Archive for the Guest Review Category


Yuri Anime Sabagebu! (English) Guest Review by Elizabeth V.

September 30th, 2014

sabaaeIt is once again my sincere pleasure to welcome a brand new Guest Reviewer to the Okazu family! I want you all to please welcome Elizabeth V and give her your full attention. The floor is yours, Elizabeth!

Sabagebu – Survival Game Club!, is a madcap, sometimes hilarious series that doesn’t take itself too seriously, despite some actual violence.

Momoka Sanokawa, a new student at an all-girls school, is coerced into joining the school’s survival game club by its president, Miou, a pretty and popular upperclassman with a wide violent streak. As the series progresses, Momoka, Miou, and their friends in the club undergo a series of wacky adventures ranging from fighting off upskirt photographers to an all-out road war in the Australian outback against a senior citizens’ survival club. Other members include the beautiful model Maya, the quiet cosplay fanatic Kayo, and the bubbly but ultimately violent Urara, whose obsessive crush on Miou is speedily transferred to Momoka in the first episode.

Animated by Pierrot+ and airing on Crunchyroll (regional restrictions may apply) this past summer season, the series’ pacing is speedy and each episode after the first has two or three stand-alone stories. An unseen, adult male narrator helpfully offers additional, often sarcastic remarks which occasionally cause the characters to break the fourth wall. The seemingly sweet Momoka is swiftly revealed to be rather cold and ruthless, undermining the common “innocent, good-hearted moe heroine” trope. She violently reacts to Urara’s extreme advances, often punching and slapping the younger girl (who always returns with even more fervent, masochistic devotion), but while this relationship is mostly played for laughs, it doesn’t come across as homophobic or demeaning, and by the end we are led to believe that in spite of it all, Momoka doesn’t actually find Urara that objectionable.

One thing which might bother some viewers is the amount of violence in the series. Although the narrator reassures us in the first few episodes that the bloody gunshot wounds and subsequent “deaths” only occur in the characters’ imaginations as they play their games with pellet-firing replica guns, the gory visuals might be upsetting. I have to admit, at first I was not at all interested in this series after seeing a screenshot from the first episode in which a character lies “dead” with bullet wounds in both breasts, but I reconsidered and started watching Sabagebu in earnest. I’m glad I did, however, the imagery might be too off-putting for some, so view at your own discretion.

Overall, although the humor of a few of the stories fell flat, the series was funny and enjoyable. Fanservice was mostly concerned with Maya’s generous assets. The characters’ outrageous adventures kept me laughing throughout, despite my initial reservations. Aided by side characters such as a stereotypical otaku called Fried Chicken Lemon, Momoka’s bizarrely cheerful and equally violent mother, and the club’s danger-prone advisor Miss Sakura, the Survival Game Club managed to keep me entertained despite my initial doubts, and gave me a new appreciation for pretend weaponry and the “magical gun-toting girl” transformations that accompanied it.

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

Thank you, thank you Elizabeth for the terrific review – and for the reminder that I should watch the rest of this series. I quite enjoyed the manga volumes I read. ^_^ 





LGTQ Comic: Lumberjanes (English) Guest Review by Katherine H.

May 28th, 2014

ljanes1It’s my favorite day of the week – Guest Review Wednesday! And today, we welcome back the stunning, the fabulous, the one and only Katherine H. of Yuri no Boke to speak on one of the most anticipated and popular new western comics of the year, The Lumberjanes. (Which I am also reading and I assure you, it’s fantastic.) So let’s give Katherine a warm welcome back and settle in for the ride. The podium is yours, Katherine!

Right now, I am following two ongoing non-manga comic book series- the new Ms. Marvel, which is great, and Lumberjanes, which is super-weird and a lot of fun.

Lumberjanes being awesome is no surprise given its pedigree. It’s co-written by Noelle Stevenson, the creator of one of my favorite webcomics, Nimona. If you read Autostraddle like I do, you may have noticed that one of their writers, Grace Ellis, is Lumberjanes’ other writer.

Brooke A. Allen is this series’ illustrator and Maarta Lairo is its colorist. I’m not familiar with Allen and Lairo’s other work, but they do a great job here. Allen’s art is expressive and doesn’t skimp on details without being too busy, and the composition is well done. Allen and Lairo’s linework and coloring pop with the energy this story requires, also.

Lumberjanes is basically about a group of awesome Girl Scouts punching their way out of strange and dangerous situations at sleep away camp. Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are spending the summer in the same cabin at the Lumberjanes sleep-away camp.

