Archive for the Guest Review Category


Yuri Visual Novel: Starlight Vega Guest Post by Louis P

June 1st, 2016

headerIt’s Guest Review Wednesday and we all know what that means, right? Right! It means Erica needs a break. ^_^ 

I would like to thank Razz,  the maker of Starlight Vega for the review copy of the game. I did play a little bit of this game, but decided that it would be best for everyone if I turned this review over to someone who loved Visual Novels and would be able to give it more attention than I. Therefore, let’s welcome Guest Reviewer Louis and let him tell us what’s what. I’ll add my thoughts at the end. The floor is your, Louis…

Starlight Vega is the story of Aria Reid who has moved with her mother into her grandfather’s old house. Aria, along with her childhood friend Melody (an authority on the occult), find a stone that has the demon Lyria held within it. Lyria and Aria become linked though the stone, forcing them to stay close by or else suffer physical pain. So Aria, Melody and Lyria must decode the magic holding the two together while at the same time uncovering the truth about the demon realm Vega and Aria’s own link to it.

Starlight Vega made a good first impression when I first looked it up. A Yuri visual novel with four routes and the main heroine was a tall, cool looking lady with horns. I was all set to love this novel. Sadly from the incredibly abrupt beginning, a sprite that had a character constantly doing a raptor impression and the shockingly blunt scene transitions I rapidly started to reassess what I should expect from this experience.

Starlight Vega does not use the visual part of visual novels well. I don’t mean that the art is bad (although the sprite art and CG art are both by different artists) but how we are made to view the art is bad. Scenes transition between each other so abruptly it is like we are watching a badly edited You Tube video of a visual novel. The same thing goes for sprites no matter the context for a sprite change it is almost always instantaneous. One of the most powerful things you can do in a visual novel is establish a symbolic link between what happens to the sprites and what is happening in a scene and this novel wastes that. This goes for shifting between scenes too. Shifting between your character going to bed and your character getting ready in the morning should not be a sudden abrupt cut without a good reason.

What is a shame is it’s not as if there is a technical reason for this.  Starlight Vega does have moments when spites do something other than blink in and out of view and sometimes they even move across the screen. But these points are far too rare and it adds to making the whole reading experience a kind of thin slog.

Now you might be thinking that this is all okay if the story itself is good all the extra dressing should not matter that much. Sadly that was not my experience, if Starlight Vega had been a novel or a comic I would have been far more forgiving of its flaws, such as Lyria’s tendency to act aggressive in a way that is way over the creepy line and using her memory altering magic so liberally she would make the MiB blush. This is supposed to be a character that we fall in love with along with Aria but even I, the easiest target for a Lyria type of character, was getting sick of her aggressive shallowness that I could not buy Aria’s eventual attraction to her.

While this is not as bad in the other routes so many of the interactions do nothing but set up how much all the heroines dislike each other. It made all the scenes where we should have been getting to know the characters feel awkward and uncomfortable. So, while I did not dislike any one character on their own I dreaded them being together because then all they would do is bicker while the main character did nothing.

All this makes the times when the game actually gives us something good a bit sad, because, we briefly see what the whole game could have been like. All four main routes give us a solid view of each character, the fourth and final route effectively tying everything together and giving us a very happy ending. The eventually revealed antagonist is both a decent sponge for all the negativity in the story and they are not around long enough to be tiresome. What I was surprised to enjoy were the epilogues, they give us a good look at life after all the conflict and how the central couple of each route eventually lives their lives together in a way that, again, would have been more satisfying if the game had actually earned these endings with a good beginning, but this time the sincerity of the scenes won me over… either that or I was just too tired to be irritated by the time I finished a route.

Taking what I liked into account, Starlight Vega is totally average. It is not horribly bad but it is not good enough ether to rise above its competition today. A real pity because under all the poor decisions and missed opportunities there is real effort to be found. Starlight Vega should really be a Yuri bodice ripper novel that you can enjoy on the train anytime. Not something I need to run on a laptop.

Art – 5
Story – 4
Characters – 3
Yuri – 7
Service – 7

Overall – 5

Erica here: I played some of the demo for Starlight Vega, then tried it again when it was officially released. I thought the official release much improved from the demo, so that was good. Disclaimering once more that I am not the intended audience for this medium, my biggest problem was the dialogue. Just once, I’d like to see a character say, “Sit your ass down and tell me the whole story from the beginning.” In every other thing, I agree with your assessment. I lost interest way too early to even get to a route. Essentially Aria wastes our time, by being so vexed for so long without progress.

