Archive for the English Manga Category


The Summer You Were There, Volume 1, Guest Review by Eleanor W

November 16th, 2022

It’s Guest Review Wednesday here on Okazu and I am so delighted to welcome back Eleanor once again. Today she’s going to take a look at Yuama’s dramatic school life series. Take it away, Eleanor, and I’ll be back at the end. 
It’s nice to be back again. This is my 3rd review for Okazu, and I’m finally reviewing a manga volume this time. I’ve reviewed the British Museum’s manga exhibition and a yuri visual novel called Perfect Gold. You can find me on Twitter (for now) @st_owly and the same on Instagram.

Having loved the author’s previous work The Girl I Want Is So Handsome, I was excited to check out their new series, The Summer You Were There, Volume 1. First thing to note is that Seven Seas have done a lovely job on the cover of the English release. I really like the water bubbles and the falling paper in the background of the illustration, and the title itself is embossed which is a nice touch. Unfortunately, the contents don’t really hold up so well in comparison. I’m not the biggest fan of “let’s pretend to date each other, teehee” stories at the best of times, and this one hasn’t exactly converted me.

The story starts like this: your typical bookworm (Shizuku) encounters a popular girl (Kaori) who for some unknown reason, wants to date her. Kaori finds Shizuku’s super secret discarded novel manuscript which no one is ever supposed to read (why would you throw it in the bin at school then??) so of course the two of them start “dating” because Kaori strong arms Shizuku into it, and the excuse is “I want to help you research material for your next story.”

“If you want to make your ‘dying of high school manga disease’ plotline land emotionally, maybe don’t telegraph it with the subtlety of a boot to the head.” I couldn’t have put this better myself, thank you Toukochan on the Okazu Discord server for letting me use this magnificent line. I didn’t find either of them particularly endearing individually, and by the end of the book I still didn’t particularly care for them as a couple either.

Having said that, chapter 3 was by far my favourite of the book. The girls end up going to the library together and actually start genuinely bonding over favourite books and authors. I wish more of the book had been like this, and I hope there’s more of this going forward. The obligatory yuri aquarium date in the next 2 chapters just didn’t land the same way. 

I would like to know more about Kaori’s motivations and why she wants to date Shizuku. At the end of the book Shizuku confesses something big to her, and she says she already knows everything. I suspect I know exactly where this is heading, I’ll see if I’m right in the next volume. 

I hope the characters and their relationship will improve going forward, and the revelation at the end does mean I will pick up the next volume but based on this volume alone, if I wanted a popular x shy girl romance I’d just go and read Girl Friends again. 

Ratings:

Art – 7. Perfectly pleasant, and you can clearly see the improvement from The Girl I Want Is So Handsome, although I don’t like Shizuku’s hairstyle. Something about it just bothers me. The cover illustration is lovely. 

Story – 5. It’s been done better before. 

Characters – 6. Kaori has definite potential. Shizuku does too. I really hope they both fulfill it.  

Yuri – 2.  It’s 2 girls “dating”, but I wouldn’t call this a lesbian romance. 

Service – Non existent, thankfully.

Boot to the head – 10. All the emotional subtlety of. 

Overall – 6. Stick to writing comedy, sensei.

 

Erica here: Well…yes. I mean, ouch, but yes. I’ve been reading this chapter after chapter in Comic Yuri Hime, and it is…all right. I will say that when it stops being overdramatic about small things there are good moments, but tbh, this series is a generic live-action drama, with hysterics for no reason and the serious things glossed over. The relationship does get better, but the story will not get out of it’s own way, even volumes later.

If you are a sucker for tearful live-action “someone is dying but we can’t tell, because reasons” story, you’ll probably love this. If it is your thing, Volume 2 will be out in December, 2022! Thanks Eleanor for a great review. ^_^

 





Look Back by Tatsuki Fujimoto

November 11th, 2022

Tatsuki Fujimoto is a well-known name in manga right now. Chainsaw Man is a popular Shonen Jump manga and the anime for the series was one of the most anticipated this year. And, honestly, I think the manga is pretty darn good, myself. I’ve been reading it on Shueisha’s official Manga Plus app for free, completely legitimately.

