Archive for the Guest Review Category


If We Leave on the Dot, Guest Review by Patricia Baxter

February 23rd, 2022

Hello and welcome to another Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu! I am super excited to welcome a new guest reviewer to our blog. Patricia has been an enthusiastic YNN Correspondent and now I am super pleased to have her as part of our Guest Review staff! Please give Patricia a warm, Okazu welcome! Kind comments are always appreciated. ^_^

My name is Patricia Baxter (she/her). I am a bisexual autistic writer who has previously written articles concerning how media represents different marginalized communities. You can find more of my work through my personal website “Autistic Observations”.

Yukawa Kayoko is a quiet thirty-one-year-old woman working in an office building, who typically hangs up her winter coat on the office coat rack rather than place it behind her chair. Through a series of coincidences, Kayoko finds that a co-worker, outgoing twenty-six-year-old Mizuki Kaori, has accidentally placed her apartment keys into Kayoko’s coat pocket. After this chance encounter, the two women begin to see each other frequently after work, keeping in touch and planning outings by leaving each other notes in their coat pockets. As these meetings progress, Kayoko finds herself surprised to discover that her feelings for Kaori extend far beyond friendship, and, in a moment of courage, confesses her feelings to Kaori. Thus begins this series focusing on the tender romance between two working women.

Inui Ayu’s If We Leave on the Dot is the yuri manga equivalent of cotton candy. Kayoko and Kaori are two extremely cute, nearly permanently blushing, women who wear consistently adorable outfits and eat consistently delicious-looking food together. Every chapter had at least one moment that made me feel at ease, thanks to the various expressions of love felt and displayed by the couple and the embodiment of that love by enjoying the pleasures of everyday life together.

Kayoko and Kaori are probably one of the sweetest pairings I’ve read in a romance manga, yuri or otherwise. Their relationship is built on mutual love and trust that is palpable with each chapter of the manga. And when the few instances of low self-esteem and jealousy creep up on the pair, instead of letting the negative feelings fester for an absurd number of chapters (as some romance manga are wont to do), they have emotionally honest discussions about their feelings, which help maintain and strengthen their partnership. It’s refreshing to read such a wonderful example of an emotionally mature relationship, with a couple able to weather through such relatable insecurities and doubts.

This is made even more intriguing by the fact that the majority of the series focuses on the relationship between two women who are very clearly adults who are established in their careers. While there are quite a few examples of yuri manga focusing on the lives of adult women, a lot of series focus on the lives of university students, or women in their early twenties. For Kayoko to experience her first major romantic relationship at thirty-one, is very reassuring for any readers in their thirties, as it can still be rather difficult to find romances focusing on women older than twenty-something.

Alongside If We Leave on the Dot’s many positive achievements, it is also noteworthy for how it addresses the topic of Kayoko and Kaori’s sexualities. When the series takes time for the couple to think about sexuality, it is typically are less about Kayoko and Kaori’s individual sexual identities and personal self-discovery, and more about how other people will react to or perceive their relationship. One example of this occurs during a company celebration, where Kayako mentions that she is in a relationship and loves her partner very much, but aside from those vague mentions, cannot go in-depth in describing her partner to her colleagues, despite sitting right next to the person she loves. Instead, Kayoko and Kaori have to share a quiet, tender moment, holding hands under the table, hiding in plain sight from their co-workers. Not long after this Kaori goes to meet up with her close friends, despite feeling happy talking about her relationship with Kayoko, she feels “Tired…from dodging their questions”, as she had to misdirect her friends by calling Kayoko her “boyfriend”.

This is a rather massive contrast in comparison to a lot of fluffy yuri romances, where the closest thing to an examination into LGBTQ+ issues is the main character(s) briefly getting confronted by the heteronormative expectations society places on women, and even then it is only there as a cursory issue. Instead of placing her characters in a bubble separated from the struggles of the real world, Inui’s If We Leave on the Dot takes time to showcase and legitimize the frustrations and exhaustion that queer women experience on a regular basis.

With its relaxing and down-to-Earth depictions of the everyday life of a same-gender couple, If We Leave on the Dot is one of my all-time favourite yuri romances that I highly recommend.

Ratings:

Art: 7.5

Story: 8

Characters: 9

Service: 0 for the first three volumes, 2 for volume 4 (due to a bathhouse trip and the couple beginning to sexually explore each other’s bodies in a manner that is sincere rather than salacious)

Yuri: 10

Overall: 9

If We Leave on the Dot is currently only available through the online manga subscription service Manga Planet, though the first chapter is free to read. There is a range of options for subscribing to the service depending on reader preference.

