Archive for the English Manga Category


Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 4

November 30th, 2021

When we left Himari and Yori-sempai at the end of Volume 3, they had finally, officially begun to date. I don’t know why this series was graced with continuation after the conclusion of Story A, but I am deeply thankful.

So here we are, in Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 4, in which Yori and Himari negotiate the shape of their relationship, and we get a whole new plot! How exciting! Seriously.

First, though, Himari and Yori need to figure out how they want to be with one another and for one another. There are a few missteps, but they work it out pretty clearly by, wait for it, talking with one another. Crazy, right? Like that ever happens in a manga. When that happened and we were only halfway through the volume, I figured something was up. Any other manga, them not talking would have been the whole story.

So, when Yori admits to trying to be a “cool” date partner and Himari belly laughs and thinks that’s adorable, I knew we could sit back and relax. And, so the story heads into the tension filled Battle of the Bands arc that is still developing in monthly issues of Comic Yuri Hime, the January issue of which is waiting for me in the bookstore.

The first thing Takeshima-sensei does for this arc is give SSGirls a rival band. Woooo~~~ It’s great, too, because as the story plays out, there are a LOT of complicated personal relationships involved that criss-cross these two group and make for a fun story. Except for one thing. One person. Shiho. We finally meet Shiho and the more I spend time with her, the more I want to sit that girl down and give her a stern talking to. However, so far Takeshima-sensei hasn’t let me down and I trust that the story is going in the right direction.

The art has firmed up into an absurdly cute and wholesome style that really works for this series. Kodansha’s team continues to provide me with translation and character voice that sounds so real, I can *hear* the characters as I read. Terrific work, especially by Jennifer Skarupa for doing excellent retouch and lettering (I see you working on those word balloons behind the characters heads) and Kevin Steinbach for an approachable translation.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8

Whisper Me a Love Song continues to charm and delight…and now the Battle of the Bands is heading our way. Is there anything more high school than that? (Well, yeah, there’s the school musical and prom, and finals and whatever, but you know what I mean. ^_^)





Sex Education 120%, Volume 2

November 28th, 2021

Last summer, I reviewed Sex Ed. 120%, Volume 1 by Kikiki Tataki. I summed it up as “The characters were likable, the lesbian couple is cute and Tsuji’s enthusiasm is just exactly ridiculous enough to keep you rooting for her and this was an incredibly fast and fun read.” Today I wanted to talk about Sex Education 120%, Volume 2, and again, not for the sex ed itself. ^_^

I actually do recommend this series if you have a tween or teen who is into manga and you want to have a lead-in to the various “your body is changing” talks. The information on sexual education is pretty solid, if unevenly presented. More importantly, this series discusses things that would be really cool to have discussed in sex ed, that weren’t in my day, like sexual harassment and the toxicity of pick-up artist culture. Safe sex is always the message and so is understanding your body. This volume has a chapter on menstruation with a focus on menstrual cups.

But why I wanted to review his today was not just the lesbian couple’s origin story, (which we also get – with different perspectives,)  but the end of the book, where one of the lesbian couple is freaked out by her lover’s interest in BL. In the years I have been reading and viewing Yuri, of course I have met many lesbians who like BL. I was very interested in how the book was going to discuss this issue, as the character most interested in BL is largely incoherent about why. Not everyone can explain things. But as with every discussion in this book, it took a turn into a pretty brilliant scene. The lesbian couple and the BL fan visit a BL comic event. The BL doujinshi creator whose booth they are arguing in front of. turns out to be in a relationship with a woman, and she ends up going out with the students to talk with them openly about what does and does not work for them in regards to BL. I found the whole scene really impressive. I know that BL will never be for me, because I’m simply more interested in women than I am in men, but I really liked how the conversation made some interesting points.

Yen does a fine job with the content in this book. The characters have their own voices and stories throughout. I can completely recommend Volume 2, not just for the sex ed, but for the stories of the teachers and students as well.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 10
Service – Almost never except to make a point
Queer – 10

Overall – 9

Volume 2 is available now on Amazon, Bookwalker Global and RightStuf. Volume 3 will ship in February (RightStuf  and Amazon.)





Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 3

November 26th, 2021

I’ve said this repeatedly, but it bears repeating once again. When I began reading Eku Takeshima’s school romance Whisper Me a Love Song, I was fully prepared to not like it, because really do we need another school life romance? The answer to that question is…YES, yes, we need this school life romance. We need it like we need air and water. Our lives would be less fun and colorful and shiny without it. ^_^

Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 3 is effervescent with joy and friendship and sympathy and love.  The air sparkles around it, while guitar riffs of catchy pop tunes play in the background. Everything about this series is so honest, it ought to hurt, but instead it’s just darling beyond my ability to describe.

In Volume 3, Himari is faced with a decision. On her own, she thought she might just one day realize she was in love with Yori-sempai, but that doesn’t seen to be happening. When Aki tells Himari about her feelings for her best friend, Himari realizes that she’s using up Yori’s precious time. Then Momoka-sempai shakes up Himari’s world by explaining that people’s shapes of love aren’t always the same.

And then Yori gets on stage and sings a love song she wrote for Himari…and Himari realizes what she feels, that thing she couldn’t define, looks awfully like love after all. I mean…who wouldn’t fall for an incandescently cool sempai singling a love song that she wrote special for you?

