Archive for the Comic Yuri Hime Category


Comic Yuri Hime November 2023 (コミック百合姫2023年11月号)

November 5th, 2023

The upper half of the cover is mostly white, with a short text essay about touching hands and the joy of being with one's dearest. 

On the bottom half of the page, two smiling girls run through a crisp  autumn day as gingko leaves fall around them, holding hands. The darkness has passed and, as the year ends, our cover story protagonist finds warmth and joy being with her dearest. I know this is the penultimate cover for this year, and it’s been more a series of impressions than a story, but it still has been a ride. Overall, I think this may be some of mebachi-sensei’s best work that I’ve seen. I’m always interested to see what the new year offers. I quite like the new-cover-design-every-year model they are going with now.

Comic Yuri Hime, November 2023 (コミック百合姫2023年11月号) very much feels like the theme is “endings,” even when stories are on-going! Arcs will end and new ones are about to begin. The magazine begins with a new story by Kodama Naoko, “Usotsuki Hanayome to Dousei Kekkon-ron” in which a straight woman imposes herself on a closeted lesbian / not-terribly-happy coworker. Since Kodama-sensei usually offers happy endings for her stories, I’m not really worried, but I am agitated at the lack of boundaries Nagisawa sets for Gotoh, then gets pissed that they get crossed. This is pretty much Kodama-sensei’s niche, but it’s not for me.

“Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou.” is a new chapter for the manga which follows a friendly dodgeball game between our principals…that will lead into Yuu’s “Tears of the Moon” arc and the biggest reveal to date. Have to admit I laughed at Cardinal Lily’s beserker form. ^_^

In “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou Maid Kitchen,” Rae and Lene bond over drinks and confidences, then blow Claire away with a team-up on swan-shaped choux creme to impress her guests.

We’re not yet done with Kanako’s melancholy yet in “Watashi no Yuri Ha Oshigoto Desu!” In the meantime, Sumika suggests they stop dating, as that really wasn’t good for either of them…and Kanako is left to grasp for a lifeline yet again. Honestly, I hate this arc, but it has to be done. We have go to get to the bottom of this infection before it can be healed and Kanako is adept at hiding what she’s feeling. I just hope there’s somewhere healthy for her to go.

“Kiraware Majoreijo to Dansou Ouji no Kon-yaka” has his it’s first real complication, in which Ciel’s secret is explained…and her parents ignore her desires completely. Eve stands up for Ciel, but will it be enough?

Usui Shio’s “Onna Tomodachi to Kekkon Shitemita” all but wraps up as Kurumi suggests to Ruriko that their feelings are the same and how about a real wedding ceremony? This series will end on that in next month’s issue. A Yuri wedding is once again the end-all-ending. You know me…I am not satisfied. There is more to a relationship than just a wedding ceremony. ^_^;

“Osoto Gohan to Issho ni” is taking mealtime back outside – this time on an overnight camping trip! Who among us hasn’t obsessed over the cute, but useless, lantern for a camping trip? ^_^

And Shurika and Mari are getting the hang of relying on one another in battle in “Shikabane Shoujo to Ai ga Omoi Seikishi no Tobatsuu no Gakuen Life.” I’m not gonna lie – this, “Kono Yo de Ichiban Sutekina Owarikata,” and “Garan no Hime” feel like disappointment. There’s a ton of set-up and the story setting is complicated, but the vision for the narratives has been severely limited in scope. I want the story to be as big as the world you set it in, creators and editors!

Ratings:

Overall – 8

As always there are stories I am reading and have not mentioned and stories I am not reading – I have never once even attempted “Oomuro-ke” because I cannot care at all about a story in which nothing happens, that is a spinoff of a story in which nothing happens. ^_^; But if that kind of thing is your jam, then you’ll love that and other stories that I don’t discuss that run in monthly Yuri manga magazine Comic Yuri Hime!

The December issue is already on shelves and so far has been really good. ^_^





Comic Yuri Hime, October 2023 (コミック百合姫2023年10月号)

September 24th, 2023

A girl sits at a canvas in a schoolroom, ready to sketch, watching another girl standing at the window, turned away from her.Comic Yuri Hime, October 2023 (コミック百合姫2023年10月号) begins with another moody cover by mebachi. It has been a cover story very full of emotion, but…sort of free-floating out there to be interpreted at will. Impressionistic storytelling with every-day art.

The opening stories this month are not my faves, including “Kyou ha Kanojo ga Inai Kara” which has just been licensed by Seven Seas as My Girlfriend’s Not Here Today.

Usui Shio’s “Onna Tomodachi to Kekkonshitemita” is coming to an end next issue, but in this one, Ruriko and Kurumi have an important conversation like two adults, which was deeply refreshing.

Also refreshing and relaxing is Takeshima Eku’s “Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau” in which Shiho and Aki finally have a normal conversation. Phew. Will they make it as an item? No way to know – Shiho is pretty high-strung, but maybe they have a shot at being something to one another.

