Archive for the English Manga Category


The Moon On A Rainy Night, Volume 6

December 27th, 2024

Two young women in summer yukata stand on a balcony looking at one another, as fireworks explode colorfully above them Volume 5 left us on a bit of a cliffhanger, as Saki accidentally allows her truest thoughts to be seen by Kanon.

The Moon On A Rainy Night, Volume 6, by Kuzushiro, picks up with Saki mortified beyond her ability to express and Kanon struggling to find words to address it. Luckily for both of them, life as a Japanese teenager is filled with enough activity to allow them both some space to roll around on their beds, screaming into the pillow.

Nonetheless, things are changing, Kanon has become aware that since she lost her hearing, she has not been a good friend to the people she leaned on. And she takes a small step to caring about someone and something other than herself. Suddenly aware of all the people around her who have given her opportunities, Kanon is changing. Saki reaches out to the one adult she is pretty sure gets what she is going through, and Tomita returns to class with surprising results. Although they have spent most of the summer together, Saki suggests one special event for them to share watching fireworks together from her apartment balcony, where they take one more towards opening up to one another and to themselves.

Rinne finds herself changing as well. As a little sister, she was unable to help Kanon much, could only watch over her in a general sense. But she sees that Saki has changed her sister for the better and it’s made Rinne more willing to take a risk, a little despite herself. She encounters Chiyma, a girl with a condition that is not harmful but has and will make her life difficult and unpleasant and decided to get involved and be a friend.

I have repeatedly said here and elsewhere (and to anyone I could pin up against a wall and tell) that I love this series. From my perspective – which is not that of an HHD person, but of a person who is chronically ill and had many of the same kinds of issues as both Saki and Kanon as a teen – this story does everything right.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Service – 2 Saki and Kanon in yukata is definitely meant to serve.
Yuri – 4 It’s only just begun.

Overall – 9

The Moon On A Rainy Night is a masterwork of manga and an outstanding example of how good storytelling can help us to be better.

I cannot *wait for you to read the next couple of volumes! Volume 6 is out now from Kodansha.





Qualia the Purple: The Complete Manga Collection

December 22nd, 2024

Manga cover for Qualia The Purple. The Complete Manga Collection. On a cover of purple stripes, a girl with long brown hair and big purple eyes looks up at us, her shadow spreading behind her.by Matt Marcus, Staff Writer

Qualia the Purple: The Complete Manga Collection is a story about a high school girl named Yukari, who sees all people as robots.

Ok, that’s not entirely true. This is a story about Manabu (aka Gaku-chan), a normal high school girl who is in love with Yukari but doesn’t quite realize it.

…Alright, you got me. This is a story not really about either of those things. This is a story about quantum mechanics and theoretical physics that happens to center on Manabu’s metaphysical attempts to save Yukari from an early death at the hands of an evil science institute.

Based on the light novel of the same name, this single-volume collection is just as confused as the intro of this review. It begins with a strong concept: Yukari appears to be a chuunibyou, but in reality she has the ability to deconstruct and rebuild matter however she seems fit. Manabu is a normal girl with something of a princely streak. You think you’re in for some sci-fi-tinged high school Yuri yearning, but somehow it develops into a plot about a serial killer.

And then, roughly a third into its length, it decides to pivot into a multiverse story that damsels Yukari, the girl who is practically Dr. Manhattan, in order to put the story in Manabu’s hands (Manabu even addresses this bait-and-switch directly to the reader). By design, she is an empty vessel with a singular goal. 

The story already made a leap into the unpleasant with the serial killer subplot, but the back two-thirds ends up making Manabu out to be a monster as she tries everything, no matter how unpleasant, to achieve her goal. Most unfortunate of these decisions involves Alice, a child prodigy who arrives at the high school to recruit Yukari to the aforementioned evil science institute. A major pivot point involves an alternate universe Manabu falling in love with her, despite her being younger by a fair number of years. Our point-of-view Manabu ends up developing a relationship with Alice as a means to further her goal of saving Yukari. The whole thing feels like an unforced error, since there is nothing about Alice’s character that is gained by making her a few years younger than the rest of the main cast.

One could say that it’s subversive how Manabu and Yukari’s relationship sits neatly in the old paradigm of undefined schoolgirl Yuri crush, while Manabu’s (hella problematic) relationship with Alice is unambiguously explicit in its romantic and sexual nature. That must have felt novel in 2009 when this story was first released, but today it has notably less impact. Also, I’m sure I could write an entire paper on how an “impure” (putting aside the age gap) queer relationship is instrumentalized in the service of a “pure” Yuri love, but frankly I’m too exhausted by the belabored explanations of the Copenhagen Interpretation and wave function collapses to bother.

The biggest flaw of this manga is that the book itself is a poor choice for visual adaptation. The vast majority of the story is told in narration by Manabu, and there are few if any moments that let the visuals speak for themselves. That said, there is one extremely funny moment that takes advantage of the medium.

