
Archive for the Guest Review Category
The Expression Amrilato

Otherside Picnic, Volume 12
by Sandy Ferguson, Guest Reviewer
Otherside Picnic manga, Volume 12 concludes “The Whisper Is At-Your-Own-Risk” then launches into “About That Rush” concluding with Kozakura’s rebuttal, “Flashback To That Night”.
Another intense read, from gripping action, troubling revelations and a trip to the Otherside where Furth Kind idol Runa will discover the consequences of meeting your idol.
And then there is Toriko’s declaration of her feelings for Sorawo. The conclusion to “The Whisper Is At Your-Own-Risk” is exhausting and satisfying, there are a lot of moving parts and the artwork makes sure that you will be shocked. And then the “About That Rush” gives us a guided tour of The Mountain Ranch, the place created by Runa’s fan club to be a conduit to the Otherside.
So safe to say, there is a lot going on in this volume.
I have often explored Otherside Picnic as an exploration of trauma, of how victims try to navigate the legacy of their trauma. This volume is certainly in this case as Sorawo struggles with a critical question, can Sorawo deal with the fact that other people care for her? And that other people are even willing to risk their lives for her? This is a profound challenge for Sorawo as we are reminded that she was a victim of her own family who tried to destroy her.
So, as well as intense action, there are some intense emotions floating around.
And then to add to the pile, Sorawo also is forced to deal with the consequences of hiding stuff from people she is learning to care about, the stuff they desperately want to know. She fears the consequences of her actions, but eventually also takes ownership of them when the truth is revealed. This leads to Sorawo being confronted with a new situation, people will not abandon her.They may be mad at her but are willing to stick around to try and figure out what the hell is going on with Sorawo, because despite what Sorawo might think about herself, she is worth their care. Cue more angst from Sorawo, after all she is still figuring out what it means to care about other people and that sounds like too much work! Especially in the middle of a crisis.
And it is not just Sorawo who is going through an emotional wringer here. We see Toriko beginning to deal with her own trauma as she is confronted with a dose of reality about the gap between the Satsuki she yearns for, and what Satsuki has become.
And there are her feelings for Sorawo.
Sorawo and Torino’s relationship has mediated through the Otherside is one of a messy rebirth of 2 wounded people learning to care for themselves, one another and other people, something that is heavily illustrated in this volume.
After the intensity of the conclusion of “The Whisper Is At-Your-Own-Risk,” with an interlude where Kozakura hosts the Otherside after party we begin “About That Rush,” which focuses on the messy aftermath of the clean-up of the Farm created by Runa’s cult. There we meet a new group, Torchlight, a security group that participates in this operation. Then we are treated to an idyllic moment in the last chapter as Sorawo and Toriko explore the new possibilities of the Otherside and their growing relationship.
And then everything shifts, and we are given a heads-up that in future volumes Sorawo is going to be facing some unfinished business from her past.
In “Flashback To That Night” Kozakura provides her perspective on the events of “The Whisper Is At-Your-Own-Risk,” as she reflects on the actions of Sorawo and Toriko, and the encounter of what Satsuki has become. Kozakura gives us a glimpse of the gap between the Otherside Satsuki, and the Satsuki she knew.
Ratings:
Story– 9
Artwork– 9 The artwork is intense and vivid, something I learned while enjoying a coffee and a donut, as I followed the confrontation in the Otherside.
Character– 9, there is a lot going on with both Sorawo and Toriko in this volume.
Service– 9
Yuri – Toriko is a 10, Sorawo has some catching up to do, maybe a 8?
Overall – 9
Volume 13 is headed our way in November.
Sailor Moon The Super Live, in London, Guest Post by Rue Ball
As I have been shouting from the rooftops, the live-action extravaganza Sailor Moon The Super Live is on tour. I have seen any number of live stage performances of Sailor Moon, including my very first trip to Japan! I saw Sailor Moon The Super Live in NYC in 2022 and enjoyed it immensely and have plans for seeing it next month when it comes NJPAC – why not join me and say hi! ^_^ The tour is adding a few dates now – they just added a *4th* date in Seattle, wow, so definitely see if you can be part of this. It’s really quite wonderful.
And, now, Okazu friends in London have experienced the show for the very first time! Rue Bell was kind enough to write up this report for us. Thank you Rue, I’ll turn it over to you….
