Archive for the Guest Review Category


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.

 





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 hasn’t lost her appreciation of Toriko’s beauty.

So begins what is a change from Iori Miyazawa’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 T’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 ‘Karateka’ 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 Toriko’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. ^_^





Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games! Volume 1, Guest Review by Luce

November 17th, 2021

Cover image of the manga Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games by Eri EjimaI’m Luce, several time reviewer here and long-time book collector who is very much a tsundoku exhibiting person. I’ve been reading my manga though, including this one, a small gem from Seven Seas who are probably my new favourite company. Not that I really have those, but they do a lot of Yuri. I’ll ignore some of the other series they do. Anyhow! I can be found on the Okazu discord as farfetched, and on tumblr as silverliningslurk. Ready, fight!

In Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, Mitsuki Aya is one of the only new students in Kuromi Girls Academy, a prestigious private school, attending on a scholarship. She’s trying her utmost act as ladylike as the other (mostly rich) girls in the school, but none more so than Shirayuri, the epitome of elegant grace and another new student. At least… That’s what everyone thinks, including Aya, until she catches her late at night not only playing fighting games, but violently trash-talking the person she just trounced. Outing herself as a gamer to Shirayuri accidentally, Aya is asked to join a match, but she’s given them up – or at least, tried to. Aya’s own previous obsession with fighting games and a new-found rivalry between the two aside, there’s a big problem here – all games are banned at the school!

It sounds ridiculous. It kind of is ridiculous. It clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously, with the name ‘Shirayuri’ (literally white lily) being pointed out in the translation as something incredibly flowery and a highly unusual Japanese name. But it’s good. The way that Shirayuri flips on a coin from a lovely girl held on a pedestal to someone downright crass is funny, and some of the responses to things that Aya says are hilarious. For example, Aya starts saying how she eschewed fighting games to become a ‘proper lady’ and all this noble speak… And Shirayuri basically responds with ‘wtf you talking about, fight me’.

That’s pretty refreshing, honestly. Shirayuri clearly has no intention of leaving something she loves to fully become the mask she portrays everywhere else, and doesn’t see why Aya is so hung up on this ideal. They have several virtual matches, which are pretty well drawn and narrated as such by Aya’s thoughts, breaking down her predictions and actions in a way that feels pretty smooth and close to what I feel like a slow motion fight scene would feel like. They get caught… and their escape is just as ridiculous and funny as the reactions. The series flips quite well between the elegant lady aesthetic and a caricatured ugliness of real emotion. The mangaka does both quite well.

As for yuri, well, I’m not 100% sure that it will be yuri, but if it is, it certainly won’t be something fluffy like Girlfriends. They’ll be fighting all the way along. But some of the scenes and panels on their own make me feel like this series could well go on a yuri-ish direction. There is clearly a lot of idol worship towards Shirayuri that could lean that way, but even other than that, some of the art just makes me think this will be yuri. Natsume, Aya’s roommate, clearly thinks they’re together. I mean, Shirayuri, her name aside, is introduced with lilies in the background. Bookwalker told me it’s yuri, so I’m going to believe it, since it feels too self-aware to not be.

Next volume, they decide they have to find something safe to game inside. I hope Aya comes to a revelation that she can enjoy things and be elegant, or just… enjoy things and not worry so much over what other people think. I’ll be looking forward to it.

Art – 8 – does both pretty and grotesque quite well. The comic violence in and occasionally out of the in-manga game is good.
Story – 6. It’s ridiculous. I have questions. But it’s fun.
Characters – 8
Service (level of salaciousness) – 2? Aya is in a form-fitting turtleneck at one point, but that’s about it, and it’s not played for anything. It’s also not a male-gaze type of form-fitting. The skirts are not magic, either.
Yuri – 4. For the moment.
Overall – 8

My questions are mainly: how many first year students with long white hair can there possibly be, and how can you be (presumably) that loud and not get caught. It’s not meant to be serious, so they’re not serious questions. I also want pg115 on my wall, it’s glorious. Other than that, check it out!

Erica here: Thank you very much for this fantastic review. I hope you’ll all take this chance to pick up and enjoy this silly story. ^_^





How Do We Relationship, Volume 4, Guest Review by Matt Marcus

November 10th, 2021

Welcome to another Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu. I am so delighted to introduce a new Guest Reviewer here today for so many reasons: Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, such as the JRPG games club podcast Lightning Strikes Thrice. Finally, after me waiting patiently to have someone to talk to about this…here we are at last. There will be spoilers in this review and let me tell you, I am so relieved! Please give your attention and a warm welcome to Matt!

