If you have picked up a Yuri Anthology in the past several years, you may well have encountered a story by Yukiko. This collection of several of Yukiko’s short stories from Seven Seas looks sweet, but right from the beginning, the claws are out. Cats and Sugar Bowls is a 18+ collection which includes BDSM and related fetishes. Content notes: A few of the stories are quite violent, others focus on other forms of domination and a few are rather sweet, depending on the anthology for which the story was written.

Overall, this collection is not my jam, but I would not hesitate to recommend it to someone who liked stories about dom/sub women. The art is surprisingly shoujo-like; characters tend towards cute rather than stylish. One of the strongest qualities of this volume is the characters themselves. The couples actually like one another and the partnerships seem to be based on mutual consent and attraction.

My favorite story is the final one, which was written for Cinnamon: Demihuman x Human Yuri anthology ( シナモン 人外×人間百合アンソロジー)  from Kadokawa, that pairs a priestess and a mountain god in a surprisingly gentle story.

Great job on the translation/adaptation, which manages to be sensitive and straightforward, without making anything here feel uncomfortable (there’s nothing worse than a translator whose discomfort is palpable in a translation of BDSM and yes, I have read some of those.) So thanka to Amber Tamosaitas and Asha Bardon. James Dashiell’s lettering is solid and supportive and, where it can be, is retouching, rather than just adding glosses to s/fx. It looks so much better that way. Beautiful cover design by H. Qi. And thank you to all the editors and proofreaders and technical folks that made this a smooth reading experience.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Stories – Not to *my* taste, but you may love them
Characters – 8 They know who they are
Service – Whether you consider adult exploration of domination or pain “fanservice” is up to you. But there is little salaciousness. Let’s split it down the middle at a 5
Yuri – 8

Overall  – 8

If you’re looking for something adult that isn’t all panty shots and lowest common denominator, why not give this volume a try.