Archive for the Artists Category


Hayate x Blade Manga, Volume 18 (はやてｘブレード)

October 1st, 2013

In an industry filled with series prematurely ending, or fading out after hanging around just slightly too long, or long-lived series sputtering to an end a decade after the readers have moved on, it’s not often we’re around to see a well-told story come to a well-told end. It’s even rarer to face the end of a beloved series without tears and accompanying whimpers of self-pitying whining. ^_^ Here we are at Hayate x Blade, Volume 18. The End.

The Black Group has declared their purpose – they will bring Tenchi Gakuen to its knees by snatching all of the students. Unfortunately for them, those same students have developed tough muscles and thick brains in their time at Tenchi and have no intention of going down without a fight.

And while the Black Group fighters meet their matches all around the school, Hayate faces Maki, while Ayana faces her inner demons and fights Yukari. It’s not as emotionally crushing as it might have been, since Yukari has set the past aside and encourages Ayana to let go of hers. Eventually they are able to battle each other with everything they have.

Hayate and Ayana…lose their matches.

Hitsugi brings the Black Group encroachment to an end, by unmasking the leader of the enemy – Hajime is actually her cousin. And Hitsugi comes to a conclusion.

Her time as Chair of Tenchi has been fun, she tells the gathered students, but she wants to return to a more normal life. To that end, she is stepping down as Chair of the school and President of the Student Council. Furthermore, she’s splitting the student body into 2 dorms  – one headed by Hajime, the other by Kurea (whose punishment will never end, seemingly.) Sword-bearing students will still be able to fight, but the rules (and I’m guessing, the uniforms) will change. In two months, students will need to decide which dorm they will align themselves with. I’ve been guessing which pairs will go where since I read this the first time. ^_^

All the while this is going on, Hayate is visiting Tanpopo Garden, to present Chiharu with the school’s deed and to announce that she and Ayana have been awarded A rank.

The series comes to an end officially as Shizuku rings the gong, announcing the next round of Hoshitori.

The epilogue consists of Hayate (and Ayana) handing out Shigeru Family cat mascots to willing and unwilling (and confused, poor Kei,) recipients, as the students consider which dorm they will join.The volume ends with Hitsugi and Shizuku considering their mascots, while everyone else heads out to practice, as they all wait to use their swords in the Hoshitori once again.

I would write something really touching and emotional right about now, however I have already read the prologue of the new series and it begins with a visual gag that is spit-take inducing – it is this gag that is used as the promo for the prologue and now I’m laughing again.

So long Hayate x Blade! It’s been fun.

Welcome Hayate x Blade 2!  We look forward to meeting you.

Rating:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Characters – 9
Yuri – 0
Service – 0

Overall –  10

Thank you, Hayashiya-sensei, for being one of the best storytellers in manga. ^_^





Rira to Shion by Yamaji Ebine

September 23rd, 2013

I have this really weird, tenuous relationship with FEEL YOUNG (フィールヤング) magazine . I’m not subscribing to it, but apart from an off issue or three, I’ve been reading it regularly for years, probably around a decade. First, it brought back Hana no Asuka-gumi, then it kept running Yamaji Ebine’s work. On and off, it had Yuri/lesbian stories, on and off it had something else I wanted to be reading. Now that Ohana Holoholo is winding down, I wondered if it was going to find a way to keep me coming back. Well…yup. The September issue had another one-shot by Yamaji Ebine that I like a gazillion times more than most of her recent stuff.

In a on-going series of “Lyrical” manga, Yamaji Ebine’s contribution is kind of sadly sweet. “Rira to Shion: Story of the contrastive girls” [sic] tells the story of Shion, a young woman who wants to be a photographer and Rira, a girl she meets by accident when Rira comes into Shion’s aunt’s doll shop.

Shion, it turns out, has not quite embraced adult life. She was betrayed by an adult when she was young – a man who used her photographs without her permission or credit. She’s been hovering on the edge of life, not graduating, not moving on, working with her aunt.

Rira also has not moved into adult life. After being traumatized by the sight of her older brother and girlfriend having sex, Rira is clinging to childhood. She only feels like her “true self” when she dresses like a doll among her dolls.