I attended Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon The Super Live (henceforth Super Live) in London with some friends and members of the Okazu Discord Server. Like may geeky events in London, the experience started on the London Underground before we even got to the theatre, with more and more passengers wearing Sailor Moon themed clothes, bags and hair buns as we drew closer to the Camden venue. Seated tickets were available for a premium, but most of us opted for the basic standing ticket. There was a merchandise stall that included photos of the cast and Sailor Moon branded light sticks.
Super Live is a musical adaptation of the first season of the anime, which is the part of Sailor Moon that I have the most familiarity with and nostalgia for, having watched selected episodes on VHS as a child. The plot introduces Sailor Moon and the four Inner Senshi, then they battle against Queen Beryl and her six monster for possession of the Silver Crystal. Tuxedo Mask is in every fight as a love interest and ambiguous friend-or-foe figure.
Super Live is performed entirely in Japanese, with translations projected onto a large screen. The musical numbers were translated with animated typography, and standard subtitles were used for the spoken dialogue in-between. I thought this worked well, however in this
particular venue overhanging balcony seats meant the dialogue subtitles were not visible from about half of the standing area, which is likely to have created a poor experience for audience members in those areas.
I enjoyed the shimmer, sparkle and spectacle of Sailor Moon when I was a child, and I think Super Live’s impressive production lived up to it. The dancing was, to my eyes, impeccably synchronised and choreographed, and it was backed up by a huge screen at the back of the
stage, and an LED-covered set and props that all pulsated and changed colour in time with the music and dancers.
As an adult, the interactions between the Sailor Senshi are my favourite part of the Sailor Moon anime. These unsurprisingly weren’t the focus in this musical with a highly compressed plot. However, one person I went with did notice that the Senshi actors still conveyed these dynamics using small interactions, so the observant fans will enjoy those. There were also two musical numbers focussed on the diverse personalities and skills of the Senshi. The message that there are all sorts of ways to be a girl or a woman is quite important to me, so I appreciated these performances being there, and got quite emotional about them in the finale.
I think the Tuxedo Mask performance deserves a particular shout-out. He was played by the female actor Sufa, and she nailed his cool, confident presence in every scene. The performance reminded me of an otokoyaku – a woman playing a man’s role – in the Takarazuka Revue. I don’t think that this is intended to be seen as queer, but I expect that yuri fans will nonetheless enjoy watching an actor playing with gender roles.
I would definitely recommend Super Live to any Sailor Moon fan, it adapts many of the things that drew me to the original series. The run in London ended on March 19th 2025, but at the time of publication a North American tour is planned for March and April 2025.
The Flower Princess of Sylph
by Patricia Baxter, Guest Reviewer
A new king has been crowned in the Kingdom of the Wind: Princess Natalia, the final member of the royal family. While Natalia is determined to stand tall and do right by the people of her kingdom, the reality is significantly more difficult, as she has lost her brother, Louis the previous King, and their father, the King before both of them, in quick succession. To make matters worse, the wind sword, Sylphide, no longer seems to work as it is meant to, causing Natalia to feel like an insufficient ruler, with no one to turn to in her immense grief. As she grants herself a moment alone to mourn, an unexpected figure steps forward to offer support: Sister Sara, a nun of the Petal Convent.
Kamejiro’s The Flower Princess of Sylph is a series made with a great deal of forethought and care, as the author has showcased a commitment to plotting a world of wind and flowers. Their worldbuilding has a strong foundation, slowly introducing more information on the Sylph, their royal descendants, the magic blade Sylphide, and Sara’s unusual connection to them as the story progresses. The architecture and clothing of the people in the world are adorned in various floral and plant motifs, showing a visual commitment to the world they created. My favourite detail is that each chapter in the series is named after a flower or plant, and the events that play out in each chapter align with their symbolic meanings in the flower languages of Europe and North America. All of these choices show a degree of care and craftsmanship that is deeply admirable.
The fact that Kamejiro does not shy away from Natalia’s intense grief is another aspect of this series that I also greatly appreciate. It can be very tempting to push a character, especially a protagonist, towards recovering from mental health problems as quickly as possible for the sake of the overall narrative, but that is not the case here. Instead, the current plot of The Flower Princess of Sylph is focused on Natalia’s gradual recovery, and that this will be a slow, ongoing process throughout the course of the series.