Louis, you say “One of the most powerful things you can do in a visual novel is establish a symbolic link between what happens to the sprites and what is happening in a scene.” I’m going to be honest…I just haven’t seen that. It all looks blink-no blink to me. 

I’d like to see more good Yuri VNs, of course, but what I need first and foremost from them is a good story with good dialogue. This just wasn’t bad, it just didn’t hold on to my attention.

Thanks Louis for taking a look at this for us!





Yuri Manga: Otome no Teikoku, Volume 3 (オトメの帝国) Guest Review by Mariko S

May 25th, 2016

OnT3Oh blessed Guest Review Wednesday, how I love you. We welcome back Mariko S with the third of her review series taking a look at Kishi Torajirou’s Otome no Teikoku, Volume 3. (オトメの帝国) (If you’ve just joined us do check her reviewe of Volume 1 and Volume 2!) Mariko is really hitting her stride here, so take it away!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our cruising altitude and the captain has turned off the “Fasten Seatbelt”sign. I didn’t realize when I was first reading it, but, revisiting Otome no Teikoku V.3 for this review, it is obvious to me now that this was the volume that brought me from casually interested to fully invested in these stories. As I was making notes, I found to my surprise it contained no less than four especially memorable chapters that I described using this pattern: “The ______ chapter!” Let’s talk about them!

The “Ears” Chapter!

The very first chapter in the book gets us started with a huge bang. This chapter is a showcase for one of Kishi-sensei’s unique talents – depicting fantastic eroticism with non-sexual situations. Mio’s hair has grown out, and is starting to cover her ears. As they talk about it and Shizuka-senpai demonstrates how she should tuck it behind her ears to show them off, she finds that Mio’s ears are incredibly sensitive. Shizuka begins to caress and tease them, and Mio responds with achingly believable pleasure – not the “I’m gonna come!” silliness like in the Ai and Chie karaoke chapter of volume 1, but the giddy pleasure of being touched in a good way by someone that you desperately want to go further. From personal experience, I will agree that ears are a vastly underestimated place for good touching. ^_^;

After a little teasing, Shizuka gives Mio the chance to reciprocate and do “whatever (she) would like” to her ears. Mio’s choice? She claps her hands over her senpai’s ears and blurts out a bold, gushing confession of love. Shizuka acts like she does not know what Mio said, but I’m not so sure!
The “Dentist” Chapter!
A perfect example of the type of unconventional vignettes that make this series stand out, this chapter is a wonderful window into the relationship of Ayano and Miyoshi. Miyoshi has some cavities and needs to go to the dentist. Ayano goes with her, and at first is just ribbing her about it and taking a little schadenfreude at Miyoshi having to do something that she doesn’t want to. But as she watches Miyoshi go through the procedure and sees the very real pain she is experiencing, it stops being funny and Ayano sympathizes deeply with her. Ayano tearfully hopes for it to end soon, but of course when it’s over can’t admit to Miyoshi how deeply she was affected by her friend’s suffering.
The “Home Date” Chapter!

The buildup to this chapter is just as delectable as the thing itself. All of Ai and Chie’s chapters are fantastic in this volume. First, we have a cute chapter of the two flirting adorably over Chie’s hairstyle – overheard by Ayano and Miyoshi, they declare with certainty how obvious it is that Ai and Chie are in love (using “恋” which specifically refers to romantic love).

The second years then all get together at Miyoshi’s to celebrate Christmas in the Japanese style. At this point, the big group chapters have become real highlights, because they feel so lived-in. The camaraderie and fun really feel like something girls might actually do, not moe stereotypes of girls’ activities. For the gift exchange, Ai ends up with a toy model of a battleship, which Chie promises to help her build.

We next see Ai dwelling fondly on the memory of their promise to build it together, daydreaming about how it might go when they do, stressing over how to invite Chie over, and finally Chie’s adorable enthusiasm to get started when Ai finally musters up the courage to ask. Which leads up to… the home date! A full chapter of love-love goodness ensues. Eventually, laying quietly in Ai’s lap while she builds the model, Chie remarks that if they were in a movie, this would totally be the point when they kiss…

The “Family Restaurant” Chapter!
The final chapter, involving Yuu and Mari, is a perfect bookend complement to the first chapter in this volume. It’s achingly erotic without being at all sexual, and clearly shows the intoxicating control dynamics of their relationship. It is one of the sexiest things I can remember where everyone is fully clothed.

