Archive for the Takemiya Jin Category


Itoshi Koishi, Volume 3 (いとしこいし)

March 10th, 2020

Hina is a high school senior with a secret -she’s dating an older woman. She wants very much to share that secret with her friends, she just needs the right time to do it. In this final volume of Takemiya Jin’s delightful Yuri manga, Itoshi Koishi, Volume 3 (いとしこいし), Hina finds that time.

Hina has been dating Yayoi for a few years now. Yayoi has been a terrific girlfriend, always there when Hina needs support. In return, Hina gets to test out new recipes and indulge her desire to feed Yayoi. Ever since they ran into Hina’s friends at the local shrine at New Year’s, Hina has really wanted to tell everyone, but she’s decided to wait until after they finish exams. It’s a good thing too, because Kururmi and Micchan get into a tiff in the middle of pre-exam tension.

At last, the friends all know their immediate future is assured and they plan a celebratory visit to an amusement park. Before they all get distracted, Hina sits them all down and tells them what she’s been hiding from (most of) them for years. There is a little confusion, but they accept her and reiterate their love for her. And that’s that.

The final chapter of the manga in Comic Yuri Hime, had Yayoi once again unable to make the summer festival, but together they find they can see the fireworks from Yayoi’s aprtment. Hina suggests that she’d like to be able to watch the fireworks together forever. “That sounds like a marriage proposal,” Yayoi says. “That was how it was meant.” Hina replies. Yayoi sets up a wedding dressing photo shoot for them and we squee as they imagine their happy every days together.

The final extra chapter of this volume, finds Yayoi planning a special birthday date for Hina. They go to the aquarium and and dinner and have sex for the first time. It’s a fitting end to this series that refused to rush that part of the their relationship until Hina was an adult.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 10
Yuri – 10
Service – 5 There is explicit nudity and sex in this volume

Overall – 10

A lovely manga by one of my favorite artists. Characters who knew who they were, worked towards what they wanted and were in step from the beginning. I wouldn’t complain if we got a 10 years later volume of Hina and Yayoi, they were very pleasant to spend time with. My fingers are crossed for this series to one day make it into translation.





Yuri Doujinshi: Siren to Rosebud (サイレンとローズバッド) and Yuricon Travel (ユリコン Travel)

October 23rd, 2019

Back in the early 2000s, when Yuri was more of a feature of various manga than a genre of its own, Yuri doujinshi and anthologies were the main ways fans could access Yuri created by the people we now think of as “Yuri artists.” As more of those artists have gone professional, more magazines have given Yuri artists a chance to publish work (and have run contests to attract new artists,) and as more manga has been released in English, it is not that hard to ignore doujinshi as an important area of Yuri creativity. But, we shouldn’t.

Doujinshi are still a terrific medium through which both aspiring and established writers and artists, can play with their own and other people’s styles and ideas to create amazing works. Comic shows foster collaboration and creativity. For instance, I picked up some Riddle Story of a Devil collaborations that paired series artist Sunao Minakata with Yuri Bear Storm artist Akiko Morishima. ^_^

While in Tokyo for the 100 Years of Yuri Tour, I took some time to visit Akihabara and dig through the shelves at Comic Zin and Melonbooks, specifically to get the books I am reviewing today. Both are Yuri doujinshi by artists we know and love here at Okazu.

Siren to Rosebud (サイレンとローズバッド) is the first new original work in a while by Jesus Drug, aka Hayashiya Shizuru. (Her more recent doujinshi have been wrapping up the Strawberry Shake series.)

On a desert island, a teacher and her student wash up after a shipwreck. They survive and, ultimately fall in love. Although Shiho promises Suzu-chan that they’ll be together forever, when they are rescued, she disappears. 8 years later, Suzu-chan, now 22, finds Shiho hiding from the world in a small seaside home in Okinawa, having become an author and shut-in.

Suzuka tries to rekindle their relationship, but Shiho rejects her, claiming to be lolicon. Suzu leaves the next morning, but as she walks the beach, Shiho runs up, saying that she lied, she was just scared of how she felt then and how she feels now. Its happy ending for the two, as Suzu teases Shiho.

This doujinshi does a couple of fun things, including the use of QR codes for random objects, specifically mangoes, jackfruit and paracord bracelets which were popular a few years ago. And there’s a MP3 link that I have not been able to get to work. All in good fun.  The art is better than ever, and her comedic beats are just as solid as always. Despite the gags, this may well be one of the sweetest, most romantic doujinshi I have by Hayashiya-sensei.

