Archive for the Artists Category


Yuri Manga: Hayate x Blade, Volume 4

June 9th, 2006

I know, it’s been absolutely AGES since I reviewed Hayate x Blade, Volume 3. (If you haven’t read that review you should, because the contest I held for the volume was very funny.) Now, at last, I have the leisure to review Hayate x Blade, Volume 4. I hope it was worth the wait.

We left off in Volume 3 with a one-on-one battle between Ayana and Jun. On the final page of the last volume we were left with that moment just after the fateful blow, but before we learn who lost and who won. This volume opens up with that same same moment. And the winner is…!

Ayana, who takes Jun’s star with her mad Hoshitori Skillz.

Without missing a beat, Jun springs up to interfere in Hayate and Yuho’s battle. Ayana calls after her to stop, but Jun uses language quite unbecoming a young lady and runs off. Yuho, after a life of weakness and dependence, digs way deep and defeats Hayate, taking the “Heaven” star decisively – only to learn that because Jun, as the “Earth” part of the pair lost first, it renders her victory null. Mudou-Kurogane team gets the win.

Jun and Yuho have a wonderful moment, as Yuho awaits an ambulance to the hospital, which renders nearly every character in the book teary (and in some case nose-drippy and drooly as well.)

The next few chapters is taken up by us meeting and becoming familar with a whole host of new characters, mostly high school students, members of the student council, as they sharpen their skills for their own upcoming hoshitori fights. Only there’s clearly something else going on her…we’re not stupid. Not only are Kureha and Minori and the others practicing, they are working on special weapons. Why? You’ll have to wait until volume 5 to find out! (But trust me, it’s way cool…)

Isuzu and Momoko are still getting used to one another. Momoko is freaked by Isuzu’s reliance on a crystal ball, and the way she pronounces curses on their opponents during hoshitori. This awkwardness is exacerbated by the appearance of Otoha, a woman with that look that says “I have a clever plan”. And she does – she’s got a plan to separate Momoko and Isuzu and steal Isuzu for herself.

The rest of the volume follows Otoha as she widens the distance between Isuzu and Momoko, eventually challenging Momoko to a duel for Isuzu! (da-da-da-daahhh)

Momoko accepts the challenge – but not the terms. She has NO intention of giving Isuzu up and says so plainly. Isuzu is, in the meantime, overwhelmed that two women are dueling over her – and who wouldn’t be? – and deeply touched that Momoko cares about her that much.

In the end, Momoko (remember when she fought for her Rio-‘neeesan?) remains uber-cool, and wins. And Otoha is forced to deal with her own shinyuu, Michi. It turns out that there was a horrible misunderstanding between them and gee, they like each other after all and it was all a mistake, heh heh. ^_^

It was actually quite amusing, my snarky synopsis notwithstanding. The picture of Otoha and Michi running off hand in hand, looking slightly embarrassed and very relieved at the end of the chapter was priceless.

So let’s sum up:

Shizuku and Hitsugi + Momoko and Isuzu + Otoha and Michi = Good Yuri.

Ratings –

Art – 9 I’ve really come to love Hayashiya-sensei’s art
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 7
Service – 2
Overall – 9

This is a GREAT series. Another must-have, IMHO. As far from Moonlight Flowers as you can get, but just as good (if not better) in its own, unique way.





Yuri Anime: Madlax, Volume 6

May 30th, 2006

So much happens in Madlax, Volume 6 that I’m not sure where to start. So, as usual, I’ll start with the absurd. ^_^

Imagine if you will, two women running through a hot war zone. One is a hardened warrior, her skills bolstered by magic, the other…a maid. We can tell, because she wears the  ubiquitous ruffled apron over a dark dress. Now, I know Eleanor is a dedicated servant, attached by more than just duty to her mistress Margaret, but come *on*! Give the girl a pair of boots and pants at least – her legs are going to be a mess out there in the jungle.