This was followed by Aonoshimo-sensei’s full-color report of Anime Expo in Los Angeles. That was a lot of fun, seeing Claire and Rae experiencing American fan culture at it’s friendliest.

In “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou.” Rae’s story about her first love comes to a crashing halt with rejection and bullying and a painful love quadrangle.  She very lightly tells us that they all made up later, but it’s hard to not sympathize with Claire and Lily being angry.

And, then, once again Claire has a problem – it is very hot out. Lene and Rae create a main course (not a dessert! Claire insists) to cool her down, in “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou. Maid Kitchen.”

We finally, finally get the story of Shizuku’s trauma in “Kimi to Tsuzuru Utakata” and it really wasn’t about the thing that happened in school, but what happened afterward when she stated writing. Which makes much more sense.

“Odoriba Skirt Ni Naru” edges closer to the quadrille. Kiki gives Michiru the best present of all – her own tuxedo coat resized to fit her new partner. Michiru tells Kiki how she feels about her.

There is a cute one-shot by Kashikaze about two students passing notes.

“Osoto Gohan wo Go-issho ni” is heading back to camping, this time overnight. Whee!

There are a lot of stories I’m reading in the magazine right now where I am just waiting for a plot to happen. Magical school zombies and post-apocalytic travelers and friendly zombies in ancient China…it’s all good stuff, I just need to see a plot sometimes?

A brand new utterly goofy, derivative story called “Extreme Super Darling” with an average girl, Ikeda Rio, in a school of Yuri stereotypes elites. We have  Haruka/Michiru pair, Chikage and Yurika. Rio ends up being challenged to a duel by Chikage because of a misunderstanding. The art is over-the-top with 70’s shoujo stylings and I think I like it! ^_^ Ikeda Rio…really.

All in all a good issue. Some things will come to an end next month and some things will begin. Time and Yuri move onward.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

The November issue is out now, featuring a new story by Kodama Naoko. If you like her brand of Yuri, keep an eye out!





Comic Yuri Hime, September 2023 (コミック百合姫2023年9月号)

August 28th, 2023

We look up from below as young woman cries large tears, in front of a cloudy, dark sky.When I read last month’s issue, I had the feeling that the cover story this month would shift away from smiles and color and…bingo!, so it has. This is the teenager-est cover writing I have ever read, nice work mebachi-sensei.  The tears here are from the unbearble heaviness of being, rather than any specific circumstance; the awareness of the passing of time, the feelings of joy and loss.

And so we arrive at Comic Yuri Hime, September 2023 (コミック百合姫2023年9月号) and I am, for the briefest of moments, caught up. ^_^

The long-awaited climax to the Battle of the Bands in Takeshima Eku’s “Sasayakuyouni Koi Wo Utau” was pretty much the satisfying, wholesome and sweet ending we were all hoping for.

And it looks like Sumika has come to the same conclusion I have about Kanako in Miman’s “Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu!”. She can care for her, and be affectionate, but there will have to be limits. The two schwestern continue their honest discussion and I think (I hope) this is the best possible outcome for them.

“Shikabane Shoujo to Ai ga Omoi Seikishi” brings our zombie protagonist and her holy knight onee-sama back to the school where they embark on their first task…to save a bunch of chickens. Which they do. And the chickens are very grateful.

“Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou.” has stepped back into Rae’s past life…the painful first time Oohashi Rei fell in love. We will one day feel sympathy for Misaki, but she is not a likable character. This is followed by Lene and Rae solving the problem of how to get Claire to eat and enjoy carrots in “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou. Maid Kitchen”

“Kiraware Majoreijo to Dansou Ouji no Konyaku”  by Chimmi Chiruha has a fine set up and some strong characters, but will this story of a young woman affianced to the princess who dresses like a prince go anywhere? Based on this chapter…no. They’ve already defanged the antagonist.

I am angrier about “Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru” than I have been about just about anything in ages. What the actual fuck was that? Oh hey, everyone, just give up your dreams, suck it up and go back and be part of the rat race? What a waste of fantastic premise and art. I hope this was not what Keyyang wanted because it sure wasn’t what I needed.

If you have ever wanted to read a story about a high schooler and a really big alien woman, “Choujin Uchyuu Yori Ai Wo Komete” has you covered. Overtones of Rose from Steven Universe all over it.

We pick up a third party member (who is inherently untrustworthy) in “Garan no Hime.” Future betrayal is imminent!

And it seems that most of the 18+ content has fallen to the end section of the magazine.

 

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Other than the fact that “Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru”‘s ending was so awful and angry-making, this was a solid issue. But that was a really awful and angry-making ending and I cannot let it go. Why? Who was that for? UGH.

The October issue hit shelves this month already in Japan!





Comic Yuri Hime August 2023 (コミック百合姫2023年8月号)

August 20th, 2023

Two girls in Japanese "sailor-style" school uniforms play on the beach. One has her shoes off, standing in the surf, the other stays on the sand with her shoes on, watching her.The cover of Comic Yuri Hime August 2023 (コミック百合姫2023年8月号) is exactly what I myself did this week – got my feet wet in the ocean. So, I really feel the seasonality of this cover by mebachi. And I am convinced* that the next turn of events will not go as well. Although we are merely getting snapshots, this cover story has been full of tears and longing in between the bright moments.