Erica here: Thank you so much Patricia! I agree with everything you’ve said. The mood between Kaori and Kayoko is very relaxing and warm. I loved all four volumes of the series in Japanese, Teiji ni Ageretara. That was my first taste of Inui Ayu’s work  – work that I continues to enjoy. Her autobiographical series, currently running in Comic Yuri Hime, Kyou mo Hitotsu Yane no Shita, has much the same warm, fuzzy feeling, with a bit more LGBTQ+ identity.





Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, Volume 2, Guest Review by Luce

February 9th, 2022

It’s Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu and again we welcome back Luce for continuing coverage of Eri Ejima’s school life series!

In volume one, we met Mitsuki Aya, a girl who had given up fighting games prior to joining a posh game-banning school on schloarship, and ‘Shirayuri-sama’, a girl who is highly revered for her poise and elegance… And just so happens to love fighting games! The two embark on matches together, but their previous safe haven had been locked. They can game outside at the weekends if the weather is good, but that’s not good enough!

Thus, in volume two of Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, we see them try to find a place indoors where they will be able to game. There happens to be an empty room with a broken lock, but just when they think it’s safe, there’s a knock on the door… The Dormitory Affairs Committee!

The second volume is as daft as the first, but we gain some teammates. One isn’t so good at fighting games – or rather, has become disillusioned with losing to online players, and they set her to training. The other craftily joined the committee so she could have a single room and therefore game to get hearts content. Those closest to the law, and all. With the four of them in one of the Dorm Affair senpai’s room, they are free to game. And game they do. Surely that lack of sleep has got to catch up with them?!

Amusingly, who we thought was called Shirayuri-sama… actually isn’t called that at all. It’s a nickname unwillingly given to her by the gushing school girls: she’s actually called Yorue Mio, and Aya’s agreement to use her name makes her pretty happy, but also opens up rumours around school that they might be dating. We have in-universe yuri shippers. This flies over their heads because they’re far more concerned with mentally strategising about beating each other to a pulp (in their fighting game).

There is a lot of fighting game talk in here. I’ve never played fighting games, but I have played some other games, so some concepts are more foreign to me than others. For the people not in the know, there are notes peppered around if something can be easily explained, but at the end of each chapter, there’s a more thorough debrief of the concepts included, so you don’t feel too alienated by the talk. It’s actually nice to see someone doing a manga around something they are clearly passionate about – and choosing to do it with notes helps with not having heavy exposition laden text. I applaud that decision, as conversation flows better, and means we don’t have to have the token newbie who knows nothing like usual. 

The art, as ever, cracks me up. It feels very real to have two teenagers complaining that they’re going to die if they can only game at the weekend. It’s actually really nice to see those tumultuous emotions not applied to romance. As for romance, clearly their schoolmates think they’re dating. They clearly aren’t, and I’m on the fence, but it’s so self-aware of it looking like a romance that I could probably see someone getting together at least. Maybe those senpais…?

I’m enjoying this series a lot more than I thought I would, starting out. It’s ridiculous, but in a good way.

Story – 7 (now I think about it manga about girls gaming feels kind of rare?)
Art – 8
Service – 3? Aya is in a bath, but it’s never purposely salacious.  
Yuri – 5? The in universe shippers certainly think something is going on, but some frames…
Overall – 9

I think this is actually one of my favourite new series coming out at the moment! I’m looking forwards to more. Next time: a tournament! Looking forward to seeing how these girls practice and sneak out of school for that one. 

 
 




If You Could See Love, Volume 1, Guest Review by Day

January 26th, 2022

Hello and welcome to another Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu. I’m extremely pleased to welcome back one of our long-time reviewers, Day! Please give Day your kind attention and don;’t forget to show some love in the comments. Day will be looking at If You Could See Love, Volume 1, by Yeren Mikami, which is out now in Digital format from Yen Press. Day, the floor is yours!

Ever since she can remember, teenager Mei Haruno has been afflicted with a weird ability – she can tell who is in love with whom because that affection appears as a pink arrow to her. The distracting nature of this aside, it’s gotten her into trouble in the past because it’s led to her meddling in other people’s would-be relationships, leading to her own social isolation. Hoping to get away from having to see all these arrows and get a fresh start, she enrolls in a girls’ high school… only to realize that not only are there loads of girls into girls, but that two of them are into her. And they’re both her roommates. Shenanigans and bathtimes ensue.

