Archive for the Guest Review Category


I Don’t Need A Happy Ending, Guest Review by Eleanor Walker

February 14th, 2024

A woman and her maid embrace gently, on a bed surrounded by draped cloth.Hello, it’s 3 opossums in a trenchcoat disguised as a person back for another review. You can find me dotted around the Internet as @st_owly. Today I’m reviewing I Don’t Need  A Happy Ending, a collection of short stories,  by Mikanuji, the creator of Assorted Entanglements. I liked that series well enough to go in blind on this one when I saw it in the bookstore so here we go.

I’ve always had a soft spot for short stories. Telling a complete tale in a limited amount of pages is a skill unto itself, and a good short story anthology should have something for everyone. With that in mind, I cannot recommend the first story in this book, “I’ll Never Fall In Love With You”. It’s rapey, creepy and everything I dislike about yuri manga written for the male gaze all rolled into 36 convenient pages. 

Happily, the second story in the book is much more pleasant. This is the titular story “I Don’t Need A Happy Ending” and features a historical forbidden love story between a mistress and her maid. Unlike in the first story, the characters actually feel like people rather than sex objects, and without giving too much away, they do get their happy ending. I will freely admit I’m a sucker for historical romance and as someone who adores Victorian Romance Emma, by Kaoru Mori, this scratched the same itch. 

Back to the present day for “I Don’t Know What Love Is,” which features a nihilistic college student and her adoring kouhai. I didn’t particularly care for this chapter either, but it did at least have more plot than the first one and the characters are adults this time. The author also really likes drawing people having sex in (semi) public places.

4th in the collection is “A Day off from Work” in which two childhood friends finally realise their long held feelings for each other. Short and sweet, it’s always nice when two people find each other.

The penultimate story in this volume also appeared in “Whenever Our Eyes Meet: A Women’s Love Anthology” which is also available in English from Yen Press. Another office romance, this time the new temp at the company is the main lead’s fling from the night before, and she’s not out at work. More semi public sex and everyone is happy.

Finally, we finish with a sequel to “I Don’t Need a Happy Ending,” which begins with a timeskip of several years, and that is merely a convenient plot device for more illicit sex. It takes 3 pages before they’re at it.  

Overall, your mileage may vary. as to be expected with an anthology. The author definitely has certain tastes which are reflected in this collection, and if her tastes don’t align with yours you might leave disappointed. For me “I Don’t Need a Happy Ending” and sequel were by far and away the standout of the book, with the others ranging from “get me the brain bleach right now” to “ok that was cute but utterly forgettable.”

Ratings:

Art – 8. The sex scenes are well done and the boobs don’t look like balloons. 
Story – Anywhere from 3 to 7
Characters – Anywhere from 3 to 7
Service – 10. This one is rated M and shrink wrapped for a reason
Yuri – 7. It got better as it went on. 

Overall – 6.5

 





Finding the Good in Bad Media or, a treatise on Interspecies Reviewers by Mash Whitehouse

January 31st, 2024

Mash Whitehouse is a transwoman who never updates her blog at mashforxp.com and has written several tabletop RPG books. She can also be found refusing to say anything succinctly about Video Games, Anime, and everything else @mashforxp.bsky.social

After a rousing discussion on bluesky, and a failed attempt to bring Erica in as an expert witness, I found myself deep in thought about fantasy sex work. The only sex work that isn’t real work. When I’m not picking polite fights on social media, I write about RPGs or pretend to be an expert on them. Common consensus is that sex and D&D don’t mix, but you’re lucky that we’re not here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about a manga I like and the anime of it that I hate.

I’m talking about Interspecies Reviewers. Wait, please don’t leave!

IR burst into the western consciousness in a spectacular fashion, when the anime’s release was canceled by Funimation. In the age of streaming, before every company became one congealed Tetsuo-esque amalgam, the many services were scrambling to grab every launching anime they could. Any one of which could be the next One Piece, the next Goblin Slayer, or something actually good. For the 2020 season, Funimation picked up the anime for Interspecies Reviewers, a gag manga about the worst adventurers trawling through the red-light district in a fantasy world, looking to experience the many sensual experiences such a world has to offer, and then publishing their opinions for fellow adventurers.

The premise rides a line to be sure, but perhaps in the days before streaming, with a chance to review the product before purchase, Funi wouldn’t have jumped in blindly. Instead, they found themselves with a very raunchy anime and pulled it, 3 episodes in. I found the situation farcical, but it also piqued my morbid curiosity. My proactive wife bought me the first volume of the manga before I could find a source for the anime.

