Archive for the Artists Category


Yuri Manga: Aoi Hana, Volume 4

January 7th, 2010

Aoi Hana (青い花) is, IMHO, a story about strength. Fumi may be gentle and quiet and a crybaby, but she is doing her best to be herself. It takes a lot of strength to do that at any age, but especially, especially in high school.

In Volume 4, the second year has begun for Fumi and Ah-chan and already the question of the school play is in the topic of conversation at both schools. When the play title was unveiled I have to admit, I did a double-take because, sure, Mishima Yukio is a classic Japanese writer, but I didn’t really think anything he wrote would be suitable for a high school play. Rokumeikan is a story of a clash of cultures, genders and expectations, so it’s actually a pretty great choice.

The Fujigaya Drama Club gains a new member, a loud, slightly scatterbrained first-year, Haruka, whose older sister is the friend of a teacher who is rumored to have a female lover. Ah-chan dies a few deaths as the gossip-mongers in her class go on about how it all grosses them out. Ah-chan’s seatmate, a tall girl who reminds her a lot of Fumi, saves her from having to swallow more bile. Ryouko and Ah-chan become friendly – Ryouko is even drawn into the Drama Club when her recitation of Rokumeikan for the Library Club is overheard.

Fumi too, is drawn back to into the Drama Club’s play, but her voice is too soft and her shyness too great, so she backs out – but not before she meets Ryouko, or Haruka.

Haruka lets slip to Fumi that she thinks her sister likes women. Fumi ponders the meaning of this and later that night confesses to Ah-chan that she had a physical relationship with Chizu – and that she wishes she had that same relationship with Ah-chan.

You see what I mean? Where Sasamekikoto is a series about Sumika’s inability to say anything, her weakness in the face of her feelings, Aoi Hana has Fumi facing up to her feelings and admitting them out loud. At any age, that takes a lot of strength.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Characters – 9
Story – 8
Yuri – 5
Service – 1

Overall – 8

This series is definitely on my license wish list for 2010. I’m looking at you, Vertical.





Yuri Anime: El Cazador de la Bruja, Volume 1 Part 2 (English)

December 28th, 2009

El Cazador de la Bruja, Volume 1The second disk of Volume 1 of El Cazador de la Bruja is where it all changes for Ellis, Nadie, Jody…and us.

For Ellis, she’s come to recognize that her relationship with Nadie will be far more than that of a bounty hunter and her bounty. She’s starting to tease and poke Nadie gently and makes no bones about her admiration for her “partner” to other people. When they meet a happily married couple, Ellis compares her and Nadie to them without reserve.

For Nadie, the truth about Ellis’ past brings a renewed sense of protection and affection for the girl who is not a girl at all.

And for Jody “Blue Eyes” Heyward, full understanding of Project Leviathan brings about a determination to keep Ellis and her power under her care, even when the rest of the witches disagree. And she gets some smokin’ henchwomen. :-D

For us, the series shifts into a more well-worn pattern with our heroines encountering faceless drones bent on killing them, while they change lives by being Ellis and Nadie.

I remember being totally squicked when the series began that Ellis and Nadie might become a couple, but by this 2nd quarter of the series, the idea no longer bothered me. It’s obvious to me that Ellis, in her innocence, naivete or because she likes jerking Nadie around, is leagues ahead of Nadie in sensing what they already mean to each other and where that might lead. Nadie is slower than Ellis in this one thing and that works just fine, keeping their relationship totally organic and not at all rushed or fake feeling.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Yuri – 3, growing slowly, but steadily
Service – 2

Overall – 8

Once more, my sincere gratitude today to Okazu Superhero Amanda M. for sponsoring today’s review!





Yuri Anime: El Cazador, Volume 1 Part 1 (English)

December 19th, 2009

I wouldn’t call myself an obsessive collector. I don’t usually need the entire series of whatever toys. But gosh, I’m happy I have all three of Mashimo’s and Bee Train’s “Girls With Guns on the Run” series on my shelves now. There’s just something so satisfying about watching cute girls kill unnamed, faceless mooks by the bushelful. Ahhhh. ;-)

And here we are, able to relax at last, as the final installment of the trilogy is laid to rest near its older sister series, Madlax and Noir. Where Noir is serious and business-like, as many older sisters are, and Madlax is creative, but a little weird, as are so many middle sisters, El Cazador is flightly, breezy and a little bit spoiled. :-)

In Volume 1, we are introduced to this series’ pair of girls on the run; bounty hunter Nadie and bounty Ellis, both of whom have a somewhat shady past. We are also introduced to the conspiracy du jour, Project Leviathan, and it’s loathsome leader. And we meet the ambiguous, intriguing and expository Jody “Blue Eyes” Hayward.

In my original review of the series, I stated that I liked the series bunches and that has not changed at all. I’m enjoying the journey South and paying attention to little details I missed the first time around.

So when Ellis took Nadie’s hand in episode 7, I was pleased. Yes, she’s a flakeball and I’m still not sure how much of it is general loopiness from not being human and how much she puts on to be cute, but I really don’t care.

Funimation did a fine job with the subtitles. (I haven’t tried the dubs yet.) If I was required to bitch about something it’s that Funi makes us sit through their ads at the beginning. But why would I complain? Now I can take some time during the week between Christmas and New Year and have the three-series marathon I’ve always wanted. Noir, Madlax and finally, happily, El Cazador. Yay!

