Archive for 2011


Yuri Manga: Tsubomi (つぼみ), Volume 10

April 14th, 2011

Earlier this month, I wrote a review of “Story A” for Hooded Utilitarian. In many ways, Story A is like a music hall song. You know music hall songs – these are songs that you know – at least the chorus. When music hall was a common entertainment, popular songs were sing-a-longs, with songs like “A Bicycle Built for Two.” (By Blur. Because music hall music is timeless.) Don’t know the lyrics?   Performers would display the lyrics as they were sung, so *everyone* could join in.  My wife’s favorite music hall song is “Let’s All Go Down The Strand” (also by by Blur, because why not)  which is a very singable song. Try it, go ahead, you’ll have fun. Here’s the lyrics, so you can follow along. The Strand is a large street in London, like 5th Avenue in New York City, with a lot of stores and museums and Trafalgar Square. Popular place to go and “be seen.”

The point is – when you know what to expect, sometimes it’s more fun, because you can just relax.

In Tsubomi (つぼみ), Volume 10, we can just relax and sing the chorus, because we already know the story: There is a girl, she likes another girl, the girl likes her, the end. Like a good music hall song, there’s nothing unpleasant about repeating this refrain over and over because we enjoy it.

Sometimes, there’s even a new verse or two.

Ratings:

Overall – 9





K-ON! Manga, Volume 2 (English)

April 13th, 2011

K-ON!, Vol. 2Slices-of-life, like reactions, and opinions, are subjective.

Slice of whose life? If it’s not yours, then there has to be a hook for you, otherwise you will stare at the antics of a bunch of high school girls and think, puh-leeze….no one does that. Or you will turn page after page as a humanoid android watches tall grasses blow in the wind in a post-apocalyptic world and think, god, this is boring. Or you will watch as a bunch of girls are amazed as a new incarnation of Venice continues to be wonderful day after day and….

I read a review this week by someone I like personally, but have never once agreed with a review they wrote. Our reading tastes are just that different. Their review of K-ON!, Volume 2 was something to the effect of “who is this for?!?” Well…it appears to be “for” me. ^_^

Last night friends and I were discussing our linchpin books and how awful it is when you lend someone you consider to be a close friend a book you consider to be one of the best you’ve ever read – and they hate it. Or can’t read it at all. This is basically what happens 99.9% of the time when people ask me to read book that they love. I’m not them, and I don’t love it. Often I hate it. And, as a result I don’t ask people too often to read a book. Whether it’s GUNJO or Sailor Moon, I presume my connection to it was personal and, as they are not me, they will not have that connection.

As an example, I loathe with every fiber of my being, Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Wedding. It is largely considered to be a work of genius.  It offends my every sensibility. There is quite literally nothing about that painting I like. If I were not sane, I would gladly render it to shreds with a boxcutter.  My wife loves it. We’re both “right.” My tremendous dislike for Maria+Holic is the same – I understand it perfectly fine…I just hated it. That’s okay in the real world of grown-ups, where we can disagree without having to prove the other person wrong. Opinions and reactions are, like slices-of-life, in the eye of the beholder.

So I sympathize with this reviewer. I would not, under any circumstances, try to educate them or tell them that they didn’t “understand” it (which is the most common unbalanced fan comment we bloggers get.) Of course this person understood the book – they just didn’t LIKE it! They are allowed. If we’re not insane, we shrug and pick a different topic to discuss.

When a fellow blogger pans K-ON! my reaction is, “oh, gee, I guess I’d better blog about it, because I liked it.” And here we are. See – no reeducation or ‘splaining needed. We all “understand” it just fine, whatever our reactions to it. ^_^

In K-ON!, Volume 2, Yui and her friends slack around instead of practicing. Yui is an idiot savant about music, which in many other manga is enough to make me stabby, but the songs were so much fun in the K-ON! anime that I forgive it in the manga. Yui hugs and pokes and cuddles the new first-year Azusa because she’s cute and the kind of people who interpret that as Yuri interpret that as Yuri. I like Mugi best, even though she has about 6 lines in the whole book. Mio is more interesting to me as a lyricist than as a creature of fanservice and Ritsu…is Ritsu.

For whatever reason, this manga is close enough to a slice of *my* life that I find it appealing. Yes, I’d gladly lose the fanservice because not only is it unrealistic, it’s just boring, but apparently there is a swatch of the audience who cannot tolerate fun slice-of-life stories without getting glimpses of girl’s underwear. Don’t you feel bad for them? I do. I don’t think they “understand” girls much…maybe they need it all explained to them better.

