Archive for April, 2009


Yuri Manga: Zombie-Loan, Volume 2 (English)

April 30th, 2009

As the curtain rises on Zombie Loan, Volume 2, Michiru has had to face the worst crisis of her life – a life already filled with far too many crises. Left alone by the death of her parents, she is being raised by her Aunt and Uncle who, she is sure, love her more for her enormous inheritance than herself. At school she is a doormat and is walked over by even those she considers friends. Life is bleak enough that she considers dying….until she actually does.

Michiru encounters two strange, unpleasant, but somehow admirable young men and slowly, she is introduced to a world in which zombies walk. Unfortunately, it is our world. Her ability to see the markings that indicate that a person is a zombie makes her – for the first time in her life – an important person. And in that small thing, she finds meaning. When she is killed, Michiru signs a “zombie loan” contract and is ressurected, to work off her debt by identifying zombies.

On the good side, Michiru gains some strength and purpose to a previously mopey life. On the bad side, chapter after chapter is filled with OMG, WACKY, CRAZY THINGS AND VIOLENCE! to the point where I was like, enough already.

Case in point. In the last chapter, Michiru and Koyomi are sent to go buy furniture. First, Koyomi spends the money on clothes for them, then OMG, WACKY, CRAZY THINGS AND VIOLENCE breaks out and in the end, the furniture is not bought.

This kind of thing is basically every chapter. Eat lunch? No, because OMG, WACKY, CRAZY THINGS AND VIOLENCE will make sure that Michiru does not get to eat lunch. Or clean her room, or…anything. Nothing normal will ever happen because of the wall of crazy-wacky-violent that springs up like an invisible fence everytime Michiru turns around.

There is Yuri. As in the anime, Michiru’s dormmate Koyomi has within her another personality, Yomi. Yomi’s ability to call forth the sounds of supernatural beings is also unique and valuable, so despite the disinterest in Koyomi, she’s kept around as a container. Yomi is also sexually attracted to Michiru – or so she says as an excuse for some light sexual harrassment. But, you know, by the end of the volume I kinda think she actually does like Michiru.

Nothing will come of it, of course. It’s service and no more. But with OMG, WACKY, CRAZY THINGS AND VIOLENCE happening every 30 seconds the occasional warm embrace isn’t a bad thing for Michiru or for us.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 7 (I’m hoping this goes up as an actual story develops)
Characters – 7 (which is up one from the first volume)
Yuri – 6
Service – 4

Overall – 7, with potential.

I didn’t hate Zombie Loan by any stretch but if you, like me, need a respite and a balm at the end of this volume, let me recommend Walking Man by Taniguchi Jiro. An adult manga for adults, about a man who takes walks. That’s it. Nothing else. It was wonderful. My deepest appreciation and thanks to Deb Aoki who sent me a copy so that I could also become a convert and proselytize this book.





Out of Office

April 28th, 2009

I’m out of town for a few days on some family business. No updates ’til I get back. Enjoy re-reading a few of the past updates while I’m gone!

Ta~





Tetragrammaton Laybrinth Manga, Volume 4 (English)

April 27th, 2009

When it comes to Tetragrammaton Labyrinth, Volume 4, you may find the air redolent with the smell of lilies. But when you investgate further , this series remains mostly nioi-kei. Which is not to say that it’s not fun and games in this intensely violent and blood-spattered volume.

Angela and Meg are bound by a deep, irreversible magical and emotional bond. As long as Meg needs Angela to exist, she will. It is this and this alone that keeps Angela alive when she finally confronts the beast who robbed her of her humanity. And it is this that most readers will assign the value of “Yuri.”

The cute little girl torture continues and the the source for so much of it is revealed to be the much maligned Gilles de Rais, either a child torturer and rapist or a scapegoat for the politically motivated destruction of the Templars, depending on which side you are on. This de Rais is a child rapist and torturer sating some demonic need in the readers who like to read about stuff like that, then project their self-loathing onto the bad guy. (Just a guess, but…)

The torture continues with the story of Trude and her pathetic, half-demon, guro-fodder sister and their tragic and unfulfilling story in the middle of which is a scene that undoubtedly Angela x Meg ‘shippers point to as a “see?” moment. ^_^

The end of the volume brings no resolution, of course, but Team Us is finally together, with mostly all our body parts and we’ve got the Big Ass Powerful Weapon (TM) with which we will “uncover the secrets of this place!” I look forward to the “secrets” since this series has freely borrowed from any number of semi-legendary/semi-historical things and I’m simply aching to know what gets plundered next. ^_^

And to see more demonic blood shed, of course. That goes without saying.