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 9
Yuri – For Volume 1, let’s call it a 2
Service – 2

Overall – 8

My sincere gratitude today to Okazu Superhero Amanda M. for sponsoring today’s review. Amanda, thank you truly for all your kindness and generosity, thank you from the bottom of my heart. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Hayate x Blade, Volume 5 (English)

December 14th, 2009

It is my greatest pleasure as a manga reader to read good stories, told well. Yesterday’s series, Octave, is one such story. The subject of today’s review, for totally different reasons and in totally different ways is, as well.

Hayate x Blade is a good story, told well and adapted into English with excellence.

These are three different things, mind you. Coming up with a good story isn’t that hard, but telling it well is incredibly difficult. And, as you know, it is my conflict-of-interest-laden pleasure to be a small part of the team that creates an English adaptation of this manga that reads so smoothly, so *naturally* that it does not feel like a “translation” that is “localized” or “adapted.” It feels like I’m reading the original. It’s that natural.

Volume 5 of Hayate x Blade brings us to the long-awaited match between Hitsugi/Shizuku and Kurea/Minori. We get to see what we’ve always guessed – Hitsugi is 50% awesome and 50% freak of nature. And, it’s wonderful. Watching Shizuku gush is so cute I became positively squealy while reading it.

Incidentally, a video of Hitsugi’s BGM also went a long way to provide context for The Mikoto 5 arc in the middle of Hana no Asuka-gumi. It all makes much more sense now. ;-)

There’s a fair bit of implied service in this volume in which Jun, now that her “keeper” is gone, as she says, pervs out pretty hard. But for all that, there is little actual service – just the threat of it. ^_^

And the next arc – which is another rip-snorting story, let me tell you – is set up with one seemingly inconsequential body check by a ducky.

Lastly I just need to say this – Sid and Nancyyyyyyy!!!!! They are the rockingest, most anarchy-est characters evar. EVAR. My one genuine complaint is that Sid was censored. She was not censored in the original and I’m sort of sad that The Powers That Be thought teens can’t see the word “fuck” without exploding or something. The scribbly bits in the text were original, meant to imply that Sid’s “fuck”s here and there were merely the beginning of her ear-burning vocabulary. I object on the grounds that the book has an Older Teen rating and I can’t *imagine* what puritan thinks Older Teens can’t (or shouldn’t) read bad language and on the grounds that it is not the readers’ fault that the wrong age rating was chosen for a series that is written for adults. Yay Sid! Boo big black bars. I will forgive this *only* because the mistake that was plaguing me has now been fixed. Please don’t censor her in future volumes. It’s just silly. Look… “fuck.” No one died.

The best part about Volume 5 is that there is no way in a million years you can guess what’s going to happen next, unless you are already familiar with the series. I will provide no spoilers and I hope none of my dear readers will, either. Let’s just laugh and nod knowingly because we know how funny it’s going to be. ^_^

On the Yuri side, you’re probably wondering how I can call the volume “Yuri” at all. Well – if Shizuku’s oration isn’t a confession of love, I don’t know what is, really.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 10
Characters – 9
Yuri – 4
Service – 2

Overall – 9

It is with sincerest thanks that I nod in the direction of Okazu Superhero Eric P. Eric, you’ve been such a great contributor to this blog…. I can’t really say more than “Thanks,” but that thanks is from the very bottom of my heart for your kindness and generosity for sponsoring today’s and so many other reviews.





Yuri Manga: GIRL FRIENDS, Volume 3

November 18th, 2009

In Girl Friends, Volume 1 and Volume 2, we followed Mari as she struggles with her increasing interest in and desire for her best friend Akiko.

Mari’s conflict largely arises from the fact that she is fairly introverted, and has therefore not had the experience of close friendship with girls her age. She spends a lot of time sure that she’s not normal, and Akiko is. She’s doing her best to put her feelings aside, if not behind her, and at least recapture the friendship that she and Akiko shared.

In Volume 3, we turn our gaze towards Akiko. She’s been Mari’s object of desire, but we’ve never really gotten into her head – until now.

Akiko finds herself thinking way more about Mari than about anything. So much so, that she starts to see a pattern in her obsessing. After Mari’s confession and their kiss, it seems almost obvious for Akiko to realize that she has fallen for Mari. But it’s a long way from point A to Point B.

But…and this is a big “but”….Akiko still isn’t really considering how Mari must be feeling. Now that she’s come to realize that she wants to be with Mari, she’s not seeing the distance Mari is carefully putting between them. By pressing the issue, Akiko is now causing Mari as much, if not more, stress than before.

I’m not usually a big fan of the “obsessive internal monologue” style of romance writing, but the writing in Girl Friends has consistently rung true. Where introverted Mari is rolling in quiet misery, extroverted Akiko is doing her best to not explode in public, but can’t stop herself from leaking around the edges.

There are still about a gazillion hurdles for Mari and Akiko to leap before they can be together. The 100-yard dash to the finish line isn’t really even out of the starting blocks, yet. There’s no telling how this race will end! Here’s hoping that Mari and Akiko are the winning team. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 8
Service – 5

Overall – 8

This is the territory that Morinaga-sensei does best. Just after the confession, before the consummation. I’m very interested to see if we get more than just “happily ever after” – or not.