We pick up Comic Yuri Hime, Volume 14 right after the shiny color pages with “Utsotsuki Engage,” the final chapter of Kazuma Kowo’s series about student Nanao and her affair with the school doctor, Matsumoto. Nanao runs into Hanada the gym teacher after the confrontation last chapter. Hanada sees that Nanao’s crying, and takes her out back for a talk. After a heart to heart, Nanao heads off the see Matsumoto, who was supposed to be going out to an omiai. Matsumoto blows her off by phone, telling her to go study, but Nanao doesn’t listen and find Matsumoto in the school infirmary. Matsumoto has been wearing a band-aid on her ring finger since she took off her engagement ring. Nanao peels it off, half expecting to find a ring hidden underneath, but no – the finger is empty. They argue again, Matsumoto insisting that she has no right to stand in the way of Nanao’s future, and Nanao even more forcefully arguing that she wants Matsumoto to be part of her future. Nanao asks Matsumoto to marry her and they both finally admit they love each other. Epilogue: with Nanao running into the infirmary for a kiss, but she’s brought up short by the fact that an underclassman is standing there. He asks if she’s got a lover, as the rumors say – she says yes, while looking right at Matsumoto. Matsumoto tells the kid to make himself useful by doing something over there…Nanao gets her kiss. The final page gives us both Matsumoto and Nanao in wedding dresses, with a wedding promise. This was a dark horse series for me. I kept forgetting it was a series, but enjoying it despite that. I’m looking forward to the collected volume that’s coming out in January so I can sit down and read it in one go. ^_^

I’m sorry folks. I can’t stand “Sweet Peach.” I’m sure it’s all very dramatic and all, but this short chapter appears to be a monologue by the pointy-eared warrior and some reason or other for her to kiss the lead. It’s all so…meh.

The Nekodoume mansion is a place where broken hearts are mended and happily ever afters are arranged. Whether we want them or not. Setsu has always loved Akira, despite the fact that Akira has always treated her like crap. When Setsu pushes the issue, Akira responds by sexually molesting Setsu. And yet, Setsu wants to be reunited with Akira. There’s just no helping stupid, is there? The end up together. Lovely. -_-;

Hey, I actually read a chapter of “Apple Day Dream”! Do you know Kaoru likes large breasts? Kaoru attends a get-together with some old school friends and we learn that she really hasn’t changed much…but there was at least one 4-koma that actually made me laugh for a sec and at the end of it all Kaoru finally calls Mayu and finally tells her she likes her. A total win for this one-trick pony.

I see that Hanatsu Yaya has taken over for Takahashi Mako in the “creepy children” portion of Yuri Hime. In “.trae H,” we meet a creepy kid who lives with her grandfather and has no friends. Yukishiro-san doesn’t get people, and people don’t get her. But popular Ayumu aggressively befriends her anyway, much to her classmates’ disgust. Ayumu doesn’t care – she likes Yukishiro. Yukishiro’s brain cannot compute and after pages of angsting, she lightens up enough to say “Thank you” as she realizes that she’s come to like-like Ayumu in a classic “Story A” fashion.

Shiny color ad pages point out the live-action movie Brulee and the kiss they show looks as un-romantic as I expected. ^_^

“Story A” rears its moe head once again in “Zero Cherubim no Sumire.” Tsukasa and Takashi have nothing in common, and clash about lots of things, but hey, Tsukasa likes her. “A true love has begun,” we are assured after some typical school drama.

And again, as Hiyori Otsu offers another “Story A.” …Kanako falls with Satome, who sits next to her. She takes some liberties when she learns that Satome likes her back.

Natsuneko ups the energy and takes us away from school as always with “Quilt Queen,” the almost Mist magazine-like story in which Daria and Sakura share a dream of becoming top model and designer together. But where Sakura is doing okay, Daria has leapt to the top of the model scene. Daria’s manager asks Sakura to step away and let Daria rise, alone, and tearfully she does. But Daria wears one of Sakura’s designs at a major show, and the two are reunited and live happily – and successfully – ever after. I love Natsuneko’s work – not just for the fact that it’s rarely a typical “Story A” but also because they all have really high energy, and the art isn’t typical at all. Another artist whose collection I look forward to.

Morishima Akiko provides us a side-story from her recent Hanjuku Joshi collection. Chitose’s older sister Chie is a reasonably popular BL doujinshi writer. But, she’s tired of BL. She wants to work on something new and decides, after about a seconds though to look into Yuri. At which point, Chitose offers her a ticket to her school festival. Bing-bing – we got a winnah! Chie is thrilled to be able to learn a bit about this garden of maidens. Almost immediately, she runs into a real-life tsundere, Yuria, with whom she tours the festival. It turns out that Yuria is a HUGE fan of Chie’s work, and recognizes her from a recent event. Chie stops looking at Yuria as a type and starts to see her as a person, and wonders if moe can become “love.”

Both of the last stories in this volume “Nekoroma” and “Nanami to Misuzu” have girls with animal ears.

Overall, a more than decent volume. We’ll get to do all of this all over again in January, when the *next* Yuri Hime magazine comes out!  ^_^