Hello, it’s 3 opossums in a trenchcoat disguised as a person back for another review. You can find me dotted around the Internet as @st_owly. Today I’m reviewing I Don’t Need  A Happy Ending, a collection of short stories,  by Mikanuji, the creator of Assorted Entanglements. I liked that series well enough to go in blind on this one when I saw it in the bookstore so here we go.

I’ve always had a soft spot for short stories. Telling a complete tale in a limited amount of pages is a skill unto itself, and a good short story anthology should have something for everyone. With that in mind, I cannot recommend the first story in this book, “I’ll Never Fall In Love With You”. It’s rapey, creepy and everything I dislike about yuri manga written for the male gaze all rolled into 36 convenient pages. 

Happily, the second story in the book is much more pleasant. This is the titular story “I Don’t Need A Happy Ending” and features a historical forbidden love story between a mistress and her maid. Unlike in the first story, the characters actually feel like people rather than sex objects, and without giving too much away, they do get their happy ending. I will freely admit I’m a sucker for historical romance and as someone who adores Victorian Romance Emma, by Kaoru Mori, this scratched the same itch. 

Back to the present day for “I Don’t Know What Love Is,” which features a nihilistic college student and her adoring kouhai. I didn’t particularly care for this chapter either, but it did at least have more plot than the first one and the characters are adults this time. The author also really likes drawing people having sex in (semi) public places.

4th in the collection is “A Day off from Work” in which two childhood friends finally realise their long held feelings for each other. Short and sweet, it’s always nice when two people find each other.

The penultimate story in this volume also appeared in “Whenever Our Eyes Meet: A Women’s Love Anthology” which is also available in English from Yen Press. Another office romance, this time the new temp at the company is the main lead’s fling from the night before, and she’s not out at work. More semi public sex and everyone is happy.

Finally, we finish with a sequel to “I Don’t Need a Happy Ending,” which begins with a timeskip of several years, and that is merely a convenient plot device for more illicit sex. It takes 3 pages before they’re at it.  

Overall, your mileage may vary. as to be expected with an anthology. The author definitely has certain tastes which are reflected in this collection, and if her tastes don’t align with yours you might leave disappointed. For me “I Don’t Need a Happy Ending” and sequel were by far and away the standout of the book, with the others ranging from “get me the brain bleach right now” to “ok that was cute but utterly forgettable.”

Ratings:

Art – 8. The sex scenes are well done and the boobs don’t look like balloons. 
Story – Anywhere from 3 to 7
Characters – Anywhere from 3 to 7
Service – 10. This one is rated M and shrink wrapped for a reason
Yuri – 7. It got better as it went on. 

Overall – 6.5

Welcome to Guest Review Wednesday, where you and I both get the benefit of someone else’s voice here on Okazu! This week we welcome back Eleanor W with a look at the Seven Seas edition of Rata Satis’ Pulse. I reviewed Satis’ own release of this book in 2016! Wow, time flies. I’m looking forward to hearing what Seven Seas has done with this series, so take it away, Eleanor!

Hello again, as always, it’s nice to be back. You can find me on various parts of the Internet as @st_owly, including the Okazu Discord. This is a series that has been on my radar for a while, but I’d never quite gotten around to it until I saw the first volume in the shops. I’m grateful as always to Erica for offering me the opportunity to review it. 

2022 was the year print editions of webcomics exploded, with several publishers now offering full colour printed graphic novel editions of popular comics from online platforms such as Webtoon, Tapas and Lehzin. Most of these releases are of Korean comics, but today’s review covers a notable exception. Pulse was originally released on the Lehzin comics platform, and is by Thai artist Ratana Satis. Due to the mature content, this series is not available on the Lehzin iPhone app, you can only read it on their website.

The synopsis from Seven Seas on the back of Pulse, volume 1 is as follows:
Mel, a renowned heart surgeon, is well-known for being a stoic loner. She views her erotic flings with other women as a tool for pleasure rather than a show of affection. Then she meets Lynn, a beautiful and spirited cardiac patient who needs a new heart, but refuses a transplant. The two women meet with minimal expectations but soon become enthralled in a relationship that changes everything for them both.

This Girls’ Love comic–and first place winner of the 2nd Lezhin Comics World Comic Contest–is one of the most popular series by fan-favorite Thai creator Ratana Satis, also known for Soul Drifters and Lily Love.

Seven Seas covers are usually excellent, and these two volumes are no exception. The title is embossed on the volume covers and spines, and the heart monitor line in the logo is a nice allude to the theme of the series. The volumes themselves are printed on nice glossy paper, and the lines and ink are crisp, especially important for a full colour release. Moving on to the actual contents of the books, it’s nice to read a yuri story where one of the main characters is openly described as a lesbian. The first 2 chapters are all about Mel. Lynn, the other protagonist, isn’t actually introduced by name until chapter 3, when after a chance meeting in the hospital corridor, circumstances mean that she and Mel meet formally as doctor and patient. Lynn strong arms Mel into buying her lunch the next day, and as the book progresses they gradually start getting to know each other. Read together, volume 1 feels like an introduction, setting the stage for the actual story to start in volume 2, but I don’t see this as a bad thing.

Volume 2 begins with Lynn showing up at Mel’s apartment and announcing she’s moving in with her. U-haul lesbians are a meme for a reason, but this is fast even by lesbian standards. There’s even an obligatory yuri aquarium date later on in the volume, where it’s lovely to see them both just genuinely enjoying each other’s company and, as the book goes on, Mel realising she cares for Lynn in more than just a professional way. Hints at Mel’s romantic past are sprinkled throughout the 2 volumes, no doubt all will be revealed later on, and I’m definitely sticking around to find out. The two of them are too charming not to, and I’m rooting for them to get their happy ending. 

Ratings:

Art: 8. Whilst it’s not particularly unique, it’s attractive and well done and some of the facial expressions are a delight.

Story: 7. Don’t think about it too much, just enjoy it for what it is and you’ll forget how implausible the scenario actually is (does this hospital not have an ethics board?) 

Characters: 9. These two really do make the series. Lynn reminds me of a little puppy with her energy and eagerness to please, Mel is the cold hearted one who “doesn’t like dogs” and their growth, both as individuals and as a couple, over the two volumes is very endearing. Service (level of salaciousness): 10. This one is rated Mature and shrink wrapped for a reason. The erotic scenes are plentiful (2 in the first chapter alone) and there is very little left to the imagination. 

Yuri: 9. Two women who need each other more than they both realise. It’s lovely to see Mel opening her heart (no pun intended) to Lynn. 

Overall: 8. If you’re looking for something with adult characters and a decent bit of spice which isn’t just porn, you could do a lot worse than Pulse. 

Erica here: Thank you so much! Now that this is available digitally, I might pick up the next volume and see where the story leads ^_^