The first issue opens the story with their fighting demonic foxes after following an old woman they saw turn into a bear into the woods. Their cabin chaperone Jen is exasperated when she catches them returning, but their den mother Rosie not only doesn’t punish them, she seems to have a bead on how preternatural the forest around their camp is when they tell her what they saw.

ljanes2In issue 2, Jen takes the girls canoeing, and its becomes weird again and more awesome. Amidst all the action, two of the girls become a couple and it’s pretty adorable. I expect this series to keep handling them well given Grace’s Autostraddle-ness and how well Noelle has handled the queer characters in Nimona. Issue 2 of Lumberjanes ends with the characters underground, pretty much accepting that they’re not going to have a normal summer.

This series doesn’t take itself too seriously- there’s a lot of banter and visual gags and even potentially grim scenes have goofy moments and punchlines, like the message the foxes spell, April’s response to the dragon, and pretty much everything Ripley does. The pacing is brisk and the characters are all likable so far.

In short, you should at least try Lumberjanes if you like stories featuring featuring well-written female leads doing cool stuff- basically if you’re Okazu’s target audience. The cute lesbian couple is the cherry on top. This was originally meant to be an eight issue mini-series, but it has sold well enough to be promoted to ongoing, and I’m glad for it.

Art: 9
Story: It’s just intro so far, but for entertainment, it’s a 9
Characters: 9
Yuri/Lesbian: 7
Service: 0

Overall: 9

Erica here: I agree with every word of this review. This is a terrific comic book, one of four western comics I am currently following (along with Ms. Marvel, My Little Pony ~ Friendship is Magic, and Rocket Girl.) By far and away, Lumberjanes is the the most creative of this creative bunch.





34-sai Mushoku-san Manga Vols. 1-4 (34æ­łç„Ąè·ă•ă‚“) Guest Review by Bruce P.

April 2nd, 2014

34-saiIt’s Guest Review Wednesday once again on Okazu and I couldn’t be happier…but that’s because I’ve already read today’s review and I can’t stop laughing. Once again it is my sincere pleasure to welcome back Okazu Superhero, longtime friend, traveling companion and amazing Guest Reviewer Bruce P Yaaaayyy!   

I picked up a copy of 34-sai Mushoku-san (The Unemployed 34-Year Old), (34æ­łç„Ąè·ă•ă‚“) Volume 1, by Ikeda Takashi, with the not unreasonable thought that the author of Sasameki Koto might have included some Yuri along the way. I was wrong; four volumes later, and there hasn’t been a hint of Yuri. Instead what we are given is a viciously drawn-out interior monologue of boredom, hopelessness, and personal failure. It’s cruel, peculiar, glacial, and grindingly depressing. Plus it makes me laugh. What a great manga.

The protagonist, who is never named, is a 34-year old woman who lives alone in an apartment and who has lost her job. The first chapter starts right off with a gag–she wakes up and can’t find her glasses (they’re on top of her head). The jokes continue. She doesn’t get up in time to take out the recycling. Her vacuum cleaner falls over. And then it falls over again. What we have here is a wacky slice-of-life story, as our madcap heroine searches for love and employment in the big city! Except
she doesn’t actually ever do any searching for love, or for employment, and as the same jokes begin to repeat, and repeat, it becomes clear that they are not jokes at all. They are symptoms, and despite her best excuses she is a woman in serious trouble.

Though able to deal marginally with others, even if there aren’t many others she ever deals with, at home she lives in a state of almost total paralysis. She cannot pull herself out of her futon until late afternoon, or up from under the kotatsu – Yui from K-ON! all grown up when it is no longer cute. You get the sense that losing the job may not have had much to do with the economy after all. She’s isolated from her family (including a daughter) and has only one acquaintance, a woman she meets occasionally for dinner and who is blatantly drawn with eyes always shut. Her only real companion is her apartment. She just swirls slowly, sleepily around in the drain of her well-vacuumed world. And if that doesn’t make you want to shell out for the multi-volume set, be assured that in Volume 2 she takes dramatic steps to change her life, by contemplating possibly taking dramatic steps to change her life. Contemplation of these steps continues in Volume 3 and Volume 4.

It sounds grimmer than kidneys on toast. Why read it?

(1) Asymmetric though she is, her character is strikingly realistic, and in more spots than are comfortable I can see, in her, a reflection of some of my own unlovely edges. This is both disturbing, and of value when I’m trying to get out of bed in the morning.

(2) It’s beautifully and brilliantly drawn, which nicely counters the subject; some chapters contain no words at all, but are simply picture plays as she bleakly and languorously contemplates her empty life. It’s like mime, in two dimensions, though not as depressing.

(3) Ikeda-sensei has a nice comic touch, and it really is quite funny. Even if laughing at all the pratfalls feels somehow misdirected, like appreciating the Hindenburg disaster on account of it being all bright and sparkly.

(4) Nothing has changed in four volumes. I’m still waiting for the thing to happen.

***

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***

Ratings:

Art: 9. Brilliant. Just brilliant.

