Archive for the Guest Review Category


My-Hime Manga, Volume 4 (English) Guest Review, by Jason T.

April 20th, 2009

So I was bitching rather genially about My-Hime, Volume 4 on Facebook and Twitter and got an email in reply from writer/editor/manga expert and all-around fun guy Jason Thompson.

He agreed vehemently that this was a dreadful example of manga and went so far as to graciously allow me to use his description of this series from as yet unpublished, Manga: The Complete Guide materials. I therefore offer up to you as our latest guest reviewer, the pithy thoughts of Mr. Jason Thompson:

MY-HIME (Mai-HiME, “Dancing Girl/My Princess”) （舞-HiME) • Noboru Kimura (story), Sato Ken-etsu (art) • TokyoPop (2006-2008) • Akita Shoten (Weekly Shônen Champion, 2004-2005) • Shônen Sci-Fi Battle • 18+ (language, graphic violence, nudity, sexual situations)

Adaptation of the anime series. Yuuichi transfers to a special school where certain girls possess an awesome power: the ability to summon a “child,” a big mechanical monster, when in the presence of the right boy, called the “key.” Yuuichi turns out to be the “key” of not one but two hime girls, Mai and Natsuki, who bicker over him in endless superpowered catfights. Sloppily drawn and crammed with too many female characters to keep track of, My-Hime—hime is Japanese for “princess” but here stands for “Highly Advanced Materializing Equipment”—is a tedious manga adaptation of a cynical “high-concept” anime, mixing “harem” romantic comedies and battle manga about people who team up with mecha or monsters. Characters we don’t care about fight one another, make passes at Yuuichi and tear up the landscape, leading up to an incoherent climactic fight with the aliens from the “Princess Star” which is the origin of the himes. The books are padded out with interviews with the anime staff, one of whom tells the reader “Reading My-Hime isn’t enough, so go for the anime, the figures, and radio and become a My-Hime Ph.D!” The worst feature of the art is the slack-jawed inexpressive faces.

.5 (HALF A STAR! -_- )

Thank you Jason for stabbing taking a stab at this series. Your brevity should have been matched by the series itself. Despite the craptasticness of the manga, I would like to thank Okazu Hero Elaine B. for bravely wading in and sponsoring today’s review!





Yuri Light Novel: Memories Off 2nd ~ Precious Hearts Gest Review by George H

April 3rd, 2009

A few Saturday news reports ago, I mentioned that George R. gleefully volunteered the news that he had discovered a light novel with Yuri. He also offered up a review for our entertainment and edification. I am delighted to be able to introduce you to our newest Guest Reviewer, George.

You wouldn’t normally expect to find much Yuri a light novel based on a romance adventure game for guys. This one seems to be the exception, and you don’t need strong Yuri-goggles to see it. I picked this novel up when I was in Japan in 2003, and on a whim decided to re-read it. I’m glad I did. I haven’t played any of the Memories Off games, and I feel you can quite enjoy the novel without any knowledge of the game. I also like the way the author, Higurashi Chabou, told the story using a minor girl character from the game in place of the male lead.

Memories Off ~ Precious Hearts 2nd falls into the category of light high-school Yuri. Things never develop much beyond blushes and flirting as a underclassman befriends and helps the sempai she adores.

Maikata Kana is an ordinary, shy Japanese school girl in her first year of high school [yes, her name is a deliberate pun on “Dancing Katakana”]. She has worn glasses with no correction since junior high for appearance and, we find, to put a wall between herself and the world.

One day she stops by a park on the way home from school to watch the sun set, but a pair of thugs accost her wanting to “play.” She is saved by a slender, graceful, strong girl wearing her same school uniform. A couple aikido throws later and the thugs are gone. Kana thanks her savior and find she is Suzuna Takano, a senior. She is further smitten when Takano gives her back her glasses, saying looks good in them.

A boy in Kana’s class tries to get her to join the soccer club, but accidentally lets her know Takano is in the swim club. Kana immediately heads there for a look. Takano invites her in, reassuring her there are no guys in the club. When Takano offers to teach her, Kana’s hesitation over her own ability crumbles. A couple laps by Kana convince Takano she has unexpected ability. A couple laps by her sempai, and Kana signs up with the Takano Fan Club.

In addition to joining the swim club, Kana becomes a good friend of Takano’s. They go together to buy a couple new swimsuits for Kana to use in the club–ones just like Takano’s–and also share dinner and conversation. Takano pleases and embarrasses Kana every time she calls her cute. When Kana later claims she’ll do anything for her, Takano claims this sounds like a line for a boyfriend. This embarrasses Kana, who proclaims undying attachment to Takano. Takano says this would be hard on Kana’s boyfriend, but Kana declares,”I… I’d never date someone like a guy!”

