Archive for the English Manga Category


Out of The Cocoon

February 11th, 2026

by Patricia Baxter, Guest Reviewer

Content warning: Several of the stories in this anthology feature intense subject matter as their primary focus, which will be discussed in this review. This includes queerphobia, ostracism, body horror, impending apocalypse, ero guro, and cannibalism. Reader discretion is strongly advised

Two years ago, when I reviewed the final volume of Yuriko Hara’s Cocoon Entwined, I expressed a wish for her manga anthologies to be licensed in English next. I had no idea that my wish would be fulfilled just a year later. Released last December, Out of the Cocoon is an anthology featuring four of Hara’s most recent one-shots, along with a new epilogue chapter for Cocoon Entwined. Half of the stories are girls’ love and half of them are boys’ love, and several of them address queer themes in overt and unambiguous ways. Much like Cocoon Entwined, this book has some of the most captivating imagery I’ve seen in a manga, and the characters are written with an impressive amount of depth for such a short number of pages. I would call this a near-perfect manga, if not for one of the stories sadly missing the mark.

The first story, “Sweet-Dreams Zombie”, is the story that is alluded to on the anthology’s cover. Taking place during an ongoing zombie outbreak throughout Japan, Nishikawa encounters two of his classmates, Noumi and Momoe, kissing in an abandoned shed. However, one of the two girls, Momoe, is now a zombie. One of the most overt stories in the book addressing queerphobia, “Sweet-Dreams Zombie” is one of the angriest one-shots I have read, and its rage is completely justified. On top of its, sadly, evergreen message about misinformation and how it negatively impacts marginalized groups, the book is extremely impressive in terms of its foreshadowing and layouts, with seemingly inconsequential panels becoming clever calls forward upon a second reading. A wonderful, if melancholic, manga.

The second story, “If the World Was Ending Tomorrow”, is a boys’ love story about two men reuniting on the eve before the end of the world. Back when they were in high school, Takada asked Katou what he would do if the world was ending tomorrow. Now, reunited a decade later and the end actually looming above them, the two try to make the most of their final moments. On top of its excellent storytelling, “If the World Was Ending Tomorrow” really shines in terms of its panel work, which is some of the best that I’ve seen, particularly during the final pitch scene. One of my favourite one-shots, both in this anthology and in general.

The third story, “Dog-Eat-Dog”, is hands down the most polarizing story in the whole anthology. A boys’ love ero guro story about a cannibal, where sex and violence coincide, this is a one-shot that requires a strong stomach before diving in. This, in my opinion, is the worst one-shot in the anthology collection, as the characters are flat, the subject matter feels like it exists just for the shock value, and the attempts at giving the protagonist depth near the end feel too little too late. The church scene is genuinely good, but it can’t save this story.

The fourth story, “52-Hertz Whale”, is a girls’ love story that was originally published in the Éclair Orange yuri anthology. The story is about a woman who compares herself to the 52-Hertz whale, a solitary animal who calls out in an unusual frequency, unable to find a response. This one-shot has some exceptional panel work and visual metaphors on display, particularly in its use of water. Reading this one-shot in Éclair Orange years ago convinced me that we needed to see more of Yuriko Hara’s manga, alongside Cocoon Entwined, in English and this feeling still resonates with me upon reading it again.

Speaking of Cocoon Entwined, the fifth story, the titular “Out of the Cocoon”, is the second epilogue chapter focusing on the lives of Youko and Hana after the events of the series. (Oddly enough, the first epilogue chapter, which was included in the final volume of the series, was also named “Out of the Cocoon”). This chapter is pure fanservice, both in terms of seeing these beloved characters live their lives freely, and in terms of them moving forward, emotionally and physically, in their relationship. While readers can theoretically enjoy the story without reading Cocoon Entwined, it is still best enjoyed if you have read the series beforehand.

At the end of the anthology, Yuriko Hara alludes that this is a book about change, and being changed. I agree with this statement, and would add that this is also a book about connection, and how those connections allow us to change. 

