With a title translated on the cover as “Lily Grave Vandalism” you just know I had to pick up Yuri Hakaarashi (百合墓荒らし) by Natsuo Tougen.

Yutaka hates her name, which is much more commonly used for boys. But when she was in school, she had a best friend who called her “Yuka-chan.” Sayoko and she went on adventures together into the mountains around town and had their own “secret base.” Yutaka always loved Sayoko and misses her terribly, since she went missing 7 years ago. Now Sayoko’s family has declared her dead and is finally holding a funeral for Sayoko. Yutaka returns from her job and home in the city to pay her respects. As she arrives in town, she is greeted by the spirit of Sayoko who remains the high school girl she last saw her as.

As the book develops, we learn what really happened when Sayoko went missing and why Yutaka is back home one last time.

This novel is a debut work by Natsuo Tougen and, to some extent, it reads like one. A lot of foreshadowing and flashback try to keep the reader off balance, but a single line gives away the whole story. About 1/3 into the story I wasn’t sure where it might go, but by halfway I knew exactly where it would go. And even when there was a chance for it do something unpredictable, the narrative hewed closely to the most obvious conclusion. While I would have been much happier to see Yutaka to get some therapy and leave the whole thing behind…as a story rooted in a high school Yuri setting, this had some good elements one might expect from a “missing for seven years” story.

All that said, it’s always good to see a new entry into the world of Yuri literary fiction. As I pointed out in my review of Yuri literary magazine Zerogoh, there is a surprising amount of Yuri fiction out there right now. I still have another short story collection from yet another publisher still to be read on my pile from earlier this year.

Will you want to read Yuri Hakaarashi? It depends on how much you’re looking for imaginative original work.

Ratings:

Overall – 6

The cover is by our old friend Mebachi-sensei and is very evocative of the story.