Archive for the Artists Category


The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This, Volume 1

July 18th, 2022

Ellie is a scriptwriter and Wako (whom Ellie refers to as “Wanko” for her puppy-like qualities,) is trying to break into voice acting. They are living together…they are, in fact, lovers. And like most people, they are a little goofy and a little doofy in their private time together. Their private time together is what we will be seeing in The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This, Volume 1.

The last book we had from creator Takashi Ikeda was Whispered Words and one can instantly see some remnants of that series’ physical comedy here in wacky expressions. However, this series is far more adult and chill and the art reflects that, as well. Where every other character looks like a manga character, Ikeda’s studies of Ellie’s face are stunningly beautiful. Individual panels of her expressions took my breath away through the whole series.

There is no high drama here. Drama comes from real-life stresses. Did Wako pass the audition? Wako’s mother comes to visit – there is no homophobia, just a silly sit-com misunderstanding. Oh, but having Mom visiting is plenty stress enough. Ellie and Wako root for one another and take care of one another. Their relationship is an anchor, not a strain. The two of them have adult lives that are, just pretty much like adult lives are.

I love this series. Unconditionally. There is nothing about it I didn’t like in Japanese. Every volume was better than the last, and Takashi-sensei, as I pointed out in my review of the Japanese edition, still knows how to end a volume. Art, story, character, this is one of the best slice-of-adult-life stories I’ve ever read and I’m ecstatic that you can read it too! It might not sound exciting, but this is the after-happily-ever-after story I’ve wanted to see for ages.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 5 a bit, it’s a story for adult readers
Yuri – 10

Overall – 9 so there is room to go up. It will need it.

I find that I always default to ‘r’ over ‘l’ in my mental translation, so Sakuma will always be Eri to me. ^_^ But that in no way diminishes the terrific translation job done by Anh Kiet Ngo, which gives every character a unique voice. I love when Rina Mappa is given space for the lettering to shine in retouching, there are a couple of choices here that are fantastic. Thanks to the proofreader, copy editor and editor – and thank to Seven Seas for having all three of those (!). Another fabulous job by Seven Seas. Highly recommended and a shoo-in for one of my Top Yuri of 2022. ^_^ (Honestly, though, this year is gonna be tough – so much amazing stuff is coming out in Japanese and English….)





Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu! Volume 10 (私の百合はお仕事です!)

July 14th, 2022

Now that an anime for Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu! is in our future, I think it’s important that we stop and evaluate just how far we’ve come with this story. The goofy set-up is that a Yuri Light Novel-themed concept cafe exists, in which the staff perform as students who form bonds as “schwestern” at a private girls’ school. It seems very silly, but almost immediately we were able to see that the relationships here are not at all what they seemed. Protagonist Hime found herself involved in an uncomfortable triangle made of her closest friends from past and present – two girls who cannot and will not like each other. This issue is relevant to the current arc.

And now, in Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto desu! Volume 10 (私の百合はお仕事です!), Sumika, the fourth inthe cast is herself bound by ties  that connect the cafe’s past and present. Former cast member Youko understood herself well when she, Sumika and Nene formed the first full cast with Mai, when she chose an “evil girl” as her persona.

Where Mitsuki’s love for Hime is pure and one-sided, and Kanako’s love for Hime is obsessional and not particularly healthy, what we learn lies between Nene, Sumika and Youko is far more adult, complicated and toxic…and breathtakingly sad. And so we watch the only lesbian in the story, Nene, navigate a complicated forest of thorns between Sumika’s cluelessness, Youko’s manipulation and her own desires. Only this time, Youko has help…and it’s not good for anyone. I read each chapter holding my breath.

In short, this volume is summed up with “Yikes.” But what amazingly scripted and drawn “yikes” it is.

Ratings:

Art – 10 Outstanding, Miman-sensei excels
Story – 10 Yikes, but I want to know what will happen
Characters – 10 Nene is now my favorite character. Sumika, you’re killin’ me.
Service – 5 Some more large breasts
Yuri – 9 Looking for love in all the wrong places.

Overall – 9

I’m waiting for the boots to begin dropping and trust Miman-sensei, but argh!. Again…what a long, long way we’ve come in this story from it’s goofy premise. At this point, an anime can barely scratch the surface. I expect a 3-season live action series next. ^_^





Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, Volume 3

July 5th, 2022

Hinako is an adult woman who has spent her life trying to fit into boxes for the convenience of other people. Asahi is an adult woman who has spent her life living for her sister Subaru. In Volume 3 of Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, their relationship has caused them both to question those lives.

I’m not going to synopsize a single thing that happens here. You really must read this book on your own, without my prompts as to what is important. I will say that every page is important. Because this is a quiet, ever-so-gentle and tentative, slice-of-life story about emotional bonds and love, it’s easy to be fooled into thinking that nothing of consequence happens. But you’d be wrong. ^_^ What I see here is some of the most profound manga about re-evaluating one’s entire life that I have ever read. Now that I think about, that’s probably why I like Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru (君としらない夏になる), as well. The old ways of doing things are not working….well, they never worked, but previous generations didn’t have the wherewithal to get off the treadmill. Now that we’ve seen with our own eyes that nothing we were told was true about pretty much all of society is true, I hope everyone younger than I creates a completely different idea for themselves.