Story: 5. Not so much a story as a slowly deteriorating situation. I’m betting on something happening; it eventually did in the classic gently-paced series Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou when Kokone reappeared. My suggestion is to add robots.

Character: 18. She’s not honestly sympathetic, but credit for every year over the age of 16.

Yuri: 0. Unfortunate, but ideally Yuri requires a second character.

Service: 2. A few sponge bath scenes, if you’re desperate enough.

Overall: 8. 34-sai Mushoku-san will not be to everyone’s taste. However, I have never been a fan of action series, and with this one I hit the jackpot.

 





Yuri Game: Gone Home Game – Guest Review by Jackie S.

March 12th, 2014

gonehomeIt’s Guest Review Wednesday and amazingly we have a new Guest Review by a brand new Guest Reviewer. Please welcome reader Jackie S, who has offered to take a look at a game that got a lot of buzz in lesbian/female/gaymer circles. A games that got so much buzz, in fact that I even heard of it. ^_^  

Take it away Jackie!

There are spoilers in this review.

In the computer game Gone Home, by the Fulbright Company, the year is 1995. You play 20-year-old Kaitlin Greenbriar, who has just returned to the US after a year abroad in Europe. You arrive after midnight at the new home your family moved into while you were away, but discover that no one is home. The object of the game then is to explore the house and discover clues regarding the whereabouts of your family.

The main narrative focus of the game and major point of interest for Okazu readers is the story of your 17-year-old sister, Samantha. Without her older sister around to confide in, Sam decided to write about her year as a series of journal entry “letters” addressed to you. As you progress through the house, you unlock narrations of Sam’s letters. Her entries tell the story of moving to a new school, being intrigued by another girl, finagling a way to meet said girl, becoming friends, becoming girlfriends, and their relationship from there.

First off, Sam is a fantastic, interesting character. She passes the “Would I invite this character over for lunch?” test with a resounding YES. Example: About three rooms into my exploration of the house, I found her assignment for health class lying around. It was a pretty awful assignment about the reproductive system – put sentences about “The Menstrual Cycle” or “The Life of a Sperm Cell” in order – that included the gag-worthy line “It is incredible how the female body knows how to prepare for pregnancy!” She had done the assignment and put them in order
 within the context of a tragic, wartime romance story. (^_^) Unfortunately (but unsurprisingly) the teacher seemed to lack a sense of humor


When Sam first sees Lonnie, her eventual girlfriend, she’s interested from the get-go. She hatches a plan to interact with her by challenging her to a game of Street Fighter, which doesn’t go quite as smoothly as planned (she gets her butt kicked) but accomplishes the main goal of making contact. Sam’s excitement as they start hanging out is obvious, and later her fervent hope that she’s reading the situation right really rang true for me. (A lot of this can be attributed to very good voice acting done for the narration.) It took me a while to realize, but Sam never questions her sexuality or her being in a relationship with another girl. She knew before the timeline of the game started that she likes women (“since, like, She-ra,”), and seems to have already accepted that as a part of who she is. That doesn’t mean, however, that she doesn’t struggle with parents, friends, and classmates knowing/finding out. The biggest issue for Sam, though, is the future of her relationship with Lonnie. Not because they’re gay, but because Lonnie, who is a year ahead of her, is in JROTC and planning on joining the army right after graduating. And then she’ll just be
 gone. All of the issues in Sam’s life seem to be coming to a head as you near the end of her storyline and progress to the attic of the house. Honestly, I was a bit worried about what I would find in the attic


**SPOILER  ALERT**

Thank goodness they didn’t decide to use the “lonely, rejected gay teenager commits suicide” trope. The ending is a little bittersweet, but also hopeful, and avoids a too-neatly-wrapped, unrealistic happily-ever-after ending.

***

For me, one of the best things about Gone Home was how real it felt. Even though you never meet them, your family members feel like real people, especially Sam. The house feels like a real home that people actually live in. The level of detail the creators put into all of the STUFF in the house is pretty incredible: books, recorded VHS tapes, mugs, pads of paper, soda cans, bottles, and so much more, most of which you can pick up and inspect more closely. (I tend to spend way more time than necessary in games exploring every nook and cranny, but in this game that tendency was rewarded with all sorts of interesting discoveries! Like Dad’s adult magazine collection! 0_o) The nostalgia factor is also strong – it really feels like 1995 in there. The music, sound effects, and lighting combined to create an atmosphere that really fit how I would feel exploring a strange, empty house during a thunderstorm (of course) after midnight. Heck, I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn’t playing Resident Evil, and no one was going to jump around a corner at me wielding a chain saw. Which I sometimes have to remind myself of walking around my OWN not-strange house at night during storms.