Yuu and Mari get a lot of chapters this volume, and one of the things that gets set up is Yuu’s (understandable) annoyance with Mahi-Mahi. She tries to maintain her refined and controlled demeanor with them, but the spastic force of the twins is utterly alien to her. Mari, much more easygoing, has a much easier time handling them. At New Years, we get to see a vulnerable side to Yuu – she does not do well with crowds, and clings to Mari. They run into Mahi-Mahi, who get separated by the crowd and are helpless without each other. Mari comes to the rescue, but has to leave Yuu alone to do it. Yuu is peeved by this, and Mari expects a “punishment” for it…

… Which finally comes when Yuu suggests they go to eat at a family restaurant after school. They get a booth in a back corner, and the games begin. Yuu slowly and confidently pushes Mari’s boundaries, playing her like a beloved instrument. Mari protests, because it’s her role to protest, and feel the naughy embarrassment of complying with her girlfriend’s demands. Eventually she gets so worked up, she does something without being told, which breaks the spell of the moment and ends the scene, but allows us to see the sweet side of their interactions as Mari is terribly amused at Yuu’s puffed-up “outrage.”

I think it’s important to note that, while Yuu acts very immaturely at times, that’s ok – she is, after all, a high school girl. Equally important is that Mari is not helpless, or a victim – she is a healthy, well-adjusted girl who is independent, has many friends, and good self-esteem. She takes pleasure in following Yuu’s orders, none of which ever cause her real pain or put her in danger. Their S&M games are a big part of, but not the entirety of their relationship and identities.
What Else is Going On?
There isn’t a particularly long arc this time, but a couple of chapters (including the aforementioned Christmas ones) have all of the second years together again, goofing around. The service factor is *way* down this volume, mostly limited to an Ayano and Miyoshi chapter where Miyoshi makes up a game that’s just a silly excuse for a lot of groping. The debate club continue as before, horsing around while Nononon flubs her attempts to be cool and win Yumimi’s attention.

Honoka and Alicia continue their odd couple antics, getting into a drawing contest which leads an agreement to collaborate on a comic, despite Honoka’s naked attempts to get Alicia to go away. We meet a new character, Shizuka’s graceful, beautiful, refined, and admired friend and classmate, Kaoru. Mahi-Mahi do silly cute stuff involving bunny pajamas. Nao does Nao stuff, indulging her perverted tendencies various ways. Onoda does Onoda stuff, fretting over how to act and whether people will like her, and misreading social situations.

Finally Shizuka and Mio get a couple more chapters, where Mio works up to and eventually gets out her full and honest confession, which, to her surprise, Shizuka is receptive to. There’s a little unrealistic service, but you can really feel Mio’s aching desire, awe, and fear as her dream comes true.

One other interesting thing I wanted to point out is Kishi-sensei’s impressive ability to utilize different art styles for different purposes. Not just chibi characters vs. realistic ones (which he does, too) but the use in Honoka’s story of completely different aesthetics. He typically includes examples of panels of BL manga that Honoka has “drawn,” which appear in a believably amateurish-yet-talented hand-drawn way. Alicia’s drawings similarly show up as very detailed, American comics-styled muscle men that look completely different. Later, even more styles will show up. I think it’s a credit to one’s artistic talent to be able to be so versatile.

The Yuri factor should no longer be in question. There is no dismissing the love in the Ai x Chie, Shizuka x Mio, and Yuu x Mari pairs.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 8
Service – 4

Overall – 8

Thank you Mariko! I love how your reviews have a unique style and can’t wait for Volume 4!





Yuri Manga: Otome no Teikoku, Volume 2 (オトメの帝国) Guest Review by Mariko S

May 11th, 2016

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Hello and welcome to another edition of Guest Review Wednesday here on Okazu. And let me tell you how welcome it is as jet lag and I get to know one another intimately. Today, Guest Reviewer Mariko S returns with another review of Kishi Torajiro’s rom-com (?) series. If you’re just joining us, start here with Volume 1.