How Do We Relationship is a story about college first years Miwa and Saeko who, once they learn that they are both attracted to women, decide to date. Last we saw them in Volume 3, the lack of open communication had continued to strain their relationship, leaving Saeko troubled over her standing with her partner while Miwa is tempted by the reappearance of her old high school crush Shiho.

There is no sense being coy about it: How Do We Relationship, Volume 4 is where the girls break up. Saeko had been using sex as the panacea for her insecurities, but troubles in the bedroom, coupled with confronting the reality that Miwa harbors deep romantic feelings for another woman ends up straining her to the breaking point. Miwa wrestles with guilt over her conflicting attractions and tries to cling to the relationship but to no avail. The two agree to stay friends, however it is clear that Miwa believes that she carries the sole blame for the end of their courtship.

The fulcrum on which this series balances is how tolerable you find Saeko, and in this volume we see her at her worst so far. She starts to seriously lose control of the defense mechanism that she developed after her traumatic experience in middle school–the facade of a carefree and kind partner. It is not until late in this volume that Saeko finally has a moment of emotional honesty, voicing some of the ugly thoughts and fears that she had been repressing–but not with Miwa. If you have seen or experienced this emotional playbook, this can be a tough read. I want to root for Saeko to grow and truly heal from her past, but on the flip side she hurt Miwa quite badly and has yet to even acknowledge it. The sole consolation I have is knowing that with seven volumes currently out in Japan, there is quite a bit of runway for her to turn it around.

I have focused on the heavy stuff, but like the rest of the series the emotional drama happens around character-driven shenanigans with mixed results. A particular low note are the couple of chapters that focus on group singer Mikkun and Saeko working around the former’s jealous new girlfriend, which does little to drive the plot forward and rehashes the “straight cis man has a crush on a lesbian” beat from Volume 3. In a story with quite a large supporting cast, I would have liked to see a little more character development in their subplots.

As for Yuri/queer content, this volume pushes things ever-so-slightly forward, with the final chapter opening the door for a couple more queer relationships to develop. Another noteworthy element is the reappearance of Kan, the “villain” of Volume 2. It is hard to say for sure from what little we see of him, but he may have started letting go of his internalized queerphobia. At the very least he comes off as less of an unrepentant asshole (heavy emphasis on “less of”).

I have always appreciated Tamifull’s art, particularly the outfit designs and instruments. On occasion it can be disorienting (for example, second year Mozu–who already looked like a dead-ringer for Miwa but with light-colored hair–reappears with black hair just to make things more confusing for two pages), but I found the tumultuous energy accurately reflects the free-wheeling nature of one’s first year of college. When it counts, Tamifull knows how to visually punctuate an emotional moment or punchline (shoutouts to the Pound Cake Face).

All in all, I found these chapters challenging but rewarding. If you have found the messiness of the story and the characters compelling thus far, this volume really delivers on moments that will have you screaming internally the whole way with some heartrending lines to boot. Other than a small tease of a flashforward near the end, I have no idea where the next movement will take this series, but I know that I will be tuning in for it.

Ratings:

Art – 8 Has a few standout moments in the series so far.
Story – 8 A little uneven at times but lands the big moments.
Characters – 7 Compellingly infuriating.
Service – 3 There still is sex, however it is less of a focus compared to previous volumes
Yuri – 9 / LGBTQ – 7 Someone actually says “lesbian” out loud; unfortunately, it’s Rika.

Overall – 8 A challenging but rewarding read.

Lastly, I have to give big props to Tamifull’s very cheeky reveal in the author’s notes. You will clearly see what they meant if you flip back to Chapter 1.

Erica here: Thanks very much Matt!

OKAY. Now that you have all caught up I need to say this. Saeko and Miwa always were a terrible couple. I’m glad they broke up. You all were cooing over them in Volume 1 and I was up to Volume 3 chanting, “Break up, break up, break up.” ^_^ In fact, if they hadn’t, I was going to stop reading, because Saeko’s jealousy was intolerable to me; traumatic experience or not. I can assure you this, I am about to dive into Volume 7 in Japanese and 1) I am still reading and 2) this is a completely different, (dare I say, much better) story now.

Volume 5 is slated for a February release in English and everything (including the cover style) is about to change.