When I originally planned to write this review, I sat down, opened a word processor… and stared blankly at the screen, as I realized that, despite having read this within the past month, beyond the broadest outlines, I’d completely forgotten what happened in this manga. I did remember that it was a bit bland and not very good, and that there was something to do with love arrows, but that was about it. So, I cracked it open again, and this time I took notes. All of which is a lengthy way to say – this is a really forgettable opening volume. And, wow, my brain sure blurred my recollection of just how wildly stupid the premise and its execution is.
 
Mei is a fairly standard issue manga heroine, her personality lining up with what one could guess from her hair color (energetic, cheerful, not very bright). But did I say cheerful? Oh, how could I forget her dark past (pissing people off by telling their crushes they have crushes on them) that’s made her swear off romance?! Her admirers, friend Sayo and Rinna, are likewise not particularly distinct. Sayo is the childhood friend Mei hasn’t seen in years, and, yes, of course the girl has spent the intervening time pining for Mei… as well as growing very large breasts. Rinna meanwhile is tsundere-ish, and has met Mei previously, although Mei doesn’t remember this; the manga doesn’t quite come right out and say it, but there’s an implication that she’s also been yearning away for our lead for some unknown amount of time before coming across her again.
 
Despite Mei’s repeated insistence that she’ll never pursue romance because of her very sad past, its crystal clear by volume’s end that this is going to resolve itself in a three-way relationship… which is one of the few things I’d give the manga points for. I don’t care much about these girls, but this actually seems the natural direction for the relationship to move in. The other item I’ll grant credit for is that the manga uses the color pink in its otherwise black and white visual scheme to make things like those love arrows, hearts, and cherry blossoms really pop off the page.
 
I’d be hard-pressed to recommend this one, even to the most diehard fans of schoolgirl yuri (goodness knows there’s plenty better series featuring that available in English). It’s aggressively bland, with a bone-deep stupidity to the premise that is never elevated by the writing, nor are the characters engaging enough to make it worth enduring. 
 
Oh, it may go without saying, but there really is NO sense of queer identity whatsoever in this one. Also, I loathe the cover.
 
Ratings:
Art – 6 (its polished while also completely not to my tastes; I smirked over fact that adult characters are indistinguishable design-wise from the teenagers)
Story – 5
Characters – 5  
Service – 4 (surprisingly not pervasive but there is a very extended bathing scene early on)
Yuri – 7 (well, it’s definitely yuri, even if it’s very silly yuri)
 

Overall – 5

Erica here: Thank you so much, for this review, as much for taking one for the team as for giving me a critically needed evening off. ^_^  I’ll be honest, I do not favor Teren Mikami’s work, so wasn’t feeling enthusiastic about this. Blob heads. So thank you for the honest review!

 




Lovestruck, A Post-Mortem by Paul E.

January 12th, 2022

Welcome to the first Guest Review Wednesday of the year! As a bonus, we have a new reviewer, Paul! Paul contacted me last summer to write this review and time got away from both of us and then stuff happened…primarily, it was announced that Lovestruck will be shuttered. So here we are with a review for something that is now soon to be gone. A post-mortem, if you like. So please welcome Paul… and, take it away!

 
Hello everyone! I’m Paul, and this is my first review for Okazu.

Lovestruck by Voltage is a collection of visual novel style stories, available for Android and iOS. After I began writing this review, Voltage Entertainment USA announced on December 30, 2021, that it was shutting down. January 7, 2022, would be the last day of new content. On January 24, 2022, Lovestruck gets removed from all stores. And on March 31, 2022, all services for Lovestruck will end.

This is a loss, as I feel there were many things Lovestruck did that were supportive of LGBTQIA+ life, as well as having excellent writing.

If I had to sum Lovestruck up with two words, they would be consent and representation. It is truly a wonder to behold how important consent is to the routes. The amount of representation, especially in the newer routes, is also spectacular. While every story has at least one non-white romance option (non-human in Love & Legends [L&L]), eventually there is room for non-white MCs. There is also a lot of trans representation, though none as your romantic partner.

A third word, acceptance, is omnipresent in all but two of the oldest series, To Love and Protect (TLaP) and Speakeasy Tonight (ST). TLaP has antagonism towards same-sex relationships as a plot point in Madison’s route, while ST takes place in the 1920s, so Julius (a Black man) and Sofia (a woman)’s routes deal prominently with the societal aspects of their relationships. Otherwise, there is no angst about the romances. I think that one of the most fantastical elements of the stories is that every non-cis character gets no discussion about being non-cis. Everyone treats it as what it is: perfectly normal. Even Satan, JD’s dad in Havenfall is for Lovers (HifL), has nothing to say about JD being non-binary. It’s refreshing that it is treated as such a non-issue, although unrealistic, perhaps, in that nobody ever makes a misgendering mistake.