Welcome back Mariko and take it away!

In volume 2 of Otome no Teikoku, (オトメの帝国) the tides are already changing in our (and our characters’) favor. It takes three chapters before we get our first gratuitously servicey frame. What’s more, the nudity and service start to noticeably shift to being a more organic part of the story and activities.

We’ll meet most of the rest of the cast in this edition, and the real beginnings of all of their stories start to take shape here. So for this review, I’d like to take some time to introduce you to each of them so you will know the storylines being referenced as we continue. There’s a large variety, so hopefully everyone can find a thread they like!

Ai & Chie – I talked about them last time. This volume continues the development of their relationship and dynamic. Ai is tall, slender, and athletic. She projects a cool aura but in many ways is shy and lacks confidence. She’s very defensive of Chie. Chie is bubbly and extroverted, and masks her discomfort with her curvy body with jokes. She wants to care for and get closer to Ai. They are one of the definitively Yuri couples in the series.

Ayano & Miyosho – In spite of their volume 1 chapters, volume 2 resets the Ayano and Miyoshi dynamic quite a bit. Miyoshi is the resident prankster, an energetic, if sometimes clueless, girl who everyone naturally gravitates around. She’s revealed to be quite superstitious, and often gets things rolling with silly games and weird facts. Ayano is her best friend, the straight man in their comedy duo, but not above getting the last laugh in Miyoshi’s games.

Debate Club – This group of four girls from across all three class years is always found as a unit. Their first appearance introduces their dynamic of amiable, silly conversations and playful teasing. Their second chapter reveals third-year Nononon’s crush on second year Yumimi. She doesn’t know how to be as open as the other girls in the club and wishes she were closer with them. She gets a classic Kishi-sensei “just when things were going good” ending here, when Yumimi falls asleep on her shoulder and she longingly smells her hair
before… well… read it!

Honoka & Alicia – A very unique character, Honoka is a tall, disheveled outsider who lives to read and draw Boy’s Love manga, particularly fantasies about Japanese historical figures. She consciously keeps other people away and, reading that, they avoid her. That is, until the arrival of American exchange student Alicia. Alicia, in true American form, is utterly oblivious to the many attempts Honoka makes to sullenly reject her friendship. Alicia is a
comic artist herself and likes to draw historical figures as superheroes. She admires Honoka’s artistic talent and is determined to break down her barriers and connect with her, which Honoka just doesn’t know how to deal with.

Mahiro & Mahiru – I couldn’t take a whole series about these two, but as one flavor in this mix of character confections, the super-saccharine Mahi-Mahi pair are enjoyable in smaller doses. These two girls certainly love each other with intense devotion, but in exactly what way is not entirely clear. Described as “pseudo twins,” their whole worlds revolve around each other: they dress, act, and talk alike (and finish each other’s sentences). They are irrepressibly
happy (dare I say “genki?”) and their stories are filled with innocent superstitions and almost childish glee.

Michiru & Airi – The second “coupley” pair, Michiru is an amateur photographer whose favorite subject is Airi’s body. Their chapters in
volume 1 were in equal measures service, sexy, and funny, but not very believable. They also get a reset here, and things get brought back to earth. The first chapter in the book is about them getting New Years fortunes, and Airi’s fears that Michiru will leave her for a guy. Then, later, they find a stray cat and take some pictures with him, and Michiru comforts Airi when she gets sad.

Nao – Nao’s chapters are synonymous with service. It’s inherent in her character – she is a “proper” girl who has an exhibitionist pervert streak and is secretly desperately curious about sex. Either you will find her reasonable as an avatar for any teenage girl who is told she shouldn’t be interested in such things but is irresistibly drawn to them, or you will skip her chapters. She does not pair with anyone, her story is one of self-discovery. Each time she finds out about something “dirty,” and is overcome by the desire to find a safe way to explore it herself without being discovered or judged.

Onoda – Onoda is also a solo character. In the first volume, she was given a weird kind of schizophrenia where she secretly lusted after girls she saw, while angrily judging them. This volume recalibrates her, eliminating the perv aspect, and beginning her real arc as an uptight, judgmental girl with social difficulties and no friends who puts too much pressure on herself to succeed academically to compensate. She wants to do things to have fun, but always overthinks it and restrains herself, then lashes out on others who are able to do them easily.