Shion and Rira recognize something similar in each other. And, as Shion puts it plainly, Rira becomes her Muse, bringing her photography to a whole new level. Motivated by Rira, Shion applies for graduation – but only if Rira is credited properly for her role.

The two women step forward into a new, adult life ready to support each other’s true selves.

Overall, this was a really feel-good story. There’s nothing Yuri or lesbian about it, but watching the two help each other to grow and embrace their own lives,  was just really nice.

I’ll hope that this is a swing back for Yamaji-sensei away from exploring they way people hide from the world and towards how they grow in it.

And I guess I’ll still be picking up Feel Young a little while longer. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Kimi no Tame Nara Shineru, Volume 3 (姫のためなら死ねる)

September 22nd, 2013

51K9VwUbD2L._SL500_AA300_Before I begin today’s review, I would like to take a moment to thank every one of you who purchased and read ALC translations on JManga. It was such a pleasure to be able to bring you all fun Yuri manga in a digital environment. Of all the books we worked on, the hands-down most difficult was Kuzushiro’s Kimi no Tamenara Shineru (姫のためなら死ねる). Erin S. did amazing work translating it, and both of us ended up doing quite a bit of research for it. It was a challenge and a pleasure. Thanks to Erin  and thank you all for your support. I’m sorry we’re not going to have the opportunity to bring you Volume 3, but I’m pleased to be able to review it, at least. ^_^

As established in Volume 1 (reviewed here in 2011) and Volume 2 of this series, famous Heian period diarist Sei Shonagon is a slacker, blogger and…crazy.  If we take a moment to think about life in the Heian Imperial Court without any idealism , we can guess that it would have pretty much been life at any dorm anywhere – politics, backstabbing, crushes, affairs and pranks. This is exactly what we see in this manga.

Speaking of pranks, we are introduced to Ichijou Tennou,  the Emperor to whom Teishi and Shoushi are Consort. In reality, Ichijou’s reign is emblematic of the Heian period at its finest, with an Emperor who loved and encouraged art and literature. In this comic, he is 12 years old and as tsundere as possible.

The rest of the volume plays out as usual. Shonagon swings back and forth between ecstasy and misery as she is the focus of Teishi’s attention. When Teishi’s mother suggests her daughter use her wiles to control the distance between her and her lady in waiting, we almost get to see Shonagon proclaim the title oath all the way through, until she is interrupted.

Yuri is, as it always is in a gag series, is a mixed bag of misunderstanding, silly set-ups and other things that make people pant and get red in the face, like illness and sports. Which brings me to Kemari, which is the hackeysack-like, non-competitive sport played as early in Japan as 644 CE.  One of the funniest set of gags in the manga is Shonagon, who has no idea how to play, teaching Teishi, who also has no idea what she’s doing.

As a goofball look at Heian court life, Kimi no Tamenara Shineru remains a highly amusing manga that is totally worth the effort it takes to read.  ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 4
Service – 4 (And a weird 4, too. Having a cold is really not that sexy.)

Overall – 8

I admit, I hope that life in the Heian Kyo looked more like this, than Tale of Genji.





Yuri Manga: Omoi no Kakera, Volume 2 (想いの欠片)

September 13th, 2013

One of the three titles I chose for 2011’s Top Yuri Manga was Omoi no Kakera, Volume 1 by Takemiya Jin.  Specifically, I very much enjoyed our introduction to Mika, a confident, self-aware young lesbian.

In Omoi no Kakera, Volume 2, Mika’s relationship with underclassman Mayu develops significantly. Where in Volume 1, Mayu begins with distaste that develops into a crush, in Volume 2, Mayu starts to genuinely care about Mika…and Mika learns that she’s developed some affection for the younger girl. After the coffee house owner lays it out to Mika, that her insistence that she prefers older women is merely a way of clinging to her past, Mika tells Mayu the whole story of her first love. Mayu’s reaction is very sweet. And for the first time, I have some confidence that they could, possibly, become a healthy couple, maybe. Just as they reach this place, it appears that Mika’s past has indeed caught up with her.