In any case, nothing happens and most of that nothing is stupid beyond belief, but I like it and there’s basically nothing that will change that. Even when Yen, who had ample room in the notes inexplicably does not include a note that “Japanese cats say ‘nya’ so Azusa’s nickname Azu-nyan comes from that,” and instead creates the awkward “Azu-meow.” Even that doesn’t make me like K-ON! any less. Because I’ve decided I like it. It’s my kind of slice-of-life.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – There is none, but I’m still giving it an 8
Characters – 10, this is a completely character driven series
Yuri – 0
Service – 5

Overall – 8





Yuri Manga: GUNJO, Volume 2

April 11th, 2011

There will be massive spoilers in this review. I cannot discuss how powerful the story is or the reactions I had without them. If you object, skip to the ratings.

Today, we speak of desperation.

In my interview with Nakamura-sensei, she called GUNJO (羣青 ) a story about the “profound loneliness of a lonely person.”

In Volume 1 (上), we learned why the brunette would be driven to desperate acts, as a way to escape a life of despair and pain. She had nothing to lose. And we can understand that, we can forgive that. Abused women fighting back makes sense to us.

In Volume 2 (中), we are forced to deal with the other half of that act…executed by a woman who had everything to lose.

The beginning of Volume 2 starts with the chapter that made it impossible for me to continue to write chapter-by-chapter reviews of this story. This is when I began thinking of reading GUNJO in terms of “eating the most delicious razor blades you’ve ever had.” Each chapter hurts so magnificently, it has become my equivalent of cutting. I read a chapter to see how low into despair I can sink, how intensely I can feel their loneliness, how miserable they can make me feel. I read this every month to see if I can still summon hope.

In Volume 2, we do the most absolutely emotionally draining thing possible, we stop watching the main couple, with their dysfunctional relationship and dangerous dynamic, and take a step aside to really understand everything the blonde has thrown away. I don’t believe I’ve ever shed so many tears over a book as I did in these chapters. Watching the blonde’s ex re-create her life, find out how close they were to making it permanent (or, as permanent as possible for two gay women in Japan in the present), watching as the loss of her lover forces the ex to come out to her parents, and express how she *would* have spent the rest of her life with that woman. And then, when it all seems like she’s put it behind her and is ready to move on, we watch her give up completely…and kill herself. The blonde, who has everything to lose, has lost everything.

Then, when we think that we can put that behind us and we can move on, the ring her lover had bought her….the ring with which she was intending to propose…is given to the blonde, along with the story of her lover’s death. Now she has to deal with new loss on top of old.

But the book doesn’t end there. Profound loneliness has no cure. It wants no cure. The brunette, a woman who has run until she has been cornered by life, has new ammunition to make the one person who cares about her hurt. So she does. She batters the blonde with emotional torment until the blonde throws away the very last relics she has of her former life, 550 yen….and the wedding ring.

Ratings:

Art – 10
Story – 10
Characters – 10
Lesbian – 10
Sevice – 1

Overall – 10

There is no respite here. There is no moment when we can breathe a sigh of relief.

All we can do is feel the desperation and the loneliness of despair. And wait. For Volume 3.





Maria-sama ga Miteru: Are You Ready?

April 10th, 2011

Last November, it was my great honor to be able to see the Maria-sama ga Miteru Live-Action movie when it opened in Japan.

As part of the commemorative ticket package (thank you Komatsu-san for picking that up for me!), I received a spiffy clearfile with the Hibiki Reine character designs of Yurmi and Sachiko on one side, and the live-action Yumi and Sachiko on the other, postcards, signed photos and, of course the commemorative ticket itself.

The package also included a little pamphlet with a bonus story by Konno Oyuki-sensei called Maria-sama ga Miteru: Are You Ready? (マリア様がみてる Are You レディー?)

This story takes place during the Sports Festival of Yumi’s first year. This is just before preparations for the School Festival would begin, so, a prologue to the first novel.

During the Sports Festival Yumi who, as a student in the Peach class is on the Pink Team, can’t take her eyes off the Green team area and one student there in particular. Katsura asks why she doesn’t just confess her feelings to Sachiko-sama, but Yumi has no intention of doing that.

When she sees Sachiko’s oneesama, Youko, Rosa Chinensis, Yumi is captivated by the two sisters together. And Tsutako, ever sensitive to Yumi’s moods, captures a perfect moment between the two of them, with Yumi in the frame, but apart.