Given its age, I can forgive a few of its sins. (The fact that a flip phone played a major role in the plot did get a chuckle out of me.) That said, it pales in comparison to a short story collection made from a very similar mold: Last and First Idol. Where the edgy elements in Qualia just made me wince, the visceral gore and violence of LAFI played punctuated Gengen Kunano’s biting satire, be it for idols, gacha, or whatever. Qualia plays it very straight which lessens its appeal to me.

I’d say that if you are in the pocket for some sci-fi Yuri and don’t mind a misstep or two, Qualia the Purple could be worth your time. But I would suggest the light novel over this manga collection.

Ratings:

Art – 6 Not a whole lot to write home about visually; doesn’t take advantage of the medium enough
Story – 6 More disjointed than compelling
Characters – 5 What’s on the page is pretty stock
Service – 1 Higher if you like detailed explanations of Schrodinger’s Cat
Yuri – 5 / LGBTQ – 5 Some old-school yearning, but also has a queer relationship as a plot element

Overall – 6 Would have more impact if this release time-traveled back to 2009

Thank you to Seven Seas, who provided me with a review copy.

Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, as well as the writer for the blog Oh My God, They Were Bandmates analyzing How Do We Relationship in greater depth.





Amayo no Tsuki, Volume 8 (雨夜の月)

December 19th, 2024

A girl with reddish hair in a green striped button-down shirt sits at a kitchen table eating with a smile. Across from her, a girl wearing a red blouse with her long, dark hair tied back in a ponytail, earnestly leans across the table. Volume 7 of Kuzushiro’s school life drama finished up the school festival arc and, while it had its fair share of maid costumes and cat-eared girls, it also resolved one of Kanon’s lingering akashic ties – her relationship to her former best friend, Ayano. Both young women have changed in the days since they last saw one another and are able to start over once again as friends.

Friends. Because of Saki, Kanon is able to be a better friend to Ayano, and interact with her classmates. Because of Saki, Kanon was able to participate in the school festival. Because of Saki…

In Amayo no Tsuki, Volume 8 (雨夜の月)Kanon is very aware that, while Saki has been there for her, she doesn’t really know her friend the way she would like to. This is new to Kanon. Since she lost her hearing, she’s been very much alone inside her head, but now, Saki makes her want to learn about another person. And, as she thinks about Saki…Kanon realizes that she thinks about Saki a lot. All the time. When the teacher mentions writing for a lover, when she wants to learn how to make macarons, when she hears that Saki has an upcoming recital, but she has not yet been invited. Or when she see’s Saki’s reaction to the news that her former piano teacher will come to the recital. What is that woman to Saki?

Saki, for her part is flailing in exactly the same way. Will Kanon be more upset if she is invited to a recital she cannot hear or not? Why does she immediately think of Kanon when the music she plays is described as being “for a lover.”

The sports festival is coming up, but first Saki has this recital. And when Kanon see Saki in a vintage dress with her hair styled…well, she’s going to have to deal with that, too.

This volume never once retreats from the  complexity of human lives. Yes, both Saki and Kanon, separately, have started to give voice to their feelings, but the business of school and life still goes on. They have obligations, but also take on new responsibilities for their own desire to become whoever they are.  It’s beautiful. I don’t think I have ever rooted for two fictional characters as hard as I root for these two.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Characters – 10
Service – We’ve seen them in yukata and maid outfits with animal ears , so more dress up? Yes.
Yuri – 6

Overall – 10

Volume 6 of The Moon On A Rainy Night is out now (and next on my to-read pile!) from Kodansha. Fireworks! ^_^

 





When the Villainess Seduces the Main Heroine, Volume 1

December 4th, 2024

A busty blonde woman in low-cut red dress is embraced by a smiling black-haired beauty in a low-cut dress and corset as they lay in a plush bed.Guest review by Paul S. Enns

When the Villainess Seduces the Main Heroine, Volume 1 by Kasai Fujii, is a ridiculous bit of fluff, ending with an equally ridiculous story.

It’s about the Villainess, Akuya Krei Jou, seducing the Heroine, Sei Hi Roin, away from the Prince, San Punkan. All of which happens in the prologue, a whole four pages.

After the prologue, the next hundred pages are 90% lovey-dovey day-to-day activities of two women deeply in love with each other and the other 10% what Yaaba (Akuya’s housekeeper and instructor) and Stray (the stray cat that loves watching lesbian love) think of that.

Then it goes dark.

That’s where story happens, and it really changes the mood. It’s where Sei shows that she can get out of trouble and not just depend on her partner to rescue her. It’s where Akuya gets to show off how villainous she can be to protect Sei. It’s where… No. I’m not going to spoil it. But it did induce some squick in me.

While there is plenty of service, there’s no actual genitalia shown. Breasts and discussion of what Akuya will do to Sei and Sei’s reactions cover it.