Once again, I think the translation by Kevin Steinbach is outstanding. Characters sound like people the age they are supposed to be (with exceptions, Kaori is just kinda weird. Her cute thing is not going to age well…and Shiho. What the heck are we going to do with this cartoon villain of a character? Make her sound like a cartoon villain!) Kudos to Kevin and TJ, Jennifer and the entire Kodansha team.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 8 Two girls who are having a great time as they learn to love one another
Characters – 9
Service – 10000 where the “service” is two girls who are having a great time as they learn to love one another
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8

This volume is 100% pure, unadulterated squee. Any other series might end here, but…no, the story develops a plot and it’s just as wonderful as when it really didn’t have one. ^_^

Tune in for Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 4, out now from Kodansha!





Days of Love at Seagull Villa, Volume 3

November 15th, 2021

Days of Love at Seagull Villa, Volume 3, teeters a the edge of crisis from almost the very first page for what might have been a really dark story but, ultimately, wasn’t. I’m still not sure if it was better for it, or not. ^_^

First, we learn that the real source of Mayumi’s self-doubt, is her “best friend,” who has spent a lifetime poisoning and manipulating Mayumi. Touko, who is clearly quite possessive of Mayumi, and also clearly willing to manipulate her and everyone around her, is already beginning the process of cutting Mayumi off from Rin at the beginning of this volume. When we understand that Touko has been doing this all her life, we’re pulling even harder for Mayumi to get away.

But that isn’t the only crisis. Rin’s being pressured to get married; after all, raising Hinata alone is hard. A storm is coming and it might bring darkness…

…Only, no, it doesn’t. ^_^

In the end, Mayumi stands up for herself, she and Rin tell each other their feelings and everyone lives happily ever after. And I find, as I read it, that it feels like a book that could have become another deeply disturbing series, but was cut off (early? perhaps, I can’t tell) and given a happy ending. For which I am very thankful.. The world is full of enough horrible, manipulative people who get away with terrible things, I’m not enthusiastic about that in my Yuri as well.

But also, does it make any sense that everyone in the story lives happily ever after – the terrible people, the clueless people, the good and kind people, and the protagonists? I still can’t tell.

I mean, sure I’m happy for the kids, I’m glad Rin and Mayumi make it work and are accepted and happy. We ended up with no worse than a sprained ankle, but I have the strangest feeling that we were supposed to have had – something – go worser. I’ll call us all lucky and move on. Touko’s manipulation is a mere shadow of the kind of emotional abuse Kodama-sensei portrays in some of her other work and maybe she just couldn’t bring herself to torture Mayumi. I’m okay with that.

Technically, the book is very well done, with clean translation done by Amber Tamosaitis and Mo Harrison’s nicely integrated lettering and retouch.  Once again a great job by Seven Seas. It’s a fast read and a surprisingly sweet ending from a master of Yuri dread. ^_^

Ratings

Art – 8
Story – 6
Characters – 8
Service – Not so much this volume
Yuri – 9

Overall – 8

Thanks so much to Seven Seas for the review copy. A lucky someone will get to enjoy this in an upcoming Lucky Box!





Bloom Into You Anthology, Volume One

November 12th, 2021

The Bloom Into You Anthology, Volume One is something we didn’t used to see much in the west – an “official” collection of shorts about the characters by artists other than the creator. It’s a testament to the popularity of Bloom Into You, that this series had two volumes of this official anthology. Today we’re looking at Volume 1.

To begin with, I find I never reviewed this volume in Japanese. Having re-read it now, I know why. It’s a fun read and very enjoyable if you are a fan of the series or, more specifically, of Yuu and Touko. Most of the stories focus on them and their dynamic, often with a kind of goofiness that I imagine is very appealing if you like them. Here you’ll discover works about Bloom Into You by other Yuri artists such as Canno,  Yuriko Hara and tMnR.

Tthis volume had a few stories I enjoyed.  Particularly, “Onigiri, Croquettes, Rolled Eggs,” by Okara Miyama, which looks into a bad day in the life of Yuu’s friend, aspiring writer Koyomi. It’s a lovely look at friendship.

Also appealing to me was Kazuno Yuikawa’s “In the Box,” for – again – taking a deep dive into Sayaka’s feelings about and relationship with Touko.

It’s a no-brainer that I like “Bitter Coffee Time” by Hiroichi, for focusing on Riko and Miyako.

This volume was beautifully lettered by CK Russell, and nicely translated by Jenny McKeon. The small error of Sayaka’s birthdate has already been acknowledged and will be changed in future editions. I wouldn’t mention it at all, except people do like to jump on that kind of thing, so I wanted to assure you, it’s been noted already.

Which brings me to a point I want to make yet again – should you see an error or have a sustainable argument against a translation choice, there is an effective means to communicate this to companies. Go to their website, click their contact forms, write a politely worded message detailing the error. Remember human beings work at these companies, so do be sympathetic. The wrong thing to do is become rude or vicious in a public forum, so avoid that if possible. I assure you, being polite works. I’ve addressed many problematic language issues in the years I have been writing here. All you need to do is be polite.

If you loved Bloom Into You and want more time with Yuu and Touko and their friends…this is the book for you!

Ratings are variable on account of it being an anthology.

Overall – 8

Bloom Into You Anthology Volume Two (linked here by an amazon affiliate link. I’ll get it up on the Yuricon Store when all the options are avaialable) will be out in January, so you have another chance to indulge your passion for this series, just around the corner.