Q: When is a Yuri manga not a Yuri manga?
A: When it has no Yuri.
This may seem like a zen koan, but it is in fact, the subject of our attention today. Futaribeya (ふたりべや) frequently appears on Yuri manga lists, and yet, has no actually Yuri beyond a tense moment in a single panel once a volume.
<– This cover is wholly unrelated to the content of the volume.
This is sort of existentialist Yuri. Can Yuri exist only in the minds of the readership and the manga still be seen as “Yuri”? I’m going to have to say yes, as so many of the series reviewed here over the years existed as Yuri only in the headcanon of dedicated readers – Aria and Lucky Star spring to mind immediately. Neither had the slightest hint of Yuri, but both were obsessively seen as “Yuri” series. And now, we have Futaribeya to add to that voluminous list.
Note to angry Twitterer Whoops who sent me art of the two characters snuggling to prove I am wrong: That art, while by the creator, does not appear in or have anything to do with the actual printed content of Volume 1 and 2 of the manga. You can write whatever story you’d like in your head, you don’t need my validation.
Futaribeya, by Yukiko, is a 4-panel comic strip about two girls who share an off-campus apartment close to their school. Sakurako lives relatively far away and so her parents wanted her to room with someone else. Her roommate is Kasumi, a beautiful girl, who always has a part-time job, does some light magazine modeling, is always hot and has narcolepsy. That’s pretty much all the jokes there are. Sakurako is the responsible one, Kasumi is a layabout at home, because she works so hard.
This cover is likewise wholly unrelated to the content. —>
The Yuri is thin. Sakurako’s younger sister has a crush on Kasumi, and every once in a while Kasumi and Sakurako are too close and suddenly looking too deeply into each other’s eyes, before they pull away in embarrassment. Bwah~ bwah~waaaahhh~.
And yet, this series consistently comes up on Yuri manga lists. I’m not entirely sure why. So, we come back to the question I began with – When is Yuri not really Yuri? When there is no Yuri between the covers, but entirely in between the readers’ ears. Surely we’ve moved beyond headcanon as primary criterium? I mean, sure, once upon a time, making up stories between the two principals was the bulk of Yuri, but it’s already more than a decade since we needed that kind of filler in our Yuri repertoire.
Ratings:
Art – 6 Not particularly great
Story – 4 Not actually existent
Characters – 4 Not geuinuinely developed
Service – 1 Not seriously annoying
Yuri – 0 Not literally there
Overall – 5 Not really worth it
There is no Yuri here. This is a generic 4-koma school life comedy that is considered Yuri only by the kinds of people who cannot imagine two women sharing a room who are not in love.
Well, if you are really into the circle of Yuri, you will know the artist Yukiko is a known Yuri manga artist, the Futaribeya was originally based on a thin yuri short story where sakurako and kasumi posted as couple in one of Yukiko’s work before…..the originally was set on the second year which the release now is in first year….she is trying to tell the story from beginning this time. Do some background story would be nice before comments.
I know Yukiko is a Yuri manga artist. It doesn’t matter that it’s based on a story….it matters that it is not actually a Yuri manga. Your tone indicates that it’s more important for you to feel smart than to engage, which is kind of sad.
The example I thought of was Venus vs Virus. It gets the Yuri tag on all the review and database sites, but, outside of looking at an image or two in the opening credits with thick Yuri goggles on, presents zero lesbian vibes. Shipping is fine and all, but there should be something to prompt it other than misleading marketing.
Yeah, that’s a very good example!
I heard that in Japan, many yuri fans (primarily males) believe that yuri can also be called strong emotional connections between girls, regardless of their sexuality. Maybe the same logic applies here?
Personally, I do not quite understand this logic, and it seems that female authors like Yamada from KyoAni are very skeptical of this.
It is literally the Yuricon official definition of Yuri, “Yuri can describe any anime or manga series (or other derivative media, i.e., fan fiction, film, etc.) that shows intense emotional connection, romantic love or physical desire between women. Yuri is not a genre confined by the gender or age of the audience, but by the *perception* of the audience.”
Because perception of the reader is what defines Yuri. A young woman looking for reflection of their own experience is not going to have the same interpretation as some guy’s.
Futaribeya is, as I say, Yuri-ish, IMHO.
Hello,
I have a question: Did this Manga ever progress into something more definitive regarding its Yuri? I’ve only briefly looked at a few chapters that seemed to be from volume 4, but I don’t want to spoil myself too much.
I’m thinking about buying this, but I’m not quite sure… If the Manga stays what I call “friendship yuri” all the way to the very end, then I might stay away from it. Same if it uses Yuri-ish behavior in the characters purely for the sake of comedy (that’s cute, but I want more)..
Maybe some people who’re still actively reading this can comment?
Thanks!
I just got the third volume and things are getting sooooorta more “intimate”? Still no acknowledgement of them actually being a couple or anything, but more and more characters are commenting on how “strange” they are with eachother and if you’re desperate enough (like me) it seems like there’s a small chance of being a sort of progression of things??? Honestly I’m so deprived of amazing things like “Kase-san” that I’ll just take whatever I can get >_>
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