Archive for the Guest Review Category


My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over, Volume 6 Guest Review by Luce

April 18th, 2023

Welcome back to Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu. Today’s review is by veteran guest reviewer Luce!

In this sixth volume of My Idol Sits The Next Desk Over, Sakiko finds out the results of her photo competition and reveals the motivations for wanting to be an official photographer of Spring Shine to Chihiro. Chihiro and Maaya (the latter somewhat begrudgingly) make a surprise cake for Sakiko. Sakiko comes up with an idea for the school festival – an idol cafe! Complete with pretend groups. Maaya makes a friend – sort of… Finally, after a shake up with Spring Shine, Chihiro is troubled, Maaya comes clean, and Sakiko feels like she can’t say the things she ought to as a friend while also being a fan, upsetting Chihiro in the process.

These volumes always feel like there is a lot going on, but they’re not particularly longer than other manga; they just seem to have a succinct story-telling style which keeps the pace of the story fluid. This volume stretches over several months, and yet I don’t feel like it’s unduly skipping sections or skimping on the emotion. It doesn’t dwell on anything too long, but not in an erratic way.

The idol cafe was a genius idea, and although I’m sure it’s not completely new, really made the school festival arc memorable. I’m glad the mangaka decided to change up the usual ‘haunted house/maid cafe’ tropes we usually get – it’s even cuter to see Chihiro teaching them the routine. I’m sure that some classes are probably putting this into action in Japan! Plus, when one of Sakiko’s group (the Masked Group, since they’re quite shy) feels ill on the day, Chihiro steps in to cover. It’s adorable. Also the face Maaya makes when she realises that Sakiko is getting idol lessons off their idol is hilarious.

Maaya’s new ‘friend’ – in so much as Motoyama befriends an apathetic Maaya – seems a little thrown in there initially, but I like her, her bluntness is quite refreshing. She likes Maaya for just putting up with her, even getting disappointed when she realises that Maaya puts a front on for Chihiro, and it helps that her bluntness isn’t mean, like Maaya’s can be – as she says, she just has no filter. She also helps serve a role – an impartial person, not blinded by love for Chihiro as an idol, able to make comments without being pulled either way like Sakiko and Maaya.

The end of the volume comes with two big emotional hits: Maaya coming clean about her long history as a fan prior to meeting Chihiro at school, and Sakiko feeling guilty about keeping Maaya’s secrets from Chihiro. I’m not quite sure it’s a love confession when Maaya tells Chihiro, but it sure feels like one in some ways. She’s come a long way from the start of the series, even admitting that she’s done wrong by other fans and Sakiko. The volume finishes on a whole page panel of Chihiro that stuck in my mind such that I went back to look at it. The art is perfect for an idol manga, but it can sure hit the emotional sections too.

In a volume that goes from cute to funny, adorable to heartwarming, it finishes on very much an emotional cliffhanger. I’m very eager to see where they go from here – Maaya can’t avoid Chihiro forever, Sakiko’s despondency has seriously hurt Chihiro in her hour of need, and the future of Spring Shine seems uncertain.

Story – 9
Art – 9
Yuri – 7? It seems fairly certain that Maaya likes Chihiro a lot, although whether that’s as a fan or a person seems muddled, likely on purpose. I doubt even Maaya knows.
Service – 0
Overall – I personally really enjoyed this volume, so 10.

I feel like this is an idol manga that doesn’t idolise idols, and I’m really enjoying it. I only wish they were releasing it in physical, as I love the art and story. Kodansha’s store says Volume 7 (potentially the last) is coming out in May!

Erica here: Thank you so much for keeping us up to date on this series, Luce. I look forward to reading (about) the climax. ^_^





If You Could See Love, Volumes 1-3, Guest Review by Luce

April 5th, 2023

Welcome to a very special Guest Review today! Luce has returned and is shouldering a three-piece review for us! Given how hard writing even this intro is, I cannot express how much I appreciate this. Kick back and let’s dig into all three volumes of If You Could See Love!

Mei Haruno has decided to start in a new school where no one knows her, owing to issues in middle school, stemming from the fact that she can see arrows above people’s heads, pointing to those that they like. Swearing off romance altogether, she assumed an all-girls school won’t have romance… Oops, looks like it’s a lot gayer than she thought! There, she finds Sayu, her best friend from elementary school, who confessed when she had to transfer away, and what do you know, Mei sees an arrow pointing to herself. Later, Mei meets another girl, Rinna, who quickly gains an arrow pointing to Mei.