We begin at the beginning of the magazine with “Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu!,” with Kanako’s story about meeting Hime -a story that we have already heard due to the rearranged timing of the anime. It serves, IMHO, to reinforce how naïve Kanako is, in the largest sense of the word. She is unable, rather than unwilling, to see Hime outside the frame she has created for her. Nonetheless, I see hope – ironically perhaps – in the sisterly relationship between Sumika and Kanako…if they can manage to keep it there.

Kaori and Shizuku come to the point that they have always inevitably had to come to, in “Kimi to Tsuzuru Utakata.” Kaori does not want to go gently into that good night and who could blame her. I wonder if Yuama will give in to a last minute save.

“Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou. Maid Kitchen” illustrated by tsuke, has begun and it is as silly as one might have expected! Claire has a problem, Lene and Rae fix it with food, tada! ^_^ This is followed by the next chapter of “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou.” proper, with a lead-in to the story of Oohashi Rei’s first love, a section which is painful for both Rae and reader. We will eventually understand, but right now it’s just picking scabs.

“Koharu & Minato” has migrated from the back of the book to the front for this chapter of the long distance relationship of two women who now live together, by Daruma and Hiarron.

“Watashi no Shitteru no Oneesan” is a sweet little story about a mysterious cool woman at the bookstore and the girl who becomes infatuated with her, by Otokawa Akari.

Okay, bear with me because, “Shikabane Shoujo to Ai ga Omoi Sei Kishi no Toubatsu Gakuen Life” is not bad. A young woman who i , apparently a zombie, has come to a school for magic users…which she is not, but as she undergoes an extremely extreme first day she meets her new “onee-sama,” a powerful holy knight.

“Odoriba ni Skirt ga Naru”  by Utatane Yu, turns towards the current leading pair in the Quadrille trials; Kiki’s former partner, Shion, and her new partner. They may be leading, but who is following?

A new sci-fi fantasy story, “Garan no Hime” has a lot of setup, but gets lost in what, without question, the worst body/clothes design since semelparous. In the meantime, monsters, dead princesses, gormless villagers, check.

“Osoto Gohan,” re-imagines s’mores in a way that I approve more than the “Tsukuritai Onna, to Tabetai Onna” iteration. (Ritz crackers? Meh, too salty. Chocolate biscuits, yes,)

And, in “Onna Tomodachi to Kekkon Shitemita,” Kurumi’s feels for Ruriko are shifting but she doesn’t check with Ruriko to see if they are on the same page…and she may have broken something important.

As the year is about to shift into autumn, this whole volume feels autumnal.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

As always, there were other stories I read (or didn’t). It was a solid issue, with some new stuff, some old stuff and eating yummy food.

*The September issue is already here and …yep.





Comic Yuri Hime July 2023 (コミック百合姫2023年7月号)

June 15th, 2023

A smiling girl in a summer Japanese school uniform of blue shirt and white blouse, balance a red umbrella on her palm. The sun is shining, casting shadows in the road.Well hahaha on me. I picked up Comic Yuri Hime July 2023 (コミック百合姫2023年7月号) from the bookstore and plowed through it, with every intention of reviewing it right away, so I’d be caught up. Yeah, well. But let me assure you this was another good volume. I say that, even when there are a number of stories I myself will not read, because I am fully aware that my tastes are not everyone’s tastes.

Once again, I am loving the cover story. Color fills the screen now; the text speaks of admiration and joy at the smiling girl’s smile. Nice work, Mebachi-sensei.

This issue gets off to a strong start as we meet Lily in “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou.” Lily will, of course, become an important character, but also importantly, Rae stands up for gay people openly in the Church, chastizing some nuns about their intolerance. You go, Rae!

The SS Girls get their day on stage at last! Of course they slay their set, but they have a surprise left up their sleeves… “Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau” is always fun to read.

In “Kiraware Majoureijo to Dansou no Ouji-yaku,” once again, a well-bred young lady is treated like crap by her royal fiance, but the actual heir to the kingdom takes a fancy to her. She may wear a uniform, but she’s all girl underneath!

Kurumi is practicing hugs in “Onna Tomodachi to Kekkonshitemita” but when it comes time to lay one on Ruriko, has she really considered the consequences?

Ohsawa Yayoi’s contribution to the Yuri is My Job! Official Comic Anthology ( 私の百合はお仕事です!公式コミックアンソロジー), “Uragaeshimai” is an amusing look at the change in dynamic when Hime suddenly grows up. Gosh I love her art.

There are other stores with manipulative high school students, aliens, android maids and lesbian brothels as usual. A wide variety of work for, hopefully, a wide variety of readers!

Ratings:

Overall – 8

The August issue hits shelves today in Japan! (So maybe I’m not so far behind after all.)