Archive for the Artists Category


Girls Jump Manga 2012 ( ガールズジャンプ)

May 8th, 2012

Back in 2011, I reviewed the first volume of Girls Jump magazine. I loved it instantly. It was full of talented female creators, drawing without any apparent limits on story or art.

I loved the variety, the sheer talent and the wtf-ness of so many of the stories. Now, over a year later, I’ve gotten my paws on the 2012 volume of Girls Jump ( ガールズジャンプ) and it’s just as wonderful.

The second story, “Hatsukoi Guardian” by Aiki Haruko, was perhaps the very best. It follows a  female wrestler in high school as she deals with falling in love with an attractive male upperclassman in her school. She and her friend were both drawn as beefy, masculine looking girls – not as caricatures, just short-haired and strong, the way an actual wrestler should look. Although it did not have a happy ending, I loved it for the atypical female characters.

The short, tragic and battle-filled lives of bees are sung in the paean “Vespa” by Nakamura Ching. One bee, reaching out to save the other from drowning in a jar was absolutely epic. “short, but seems long time of their life” is a most fitting tagline.

Est Em has contributed a story about a shoe salesman, “IPPO.”

There was a unsubtle timeliness in “Damatte Sumi-chan” about a woman who incessantly Twitters. Maki Hirochi really nails the real-fake tone so many people adopt on the social platform. ^_^;

Hirao Auri gives us “Supernova” about a schoolgirl and the space girl she befriends…and their decision to face a future together, even as the planet faces destruction.

The magazine wraps up with old school, overdressed, vaguely European Vampires in “Darkness Blood” by Yukito. I have no idea what happened, I was too busy looking at the hot vampire woman in knee boots, velvet jacket and corset to read the story. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

As with the last volume, this brief overview does nothing to really explain the assortment and ability of the creators. Honestly, I really hope you’ll all get this annual volume and enjoy the hell out of it, as I have.





Yuri Manga: Sasamekikoto, (ささめきこと) Volume 9

April 16th, 2012

Just about a year ago, I reviewed Octave, Volume 6. It was the final volume and of it I said, “Octave is the story I have always wanted to read.”

I say this once again, this time about Sasamekikoto, Volume 9 (ささめきこと).

The series began as a comedy, a ramshackle combination of Yuri tropes, all played for laughs and a little bittersweet drama. Slowly, but surely, it became a real story, a story that hits right in the heart of what lesbian Yuri readers want to see. What we want to see is not always about “coming out,” it’s about “becoming whole.”

And here, in the final volume, Sumi and Ushio become whole. It was a remarkable, fantastic, magnificent ending. I did not expect an ending of this caliber – I never even hoped for it. I would have been content with a “happily ever after” where we see Ushio and Sumika walk off, without having yet faced their community, their friends and their family, and we all pretend it will be all right.

I didn’t get that ending at all. Instead, miraculously, I got an ending where Ushio and Sumi face their community, their friends and their family head on and tell them that they are lovers. Good heavens, really? And still – it was funny. It was still a comedy, less bittersweet than we ever could have imagined. This is the decade Yuri has changed, irrevocably. This is the decade where Yuri becomes “any manga, anime (or related media) that shows intense emotional connection, romantic love or physical desire between women.” Just like we wanted.

I am flabbergasted. I rejoice. I celebrate.

Congratulations Sumi and Ushio – we love you.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

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Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Characters – 10
Yuri – 10
Service – 1

Overall – 10

I can already see that 2012’s #1 slot for Yuri Manga is going to be a tough race. Awesome. ^_^

What a great ending.





Magic Knight Rayearth Anime Second Season, Disk 4 (English)

April 14th, 2012

I pride myself in watching anime without expectation and my ability to clearly, concisely separate my delusions and desires from what is actually happening on the screen. We all choose to interpret what we see differently, but sometimes the information we’re give is clearer than others. Sometimes the holes are so huge, it’s impossible for me to ignore them, regardless of what I want to be happening.

Which brings us, in an oblique way, to Magic Knight Rayearth, Volume 4 of the Second Season Complete Box Set.

In this volume Nova put a full-on passive-aggressive seduction of Hikaru because, as she says, she loves Hikaru. Well, okay, but a second earlier she told Hikaru that the reason she hated her was because Hikaru hates herself. So, having been given that piece of information, we have to conclude then that Hikaru also wants herself in a sexual way. Or, we can presume that Nova is making it up (and being inconsistent about it) or – and this is my best guess – no one told CLAMP that that made no sense.

In any case, Hiakru remembers for the 17,000th time all the people who are counting on her and manages to get her sword back and call Rayearth for the first time in a few volumes.

More interestingly Fuu defeats Princess Asuka by being calm and cool and smart and unflappable. Standing her ground when Asuka attempts to renege on a deal was a beautiful moment – as was the emotional reunion with Ferio.

Umi’s relegated to a back seat for this volume.

We do get a few moment’s with Eagle, but it looks Lantis is out of the question for him, now that we’ve been told so many times that Hikaru and Lantis are an item. Snoooze. And Debonair-sama laughs evilly for a bit.

