Archive for the Artists Category


Yuri Manga: Kila Kila (キラキラ)

July 10th, 2011

Kila Kila (キラキラ) by Takemiya Jin, is a collection of one short serial, “Akogare no Itoshii Hito,” and a one-shot with the title name from Comic Yuri Hime.

The titular story is unrealistic and utterly adorable. Sayaka is obsessed with magazine idol Ria. She can just “sense” Ria’s aura she’s sure so, when one day a girl walks by and she senses Ria, she pursues the girl.

Sayaka’s 6th sense isn’t far off – the girl turns out to be Ria’s twin sister, Mari. Mari is not a model, but is an introverted, cynical girl with some understandable issues in regards to her famous sister.

Cynical as she is, Mari understands that Sayaka is befriending her to get closer to her sister and, as a result, when Ria learns of Sayaka’s existence, she expects to lose her new friend. What neither Mari, nor Sayaka expected was for Sayaka to find Mari’s own sparkle so alluring that she decides Mari is more important than Ria ever was.

The bulk of the book is taken up with a tale of a love triangle between sophisticated older sister Tsukiko, Nana who has a crush on her and her childhood friend Youko, Tsukiko’s blunt younger sister.

Youko and Nana argue over Tsukiko’s intentions and, even when Youko is proven correct about her playgirl older sister, she and Nana can’t repair the damage to their friendship, when Youko admits that she’s had feelings for Nana all along.

Years pass and Nana, with a new friend, Satomi, are out one day when she sees Youko….with what instantly appears to be a girlfriend. Nana is shocked, then appalled at her reaction of jealousy and suddenly, she realizes her feelings for Youko. She confronts Youko to learn if that is indeed her girfriend, and if Youko is happy. It is, Youko confirms, and she is. They part and Nana is left to realize that she might very well have thrown away something wonderful, but Satomi, in the most charmingly goofy way, picks up the pieces. The end comes with Nana realizing that she should not ignore Satomi’s feelings the way she ignored Youko’s  and they head off to live what we can hope will be happily ever after.

The final chapter revisits “Kila Kila” and allows Sayaka to reject Ria in front of Mari and to soundly kiss Mari so she knows these feelings are not one-sided.

As always, I enjoy Takemiya Jin’s work. I’m never going to try and convince you it’s beautiful and, if anything, I like it better when the characters are evil and scheming, rather than wide eyed and adorable. But still, it’s feel-good reading for me.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 9
Loser FanGirl –  6

Overall – 8

Takemiya-sensei’s work has a ring of verisimilitude when it comes to relationships between girls that series like A Channel or Yuru Yuri completely fail to capture. As a result, I can read something as utterly unrealistic as “Kila Kila” and still see the real-ness of the characters’ feelings where I watch a school girl life series like Yuri Yuri and see nothing at all I can relate to. ^_^





Revolutionary Girl Utena Anime Box Set – Volume 1 Disk 3 (English)

June 25th, 2011

Revolutionary Girl Utena: Student Council Saga Limited Edition SetBy the time you reach the third disc of the Revolutionary Girl Utena Student Council box set, you’ve already developed your ideas about what you think is going on. My ideas and yours may not be the same, but they are all valid. The show is consciously constructed to allow all our ideas to be valid. Now we, as viewers, have to allow each other’s ideas to be valid, too.

I’m going to tell you some of the things I think are going on (bearing in mind that while I know what is going to happen, I wont be talking about that – just what is happening on this disc. What I would REALLY like is to hear what you think is going on in the story. What are your thoughts about The End of the World – no spoilers, remember, just based on this first arc! – or about Touga, or the duels, or Anthy, Utena, whatever.

Okay, so here I go.

The disk begins with Saionji doing something very stupid, and being expelled for it. I have this belief that, in some way, all the members of the Student Council, by becoming members of the Student Council, were essentially consenting to being manipulated by the End of the World.

Which is why I personally find it hardest to watch Nanami being screwed with. She did not give this consent. Miki is innocent, but not unbsubtle. Nanami is a child. She is driven by delusion and fear and has no place in the duels. That Touga offers her up to them was, in my opinion an unforgivable crime.

Up to this point, it would be natural to think that Touga is the master manipulator here. He seems, to Utena at least, to be in control. It’s only at the end of the arc that we and he see that he wasn’t in control at all.

The last two episodes were as amazing as I remembered them to be.

In episode 11, Utena find herself stripped of her confidence, her purpose, her very self by Touga, who uses his good looks, his masculinity and his position to turn her into a “normal” girl, who needs a prince to rescue her.

And most important IMHO, is that in response to losing the duel Utena says simply, “Please don’t take Anthy away from me.” She would give herself up…but not Anthy.

