In Volume 1 – reviewed here on Okazu by Luce – we met Natori Midori an over-zealous office worker who, in her desire to be needed and appreciated worked herself out of a job. When she finds herself inside the world of her favorite otome game, she ends up working for, and against, the villainess, Lapis. She becomes Lapis’ competent assistant, passing her knowledge of the game off as psychic abilities. Hoever, Natori knows that this will end badly for Lapis, so seeks to work against the story, so Lapis doesn’t die after betraying the game protagonist Diana.

In The Fed-Up Office Lady Wants to Serve the Villainess, Volume 2, by Nekotarou, the plot thickens. Natori, called Natalie in the game, is definitely becoming deeply attached to Lapis, even if she’s ignoring the why. but more concerning than the return affection from Lapis, is the growing jealousy from Diana…and the new attention the Prince is paying Natalie and Lapis. The Prince, it turns out, is rooting for Lapis and her new secretary to figure it all out. 

In a nutshell, this is also the problem. Natori is not very self-aware. We know that because she worked herself to the bone for a company that didn’t value her, and blamed herself for it. We can easily see that Natori and Lapis are developing feelings that are very decidedly romantic…and so can Diana, but Natori is wholly clueless to all of the dynamic within their group. The plot requires this, so we’ll just allow it. But we do have to look forward to a bunch more volumes as Natori convinces herself that it’s not anything real.

Nonetheless! This is actually a cute story. I particularly enjoy Diana’s “anything you can do I can do better” magic. How useful!

Of course, Natori will save Lapis, we know that immediately and it’s never really in question. The story will be a matter of how and when. So far this is a 5-volume series, so we’ll just have to get comfortable with Natori’s low self-esteem and misunderstood emotions and I think I’m okay with just letting it ride. And, somehow I am not tired of villainess stories.  ^_^

Ratings: 

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – not really. A little light skinship is all we’re getting now
Yuri – .05 because everyone in this story is going to be dumb for a while , but it is definitely there and definitely the point.^_^ 

Overall – 8 

As villainesses go, Lapis is nowhere near as villainessy as others I have recently enjoyed. But I’ll be happy to see these two figure it all out.

by Sandy Ferguson, Guest Reviewer

In Volume 13 of Otherside Picnic, we have the whole version of ‘Pandora in the Next Room’, the opening to ‘Hot Springs Invitation’ and Kozakura’s rebuttal story, ‘Packing as the Night Deepens’.

Initially in this volume it seems we are having a pause from the action of the previous volumes.  Pandora in the Next Room is a fascinating story, with either the subtitle of Sorawo’s slice of life or the adventures of Sorawo the Introvert. But for Sorawo, slice of life also means the Otherside which intrudes on Sorawo’s domestic peace through her neighbour in Unit 103 in her apartment complex. This interference leads to the further adventures of Sorawo the Introvert who is so rattled by this Otherside presence she becomes a reluctant houseguest, first with Akari and Natsun, then Kozakura.

To no-one’s surprise Sorawo finds being a houseguest to be almost as frightening as the Otherside.
After some uncomfortable third-wheeling with Akari and Natsun, Sorawo’s next adventure is with Kozakura.  They have an important conversation with Sorawo discussing her future and the Otherside.  Kozakura responds with her concerns, as well as her hopes that she could keep Sorawo and Toriko rooted in this world and not lost to the Otherside, in other words she doesn’t want them to follow Satsuki’s path.
Then Toriko turns up, and you can guess her mood considering that Sorawo had been asking everyone but her for help…

Sorawo has two explanations for this. One on the surface is her concern for Toriko’s school work.  The other is based on her belief that like her Toriko would want to keep her home safe, and Sorawo doesn’t want to bring her troubles into Toriko’s home. But, when much to Sorawo’s chagrin, Toriko accepts her invitation to spend the night at Sorawo’s place, Sorawo is like, what just happened here?

Now that the accomplices are together it is time to take out the trash from 103.  Once Sorawo’s domestic bliss has been restored, there is the inevitable after-party.

We begin ‘Hot Springs Invitation’ with a generous offer from Kozakura to Sorawo and Toriko, an offer that leads to ‘accomplice panic’, the offer is two free tickets to a Hot Spring. The panic is caused by Sorawo and Toriko when due to the revelation of a big cultural difference when Toriko mentions they will need to buy swimsuits, leading to Sorawo’s confusion when she answers that there is no need to do so, as they will be nude. “Hot spring culture in Canada is different from that of Japan.” I confess I was tickled pink at this moment, as ‘I got that reference’ as I lived near the Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia for a few years and enjoyed them, and yes bathing suits/swimming trunks were mandatory

This leads to a glimpse of the ongoing process of Sorawo and Toriko trying to understand the nature of their relationship, and the challenge to face their own issues the relationship exposes. So, in their accomplice panic Sorawo and Toriko come up with a solution, invite Kozakura to join them. Kozakura is annoyed, this was not part of the plan, but eventually she accepts her fate. On the trip to the hot springs Sorawo continues to process what lies ahead for them, and shares her anxiety with us as we will join them at the hot springs in Volume 14.

With ‘Packing as the Night Deepens’ I appreciate that these bonus stories do such a good job in exploring Kozakura as a character, especially when it comes to her relationships with Toriko and Sorawo.  While dealing with her frustrations that Sorawo and Toriko are dragging her along to the hot springs, she reflects on how these relationships have developed.  And in doing so, she comes to an unexpected conclusion.

Ratings: 

Story – 9 An interesting combination of slice and life and horror.
Artwork – 9 The artwork is excellent in conveying both the slice of life nature of this volume as well as the terrors of Apt. 103
Character – 9 As Sorawo struggles with the various relationships in this volume, we see more of what makes Sorawo tick.
Service – 9 An interesting moment as Sorawo tends to a wound on Toriko’s ‘Otherside’ hand.
Yuri – 8 At this point it looks like Akira and Natsun are in the lead, maybe the hot pools will change things?

Overall – 9

It has been a while since we discussed this series. In 2021, I read and guest reviewer Mariko Shinobu reviewed Kaijuu-iro Shima, a mood, folkloric story that takes place on a small island of the Japanese archipelago in which two young women meet and their pasts and present merge.

This year I had the chance to review Monster-Colored Island, Volume 1 for ANN’s Fall manga guide and was interested once again in this tone-poem of a Yuri manga.

Kon is an island resident who has spent her life alone. Mostly invisible to the other residents, and rejected by the few other children, she lives an “othered” life from the rest of the community. When outsider Furuka shows up, they instantly connect, although neither really knows why. We don’t get much detail in this volume – we don’t really know whether the island’s monster exists, or is Kon is, as she seems to be, the sacrifice to it, or if it is all symbolic. But it doesn’t truly matter, as we do learn that Furuka and Kon have always known they were different from everyone around them in ways that many queer readers will understand and resonate to. 

There are some odd handwaves, especially Furuka and Kon “forgetting” how intimate they were, but these plot contrivances serve to heighten the mystery of these two girls and their meeting. It all feels very fated, and possibly more complicated than they know. 

I called this a tone poem of a manga. Yes, there is a story, but each scene is more evocative or a feeling, a sensation, rather than telling a linear tale. If you’re enjoying the heavy emotional impact of This Monster Wants To Eat Me, you might find this story to be similar in feel, if not in depth.

Ratings: 

Art – 8
Story  – 8
Characters – 7 
Service – There is, yes
Yuri – 9

Overall – 8

I’m interested to see if this story goes somewhere specific or not.

Thank you to Yen Press and ANN for the review copy for this!