I’d like to give a copy of Takasaki Hiromi’s Shortcake to Kase-san. ( ショートケーキと加瀬さん。) to every Yuri fan in the world as an example of schoolgirl Yuri that presses all the buttons and almost completely manages to not be a skankfest of creepy.
Kase-san and Yamada-san, (who we met in Asagao to Kase-san and have followed through Obentou to Kase-san) enter their final summer of high school and together they enjoy the living fuck out of it. Pool, cake and a little heavy petting is pretty much the standard menu for every senior high school experience.
Of course, weighing on Yamada’s mind is their inevitable upcoming split as Kase-san will head off to Tokyo. Yamada has no particular plans, but was vaguely thinking about sticking around and going to the local university. In an emotional, yet strangely silly ending, they resolve this big problem and, we assume, live happily ever after.
There are a few panels that I, as an editor, would have redrawn, but it is apparent to me that there is no manga being published completely free of the burden of serving the imagination of the imagination-less. But with those few exceptions, this is a sweet, silly, and realistic look at young love.
Ratings:
Art – 8
Story – 8
Character – 8
Yuri – 8
Service – 3
Overall – 8
For my first review of 2016, I wanted something pretty damn good. This, as schoolgirl Yuri goes, is pretty damn good. ^_^
Yes, Kase-san is nearly everything I consider good in the genre with none of the stuff that makes other works (to me) cringe-worthy. Also, this work has a gentle and soulful sort of lyricism that so many others lack… it’s difficult to quantify. It tells pretty much the same story as many others, but there’s something about the pace, the lines, the expressions that set it apart.
I agree. ^_^ There were some pandery panels, but overall, it’s quite lovely.