Archive for the Artists Category


Rose of Versailles Manga, Volume 12 (ベルサイユのばら)

March 21st, 2016

download Rose of Versailles, Volume 12 (ベルサイユのばら), is composed of two stories. One following the hapless Florian F Girodel (no one knows what the ‘F’ stand for,) as he watches, but does not participate fully, in Versailles life – and while Oscar pretty much robs him of everything he desires, without even trying. She’s got his job, isn’t becoming his wife as he intends, she gets all the attention and she even gets the girls, as he finds out when he meets Fersen’s sister, Sofia. We watch him suffering through Oscar’s resignation, and her death, and we learn of his fate after the war. Girodel’s life, as so many others, ends with a date with Madame Guillotine.

The second half of the book, follows a tempestuous affair between a young woman, betrothed to a well-borm man old enough to be her father, and a gorgeous young noble, whose love of Lorraine matches her own. Despite her betrothal, Georgette sleeps with Regnier, and later admits her crime tearfully to her mother. The engagement is called off, and her lover, with the new prince’s permission, accepts a commission in the Army, sweeping Georgette away to Versailles to become Mrs. Regnier de Jarjayes, and the mother of Oscar Francois (named after the new Prince of Lorraine) de Jarjayes.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – More sex, but still a lot of crying 8
Characters – 9
Service – 2
Yuri – 1, if only for Sofia’s obvious crush on Oscar.

Overall – 8

Oscar’s mother is actually one of my favorite characters, because you sort of assume she’s not even alive at first, then suddenly midway through the series you find that she’s perfectly fine and has been at Versailles all along. ^_^

Also included in this volume are the 2014 images of Oscar created for fashion magazine Spur.





Yuri Manga: 2DK, G Pen, Mezamashidokei, Volume 2 (2DK、Gペン、目覚まし時計。)

February 22nd, 2016

2dk2-275x390As you may recall, I started my review of Volume 1 of this series with “Ohsawa Yayoi’s 2DK, G Pen, Mezamashidokei  is a sweetly cheerful version of the worst story ever written.”

Thankfully, Volume 2 of 2DK, G Pen, Mezamashidokei (2DK、Gペン、目覚まし時計。) is a far cry from that first volume. A far cry from the cutely neglectful relationship between Nanami the career woman and Kaede the manga artist, but only slightly closer to Yuri. And not between the principals, as one might expect. Not yet, at any rate.

In Volume 2, we spend the bulk of the book with cool, competent Nanami, whose life is nothing like she expected it to be. By now, she had thought she would be married, with a career she enjoyed. Well, she has the career. but no husband and it doesn’t bother her all that much, to her surprise. When she becomes the mentor to a junior team member’s new project, she finds that not only does she really like what’s she’s doing, she’s genuinely enthusiastic about the changes their making. And she becomes fond of the new kid on the block, Yuuko. Yuuko’s youth and enthusiasm is infectious and Nanami responds by becomes more determined, more energetic and more competent as the situation demands. A far cry from the rung-out woman of Volume 1. It is in fact a delight to see her be more of a character than just a straight man.  There is a very real spark between her and Yuuko, although whether that goes anywhere, we don’t yet know. Nanami herself seems to not have noticed, as she tells Yuuko that there’s someone at home waiting for her. But is Kaede actually waiting for her? I’m not so sure.

In the meantime, Kaede, working in tandem with fellow manga artist, Koyuki, has been pulling long hours and is accomplishing more than we could have presumed, given her slackabout ways in Volume 1.

The end of the book takes a look at the circumstances around which Nanami and Kaede met and decided to room together.

The final pages arrive with a small crisis as Koyuki, of all people, suddenly finds herself attracted to Kaede.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 2 Barely there at the moment, which means we’re getting a build into a relationship, rather than the normal “they must be together” thing we get.
Service – No fanservice, but the women have different outfits and care about their skin and what they eat and other actual human things. I consider that a kind of service to the adult female audience. ^_^

Overall – 8

All the characters are way less trope-y and way more interesting than in the first volume. With the current setup, there’s no guarantee that Kaede and Nanami will end up together and frankly, I think this is a far better series for that. At the very least it’s going into a third volume and I’m looking forward to future chapters much more than I was. ^_^

And getting more than two volumes for one of the few josei series running in Comic Yuri Hime is high priority for me. It’s refreshing and positive to see an artist I like being able to create a longer series about and for adult women in the middle of all those schoolgirls.





Yuri Manga: Watashi no Muchina Watashi no Michi. Volume 2 (私の無知なわたしの未知 2)

February 2nd, 2016

WMWM2Now here’s a thing we don’t see much any more – a review of a Volume 2 of a series for which Volume 1 was never discussed. Remember this kind of thing from back in the day, where we’d get a side plot in a long series? Like Loveless, or Usotsuki Lily? Only this is not like those at all.

Momono Moto is a Yuri artist who specializes in adult life series. Her Kimi Koi Limit exasperated me and her sequel Rainy Song redeemed her in my eyes.

Well last year, she began a short two-volume series titled Watashi no Muchina Watashi no Michi. Volume 1 followed Minato, a typical woman in a typical office who is slowly being strangled to death by boredom. Until she meets Asami, a moody coworker. I did not review it, because the story centered mostly on Minato realizing how she was dying a little each day and Asami was more or less the catalyst. I wasn’t sure if this series was going anywhere.

In Volume 2, Minato and Asami are starting to break down walls between them. They become lovers, but almost immediately it becomes apparent that there is a dark secret that involves them both. Asami used to study music with Minato’s father…until he claimed her music as his. When it becomes apparent that Asami knew Minato’s relationship with the man who stole her music, and was trying to “get revenge” of a sort, it splits them up. However, Asami realizes that she’s been a dolt and has actual feelings for Minato.

