This year we are starting off 101 CYE and I wanted to pick something really special to begin with. It was a difficult decision, let me tell you! ^_^ To try and capture the oldness, the newness, the everythingness about this new age, I chose something that is both old and new, Nakamura Asumiko’s Mejirobana no Saku (メジロバナの咲く).

Ruby Canossa is a student at an exclusive school for wealthy girls. She’s got friends and is neither the worst student, nor the best. As the holidays approach, she learns she will be left behind at the school; her parents have been having problems, so they’ve decided to take a cruise…without her. Ruby also learns that she won’t be alone at the school. Star of the school, the cold beauty known as “Steel” Steph is going to be remaining behind for the holiday break, as well. Steph has no apparent interest in Ruby, but Ruby finds herself interested in the other girl. Their relationship is fraught and, as Ruby’s life begins to collapse around her, Steph never provides any comfort, but may be the strength Ruby needs to find her way.

This volume is full of tension, from both Ruby’s home life and the tension between her and Steph, but Ruby is never afraid to say what she thinks or hold back for decorum’s sake, which makes this story the opposite of the kind of tension we find in Mayu, Matou.

Nakamura-sensei is probably best known in the west as the creator of Classmates, (which is available in English from Seven Seas) and is generally known as a BL artist, but this isn’t the first thing she’s drawn with Yuri. You may remember she had a Yuri story in Denpa’s Maiden Railways.  That story was quite modern. This story, set in the most classic of Yuri tropes – the vaguely European, vaguely Christianish private school for daughters of the elite, is the Yuri manga equivalent of Nakamura-sensei stomping her foot down in the girls love ring. ^_^ She has arrived, and she has brought along many of the old familiar genre tropes, taking a look at them with a fresh perspective. Our long-haired beauty is Hungarian and blonde this time, but its instantly apparent that still waters run deep here. Dark-haired Ruby is the hot-headed emotional character, but instantly likeable for having agency and being willing to use it.

There are kisses…but whether there is, or will be, affection, is up for debate. There’s no way to guess which direction this story is going from this volume. (If you have read ahead, please do not share. I also read the magazine. I’m reviewing this volume. Thanks for understanding how reviews work.)

Nakamura’s art is quirky. It will be entirely personal taste whether you like it or not. As I mentioned in my review of Maiden Railways, “stunned into silence” is the primary reaction of characters in Nakamura’s work, so watching her reach into Ruby and finding volatile emotion is really appealing to me. I also definitely enjoyed the cover design with all the tropes laid out plainly and the title rendered in metallic silver as if to indicate that this book is, as one might expect, a high class product.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9 These are really strong characters. Some of the best she’s done
Service – 2 because of a thing
Yuri – 6

Overall – I was going to say 8, but on re-read, 9.

We’re never going to shed the tropes of Yuri, but revisiting them with talented creators doing something unique and unpredictable with them is always a great way to begin the new year!