Archive for the English Manga Category


LGBTQ Adventure Comic: Gun Street Girl

March 11th, 2014

81TK5BKRjrLWith the kind of synchronicity that I’m used to, there has been a lot of conversation in LGBTQ comics and Yuri circles recently about stories with lesbian leads that are more than just a romance. Yuri anime is firmly entrenched in selling school life rom-coms to man-boys, and many readers are looking for something a little more…fun, with action and adventure. I’ve mentioned The Legend of Bold Riley several times and today I want to talk about a new comic – Gun Street Girl is definitely all that. The lead character happens to be gay, and then a story happens. ^_^

Barb Lien, one of the founding members of Sequential Tart, was tired of reading mainstream gay comics characters whose only story seemed to be that they were gay. Rather than looking at the body of LGBTQ comics to find similar role models, she decided to write the story she was looking for. “Because I wanted to read a story about….I wrote it” is the most common reason I hear for creating a work. It’s a totally valid reason, I’m not dissing it in any way. ^_^

And so, Barb created Gun Street Girl, a comic that if I were asked to describe, I would probably sum it up as “if Willow was Buffy”.  Lizzie is the “gun” for a street wizard named Eddie. We meet them in a fun meta-commentary of comic stereotypes “Everybody Want To Rule The Wold.”  The stories are independent of one another, but we get a glimpse of Lizzie’s relationships, her history for a solid volume. Lien has created fully fleshed out characters, with a slightly less fully fleshed out world. Like Buffy‘s Sunnydale, Gun Street Girl‘s world uses magic freely, then imposes random limitations upon itself, leaving it slightly adrift in time. It’s contemporary, but not our world, exactly.

For a story that was going to just have a gay lead and then the stories happens, Gun Street Girl gets a little heavy-handed in other places, addressing sexism in “An Unsuitable Job For A Woman” (a title which was used back in 1972 by P.D. James and, I felt, was an unfortunate choice in 2013. Update: I am informed that the stories were written about 10 years ago and admittedly comics have changed since quite significantly), and racism in the second story “Waking the Witch” in which we also meet Lizzie’s lover, Prana, who has a secret of her own.  Too much of a good thing and also too little. The lessons are good, but – and here is my sincere concern – why are we still having stories about this stuff? If Lien was frustrated that superhero comics were still wrapped in the most basic “gay” stories, here she was pointing big red arrows at “she’s a woman in a man’s world” and “look how not-white this character is.” Ironically, the whole shebang is set in the UK, which is far, far more  integrated  in media representation than we are in the US.

Ryan Howe’s art is solid, easy to follow, even in “magic”-y scenes. It’s very 2-dimensional, hearkening back to comics of my youth. A few panels felt downright Kirby-esque. ^_^ The all-back and white art suited the story well, I think the pages might have looked messier in color, but then I much prefer B&W to color comics now, having had my sensibilities warped by manga. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 8
Characters – 7
Yuri/Lesbian – 7 No obligatory sex – which is good, it’s a little *look, she’s a lesbian* but + for her and Prana’s relationship just being a relationship.
Service – 1

Overall – 8

For action, adventure, magic and fighting with a lead who just happens to be a lesbian, definitely give Gun Street Girl a try!





Yuri Manga: Plastic Blue in GEN Monthly (English)

March 10th, 2014

PlasticI’ve mentioned GEN manga a few times in the past few years, but let’s start with a recap, shall we? GEN manga is a small independent manga that licenses doujinshi directly from artists for their GEN Monthly manga. The February issue of GEN Monthly includes a Yuri story, “Plastic Blue.”

The story is competently told by creator Aji-Ichi with an overall sense of sweetness, without any of the creepy faux “innocence,”  that is so popular now.

“Plastic Blue” is available with a GEN Monthly subscription and GEN has a few sample pages up for you to check out.

This is a not-too-stereotypical beginning for Yuri’s first appearance in GEN’s anthology – here’s hoping we’ll see more Yuri in GEN Monthly!

 





Attack on Titan Manga, Volume 10 (English)

December 20th, 2013

I know. You’re looking up at the URL and checking the date just to make sure you clicked on Okazu, and not, say, A Case Suitable for Treatment. Nope, you’ve come to the right place. It just happens that, quite unusually, I am reviewing a manga  that is 1) available in English and 2) massively popular. This happens so rarely here that it is worth noting.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time discussing the plot of Attack on Titan, it’s structure, art, characters, strengths and weaknesses. I have done that in detail elsewhere. I intend to only discuss two things in today’s review.