The opening chapter plays out like this: The Elf adventurer, Zel, has a penchant for spending his rewards from adventuring on a middle-aged human “Succu-girl” (this fantasy world’s term for a sex worker), Stunk the Human questions why he would pick her. The very well named human brings up how wonderful he thinks Elven girls are, and Zel counters with the fact that most Elves are pushing 800 years old, as opposed to the youthful 50 year old woman that Zel frequents.

As the argument heightens in their local tavern, other regulars join in to review the two species. A myriad of different fantasy people, from Halflings to Kobolds all participate in the ridiculous activity, resulting in the middle-aged woman winning, with each barfly giving reasonable reasons for why the idealized and unachievable beautiful elf is not their preference. The gag that won me over was the presentation of the reviews. Four of the barflys write up Famitsu-style critiques: brief paragraphs and 0-10 scores. Excellent. This is an ongoing bit for every chapter. It helps keep the conceit of the title going. To me though, it helps create a theme of sexual positivity, overcoming sexual repression, and acceptance of varied body types and their beauty
while also rating women’s bodies.

Enter Crimvael; the reason this manga would merit a Lambda Award. Crim is a wonderful intersex angel (he/him), and I mean angel literally, his halo is damaged, keeping him from returning to heaven, so he ends up slumming it with these losers. With their “help”, he begins to discover his sexuality, what the mortal world is like, and maybe finds love along the way. On his journey, Crim meets Elza the Gnoll. For those not in the know about fantasy creatures, Gnolls are hyena people, and just how the real world Spotted Hyena have pseudo-penises, (go look it up, nature is amazing!) so too does Elza.

While this is a fun and subtle joke connecting Gnolls and Hyenas, Elza herself is never made out to be a joke, she is cool and arguably sexy, unlike the portrayal of many gender non-conforming characters in media. Crim’s experience with Elza is given a 9, and he leaves no further expounding details. It is a wonderfully affirming queer moment, and Elza shows up from time to time, clearly having left an impact on Crim. The rest of that chapter is focused on the other reviewers getting to experience “lesbian sex” at the Gender Swap Inn. This is treated in much the same way as men’s yuri or lesbian content. Unfortunately.

The manga definitely falls on the seinen side of the seinen/josei divide, and the only regular female character is the harpy bar owner. Who acts like a harpy, in the sense of the derogatory term for women. Of course, the men are no better, constantly drinking, focused on sex and generally being of a low brow demeanor. They are not portrayed in a positive light, but they are at least portrayed. Crimvael, the only queer character of the main cast, is at least likable.

Now we come to the anime. It has a stigma about it. One that is earned. The anime is just softcore porn. The Japanese channel AT-X aired it with no censorship, followed by other channels re-airing with blurred censorship.The manga used diegetic censorship of hair, Crim’s halo, another character, swords, etc., to create consistent background jokes. Which are lost for a chance to show bare nipples and tout a lack of censorship on TV. The conversion to animation damages the message and shifts the focus. A prime example: The Will o’ Wisp Succu-girls, Light Elementals in humanoid form, glow so brightly that you cannot see anything “fun”. A good joke. In the anime, they are just glowing nude women, everything bare for the viewer to gawk at. A joke lost. Without the joke, you are left only with the smut.

So, Because of the widely known fiasco that is the anime, I hesitate to even recommend the manga, despite the amount of charming and queer moments. I would have to give a giant preamble if I ever wished to attempt such a futile endeavor, and if you have to begin any conversation with “I’m not a pervert, but-” you’re not starting from a strong footing. So, I’m not a pervert, but-

Ratings:

Art – 8Story – 4Characters – 3Service – 9 (Anime 11)Yuri/Queer – 4

Overall  – 7

All 9 volumes have a space on my manga shelf. Along with vol 1 of the spin off anthology Darkness.

If you have a secret place to read, or access to blank dust covers, the manga is available from Yen Press. If you’re interested in watching the anime, I recommend getting on a dating app, being honest on your profile, don’t include a picture of your dog, and you’ll find someone that likes you. 

Note: Links lead to Global Bookwalker, as not all volumes of the manga appear to be available elsewhere.





The Vexations Of A Shut-In Vampire Princess, Guest Review by Cryssoberyl

January 24th, 2024

Girl with long blonde hair, wearing red military-ish uniform holds her hand palm out at us,while blue-haired maid clings to her. They are surrounded by generic moe anime girls' heads bedecked by a variety of hair colors and stylesThere is a long-running video game series that I have been a fan of for going on two decades now. It’s called Disgaea, and the general theme is a zany, tongue-in-cheek netherworld of fractious demons who love to war with each other, but ultimately it’s all in good fun and although they are often selfish and pretend to be “bad”, most of them really have hearts of gold…if buried at varying depths.

