Archive for the English Manga Category


Run Away With Me Girl Volume 2

June 14th, 2023

Two adult woman sit up in bed, half dressed, gently touching.by Matt Rolf, Guest Reviewer

What happens when a woman gets to question the path she’s on in a supportive environment away from negative people and the weight of societal expectations? Battan gives their protagonist the space to do just that in Run Away With Me Girl, Volume 2, and the result is a book far more enjoyable to read than Volume 1.

Makimura still holds a torch for Midori, who is still pregnant and engaged to a man. At the beginning of the book the women are not speaking. But, as Midori contemplates the weight of her impending life changes, she breaks down and lets Maki back into her life. Maki takes the opportunity to invite Midori on a trip to see Maki’s friend Komari, a school girl with whom she chats online. Midori, wanting to escape her own life, takes Maki up on the offer, and the women immediately leave for Shōdoshima Island where Komari lives. 

The bulk of the book takes place on Shōdoshima, keeping the reality of Maki and Midori’s real world at bay. It is here that all three women connect with each other and take stock of their lives. The adults find awe in Komari’s fearlessness and honesty as she grapples with the challenges she faces in trying to live her identity. All three observe and encourage each other and use the information to consider what it is they really want from their lives and relationships.

I strongly support the plot choices made in this book. At least some of the characters in this volume are working toward healthier choices than Volume 1, and that’s to Battan’s credit. As with all vacations, there is a bill to be paid upon Midori and Maki’s return.  The bill does not come due in this volume, allowing the characters to bask in the possibilities of a hopeful future.

The artwork is improved in this volume. The dreamy quality of the series overall is accentuated on the island. The backgrounds are more interesting and help set the scene better than Volume 1. Battan wields frame-breaking character features with skill, and uses them more effectively here than Volume 1. My biggest critique is that at times Komari is drawn in a very elfin manner. This accentuates her youth and the un-reality of the island vacation, but at times she just looks weird.

While yuri, this book still exists in a space where the relationships and commitments of the characters are left unstated at important places. A group bath scene with excellent artwork is the service highlight. The scene is tasteful and well-done, and anything more explicit is just not what this series is. The real relationship payoffs are emotional. Midori is moving toward making definitive statements about the sort of relationships she wants, and Volume 3 will give her an opportunity to make good on those movements.

Final Verdict: Leave your troubles behind and get yourself sorted in a steam bath with other women.

Published by Kodansha Comics, with translation by Kevin Steinbach and lettering by Jennifer Skarupa.

Ratings

Art – 8
Story 8 – Not as harsh as volume one, and that’s most welcome.
Characters – 7 We’re getting there.
Service – 5 We don’t have to take our clothes off to have a good time.
Yuri – 8
Overall – 8





My Future Starts Today ~Miku&Kyoko~, Volume 1

June 12th, 2023

On a background of blue hydrangeas, are two girls in tan sweater and red skirt school uniforms are back to back. Standing, one holds a camera. The other reaches back above her head to hold the other's ponytail and reaches behind her to hold the other girl's wrist.Do you remember Blue Drop? It began as a manga, then had a couple of Drama CDs. Some years later it was given an anime that was both very interesting and kind of forgettable at the same time.  Funimation licensed it, releasing a complete collection in 2010. That’s practically a human lifespan ago and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you didn’t remember it. But the point is, that the creator, Yoshitomi Akihito has gone on to make a number of stories and few series, most of which center on sexualizing schoolgirls. None of them have made it over here. I was very surprised to learn that My Future Starts Today ~Miku&Kyoko~, Volume 1 has been localized and released as a digital volume.

Kyoko and Miku have been friends since childhood, but Kyoko doesn’t really understand Miku. So when Miku tells Kyoko she’s in love with her, Kyoko has no idea how to feel about it. It doesn’t help at all, that Miku offers Kyoko her body to do whatever she wants with.

Miku sets about trying to appeal to Kyoko, to seduce her, but Kyoko…while not opposed, per se, really doesn’t know what Miku is thinking. Miku ramps up the seduction with every chapter until Kyoko pushes her away, causing a separate misunderstanding. As this volumes ends, Kyuko hears rumors in school that Miku is hanging with the predatory lesbian Nana-sempai! 