Ratings:

Art: 10
Story: 9 for the majority of the book. 3 for “Dog-Eat-Dog”
Characters: 9 for the majority of the book. 1.5 for “Dog-Eat-Dog”
Service: 3 for “Out of the Cocoon” due to the multiple levels of fanservice for Cocoon Entwined readers. YMMV for “Dog-Eat-Dog” depending on if you like ero guro.
Yuri: 8 (when the story is girls’ love
LGBTQ+: Yes (queerness, in both senses of the word, is one of the underlying themes throughout this anthology)

Overall: 9

While this is, admittedly, a heavy book to read through, it is not one that wallows in despair, but instead offers a message of hope, resilience, and love throughout. It is one of the best, if not the best, manga anthologies I have had the pleasure of reading, even with its one sour spot. I highly recommend giving this anthology a read if you love comics, especially those that are unabashedly queer.





#Gal x Gal Yuri, Chapters 1-11.2 on VIZ Manga

February 4th, 2026

Five gal/gyaru-style high school girls pose together in front of a blackboard. From the left is a blonde-haired girl with red highlights wearing a pony tail, a blonde girl in a bob cut with purple highlights, a long-haired brunette with tan skin winking while showing a peace sign, a blonde long-haired girl, and a the tallest, a silly-looking girl with a very long black hime-cutby Matt Marcus, Staff Writer

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Why search for a new lover when I could be dating my bestie instead?” Well, do I have a yuri for you!

#Gal x Gal Yuri is exactly what it says on the tin. Blonde bubbly Yua and the cool tan beauty Reina are high school comrades in cosmetics who decide to spend a year dating each other, and I quote verbatim, “for the vibes.” We see them go on dates, celebrate birthdays and holidays, become the spring festival mascots of their class (and run a maid café, natch), and finish their year-long experiment very much still in love.

And that’s chapter 1.

My instinct is that the first chapter was a one-shot doujinshi that was repurposed for the serialization, but it’s funny how much gets jammed in there before things slow way down for the remaining ten chapters of the volume.

The dynamic between the leads is simple but fun. Yua is so enthusiastic to the point where she is constantly gushing or gloating about her affection for Reina, in a way that disarms anyone who might have looked sideways at an openly queer relationship (notably, they encounter no trouble with anyone on that front). Reina, on the other hand, plays the “straight man” role mostly by rolling with or occasionally reining in Yua’s flights of fancy. But really, this is a comedy series and the jokes do mostly land. Occasionally Yua’s talk about sex makes me want to take a spray bottle to her, but I can’t say it seems out of character for a teenager.

There are other supporting cast members—a pair of twins Akane and Shion, and Yua’s childhood friend Yazawa (a “rocker” chick who is somehow the most head-empty of the cast)—to help round things out. Yazawa takes up most of the air when she is present, but for the most part this is the Yua and Reina show.

Inoue’s art helps carry this series. It’s cute without being too cutesy; the fashion is, of course, well represented; and I find the reoccurring off-brand Instagram posts charming. The one thing I would say I don’t have a firm perspective on is Reina’s skin tone and what it could or could not signify; my bet is that it’s simply an aesthetic choice.

If you like gals being more than pals, this one is worth smashing that follow button for.

Ratings: 

Art – 8 Appealing, reasonably detailed, used well to emphasize gags
Story – 7 Not a lot of plot but enjoyable nonetheless
Characters – 7 Characters are shallow but very charming
Service – 4 One panel of a bath scene, plenty of sexual jokes, lots of gyaru fanservice
Yuri – 9 Plenty of yuri “for the vibes”

Overall – 8 highly decorated nails out of 10

While the first tankobon is available in Japan, the current 11 chapters (plus two bonus stories) are currently only available in English on the VIZ app and website.

Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network. You can find him mostly reskeeting Yuri posts and sports takes on Bluesky @hyperartmarcussan.bsky.social





I Don’t Know Which Is Love, Volumes 3 & 4

January 28th, 2026

I Don't Know Which Is Love Volume 3 cover. It shows Maria, a pretty lady with long brown hair wearing lipstick, holding up a phone that shows a surprised looking Mei. I’m Luce, and it’s been a while! I’m back today with a double issue of the Yuri rollercoaster, which contains no actual rollercoaster content. I can be found on the Okazu discord as farfetched. Onwards!

