Ohsawa Yayoi’s “In Secret” as a student sees through a teacher’s image and is awed by the reality.

So…yes, pretty good. Not great, but enough to keep me coming back for more. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 7

6 Responses

  1. Joel Keralis says:

    Apparently the January 2014 cover has already generated some discussion…

  2. Jin says:

    I am having trouble buying Yuri Hime lately for those reasons. Yuri Danshi most especially, the usual two chapters of Yuru Yuri and the pseudo-incest Citrus. If there is the badly written story or added “moe” and “loli” style works this adds to my hesitation. I am glad they are selling the magazine well but that is not what I need in my Yuri. With this, I miss Takemiya-sensei’s work but I have all of her tankobons so I will wait. Speaking of which I believe I saw she mentioned your Interview Animeanime on her blog, this is nice. Also speaking of blog, Takashimaya has a new ‘Kase-san’ story in Hirari 12 on sale the 30th of this month. Now there is an anthology I am looking forward to more and more with each issue.

    • I agree with you. 1 out of every 4 Comic Yuri Hime issues I don’t much like, 2 I think are okay and 1 I like very much. It works out. ^_^

      Oh did she? That is extremely nice of her.

    • Joel Keralis says:

      I can definitely understand why some people don’t like it, but I find Yuru Yuri to be quite entertaining. As long as you’re not looking for it as a serious piece it definitely has its moments.

  3. Grisznak says:

    Incest and loli? Damn, two things I hate the most in japanese comics.

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