The major down side to this story is Miku’s behavior. She’s written and drawn like every pervy middle-aged dude who thinks high school girls are seductive, thinks girls are like. It’s frankly exhausting. But this has always been Yoshitomi’s oeuvre, so I can’t say I was surprised. That said, both girls stay mostly full dressed (Miku does undress a little) and while they do kiss, when Miku tries to touch Kyoko is when she is pushed away.

This series is complete at Volume 2 if you’d like to see what becomes of Kyoko and Miku. I think I can guess. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7 Very clean and understandable, lots of “sexy” poses
Story – 5 Miku wants Kyoko, there’s not that much subtlely
Characters  – 7 Other than the immediate circumstances, we don’t learn much about the as people
Service – 7
Yuri – 7

Overall – 7

I’ve encountered the publisher MediBang and Media Do Co., Ltd.once or twice, but I finally looked them up. MediBang seems to be a publishing and art platform, while Media Do describes themselves as “one of the largest eBook distribution companies in the world ” – and they own Netgalley, for those reviewers out there. On the translation side they seem to be doing a fine job, but this manga hardly had complicated ideas to communicate, either. They don’t credit humans for the production and I have a nagging feeling that some or all of this is automated. I hope I am wrong.





If I Could Reach You, Guest Review by Luce

June 7th, 2023

A woman stands looking out onto a purple night sky, holding a sitting girl's hand.Welcome once again to Guest Review Wednesday! We have a whole bunch of guest for the next few weeks, so let’s this part started! Today we once again welcome back Luce, who will be taking a look at a completed series. Take it away, Luce!

I’m Luce, collector of books and sometimes I even read them. I come bearing a review of a series that’s been out for a while and is complete, If I Could Reach You by tMnR. Enjoy!

The very first pages of the manga, tinged with blue, show us the exact moment Uta realised that she’d fallen in love – the exact moment her sister-in-law became her crush. A year later, Uta is in high school and is living with Reiichi, her older brother, and Kaoru, the aforementioned sister-in-law. No matter how she tries, she cannot get over this love, her ‘too late’ love. If I Could Reach You is the examination of this binary star system of Uta and Kaoru, and how they keep circling each other, never quite able to clear that distance, nor leave.
 
A tragedy, to me, is a story in which fate cannot be fought. It marches on, tramples over all in its path, and death seems the only escape from it. Is this a tragedy? No, not really. But I think it shares some similarities. It is circular, somehow, an invetability to the telling of it. Uta loves Kaoru. Uta knows it’s hopeless, but cannot give it up. She knows that Kaoru sees her as a sister only, which only makes it worse – Kaoru wanting to be closer in a familial way speaks to what Uta wants, but not for the reasons she wants it. The manga is seven volumes, so it’s not so prone to the endless circling that some romance manga seem to get into, but it’s certainly not decisive in its action. It moves quite slowly, building up layers of paint onto the canvas, until you finally get the whole picture – or is it? Some things are left untold even by the end, left to our imagination.
 
The drama felt pretty realistic and down to earth. It’s fairly obvious that Kaoru and Reiichi’s relationship isn’t quite working even at the start – the blurb of the first volume tells you that – but the actual reason is kept right until the end of the manga, as the issue comes together. The fall out is realistic. It’s not so much a soap opera of a shoujo manga, but a more melancholic tide of no one quite being happy, but none are able to address it, nor particularly face it, so it continues.
 
Having said that, I don’t see this as a depressing manga. It doesn’t feel hopeless, to me. It feels like a snapshot of lives not my own, just watching them play out, unable to impact them in any way. There are plenty of moments of levity, and characters that change the tone, not interested in dwelling in pity. Kuro, and her relationship with Miyabi, is an interesting aside, and Konatsu, although she has her own regrets, has her own unique way of dealing with things too. I think this manga is about uneven relationships, really, where feelings don’t quite match each other, and the strain that can put on them – and whether they can survive it. I’m not so keen on the portrayal of love as some unending emotion, unable to be shaken or swayed, but I can forgive that, as I do with many manga.
 
The art is fairly simple, but gives itself space to breathe – the emotions come through clearly. There was a panel in the first volume, where Uta has a dream in class about Kaoru kissing her – the panel of her jolting awake is the thing I remember most. The despair, the horror, perhaps the relief that it hadn’t actually happened, or the disappointment. It was this panel that really caught me, and made me carry on with it. There are lots of big panels and expressions which made me stop – if I had one complaint, it would be that everyone is a little stretched, with long limbs. It’s not unusual for manga, but does make me wonder about everyone’s heights, sometimes.
 
