Comic Yuri Hime for July 2016 (コミック百合姫2016年7月号) wasn’t as wretched as the May issue, but the divide between stories I like and the super creepy fanservice that is pretty much indefensibly vile is widening.
Looking at girl’s crotches, even fictitious, drawn, completely not-at -all real ones, when the “plot” literally has to contort itself around that, just to make it constantly possible, is still utterly repulsive to me in every possible way. And, too, I’m finding it harder and harder to tolerate Amano Shuninta’s “Ayame 14,” which might be sincerely meant, but feels just exactly like another way to pander.
“Prince Princess” wraps up with a (if you think about it too hard) bizarre affirmation that girls don’t have to be masculine if they don’t want to. Being girly is A-OK. Since that’s not usually a problem – and, in fact, the opposite is usually the problem – it kind of fails as an analogy for inclusivity. But it’s a happy ending, so…yay?
Thankfully for me, Takemiya Jin, Ohsawa Yayoi and Kuzushiro all have continuing series. Phew. I long for the covers drawn by Kazuaki, as the entire magazine steadily falls back into the most banal and egregious moe tropes. Okay, pendulum, it’s time to swing back now!
Ratings:
Overall – 6
Thank *heavens* for Ohsawa Yayoi. She’s the only one drawing adults right now and I cling to “2DK, G Pen, Alarm Clock” like a life preserver.
“She’s the only one drawing adults right now…” I don’t have many issues of Comic Yuri Hime, but I have one from 2009 (Vol. 17) and it’s incredible flipping through it and seeing how older everyone looks compared to what’s in it now (such as the moe-drenched May 2016 issue), even though at the time I’m sure I was complaining about everyone being drawn too young-looking.
The cover of the 2009 issue (from a series called Renai Idenshi XX) features two relatively adult-looking characters missing the now ubiquitous and tiresome neotenic features. There’s a-trouble brewin’ when narrow eyes and angular faces alone makes something stand out. “Ooh! Maybe this won’t be nothing but zooming crotch shots of brain-damaged six year olds”.
Yup. Eiki Eiki and Zaou Taishi have a unique style. I was sorry that series wasn’t given more time to develop.
I know it’s a review of July issue, but Erica is it really true that in September issue Yuri Hime editor said “Nobody claimed that Yuri Hime was a yuri magazine” or something like this?
I don’t know. I haven’t read it and I don’t tend to read the editorial content.
This was the September issue…I mislabeled it.
I saw a report that that was true, but I cannot confirm. I don’t read every word and if the editor said that, then it may signal a shift in the coming year away from Yuri.
Hi,
I just finished the latest Yuru Yuri tankoubon, and want to continue with the magazine, but I have no idea which magazine release contains which chapters. Do you mind telling me which chapter of YuruYuri did ComicYuriHime 2016-07 contain? And if it’s not much trouble, which magazine release contained chapter 109? Thanks!