The epilogue of this little short follows Sachiko’s much later discovery of the print, and ends with the narrative voice mentioning that in only a few weeks, Yumi’s life would change forever. Are You Ready, Yumi? the author asks, as it draws to a close.

The pamphlet is only 16 pages, but it gives us a glimpse of Yumi as she is at the very beginning of the series – a fan of Sachiko but, as she reminds the Rosas after she turns Sachiko down, she has fan’s pride and will not, in her own way, let that pride be trampled – thus setting into motion the completely remarkable retraining of Ogasawara Sachiko.

No, Yumi was not ready, but she was the perfect choice. ^_^

Overall – 9





Yuri Network News – April 9, 2011

April 9th, 2011

Event News

Today and tomorrow is the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival.  I will be there today only at Rica Takashima’s Table – L9. She will have art prints, postcards, magnets and a new doujinshi, Miho-chan’s Memories. Drop by say hi – I intend to have random items to give away, as stuff always sort of accumulates here in the house. ^_^

As I’ve said in the past, I consider MoCCA to be one of the best events for comics and cartoon art I’ve ever attended. If you think you want to be an artist or just want to feel the vibe of a whole lot of creatin’ going on, you really must attend MoCCA’s event.

For the more literary-minded, New York’s Japan Society is hosting an event titled Seeing Stories: Fiction, Manga & Graphic Novels on the reciprocal nature of literature and manga. This is on May 3 in NYC. I plan on being there, if I can.

One more event I am planning on attending – Yuri doujinshi event Girls Love Fest this September in Tokyo. It’s about time, wouldn’t you say? Next time, Maiden’s Garden. ^_^

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Yuri Anime

I am actually amazed it took this long, but massively popular with moe fans Idolmaster
has finally gotten an anime.

YNN Correspondent and Okazu Superhero Eric P. shares the news that Nozomi/Right Stuf has licensed Sora no wo to and will be releasing it as a DVD collection, Sound of the Sky. This collection has a street date in July.

Funimation is releasing Ga-Rei-Zero in combo DVD/Blu-Ray packs and on their Youtube channel.

There was a book in every single store when I was in Japan in 2010. Moshidora is about a girl who becomes a manager of a baseball team. And it was on all the Yuri lists, because it was moe and they reaaallllllly wanted it to have Yuri. Now it’s an anime and they still reallllly want it to have some Yuri, even if they have to squint and lean.

And in the same trend, Hanasaku Iroha, which is streaming on Crunchyroll, IMHO (which may not be yours) sounds like the Yuri will be mostly in your head.

Maria+Holic has been granted a second season and, like Hanasaku, I will not be watching it. If you enjoy Maria+Holic and want to review that second season, please feel free to write me about a guest review!

While we’re piling on the moe with questionable Yuri, don’t forget that the anime A-channel will begin this spring. It’s based on a 4-koma comic, so you’ve already seen this one…a hundred times. ^_^

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Maria-sama ga Miteru News 

New Novel,  Maria-sama ga Miteru: Private Teacher  is already getting high Yuri ratings on Japanese Yuri blogs and juicy snorts of amusement from fans. A Japanese acquaintance on Twitter said, “It sounds like a fan doujinshi!” It really does….

…and, at last! YNN Correspondent Simon gets in first with the news that the Maria-sama ga Miteru Live-Action movie BD and DVD will be seeing a late July release. Want Nozomi/RightStuf to license it? Ask them politely to do so.

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Yuri Manga 

YNN Correspondent Komatsu-san is pleased to share the news that Himawari-san manga has had successful sales and is going to a second printing. Even better, the creator is looking to do a second volume and the publisher is willing to back it. Whee!

From random tweets, Morinaga Milk has intimated that there may be a new edition and possibly continuation of Kuchibiru Tameiki Sakura-iro.  When more details are released I’ll let you know. Or, conversely, when one of you learns details, you’ll let me know! You’re not shy! ^_^ (Also, please don’t bothering to respond to this news with “Yay! I can’t wait to read scans!” because I will not approve comments like that.)

Aoii Hana’s got a new collection of Comic Yuri Hime stories called called Twin Kick (ツインケイク).

There is a charity doujinshi for Earthquake rescue and relief that has contributing artists from a number of magazines including the creator of Nobara no Mori no otome-tachi.

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Other News

If you’re looking to practice your Japanese, but don’t want to risk being treated like a weirdo for liking Yuri, then consider joining the new Yuri GL Community.

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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!