…and to smell more of the scent of lilies in the middle of all that blood.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 4
Service – 8

Overall – 7

Today’s review was brought to you by Okazu Superhero Bruce McF. Thanks very much sir, for allowing us to wallow knee-deep in gore, pathos and Yuri.





Aria the Natural, Part 1 Anime Boxset (English)

April 26th, 2009

I need to say this first, because I am sick and tired of getting nasty emails, comments and blogposts from people who have no grip on reality. I do NOT think that Aria is Yuri. Many other people who are not me do. I review Aria as Yuri because the *other* fans  insist on seeing all sorts of couples in the mostly all-female cast, since so often they talk to each other, or are in the same frame. They even touch once in a while, so clearly there’s sex involved, in the eyes of this group.

I *do* enjoy imagining a relationship between Alicia and Akira. That is the only Yuri I have ever seen in this series and I am completely honest about the fact that I have wholly made it up in my head, encouraged only by Raku-Gun and Crush doujinshi. So please, stfu about me ruining Aria for you because I had the nerve to call it a Yuri series. If me calling a series Yuri pisses you off, then its probably a bad idea to read this blog since it is a *Yuri* blog and covers many things that other people who are not you think of as Yuri.

Moving on….

Unless you have your Yuri goggles on very, very high, you’re not going to see much Yuri in Aria the Natural, Part 1 boxset. What you will find is a story about a young woman who finds joy in the smallest things of everyday life. And by moving so slowly that she has time to see and enjoy these things, she brings the people around her into her world full of wonder and beauty – whether they want to or not. I believe that that is, in part, the reason why so many of the fans of this series are otherwise absurdly cynical people, with nothing specific to be angry at, so they rail at me, or The Man, or whatever, without actually doing anything about anything. Akari’s “my pace” attitude and appreciation for everything – bugs, bread, hats, weather – forces us to slow down and at least take a look at what she’s looking at, even if we don’t appreciate it as much as she does.

As with the previous Aria boxset, Right Stuf does a nice job on reproduction and translation, managing to communicate Al’s old man puns and Akari’s wide-eyed perspective uniquely. And although I did not order the set from them directly, I’m told that the extras for direct pre-order are way fun – in this case, an Aria-shachou squeeze toy. (Thanks to Sean for ruining it forever reporting on it with this line, “Hollowed out, it’s the most amusing condom ever!”) Unlike the first season box set, the extras for these disk live on a separate disk of their own and are entirely worth watching, if you care about such things as staff and VA interviews, trailer videos and the like – which I enjoy, no matter how insipid the comments. An Episode Guide Booklet is included as a physical extra for the set, as well.

Nevertheless, there are some scenes that will be imagined as Yuri. Alice’s shadow-hopping episode was very popular with Alice x Athena ‘shippers, for one. In my opinion, the hottest romance in the series is Aika and Al. ^_^

Of course, the number one reason I watch Aria is not Yuri, real or imagined, it’s the scenery porn; the love in our eyes with which we gaze at the shadow in St. Mark’s Plaza, a meteor shower, a street vendor making dolls dance or the evening sun shining on Venetian glass. It’s this that makes Aria worth watching and rewatching. And if your love of the series is affected by anyone’s opinion then you’ve missed the entire point of wearing Akari-colored glasses.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 1
Service – 3

Overall – 8

Many many thanks to new Okazu Hero Tricolor Cavy for sponsoring today’s review! I have enjoyed not only the hours it has taken me to rewatch this anime, but also the renewed appreciation it gives me every time for the simple joys of my real life. Thank you.





Yuri News Report – April 25, 2009

April 25th, 2009

Thanks for your patience while we had fun with (and without) you last week. We’re back today with a pile o’Yuri news!

Yuri Manga

Aoi Hana, Volume 4 is coming. Don’t shudder with anticipation too much, it’s bad for your joints. Jump up and down instead – your heart could use the exercise.

Azumanga Daioh is poised to have a 10th anniversary and the author is celebrating a new manga edition by penning three new chapters to entice you to buy it.

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Yuri Anime

Apparently the first DVD of the 4th season of Maria-sama ga Miteru had massive sound and extra issues, which made all the fanboys mad.

Strawberry Panic box sets are coming out in English. They are, of course!, on the Yuricon Shop for your convenience.

This is kind of interesting – Sean points out that Gakuen Alice is playing on the Anime Network. That means there was a dub, I guess. I think it’s interesting that that series got a dub, but did not make it onto network TV in the usual hacked up form shoujo usually has to go through to make it to TV.

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Other Yuri News

Tadeno Eriko, Yuri manga artist, creator of WORKS, and contributor to the Yuri Monogatari anthology, wants you to know that she is part of a new lesbian erotica group. Art and stories are up for your viewing pleasure – in Japanese.

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We’ll see you next week for more Yuri news!