No anime has ever felt more like “Disgaea: The Anime” than Hikikomari Kyuuketsuki no Monmon, streaming on HIDIVE as The Vexations Of A Shut-In Vampire Princess.

This was actually an intimidating review for me to approach. I personally really enjoyed the show, but there is no doubt that, especially early on, the show relies on a lot of very “dead horse” off-color jokes and tropes. This is unfortunate, as I feel the early episodes are not good indicators of the show as a whole (something which is a truism for anime in general, but along with WataOshi and 16bit Sensation, was particularly the case for shows of this season). Yes, Villhaze oversteps boundaries, yes there is a persistent gag of everybody wanting Komari. Part of this stems from the fact that this is ultimately an example of the “battle harem” formula, and characters having an absurd preoccupation with the MC is how this song is danced.

For me, the elements that I know other people might find problematic were not dealbreakers. I don’t have a problem with service unless it’s egregiously coercive or humiliating – and I’ll admit, I will give a lot of things a pass if it happens between two women than I would not if a man were involved; rightly or wrongly the feeling of predation, power imbalance, and othering is just not the same for me. Nothing in Hikikomari crossed the line for me, although I certainly rolled my eyes sometimes. Despite these things, I found a lot to love in this show. Even my best friend, life partner, and love of my life Zefiris (LURB <3 n_n) who is much more sensitive to these issues was able to enjoy the show quite a lot on the whole.

Although the characters can be easily defined as “types”, they all had distinguishing qualities. Komari is not simply the hapless harem MC, she has a natural instinct for BSing her way through the messes she find herself in; I for one love characters who display unexpected competence when thrust into unfamiliar situations. Villhaze is no mere kuudere maid, she is also Komari’s spin doctor, tactician, and bodyguard. Sakana the “yandere little sister” type is a skilled assassin and 4D chessmistress when it comes to planning her gambits far in advance. Nelia the deposed princess fights for the future of her country with admirable bravery and conviction. And finally there is Millicent, who after chewing the scenery as a gloriously villainous antagonist, goes on to be that greatest of all characters, the former villainess who becomes an awesomely badass antiheroine.

As mentioned, this is undeniably a yuri “battle harem” franchise, and over the course of the show no less than three young ladies form varying degrees of attachment to Komari. (Four if you count Millicent.) On the one hand this is great, I for one love yurification of existing genre formulas. On the other hand, one cannot but feel sorry for Villhaze, the obviously designated main love interest, who feels like a neglected character after her early arc concludes and the show goes on to focus on other characters. Presumably the source material circles back around to her later, but speaking just for this adaptation, it was slightly unfortunate.

Finally, I must shout out the small cameo by legendary yuri seiyuu Yuuki Aoi. I won’t say who the character is; when the hotblooded screaming starts, you’ll know.

Ratings:

Art – 8/10, pleasantly competent and consistent considering the designs, although visible cracks in some action sequences.
Story – 7/10, sometimes wacky, sometimes unexpectedly serious, frequently bombastic.
Characters – 7/10, for me at least the characters defy their usual typing.
Service – early in the show 8/10, later on 5/10. It definitely drops off, though there are still occasional moments.
Yuri – 7/10, a yuri harem is definitely forming but Villhaze feels left behind after her arc.

Overall – 8/10, it was not art, but it was definitely entertainment.

Hikikomari Kyuuketsuki no Monmon is currently available for streaming, under the title The Vexations of a Shut-in Vampire Princess, on HIDIVE.





Black Rose Revue: Act 1, Guest Review by Ashley

January 17th, 2024

In classic 1970' shoujo manga black and white art style, we see a woman with short hair in a men's tuxedo, a woman with long black hair in a stylish "villainess"-esque dress and a woman with pale hair in a white dress between them on the sofa. The words "You Are Cordially Invited To The Black Rose Revue" are prominent in the middle of the image.Chihiro Sato is the rising star of The Black Rose Review. She has proven herself so skilled in her recent major role alongside top otokoyaku Rika Ikeda that she has now been picked for the staring role in the next production. But this rapid assent brings with it the problems of antagonistic seniors and a mysterious E.M. who keeps sending Chihiro bouquets of roses.

So far only act one of Phantom of the Black Rose Revue is available on itch.io and it does everything a good opening should do.

The game wastes no time introducing us to the cast. Everyone has at least one scene that gives us their deal or mystery. It truly is the very start of this story so we really only have the very first threads of characterization to chew on, with the exception of Chihiro, who is already a rising star, not a student. This is a choice that elevates her instantly compared to other similar characters like Kageki Shoujo‘s Sarasa Watanabe, Revue Starlight‘s Karen Aijou or the characters from Awajima Hyakkei.