Although I enjoy this series, I’m having trouble with who to advise might like it. It has a little of the realism of How Do We Relationship? But isn’t so swift in its story-telling. It doesn’t really have the clear narrative of many shoujo, and it’s neither a wholly happy story nor a big drama. Perhaps if you like stories with something of an open end, this might appeal. If I had to compare the mood of it, it would be to Solanin by Inio Asano, in its relatively mundane, melancholic realism in depicting messy and imperfect relationships.
 
Story: 6
Art: 6
Yuri: 5
Service: 3 (the odd bath scene, not done salaciously as far as I recall)

Overall: 6

E here: Fantastic review, Luce. “…this manga is about uneven relationships” really puts it all into perspective for me. Terrific. Thanks so much!

 
 




Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou Deluxe Edition, Volume 2

June 5th, 2023

A green-haired android poses in the middle of a busyish street. Her hands are clasped as she faces us. Some of the passersby look at us as well. The words "Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou Deluxe Edition," the number 2 and "Story and Art by Hitoshi Ashinano" are in prismatic rainbow colors.In Volume 1 we met Alpha, an android who runs a small coffee shop in what once was Musahino, and is now a wind- and sand-swept landscape. Alpha’s owner left years ago, now she spends her days making coffee for the occasional guest at her cafe, and experiencing the world around her.  In Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou Deluxe Edition, Volume 2 we get to know more about Alpha and the people around her…and a tantalizing little bit about the twilight of humanity.

Alpha’s every day is filled with something, but it’s the somethings that fill a life when there is nothing particular to do. She goes to Yokohama to buy coffee beans (there aren’t that many left for sale), she meets the local ojisan, and the only remaining two children, Takehiro and Makki. Even so, Alpha can see that Takehiro is growing up, as time passes.

We get to see Kokone at work, and learn more about her, and then see her obsess about Alpha. They visit each other and pass the time together. Everything is quiet, here at the end of everything as we know it.

This is one of my favorite volumes, because we are introduced to Alpha playing the Moon Lute. In the second Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou Drama CD, which I reviewed on Okazu back in 2007, we were able to hear Alpha vocalize to the Moon Lute and at that point, I had pretty much fallen in love with this series – much like Kokone, I had been completely charmed by Alpha.

But time passes here, and we get some tidbits from the old professor – and the ship that floats gracefully above the planet – about the fate of the people living on it. There is a soft melancholy that pervades this story and allows us to hold on to the high points as Alpha does, enjoying those ephemeral moments more than we might in our busy lives.

This is such a beautifully drawn book and so well-handled by Seven Seas. With all that space on the page, letterer Ludwig Sacramento is able to do retouch on the s/fx – something that I actually feel quite strongly about for this series. It is a series of silences, and few noises, so those noises are important. Daniel Komen’s translation and Dawn Davis’ adaptation make for a story that reads so smoothly, I had to slow myself down to savor the moments. Nicky Lim’s cover design is just beautiful. Thanks to everyone who worked on this at Seven Seas. It is one of my favorite series of all time and I am so glad it is getting the treatment it deserves.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Service – 1 on principle, but for me, the pinup images of Alpha and Kokone are 10
Yuri – Kokone’s feelings about Alpha are certainly Yuri-adjacent

Overall – 9

If only the end of humanity was this gentle and quiet.

 





Yuri Espoir, Volume 4 Guest Review by Luce

May 31st, 2023

A girl with lavender hair sits at a table with two water glasses and a carafe looking directly at us, against a purple background with colorful stars.Once again we welcome you to Guest Review Wednesday and welcome Luce back as a Guest Reviewer. This is an ongoing series – we have reviewed Volumes 1-3 on Okazu –  so we’ll get right into it. Take it away, Luce!

Yuri Espoir, Volume 4 opens where the third volume left off, with Kokoro on her date with Mr Hanakago, and goes further into her discomfort with him and the way the world sees her. Amami and Mitsuru see Mr Hanakago, and it turns out Mitsuru knows something of his past, that we get glimpses of, but not a full picture. Amami and Kokoro spend the night at Mitsuru’s house, then we get a few imagine spots by Kokoro about Yuri couples, as per usual.

I will start by saying this volume, and therefore review, has some trigger warnings for self inflicted throwing up, homophobia, depression and suicide.