Now that we’ve had the Nova gay moment, I doubt that I’ll review the last two volumes individually, but I’ll probably do a single wrap-up for the series as a whole. I really don’t dislike it, but it was dragging there a bit. If we can get back to the plot, I’ll be happier.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 4
Characters – 6
Yuri – 5, but bleah
LoserFanBoy – 3

Overall – 7





Yuri Manga: Kanojyo no Sekai (彼女の世界)

March 29th, 2012

Well this book was kind of a surprise. You know how I’m always ragging on Hakamada Mera-sensei for writing the same old Story A and never really getting past that? Well, in Kanojyo no Sekai (彼女の世界) she does and, um, I kinda wish she hadn’t. (OMG, Erica, you are never satisfied!) ^_^;

Konno Natsuki has a run-in with Hikawa Hidari on the roof – that is, they actually collide with one another. They untangle notebooks and knees and return to their classroom, where Natsuki realizes she has one of Hidari’s notebooks. No big thing, really, except that the notebook contains an erotic novel. Natsuki can’t stop reading the novel so, when the teacher calls on her to stop reading and takes the notebook away, she’s worried that the teacher will read it…and Hidari is worried that Natsuki will throw her under the bus. Natsuki retrieves the notebook, never mentioning Hidari and waits on the roof to return it to the other girl. She won’t say anything, Natsuki promises, on the condition that Hidari continues to write the novel. And so they meet most days, up on the roof.

Hidari is not a well-liked girl. Her name is weird (who names their kid “Left”?) and she’s not personable or outgoing. Natsuki has friends, but she begins to blow them off to go to the roof and read Hidari’s work. She find the story stimulating, but also wants to know a bit more about the author. To make matters worse, Natsuki starts to have sexual fantasies about Hidari, but when she finally acts on one of them and kisses the other girl, she is rebuffed.

The novel changes, too. Now, not only is the protagonist thrown into a variety of sexual situations, a second character has appeared. Hidari confirms that it’s love between the two.

The class trip arrives, just in time to make things awkward for Natsuki and Hidari. Natsuki invites Hidari to join her group, but her friends nix the idea. Hidari goes off with another group and Natsuki can’t even manage to sit with the other girl for the trip. Natsuki sees Hidari from afar on the trip, having fun with her group, she’s overcome with jealousy and starts to cry. When she looks up to see Hidari sitting there, she confesses that she likes her. Hidari says nothing but, quite unusually, she smiles. That night, when all the other girls have gone  to another room to have pillow fights and hang out, Hidari and Natsuki make love.

Although, Natsuki confides in us at the end, Hidari has never said she loves her back, she’s content to join the other girl in their world up on the roof.

It’s a strange, but not insane story, made uncomfortable only really by the fact that it’s set in high school and that it’s by Hakamada-sensei, whose art is not really well suited to more explicit scenes in my head. There’s nothing super explicit, and the characters are not drawn in a way that is inconsistent with her art or with their age or anything that might otherwise make one cringe.  In every other way, it’s a pretty good doujinshi-like story.

Ratings:

Art – 6 on general appeal, but for Hakamada’s art 8
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 10
Service – 7

Overall – 7

The heads aren’t even huge anymore. It’s just that…it’s Hakamada-sensei’s art and the idea of sex in her work seems so…odd.  ^_^





Revolutionary Girl Utena The Movie Anime Dub Review (English)

March 23rd, 2012

Happy Guest Review Day! I know I have not yet reviewed the third box set of Revolutionary Girl Utena, much less the movie, but I will. I’ve just been a tad busy. In the meantime, here is a special Guest Review from Okazu Superhero Eric P. on, specifically, the dub of the Revolutionary Girl Utena The Movie, since as you know, I do not watch dubs.

I hope you’ll all extend a welcoming hand to Eric, as always. Enjoy the review!

In my review for the Revolutionary Girl Utena TV series’ dub, I pretty much summed it up as a dated mixed bag at best. I would so far as say that Nozomi/RightStuf should’ve made the 5.1 Japanese the DVD’s default language, as they’ve done with most of their bilingual releases, rather than having to go to ‘Setup’ to make it so. However, and most fortunately, the same would not be said for the movie’s dub. Even though it is the exact same cast as the TV series, the Revolutionary Girl Utena The Moviedub production is a considerably vast improvement.

A variety of reasons comes into play here. It may have had to do with the animation having more vibrant life to it, and thus there’s more vibrant life to the acting since there was more to play off of. They had an ADR director for the movie who was not the same as the guy who did the TV series, so no doubt that was a huge help. Perhaps it  helped even more that Kunihiko Ikuhara himself came to the studio and offered his feedback and personal direction on some key scenes.

One of the key reasons was that all the weak-link actors trimmed either to just a brief few lines or just brief mute appearances. For instance, the flat-voiced English Nanami just cameos as a short-lived moo-ing cow, so nothing grating there. But for those with high expectations, there can still be some nitpicks. Saionji’s voice can be considered the least good performance. And Miki still sounds older for his age for anyone who finds that bothersome, but the acting itself still isn’t bad and, since he’s supposed to be mature for his age it still works in its own way.

In the end, for all the TV series dub’s weaknesses, by comparison the dub for the movie is a much more solid effort. The overall cast complements and adds to the surrealistic atmosphere of the story, and the actors convey all the necessary feelings through their characters as much as they should. One of the best examples is the scene where Utena and Anthy are in bed together—I thought the mood was really right for that moment, and it’s consistently reflected in all their scenes together. All things considered, it still stands well today, and I would so far as believe it’s interchangeable with the Japanese track; I can watch this amazing and excellent movie in either language and still appreciate it on the same level. So, if you’re a dub fan or are at least open to dubs but shied away from watching the movie in English due to the TV dub’s mediocrity, there’s nothing to be afraid of here. Give it a try if you’re inclined.

Ratings:

Overall – Well done if not so far as being totally perfect. To heck with it, I give it a 9.5

Thank you Eric for the review. Well folks who’ve seen both -what do you think? Does the dub hold up as well as the original track? All opinions welcome in the comments.