The other absurdity in this series remains the same – Friday Monday is such a nerdbanger, I can barely credit his getting this far at all, except by dumb luck. And then there’s his exhaustingly over-used dream of a “pure” humanity , driven by hatred. Oh yes, that would be different, because? Has he LOOKED at the world recently? Enfant is wasting their energy – they could have let this particular civil war die, because sure as there’s tomatoes in my salad, another would have popped up. And Rimelda becomes horribly boring, but don’t worry, she’ll be back, better, than ever

Now, for the good side – we get actual, semi-contextual info on what went on 12 years ago! Yay! Of course, it’s not entirely correct, but at least we have a clue – a bunch more clues, in fact. What happened to Vanessa Rene’s family that has driven her to look for information? Who, exactly, is Callosur Dawn and what was his role 12 years ago? What actually *happened* that night? We have most – but not all – of it now.

Good – Madlax accepts what she is, and as a result gets a power up.

Good – we lose a friend and it’s permanent and powerful. If you don’t want spoilers for this, DON’T look at the “Extras” menu until after you’ve watched the volume.

Good – Margaret losing it. Finally, she has a personality. Even if it’s an evil, stupid one.

Good – We know know the reasoning behind the obsessive reptition of the red shoes, the “it’s going to rain,” the doll…but not pasta.

Good – Naharu actually *does* something. Yay her.

In general, a complex and fascinating volume, and a bit maddening, as we still need a few more pieces to figure out what the flying %^$! is going on. ^_^ Nice job for the penultimate volume. Thumbs up from me on that.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Music – 8
Yuri – 4
Service – 3

Overall – 8

It’s getting better and better, but I want to know what the deal is with pasta. (And if you know, don’t tell me – I mean within the context of the anime, duh.)





Drama CD: Hayate x Blade 1

April 13th, 2006

People have been mistaking my review of the Hayate x Blade *Mini* Drama CD for a review of the *actual* Hayate x Blade Drama CD, so I thought I’d better get that done. The mini CD came with the April issue of Dengeki Daioh – the full Drama CD is available from Amazon JP through the Yuricon Shop.

I have to admit that the drama CD, (which was released as Volume 1, so we probably can expect more,) was surprising on several levels. Most importantly for us, the focus on Yuri was upped quite considerably from the manga – but in a strange fashion. But let me get to that in a second.

For those of you unfamiliar with the basic plot of Hayate x Blade (or Hayate Cross Blade, if you prefer,) you might want to read some of the posts –  including reviews of the manga –  in my category for the series.  The review of the Mini Drama CD, linked above, has a list of major cast members, so I don’t have to do all that gushing and jumping up and down in excitement again. ^_^

In short, this series is about students at a girls’ school who, paired up with sisters-in-arms/partners…read into that as you will…fight with swords for rank, prestige and other tangible and intangible rewards. Our heroine is grumpy Mudou Ayana, a skilled swordswoman with a past, and hyper Hayate, a young girl with a mission.

The beginning of the Drama CD is half a dozen very short tracks, which detail in very silly ways, a typical Hoshidori battle for Ayana and Hayate (in this case against Suzuki, a student with a grudge against Ayana, but whom Ayana has completely forgotten.) This is interspersed with flashbacks on how Ayana and Hayate met, fell in love, wait…no! (imagine the sound of Ayana punching me to the moon)…

…

…

Hayate’s stories go a lot like that on this CD. She’s sidetracked easily. Her sound effect for a flashback is very amusing, too. :-)

So we learn about how they met and became shinyuu, and why they fight.

In the opening tracks, we also meet and spend time with Amachi Hitsugi, school chairwoman and principal and her partner Shizuku…and Hitsugi’s lovelorn hanger-on, Tatewaki.

After the first half dozen tracks the story settles down a bit and we follow Ayana’s bout against Suzuki, and Tatewaki’s hopeless bid for Hitsugi’s attention. The last few tracks are significantly longer….but much, much weirder.

In the manga it is Ayana’s roommate, lesbian Jun, who frequently comes on to Ayana and gets pummelled into oblivion for it. In this CD, Jun has a very minimal role (boo, hoo!) but *Hayate* is all OVER Ayana. She manages to say the Japanese version of “coffee, tea or…me?” about a dozen times – and of course, gets pummelled everytime for it. This is a really abusive, violent comedy, let me tell you. ^_^ But if you’re familiar with the creator’s, Hayashiya Shizuru’s work, (Strawberry Shake Sweet and myriads of Jesus Drug doujinshi…) you’re familiar with her style.