At the end of last year, the Mangasplaining crew took a look at this one-shot by Fujimoto-sensei and, as I had it on my to-read pile at the time, I bumped it up, and cried my way through it. Now Look Back by Tatsuki Fujimoto is out in print in English and I nabbed a copy at my local Kinokuniya when I saw it.

This is still a fantastic manga that you really ought to read. Read it slowly. Pay attention to the details. It’s a slim volume, and not terribly complicated in terms of concept. In fact, I’d call this a very typical “the second story a manga artist does after their series goes mega-hit and they need to write about creating manga” manga. But it is loaded to the gills with feels.

Fujino has always been told that she’s a great artist. But there is another girl in her school who is better. Look Back is a beautifully crafted tale about creating manga. It’s not a beautiful book, but is so stunningly rendered that it will hit you solidly in the gut time after time. As I mentioned in my review of the Japanese volume, there is a scene at the beginning where Fujino ugly cries that is so powerful, it will live with me for a very long time.

Content note: There is some violence at the end. It is pretty clear that this was, at least in part, written as a reaction to the Kyoto Anime tragedy. Yet another punch to the gut in a book full of them. 

I’m reviewing it, so you might expect there to be Yuri. There is not. But the relationship between Fujino and Kyomoto is lovely and heartbreaking. Just read it.

Ratings:

Art – 9 Outstanding
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 0 The story is about a life-changing relationship between two girls

Overall – 9

I mean this with absolute sincerity – you really should read this volume. Just bring some hankies.





Cats and Sugar Bowls

November 8th, 2022

If you have picked up a Yuri Anthology in the past several years, you may well have encountered a story by Yukiko. This collection of several of Yukiko’s short stories from Seven Seas looks sweet, but right from the beginning, the claws are out. Cats and Sugar Bowls is a 18+ collection which includes BDSM and related fetishes. Content notes: A few of the stories are quite violent, others focus on other forms of domination and a few are rather sweet, depending on the anthology for which the story was written.

Overall, this collection is not my jam, but I would not hesitate to recommend it to someone who liked stories about dom/sub women. The art is surprisingly shoujo-like; characters tend towards cute rather than stylish. One of the strongest qualities of this volume is the characters themselves. The couples actually like one another and the partnerships seem to be based on mutual consent and attraction.

My favorite story is the final one, which was written for Cinnamon: Demihuman x Human Yuri anthology ( シナモン 人外×人間百合アンソロジー)  from Kadokawa, that pairs a priestess and a mountain god in a surprisingly gentle story.

Great job on the translation/adaptation, which manages to be sensitive and straightforward, without making anything here feel uncomfortable (there’s nothing worse than a translator whose discomfort is palpable in a translation of BDSM and yes, I have read some of those.) So thanka to Amber Tamosaitas and Asha Bardon. James Dashiell’s lettering is solid and supportive and, where it can be, is retouching, rather than just adding glosses to s/fx. It looks so much better that way. Beautiful cover design by H. Qi. And thank you to all the editors and proofreaders and technical folks that made this a smooth reading experience.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Stories – Not to *my* taste, but you may love them
Characters – 8 They know who they are
Service – Whether you consider adult exploration of domination or pain “fanservice” is up to you. But there is little salaciousness. Let’s split it down the middle at a 5
Yuri – 8

Overall  – 8

If you’re looking for something adult that isn’t all panty shots and lowest common denominator, why not give this volume a try.





The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Volume 2

October 31st, 2022

In Volume 1, of the manga we met Princess Anisphia, a princess with no magic, but the memory of a scientific world who studies magic as if it were a science. We also met Euphyllia, blessed by the spirits with great magic, born and raised to be a Queen, but cast off and spurned by her fiance’…and no one truly understands why.

In The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Volume 2  Anisphia is thrilled to have a powerful assistant, but volume 2 is really about repairing Euphyllia’s sense of self-worth. This is not an easy job, as everything she has trained for is in ruins and she is wholly reliant on the kindness of strangers. Thankfully for her, they don’t come any stranger or kinder than Anisphia.

And, so, as the news of a monster stampede arrives at the royal palace, Anisphia sees her chance to prove her theories, use her magic tools, gain materiel and money for experiments and sort out Euphyllia’s reputation all at once.