Shizuka & Mio – AKA “Senpai and Kohai,” the literature club duo which
was often seen in Cinemax-worthy setups last round dial it back here. Shizuka is the cool, beautiful, intelligent upperclassman, and first-year Mio has an  admiration deepening into love for her. This time they only get one chapter, a sweet Valentine’s Day story of Mio being jealous of Shizuka’s popularity and feeling like one in a crowd, but coming to find out that she actually has a special place in her senpai’s heart. This chapter has the first of many times this volume where one character says they love another (using “daisuki”).

Yuu & Mari – This is possibly another divisive pairing due to the service factor. Yuu and Mari are called the “S&M couple.” I happen to feel, though, that this is possibly the most believable and positive way to depict that kind of a relationship dynamic in this setting. This is not leather and whips. This is all about a consensual power exchange, in the form of Yuu requiring Mari to do “naughty” but private things that only they will know about. I am not generally a fan of S&M scenarios but the way it’s handled here is very sexy to me, with Yuu effortlessly asserting herself and Mari thoroughly enjoying her submissive role. Even when they’re not playing a scene they are very cute together.

Those are all our major storylines! Already you can see how much things have crystallized from the “leering camera catches sorority softcore version of high school” vignettes of volume 1. What’s more, volume 2 also presents our first longer arc, about the whole group of second years taking a summer trip to the beach, which spans five chapters.

As you can hopefully tell from the character debriefs above, the Yuri is a bit clearer this time around. There are at this point four clearly lesbian pairs, along with assorted one-sided crushes, developing friendships, friendships that might be more, and personal voyages of discovery. I like the spectrum presented here, and it will get better with time.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 5
Characters – 6
Yuri – 7
Service – 7

Overall – 6

Erica here: Thank you so much Mariko, it sounds like they got a lot of reader feedback after Volume 1 and rethought the entire story. And now, I’m sort of vaguely interested in it, which I wasn’t at all after the first volume. So thank you and I’m looking forward to hearing about the rest!





Shoujo Seifu – Bergamot Dominions Guest Review by Bruce P

May 3rd, 2016

Bergamot

Welcome to another Guest Review Wednesday, Once again, we have the pleasure of Bruce P’s unique perspective! Settle down and get ready to laugh.

Here’s a geopolitical question you may never have considered: If Scotland does in fact separate from the UK… will she be able to find a new partner? A really cute one she can cuddle up with and share slippery bath times?

In Volume One of Shoujo Seifu – Bergamot Dominions (少女政府 – ベルガモット＊ドミニオンズ), Takada Shinichiro tackles this very question. It may not be a question that is keeping Edinburgh cabinet secretaries awake at night, but during the production of this manga the author himself seems to have gone without a quite a lot of sleep. He was driven. Possessed. It took four volumes to cool him down.

So as not to keep anyone in suspense, the short answer is Yes.

The long answer is very long, and involves pixies. Four volumes of pixies.

Nanako is an ordinary Japanese schoolgirl, friendly and cheerful. Always the mark of doom, a guarantee-to-be-dropped-into-some-alternate-world-on-page-10. In Nanako’s case that world turns out to be Bergamot, a sunny Caribbean island. OK, not so bad. She has been magically transported there by a talking cat, a garden gnome, and a pineapple-sized banshee. Going downhill now. Bergamot is this trio’s native island, an oddly dislocated Celtic paradise of green meadows, golden apples, and triple distilled whiskey, but it seems that Oberon, ruler of the neighboring island of Avalon, is bent on conquest. The brute. The native Bergamotians need help, and, reeling from sunstroke, select Nanako. They want her as leader and warlord. Prime criterion seems to be that she might look nice in a uniform.

Bergamot is a sort of perky Disney version of The Island of Doctor Moreau, inhabited by pixies, whistling gophers, happy sprites, winged riceballs, and so on. At first Nanako doesn’t want to play, she’s never been a dictator, and is desperate to escape these freaks. But her mood softens when she sees all these diverse creatures living together happily in peace and harmony. And all so very industrious. Quite a labor pool, the little critters, and gosh, no labor relations boards in sight. Smirking just a little now, Nanako takes charge.

In Government House she is surprised to finally meet another human—Sofia Wallace, from Scotland. The reason Sofia is in Bergamot is because she and Nanako are the central characters, and so—there she is. Government House is a huge edifice with no electricity or running water, but the tiny native servants they’re getting accustomed to ordering around provide excellent meals. Bath time with buckets allows for a bit of slippery service. There will be more.