Chihiro already has a role in the Black Rose Revue and so the focus is on how she can further her career; rather than if she is suited for it at all. A refreshing change from the usual when it comes to stories about performers. The adult world of working in the theatre is not a distant haze that Chihiro is striving for, but a world that she is trying to live in.

With that, what a world indeed for Phantom of the Black Rose Revue to take place in! What this preview does best in the short time it takes to play it is provide us with a monochromatic optical feast. The character designs homages to Riyoko Ikeda right down to the powerful reaction sprites lovingly spelled with sharp highlights. But the stark black and white look of manga goes far beyond the characters and into the backgrounds. The backgrounds are drawn in the same style as the character designs allowing both to mesh together into a single image far better than games with a team more than triple the six people credited for the team here. Combined with lively sprite direction it makes the visual elements of this visual novel far more important than many others. I often found myself taking the time to just look at an animation or transition over and over because of the incredible synergy Phantom of the Black Rose Revue is capable of.

It is this effort to keep the different visual elements of the game congruent with each other that stands out the most in this brief demo. When the finished game is available to buy we can be certain that it will have a unique and complete sense of style, something that very few games manage to achieve.

No ratings yet, as this is only the beginning of the story.

Phantom of the Black Rose Revue can be downloaded on Windows, MacOS and Linux at name your own price on Yamino’s itch.io page.





Just Friends by Ana Oncina, Guest Review by Em Evergreeen

January 10th, 2024

Two women hold hands by a vast, purple sea under a yellow sky. One has long curly red hair, wears a hat and and a yellow denim skirt. The other has short black hair, wears a pink shirt with long black sleeves, a backpack and shorts. A large white cloud in the distance billows up from the horizon.Em Evergreen is a lonely lesbian with a manga addiction. Find her at linktr.ee/em.evergreen.Just Friends is a one volume Yuri manga by Spanish mangaka Ana Oncina. Originally published by Planeta CĂłmic in Spain in 2021, the English edition comes to us courtesy of Tokyopop, with translations by Nanette Cooper-McGuinness. Just Friends was awarded a silver medal at the Japanese Ministry of the Exterior’s International Manga Awards in 2023.Just Friends has the form of a manga, with right-to-left paneling and Japanese-language sound effects, but the lower-line-count art style hints at its overseas origin. It’s an opportunity to read a different type of Yuri, one that plays with the tropes of a culturally distinct adolescence – no sailor uniforms, student council officers, or onigiri are in evidence. Instead our story is set at sleep-away camp, where our teenage characters wear graphic tees and eat pizza and baloney sandwiches.Our protagonist, the introverted Erika, is reluctantly packed off to said camp without any close friends. On the bus there, she meets her polar opposite Emi, who takes an immediate interest in Erika and declares them “inseparable” before they even arrive. The story of their whirlwind relationship that summer is framed by more brief flash-forwards into their future, where we see them meet again as thirty-somethings. As with any good real-life sleep-away camp, the setting gives Erika the chance to step outside her comfort zone, figure out some things about herself, and perhaps explore that most new and exciting phenomenon to a teen – romance.To some young adult readers, especially queer ones raised in a similar context, the story will at times be almost painfully relatable. The realistic depictions of social anxiety, bullying, awkwardness, and underage-drinking-fueled misadventures might resonate a bit too strongly for comfort, but you’ll likely chuckle more than cry. Erika and her peers don’t have the communication or conflict resolution skills of adults, but their conflicts aren’t the focus. This is a romance at its core, with a side of navigating heteronormative expectations while figuring out who you are.Just Friends is very much not a Yuri without lesbians. Its mix of LGBTQ issues and romance is distinguished from recent standouts like Shio Usui’s Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon or Sakaomi Yuzaki’s She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat by its strong focus on the drama of adolescence. In that respect, it calls to mind Yuhki Kamatani’s Our Dreams at Dusk, though it’s lighter in tone and less ambitious in scope. Just don’t go into Just Friends expecting a neat and tidy ending, or a sweet story of first love. It’s too grounded in the complexities of real-world romantic relationships, teenage and adult, to give us that. Like all good one volume manga, it leaves you wanting more.Art – 5, effective if not awe-inspiringStory – 8, a nostalgic, bittersweet romanceCharacters – 6, more realistic than memorableService – 3, sex isn’t ignored, but the teens aren’t leered at or sexualizedYuri – 10, Houston, we have lesbians (and/or bisexuals)Overall – 7