In episode 12, Wakaba slaps some sense into her, by making her realize that “normal” is not normal for Utena. Utena challenges Touga to a rematch to regain herself – the self that wants to be a Prince, not be rescued by one. She defeats Touga without help from Dios or an enchanted sword – she defeats him with nothing but her determination and will. To awesome music. To regain Anthy. NOT to regain the Rose Bride, but to get Anthy back.

Most importantly, at that moment, Anthy is *surprised.* That alone is worth watching the final episodes for.

When the episode (and the first arc) ended, I began spontaneously applauding. Again. As I have every time I have watched this series.

It’s gonna be a long, long, few weeks before the next set arrives!

Thanks again Nozomi/RightStuf for making it possible to watch this remastered version.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 10
Character – 9
Yuri – 4
Service – 1

Overall – 9

The music video for “Revolution Rondo” blew my mind more than anything else in Utena ever has. It was filmed in New York City, which was just…entirely unexpected.

Here’s an interesting aside. On Twitter today I mentioned that what I would love to see is a ridiculously high budget live action version of the moment Utena draws the sword from Anthy. Just that scene. At which, a very good friend of mine from way back mentioned that there is a rumor of a pitch in Hollywood for an Utena movie…and that Variety is supposed to be doing an article about it next month. I guess we’ll see if that article ever happens…. Thanks for the heads up, Rob!

Now it is your turn – what are some of your thoughts on this arc?





Hourou Musuko/ Wandering Son Anime (English)

June 22nd, 2011

Many of you have, over the last few years, written in to tell me about Shimura Takako’s series Hourou Musuko, Wandering Son, to ask me when I would review it, to remind me to add it to the News Reports.

As many of you have noticed, I have not reviewed it as of yet. The reason for this is relatively simple – while Hourou Musuko is undoubtedly a masterpiece, it’s not really Yuri.

But, it *is* a masterpiece and a masterpiece dealing with gender transitioning, which is something that manga and anime typically play for laughs at best, rather than handling it with any seriousness or sensitivity. So, I guess it’s time to review this series, already. ^_^

My problem now is – I don’t know what to really say about it, other than it is one of the very finest, most beautiful anime series I have ever watched.

Hourou Musuko is not the first time Shimura has dealt with gender in a story. Her Boku ha Onna no Ko was the first time I ever encountered her work. I was not overwhelmed by any of the stories in that collection – certainly nothing in it impressed me the way Aoi Hana did. But Hourou Musuko is something amazing, even compared to that.

Somewhere after Boku ha Onna no Ko ( the cover of which has a cameo as a poster in the Hourou Musuko anime,) Shimura reached deep into herself and found a real story – a touching story – a painful and beautiful story – about two young people grappling with the fact that they are born into the wrong bodies. Hourou Musuko is emotionally gripping in a way that very, very few anime ever can hope to be. Shu-chan, the mtf heroine and Yoshino, the ftm hero, are people I would gladly spend more time with.

Art, music, voice acting was all sublime. I can say nothing but “wow” about it.

In this short anime, there were two scenes that really stood out to me – the scene where Yoshino gives Shu-chan her name and said that she’d take his, which was so touching I honestly couldn’t speak for an hour afterwards. And the scene during the school festival, when the kids all go into another class’s horror house, just to be able to gain catharsis by screaming.

As for Yuri. Well, the anime begins with the 33rd chapter of the story, as Shu-chan begins middle school, so I believe we skipped one potential Yuri relationship. I will, when the manga touches upon it, mention it. In the anime, however, I’d like to talk about Yoshino and Saori. They don’t really have a relationship, but by the end of the anime, there is some very tentative movement in that direction, IMHO. Of course, as Yoshino is a boy, temporarily in a girl’s body, this would not be a lesbian relationship, even if it were to exist. As Saori had some feelings for Shin-chan, who also feels he has been given the wrong body, it seems to me that any relationship that developed between Saori and Yoshino could legitimately be labeled Queer. Shu-chan has a relationship with a girl that, as Niki points out in the comments, isn’t being perceived as lesbian yet, but is clearly another Queer relationship.

Because this series is a masterpiece, it did terribly in the TV ratings for that slot. This cannot really be a surprise, precisely because everything really is on a standard curve of deviation. That means that the good will be appreciated by less people than the average – and the stunningly excellent will only ever be appreciated by a few. Nonetheless, this anime was stunningly excellent and, as I contemplate reading the manga, for the first time, I find myself frightened by it a bit. It might just be too good. I have always managed my expectations of manga and anime, and don’t want to see my ability to find balance compromised. On the other hand, I don’t want to be disappointed, either. So, I find myself in the position of convincing myself to not expect too much, but also not to let Shimura’s fully blossomed genius ruin anything else for me.

By the time I finish the manga, I fear that all that will be left for me to read and enjoy will be Aoi Hana and GUNJO.

Anyway…if you haven’t watch the anime yet, do. It’s a masterpiece.