But government isn’t just a succession of idle hours splashing about in buckets. The two girls work hard on a plan to develop the island’s infrastructure. Factories and bauxite mines fill their girlish dreams.

And then comes the moment of truth, when they actually have to do the job they were abducted for. Avalon attacks with a three-storey amphibious armored motor home filled with ten inch tall black bearded hipsters in pointy hats. As the girls discover, the Bergamot way of warfare is special. First comes the ritual suicide, then the drugs, the losing of the clothes, and finally the transformation into butterfly-winged angels of combat in sequined but otherwise stylish outfits (Sofia’s includes a Keith tartan kilt)…

And we haven’t even gotten to the part where it rains girls.

I suppose we must.

So Nanako and her second-in-command Sofia together have successfully defended their new domain. Living in complete isolation as they are on this lush, tropical island, and what with the soft moonlight, the hypnotically fragrant evening breezes, and the triple distilled whiskey, they soon find themselves shedding all mutual inhibitions and tentatively, tremblingly exploring the pros and cons of instituting serfdom. It promises tremendous economic benefits. What more could they possibly wish for? So then yes, it rains girls.

Nine of them drop from the sky, right on top of Nanako. One is Swedish. One is French. Others are from Russia, the US, Taiwan, Germany, Japan, the Czech Republic, and Italy. Girls from all around the world, if you consider the world to be Europe with marginal outliers. The thing has suddenly become Hetalia. Great.

The new girls become Nanako’s cabinet, and each is assigned a ministry. Mercedes (Germany) gets Justice, Priscilla (US) gets propaganda, Tanya (Czech R.) gets finance, and so on. They work hard to turn Bergamot from a Celtic fringe fairyland into a modern civilization. They establish an electrical grid and a water works. Road gangs begin asphalting the island. Finance minister Tanya devises a clever monetary system that allows workers to purchase regulated items in any of the conveniently located company stores. They establish sugar cane plantations, happily dragooning native labor for the fieldwork, and don’t think that this isn’t getting pretty darn close to the sharp edge of uncomfortable. In the meantime the girls continue to shoot themselves (the ritual suicide bit) and fly around fighting. Flying, fighting, and losing clothes will continue in Volume 2.

Ratings:

Art: 5. Average at best, the author is not so good at profiles. But with his Bergamotians he’s got Disney down cold.

Characters: 5. Considering that this is a Hetalia spawn, the girls showcase gratifyingly few blatant national characteristics. Yes, Mercedes (Germany) is severe and strict, and Priscilla (US) is big, blonde and bouncy, and Maria (Russia) is tiny, timid and quiet, but in general not so much.

Story: 5. The developing society angle is peculiar, and interesting because of its peculiarity. If you don’t go in much for actual story in your story. The girls are really quite determined to independently develop many of the ills of modern society.

Yuri: 2. Nanako and Sofia and buckets.

Service: 7. Nanako and Sofia and buckets, and more…

Overall: 5. Disappointing. I mean the uniform. Needs epaulets.

Erica here: Bruce you find the best stuff to review!

 





Otome no Teikoku Manga, Volume 1 (オトメの帝国) Guest Review by Mariko S

April 27th, 2016

OnTV1It’s a happy day here at Okazu!! We have a new Guest Reviewer, Mariko S who has bravely decided to wade back into a series I panned back in 2008. Buckle in and get ready for a completely different perspective. Take it away, Mariko!

Welcome back to Otome no Teikoku, Volume 1, a world that, on first glance, you may find difficult to love. I had similar feelings to the ones Erica expressed in her original review when I first read this manga. However, because I was a big fan of the art style and realistic sexiness of author Kishi Torajiro’s MAKA-MAKA books, unlike her I persevered through the subsequent volumes. And, as it improved more and more and I started to really look forward to reading it, I thought, it’s really worth Yuri fans taking a second look at it. Erica invited me to do guest reviews for the series, so here we are. Let’s restart at the start, so we can understand later how things are changing.

