Archive for the Guest Review Category


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 ā€“ 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, itā€™s gotten her into trouble in the past because itā€™s led to her meddling in other peopleā€™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 girlsā€™ high schoolā€¦ only to realize that not only are there loads of girls into girls, but that two of them are into her. And theyā€™re both her roommates. Shenanigans and bathtimes ensue.

When I originally planned to write this review, I sat down, opened a word processorā€¦ and stared blankly at the screen, as I realized that, despite having read this within the past month, beyond the broadest outlines, Iā€™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 ā€“ 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) thatā€™s made her swear off romance?! Her admirers, friend Sayo and Rinna, are likewise not particularly distinct. Sayo is the childhood friend Mei hasnā€™t seen in years, and, yes, of course the girl has spent the intervening time pining for Meiā€¦ as well as growing very large breasts. Rinna meanwhile is tsundere-ish, and has met Mei previously, although Mei doesnā€™t remember this; the manga doesnā€™t quite come right out and say it, but thereā€™s an implication that sheā€™s also been yearning away for our lead for some unknown amount of time before coming across her again.
 
Despite Meiā€™s repeated insistence that sheā€™ll never pursue romance because of her very sad past, its crystal clear by volumeā€™s end that this is going to resolve itself in a three-way relationshipā€¦ which is one of the few things Iā€™d give the manga points for. I donā€™t care much about these girls, but this actually seems the natural direction for the relationship to move in. The other item Iā€™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.
 
Iā€™d be hard-pressed to recommend this one, even to the most diehard fans of schoolgirl yuri (goodness knows thereā€™s plenty better series featuring that available in English). Itā€™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 ā€“ 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 ā€“ 5
Characters ā€“ 5  
Service ā€“ 4 (surprisingly not pervasive but there is a very extended bathing scene early on)
Yuri ā€“ 7 (well, itā€™s definitely yuri, even if itā€™s very silly yuri)
 

Overall ā€“ 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! Iā€™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 Madisonā€™s route, while ST takes place in the 1920s, so Julius (a Black man) and Sofia (a woman)ā€™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, JDā€™s dad in Havenfall is for Lovers (HifL), has nothing to say about JD being non-binary. Itā€™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 wonā€™t do as many cool things, see as many cool things, or have as many sex scenes. There are also images you wonā€™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 ā€œvanillaā€ sex, such as BDSM and wax. If thatā€™s not your thing, itā€™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 ā€œwoahā€ instead of ā€œwhoaā€, and itā€™s absurd how long it took them to use ā€œ[Name] and meā€ instead of ā€œ[Name] and Iā€ when used as an object.

Being a visual novel with content restrictions, the sex scenes never mention body parts beyond ā€œbreasts.ā€ 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! Loveā€™s Adventure [CLA], Gangsters in Love [GiL], and Astoria: Fateā€™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 ā€œTo Be Continuedā€ 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 wasnā€™t enough to save it.

Ratings:

Art: 7+ (though some illustrations in L&L suffer from Cheeky Mouth)
Story: 7ā€“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. ^_^

Iā€™ve been a fan of the ā€œgiant monster destructionā€ genre since childhood, especially those good olā€™ Godzilla movies. Now that Iā€™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? Wellā€¦

Colossal beings from a parallel world called ā€œkaijuā€ 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 ā€œbouhekishiā€ (or ā€œbarrier specialistā€), 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, Iā€™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 thereā€™s a twist in a later chapter, which I wonā€™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-donā€™t-show. When weā€™re not in the midst of a high-stakes action scene, weā€™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 charactersā€™ 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 ā€œbreak the cutieā€ arc, in that she starts out innocent and naive but slowly starts to get horrific events piled onto her conscience; Harukaā€™s death, the aforementioned plot twist, and potentially those new school friends who have death flags by the truckload. However, sheā€™s still able to open up occasionally and not let hatred become her entire personality. Youko has that typical ā€œanime best friendā€ energy, in that sheā€™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 arenā€™t really many standouts as of this first volume.