Ratings:

Visuals – 8 Not the most visually stunning or beautiful game I’ve ever played, but the sheer level of detail of all the different knickknacks and paraphernalia is quite impressive.

Controls/Gameplay – 9 I don’t usually play computer games (more of a console gamer), but I picked up the controls pretty easily. I really liked being about to pick up and interact with so many things in the house. It took me about 3.5 hours to beat the game, and while I think I missed a couple things, I’m pretty sure I found most items of interest. YMMV on how much replay value there is and whether it’s worth spending $20 for a 3-4 hour game. (Though I got it on sale for $10!)

Story – 10 For two reasons: 1) Sam’s storyline by itself isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but as far as I’m aware it’s the first time such a story has been the main narrative focus of a game that isn’t a visual novel/dating sim/whatever. 2) I haven’t really talked about it, but the stories you can piece together about your Mom, Dad, and the great-uncle who willed the house to your dad are also fascinating, if much harder to suss out than Sam’s.

Characters – 10 Sam alone gets this, but reason #2 in my story rating also applies.

Yuri – 10 The main storyline is about a lesbian, in a lesbian relationship. It is not a “Story A” AND

**SPOILER** doesn’t end with any gay teenagers committing suicide. \(^,^)/

Service – 0 Because finding your Dad’s porn stash is more of a disservice


Overall – 10 For what this game is trying to be, it does a fantastic job.

Erica here: Thank you Jackie for this review, it certainly sounds like it deserved all the praise it received. And Steam runs sales all the time. ^_^





Proto-Yuri Novel: Otome no Minato (äč™ć„łăźæžŻ) – Part 2, Group Discussion

March 2nd, 2014

onmcoverIn Part 1, I introduced a key ‘S’ relationship novel, Otome no Minato (äč™ć„łăźæžŻ) as part of the History of Yuri.

This novel serves as a bridge for concepts established in earlier girls’ literature, such as Yaneura no Nishojo through to manga that functions in a proto-Yuri space, like Sakura Namiki.

To discuss these connections, I invited fellow Yuri enthusiasts Katherine Hanson of Yuri no Boke and Erin Subramanian of Yurizuki to as Guests to discuss Otome no Minato with me.

I’d like to thank James Welker for his kind sponsorship of today’s discussion.

This discussion was held by Google chat, on February 22, 2014.

elfErica
Okey dokey. Let’s get started. First of all, thank you so much for joining me in this adventure.

esErin
Thank you for inviting us to join you! On this strange, rather flowery trip.

 

khKatherine
Yes, I’m glad I got around to reading this

 

Erica
Haha, yes, indeed. I’m going to ask you each to introduce yourselves. Erin, why don’t we begin with you?

Erin
I’m a J->E translator with a particular fondness for Yuri works.

Katherine
I obsessively read and watch Yuri, and also blog about it online!

Erica
Excellent.
So, let’s begin.
Before we get into specifics, let’s have your general thoughts about the book. Katherine first, then Erin.

Katherine
It was like reading the Strawberry Panic novels, but with a sincerely written story and an actual frou frou historical setting instead of a wannabe frou frou historical setting. I feel like I should compare it more to Maria-sama ga Miteru (especially given Youko’s background and Tsuneko’s role relative to Michiko), but Marmite is better than both of them. I am glad I read this to complete the old Japanese lesbian/Yuri works catalogue in my head.

Erin
I thought it was sweet but rather condensed (jumping forward too quickly) in parts while dragging in others. I associated it with Marimite as well. I haven’t read any Yoshiya Nobuko works for comparison, but it seemed like what I would imagine her works to be like.

Erica
It was definitely a source for Marimite, but like Katherine, I prefer the more modern novels. This book takes its time. Novels  – especially western ones – start with something happening. Here, we meet Michiko, her friend Tsuneko and Ms. Murfree and the most exciting thing happening is that it is raining.

Erin
Yes, it seemed to go into detail on random topics and then never pick them up again.

The main character’s brothers, for instance, or her teachers at school.
I did like the introduction with the older students being interested in the new students.

Erica
You know what I first noticed – the use of katakana was so very different than it is now. There’s much less of it, it’s rendered differently and many pages went by, before we saw a foreign word other than a teacher’s name.

Oh, yes the teacher…such weird amounts of detail…then nothing…then BAM!

Erin
Yes, foreigners were frequently mentioned, but foreign words were rare.

Katherine
Yup – that was an interesting contrast, and I think ties into the setting being in Yokohama
Not just a missionary school set in, say Tokyo.

Erica
I agree. Foreigners play such a huge role, in some ways.

Erin
Yes, the harbor was certainly an important aspect.

Erica
The language is not Keigo, but it is not modern Japanese. That really struck me.

Erin
Yes.

Katherine
That did take some getting used to.

Erin
I think most of the flower metaphors were lost on me.
There were so very many of them.

