Welcome back to Okazu on Guest Review Wednesday!  I am so excited to welcome another brand new Guest Reviewer today. If you’re a regular reader, you know what my opinion of semelparous is, so I asked around for someone else who finds it entertaining to review semelparous, Volume 1, for us. (This is an Amazon affiliate link, since this has not been added to the Yuricon Store)  ^_^ Please give G-Man with a warm Okazu welcome. ^_^

I’ve been a fan of the “giant monster destruction” genre since childhood, especially those good ol’ Godzilla movies. Now that I’ve also become a fan of the yuri genre, when I heard that two of my favorite things had come together in a big action-packed package known as semelparous, Volume 1,  words failed to describe my excitement. A manga with strong gay ladies kicking giant monster butt? What more could one ask for? Well…

Colossal beings from a parallel world called “kaiju” are attempting to break through the wall that separates our worlds, presumably to wipe us out. Yorino Aratsugu and her best friend Haruka are training to be “bouhekishi” (or “barrier specialist”), superpowered soldiers who fight the kaiju in the pocket space between dimensions. The two are always at the top of their class, but on their first real mission, Haruka is killed in action. Distraught and fueled with anger, Yorino vows to exterminate the kaiju herself, and it seems the only one who can bring her back down to earth before she gets herself killed is her new partner, Captain Youko Kaminoi.

Based on that synopsis alone, I’m sure most of, if not all of you, are already drawing parallels to Attack on Titan; big humanoid monsters trying to break through a wall to destroy humanity, an eager young protagonist who becomes an angsty edgelord after someone close to them is killed by said monsters, soldiers who flip and twirl around a cityscape to fight the monsters with cool weapons, etc. Not to mention there’s a twist in a later chapter, which I won’t spoil for anyone interested in reading, that pretty much seals the comparison. However, the big difference is that semelparous fails to deliver its story and worldbuilding with any of the nuance that Titan did.

semelparous suffers from a severe case of tell-don’t-show. When we’re not in the midst of a high-stakes action scene, we’re listening to bulky exposition dumps, telling us what things are, how things work, or who characters are and what their feats/motives are, rather than letting us figure that out through visuals and the characters’ actions and personalities. While there are a handful of solid moments, such as Yorino making new friends at school or her exchanges and banter with Youko, they are few and far between amidst all the explaining.

And what about those characters? Yorino seems to be on track for what TV Tropes would call a “break the cutie” arc, in that she starts out innocent and naive but slowly starts to get horrific events piled onto her conscience; Haruka’s death, the aforementioned plot twist, and potentially those new school friends who have death flags by the truckload. However, she’s still able to open up occasionally and not let hatred become her entire personality. Youko has that typical “anime best friend” energy, in that she’s very outgoing and somewhat airheaded, but as a higher-ranked bouhekishi she has baggage of her own and some dark secrets. Like many anime BFFs though, she can be a bit too touchy-feely for comfort at times, and some will likely be annoyed by her lack of respect for personal space, particularly in one shower scene. Other than the two leads, there aren’t really many standouts as of this first volume.

Now let’s discuss the elephant in the room: the artstyle. It should be noted first that the author, Ogino Jun, is a hentai artist. One look at their artworks and doujinshi is a clear indication of that. As such, semelparous’ character designs, i.e. the female characters, are all drawn as Barbie dolls with balloons strapped to their chests. Their “combat outfits” are skin-tight, yet still manage to emphasize their assets. Even when the girls are out of combat, it seems like their clothes are a size too small to the point where the fabric visibly strains at the buttons. There’s jiggle physics, panty shots, shredded clothes, girls standing with their hips jutted out for no reason… the works. It’ll undoubtedly be laughable and distracting to most readers, and outright offensive to others. But if you’re numb to this sort of thing like I am, then you may find the art at least halfway decent. Character designs are very same-face, and backgrounds are nothing special, but where it really shines are the action scenes. Jun has a knack for dynamic poses, exciting choreography and angles that make our heroes look badass. The kaiju, while somewhat generic in design, are still quite intimidating and drawn in a way that makes their size and power felt. These parts were the highlight of the manga and admittedly got my blood pumping from time to time. Jun clearly has strengths, but their style won’t be for everyone.

In terms of yuri content, Yorino and Youko are obviously the main romance. While there likely won’t be a committed relationship between them for some time, what with all the trauma and monster attacks on their hands, the chemistry is definitely there. Yorino is stuck in an emotional rut, and Youko is doing her best to bring her out of it so they can both live their best lives should they be killed in action the next day. Yorino is also the resident gay disaster, constantly blushing at affection from both Youko and her friend Haruka before her passing. It’s rather amusing when she tries to be the brooding loner, only to turn into a stuttering mess when faced with Youko’s flirting.

Ratings

Art – 6 (when discounting the ridiculous proportions, 5 when counting them)
Story – 3 (delightfully dumb, but derivative and over-expository)
Characters – 6 (basic but still fun and plenty of potential for development)
Service – 9 (but for all the wrong reasons)
Yuri – 7 (starts taking off at the end, but mostly just teasing and blushing for now)

Overall – 5 (If you’re looking for something thought-provoking and emotionally riveting, this ain’t it. Though you might get some enjoyment and a few laughs if you turn your brain off)

semelparous, Volume 1 is out now from Seven Seas, Volume 2 hits shelves in February,

Erica here: Thank you so much for taking a crack at this and giving it a fair review. 

I haven’t taken a look at it at all, so I can’t comment on the localization team, but since this is from Seven Seas, I imagine they are doing the best job possible, as they usually do.