Back in 2006, I reviewed a series called Transistor ni Venus. The series was a romp through the universe with super spy Enus, who was the best kisser in the universe and had the blessing of the Goddess that anyone protected by her would remain unharmed.
The series was a hoot, full of Enus kissing pretty young men, and lots and lots of girls and women. There was action, too. Nothing about it was less than fun, but one of the most appealing features for me, was the art. Enus and all the other female spies were drawn by creator Takemoto Izumi with a distinctly pin-up sensibility, but without that Femme Fatale “bad-girl” vibe so often attached to “strong, female” characters.
To make things even more appealing, there was an artbook of the series. So, today, from my wildly obscure ephemera collection, I want to introduce you to the very, very obscure Enus Collection (イーナスコレクション ) 1999-2003, by Takemoto Izumi. (The link leads to an Amazon JP listing, but most of the sellers are ship to Japan only. You’ll need to have a buyer if you want this.)
These are just two of my favorite pictures.
To be fair, not all or even most, of the pictures are Yuri in nature. Many of the pictures are Enus posing, often in cosplay. But a few of them are classic pin-up poses which really appeal to me. Enus wasn’t a hard ass, but she was a very competent character, and so, on my personal list of faves.
Ratings:
Art – 9
Yuri – 7
Overall – 9
You nailed what makes Takemoto Izumi’s art appealing. (And what makes his service not suck.) This was a lovely artbook. ^_^ Thank you again for going to the trouble of getting me a copy!
@Katherine – To be honest, that book was a donation by Bruce P for a contest or other worthy cause. I’ve been holding on to it for a while, and you’re the worthiest recipient I knew. ^_^
@Erica- lol You’re too kind. :-)
Katherine, I’m glad it went to you. I like your blog! -Bruce
@Bruce- Thank you, on both counts! :-)
What I liked about this series is that it felt a lot like Tezuka and astroboy with the character design. that sort of retro 60s cartoon vibe. It was really neat to sort of get in a time machine and see older comics with a somewhat more modern view in terms of content.