Tatewaki also has a strangely inflated role. In the manga, she’s an “oh, you’re here too?” kind of character, but she’s all over this CD. It’s horrible and pathetic and really mean-spirited (and, obviously, funny) the way she’s treated. ^_^ For instance, Tatewaki makes soba noodles for Hitsugi-sama, and the rotten so-and-so goes and shares them with Shizuku right in front of Tatewaki! *And* she’s all lovey-dovey and flirty with Shizuku while she’s doing it, just to rub salt in the wound.

One of the final tracks involves Jun, Hayate and Tatewaki concocting a plot to get Ayana for Hayate and Hitsugi for Tatewaki. Need I mention that it’s ridiculous, over-the-top, full of random bondage…and a complete failure?

The last track involves Hayate trying to get a night alone with Ayana. Under the guise of studying, she plays the wife, but Ayana’s not a happy hubby. She locks Hayate out of the room, until Hayate shares a tear-jerking, gut-wrenching sob story that turns Ayana to emotional mush. She lets Hayate back in on several conditions…. The next morning Jun archly asks her about her romantic night alone with Hayate. Ayana asks where she heard that they spent the night together? Hayate, of course, Jun replies…and we end the CD with more unspeakable (and kind of uncommunicatable on Drama CD) violence. ^_^

So Yuri? Yes.

Anything good? Well Hitsugi and Shizuku are awfully snuggly.

Tatewaki and Hayate are more goofy than anything else. And Ayana gets the usual tense moment with her former partner, Yukari.

Sadly Momoka, Isuzu and Jun all have teeny tiny roles here – I look forward to more of them all in future CDs. Isuzu *still* manages to be all googly over Momoka in the few moments she’s on, which was lovely.

The sound effects, of which there were many, tended towards the “silly noise” type, for auditory slapstick effect. But Hayate’s “flasback” sound still wins. ^_^

The final track, to my delight, was a bonus track in which all the seiyuu are given a chance to discuss a theme – and today’s them is!: The moment you realized you were a moron. ^_^ This is very fitting, as you know if you’re familiar with the series, since every chapter beings with a variation on the theme of baka, i.e., idiot or moron, in this case. Alot of the seiyuu’s moments of baka-hood seem to revolve around difficulties with Tokyo’s train system, which made me laugh – I’ve been there.

(I’m not 100% sure, and I really have to go back and listen again, but I could have sworn I heard them mention Morishima Akiko, the manga artist who drew up the Yuricon in Tokyo report for Yuri Hime 1, and also drew up a report on the recording of this CD for Yuri Hime 2.)

Ratings:

Story – kinda weird but fun 7
Characters – 7
Voice Acting – also kind weird but fun – 7
Yuri – 7
Service – no visuals, and yet *still* fanservice – 2 ^_^

Overall – 7

It wasn’t as hysterical as the Mini CD, but it’s still pretty fun, and funny. I’m looking forward to more!





Yuri Manga: Aoi Hana, Sweet Blue Flowers Volume 1 (青い花)

March 31st, 2006

Aoi Hana, or Sweet Blue Flowers as it is translated on the cover, by Shimura Takako, is both cute and sweet – and I liked it quite a bit. Which is pretty surprising, as it is both genuinely cute and sweet.

In essence, this manga is the story of four schoolgirls: Fumi, Akira, Yasuko and Kyouko and their various loves and friendships. It is not loli uber-cute or gaggingly sweet, nor is it highly melodramatic. It’s actually more vaguely realistic, with an emphasis on the usual conventions and tropes of schoolgirl yuri – crushes on best friends, sempai, etc. The tone is quiet, the relationships realistic-ish.

Fumi comes back to the town she grew up in, for the first time since grammar school. She meets, without realizing it, her childhood friend Akira – a pleasantly energetic and cheerful girl. When they were much younger, Akira had been Fumi’s protector, keeping her out of harm of bullies and saving her from the unpleasant emotional consequences of common pre-school blunders like bathroom accidents. Fumi is now a tall, attractive young woman, but still shy and retired. Without realizing who each other is, they meet on a train when Akira saves Fumi from a pervert. (Although why Japanese women don’t simply break train pervert’s fingers at the bottom joint, I’ll never really understand…it’d be easy to ID the guy with the broken finger. But I once again digress.) Fumi and Akira are reunited as friends when their mothers get together and the light dawns upon them. This time around, they are going to separate girls’ schools.