The art here is great, there’s a real sense that Usui-sensei is still developing as an artist. Body language and expression are on point for the characters. But it’s the dialogue where this volume shines. These are real conversations. The internal monologues are slow, repetitive, realistic. Terrific translation by Jenny McKeon and adaptation by C.A. Hawksmoor give each character their own voice. Fantastic work from everyone at Seven Seas.

The outcome is growth for two people who had never previously granted themselves the right to grow.

An outstanding volume of one of my favorite Yuri manga series of the past few years. If you want slight spoilers, take a look at my review of Volume 3 in Japanese…and rest assured that the end held up. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 6
Service – 0

Overall – 9

Volume 4 will be released in Japan this month, there is no releasd date as yet for the English volume. I will spoil this – it’s absolutely worth the wait. ^_^





Even Though We’re Adults, Volume 4

June 24th, 2022

Probably the most remarkable plot of Shimura Takako’s Even Though We’re Adults, Volume 4 is the poignant story about the three elementary school girls. It’s so stark and awful when set at the end of a bunch of adults flailing. It reminded me why it was by 9 years old that I was deeply cynical about adults having a grip on anything.  I have yet to be proved wrong.

And here, in Volume 4, we see that the adults really don’t have much of a grip. Who, then, is Ayano to give advice to children, when she herself has no idea what she wants?… we may be tempted to say. But I’m not sure that she doesn’t know what she wants. Reading back and forth on this series is opening my eyes a bit. I think Ayano knows perfectly well what she wants. I think she also knows that she can’t just have it without work, because society punishes all women who are not compliant. That includes, Akari and Eri as well.

And you know what? I’m sick of it. As I expect you all are.

So here’s Ayano flailing because she can finally see something she actually wants and knows she’s not “supposed” to have – or even want.  Akari is flailing because she also knows what she wants and can’t have, maybe, kind of. Eri is flailing because she does not fit into the narrow boxes available to her. Wataru is flailing because, having lived life on the easy setting, his reward has some ideas of her own – a little unfair to him, but not really. He just assumed a lot and no one told him different.

And so here we have several very decent, likable people, all flailing. I, at least, want better for them on both individual and societal levels. Jocelyne Allen’s translation is outstanding, in providing the nuance and “adultness” this series needs, lettering and retouch by Rina Mapa lets’ me feel in the story in exactly the same way as I do when I’m reading the Japanese. Thanks to the entire localization team at Seven Seas and congratulations on having their union recognized!

I have to keep reading, for sure. This is Shimura-sensei’s best work so far and I need to know what will happen. ^_^;

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 8
Service – 0
Yuri / Queer – As I said in my review of V4 in Japanese, it’s impossible to tell at this point. Ayano may be bi, Akari is lesbian, Eri might be ace, but we can’t be sure about any one of them but Akari.

Overall – 9

Even as this series makes me more uncomfortable, my hope that everyone ends happily, is renewed. We’ll have to wait to November  for Volume 5. ^_^

 





Otona ni Nattemo, (おとなになっても) Volume 6

June 21st, 2022

In Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 6, Shimura Takako has done something I’ve not seen before in a manga and I think I like it. ^_^

The main plot revolves around three people, all of whom seem to be very average. They aren’t perfect, but they are basically decent, flawed human beings. At this point in the story, they are also mostly, but not completely, disentangled from one another. A family discussion about the whole situation at a family restaurant includes Eri, merely because she knows what’s going on. Ayano is living with her parents. Akari is living with her family, having decided to not contact Ayano any more and Wataru has begun to think about life as a bachelor. As with all their decisions in this series, these choices are only partially successful.

The ongoing drama of Ayano’s students continues to make Ayano question her own choices. Akari wakes up in the bed of a woman she met the night before, Yukako. Yukako mischievously encourages Akari to wait for Ayano outside school, forcing them to still think about what they feel about each other. And Wataru considers dating someone new…which throws him back into accepting how his life has changed.

Each scene in this volume comes with a specific visual style. Conversation with another person forces one of our main characters to think about who and what they are and what they want. This internal monologue becomes page after page of sparse white text on black panels as they become lost in their own thoughts. As visual indicator of internal monologue I found it appealing. It does not feel as if Shimura-sensei is wasting that space at all.

Narratively, Ayano and Akari continue to fail to not meet up and finally give up and have a real conversation. Ayano re-introduces herself with her unmarried name. Will they have a new beginning? My bet is on “maybe.”

This series fascinates me, because I actually do want everyone in it to be happy. No one is a terrible person, not even when they make choices that may seem morally, or socially, questionable. It also feels like a real story, with real people who might actually exist in the world in a way that no other manga I’ve read has been. Lastly, I found the visual language of internal monologue so minimalist that it just…worked.

I’m still of the belief that this is Shimura-sensei’s best work to date and I just hope she has a clear ending in mind – whether it’s the ending I want, or not. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 8
Service – 0
Yuri / Queer – 8

Overall – 8

Frankly, Yukako seems like a great girlfriend for Akari, but I’m fairly sure we’re not heading there.

Drop back in on Friday when I take a look at the English-language edition of Even Though We’re Adults, Volume 4!