Melonbooks is always an education in how badly anatomy lessons are needed for artists, but it has a fairly interesting Yuri section and  it was worth it to get Siren to Rosebud. ^_^;

 

While at Girls Love Fes,while browsing the Comic Zin bins, I was able to pick up the next book in the Yuricon series, Yuricon Tabi-joshiben (ユリコン旅女子編 ), which is available in Japan from Booth. I reviewed the Jimoto Hougenhen volume in 2018, which you can read digitally on Bookwalker.

There are two additional volumes out this year, Yuricon Otakuben (ユリコン オタク女子編), also available on Bookwalker, and Otona Yuricon 2019 (大人のユリコン2019 which I have thus far only found on JP Kindle, and therefore not obtainable by me. ^_^; But here are some sample pages.

The Yuricon Tabi-joshiben collection includes stories by Ajiichi, Kitao Taki, Takemiya JIn and Riru all of which center on travel.

Ajiichi’s follow two women who are deeply in love. And also sisters.

Takemiya Jin’s “Sentimental Journey” was an entertaining story about a rather mopey woman looking for the worst in people and finding someone good.

“Onsen ha Ikou e” by Kitao Taki follows women on a company trip to an onsen who have to actually share their true feelings or hurt one another.

And Riru’s “Torikago Ryoukan” follows a model and her manager on a hunt through the woods for a natural hot spring. This story was very silly, but I loved the art.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story 9
Characters – 9
Service – Occasional nudity
Yuri – 10

Buying original Yuri doujinshi is still one of my favorite things to do in Japan. And because I liked Siren to Rosebud so much, I bought an extra for the next Premium Lucky Box, so you too can look at the QR codes. ^_^ Lucky Boxes will be happening soon, so keep an eye out!

It is extra fun to me to realize that I picked up two doujinshi that focus on travel (and unintended adventure,) on my wildly adventurous 100 Years of Yuri Tour!) How…fitting.





Yuri Manga: Itoshi Koishi, Volume 2 (いとしこいし)

July 29th, 2019

Hina is a high school student who loves cooking and baking. She is dating Yayoi, an older woman. Yayoi is very aware of the difference in their ages, and steadfastly holds herself to high moral standards of behavior because she loves Hina so much. In Volume 1 we learn that Yayoi wants nothing more than to marry Hina, and thinks her girlfriend is an absolute angel.

Hina deeply admires Yayoi, and when she’s good-naturedly poked and prodded by Yayoi’s friends, she takes it all in stride. Her concern is not with the way the older crowd treats her…but with how honest she can be with her own friends. Itoshi Koishi, Volume 2 (いとしこいし) starts with Hina and Yayoi meeting Hina’s schoolfriends at their New Year’s shrine visit…a meeting that sets off a year’s worth of Hina trying to figure out how much to tell her friends, and how to do it.

Almost immediately, one of her friends indicates to Hina that she’s figured out that Hina is standing with the mysterious older lover they all know she has. Hina lies about her relationship with Yayoi and then spends the year stressing over it. Yayoi understands the stress of coming out and offers a balanced perspective. When, later in the year, Hina’s friend takes her aside and confirms that, yes, she has figured it out, she reaffirms how much she- and their friends – love Hina, which brings tears to the girl’s eye.

Itoshi Koishi gets my vote for the “Most likely to have an actual coming out to friends scene” for several reasons. The story is leaning hard in that direction. Takemiya-sensei is an out lesbian artist and I have often commented that her work meshes Yuri and LGBTQ life more than most other creators I follow.  It seems to me that this series is the perfect venue for a scene we so rarely see in Yuri – coming out and talking about what that means. Bear in mind that Kase-san,  which is notable for following its characters out of high school into college, has not yet done more than touch a toe to this particular sea of plot complications. Could it? Maybe. Will it? I don’t have any more of an idea than you. This plot which is so common in LGBTQ stories in western media is rarely seen in Yuri or BL. I don’t wish to see Yuri inundated, but this is such a lovely story, where it would really suit the tone and situation. 

In fact, this series is so grounded in friendship and like and love and is wholesome as can be, I have a wish for this series.

The top Japanese bar association has asked the Diet to support marriage equality.  Ishikawa Taiga, an out gay politician who represents Toshima was elected to to Japan’s Upper House (along with two severely disabled representatives, which is a huge win for Japanese disability activists. Do feel free to write Reuters and let them know to change the phrase “wheelchair-bound” to “wheelchair users.” I’ve done so, but I’d like to see the pressure stay steady.)