The Main Character (MC) is always a bisexual woman whose name you get to choose. Two recent series have added a gay male MC option. All series provide at least one woman as your romantic partner, and later series add more and more women. There are also four non-binary characters as romance options.

These stories are more like kinetic novels than visual novels. The choice of romantic partner is made by beginning the series. No choices made after that will have any affect on the state of the relationship. There are dialogue choices that you can make, but nothing will change the relationship.

And then there is what Voltage uses to make money: Heart Choices. These are special choices that cost in-game currency, Hearts. It is very difficult to get enough Hearts just through gameplay and not actual money. Without Hearts, you won’t do as many cool things, see as many cool things, or have as many sex scenes. There are also images you won’t get, though the need to spend Hearts to see images has tapered off.

The sex scenes you use Hearts to get will occasionally go beyond “vanilla” sex, such as BDSM and wax. If that’s not your thing, it’s easy to avoid. If it is your thing, you have to pay for it.

The writing is excellent overall, having lots of humor to contrast with the sometimes absolutely dire situations the MCs will get themselves into. Editing has gotten better, but I still see the occasional “woah” instead of “whoa”, and it’s absurd how long it took them to use “[Name] and me” instead of “[Name] and I” when used as an object.

Being a visual novel with content restrictions, the sex scenes never mention body parts beyond “breasts.” The writers get pretty creative though, often making it quite clear what is going on.

Since this is now a post-mortem, I will add my thoughts in why it is being abandoned.

I think early problems suppressed later enthusiasm. The first stories had choices that changed what image you got in the final chapter (Castaway! Love’s Adventure [CLA], Gangsters in Love [GiL], and Astoria: Fate’s Kiss [AFK]). There were a lot of images that only got unlocked by spending Hearts (TLaP and ST). Villainous Nights (VN) had some choices that were timed (though kudos for having the first PoC main character). A lot of the later series failed to gain popularity and had rushed endings to wrap up storylines. Which is probably an improvement over ending a Season with a cliffhanger and a “To Be Continued” final image that was never fulfilled (GiL, Sweet Enchantments [SE], TLaP, ST, and some Starship Promise [SP] stories). And ultimately, they probably over-extended themselves by having an update schedule that promised three new episodes every day. 

In conclusion, this was an overall excellent collection of stories with some fantastic elements, but that wasn’t enough to save it.

Ratings:

Art: 7+ (though some illustrations in L&L suffer from Cheeky Mouth)
Story: 7–9
Music: 6+ Even the most repetitive tracks grew on me.
Characters: I love them all.
Service: 3 going by illustrations alone, but the text can get pretty steamy, even with euphemisms.

LGBTQIA+: 10 Every heroine is explicitly bisexual, and there are very few love interests that are straight. There are also non-binary love interests. All male heroes are gay.

Overall: 9, but the gameplay drops it to a 7 (wait time to get Tickets to play more episodes, spending Hearts to get illustrations and more story).

E here: Thanks so much Paul, I appreciate the look at a different game environment!
 





semelparous, Volume 1, Guest Review by G-Man

December 8th, 2021

Welcome back to Okazu on Guest Review Wednesday!  I am so excited to welcome another brand new Guest Reviewer today. If you’re a regular reader, you know what my opinion of semelparous is, so I asked around for someone else who finds it entertaining to review semelparous, Volume 1, for us. (This is an Amazon affiliate link, since this has not been added to the Yuricon Store)  ^_^ Please give G-Man with a warm Okazu welcome. ^_^

I’ve been a fan of the “giant monster destruction” genre since childhood, especially those good ol’ Godzilla movies. Now that I’ve also become a fan of the yuri genre, when I heard that two of my favorite things had come together in a big action-packed package known as semelparous, Volume 1,  words failed to describe my excitement. A manga with strong gay ladies kicking giant monster butt? What more could one ask for? Well…

Colossal beings from a parallel world called “kaiju” are attempting to break through the wall that separates our worlds, presumably to wipe us out. Yorino Aratsugu and her best friend Haruka are training to be “bouhekishi” (or “barrier specialist”), superpowered soldiers who fight the kaiju in the pocket space between dimensions. The two are always at the top of their class, but on their first real mission, Haruka is killed in action. Distraught and fueled with anger, Yorino vows to exterminate the kaiju herself, and it seems the only one who can bring her back down to earth before she gets herself killed is her new partner, Captain Youko Kaminoi.

