Archive for the Galette Category


Galette, No. 25 (ガレット)

February 4th, 2024

Yes, this review is almost a year late. While my excuse that I fell ill the very week this came out might work for this issue, it doesn’t explain the rest of them, so let’s just say that the year got away from me ^_^;

Galette, No. 25 was a really interesting volume of this crowd-funded, creator-owned magazine. I finally had time this weekend and really *read* all the way through it in a way I have not done in many issues.

Firstly, there is a short by Inui Ayu that takes a look at conformity in the workplace. This story warmed my heart and kind of made me laugh a bit at my much younger self, who wore a top hat into the office for a year or so. My first job was with a VERY conservative ad agency. I wore pants (gasp!) and got facial piercings and tattoos over the years I worked there. I took pagan holidays off. I was a constant thorn in their policies, because I did things before they thought to forbade doing them, then they couldn’t forbid them. ^_^ Rock on weirdos and noncomformists! But this story speaks to how conservative Japanese companies are. It’s only very recently a very, few Japanese companies have allowed employees – even employees with naturally lighter hair – to wear any color other than black or dark brown.

Also of note is a story by Kase-san creator Takashima Hiromi, a sweet little school life story.

Hakamada Mera’s “Aikata System” continues with Abiko-sempai being just so annoying and manipulative that you can’t like her but Cairo finds that, the idea of not being her partner if the Aikata system is revised, is devastating, after all.

My favorite story was “Yoru ni Tsutsumaru,” by Uno Junior, a brief little tale about how dangerous it is for women to hike in the mountains at night, because you might meet the god of the mountain, she might eat you, become a human and the two of you may live whole lives together. ^_^

Te magazine ends with a long interview with Inui Ayu-sensei about how she going into manga, and Yuri. Here’s an amazing fact – Comic Yuri Hime magazine has existed since she was in elementary school. … I don’t feel old at all…..

Overall – 9

As these issues have been piling up on my desktop – I am getting the digital copies of the magazines as a backer – it has felt a little intimidating to get back into reading it. Now that I have finally read this volume, I’m jazzed about hitting the next one! Galette No. 26 (ガレット) is available in print and digital.





Galette No. 24 (ガレット)

March 27th, 2023

Galette No. 24 came and went and I kept falling further and further behind! Mea culpa, I’ve had some stuff on my plate. ^_^

This volume was released during one of the Comitia events, and a collaboration with Yuri Cafe Anchor, which was pretty cool. I’m sorry for myself that I haven’t been able to return to Japan yet for any of the cafe collabs. They’ve been pretty proactive about getting signings and events together.  This volume include art for the Galette lottery they held last year. Very cute little SD character cards of ongoing series.

This volume has several things I really want to address. One…I am very done and over stories about children being abused, manipulated or bullied. I know that this is a very real reality especially for queer kids. But I am reading Yuri manga for entertainment, and I just cannot. So, I’m calling time out on any story in which bullying is a plot point. Your mileage may vary of course, but I’m noping out for at least a while.

Secondly…I will not name the manga in this issue that I’m about to refer to, because – it has hit a wall. I know there is no editorial staff per se on this magazine, and let me tell you, when a famous artist just keeps writing a different version of the same chapter over and over…it feels like it. I know why no one would say anything, but wow, these characters need to have some other thing to worry about. It’s been like 5 years of them having the same one conversation, then worrying about not being able to have the same one conversation again. 

Lastly, I do want to extoll Hakamada Mera’s “Aikata System,” for having the guts to take on the most problematic character and have her…maybe begin to realize that she is the problem. Abiko-sempai has been a pile of conflicts waiting to happen, Ibuki-sempai has been entirely too passive. Nao and Kairo are bouncing between the two older girls in a way that has not been goof for them…and they’ve had enough. I still hope to see the four of them destroy the Aikata system at the school.

Ratings:

Overall – 7

Volume 25 is sitting on my desktop in digital format ready to be read….I’m hoping that the roadblocked story finally opens up, but don’t have faith…and am looking forward to where “Aikata System” and other stories lead!





Galette No.23 (ガレット)

January 19th, 2023

Pictured: On a pale background, a woman with light green hair with closed eyes hold large abstract flowers, leaning over an orange-haired woman laying down, looking at us. In English the cover says "let's hang out." Orange letters read ガレット and 23 in a blue/purple hexagon. In Japanese white letters say "人遊びしよ. Let’s start with the important stuff. I purchased Galette No.23 (ガレット) through the Galette Booth account, so I could get it with a bonus clearfile. Because I’m like that. If you are also like that, (and I assume you are ^_^) check out that link option on the Yuricon Store.

So this issue of Galette came with a pretty mini clearfile with art by Morinaga Milk featuring Yuna and Rena from her series, “Watashi no Kawaii Neko-chan,” which is now out in English from Seven Seas as My Cute Little Kitten, Volume 1. ^_^ This is a very pretty series, and I like both the characters, but the narrative has very much banged into a wall repeatedly, until this chapter.  There wasn’t a lot of conflict, so most of what drove this story was misunderstanding, caused by refusal to just have a conversation. If know me, you’ve heard me refer to that as Jondalar Syndrome (after a character from The Clan of the Cave Bear series.) It’s not my favorite plot complication, to be honest. But, finally they have at least one part of the conversation, phew!