And it kind of flitted into my mind in the middle of all this that it would be really nice and very much in keeping with the tone set here if Japan were to get marriage equality before the series ended. ^_^ Vain hope, wishful thinking, whatever. This way when Yayoi finally asks Hina to marry her, we get more than just a ceremony, we get to see them accepted by society.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9 I love time spent with this series
Characters – 9
Yuri  – 10
Service – 3 Hina and Yayoi edge up the intimacy just a notch.

Overall – 9

If there is a single Yuri series and a creator I expect would care that this marriage portrayed as more than just a chance to wear a pretty dress, it’s this series and this creator.





Yuri Manga: Itoshi Koishi, Volume 1 (いとしこいし)

April 8th, 2019

Let’s start the week off with an incredibly sweet Yuri manga that I adore, by a manga artist I admire. Today we’re talking Itoshi Koishi, Volume 1 (いとしこいし) by Takemiya Jin-sensei, from Yuri Hime Comics.

Hina is a high-school student who enjoys cooking and is very sweet and kind. Unbeknownst to any of her friends, she is going out with a neighbor – an older woman – named Yayoi. Yayoi works at home and it is Hina’s great joy to make Yayoi food and gently scold her about taking care of herself. Yayoi knows she wants to marry Hina one day, and make this arrangement formal. And when we get the flashback to how they met, we’re not at all surprised that Yayoi needs the help. ^_^

We begin with a summer festival which eases us into their relationship. Yayoi visits Hina at her school festival in order to tease her – gently. A  few chapters are arranged around a recipe that Hina is making for Yayoi.

The story is careful about the difference in their ages. Yayoi is well aware of the gap and takes care to keep them both at a level of emotional intimacy, rather than physical, with an emphasis on comfort and safety for Hina.  It is very clear that Yayoi has drawn some specific lines in her head and she will not cross them.

Hina’s more concerned with her place in Yayoi’s life. Yayoi’s got friends and adult responsibilities and she knows she’s still a kid. She’s worried that Yayoi will leave her behind. But as the story develops, we can also see that they are both very good to and very good for one another. (And, we’ll see Hina becoming more a part of Yayoi’s outside life in later chapters. I approve.)

Overall, I really like this manga. It’s shockingly wholesome and sweet and comes with a bunch of recipes. Food and Yuri – perfect together. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8 YMMV, but I think this is Takemiya-sensei’s best work so far
Story – Warm and cozy and cute, like Hina – 8
Characters – 9 Everyone is likable
Yuri  – 10
Service – 3 We are assured Hina’s chest is large several times.

Overall – 9

I can see myself coming back to this series over and over. It’s nice. I picked this copy up at one of the Yuribu, so I could get the insert paper, of Yayoi embracing Hina and both of them thinking super happy love-love thoughts. ^_^





Yuri Voice Manga: Omoi no Kakera (想いの欠片) on A-Koe

April 1st, 2019

A-Koe is a fascinating newish site that brings various manga to life in an unique way – these manga are voiced along with moving readable panels. These are presented to the public for free with, it appears, the creator’s approval. (It was Takemeiya-sensei’s tweet about this voiced manga that drew my attention to it, in fact.)  The selection at A-ko is primarily BL with a number of manga from Rakeun le Paradis magazine, including Kazuma Kowo’s Dear Tearand the subject of today’s review, Takemiya Jin’s Omoi no Kakera.

You may recall that Omoi no Kakera was a three volume series, following young out lesbian Mika who falls for older women. I’ve reviewed all three Volumes here (Volume 1 | Volume 2 |Volume 3) and consider it an excellent manga and a unique one, as it has more than one character identified as a lesbian, and uses lesbian and gay slang in context.

A-koe’s team is excellent. The visual transitions of the manga really help make the words simple to follow, the voice actresses (who are all credited on the page linked above) do a fine job of bringing the characters to life.
It helps to be able to understand spoken or written Japanese, but if your Japanese is not great, the combination of the two really helps attach word pronunciation to kanji. The quality of the visuals is high and can be easily expanded to full screen. Readers can access the chapters by either creating a free account or logging in with Twitter or Facebook.

Ratings:

Overall – 10

This is a genuinely delightful way to experience an excellent Yuri manga. Quite possibly my favorite combination of voice and text so far. Instead of having to click through endless screens, I can sit back and let an excellent story teller tell me a story, with her own visuals animated and given life and form by talented actresses. Akasaki Chinatsu does a bang up job as Mika.