Welcome back to Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu! This time of year is always too-busy here and this year I have complicated matters for myself by trying to squeeze out one last video for Yuri Studio before the end of the year, as well as the Okazu Patron Holiday Party! So thank you, as always to Journaliste/Chroniqueur Laurent Lignon for taking time to share this review of Soulmate, Volume 2 . Laurent reviewed Volume 1 last spring. So, let’s jump right into it – take it away, Laurent!

It is time for us to go back to the story of Qi, a Chinese lesbian teacher whose mind has been switched in time with her past teenage self. Will she then be able to save the woman she loves from the disease that is slowly killing her? Soulmate has been released as a webtoon, in Mandarin Chinese by Kuaikan Manhua and the printed version in French by Nazca Editions.

IN THE PRESENT : The relationship of Yuanzi and Qi was anonymously revealed on social networks, and by no one other than Xinjue, Qi’s student assistant. As the homophobic flame starts to rise online, Qi is temporarily laid off by her administration until the rumor calms down. For Teenage Qi, who is still struggling to adapt herself to an adult life in an adult body, the blow is hard. Her lover Yuanzi tries to calm her down by organizing a meeting with their old high school friends, only for Qi to ask to meet the only person she remembers from her teenage years that was supportive to her : her father. However, Teenage Qi learns that she hasn’t seen her father for seven years : when she came out to him while he was in a middle of his divorce, he overreacted and rejected her, pushing her to cut all ties with him in order to stay with Yuanzi. As Teenage Qi confronts her father about accepting her life of Yuanzi, she has an unexpected encounter with Chen Shuo, the boy who was in love with her during high school and was unable to express his feelings for her. Unknown to them, this encounter lead to a sudden change…

IN THE PAST : Adult Qi is still actively trying to date Yuanzi years before they became an official couple, in order to push her to be diagnosed and treated for the disease that will kill her 10 years later, and which Yuanzi is yet unaware she has. However, Adult Qi starts to see that things are changing from her memories and not in the way she expects it. First, a painting done by Yuanzi and inspired by Qi is stolen. Then, Chen Shuo confesses his love to her, something he never did in the original timeline. Hearing this, and thinking Qi may actually love Chen Shuo and think of her as nothing more than a friend, Yuanzi run away, leading to Qi chasing after her and hurting her ankle in the process. This accident allows for a long conversation between the two girls, in which finally Adult Qi confesses her true feelings for Yuanzi, further changing their past.

Let me be clear : a lot of things happen in those 200 pages. The story written by WenzhiLizi is gripping, rooted in everyday life and will speak to everyone, with all the characters being well developed and having a distinct personality. Most importantly, this development sheds a new light on the personality of two characters : Chen Shuo, who is finally revealed to have spend his whole life in the shadow of the love between Qi and Yuanzi, and is unable to move forward with his life ; and Xinjue, who is revealed to be secretly in love with Qi and, behind a friendly and helpful face, a manipulative personality who anonymously reveal Qi’s homosexuality online out of spite when she understands that her love will never be returned.

The struggle of Teenage Qi to adapt to adult life is paralleled in the way past Yuanzi learns to accept her own sexuality : both girls hide their true feelings and personality behind the mask of shyness, until they manage to accept their love for each other. In some ways, this is a classic ‘master and student’ story, with each of the main characters playing the opposite role in each of the different timelines. This is a story that had me totally hooked, the thin veil of sci-fi never hiding the beautiful slice of life I’ve read here.

ART : 7 – Keranbing’s art is still good looking, even with computer-colors (mind you, it was first designed to be read on cellphones and e-readers). It suits the story well, the only flaw I can find is that nearly all adult male characters don’t seem to have aged a bit during the 10 years gap between the two timelines : lucky bastards!

STORY : 8 – Even better than the first volume, with higher stakes and many twists. However, I think that the part about the forced coming out on social media is important but not as developed as I had hoped it would be. This is quite a problem in the real world, and it would have been interesting to see it tackled more deeply here.

CHARACTER : 9 – All characters get more fleshed out, even the secondary ones. More importantly, all motivations behind actions get explained. The past is changing, and with it the way each people see themselves and their place in the present little play.

SERVICE : 0 – Not even a kiss.

YURI : 10 – A lesbian time-traveling into the past to save the life of her lover and live happily ever long after with her : how more Yuri can you get ?

OVERALL: I won’t lie, I read it in a single take. While the sci-fi nerd that I am is quick to point out some small inconsistencies (time paradoxes, all the way!!), it never distracted me from the fact that this is a well written story, with charming characters that are easy to get attached to.

