While we’re able to enjoy Makoto Hagino’s slow-burn high school Yuri romance, A Tropical Fish Years for Snow in English, there is another Shogagakukan title with a similar feel – the ongoing story of two young women in love for the first time. Nanoha is outgoing, Chidori is a bit more reserved, but they are both happily ensconced in their group of friends and doing fun things together. And, they are in live.

Hana ni Arashi, Nanoha to Chidori, Volume 4 provided another new flex when confronted with the “sempai turned me gay” script. Where Sayaka just flat out gets pissed off and is extra gay at sempai when they meet later just to freak her out, Nanoha is there for Chidori and the two of the let sempai know that they are, in actual fact, an item. So there. At the end of the volume, while fireworks explode above them, they kiss.

In Hana ni Arashi, Volume 5, (はなにあらし) they obsess about that kiss to the point of distraction, in the most adorable way. Then the school festival comes and huddled together under a sheet waiting to scare customers at the haunted house, they are wholly distracted by one another. But once they have a moment to talk about their feelings about the kiss, they end up kissing again.

Nanoha looks for all the world, like a cute energetic femme, but she was a boyish basketball star in middle school, we learn, as an old kouhai of hers transfers in. Mai was injured playing and has decided to distance herself from sport. Mai’s familiarity with Nanoha makes Chidori feel a bit jealous, but we can see she has good cause, as Mai is planning on stealing her beloved sempai away. I’m not that worried, conflicts in this series don’t last more than a few chapters, and Nanoha is more likely to state plainly how she feels about Chidori. We’ve dealt with Chidori’s past….now it’s time to set Nanoha’s past behind her, and move on to the future.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 6
Service – 2 Less service, but the gaze is still creepier than I like. But I feel that way about almost everything these days.

Overall – 7

I find this series less overwrought  and more service-y than Tropical Fish, but just as earnest, and a little bolder, ultimately. It’s hard to not like watching Nanoha and Chidori overheat at the memory of that kiss. ^_^ If Viz were to pick this up, I think it would do quite well for them.