With the publication of Comic Yuri Hime, December 2017 (コミック百合姫2017年12月号), the very first year of having a monthly Yuri manga magazine comes to an end. And what a year it has been. In the same way that I felt trepidation for the debut monthly issue, worried that it might be skewed toawrds interests away from my own, I felt similarly for this issue, which highlights some new artists. (While meanwhile, most of our best-loved artists have joined the team at Galette Works.) Unfortunately for me, the Comic Yuri Hime series they are putting the most money into are the ones I like least, so, how would I feel after reading this issue?
I’m pleased to say that Comic Yuri Hime is ending the year about as strongly as it began. Which is to say that it begins with an energetic young woman entering high school and befriending the morose rumor-laden classic Japanese beauty girl. Yep. Still trope-y as heck. ^_^
The cover couple seem to have made up and are cute and wintery. (I wonder, a bit, about people still motivated to draw the same one tropey couple as always. Really? REALLY?!?)
I’m reading two completely separate “girl falls for her sister-in-law” series at the same time, so I find it hard to remember in which the brother is alive and which not. In tMnR’s “Tatoeto Dokanu Kedatoshitemo” Uta’s crush is not as secret, I think, as she’d like us to believe. This chapter focuses more on Kaoru’s relationship with her husband. I’m more uncomfortable with this series since Reichi is alive but in any case, this story has become so depressing, I’m considering dropping it. No one seems happy ever.
After it’s dark opening chapter, “Shiori wo Sagasu Page-tachi” takes a turn sideways, to Chitose’s childhood friendship with Rikako.
“2DK, GPen, Mezamashitokei” gives us a glimpse of what Nanami’s coworkers think of her, and then we watch her spin in the cycle she’s created for herself.
Tsuitsui’s art is a mess, but despite myself I keep liking the story. In “Astrology ha Mawaru” a cool girl is torturing herself about a lost (opportunity for) love, until a young woman ends up taking up her attention.
And no surprise I adore Taneko’s “Model-chan to Jimi Mane-san” about a beautiful model and her new manager. The whole thing felt so Mist magazine, it made me grin. Even the cover piece was like, “throwback!”
Ratings:
Overall – 8
As always, there were many other stories I didn’t review, or even read, but others I did read, but didn’t mention. There’s a host of moe-type stories for folks interested in that, at least a few stories for those of us who prefer not. A reasonable mix. But forgive me, please, if I cannot *wait* until Yuru Yuri, Citrus and NTR are gone and free the space up for something else.
The January 2018 issue is on sale now. I know I look forward to another year of Comic Yuri Hime!
Yuru Yuri is Yuri Hime’s main cash cow, so it will stay there to the end :)
The good news is NTR will end in February 2018 issue.
Citrus will end maybe at Vol 10-12.
Yuri Hime has some big problems with editorial department. Ritchie is no longer editor in chief. They have problems with serializations. Most of the new series already ended in less than a year. Hiatuses almost every month. And now they are printing chapters from their free web manga on pixiv. And it’s not for advertising but rather for filling left space.
Hiatuses are common in monthlies.
But not THAT often.
I don’t know if that is true. I’ll defer until I know more about the situation.
Yuru Yuri has some cool adults in it that would make great main characters in some spin off. If they focused more on the adults and maybe some real relationships I would be a lot more into it. I still like it for a few laughs overall but the “kind of yuri but not really” is dragging on too much for me.
Can you tell me the manga name of the cover couple?