I can’t wait to read the third and final volume, for they all deserve their happy ending (yes, even poor Chen Shuo and jealous Xinjue!)

“to answer your question: the person I love is currently carrying me on her back.”

Erica here: Fantastic. I wonder what Volume 3 will bring! Thank you again, Laurent.

Hello and welcome to Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu! We have a brand new reviewer today and I’m very excited, because she’s reviewing a series that I loved in Japanese, but which has not made it to English. I reviewed the whole series in Japanese here on Okazu and found it complex and compelling. I hope our French-speakers in the audience will pick this series up. The mic is yours, Fraise!

In a few words: I am a historian (M.A.) specialized in popular and scientific representations in media, mainly newspapers. I write mostly non-fiction under my legal name but will occasionally dabble in fiction under my pen name. You can fine me on Twitter @aurantium.

“Loneliness is the human condition. Cultivate it. The way it tunnels into you allows your soul room to grow.  Never expect to outgrow loneliness. Never hope to find people who will understand you, someone to fill that space. An intelligent, sensitive person is the exception, the very great exception. If you expect to find people who will understand you, you will grow murderous with disappointment.”
                                                                                         – Janet Finch, White Oleander

« Rien ne vaut son chez-soi. »
“There’s no place like one’s home.”

During their college years, beautiful, poised Maya and “wild child” Michiru were a couple…depending on Michiru’s whims. Small and elusive, Michiru kept throwing herself in anyone’s arms, men and women alike, as if to try and get rid of something by doing so. Nonetheless, she often ended up finding Maya to the point of “squatting” in the same studio as her. Thus continued their strange but peaceful days, until Maya’s disappearance one fateful morning… Only for the woman to reappear five years later on Maya’s doorstep, accompanied by her young son, Yûta. The two women, still attached to each other, decide to live together again, the small makeshift family of three later completed by a fourth member: Nico, an actor with a mysterious connectionand a deep attachment to Yûta. Thus begins a new daily life for each one of them, between work, school, friendship and family.

Thus starts the first volume of Ohana Horohoro (オハナホロホロ), or rather Autour d’elles as it is called in French. A series published in Japan from 2008 to early 2014 inside Shôdensha editions’ Feel Young magazine (the same magazine that published Sakurazawa Erica’s Sheets no Sukima, Between the Sheets in English to give an example) and later in six volumes, it was later translated and distributed in French countries from 2020 to 2021 by Akata. A small note for international readers who may not know about the world of French manga publishers: created in 2001 by Dominique Véret, his wife Sylvie Véret Chang, Erwan Le Verger and Sahé Cibot, Akata is a publisher that, in the last couple of years, has been specializing itself in publishing mangas that deal with various societal topics, from LGBTQ+ topics (Ohana Holoholo, If We Were Adults, Boys Run the Riot) to disabilities (Perfect World, The Sound of my Soul), as well as sexual violence and abuse (Sensei’s Pious Lie). Autour d’elles also serves as the introduction of author Shino Torino to the French-language public, a rather atypical mangaka trying to stay away from formatted magazines so she can keep developing her personal artistic style, and who is recognized in Japan for her way of drawing very human and contemporary characters.

As mentioned before, this series was translated as Autour d’elles in French, which means “Around them”. And it is indeed a fitting title, for around our main “couple” gravitates several colorful characters: Yûta, Michiru’s quiet and sensitive young son, who loves pudding, rocks and Giga Rangers; Nico, their womanizing downstairs neighbor, who can be seen almost constantly squatting in their apartment; and finally  Kuwabara “Hidesuke” Eisuke, an old classmate of Maya that Michiru nicknames “Uglysuke” (Hideuxsuke in the French text). These three  characters (for now) all exist around the pair, and each are given an agreeable degree of characterization, to the point they seem more like full-fleshed characters in their own right, rather than fodder to help our two heroines develop. This first volume also hints at each of them having their own arc and story, in which Maya and Michiru play a prominent role (Yûta) or a more subtle one (Nico, Hidesuke).

From the get-go, one of the most interesting aspects of this series are the visual. Torino succeeds at creating a unique slice-of-life tone that can mix humor and melancholy in the same page thanks to an intertwined narration (where we follow both the characters’ actions and their thoughts) and using black bands to bring out the thoughts. The backgrounds are detailed, small secondary texts adorn various pages, all seem suit to accompany what can only be described as a rich and rather complex narrative, which manages to hit right in the heart. As for the characters, Torino showcases here multiple warm silhouettes with multiple facial expressions, and with emotions that can be deliciously exaggerated in the funniest of ways. The best examples of this are Nico constantly gagging over Yûta, Michiru’s jealous fit over Maya and Hidesuke reconnecting, and finally Yûta with his bright eyes filled with sparks of wonder when happy, and the sorrow in them when sad.