In “Liberty,” Liz is going to implode, I think. She’s got a head full of anxieties and won’t rely on Maki or anyone else. Also a frustrating plot complication, but unlike Rena and Yuna, Liz is absolutely that kind of person, and all we can ever do is just wait for Liz to snap and Maki to glue her back together. Momono Moto’s art is especially good this issue.

I have come to realize that I have been reading Yorita Miyuki’s “Houkenshitsu no Ano Onna” waiting for it to wrap up. It just seemed like it was a one-shot, then a two-shot, then three and so on. I have stopped reading it like that and am hoping this story about two teachers in love keeps going for a while. Duh, me.

Hakamada Mera’s “Aikata System” continues, this time doing a bit of a core sample on Izumi. Honestly, I keep wanting to run into the scenes with Kairo and scream, “Do it! Break this system!” I hope she brings the system to the ground like a statue of a confederate general. ^_^

As with every issue, there were other stories I read and enjoyed, these are some highlights. I always look forward to Galette.  I’d love to see some new growth in the number and kind of stories we’re getting. It’s a bit schoolgirl heavy for me right now, but I have hope that the new year will bring change. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Volume 24 is available in print and digitally, as well as to all backers on their crowdfunding sites, Fantia and Pixiv Fanbox.





Galette No. 22 (ガレット No.22)

September 30th, 2022

Galette No. 22 (ガレット No.22) begins with another strong cover illustration by pen. This is followed by a comic report by Morita Miyuki of the Galette 5th anniversary event!

Like other recent issues, this is split into two section – short continuing and one-shot stories and the continuation of Hakamada Mera’s Aikata System, presumably because Dgenzaka Shobor has pivoted away from Yuri towards only BL. A loss, I think, because they had some quirky titles. I did review Volume 1 and Volume 2 of Aikata System ~ Gakuen ga Eranda Unmei no Onna no ko~, but not the story has move past the chapters I previously read.  Let me spend a second on this second half of the book for a second, because while the premise of this story seems very much an easy Yuri premise – that is, when a student gets accepted into this school, they are assigned an “aikata” a partner, perhaps lover. But by now in the story, we can see that the system is quite broken and can easily be toxic. Two first years are watching their aikata hurt and be hurt by their former partners. Kairo is ready to see the system burnt to the ground. The reason I am taking time to mention this  is because I would love to a see a story that destroyed the hoary old, unhealthy tradition that binds the characters.

Morinaga Milk’s “Watashi no Kawaii Neko-chan” has fall into a rut. I don’t really understand why the two characters can’t just have a conversation, but both of them feel that the other doesn’t love them any more, for various reasons. Once again, I am reminded that Morinaga-sensei’s strength in narrative is just before a couple gets together. I don’t know where this can go and, at the moment, it feels like it’s going nowhere.

Of the remaining shorts and chapters, I really liked the very first one-shot “Natsukashii Mirai no Kimi e” by Asube Yui. It’s a great little fiction about memory and love and loss. Really solid. A sad, but lovely story.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Issue No. 23 is out with the return of “Liberty,” another story I’m not sure where it’s going, but I;m here for the ride. If you buy it from Booth or Melonbooks, it comes with a clearfile by Moringaa Milk!





Galette, No. 20 (ガレット)

February 16th, 2022

Galette, No. 20 (ガレット) wraps up the 5th year of this crowdfunded, creator-owned magazine. In these past tumultuous years, they’ve put out 20 issues of the magazine, 18 issues of Galette MEETS and almost a dozen collected volumes. A pretty amazing feat especially as their main method of sales, comic markets, have been severely hamstrung for 3 years now and the pandemic (and shifting crowdfunding sites) caused havoc in their fundraising.

I follow a lot of creators on their Pixiv Fanboxes and the pandemic has wreaked havoc in another way, too. Creators are suffering, folks. Their opportunities have been cut off, a lot of them are depressed, and the lack of funds is hurting them, too. It’s pretty rough to read posts sometimes. If you can support your favorite creators by throwing them a buck or two on their crowdfunding sites, please do.

So here we are at an amazing moment in time, Galette has been in print longer than any Yuri manga magazine except Comic Yuri Hime! Even if it were to fold this year, it has done a lot and every one involved should be really proud.

Galette No. 20 (ガレット) features a full half dedicated to Hakamada Mera’s series Aikata System (相方システム), the first two volumes of which I have reviewed here on Okazu.

As always I really enjoyed Kitta Izumi and Momono Moto‘s Liberty, and Morinaga Milk’s Watashi no Kawaii Neko-chan, which has been licensed by Seven Seas as My Cute Little Kitten.

But tops for me this issue was the final chapter of a series that I have been following since the beginning,  Sora-iro Melancholic, which ended with an epilogue that dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s. It was a perfect ending to that series, the first volume of which I have also reviewed! ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Another fine volume of Galette! This one is not up on Bookwalker, I don’t know if it will be, but you can get it on US Kindle in Japanese, as well as Amazon JP in print and digital.

The 5th anniversary volume is now up on Amazon JP, and I can’t wait to see what it offers.