Archive for 2011


Yuri Manga: Saigo no Seifuku New Edition (新装版　最後の制服), Volume 2

June 20th, 2011

We left Volume 1 of the new edition of Saigo no Seifuku (新装版　最後の制服) with two unresolved relationships.

In Volume 2, the situation instantly becomes more complicated, rather than less, with the addition of…a boy!

Boys are causing no end of trouble in the dorm in fact. Kimiko’s boyfriend dumps her and, upon overhearing him and his friends being unkind about her dorrmmate, Tsumugi punches his lights out.

In the meantime, Aiko is vexed because Fuuko has decided to date some guy for whom she really has no feelings. This prompts a sudden confession from Aiko. Now that Fuuko knows the truth, what will she do?

In the meantime, Asagi is still planning on gaining Beniko’s affection, but completely fails to even gain her attention.

This brings us to the end of Volume 2 of the original 3-book series. For those of you who bought and read the Seven Seas translation, here is what you missed:

Upon graduation, Asagi calls Beniko out during her speech, for never having noticed or cared that she had feelings for her. Beniko is surprised, partly because she really hadn’t noticed or cared and partly because now *everyone* in the school is watching her.

Fuuko finally admits that she loves Aiko too, but they will not be able to be together, as her mother has taken ill and she is transferring schools. They have mere hours together before they must part. But they continue to write one another as time passes. Aiko is struck by momentary doubt about Fuuko’s feelings, but a visit in person from Fuuko sets her straight. They plan, upon graduation to attend the same school and live together.  For them, the book ends with a rose-colored future.

Meanwhile, Anzu does manage to convey her feelings to Tsumugi, although she knows her cause is hopeless. But she knows that Tsumugi loves her cooking, and she decides she’ll continue to work on it, so she can one day make something delicious for the one she loves.

Asagi remains a selfish ass right to the very end. Why Tama doesn’t punch her in the gut, I will never, ever understand.

And, finally, we get the epilogue we hoped we’d get for Beniko and Tsumugi, as they move in together and Beniko *finally* has her way with Tsumugi, once again proving my theory that in Yuri, the butches are the uke and the femmes the seme. It was quite nice to see them both grown up. This was, in fact, the ending I’d hope we’d get…and we got it, so yay us!

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 8
Characters – 7
Yuri – 9
Service – 2

Overall – 8

This series may well be the best example of my opinion changing over time. I started off really not enjoying Hakamada Mera’s art and now, as I read the end of this series at last, I find it was no longer a distraction. I was able to simply enjoy the story for what it was – a high school Yuri story with two happily-ever-after endings and a little sex and candy for good measure.





Breaking News: Noir Live-Action Movie

June 18th, 2011

According to ANN, the anime Noir has gotten the go sign for a Live-Action Movie for the Starz Network.

My reaction – ambivalence. I dislike American rewrites of anime because the producers didn’t read/watch the original and don’t really care about the material. On the other hand, the development team is Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, creators of Xena: Warrior Princess. So, I gotta trust that they’ll give us the girls with guns on the run team that we deserve.

Also, I plan on writing them and telling them exactly what I expect from them. ^_^

I’m pretty sure I don’t have Starz, but if this actually gets made and trailers do not look like they suck, I will consider it. (Ambivalence, thy name is Erica)

So, part of me squeed at the news, and part of me groaned. Let’s see part which wins!

Thanks to YNN Correspondent Filo for the heads up!





Yuri Network News – June 18, 2011

June 18th, 2011

Yuri Manga

Hayate x Blade, Volume 14 (はやてｘブレード) is out at the end of this month – seriously. get it. It’s going to be screamingly awesome. Trust me. Even if you can’t read Japanese.

Shoujo Koudan Apartment (少女公団アパートメント) looks like another way to get a 4-pack of females to live together in a dorm-style setting from Mangatime Kirara.

Morita-san ha Mukuchi, Volume 4 (森田さんは無口) is also out at the end of June.

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Yuri Novel/Mook

From Suzumoto Beni, illustrated by Hibiki Reine, comes Yuri Mook Puppy Love, a school girl love story about an otaku and the girl who likes her.