Now letā€™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, semelparousā€™ character designs, i.e. the female characters, are all drawn as Barbie dolls with balloons strapped to their chests. Their ā€œcombat outfitsā€ 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. Thereā€™s jiggle physics, panty shots, shredded clothes, girls standing with their hips jutted out for no reasonā€¦ the works. Itā€™ll undoubtedly be laughable and distracting to most readers, and outright offensive to others. But if youā€™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 wonā€™t be for everyone.

In terms of yuri content, Yorino and Youko are obviously the main romance. While there likely wonā€™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. Itā€™s rather amusing when she tries to be the brooding loner, only to turn into a stuttering mess when faced with Youkoā€™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 youā€™re looking for something thought-provoking and emotionally riveting, this ainā€™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.

 





Otherside Picnic, Volume 6, Guest Review by Sandy F.

December 1st, 2021

Welcome back to Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu. We’ve had 17 guest Reviews this year, 10 of them since September. Thank you so much to our Okazu Patrons for making this increase possible! I’m super excited to have more voices on Okazu and different perspectives for work I like (and works I don’t! Hint, hint: tune in next week. ^_^)

In the meantime, welcome back Sandy F. with a look at the most recent release in one of my favorite scifi-horror series. Take it away, Sandy!

Otherside Picnic Volume 6, out now from J-Novel Club, starts with Sorawo and it quickly becomes clear that something has happened to her. We discover she has lost her memory and her connection with the Otherside and the people she knows through that connection. Though she hasnā€™t lost her appreciation of Torikoā€™s beauty.

So begins what is a change from Iori Miyazawaā€™s usual approach for Otherside Picnic. Instead of a collection of Files, we have one narrative. And much of the actions happens in our world, with a number of trips into Interstitial Space, a phenomena we have encountered before. And Hah! there is a new player, T, for Templeborn, who pursues Sorawo and others involved in the exploration of the Otherside.

In this File of Otherside Picnic we follow various encounters between T for Templeborn, Sorawo, Toriko and others as they confront Tā€™s agenda, with chase scenes and quite a bit of action including a trip to the DS Facility. The glimpses of Interstitial Space are fascinating and mysterious. But I felt that Interstitial Space is more of a distorted reflection of our world, and I missed the Otherside and its glimpses of mysteries beyond human understanding.

There is only one substantial scene in the Otherside and to me it was like a tweet from the Yuri Manga Bot, a twitter account that suggests Yuri plot ideas. In this scene we witness Sorawo and Toriko sharing in the joy of construction. A delightful scene and a reminder that as well as its terrors, the Otherside is a haven and a place of connection for Toriko and Sorawo.

In this File we continue to follow Sorawo and her tentative progress of confronting her own personal terror, personal relationships. There were a few Sorawo and Toriko scenes when I squeed just a little bit. They are definitely making some progress, with Sorawo surprising Toriko, and me, with her willingness to be more open about how much Toriko means to her.

I also appreciated watching Sorawo deepen her relationships with other people. For example, in a conversation between Sorawo and Akari ā€˜Karatekaā€™ Seto, Sorawo confronts the disturbing reality that despite what she may think of herself, people might want to get to know her and like her.

And we are also given some glimpses of Torikoā€™s childhood that I believe gives us insights to why she enjoys exploring the Otherside with Sorawo.

One quibble I had was I thought this File was a bit busy with other characters such as the reintroduction of Runa Urumi as well as the girl from File 19. Sometimes I wondered if their role was to fill some space in the story, rather than contribute to the narrative itself.

The art was an interesting mix of action shots and characters, with more evocative images thrown into the mix. One with Akari I found particularly haunting.

I enjoyed the translation, especially the odd British word or phrase a feature that I associate with this series.
All in all, a great read, as always worth the wait. And now after the recent release of the album cover for Volume 7, the wait begins for the next great read!

Ratings:

Story – 8
Character – 9
Service – 4
Yuri – 7

Overall – 9

Erica here: Thank you Sandy! For me, the most impactful part of the series is that stunning opening, which really calls everything into question.

And, of course, since that amazing cover to Volume 7 was released, we’re all looking forward to the next book. ^_^ It hits Japanese shelves in a few weeks and I expect we’ll be hearing more about that soon from J-Novel Club. ^_^