The main story has a few Intermissions. Under “not really a couple and, so, not unhealthy, but wtf?” comes the coffee shop owner and her roommate. I have no idea what the deal is with them. ^_^;

The Intermissions include a short, really cute story about Mayu’s brother (who we know from the early chapters of Volume 1, is gay) and his crush, a male classmate.

The book also contains a short story called “Love & Piece,” which has a rough start in some hideous stereotypes and a really bad set of choices, but ends in a good place.

I have saved the best/worst story for last.

As Mayu has manages to get closer to Mika, her best friend Saki has taken a lot of hits over the years. When Mayu expressed disgust for gays, Saki was unable to admit that she was a lesbian. But when Mayu needed her, she was always there. Now Mayu is falling for Mika, and Saki’s lonelier than she ever thought possible. Saki’s story is heartbreaking, but very well told. I can only hope that Volume 3 brings her some happiness.

I love this story. It is full of the hormonal, irrational, high/lows of teenage life, and full of gay kids who are still finding themselves. Mika, Harada-kun and Saki are not alone, but we all have to reinvent the wheel for ourselves to some extent.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Characters – 10
Yuri – 9 / Lesbian – 9
Service – 4 for “Love & Piece”

Overall – 10

Takemiya-sensei tells a damn good story.





Yuri Manga: Eden no Higashitotsuka, Volume 2 (エデンの東戸塚)

September 11th, 2013

Very occasionally, I come across a creator whose work I should like, but, for whatever reason, I cannot. If you’re a regular reader here, you’re probably wondering if I have some personal beef with Hakamada Mera-sensei or something – maybe she kicked my puppy or was rude to me? No, not at all. I have never met her and I’m sure she’s lovely. She’s certainly very hard working and prolific and I admire that deeply.

So, what the heck is my issue with her work? I don’t know what it is – it just misses the mark. I used to think it was because the feelings were vague and could have been anything, as in  Saigo no Seifuku, but then that finished that up with a bang-up ending.  And then I thought it was that her characters never got past basic confessions, but then she drew Kanojyo no Sekai and I though that was too much.

And then there was Eden no Higashitotsuka Volume 1. And again, it was close, but it put a tedious trope in as the main plot and it tired me all out all over again. Now we’re at Eden no Higashitostuka, Volume 2 and I really, truly tried to like it. I really did. I promise. I feel terrible though, because it just misses the mark again for me. I didn’t hate it, I never hate her work, it just doesn’t resonate.

Kiku, our protagonist, wants a better life for herself, so she’s determined to do well and become an elite. Her next-door neighbor, the chaotic neutral Hiyoshi appears to be getting in her way, but as the pages of Volume 1 end, Kiku has come to grips with Hiyoshi’s place in her life.

In Volume 2, Hiyoshi turns out to have a girlfriend – the student council president of her old school. “Lovers” they tell Kiku, but it is clear that they have little physical relationship – and Hiyoshi really doesn’t know what it means to be “lovers.” Hiyoshi, I’m sorry to say, doesn’t really know a lot of things, and moves through her own life being clueless about the people around her. So when she studies a bit and gets better grades than Kiku and can draw better than Kiku, she cannot even remotely guess why Kiku doesn’t want her around. At this point we are told a heart-wrenching story about how/why Yutenji-sempai and Hiyoshi are dating, but instead of making her seem more sympathetic, I felt that it made Hiyoshi seem more aggressively clueless. Causing pain unintentionally is one thing, but being unable to even see that you’re causing pain is something else – and not something I find sympathy-making.

Yutenji-sempai pretty much tells Kiku all this, and Kiku, who again realizes that her life is less fun without Hiyoshi, makes a decision. She comes home to their dorm to learn that it will be torn down. Kiku makes up with Hiyoshi and they take out their frustration by destroying a wall together.

The epilogue shows Kiku and Hiyoshi living together as adults. Kiku has realized her dream of becoming elite. She has it all.

And I’m left wondering what it was that I wanted out of this story.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 6
Yuri – 2
Service – 2

Overall – 6

Clearly the problem here is me. And I’m sorry for that, Hakamada-sensei.