Some good things about this volume: I liked the relationship of Mitsuru’s parents, and how she doesn’t care how other people see them. They’re all happy, and that was nice to see. There are also three female schoolmates, now grown up, that live together happily, which sounds pretty ideal to me. Kokoro does have two imagine spots, and it’s nice to see her enthusiastic about something, doing her drawing and thinking about cute relationships. I quite enjoyed the last chapter in the main story, the reality being two step-sisters learning to get on, as their parents have moved in together. I do like the variety of relationships portrayed. We also get to see Mr Hanakago’s face and an allusion to his past, the implication is that it wasn’t great.

However. The first scene, we see Kokoro have what looks to be a panic attack. Feeling ill during her date, she tries to make herself throw up, and panics when she can’t, seemingly because if she takes too long, Mr Hanakago will tell her father. It appears to be a one off thing, but still, not exactly what I wanted to see.

But the thing that really got me was that the truth behind one of those imagine spots is, in my opinion, needlessly dark. A girl who clearly has depression starts dating another girl in her class who likes her. Fine. This relationship continues for several years it seems, as they move out and attend college. But her depression stops her from appreciating it, and they start fighting more and more frequently. Snubbed by her girlfriend, they go home separately, and she then sees her girlfriend kissing another of their friends. It turns out that earlier she had killed herself, which is shown on page, and was following them as a ghost – maybe? The time line is a bit confused. But she is a side character. Her death does not advance the main story. The chapter ends with that. It is not discussed, nor the impact shown. The girlfriend’s reaction – whose mother had killed herself when she was younger – is confusing. Not sure if that was a translation thing (seems to be alright for the rest, so possibly more likely the original thing). I might have missed something with regards to that.

If a manga is going to include suicide, I would rather it show the aftermath, not be an afterthought, not shown for the shock value. It may be an end for the person who has died, but it has reverberations for everyone left behind. It happens, I know that. But it’s so far away from what I thought this manga was going to be, I can’t recommend it. It’s been descending into darker tones, with the previous review touching on Yuri Espoir‘s somewhat tone deaf approach to sexual assault allegations, and I’m very disappointed it’s continued this way. I’m also quite disappointed that no helplines or advice are shown at the end of the volume, as it often done when things touch on these topics.

It also concerns me that with the manga going darker – Kokoro has said that she will ‘die’ after high school if she has to marry Mr Hanakago. This was, I believe, started to be that she would cease to be herself in that marriage, but with this volume, I cannot help but wonder if this has a more literal interpretation. I hope I’m wrong, I am hoping for a happier ending right now, but. Who knows? I want to see how it continues for now, but don’t be fooled by the cover – this is no longer a cute Yuri manga.

Really, I feel like this manga can’t decide what it wants to be. Does it want to focus on Kokoro and Amami? Kokoro and Mr Hanakago? Mr Hanakago and Mr Asahina? The Yuri subcouples? Instead it seems to do everything and not really succeed at much. I’m not against having various story threads, and it has been some time since I read the last volume, but it all seems confused. Additionally, I understand that acting against your family can be difficult, but we don’t see Kokoro try much. She complains that the world sees her as a guileless girl who needs help… But she’s not really done much to even give the reader much evidence to the contrary. About the most subversive thing she does is draw Yuri couples and imagine their life. But she’s doing that for her own benefit, basically just shipping strangers together. It was a nice mechanic when there wasn’t so much else going on, but now it’s just cluttering up the book, especially with such dark stories. I want to see Yuri joy, or even just interesting relationships, rather than darkness.

I’m hoping that this manga turns a corner soon – that Kokoro herself makes a real effort to avoid what’s being decided for her. But with whole chapters dedicated to one off stories, I think the going will be slow.

Story: 5, there are lots of words and not much action
Art: 6
Yuri: 8, mostly for Mitsuru’s family
Service: 0
Unexpected trigger warnings: 9

Overall: 5

I will end as Tokyopop didn’t: suicide is not an answer. There are helplines and advice, and things can and will get better. You are more than your darkest hour, and people will miss you, even if you think they won’t. Please seek help.

Erica here: To continue from Luce’s last point. Here in the United States, 988 is the Suicide Help Hotline. Please call.

Thank you Luce. I also hope this story turns a corner soon. It had a great premise, but is still taking itself very seriously in a way that isn’t working for the story…or for me.