The opening frame of the first chapter seems to announce a particular intention – an upward shot of a high school girl in uniform with hershirt hiked up, bra undone, breasts peeking out, and a skirt so short that it doesn’t touch the chair she’s sitting on. It seems to warn away anyone who’s not here for pure titillation. Given that the author’s previous works featured adult content it’s a forgivable assumption. But those works were not just mindless porn – they hadwell-developed, attractive but believable characters in relatable situations. So please bear with the growing pains here as we work
through the challenges of an adult author fumbling with what exactly
he wants this series to be.

As for what OnT is *now,* though, warm up your eye-rolling muscles. The first volume does feature a ton of service of every flavor – most every chapter has some assortment of panty shots, nip slips, groping, or nudity. Maybe it was demanded by the publisher, maybe Kishi-sensei felt like he needed to grab readers’ attention some way while the characters’ personalities weren’t developed yet. In some ways it is a little refreshing to have a series where things are a little more physical, rather than your standard akogare blushing, longing looks, and perhaps a chaste kiss at the end of it all. Humans are sexual
beings and sexy things are entertaining. It’s just that here, to start, all of the “sexy” stuff is either purely voyeuristic or too over the top, removing any sense of a moment between the characters.

Each chapter is composed of a number of vignettes. In this volume they tend to be very short, with 3-5 per chapter, but later there will usually only be 1 or 2. Each vignette focuses on a pair or small group of the girls. One of the things I find refreshing is that despite going to the same school, not all of the characters know each other or hang out together – they each have girls they are usually with, as well as some they interact with occasionally and others not at all. For now, let’s only talk about one of the pairings, Chie and Ai, which is the earliest example of character progress. We first meet them in chapter 2, through a ridiculous setup where Chie is thinking weirdly nasty thoughts about what Ai’s nipples look like, until she gets a downblouse glimpse of the real thing. The characters here have none of their eventual personalities – Chie will be rewritten entirely to be a sweet, friendly, self-conscious girl. The next times we see them, in chapters 3 and 4, they’re just doing servicey stuff – nothing to do with who they are. In chapter 7 though, we see some changes. It’s still “boob stuff,” but mixed in there Chie shares some honest feelings about why she behaves the way she does and the way others treat her body, along with the beginnings of a confession. Finally, chapter 11 continues the positive trend and is mostly about Chie giving Ai a Takarazuka hairstyle and roleplaying a dramatic moment with her that turns a little heart-pounding… until Kishi-sensei’s early favorite ending, the comical interruption, intervenes. Take heart that the other stories will similarly improve!

One of the really positive things to say even at the start – Kishi-sensei is a very talented artist. He draws details others wouldn’t think of, and with a  distinctive, more realistic style.

Another early positive is that some genuinely funny things happen. As eye-rolling as much of the copiously unrealistic service is, you can see the hints of things to come in the comical and cute parts sprinkled in between the pervy stuff.

Finally, I would say, the off-kilter creativity of the vignettes is a real strength. Rather than your standard schoolgirl setups of commuting, club activities, school festivals, and eating snacks, Kishi-sensei sets up a lot of casual, everyday situations and conversations that only improve as the ecchi elements get dialed down. Eventually his talent for expressing more subtle eroticism will really start coming out of these unique setups.

I am not quite as down as Erica was on the way sexuality is depicted here. I’m not sure it really is the default assumption that these girls are bi, (or gay or straight for that matter). It’s not as evident in the first volume, but as the series goes on the relationships of the pairs will take on many different shadings, not all of them sexual, and not all the characters have a pair. Granted, since this is after all an all-girls-school Yuri story, there’s a disproportionate skew toward “likes/loves girls in some way.” While this is a frustrating trope of every all-girls-school Yuri series, I feel it’s not so problematic here due to the vignette nature of the chapters. By not having an overarching narrative or insisting that all the characters interact, and cutting between a large number of characters, it’s easier to appreciate the separate dynamics of each pair. The way sexual orientation is used here is not all that muchdifferent from other all-Yuri-all-the-time schools in things like
Strawberry Panic and Sakura Trick, at least in concept. It’s the execution that is failing right now, missing or mistaking characterization for too much unrealistically exhibitionist goofing around.

Ratings: (leaving these from Erica’s review, as I basically agree for this volume.)

Art – 7
Story – 3
Characters – 3
Yuri – 2
Service – 4 million

Overall – 3

E here: Well thank you Mariko for balanced second look at Otome No Teikoku! I know I’m looking forward to your discussions of the later volumes.