Katherine
It also had less furigana than I expected, given its running in Shoujo no Tomo.

Erin
Yes!

Katherine
And I agree about the flower metaphors. lol Those were definitely harder to make sense of than most of the book.

Erica
Definitely.
“Language of Flowers” fill pretty much every girls’ book in the early twentieth century in any language. It’s a useful thing to keep bookmarked.
But the endnotes. How fascinating were they?

Erin
I found them very informative.

Katherine
I did really like them.
This book was really well packaged, as far as that and other extras.

Erin
Yes, the end notes were helpful.
And those illustrations!

Erica
Agreed. And so detailed. I ended up learning about the entire history of ‘Color War’ while reading this book.
Nakahara Junichi’s illustrations really make the book, in some ways.

Katherine
Yeah, the written historical context provided and illustrations (and photos!) were great.
The illustrations are beautiful, I agree.
They help set the tone a lot.

Erin
Yes, the illustrations were a highlight of the book.

Erica
Okay, so what was your favorite scene?

Erin
Mine would probably have to be the phone call (and then physical reunion) after Michiko comes back from Karuizawa.

Katherine
That is sweet!

Erin
I am a big sap. What can I say?

Erica
The Christmas present was special too.

Erin
Yes, though Youko’s present to Michiko came off as a little preachy in parts.
I joked to Katherine that she was giving her The Spirit of Christmas, from every mediocre Christmas movie.

Erica
A “little”? It was a big ball of preachy!!

Erin
I was trying not to be insulting!

Katherine
But Erin! Erica! A proper Oneesama must impart the true meaning of Christmas.

Erica
Hahaha, exactly

Erin
The locket was great, because of COURSE she gave her a locket.
Okay, I can’t argue with that, Katherine.
So, Katherine, what was your favorite?

Katherine
Hmm.
My choice is kind of horrible. lol
Ah, my favorite was Michiko calling out Youko’s name when she was sick. That (and its aftereffects) was so melodramatic and cheesy and almost gothic.

Erin
Oh, a gothic moment, of course! I should have guessed.

Erica
I liked the first truly moe scene, about 1/3 in – Youko envisioning Michiko as May Queen – her queen, and her feelings get “warm” at the thought. I love that the utterly pagan May Queen tradition is so Catholic and was imported into the animist Japan. Multiple religion exchange ftw. That was one of my favorite scenes, but not my number one favorite.

Erin
Haha, yes, that was a great one too.

Katherine
That was pretty great, I agree

Erin
I was also amused by Michiko wanting to “be friends with” all the pretty older girls.

Katherine
Yup, Michiko’s innocence about that was kind of amusing.

Erica
Awww, you are a softie.
How annoying is Michiko at the beginning? Vain, selfish. But she changes a lot as the book goes on

Erin
I… didn’t really notice.
I think I was seeing her as a Generic Protagonist for reader projection.
Oh, my other favorite scene was them wanting to be mommies to the calves together, by the way.

So sweet.

Erica
I saw her as still dreaming of herself as princess. That was another of my fave scenes. Katsuko holds out a fantasy of horseriding, while “Youko” represents a reality of cows and sheep.

Katherine
My perspective on this is closer to Erin’s. I thought she was childish, but didn’t think she was any worse than the usual for this kind of story’s protagonist.

Erin
Yeah, she is supposed to be 13.
Or somewhere around that age.
I suppose we’re just used to Nagisa/Yumi/etc.-esque protagonists at this point.
And yes, her fairy tale daydreams were interesting.

Katherine
Yup, our standards are kind of weirdly configured. lol

Erica
I’m not comparing her to other protagonists. Just looking at her mirror-staring in the beginning, compared to her looking outward at the end.

Katherine
Ah, that is true.
I did think the fairytale bit was cute also, though.

Erin
Ah, good point.

Erica
So what do you think the most important scene in the book was?

Katherine
Maybe when Youko helps Katsuko?

Erin
Yes, I think that was a big moment.

Erica
That was pretty significant. For me, the most important scene was Katsuko taking Michiko to the pool to watch a swim meet. I suddenly realized that this was a classic love triangle. Youko represents the down-home farmgirl, Katsuko, the city slicker. Karuizawa is hardly the “big city”, but Katsuko gives Michiko bicycle lessons, introduces her to foreigners in language lessons. She is the big sparkly.

Erin
Yes, definitely.
Michiko lying to Youko for the first time also seemed like a turning point to me.

Erica
Yes, that was huge. I wonder if that wasn’t the first moment she stops looking solely at herself.

Katherine
Good point! Those are both great examples of turning points also.

Erin
Hmm, yes, that could be.

Katherine
I chose mine because the love triangle couldn’t really die until Katsuko grew up and recognized that she should leave Michiko and Youko alone.