In Volume 1 & Volume 2 we saw Soraike Mei get closer, in various different ways, to her five love interests, and generally be something of a lesbian disaster. In Volume 3 of I Don’t Know Which Is Love, she’s practicing for the play, which involves kissing – having kissed both Karin and Kaoru, she’s confused as to why it felt good both times! Good that there’s a certain psychology professor to help her sort it out… Or just make it more complicated? In Volume 4, the play having gone well, Mei ends up in a situation with a drunk Maria, and meets up with her high school crush who broke her heart. Resolving herself to date Karin, she finds her kissing another girl! Riri wants to see her, so invites her to a photoshoot… but it’s in a swimsuit – will Mei, disaster lesbian extraordinaire, even be able to take photos?

This sold as a romcom – and in many ways it is – but it also feels more like watching a race – who can kiss Mei first? Who can date her first? Karin and Maria are pretty ahead, with Kaoru closer behind. I called it the Yuri rollercoaster in previous reviews, and that’s the feel – not much room to breathe. That said, it’s kind of refreshing for a series not to be ecchi per se but to admit that part of romance for a lot of people is sex. These are college students, it’s not weird for them to feel attracted to each other physically, and no one is shaming them for it, although sometimes they’ll tell themselves off – not in a puritanical way, but in a ‘she’s my professor’ or ‘we’re not even dating’ kind of way.Cover for I Don't Know Which Is Love volume 4. It has Karin, a young woman with short blond hair, looking flirtatious, about to lick Mei's finger.

If you really don’t like Professor Maria being one of Mei’s love interests, probably best to sit this out, since she’s not going away. At least Mei is a college student rather than a high school one, but I understand it might irritate people. Of all the love interests, Riri gets the least to do here, only appearing a few times, although she is cute when she does. She does pop up in Volume 4 in a photo shoot, wherein Mei realises she has a thing for boobs.

At the end of Volume 4, Mei asks Maria for a quiet beach spot so Riri won’t get harassed while they’re at the beach. Maria uses this as an opportunity to get all of Mei’s love interests together, so Mei can choose one. Which sounds like a set up for a final volume, but apparently a sixth volume recently came out in Japan, although there is no date for the fifth one in English. It doesn’t really seem to be gunning for any kind of polyamory ending, but neither is any girl really ‘winning’ right now. Mei certainly can’t make her mind up!

Perhaps an issue with this kind of series is that it either needs to be long or short. How Do We Relationship had the time and (I suspect) the planning to carry out that tangled mess of relationships. Although that was more of a serious tone and the intents are different, I’m not sure the author here has a particular plan in mind. As such, I worry it might end up being a bit more meandering. We will have to see; I still enjoy it, but I’m honestly not sure where it’s heading.

Ratings:

Yuri – 10
Service – 6
Art- 7
Characters – 7
Story – 6

Overall – 7

You know, for a series about lesbians, they sure don’t say the word lesbian much. If at all.





A Yuri Love Story That Begins with Getting Dumped in a Dream, Volume 1

January 18th, 2026

Two girls wearing blue button down short-sleeve shirts and red striped ties lay next to one another but facing in different direction, so only their heads are near. A girl with long, dark hair looks at the girl with short blonde hair, whose eyes are closed.A Yuri Love Story That Begins with Getting Dumped in a Dream, Volume 1 by Hijiki, is exactly what it says on the package. When I read it, I took some time to do an internal retrospective of the state of Yuri these days, because this felt very much like a (decent) throwback to Yuri manga of the late 00’s and early 10’s. 

Tsukushi and Hinoka have been friends since childhood. When Tsukushi wakes up from a dream in which she had told Hinoka she liked her…and was rejected, Tsukushi is going to think about that friendship a lot differently. First, she’s questioning if she does have those kinds of feelings, then when that is an obvious affirmative, what to do about it. 

The only thing Tsukushi is not doing is *looking* at Hinoka, who is likewise struggling because she is very in love with Tsukushi, who just doesn’t seem to notice. This situation would be annoying if their friends weren’t openly and overtly rooting for them. The friends watching them flail and being kind and supportive is both very cute and lightens what otherwise would just be two teens overthinking.  It also helps that among those supporters is a lesbian couple at school who are watching the baby dykes with kind eyes. As the people around them involve themselves in the budding relationship, both Hinoka and Tsukushi can flail cutely. Because being rejected by friends isn’t in the story set-up at all, both protagonists are free from worrying about larger issues of rejection of bullying, but are then able to get stuck in the muddiness of their own feelings. 

