Yes, this review is almost a year late. While my excuse that I fell ill the very week this came out might work for this issue, it doesn’t explain the rest of them, so let’s just say that the year got away from me ^_^;

Galette, No. 25 was a really interesting volume of this crowd-funded, creator-owned magazine. I finally had time this weekend and really *read* all the way through it in a way I have not done in many issues.

Firstly, there is a short by Inui Ayu that takes a look at conformity in the workplace. This story warmed my heart and kind of made me laugh a bit at my much younger self, who wore a top hat into the office for a year or so. My first job was with a VERY conservative ad agency. I wore pants (gasp!) and got facial piercings and tattoos over the years I worked there. I took pagan holidays off. I was a constant thorn in their policies, because I did things before they thought to forbade doing them, then they couldn’t forbid them. ^_^ Rock on weirdos and noncomformists! But this story speaks to how conservative Japanese companies are. It’s only very recently a very, few Japanese companies have allowed employees – even employees with naturally lighter hair – to wear any color other than black or dark brown.

Also of note is a story by Kase-san creator Takashima Hiromi, a sweet little school life story.

Hakamada Mera’s “Aikata System” continues with Abiko-sempai being just so annoying and manipulative that you can’t like her but Cairo finds that, the idea of not being her partner if the Aikata system is revised, is devastating, after all.

My favorite story was “Yoru ni Tsutsumaru,” by Uno Junior, a brief little tale about how dangerous it is for women to hike in the mountains at night, because you might meet the god of the mountain, she might eat you, become a human and the two of you may live whole lives together. ^_^

Te magazine ends with a long interview with Inui Ayu-sensei about how she going into manga, and Yuri. Here’s an amazing fact – Comic Yuri Hime magazine has existed since she was in elementary school. … I don’t feel old at all…..

Overall – 9

As these issues have been piling up on my desktop – I am getting the digital copies of the magazines as a backer – it has felt a little intimidating to get back into reading it. Now that I have finally read this volume, I’m jazzed about hitting the next one! Galette No. 26 (ガレット) is available in print and digital.