Based on that synopsis alone, I’m sure most of, if not all of you, are already drawing parallels to Attack on Titan; big humanoid monsters trying to break through a wall to destroy humanity, an eager young protagonist who becomes an angsty edgelord after someone close to them is killed by said monsters, soldiers who flip and twirl around a cityscape to fight the monsters with cool weapons, etc. Not to mention there’s a twist in a later chapter, which I won’t spoil for anyone interested in reading, that pretty much seals the comparison. However, the big difference is that semelparous fails to deliver its story and worldbuilding with any of the nuance that Titan did.

semelparous suffers from a severe case of tell-don’t-show. When we’re not in the midst of a high-stakes action scene, we’re listening to bulky exposition dumps, telling us what things are, how things work, or who characters are and what their feats/motives are, rather than letting us figure that out through visuals and the characters’ actions and personalities. While there are a handful of solid moments, such as Yorino making new friends at school or her exchanges and banter with Youko, they are few and far between amidst all the explaining.

And what about those characters? Yorino seems to be on track for what TV Tropes would call a “break the cutie” arc, in that she starts out innocent and naive but slowly starts to get horrific events piled onto her conscience; Haruka’s death, the aforementioned plot twist, and potentially those new school friends who have death flags by the truckload. However, she’s still able to open up occasionally and not let hatred become her entire personality. Youko has that typical “anime best friend” energy, in that she’s very outgoing and somewhat airheaded, but as a higher-ranked bouhekishi she has baggage of her own and some dark secrets. Like many anime BFFs though, she can be a bit too touchy-feely for comfort at times, and some will likely be annoyed by her lack of respect for personal space, particularly in one shower scene. Other than the two leads, there aren’t really many standouts as of this first volume.

Now let’s discuss the elephant in the room: the artstyle. It should be noted first that the author, Ogino Jun, is a hentai artist. One look at their artworks and doujinshi is a clear indication of that. As such, semelparous’ character designs, i.e. the female characters, are all drawn as Barbie dolls with balloons strapped to their chests. Their “combat outfits” are skin-tight, yet still manage to emphasize their assets. Even when the girls are out of combat, it seems like their clothes are a size too small to the point where the fabric visibly strains at the buttons. There’s jiggle physics, panty shots, shredded clothes, girls standing with their hips jutted out for no reason… the works. It’ll undoubtedly be laughable and distracting to most readers, and outright offensive to others. But if you’re numb to this sort of thing like I am, then you may find the art at least halfway decent. Character designs are very same-face, and backgrounds are nothing special, but where it really shines are the action scenes. Jun has a knack for dynamic poses, exciting choreography and angles that make our heroes look badass. The kaiju, while somewhat generic in design, are still quite intimidating and drawn in a way that makes their size and power felt. These parts were the highlight of the manga and admittedly got my blood pumping from time to time. Jun clearly has strengths, but their style won’t be for everyone.

In terms of yuri content, Yorino and Youko are obviously the main romance. While there likely won’t be a committed relationship between them for some time, what with all the trauma and monster attacks on their hands, the chemistry is definitely there. Yorino is stuck in an emotional rut, and Youko is doing her best to bring her out of it so they can both live their best lives should they be killed in action the next day. Yorino is also the resident gay disaster, constantly blushing at affection from both Youko and her friend Haruka before her passing. It’s rather amusing when she tries to be the brooding loner, only to turn into a stuttering mess when faced with Youko’s flirting.

Ratings

Art – 6 (when discounting the ridiculous proportions, 5 when counting them)
Story – 3 (delightfully dumb, but derivative and over-expository)
Characters – 6 (basic but still fun and plenty of potential for development)
Service – 9 (but for all the wrong reasons)
Yuri – 7 (starts taking off at the end, but mostly just teasing and blushing for now)

Overall – 5 (If you’re looking for something thought-provoking and emotionally riveting, this ain’t it. Though you might get some enjoyment and a few laughs if you turn your brain off)

semelparous, Volume 1 is out now from Seven Seas, Volume 2 hits shelves in February,

Erica here: Thank you so much for taking a crack at this and giving it a fair review. 

I haven’t taken a look at it at all, so I can’t comment on the localization team, but since this is from Seven Seas, I imagine they are doing the best job possible, as they usually do.