Guest Review by Matt Rolf

Having run away with high school friend Makimura as an adult in Volume 2, Midori wants to keep running in Run Away with Me Girl, Volume 3. Fortunately for her and for the reader, we are finally at a point in this series where Midori has to make a clear decision about what she’s going to do. Battan graciously provides some clarity and closure to this interesting series, but don’t expect much more than that in this final volume.

The first volume of this series was rocky and dealt with challenging relationship questions; the second volume gave the characters space on an island away from the ordinary to try and answer those questions. The third volume, by comparison, is something of a letdown. The main plot point gets wrapped up, but a lot of the hard issues raised by the first two volumes get swept under the rug.

What is sexual orientation? How does that square with societal expectations and our own desire? How do we reconcile our day-to-day responsibilities when they may not be compatible with our core values? What if we push our core values away and make toxic choices in an attempt to meet those responsibilities? What does it mean to commit to someone? And what does it mean to unwind one’s life after having committed? All of these questions are raised implicitly or explicitly by the first two books. While these are admittedly hard questions without easy answers, the final payoff comes without addressing them fully. Maki and Midori’s epilogue is fine, if a bit too obvious. Komari’s epilogue is annoying, bordering on infuriating to this reviewer.

Perhaps, like Midori through most of this work, we’re not supposed to think too hard about the answers to those questions. Maybe the answers are just matters of the heart. Even so, I think the characters deserved a more thorough reckoning with the choices that they made. Maybe once Battan has some distance to this story they will reconsider and give us another volume.

The artwork is still good, but the impact is less than the first two volumes. Battan gives the culmination of the book the rich attention it deserves. Outside of that, the drawings don’t hit that hard.

Finally, this book is yuri. Exhausting, aggravating, and annoying, but in the end, yuri: the exploration of a semi-toxic relationship between women that concludes with as little character growth as possible. And that, if nothing else, will make you think.

Final Verdict: A disappointing ending to a challenging series.
Series Verdict: Worth reading and thinking about.

Published by Kodansha Comics, with translation by Kevin Steinbach and lettering by Jennifer Skarupa.

Ratings

Art – 8
Story 5 – This is fine.
Characters – 7 I wouldn’t be let down if I hadn’t had any expectations.
Service – 5 Tease me, please me, no one needs to know. -Scorpions
Yuri – 8
Overall – 5 for this volume, 7 for Vol 1-3 inclusive.

by Matt Rolf, Guest Reviewer

What happens when a woman gets to question the path she’s on in a supportive environment away from negative people and the weight of societal expectations? Battan gives their protagonist the space to do just that in Run Away With Me Girl, Volume 2, and the result is a book far more enjoyable to read than Volume 1.

Makimura still holds a torch for Midori, who is still pregnant and engaged to a man. At the beginning of the book the women are not speaking. But, as Midori contemplates the weight of her impending life changes, she breaks down and lets Maki back into her life. Maki takes the opportunity to invite Midori on a trip to see Maki’s friend Komari, a school girl with whom she chats online. Midori, wanting to escape her own life, takes Maki up on the offer, and the women immediately leave for Shōdoshima Island where Komari lives. 

The bulk of the book takes place on Shōdoshima, keeping the reality of Maki and Midori’s real world at bay. It is here that all three women connect with each other and take stock of their lives. The adults find awe in Komari’s fearlessness and honesty as she grapples with the challenges she faces in trying to live her identity. All three observe and encourage each other and use the information to consider what it is they really want from their lives and relationships.

I strongly support the plot choices made in this book. At least some of the characters in this volume are working toward healthier choices than Volume 1, and that’s to Battan’s credit. As with all vacations, there is a bill to be paid upon Midori and Maki’s return.  The bill does not come due in this volume, allowing the characters to bask in the possibilities of a hopeful future.