In the second book, having admitted to a girl on the roof about setting the arrows, Mei is recruited to the student council as a ‘love advisor’: helping other students with their relationship troubles.
There was a chapter in this book that I really liked, where we encounter a Yuri throuple between adults. They even mention that they had to work hard at it, but it’s lovely to see them together.

In the third book, Sayu and Mei go on a date to the amusement park, and Mei loses the ability to see the arrows?

The arrows, and whether their shape means something, isn’t really explained – it’s implied that the strength of the arrow is equivalent to the strength of the person’s love at that moment, so it ebbs and flows a bit. A weak connection is a small wobbly one, and sometimes they fill the page. There is a small section where someone’s arrow, pointed at an idol, gets ‘sharp’ and goes black, so clearly there is some meaning to them. I quite liked it as a mechanic, and actually thinking about it, anyone would probably get into the same mess as Mei. A nice touch in the manga is that it uses colour pages throughout to highlight the arrows in pink- sometimes the background is pink or other things are highlighted, which adds to the art.

I quite like the characters, although I would have liked to spend more time with some of them, like the throuple. Mei being incredibly anaemic as a hold-over from her (you guessed it) Ambiguous Hospitalising Disorder kind of made sense, but was a little annoying at times – although there was a panel in the amusement park where Sayu forbids Mei from going on a ride since the sign says ‘not for those with medical conditions’ which was funny. For all I’m not a fan of the sick child trope, at least it stuck to it without being too overbearing.

I’m going to talk about the ending, although I will give it it’s due that I don’t think it was super obvious who (or if) Mei was going to end up with, if anyone, at the start. But as seeing as they even including a canon throuple, I hoped this would somewhat foretell the ending, especially considering that it seems to be setting itself up that way, with Rinna starting to see Sayu romantically at one point. If you’re looking polyamory here, I hate to disappoint, but it doesn’t happen. I think it actually would have been a fun ending. The second book really seems to lean into it, which makes me wonder if it got vetoed by an editor.

Nonetheless, it is a cute story. It’s not going to challenge you, but you could do a lot worse than this: it’s finished at three volumes, which is probably about right for this; it doesn’t feel unnecessarily dragged out or curtailed, and the epilogue was really nice to see.

Ratings:

Story: 7
Yuri: 10 – I mean, I don’t think there is a man drawn on page that has a face, in so much as they’re all background characters. Three Yuri pairings, and more implied offscreen (plus a point for a character that is implied to be and I’m taking for aromantic)
Service: 2? There are a few bath scenes with minimal service, but there is a scene where someone imagines a kiss going a bit further. It’s not explicit.
Art: 7 (I doubt any panel would stop you in your tracks, but I didn’t note any particular anatomy issues, and some panels are quite pretty. The pink as a highlight helps, but I didn’t think it was overused)
Overall: 7

A cute, fairly quick read. The poolside read of the Yuri world – not going to knock your socks off, but it’ll probably make you smile.

Thanks so much Luce! You’re a true Okazu hero today. ^_^





Vampeerz – “My Peer Vampires,” Volume 2, Guest Review by Christian LeBlanc

March 29th, 2023

Last week Christian introduced us to the first volume of Akili’s vampire Yuri comedy. This week, Christian is back with a continuation of the series, so grab yourself a stiff drink and please welcome him back!

***

I don’t want to look like I’m pushy,
Or complain and get labelled a wussy,
But when minors take baths,
What I thought I’d see last
Was a detailed view of their loofah!

In the second volume of Akili’s girl-meets-vampire, girl-likes-vampire, girl-is-asked-to-kill-vampire-and-doesn’t-want-to Yuri romance, Vampeerz Volume 2 – “My Peer Vampires” (published by Denpa and translated by Molly Rabbitt), the romance is starting to blossom, but so are a few…issues we need to look at.

Ichika (14 years old, long black hair, not a vampire) has already told Aria (??? years old, short blond hair, is a vampire) that she likes her in the last volume, and in this book, has decided that she’s entitled to smooches and make-outs with Aria in return for all of her blood she’s been letting Aria drink.

Now, you and I are used to romances where someone is tsundere, and, due to the power of manga, somehow it’s ok for them to keep saying they’re not interested, while the other character is all “Oh-ho, the chase is afoot!” like they’re some ancient metaphysical poet writing about fleas biting them as a conceit for why they should be getting down.