Fumi learns that her cousin is getting married, but seems appalled rather than pleased…. We learn later that they were having a physical relationship and Fumi had no idea she was engaged.

Kyouko is Akira’s classmate at school. It’s club time and the two decide to join acting club together. Kyouko has a secret – she is in love with an upperclassman at Fumi’s school. Fumi, unbeknownst to anyone is also developing a massive crush on this upperclassman, Yasuko. Fumi joins the club Yasuko is in – not really caring that it’s theater, just to be near the older girl. When Fumi’s school theater club decides to visit Akira’s school – to take in the wonderful rarified air of this oh-so-glamorous place – Fumi happens to wander down a hall where Kyouko confesses her feelings to Yasuko….and is rejected.

Koyuko runs off, but as Yasuko leaves she sees Fumi crouching down trying to be invisible. Yasuko asks Fumi to go with her outside – and hits on her with subtlelty and charm. Fumi’s a goner. Yasuko asks her out and she agrees.

In the meantime Kyouko’s brother asks for help trying to set up an “aicon” – an arranged group date-thing. Akira wants to go, but her brother screws it up, causing mild emotional damage. Luckily Akira has pretty high hit points, so she survives.

In the meantime, Yasuko takes Fumi out on a date. Their relationship might actually have to win for one of the most real and normal I’ve seen in anime and manga. They do everything in the right order. Hold hands, kiss, etc. Not all at once and not after a gap of a gazillion years. Fumi is completely totally gaga over Yasuko and so far, at least, Yasuko hasn’t been a scuzzball. In fact, she’s been very sweet and romantic, which is good, ’cause Fumi’s fairly fragile. They share their first kiss in the library stacks – I approve. :-)

The *drama* of the latter part of the book is hardly even that. Yasuko asks Fumi if she can walk to school with her, but Fumi has already given that promise to Akira. An awkward meeting between the three makes Fumi feel that she has to tell Yasuko, quite overly-seriously, that she can’t walk with her. Yasuko laughs and wonders when she got involved in a grammar school conversation, but she’s fine with the whole thing. Fumi isn’t *quite* done, yet, and tells Akira about her relationship with Yasuko. Yasuko’s mightly impressed that Fumi came out to Akira, but still thinks the drama was a bit silly.

Akira isn’t upset, but she’s not really sure *what* to think. She asks Kyouko what she’d say, hypothetically speaking, if Akira told her that she was in love with a girl. Kyouko is still smarting from Yasuko’s rejection, but she smiles and responds with the same question. Akira thinks about it and decides she couldn’t care less who her friends are in love with, as long as they are happy.

Kyouko runs into Fumi and asks her if she’s in love with Yasuko. Fumi, blushing and stuttering admits she is. Kyouko tells her that Yasuko’s wonderful – and Akira’s a really nice girl, then wanders off mysteriously.

That night Yasuko calls Fumi. They share the usual sweet nothings, telling each other that they love one another (it was very “aww” inspiring). Before she gets off the phone Yasuko asks about Fumi’s first love. Fumi thinks briefly of the cousin she was playing around with at the beginning of the book, but realizes that her first true love was back in grammar school, when she fell in love with Akira.

To Be Continued, the end of Volume 1 says.

Really, this was just a very pleasant yuri manga. No fanservice, no fetish (except for the schoolgirl thing, but the uniforms are really dull and uninterestng and not at all unreasonably fetishy.) It’s just a nice, semi-realistic tale of first loves and friendship among girls. I imagine it will remain almost completely unknown as a result.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Characters – 8
Story – 7
Yuri – 8
Service – 1

Overall – 8

If you are looking for something that isn’t lowest common denominator Yuri – you’ve found it with Aoi Hana. I’m definitely looking forward to the next volume.





Yuri Anime: Madlax, Volume 5

March 16th, 2006

Madlax 5 is absolutely, positively worth the wait.