That being said, even a well plotted story is not immune to a few quirks and criticisms. The art is generally impressive, especially when Natalia cuts loose with her powers of the Sylph, but there are some instances where the art can feel a bit rough. Additionally, while most of the gags are funny and well-paneled, certain jokes, like Natalia accidentally hurting herself in her stubbornness, become less grimly humorous and more frustrating and concerning by the fifth chapter.
Sara is also a character that will probably be rather polarizing for some readers. On the one hand, she is an intriguing character who hides her true intentions and cunning behind a facade of carelessness, but on the other hand her attempts to cheer up the princess can feel a bit jarring and tactless. Considering one of the ongoing mysteries of the series is Sara’s connection to the Sylphide, your opinion on her character may be a deciding factor in whether or not you wish to continue reading the series.
Overall, The Flower Princess of Sylph is a well-crafted fantasy yuri series with plenty of room to grow. A lot of seeds have been planted, including the lilies, but only time will tell what this manga will eventually blossom into.
The series is available on most major electronic reading platforms, such as Global BookWalker, with chapters available for individual purchase. The first chapter is free and the subsequent chapters are 1.99 USD each.
Ratings:
Art: 7.5
Story: 6.5 (good worldbuilding, but the plot itself is rather thin right now)
Characters: 7 (only Natalia and Sara are given any focus so far)
Service: 0 (unless you have a thing for nuns, which would bump the rating up significantly)
Yuri: 2 (only begins to sprout during the fifth chapter)
Overall: 7.5
Becoming a Princess Knight and Working at a Yuri Brothel, Volume 1
Guest Review by Paul S. Enns, Guest Reviewer
Becoming a Princess Knight and Working at a Yuri Brothel, Volume 1, by Hinaki, has a better story than you’d expect.
It’s a mashup of isekai , yuri, and gender bender. Like many isekai stories, there are some RPG-like elements dropped in for doing tasks and gaining ranks. It’s easy to consider these elements as part of the main character’s imagination.
Every character name has been translated into Latin, and provides an additional level of interest/humor. I will provide translations into English in parentheses after the first use of their name.
Lillion (lily) herself/himself is our protagonist. The soul of about-to-die, 38-year-old Naruse Soushi is thrust into the about-to-die body of Princess Reina (queen). Instead of the defiant, not-afraid-to-die Reina, it’s now the quite-afraid-to-die Soushi who begs to live. This is granted and she (the pronoun I will use to refer to Soushi-in-Reina’s body) is sold to a brothel. The brothel’s Madam, Acanthus (genus acanthus are plants with spiny or toothed leaves), renames Reina as Lillion for the duration of her stay.
Given it’s in the title, no surprise, the brothel services only women. Lillion tries to adjust.
Lillion provides most of the humor, thanks to Soushi being inside. Soushi also allows Lillion to endure the many humiliations Princess Reina wouldn’t be expected to get through. Or would Reina be able to endure these? We can’t know. It’s part of the problematic nature of the character.
I can’t really fault Lillion for the actions she takes in the book. Trying to get along in a new world, she is doing the best she can.
Who I can find extreme fault with is Precarie (precariously), the one who removed Reina’s soul and grabbed a random soul from another world to replace it. What is Precarie’s endgame here? What happened to Reina’s soul? Why is Precarie so interested in Lillion when Precarie knows that Reina isn’t in there? Too many unanswered questions.
After Lillion deals with Lady of the Moon (I’m disappointed this wasn’t translated to Domina Lunae), Precarie, and Alsea (sea), she faces the threat of Lapis Rufus (red stone, or ruby, associated with love and passion), Captain of the Vigilante Corps.
I’ve summarized enough and will stop, except to say that it doesn’t have an end and goes right into Volume 2.
While I have a problem with all of the characters, the world building done for this captured my interest. Hinaki obviously has a destination in mind for these characters, and has created a world to tell an interesting story. Just with lots of sex.
By accepting the premise, you accept the level of service. It’s part of the plot.
Translation is well done. Making all proper nouns into Latin words was a fun addition.
Ratings:
Art — 8 I can tell every character apart, and it has well done backgrounds.
Story — 8 Held my interest the whole time.
Characters — 4 Problematic, especially Precarie.
Service — 7 for how explicit it is, 10 for how much there is.
Yuri — 9 It gets a point knocked off for Lillion being occupied by a guy’s soul.
Overall — 7
This was way more entertaining than I expected it to be. I’m going to continue reading this story. Volumes 2 and Volume 3 are already available, Volume 4 releases March 4, 2025.