There very little else by way of story. This is an old-school school life Yuri romance, if you will. Hijiki’s art and characters help make this a cute and fun throwback read for folks that are looking for some “classic” school Yuri suitable for younger teens. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Service – 0
Yuri – 6

Overall – 7

Thank to Seven Seas for the review copy, via ANN, where I will also review this book for the Spring manga guide!





She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Volume 5

January 9th, 2026

Cover of She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat, Volume 5 by Sakaomi Yuzaki. On an unadorned background, 4 adult women walk together chatting and eating or drinking. A tall woman in pants and shirt, a shorter woman in woman in a winter jacket and long skirt.Somehow I never got around to review this volume, so I treated myself to a re-read of this fantastic volume of a fantastic series to get myself into healthy headspace for the new year.

Sakaomi Yuzaki’s She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Volume 5 covers a lot of territory- in such a gentle and affirming way that it’s only when you are done that you see how much has been addressed.

Nomoto and Kasuga, that is to say, Yuki and Totoko, have committed to moving in together. There are a lot of considerations going in to this – of course, it’s a sign that their relationship is developing, and it makes sense for them to share a kitchen and expenses at this point. We know that Totoko’s family relationship is not a healthy one, and her father is demanding and emotionally…draining, if not outright abusive. So this new place will be a safe haven for her in many ways.

Of course, looking for a place to live isn’t easy in the best of circumstances. And for same-sex couples in Japan bias and discrimination is often insurmountable. This is yet another reason why one party of a same-sex couple adopted the other for so long in Japan. It was, and still is, a tactic that gave them access to inheritance, power of attorney and living together, that was denied to them as a couple. The book takes us through the frustrations, but then once again Kaname comes to the rescue with a reference to a realtor that supports same-sex couples.

May I digress here for a moment and tell you a story?

It was 1984, the woman who is now my wife and I were looking for a place to live. I won’t detail how many awful places and people we met, and how many times we were looked at weirdly. Eventually we found a ridiculously good spot and were there for many years before we moved to our house where we are now. In that time, I discovered a LGBTQ+ friendly services pamphlet/magazine for my state. We ended up consulting an accountant who is himself gay. This was long before we had any legal rights as a couple, so taxes were both simple and complicated. He was with us, as we insisted the state treat us as a couple, even before that was law, and as the laws were so different for state and federal taxes. We are still with his company, 40 years later. My point is – a LGBTQ+ friendly company did, can and will make a huge difference.  The moral of the story is – support your queer community publications and networks! Kaname’s reference made a difference and, out here in the real world, that little booklet made a huge difference to us, as well.

Yuki and Totoko find a place to make their own and we get to enjoy them doing something my wife and I call “playing house.” I will never get enough of watching a happy couple just looking at furniture and appliances. It’s moments like that make a life together.

We also spend some time with Sena, who now has a diagnosis to explain what she has been dealing with her whole life, And again, Kaname comes to the rescue with a look at what “accommodations” look like in daily practice. Asking first, making sure people are all right, not assuming that what is best for us, is right for them. It’s as simple as asking a person first if they need help.

My favorite scene is when the realtor goes on a little rant about the unfairness of trying to find a place for same-sex couples. He didn’t rant, but my accountant had choice words for the inequitable tax situation for same-sex couples for sure. ^_^ 

This series is on hiatus for the moment, although I have seen some shorts and illustrations starring these characters on Yuzaki-sensei’s socials. Yuzaki-sensei also went through a period of illness, so art – especially in the first half – is a bit rougher than in previous volumes.  Even if this should end up our very last volume, it is an excellent place to stop. This found family has covered so many issues for us, the hard and the joyful, that it is an incredible pleasure to read. 

Ratings: 

Art – Due to the creator’s illness, I don’t think rating it is appropriate
Story – 10
Characters – 10
Service – 3, them snuggling in bed, is definitely “service”
LGBTQ+ – 10

Overall – 10

I am still very thankful that Yen Press picked this up and gave it to us in English. ^_^