Having nothing left to care about, Minato leaves work and takes a job doing something menial that she can give a shit about. Three years pass and she never stops looking for Asami. I won’t give away the ending as it’s basically the the most interesting bit of the story.

Momono’s work has visibly matured. The art is assured and in places, even delicate. A professional’s work.

And the story too, has matured. Where Kimi Koi Limit took broad strokes at human nature, this series has finer lines and more subtlety. Where I loathed Sono, because of her unremitting selfishness, I could not dislike Asami. Although – in real life, I would not root for Asami and Minato to get together, I would want Minato to grow beyond the relationship and find herself someone without baggage, but of course in the manga we are supposed to want them together.

Another strong quality of this manga is the fact that everyone has society. As moody as Asami is, she has friends, nor is Minato isolated in her world. They exist outside the role they are given in their relationship. That is part of what, for me defines, this as an “adult life” manga, versus a “romance”, like Yagate Kimi ni Naru.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 8, there is no discussion of their relationship as such at all.
Service – 1

Overall – 7

Watashi no Muchina Watashi no Michi is a good, if ephemeral, josei Yuri series from Kodansha.





LGBTQ Manga: Torikaebaya (とりかえ・ばや ), Volume 8

February 1st, 2016

TKBY8For the first time ever, I read a volume of Saitou Chiho’s amazing version of the Japanese classic Torikebaya and thought…maybe, just maybe, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

If you recall, Suiren and Sarasoujuu have switched back, as it were, to take up the roles assigned to the gender they were born with. They are, in effect, masquerading as each other, rather than being themselves.

In Volume 8, the person in Sarasojuu’s role, Suiren, is having a slightly easier time of it, as he is not under a lot of scrutiny, but the person in Suiren’s role, Sarasojuu, has yet *another* problem on her plate which is already fully crammed with problems.

Sarasoujuu, as a Naishogami, a lady in waiting, has come to deeply admire and love Toguu-sama, but of course is not in love with her. She is still drawing the frank and open attention of the Emperor, who used to look at her too longly and deeply as a male courtier and now desires her as a female one. This is complicated for many reasons. Sarasojuu as Naishogami has befriended San-no-hime, the elder sister of her own wife (argh!) and while she wants to support her friend in front of the Emperor, ends up taking his attention away from San-no-hime, thus betraying her. (Argh!) And worst of all, Sarasoujuu-as-Suiren has fallen in love with the Emperor (who is extremely handsome, as one might expect in a Saitou-sensei manga.) (ARGH!)

Toguu-sama I think has figured out the charade  but says nothing until she falls ill and asks to see Suiren-as-high ranking courtier, Udaisho. To get Suiren into the women’s quarters an elaborate scheme is concocted, but as the volume closes, Suiren is discovered and the ruse falls apart. (AUGH!)

Despite my protestations, I managed to read this volume without groaning once, because I thought I saw a way out. It’s an absurd, complex way out. BUT.

If Suiren remains in her place as Naishogami by day, but takes Sarasojuu’s place as Udaisho at night, and vice versa, they could be who they really are by day and also sleep with who they want to at night. It would horrible to have to switch back and forth and undoubtedly complicated and doomed to failure, but it’s a story and maybe could work. Probably not. But there you go, as dim a light as it is, I am fixated with the idea.

Obviously it would be amazing if they just were allowed to be happy as is. I just don’t see that happening ever. Even the Tengu switching them permanently isn’t a fix, because Suiren as Naishogami can’t sleep with Toguu-sama and Sarasojuu as Udaisho can’t sleep with the Emperor. Hrm.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 1
LGBTQ – 1

Overall – 9

Once again a luscious and lovely and emotionally wringing volume of this Heian classic. I’m enjoying the heck out of every single panel!





LGBTQ: Okaasan Futari Itemo Iikana!? (お母さん二人いてもいいかな!?)

January 18th, 2016

2momsIf you read a lot of manga, especially shoujo and shounen manga, you’ll have encountered author’s notes and quite possibly you’ll have thought something like, “Really? You’re writing a note to millions of fans and all you have to say is that you like jelly?” But, when you think about it, we all know manga creators are put through a grinder of deadlines and appearances and it’s probably not all that surprising that they have relatively bland personal lives. If you’re out partying, you’re not at the drawing board, so…. But yeah, it would be nice sometimes to know a little more about the manga artists we love. Maybe the name of their lover, or about a hobby besides drawing manga.

In Okaasan Futari Itemo Iikana!? (お母さん二人いてもいいかな!?), Nakamura Ching-sensei, writing here under her real name, Nakamura Kiyo, gives us an  unprecedented honest and intimate look at her personal life. She lives with her wife (in name only, as Japan does not legally recognize same-sex marriage), Satsuki, and is stepmother to Satsuki’s three sons.

The book takes a good hard look at Kiyo’s and Satsuki’s relationship, opening up a few cans of worms along the way. We learn of Kishie-san, Nakamura-sensei’s deceased first wife, and about abuse in Satsuki’s  and Kiyo’s past (Of which we knew some from Dare mo Korinai.) This books includes thoughts about the tentative legal standing their relationship has and the importance of acceptance by the people around them.

But mostly, this is a book about life with a wife and three sons. An intimate, sometimes touching, look at the personal life of a lesbian couple in Japan today, and an extraordinary look into the life of a favorite manga creator.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

In places this volume is very difficult, in others triumphant…just like life.