The artwork is improved in this volume. The dreamy quality of the series overall is accentuated on the island. The backgrounds are more interesting and help set the scene better than Volume 1. Battan wields frame-breaking character features with skill, and uses them more effectively here than Volume 1. My biggest critique is that at times Komari is drawn in a very elfin manner. This accentuates her youth and the un-reality of the island vacation, but at times she just looks weird.

While yuri, this book still exists in a space where the relationships and commitments of the characters are left unstated at important places. A group bath scene with excellent artwork is the service highlight. The scene is tasteful and well-done, and anything more explicit is just not what this series is. The real relationship payoffs are emotional. Midori is moving toward making definitive statements about the sort of relationships she wants, and Volume 3 will give her an opportunity to make good on those movements.

Final Verdict: Leave your troubles behind and get yourself sorted in a steam bath with other women.

Published by Kodansha Comics, with translation by Kevin Steinbach and lettering by Jennifer Skarupa.

Ratings

Art – 8
Story 8 – Not as harsh as volume one, and that’s most welcome.
Characters – 7 We’re getting there.
Service – 5 We don’t have to take our clothes off to have a good time.
Yuri – 8
Overall – 8

by Matt Rolf, Guest Reviewer

Welcome to another exciting Guest Review on Wednesday on Okazu!  Today we welcome a new reviewer, Matt Rolf with a look at an intense new series. Let’s give him a warm Okazu welcome and don’t forget to leave a kind word on the comments for him! Matt, the floor is yours….

Creating art that deals with abusive relationships in queer contexts is challenging. The cultural canon contains a long list of works where queers get what they deserve for being gay.  Likewise, queer relationships often exist in spaces between gay and straight, without clear distinctions or categories that allow the participants an easy way to figure things out. Run Away With Me Girl, Volume 1, by Battan, begins by tackling both these fraught topics, and the results are rocky. Content Warning: Domestic Violence.

Midori and Makimura formed a close romantic relationship in high school. They split up at graduation because Midori thought they had outgrown their girlish relationship. Ten years on, Maki is single and still wants to be with Midori, while Midori is engaged to a man. When the two women meet by chance before Midori’s wedding, they rekindle their friendship. The first volume of Run Away With Me Girl contains the first six of sixteen episodes in Maki and Midori’s story.

Both of Midori’s relationships, the one with her fiancé Tonoike, and the one with Maki, are not what one would call healthy. Midori herself has an outlook of self-doubt, and struggles to reconcile her identity and desires with society’s expectations. Some panels explore Tonoike and Maki’s individual backgrounds and experiences, but Midori’s struggle is at the core of the story. The themes of the book become increasingly dark as the novel goes on, culminating in an indefensible act.

The character artwork is detailed and attractive, appropriately contrasted with mostly sparse backgrounds. The economy of the artwork is not intrusive, and several panels are fully rendered in a beautiful way. Battan has done very well with the most important parts of the visuals, and the result is pleasing to look at.

This book is definitely yuri, but the relationships depicted are difficult and may not be enjoyable for the reader to return to later. Maki is clear-eyed in her love for Midori, and that’s where the clarity ends. Fan service is light: there are a few panels of kissing and holding hands, with some panels of Midori naked. The drawings of Midori are more about vulnerability than titillation.

The focus of the book is on the fairly realistic portrayal of an imperfect set of adults navigating unhealthy relationships that may or may not be worth the effort. Readers who can relate to these experiences may find it difficult to finish the book. The story is well told and gives the reader food for thought after they put down the book. I suspect these characters have a lot more to go through before they find their resolution.

Final Verdict: A book you keep on your shelf because it’s good, but don’t read much because it’s hard. This series is published by Kodansha Comics, with translation by Kevin Steinbach and lettering by Jennifer Skarupa,  

Ratings

Art – 7
Story 8 – +3 for undertaking a challenging narrative, +2 for mostly succeeding, -2 for there’s a reason the narrative is challenging.
Characters – 5 Given the meat of the story, the characters are a little underdeveloped.
Service – 3
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8

Erica here: Thanks Matt, I appreciate you taking a look at this series for us!