As a whole, I enjoyed the fluff of the beginning. The story felt like it was from a different writer writing in the first half’s style. The jarring difference was too much. If it made up its mind and was one or the other, it would work better. I say “first half”, but the story part is half as long. Still sticks in my memory better than the fluff.

My favorite short would have to be the one that deals with consent. It’s an important topic to me.

The translation feels solid. Every gesture and sound is given a translation. Nothing jarring in the text to signal problems. Another stellar job by Yen Press.

Looking at the original review of the Japanese version, I must sadly say that none of the punny names come through in English.

Ratings:

Art: 7 Better like long eyelashes.
Story: What story? But I’ll give the story part a 3.
Characters: 7 No denying that Akuya and Sei are lovely together. Stray gets some good humor, too.
Service: 7 I’ll not rate higher without genitalia shown.
Yuri: 9.5 To be 10 there wouldn’t be any sex with men, right?

Overall: 5

It should have been just the shorts, but would this be Volume 1 without the story? It does end with “To be continued…”. I don’t know which would be better: more shorts or more story. It doesn’t leave me optimistic. We’ll find out when Volume 2 arrives in the new year.





Otherside Picnic, Volume 11

November 27th, 2024

Two women stand holding their ears, as if against some noise. One with long, blonde hair in a green jacket and one with medium-length dark hair in a plaid coat. Looking large behind them is a schoolgirl with silver hair done up in plaits, coquettishly touching her open mouth.by Sandy Ferguson, Guest Reviewer

Having dealt with the mystery of Kanno Sanuki in Volume 10, Otherside Picnic, Volume 11 consists entirely of “The Whisper Is At-Your-Own-Risk”, and it is a delightfully exhausting read.

We start with Sorawo being locked up by Runa Urumi and her fan club. Sorawo assesses her situation and considering that she is being held by a cult led by one of Satsuki’s devotees, it is not looking good. This leads to Sorawo reflecting on her past as someone who managed to escape a cult, and in doing so we are introduced to Sorawo’s ‘coping personality’.  We then follow Sorawo, as she uses her experiences from the past to do what is necessary to escape Runa and her fan club, using a skill set and mental attitudes that combine the Otherside and MacGyver.

As we hear later from Kozakura, this ‘coping personality’ can change how people perceive Sorawo as they indirectly receive an intense glimpse into the trauma that has shaped Sorawo’s life.  But later we witness Sorawo reflecting on the nature of this ‘coping personality’ and how it compares with Sorawo as we now know her, someone who is evolving as a person through letting people into her life, much to her chagrin.

Coping Personality Sorawo escapes from her confinement and picks up Kozakura. They discover that Runa has been collecting Fourth Kind contactees, drawn in such a way that reminds us how lucky Sorawo and Toriko are in how they have been touched by the Otherside.

Their escape is brief as Runa’s fan club recapture them, which gives Runa an opportunity to share with Sorawo and Kozakura her plans. Then Runa leaves Sorawo behind in what becomes a dangerous situation. It is at this point Toriko enters the story kicking arse, ably supported by Migawa from the DS Lab.

More excitement ensues as Sorawo, Toriko and Migawa follow Runa and her fan club to the DS lab.  When they arrive the decision is made, due to concerns over Runa’s use of the voice, that Sorawo and Toriko will confront Runa. And then the volume ends with a ‘wow’ moment that sets us up for an intense climax to this story in the next volume.

From this volume we learn more about Runa, how a young girl hoping for internet attention is changed by the touch of the Otherside, or she prefers to call it, the Blue World. Is she a cult leader? Or an idol with a devoted fan club? Is she just looking for some awesome friends?

And throughout the volume we witness Sorawo’s frustration over the fact that ‘Everyone Loves Satsuki’ with Runa the latest more extreme addition to the Satsuki Fan Club. And although jealousy is a critical part of Sorawo’s response, we the reader can’t ignore the fact that Sorawo is right about Satsuki being an iffy person and we can appreciate Sorawo’s desire to shake Toriko and all the others while yelling ‘am I the only one who sees that Satsuki is up to no good?”

What I appreciated most about ‘A Whisper in the Dead of Night’ is Kozakura giving us some candid insights into her challenges in defining her relationships with Toriko and Sorawo and how she struggles with the aftermath of her relationship with Satsuki.

Ratings:

Story– 9
Artwork– 9 Exciting artwork that draws us into the excitement of this volume, covering action in this world as well as the presence of the Otherside.
Character– 9 An interesting piece of self-analysis by Sorawo as she reflects on the fact that throughout all her escapades with Toriko she never needed her ‘coping personality’. And later Sorawo discovers how her relationship with Toriko has led to her taking her first steps on developing empathy for other people.
Service– 8 Warning, intense hugging action! It looked like Sorawo needed a warning…
Yuri – 8, Yuri Otherside Picnic style as Sorawo gushes over the image of Toriko in full action hero mode, while being jealous that Migawa had witnessed such awesomeness.

Overall – 9

The story continues in Volume 12, which will be here in Spring 2025!