This is a very good volume of this series, covering the middle part of the first volume of the light novel. The fanservice which marred the first volume of the manga has been jettisoned. (I have long wondered if there is any real value in that kind of thing. Do the few people whose attention were captured, rather than repulsed by, an extremely close up-skirt panel make up enough of a paying audience to keep doing that, when it doesn’t serve the story well and is dropped almost immediately? I wish someone would do real market research on this.)

What is left is Anisphia’s sincerity, Euphyllia’s new commitment, and a rollicking fantasy adventure worth your time.  The story picks up speed as the Reincarnated Princess and The Magical Genius rush off to fight a dragon and save the kingdom.

I look forward to this arc finishing up in Volume 3 (which came out in February of this year in Japan), because it was a very strong ending for the arc. I’m not sure Volume 2 of the Light Novel (which I have read, but apparently, not reviewed) would make a good manga, as it consists mostly of people talking to one another. I enjoyed it, but does it have the hysteria needed to carry a manga? I guess we’ll see, as Volume 4 of the manga clearly jumps right into the new arc.

Ratings:

Art – 7 The sword just gets better and better
Story – 7 Solid
Characters – 8 Euphyllia comes in to her own here
Service – Thankfully, none
Yuri – 1 The door is open

Overall – 8

I’m a little surprised at myself not being done with Isekai yet, but I was reading fantasy from the early 70s, so perhaps this has just forced me to go back to my roots. ^_^ In any case, this story is less about Isekai and more about kindness and consideration being tremendously powerful – a magical tool we can all use.





Black & White: Tough Love At The Office, Volume 1

October 14th, 2022

Many thanks today to Okazu Superhero Eric P for sponsoring today’s review!

Shirakawa Junko is used to being at the top of the department pile. She’s beloved by her co-workers, one of the most productive members (the most, really, but she’ll demure out of humility) and is respected. So when newcomer – formerly of sales…SALES, you know!…Kuroda Kayo transfers in, Shirakawa isn’t going to let this woman get a leg up on her.

Kuroda knows Shirakawa’s type and she’s all ready for war. She’s done her research. Shirakawa will bow before her before long.

As Black & White: Tough Love At The Office, Volume 1 opens, the office is about to become a battlefield. And there will be blood shed. This is not for everyone, I know. But I love this manga so much. I can’t help the feral grin that these appalling people bring out of me.

But seriously CW for cold-blooded manipulation, violence and sexual violence. As I said in my review of this volume in Japanese, “This is not a pretty book about an office romance. This is a violent story about two terrible people being terrible to one another.”

Sal Jiang’s art is super stylish and slick. Kuroda is every inch the sales dept superstar, Shirakawa is the perfect HR sempai. But when they are alone, it is all teeth and nails in a visceral way.  When they do team up, there’s nothing and no one that can stand in their way, but their truest rivals are each other – and there are no rules they aren’t willing to shatter to destroy one another.

The team at Seven Seas has given us an equally slick edition to enjoy with color pages in place, a spot gloss on H. Qi’s cover design. The translation keeps up with the shifts in tone and sense in the scene, thanks to translator, Alexa Frank, adapter Asha Bardon and letterer Danya Shevchenko. Nice work on the editing and technical side, as well. Another great manga reading experience.

I won’t attempt to convince anyone to read this despite the violence. You really shouldn’t if you aren’t reading it for the violence. ^_^ But if seeing perfectly matched, equally powerful people go toe to toe is your wheelhouse, you, too, might enjoy this manga. If you want to know where the story is headed, I’ve reviewed Volume 2 in Japanese, as well. That volume will be headed your way in English next spring in April 2023. Something to look forward to. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 10
Characters – 10
Service – 7 Not a lot of nudity, but a lot of sex and violence
Yuri – 7 See above

Overall – 10

I just love this manga and all the terrible people in it. But my favorite may be their boss who completely knew what he was doing when we sent them up to “work together” and thinks it’s funny. ^_^

This was a really good month for me, with both Black & White and She Loves To Cook, She Loves to Eat out in English and I’m in Love With the Villainess, Volume 5 hitting shelves in print!