As set up I will say that, if you have not yet read any of Attack on Titan, without spoilers, I can tell you there is excellent reason why it is so popular. It hits a pop culture critical Zeitgeist,  is suitable for older teens and adults who are the main audience for that kind of thing and it is not bad for what it is. Although I feel there are more flaws than, perhaps, many of the fans of the series do. This is a tale of the twilight of humanity, and not a gentle twilight, as we saw in Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. In Shingeki no Kyoujin, humanity’s flickering out quickly and under extremely brutal circumstances.

Today, instead, we discuss Volume 10 and 2 specific characters. Ymir, a member of the Survey Corps who is introduced to us as having a secret and Christa, a member of the Survey Corps who is revealed as having a secret. Realistically, by Volume 10, we should all be very comfortable with the idea that most, if not all, of the Survey Corps members carry a burden they believe is secret. Why else would they sign up for what must by any rational person be seen as certain, horrifying death?

In Volume 9, we encounter Ymir, unliked and unlikable and Christa, who appears adorable and honorable and who Ymir sees right through. And yet, they have a connection. It first appears to be only on Ymir’s side. She’s poking and prodding at Christa, apparently to unearth her sore point. When she uncovers it, she does something unexpected – Ymir opens her own self up to Christa. Now they share each other’s burden.

In Volume 10, their bond ramps up in intensity. I don’t know that I’d call this love, in any meaningful way,  but they need each other, that is obvious. By the end of the volume, they’ve made a pact to both live more honestly…a pact that becomes part of the main plot with Volume 11 (which I read on Crunchyroll’s manga platform.)

It’s not a “Yuri” storyline and I do not trust the creator to not kill both Ymir and Christa horribly, so don’t get your hopes up for a happy ending for them. ^_^ But it’s there, if you want it.

Also, there is a character who Japanese readers seem to have identified as gender non-specific. Hanji is referred to in the English translate as “Ms.,”but the author has stated that Hanji has no specific gender. (By author request, the ‘Ms.’ has been removed from later volumes)

Ratings:

Art –  I’m not a fan. I think the art at best is a 6
Story – I’ll leave this as an ambiguous 5 for the moment, pending my more detailed review.
Characters – Same as above
Yuri – 4-ish if you squint a bit in a dark room
Service – 8 all Guro. Because of the violence, I won’t watch the anime, specifically because of sound effects.

Overall – A qualified 8.

My fuller review – and more detail on Hanji – is up on Hooded Utilitarian.





Yuri Gift Guide 2013

November 28th, 2013

In honor of the spirit of the season, that is to say, rampant consumerism along with seasonal shifts ^_^, I’ve been putting together a Gift Guide for folks who are Yuri fans for the past few years. (Click the link to see the previous years’ Gift Guides.) Finally, you have a short, simple list with links, that you pass over to your family, and say – “Here, I want this.” ^_^

This year’s list is in no order, just as they come to mind. As usual, feel free to suggest ideas in the comments!

downloadCrunchyroll Subscription

Don’t know what get or what to ask for? This gift is good for anyone, pretty much, especially now that CR has added manga to the mix. There’s bound to be something there for any fan. For as little as the cost of a sandwich per month, you and/or someone you love can access tons of anime, and watch as the selection of manga grows! There’s no real down-side to this gift. ^_^

 

 

Kisses, Sighs, Cherry Blossoms Pink by Morinaga Milk

Popular with Yuri fans of all kinds, this high-school love drama is available complete in one volume. Translated by our friend Anastasia Moreno, you can be sure that the girl gets the girl.

This completeset also includes other one-shot stories by Morinaga-sensei that ran in Comic Yuri Hime in the magazine’s early years.

 

 

 Whispered Words by Takashi Ikeda

If you or your friend can wait until spring for it, this Volume 1 of 3 will be a great Yuri gift. This silly, then serious, then realistic, then delightful school romance contains every Yuri trope ever…including the one where the girl gets the girl and lives happily ever after. You just gotta wait for it. ^_^

I have every reason to believe that this will be an exceptional addition to every English-reader’s Yuri collection.

 

 

Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi (Volumes 1-6) (Volumes 7-12)

Because Sailor Moon changed the world and changed both anime and manga in ways we’re still feeling even now. Because we would not have had Yuri the way we think of it without it, (and you should meet Haruka and Michiru if you have never formally met.)

If you have not yet had a chance to experience the manga (so you can compare it with the upcoming anime) this is a perfect gift to grace your shelves!

 

Wandering-Son-5Wandering Son by Shimura Takako

This manga is not “Yuri” but has characters that are sexual and/or gender minorities.

This is exactly the kind of book holiday lists are made for. Hardcover, beautiful reproduction. This is a keepsake, the kind of thing you hold on to and re-read over and over.