Erica
Good point.

Erin
Katherine: That also seemed like a growing moment for Youko.
Where she admitted to herself that she had been jealous/worried, but was able to be a bigger person now.

Katherine
That is true! They both grew when they settled their rivalry.

Erica
We haven’t really talked about Katsuko yet. What were your impressions of her?

Erin
Well, as we discussed before, I see her as coded as masculine in some ways.
She’s also rather a jerk.

Katherine
She was my least favorite.
I didn’t like her method of trying to win over Michiko.

Erin
Hmm, in my notes about her, I wrote: “Katsuko is the athletic, boyish, argumentative/aggressive/cruel one; she wants to change Michiko, and Michiko can’t help but play right into her hands (though she does realize it sometimes) and keep spending time with her even when she makes her feel bad”

Katherine
Yeah, she’s kind of manipulative.

Erica
She’s definitely aggressive.

Erin
She’s definitely portrayed as less likable than Youko, though I didn’t dislike her as much by the end.

Erica
We were talking about her use of body proximity, indicating her “masculinity” in some sense. Even in the pictures, she leans too close, always has her hand possessively around Michiko’s shoulders.

Erin
She’s kind of a Rainbow Dash type personality, if you’ll pardon the MLP comparison.
Yes, absolutely.

Erica
I can see that.

Erin
More of a boundary-violator.

Katherine
That’s an amazing connection to make.

Erin
Like how she wrote on Michiko’s letter to Youko.

Erica
Right. “My needs supercede anyone else’s”

Erin
Exactly!

Katherine
And trying to make Michiko wear a flower on her lapel after she gets sick.
Yup.

Erin
She kept going after Michiko even when her attentions were unwelcome.

Erica
That was just plain jerky.

Erin
Yes, that was really a summation of her personality.

Katherine
Yeah, basically, ignoring Michiko’s boundaries until towards the end.

Erin
The flower idea would have been flashy, but would have meant two flowers would die every day as a symbol of their friendship.
I couldn’t imagine Youko proposing something like that.

Erica
Haha, Erin.
That was what I liked so much when Katsuko lost the war, as it were. Trying too hard, she gets injured during the sports festival, Youko steps up to help her, gracious and polite. Katsuko needs help, guidance, comfort. She cannot provide it. Even Michiko understands that Youko has “won.” Katsuko acknowledges defeat, at which point Michiko refers to Youko as “onee-sama”, Katsuko acknowledges that, as well, and admits she wants to reconcile with Youko (owabi shitai.)

Erin
But she gets to enjoy a year with Michiko despite her “defeat.” So it all works out in the end for her.

Erica
Well, yes, because she accepted her place as loser.

Katherine
Yup.

Erin
If she hadn’t aggressively pursued Michiko this first year, do you think they would have become close after Youko had graduated?

Erica
Probably, don’t you?

Katherine
I think so.

Erin
Well, I suppose it would depend on whether she was trying to take Youko’s place.

Katherine
Ah, well, I don’t think she could completely take Youko’s place.

Erica
If she was, it would be impossible, Youko would be gone, and so, inviolate and perfect as a memory. Youko’s too perfect. Even her flawed background is perfect.

Katherine
That’s a great point, Erica.
For one, even if Michiko were to allow it (which I don’t think she would), the other students wouldn’t allow it. lol

Erin
Yes. Though I think the sense of distance in Youko’s letters was part of what allowed Katsuko to move in on Michiko in Karuizawa.

Erica
Absolutely

Erin
Not only was Youko not physically present, Michiko didn’t feel as emotionally close to her because her letters were withdrawn.
Katherine: They sure are big on enforcing the “one esu per person” thing, aren’t they

Katherine
They sure are!

Erica
They sure were!

Erin
Mandatory monogamy.
Unless you didn’t have an esu, in which case you could play the field, sort of.

Katherine
And your point about Youko is true. But given the greater emotional intimacy she and Michiko achieve by the end…
lol “play the field”
Michiko could become Shizuma (from Strawberry Panic!).

Erica
Which sort of begets a Sei character in Marimite. So Top Stars are given leeway to not commit. That’s really interesting. It explains why Shizuma committing twice is seen as worse than never committing.

Katherine
That too!

Erin
Yes!
I definitely saw some Sachiko and Yumi in the Youko-Michiko relationship.
Speaking of Top Stars, I was amused by the obligatory Takarazuka reference.

Erica
Haha, me too!

Katherine
That was definitely a “Some things never change” moment

Erin
Yup.

Erica
I want to make another point about the language. As flowery as it was, it was *way* easier to read than Yaneura no Nishoujo. Nearly 20 years had gone by and the language had loosened up considerably.

Erin
Oh, that’s good to know.

Katherine
I actually still need to properly read YnN.