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Other News

From Ain’t It Cool News Anime on Twitter, The Anime Network has Youtubed the first season of Maria+Holic

Waaahhhhh!!!! From Crunchyroll News (ironically reported by Scott Green of Ain’t It Cool Anime News) Go Nagai’s Kekkou Kamen has a new adventure in Business Jump, Issue 14. It will be sure to offend every sensibility you know you have and several you didn’t.

The four actresses voicing the main characters of Yuru Yuri have made a music video in character cosplay of the opening theme.

Manga Critic Kate Dacey is endeavoring to create a Manga 101 guide – something someone who would like to try a manga that caters to their tastes could use to pick something reasonably good to begin with. She’s opened up a suggestions thread – drop by and give her a thought or two.

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That’s a wrap for this week.

Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!





Shoujo Magazine Yuri Watch: Blue Friend (ブルーフレンド) 2nd Season

June 17th, 2011

Beginning in the July issue of Ribon magazine is the newest addition to the Shoujo Magazine Yuri manga scene, Blue Friend, 2nd Season (ブルーフレンド 2nd Season). You can read the synopses of the “first season” in my reviews of Volume 1 and Volume 2 of the manga.

The second season begins, as so many series do, with the excitement of the first day of high school life. “Today my high school life begins,” says Shimizu Kanako. Kanako is thrilled to be attending a girls’ high school, making new friends, etc. She quite accidentally slams into another girl who reacts, despite her cute appearance, with unusual aggressiveness. Kamei-san is small and cute, but her personality, Kanako learns, is blunt to the point of rudeness.

Kanako quickly makes friends in class, but is startled to find an underlying selfishness in her new friends. They ask her to give them things she bought for herself, and copy her homework. Kamei-san is, in the meantime, quite rude to Kanako’s friends. At first Kanako is angry and frustrated with Kamei-san’s attitude. When Kamei-san speaks the brutal truth about one of the girl’s new boyfriend (“He looks like a llama.”) Kanako wisks her away to dress her down. Instead, she finds her self admitting that she wants to be able to speak plainly, as Kamei-san does.

Her friends desert her and, in retaliation for her new relationship, nominate Kanako as class representative. Kamei-san volunteers to join her. They start becoming closer – Kanako goes so far as to elicit a smile from taciturn Kamei-san when she admits to feeling happy when Kamei-san stood up to be the other class rep.

Kanako decides that she will be more like Kamei-san, and speak plainly what she feels, rather than playing the other girl’s mind games. When two of her former group try to bring her back into the fold, Kanako rejects their overtures, politely, but clearly, explaining that she did not take kindly to the way they treated her.

The chapter ends with Kanako looking at her future as class rep with Kamei-san and thinking, “Today my high school life begins.”

Of interest to folks who care about such things, this series premiered at the front of the magazine. That’s a sign that the previous series did pretty well. Good news, I think.

I admit it – I’m waiting for the boot to drop. There is no way this story is going to be this positive, this empowering, is there? Can it be that the heroine will manage to learn to speak up for herself and be rewarded with getting the girl, too? Nah….

Time will tell what horrible, tragic backstory and what icky-making trauma will fill in the lines here, but I have no doubt that Ebon Fumi is cooking something up.

Tune in to the same bat magazine next month to find out!





Found: Good Home for Manga Magazine Reviews

June 16th, 2011

Today there is sad news and there is good news.

On the sad side, industry insider and all-around interesting guy Ed Chavez closed his Mangacast blog. /sad face/ Mangacast was covering the Japanese side of the industry when much of the western press were all but in denial that there was a Japanese industry and only reported what was happening in English. Mangacast also covered things like doujinshi and other sub-manga culture things.

As a result, my manga magazine reviews at MangaCast have been cast aside like an unwanted kitten in a box. (Not really – Ed gave me plenty of warning and I have them all backed up.  I just thought it was a good, forlorn image. ^_^ ) But don’t worry!

The good news is that a hero has fished my reviews out of the water and adopted them! As a result, I will be reposting all my old magazine reviews – and any new ones – as a part of the Manga Bookshelf family alongside many of the fine folks I mentioned in yesterday’s note.

We’re going to start with reposting the old stuff, but now I’m motivated to review the next magazine for you all.

I also really want to thank Sean for offering to host the reviews, as well. The show of support from everyone for reviews I was convinced about 6 people read is gratifying. ^_^

Look for the reviews to go up shortly and new reviews to come soon.

Thanks, Melinda and the whole MangaBookshelf gang!