Aria, however, in spite of being old enough to have maybe met John Donne in person, tells Ichika that “I still look like a child and think like one too. I have no interest in romance.” Welp. In Ichika’s defence, she’s only 14, and figures Aria must be just on the verge of getting into romance, or she’s just saying that, or something – she’s lost a fair bit of blood so maybe she’s not thinking logically. This is a romance manga, and if you’re good with this, ok; if you’re a bit skeeved out by the maturity gap and want to go back to reading something more wholesome (like Citrus), that is also a natural reaction!

Now Vampeerz is a comedy after all, so maybe that affects how you feel about lecherous, licensed-doctor vampires abusing their powers of hypnotism to day-drink during their job as school nurse and lustily suck the blood from hapless students who show up when they cut themselves doing school things…which is my way of re-introducing Sakuya, Aria’s supposed mom, who has a larger role to play in this volume (mostly as Aria’s servant; as we learn in this volume, Aria is apparently some kind of ‘big deal’ in vampire circles). “Ha ha ha, classic Sakuya,” you might say, “the way these middle-school girls are wigged out by this grown-ass creeper mackin’ on them is very droll, quite!” But, again, if that sort of thing creeps you out regardless of the lighter tone of the book: it would be sketchy as hell for anyone to try and talk you out of that.

In the final chapter, Aria is given an antagonist in the form of Khara, another vampire who’s after the sacred sword introduced in volume 1 (a special artifact able to destroy vampires when wielded by certain special humans, like Ichika). I gotta say, if your story has more than one person in it who seems to be from India, then it might not be as big of a deal when one of them is drawn with dirty feet and a bad smell from having to stow away in a shipping container to get to Japan. As it stands, when your only person of color is depicted this way, it’s just – you don’t do that. Why would you do that. Like, why.

Ok. With these issues out of the way, let’s get back to what the book has to offer. Well, the art is still fantastic, imho. It’s fun seeing Ichika in love and going for it and pursuing the object of her affections (more so if you can think of her as being on equal footing with Aria). Ichika’s advances are thwarted when Aria switches to drinking fetal bovine serum, which means she won’t have to drink Ichika’s blood anymore and is therefore excused from smooches as compensation. (In case you were curious about how fetal bovine serum is harvested, I just looked it up, and, oh my god, Aria what the hell is wrong with you) Uh, the other chapters have a…fun camping trip, a spooky test of courage…some clothes shopping…those poor cows, uh, let’s just get right to the scores, shall we?

Art – 9 I still really dig the detailed artwork, and Akili’s skill with faces and expressions and tones.

Story – 5 Girl pursues vampire, everyone goes camping, and we get a big fight scene. Hopefully Akili gets to draw more fighting, there were some really cool angles and perspectives in here.

Characters – 4 Jiro (Aria’s manservant from volume 1) doesn’t show up. I miss Jiro. I like everybody else a lot less this time around.

Service – I was not expecting to see a 14-year-old girl’s vulva that clearly through the bathwater. Like, everything’s drawn all wavy and ripply, but now that I look closer, there’s no mistaking it.

Yuri – 7 Smooches happen, even if Aria’s not into it. Sakuya comes onto way too many young girls. Score given is for quantity and not quality.

Overall – 2 I started out closer to a 6 when I was just lightly reading this for fun, but the more things I noticed and the more I started thinking about them, the less fun it got. I was worried about talking you, dear reader, out of trying this book; now, I almost kind of hope that I did?

Final thoughts: if you’ve read Vampeerz vol.2 and really like it, that is wonderful; I’m honestly not trying to talk anyone out of enjoying something. To paraphrase Matt Allex from horror film podcast Horror Show Hot Dog: you like more stuff than I do, that means you’re winning, in a way. There’s a cute story in here if you’re able to gloss over some stuff (just like how the cover is fully glossy now, booo). I just want you to understand that if someone else has some issues with this book, they have some legitimate reasons, and they’re not just being intentional spoilsports out to ruin your day or anything. We cool? Cool.

Erica here: I mean, yes. All of this. And the fact that although the manga continues, the narrative kind of really doesn’t. Akili’s love of pervy peekaboo is openly on display here. When you remember that Denpa Books was originally co-founded by the VP of Fakku Comics, it’s not that surprising, though.