And yet, in spite of all the gorgeous details, Torino also succeeds at crafting an incredible story, with a very specific topic at its center: family, or rather the (imagined, occasionally dramaticized) reality of a blended family, to which Torino adds an LGBTQ+ element via its heroines, who still love each other without resuming a relationship together (they are just roommates for now, keyword: for now), and who come to occupy both a role of mom to Yûta, with Nico acting as something along the lines of a big brother/friendly uncle. With this first volume, Torino also  shows up the formation of this new unit, as well as its ups and downs, like in any family out there.

And now, it comes down to Maya and Michiru, our main couple… Or rather, duo, for the women have agreed not to resume a relationship.  Although we are told that they used to be together in the past, the first volume shows us exactly why this relationship might have fallen apart, with a Michiru who seems afraid of loneliness and starved for affection, to the point where she literally runs away with Yûta to her  mother’s house the moment she considers that Maya and Hidesuke might start dating after spotting them having a conversation. This all  escalates to an hilarious scene where she takes refuge alongside Yûta at Nico’s apartment, attempting to convince the young man to marry her if Maya decides to go forward with Hidesuke. Needless to say, Nico refuses, for his own reasons and also because he is aware that Michiru is acting on the count of loneliness and despair.

Maya might seem more poised at first sight, the more responsible of the two, yet she has her own demons as well. She does not trust Michiru at all, often acting more like a mother or big sister than a roommate or romantic partner. The first chapter showcases it well, with her literally scolding Michiru for acting up like a child when she throws a tantrum over Yûta and Nico eating her beloved pudding. And yet, she is just as lonely as her roommate, affirming inside her mind that she deserves to be. That Michiru keeps running away from her because she cannot provide the affection the other woman is looking for. It is therefore obvious to the reader that resuming the relationship can only end up in disaster once more, in spite of how much both women want to… Thus giving Torino enough room in the future to develop both characters, and bring them in a position to enter a much healthier relationship with one another than the first

And yet, for now, one cannot help but root for them… And with a scene like the one that closes our first chapter, with both women leaning over each other as the sun rises, who could resist?

Concerning the French edition, the translation from Japanese to French was done by Jordan Sinnes (who also worked on the French language edition of Even Though We’re Adults, also published by Akata) who succeeds in translating, in Molière’s language, the different atmospheres and emotions of the original Japanese text. The quality of the paper and the printing are also remarkable, despite a couple of pages that are a little transparent. The cover is also very soft to the touch, and this first volumes opens up with a gorgeous first page in full color,
depicting the small family having dinner.

Ratings:

ART – 9 : Shino Torino’s art is incredible, and has been praised in both her native country and in French language press alike. One thing to note, she used to be a chief assistant to her friend Chica Umino (March comes in like a Lion, Honey and Clover), with whom she has collaborated more than once on various fanzines. Thus, many publications cannot help but compare the two, albeit I’d argue both women have distinctive styles.
STORY – 8 : the first volume does an amazing job at establishing the world, the characters, their relationships, and so on, while also establishing the foundation of the main storyline, with Hidesuke’s resurgence in Maya’s life being the trigger.
CHARACTERS – 8 : As mentioned, each character feels rounded, with virtues and flaws alike. An extra point goes to Yûta, who is probably amongst the cutest kids in manga.
SERVICE – 3 : Michiru is shown nude once in a brief moment in the first chapter, and topless multiple times in the first bonus story. Said topless scene includes details such as nipples, but in a non-sexual manner. I’d even argue there is something compelling, even beautiful about her naked half, and Maya seems to agree.
YURI – 8 : Michiru and Maya were a couple once, and the manga explicitly hints at both women’s desire to resume their relationship. As a side-note, Michiru and Maya, as well as Nico are all bisexual, and Nico and Maya are said to have dated both men and women. Maya, for her
part, has chemistry with Hidesuke, and was in a relationship with Michiru before her disappearance.

OVERALL – 8 (puddings out of 10)

Autour d’elles, on Akata’s website (French only):
French edition, on Amazon.fr
French edition, on Amazon.ca
Japanese edition of Ohana HoloHolo (), on Amazon.co.jp

Erica here: A fabulously in-depth review, thank you Fraise! This series really blew me away in Japanese and I am so very excited for French Yuri fans to be able to read it! This has a good old classic 00s Jousei feel and Torino’s art is solid Feel Young gold. Vous êtes tous tellement chanceux!