I know that most anime fans have the attention spans of a gnat, so I wanted to say that quickly, before you stopped reading – or if you, perchance, have stopped watching Madlax because you saw Noir and think that it’s the same thing. It is the same thing – but better. Think of Noir as practice.

This volume is entitled “Convergence” and for once, the title actually fits. In this volume all the playing pieces gather together on one board.

Madlax and Vanessa have been framed so that the entire country believes that they have murdered a member of the royal family – which they have not. Rimelda (the official translation is Limelda, but I prefer the R to the L, so I’m sticking with my version, even though it is wrong) has been assigned Madlax as a target, but when she confronts Madlax and Vanessa, they give her the data they stole from Enfant.

This entire volume is the death and rebirth of Rimelda and it utterly, totally, completely rocks.

Rimelda dies as an elite sniper of the Royalist army and is reborn as an insane, obsessed killer. Think about that sentence for a while…eventually you’ll realize that there is, of course, no difference at all. Rimelda hasn’t *quite* gotten there by the end of the volume, but she’s on her way.

Vanessa learns to shoot so she can take care of herself, which ups her cool factor a few notches. When Margaret and Eleanor (another name for which I refuse to use the official version) show up, she’s not unhappy at all to have them join her.

They all *converge* upon Quanzitta’s village, where Naharu (a third name I use my own version of) wonders why she can’t get Madlax out of her head. Carlossea Doon shows up too, but he’s such a non-entity in this series, even if he is one of the main three characters. (I’m being generous here… his name is pronounced Carlossur Dawn. But because I don’t care about him, I’ll use his official spelling. Which the dub actors pronounce “Dune.” argh)

So we’re all together and the three mystical books are gathered. Finally Quanzitta has something to do other than take baths.The plot is pulling together and they are all getting closer, as Laetitia points out. The tension runs high, and the end, while not far away, is not really at all in sight. Something else, I like – when it’s carried off decently. Plotwise, this is the beginning of the end.

But the strength of this volume is in Hisakawa Aya’s portrayal of Rimelda, as she loses her life, her dreams, her status and her mind and replaces them all with an obsession. She falls in love with her idea of Madlax – and that supremely unhealthy love is only strengthened by every encounter with her prey. Rimelda nails their relationship after an aborted hand to hand fight with Madlax – if only Vanessa hadn’t interfered, they could have continued the dance.

I love Rimelda and Madlax together, so I was a little peeved at Vanessa too. And in myYyuri goggles, now that Eleanor is there, she and Vanessa can play family with Margaret, leaving the fightin’ chicks to each other. ^_^

My first thought – and one that resounded over and over as I watched this volume – Rimelda is Chloe, but done *right.* Not just because she has the same voice actress – but because they are the same lost little girl characters who are living a lie. Only where Chloe always seemed like a refugee from a different story in Noir, Rimelda is a crucial part of Gazth-Sonika. In many ways, she is more part of the world than Madlax herself – both as a character and as part of the larger mystical plot.

The song “I’m here,” which plays before every scene in which Madlax gets all bad-ass, becomes, in this volume an actual, active part of the plot. The final use of it in the volume – it is as much part of the story as the action going on around it. If you haven’t read the lyrics, do. It’s absolutely the story talking to the audience. I was left quite breathless by it. Good song, too.

The liner notes are, as always, worth the read. There’s a wacky little note about Rimelda written by Hisakawa Aya, which is very funny as it censures Rimmy about sleeping with Doon, but never even mentions falling in love with Madlax.  And I don’t know why I missed these, but the extras on the DVD include “Conversations with SSS,” which are completely insane dubbed scenes that are totally stupid, go on too long and are really funny. I’ll have to go back and watch the back volumes now. ^_^

Ratings:
Art – 7 (good, until it gets wonky)
Story – 9
Characters – 8
Music – 9
Yuri – 7
Service – 2

Overall – 9

This was *such* a good watch. I was really into it. I’ve heard from alot of people that they couldn’t get into Madlax, or they felt it was just a Noir clone. I love Noir, but of the two, I really have to say that Madlax is the far superior story. As I said in the beginning, this volume is absolutely worth the wait.