Pulse, Volume 1 and Volume 2, Guest Review by Eleanor W

March 8th, 2023

Two women lay, clasping hand, sprawled in a bed of white flowers. "Pulse" is written in large cursive letters across the cover in a cursive letters that end in a heartbeat from a cardiac monitor.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 ^_^





Asumi-Chan is Interested in Lesbian Brothels! Volume 1, Guest Review by Matt Rolf

March 1st, 2023

A partially dressed pink-haired woman is surrounded by three other partially dressed women.Letters read Asumi-Chan is Interested in Lesbian Brothels! Vol 1, story and art by Kuro ItsukiIt’s Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu and today we welcome back Matthew Rolf who will take a look at this new 18+ manga series from Seven Seas!

Asumi-Chan is Interested in Lesbian Brothels! does not convey an air of nuance or subtlety. The cover of the book shows our protagonist being ravished by three other women, with four sets of breasts barely covered by clothing or the book title. On the back cover, our heroine stands with her nightgown open the length of her body. Asumi gazes at the reader while another woman places her hands on her butt.

It’s true: this manga contains graphic depictions of lesbian sex, and the back cover helpfully contains a parental advisory for “explicit content.” Author Kuru Itsuki set out to create a “comical, sexy yuri manga,” and has succeeded. This volume contains five episodes in a story that now extends to at least three volumes.

Asumi is a sexually inexperienced college student pining for Mai, a slightly older girl who kissed her back in grade school. Asumi’s friend Ouka thinks she’s seen Mai in the lesbian sex trade. Ouka makes Asumi an appointment with a sex worker, so that she might find Mai. So begins Asumi’s adventure of hiring women for sex until she can find and sleep with her childhood friend.

This book is as unapologetically gay, sex positive, and kinky as it is implausible. Just one sexual encounter contains kink elements of cosplay, exhibitionism, voyeurism, and edging. Other encounters tease rope play, domination, puppy play, group sex, and a few other things. There are no men in this book.

The sex scenes are rendered both in cartoonish and more realistic styles, depending on the encounter. Some effort is made to show a variety of body types within a narrow range, and the chest excesses of the cover are mostly avoided in the story. There is nothing unusual in the artistic presentation, but the blocking and rendering of the intimate encounters is a strong point. The sex workers Asumi encounters are given at least some characterization.

There’s no gender play, and the book feels less queer than it might for being so kinky. The slick presentation feels inspired by mainstream pornography. That likely makes the book more appealing to a wider audience, including men, but will probably turn off some readers. It’s a minor criticism for a work that brings its protagonist to climax no fewer than four times.

This book owes more than a little to Nagata Kabi’s My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness. One can imagine an editor wanting a pitch for “Kabi’s book, but with hotter sex and without all the mental health issues.” Itsuki’s story delivers to the point of reading like an advertisement for the sex trade in places. Kabi’s work is undoubtedly more touching, moving, and real, but Itsuki’s work is pure fantasy to help you get off. This book is in a different genre with a different purpose, and I have veered between feeling it’s a salacious ripoff or just fine for what it is.

Asumi-Chan is Interested in Lesbian Brothels! is entertaining, explicit, and doesn’t ask much of the reader. If you like your lesbian sex manga explicit with a small side of kink, consider picking up this book the next time you need to get in the mood. The English translation of volume 2 comes out later in 2023.

Final Verdict: Gold Star Yuri Erotica.

Published by Seven Seas Entertainment, through an arrangement by Kodashana Ltd., with translation by Lily Aspen and lettering by Ash Works.

Ratings

Art – 7 – Sparse, mostly anatomically correct.
Story – 6 – Meticulously constructed to get to the next erotic encounter as quickly as possible.
Characters – 5 – Here for the boning.
Service – 10 – Non-stop lesbian sex.
Yuri – 10 – Gold Star.
Overall Score – 319 (referencing the apropos Prince song of the same title)

Thanks so much Matt!

Volume 1 is available in Print on Bookshop and RightStuf, and digital on Bookwalker. Amazon has Volume 3 listed, but not V1 or V2, presumably because of the covers.

There were a lot of lesbian sex worker stories that popped up after Nagata’s initial work. We’ve reviewed some here. Of them, the one I’ve really enjoyed is BariKyari to Shinsou.

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We’re always looking for guest reviewers, especially as there is so much coming out in English and Japanese, I can’t keep up. If you are interested in reviewing for Okazu – I am particularly interested in hiring non-white writers here  and queer folks, as well. I have a review copy of Futaribeya, V9 going begging. So if you like this series, and want a shot at a paid review gig, drop over to our Submission Guidelines and put yourself forward!