The subject of today’s review isn’t really Yuri, although I’ve seen it on a number of Yuri lists. Despite that I want to talk about it, in part because I mentioned it recently during an interview. Ah toka Uh shika Ienai, Volume 1 (あーとかうーしか言えない ) is the story of Toda, a woman who is a very decent ero-manga artist, but who finds it challenging when it comes to expressing herself verbally. Tanaka, her editor, shows remarkable skill in interpreting Toda’s monosyllabic responses “Ah”s and “Uh”. Together, they make a great team.

After a few pages establishing their partnership, we learn how Toda debuted at “XtoC” magazine. That established, the manga becomes more about the cuthroat world of manga rankings. And within that, we get to see Toda and Tanaka working beautifully together.

About halfway through this book I wondered out loud whether I was enjoying it. I wasn’t sure if Toda’s communications issues was being presented as a gag, which I would have found intolerable, or not. But, after Toda and Tanaka spend the day doing research at an amusement part and Toda really starts to open up to her editor and together, they push Toda towards the top of the rankings, I found that I was enjoying it, after all. Specifically, the page with Toda smiling in front of the ferris wheel, telling Tanaka she was having fun. That pretty much set me into a positive spin about this story.

To encourage and support Toda, Tanaka has her move in with her. And in the end, Tanaka says that she likes reading the manga written by a person she likes. The end of Volume 1 comes and we are totally team Tanaka /Toda and rooting for them to beat the author/editors combos to the top of the rankings.

The two things I found to be standout notes on this series were, first, that any Yuri, if there indeed will be any, is not as important as the teamwork that Tanaka and Toda develop. It was pleasantly surprising to have a story which is openly festooned with sexual imagery to not be about sex or sexual objectification of the principle characters. Additionally, this is the second manga I have encountered in recent days, that deal with different forms of difficulties with verbal communication. Yesterday’s Lily Lily Rose presented us a child whose verbal skills were hampered by trauma. In today’s story, Toda’s overwhelmed by the words themselves. In both cases, understanding and supportive partners help the protagonists communicate. As a person who loves words, but who is likely to become overwhelmed when I am communicating verbally (and who is losing access to words more often, presumably as a result of MS,) I’m really feeling Toda’s struggle.

Ratings:

Art – Kind of amazing, really, because its required to present multiple styles and phases of creation 9
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 7 There is quite a bit, as they work for a porn magazine
Yuri – 1 but it doesn’t matter

Overall – 8

I’m 100% behind the idea of a positive working relationship for two women as the backbone of this manga. Whether or not it ever becomes a romance is irrelevant to me.