It’s a two-fer week this week on Okazu. Today’s review is another Hiyori Otsu collection! Where Orange Yellow was a collection of short stories, today’s book, Mizu-iro Cinema (水色シネマ) is a one-volume story in full.

In a seashore town, Tae runs into famous actress Yui…and accidentally loses Yui’s favorite necklace for her. To make up the cost of the necklace, Yui offers Tae a chance to work it off as her assistant. Tae, attracted by Yui – and by Yuri’s glamorous life – agrees.

Yui struggles to find her place in Yui’s life, both at home and at work. She tries too hard, but never feels like she’s tying hard enough. At home, she really doesn’t understand what Yui wants from her. She feels as if her feelings for Yui are not returned and she doesn’t want to be a burden. Laying bed next to Tae, Yui also feels alone – she wonders if she’s the only one feeling her heart pounding at the idea of them sharing a bed. At work, Yui doesn’t need Tae to *do* anything, really, she just wants her to be there for her.

When Yui’s former lover, Mizuki, arrives under the pretext of returning something to Yui, it seems obvious to Tae that the two of them will get back together. So, when Mizuki suggests that Tae really has no reason to stay here, she leaves.

Yui tracks Tae down at her seaside home and explains that 1) she lied about the cost of the necklace (duh!) and 2) she told Mizuki to go packing because she likes Tae (double duh!) And so, they agree to like each other simultaneously. The End.

This is not the strongest story Otsu has every written, neither is it the weakest. It has all the bells and whistles of a nice “Story A” with a warm side of “You can’t go home again.”

Ratings:

Art – 8 I found the art to be more expressive than Otsu’s usual mix of “unflappable” and “unreadable”
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 8
Service – 0

Overall – 8

From goofy to serious, Mizu-iro Cinema is a nice story, told nicely. I’d love to see a coda, where we seem them actually “together.”