In Volume 1, we met Matoi, a high school senior who is a talented songwriter who doesn’t understand love. She meets Yuriko, older by a few years, attractive, cool…and suddenly, Matoi is starting to figure it out. As attractive as Yuriko is, Matoi isn’t sure what she wants, and Yuriko seems clear about what she doesn’t want.
In Volume 2 of Yuri to Koe to Kaze Matoi (百合と声と風纏い), Matoi and Yuriko wrestle quietly with themselves, becoming closer friends until Matoi is off to college in Tokyo.
Once in the big city, Matoi is befriended by Rio, who introduces her to concepts like demisexual, nonsexual, and people like lesbian friends of hers who have been a couple for three years. Rio likes Matoi and makes no bones about it, but when Matoi says no, there’s no drama, they can be friends. And she helps Matoi to understand her feelings for Yuriko better.
In the meantime, Matoi’s younger sister confronts Yuriko, forcing her to deal with her own feelings. Yuriko heads to Tokyo to see Matoi. As the volume comes to a close, Matoi will come face to face with Yuriko’s secret.
This series is quietly outstanding. With discussion of LGBTQ sexuality as a fixture in the conversations, this is one of the queerest manga I’ve discovered in the past few years. I like that it’s part of the normal conversation in normal circs that a young human might actually encounter during their time at college.
Ratings:
Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 3
LGBTQ – 7
Overall – 8
It’s a joy to watch Matoi on her journey….and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens now that Matoi and Yuriko will have to confront the things that are holding them back.
I was always wondering how real young Japanese relate to these topics and queer people among their friends or relatives. In my country, such topics are not taboo, but even gay-friendly people will be afraid or embarrassed due to fear that someone will begin to suspect them due to such discussions.