Erin
Me, too.

Erica
It was not an easy read, I’ll be honest.

Erin
Yes, I was about to note the time difference.
This one was… 1939?

Katherine
1938

Erica
1938, yeah. It was serialized in 1937.

Erica
Any last thoughts about the book, something we haven’t covered?

Erin
Hmm, let me check my notes.

Erica
I have this note that I must share: “When confronted with news of Michiko’s perfidy, Youko remains unflappable. When Michiko confesses, even she thinks Youko is being unreasonably calm.” LOL

Erin
Hahaha.

Katherine
lol

Erin
Hmm, I wrote something here about the red yashiki.
Wondering to myself if it was an inspiration for the Bara no Yakata in Marimite.

Erica
Oh yes, please do talk about the Red yashiki! (The red houses were “foreigners” house in Yokohama, that Youko had to pass on the way to school.)

Erin
My notes say “Part of the shoujo shousetsu aesthetic of the 20th century?” but I don’t remember what I was thinking.

Erica
I had a similar thought. We’re all such Marimite fangirls. I loved how they were houses of ill repute and fantasy castles all at once.

Erin
Yes!
This one was a foreign mistress’s house.
Also, the scene with Youko vowing to search for Michiko made me think of the panda scene in Marimite, of course.

Katherine
Yes!

Erin
“Michiko likes rainy days now because of that afternoon in the rain with Youko that first day” I see I wrote down the important things. lol

Erica
That’s as important as cow babies being cute, which is a note that I added, as well.

Erin
Yes!
Also, were either of you amused by the shopping race? (One of the events in the sports festival.)
I thought it was so interesting I described it to my wife, but she thought it sounded boring to watch.

Erica
That was hilarious.

Katherine
That was funny.

Erin
I know! THANK YOU!

Katherine
This is horrible of me to say, but I appreciated it as an intentionally funny bit.

Erica
That was when I went on a tear about “Color War” and when they started and if the British had brought them to Japan (probably, with the Boy Scouts and the Navy) and I was having a crazy conversation on Twitter with some Japanese folks about Sport festivals and color wars.

Erin
Wait, when Katsuko fell?
Oh, do share!
I see them pop up in manga from time to time but don’t know much about them.

Katherine
I want to hear about this, too.

Erica
In my part of the USA, we call that splitting up into colors for a sports festival “Color War” and it often includes skits (about which I still have intense trauma issues) and songs, art as well as races and silly contests, like scavenger hunts.

Erin
Yikes.

Erica
The term “color war” comes from a Jewish Boys’ camp in the Poconos, but the idea comes from Britain and was imported with the Boy Scouts.

Erin
It did sound rather Hogwarts.

Katherine
Interesting!

Erica
The British navy brought the idea to Japan, and it was incorporated into schools.
So…that’s why Japanese schools have Sports Festivals that sound exactly like the kind of thing I did in camp. Stupid races and all.

Erin
Ahh.

Erica
Random bit of late-night twittering.

Katherine
That is pretty fascinating.

Erin
It is!

Erica
We haven’t talked about…Miss Wright. The teacher who died right before the Sports Festival.

Erin
Yes, that was rather random.

Erica
I noticed that Miss Wright’s death strikes the youngest girls hardest. They barely knew her, but went full on with mourning and let’s do it for Miss Wright! during the Festival.

Erin
Oh, good point.

Katherine
I guess it’s meant to highlight how ingenuous they are. Or…I’m struggling to think of just the right way to phrase it.

Erica
It reminded me of a fellow schoolmate when John Lennon died.
She came to school and mourned publicly for him. She didn’t know him, just liked his music.

Erin
Yes, Miss Wright could be an example of grief for celebrity deaths.
(Speaking of grief, that seemed like another connecting point between Michiko and Youko.)

Erica
It seemed a bit like a rebuke to girl’s following fads, and bit of self-recognition that they do.

Erin
That makes sense.

Katherine
That is true.

Erica
It totally deepened Michiko and Youko’s bond.

Katherine
The story did emphasize how much the students go with the flow, including Michiko.
Yup

Erin
Good point.

Erin
I do wish we had gotten to see Youko visit her mother, but that was outside the scope of the story.

Erica
Agreed.

Katherine
Mm, it would have made her background feel like more than a kind of manipulative device to make her sympathetic.

Erin
Katherine: Yes, it did seem to function that way.
And then with her grandmother’s death, and the closed gate, and all that.

Erica
That’s valid too. But I kind of thought her (Youko’s) background was manipulative.

Katherine
Erica: It was kind of inherently manipulative, but I guess I thought it could have been less manipulative if the story had dealt a bit more directly with the messiness of it, if that makes sense. But I guess it couldn’t have been the kind of novel it was and done that.