And then buy the manga, which is being put out by Fantagraphics. Don’t forget to buy an extra copy for your library – they *need* this book.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 0
Service – 0

Overall – 9

This, more than any series I have ever reviewed here is a LGBTQ masterwork. In the future that I want to  inhabit, it will be considered a classic.





Yuri Manga: Saigo no Seifuku New Edition (新装版　最後の制服), Volume 2

June 20th, 2011

We left Volume 1 of the new edition of Saigo no Seifuku (新装版　最後の制服) with two unresolved relationships.

In Volume 2, the situation instantly becomes more complicated, rather than less, with the addition of…a boy!

Boys are causing no end of trouble in the dorm in fact. Kimiko’s boyfriend dumps her and, upon overhearing him and his friends being unkind about her dorrmmate, Tsumugi punches his lights out.

In the meantime, Aiko is vexed because Fuuko has decided to date some guy for whom she really has no feelings. This prompts a sudden confession from Aiko. Now that Fuuko knows the truth, what will she do?

In the meantime, Asagi is still planning on gaining Beniko’s affection, but completely fails to even gain her attention.

This brings us to the end of Volume 2 of the original 3-book series. For those of you who bought and read the Seven Seas translation, here is what you missed:

Upon graduation, Asagi calls Beniko out during her speech, for never having noticed or cared that she had feelings for her. Beniko is surprised, partly because she really hadn’t noticed or cared and partly because now *everyone* in the school is watching her.

Fuuko finally admits that she loves Aiko too, but they will not be able to be together, as her mother has taken ill and she is transferring schools. They have mere hours together before they must part. But they continue to write one another as time passes. Aiko is struck by momentary doubt about Fuuko’s feelings, but a visit in person from Fuuko sets her straight. They plan, upon graduation to attend the same school and live together.  For them, the book ends with a rose-colored future.

Meanwhile, Anzu does manage to convey her feelings to Tsumugi, although she knows her cause is hopeless. But she knows that Tsumugi loves her cooking, and she decides she’ll continue to work on it, so she can one day make something delicious for the one she loves.

Asagi remains a selfish ass right to the very end. Why Tama doesn’t punch her in the gut, I will never, ever understand.

And, finally, we get the epilogue we hoped we’d get for Beniko and Tsumugi, as they move in together and Beniko *finally* has her way with Tsumugi, once again proving my theory that in Yuri, the butches are the uke and the femmes the seme. It was quite nice to see them both grown up. This was, in fact, the ending I’d hope we’d get…and we got it, so yay us!

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 8
Characters – 7
Yuri – 9
Service – 2

Overall – 8

This series may well be the best example of my opinion changing over time. I started off really not enjoying Hakamada Mera’s art and now, as I read the end of this series at last, I find it was no longer a distraction. I was able to simply enjoy the story for what it was – a high school Yuri story with two happily-ever-after endings and a little sex and candy for good measure.





Yuri Manga: Saigo no Seifuku New Edition, (新装版　最後の制服) Volume 1

June 13th, 2011

 Reading Saigo no Seifuku, New Edition, Volume 1 (新装版　最後の制服) was an exercise of a sort for me. When I first read The Last Uniform in 2006, the art absolutely repulsed me. So much so that I struggled for years to give Hakamada Mera any respect. Her stories were always cute, slightly bland, but the oversize heads drove me batty. As time went on, the heads got a little smaller, moe became more common and far worse giant heads on little bodies were thrown at me and now, years later, I find I barely noticed the giant heads anymore. I think, honestly, some re-drawing was done here, because the heads weren’t nearly as huge I remember them being. In fact, there were one or two pages where I found myself staring at a weirdly drawn jaw, the way I used to, but only a few.

So, here we are, many years after Saigo no Seifuku originally detailed the love triangles at Tsubakigaoka Gakuin. But before we get into the original stories, we’re given a few new ones, establishing both Ai and Tsumugi as completely, goofily besotted with their respective objects of affection.

The first couple we “meet” are Ai and her roommate, Fuuko. Fu-chan is that kind of cheerful, apparently doofy girl that we’re never really sure means “like” the same way Ai does. Well, the new edition clears that up. And Beniko and Tsumugi are as close (and as far) as ever to some kind of an actual relationship.

The original tales are retold – how Anzu arrives at school and is assigned to Ai-chan and Fu-chan’s room, thus throwing Ai-chan into a tizzy. And how Tsumugi admires Beniko from afar (well, as afar as the next bed over) until Asagi tries to mack on her girl. Meanwhile Anzu has a crush on Tsumugi that she really doesn’t communicate properly to the upperclassman.

Without a doubt, my favorite part of the book is Asagi’s friend, who wears braids, so is referred to as “braids,” who writes slash fanfic about the dorm residents.  Asagi asks her to pair characters up for a little thrill. Included in this new edition are a few of those fanfics.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 7
Service – 2

Overall – 7

Add character pages with uniform and character discussion and you have a shiny new deluxe edition of an “old standard.”