 

 

swbAoi Hana/Sweet Blue Flowers Anime Box Set

I know this was on last year’s gift guide, but just in case you haven’t had the chance to get it yet, this makes a perfect gift for you or a fan close to you who wants to have you over for a watch-a-thon. ^_^

A very slightly idealized story of a girl falling in and out of love and learning to be the person she is.  A terrific story, told be a terrific storyteller.

 

Rose of Versailles by Riyoko Ikeda (Box Set 1) (Box Set 2)

This classic, containing the second Girl Prince to grace anime, is epic in scope, soapy of story, and shiny and tragic and wonderful. Like too-rich chocolates, it’s best savored in small doses. But is definitely should be savored.

When you’re enjoying any anime with a suave, masculine female character, when Sei is being the consummate Takarazuka Top Star, or Haruka is making Usagi blush, remember it was paragon of honor and nobility Oscar de Jarjeyes who set that benchmark – and she has never been bested. (And thanks to AnimeSols, we can look forward to Oscar’s complete opposite – tortured, depressed Saint Juste from Dear Brother, in days to come.)

I don’t have any real coals to offer this year, so I’ll just go out of the pale and suggest that if you’re looking for something good whether it’s Yuri or not, I suggest Attack on Titan. Giving nothing critical away, this is a not-cute or sweet story with characters who have more than one emotion each, which has hooks into the current zombie craze and an interesting storyline. It’s especially good for teens and adults who don’t find typical Shounen Jump-style fighting series to be compelling.

There you have it – my suggestions for 2013. Please feel free to toss in your own in the comments and if any of them really rock, I’ll move them up into the post. Happy Thanksgiving to those who are celebrating. Once again, I am so very thankful to each one of you for reading Okazu, today and every day. ^_^





Wandering Son Manga, Volume 4 (English)

July 30th, 2013

WanderingSon4We’ve covered a few volumes of Shimura Takako’s Wandering Son, published in English by Fantagraphics here on Okazu, but it hasn’t been featured regularly.

We’ve covered Volume 1 and Volume 2 and I hope those reviews were enough to encourage you to buy and read Volume 3. The early volumes introduce us to Shuuichi, a boy who wishes to become a girl and Shuu-chan’s classmates, friends, enemies (among whom I have to count his sister, the aspiring model) and Yoshino, a girl who wishes to become a boy.

In Volume 4, the story remains complex and emotional as always. By this point, Shimura-sensei’s characters are finely wrought, so the tension in each panel is palpable. Manga scholar Matt Thorn has gotten out of the way of his own translations, so the story flows as smoothly as a story as jangly as this can possibly flow.

The children are just beginning to enter puberty, and their bodies are not necessarily their friends. In this story we see the complexity of sex, gender, gender roles and sexuality laid out in the messy mishmash that it is. After reviewing Anything That Loves last week, I found myself paying attention – for the first time – to Anna, another aspiring model and peer of Shuuichi’s sister, Maho.

Anna is not presented to us as a nice person. She’s mean to Shuu-chan…but then her introduction to him was dismissive and unkind and Maho is selfish, not supportive of her brother and uninterested in him as a person. (The last, admittedly, pretty common among siblings.) Anna, taking her cue from this, has teased Shuu-chan in an immature way – but also in a way that clearly indicates to the audience that she is interested in him.

It’s hard enough as an adult to understand the mechanism for “showing interest in” another person. As a tween/teen, there is pretty much no socially acceptable mechanism for this at all.  Any expression of interest of any kind is grounds for teasing. And here is Anna, interested in a boy who would prefer to not be a boy….she’s got to be asking some questions about herself in the middle of the night. Is her interest in Shuu-chan in the boy-girl he is or the person he might become? There are no answers for this at this point, and as we saw in Anything That Loves – there may never really be an answer. Anna is immature enough to take her confusion out on Shuu-chan…which puts us in a bad place as readers. We might be sympathetic to her if she was merely angry at Shuu-chan for not being what she wanted, or at herself for having confusing feelings, but in her (and Maho’s) hurtful words and actions we’re seeing something that is way too close to bullying and bashing for us to be sympathetic at all.

Next volume they start middle school with the addition of the rigid gender-identifier, the school uniform. What, for so many shoujo heroines is a looked-for right of passage, will be for Shuu-chan and Yoshino-kun, a political and social statement. This gender/sex/sexuality/ thing is really complicated. I’ve already got my fingers crossed tightly for them and I don’t even have Volume 5 yet.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – ?

Overall – 9

The best, perhaps the only real way to  describe Wandering Son, is that it is compelling story-telling.