Erin
Katherine: Yes, it could have been a sensitive look at her situation, but just chose to use it as backstory instead.
Oh, before we finish, one thing I meant to bring up is that Youko deliberately chooses Michiko out of the other first-years, rather than stumbling across her.
So she’s portrayed more as a desirable esu than an everygirl who happened to be in the right place at the right time (like Yumi).

Erica
Yes, great point.

Erin
I’m trying to think of other modern Yuri light novels or manga that portray their protagonists in that light.Usually it’s all about how desirable the sempai is and how everyone wants her.

Erica
And the kouhai is a moron. Drives me crazy that anyone wanted Nagisa.

Erica
Last question. Did you like the book? Why or why not?

Erin
As for liking the book, I’d say I have moderately positive feelings about it.
I’m glad I read it, but I don’t think I would read it again.

Erica
Fair enough.
I’m rather glad I read this book. It was much less difficult a read than Yaneura no Nishojo and had as much source material for Marimite (and all the many moe-clones that have come since,) Where Yaneura no Nishojo had the piano duet and the room in the tower, this was so deeply embedded in the ‘S’ relationship that would become soeur.

Erin
Yes, gotta have that piano duet.

Erica
I blame Cream Lemon for the ubiquity of the piano duet.

Katherine
I’m still scared of YnN.
Even though it’s a must-read.
Especially since this wasn’t a walk in the park to read.

Erin
Katherine: Were you going to list some series?

Katherine
Ah, yes!
I guess Komari from Gokujou Drops, and… hmm, it is harder to come up with protagonists who are more Nagisa/Michiko than Yumi. I guess Marimite helped cause that?
Oh god, Cream Lemon
I also am glad I read this book for its historical value, but would not read it again.

Erica
Any final thoughts?

Erin
Hmm, the “eternal female friendship” bit at the very end was nice.

Katherine
Ah, the promise at the end.

Erin
Made me think about all the other works I’ve read that focused on female friendship over long years. I hope Youko and Michiko continued to exchange letters into their elderly years.

Katherine
Me, too.

Erin
Was there a pair in Marimite that did that?

Katherine
Sachiko’s grandma and someone else I think?

Erin
Yes!

Erica
No, Sachiko’s grandmother and Yumiko *didn’t* keep in touch. That was the point of that story.
So they reconciled on her deathbed. (From Maria-sama ga Miteru: Parasol o Sashite)

Katherine
Ssshhh, Erica, don’t ruin our fanfic.

Erin
Katherine, I think our brains rewrote that to make it happier.

Erica
Here’s my final thought, which once again was about Marimite. In most of the moe-clone ‘S’ relationship stories, the girls are still presumed to be going off the get married…and that they *will never see or speak to each other again*. Why? Because 100 years ago that might have been true. In 1938, Youko and Michiko have every intention of staying in touch.

Erin
Oh, good point.

Katherine
True.

Erica
In the 21st century Mizuno Youko is required to go to *law school*. She’d like to go to a liberal arts school, but goes where she’s expected to. Not get married…law school. Think of the gap, the century in between. Yet, there are the moe clones, still marrying the girls off.

Katherine
I thought she chose law school?
I guess I missed that detail.
Ooohh.

Erin
Oh, yes.
Though there was an interesting part in Otome no Minato.
Where they’re talking about how many of the girls at school are planning to become working women, but don’t talk about how they want to work.

Kathrine
Yes…that struck me too.

Erin
I’m sure their class status played a part.

Katherine
True!
If you’re too high class, more pressure to marry.

Erin
And less pressure to bring in a second income, yup.

Erica
Exactly so. And yet, they can still stay in touch.
Okay, anyone has any closing thoughts?

Katherine
I guess we should mention Michiko learning to ride a bike away from Yokohama, in Karuizawa, as another turning point.
And…represents independence

Erin
Right, absolutely.
Ties into that Twitter conversation we had about how it would totally be a car or scooter today.

Erica
Oh yes, a huge turning point. I commented to my wife at the time, that a modern remake would have had Katsuko teaching Michiko to drive.

Katherine
Yes!
I also thought Michiko’s mother commenting on her crush was interesting, even though I know Mom didn’t see it as real.

Erin
Oh, that is interesting.

Erica
Moms are eternal.

Erin
Katherine: Shades of Aoi Hana there?
(Yasuko’s mom)

Katherine
They see all, yes.
Otherwise…that is it for me.
You guys?

Erica
That makes sense. It (Aoi Hana) also has strong ‘S’ ties

Erin
Yes, and Katsuko reminds me a bit of Yasuko.

Erica
That makes sense.

Katherine
They are similar!

Erica
Let’s call this a wrap. Thank you both again.

Erin
Okay! Thanks again for including us in this.
It was fun.

Katherine
Yes! Thank you for inviting us to this.