The other girls in the swim club recognize and respect Kana and Takano’s special relationship, as does Takano’s other friend, Futami Shion. Shion is a polite, gentle lady Takano’s age, who regularly uses “gokigenyou.” Her two passions are books and black tea. Takano explains her silver hair and gray eyes: “I think she’s a quarter Scandinavian. But there isn’t a Japanese who loves Japan more than she does.”

Takano lives with her aunt and uncle above their small book shop.They’ve raised her since childhood as if she were their own, and she feels a strong sense of obligation to them. When she hears business at the bookshop is doing poorly–in spite of Shion’s purchases–she even looks to abandon her college plans and start working so she can pay back her aunt and uncle, even though they may not want it. This crisis is averted by the talk with her aunt and uncle Kana recommends and a full-ride athletic scholarship for Takano. Takano’s reaction to stress is to disappear from school and swim club,worrying both her friends and guardians. She first does this when worried about money and college. A very concerned Kana goes looking for her and calls in Shion to help. They find Takano practicing swimming alone after hours. As the three relax over the tea Shion brought, Kana notices the banter between the other two and comments that the two of them are really are good friends. Takano and Shion take Kana’s hands and correct her that it is “The three of us.”

The next time Takano has a bad reaction is to the cold, dark, sea while trying to rescue a little girl. This brings back bad memories from a childhood trauma where she almost drowned and threatens to upset everything as her new fear of water makes her useless as a swimmer – invalidating her scholarship. It does provide a chance for Kana and Shion to look for Takano again, and this time help her overcome her fear.

Kana and Takano grow closer as Takano invites Kana to hear her uncle tell them both about her drowning incident. His tale includes the story of her parents and how she ended up being raised by her aunt and uncle. This leads to a heartwarming conclusion in which Kana and Takano rediscover Takano’s mother, who lost all memories regarding Takano in the incident. She remarried and named her new daughter Takano–though she’s not sure why that name seemed so right. Takano (the elder) is reconciled with her father her to let her mother enjoy her own happy life now without their interference. As her mother leaves, she tells her young daughter that her greatest treasure is not the amethyst pendant she wears–just like Takano and her dad–but it is …Takano.

The novel finishes the day before Takano and Kana’s big swim meet. Shion promises to come cheer them on, and make them tea to relax. Kana is very glad she met these two: people she can believe in, people she can rely on so she can try hard. They opened a door for her to grow. She concludes the novel telling them, “Thank you. I love both of you.”

While the novel leaves it open, I can see Kana and Takano, and possibly Shion, continuing on to lead a life of happy Yuriness together.

Ratings:
Art – 7 (Both front color pages and B&W ones interspersed are nice,but only the B&W ones illustrate scenes from the story.)
Story – 6
Characters – 8
Service – 2

Overall – 7

In the end, I’m glad that I followed my whim and reread Memories Off~ Precious Hearts, letting me renew my acquaintance with Takano, Kana and Shion. While some of the events in Takano’s childhood seem a bit contrived for melodrama in the game, I like the characters and would enjoy sitting down for a cup of tea with these girls.

Erica here once again. It sounds to me that this is more shinyuu than Yuri, but it still sounds like a nice read. :-) I’d also up the Service score – sounds like a *lot* of bathing suit service. Thanks George for the review and the new perspective here on Okazu!





Maria-sama ga Miteru New Year’s Eve Event Report

February 1st, 2009

Today’s post is a report from Bruce Pregger, a long-time Yuricon staffer, one of my best lackeys and a very good friend. We’ve been in the habit of visiting Japan at New Year’s with him, for Comiket and shrine visits. This year he had to go by himself – which makes this a very good time to thank him from the bottom of my heart for all the crap he picked up and lugged home for me. I love every single thing. Bruce – you’ll find yourself (somewhat belatedly) on the Okazu Superhero roll.

On New Year’s Eve this past year, there was a Maria-sama ga Miteru event held at movie theaters country-wide. Happily for all of us, Bruce was able to go. Here is his report:

As I was about to leave on a holiday trip to Tokyo, Erica informed me about a Maria-sama ga Miteru New Year’s Eve Special Event, taking place in connection with the start of the fourth season. The event was going to be held at all Warner-Mycal Cinemas throughout Japan. It was something I knew I had to try to see. As luck would have it one of these cinemas was in the suburban town of Tobu-Nerima, a relatively easy train ride from my Ikebukuro hotel. So on New Year’s Eve I headed out through the blue holiday lights to see how Yumi and Sachiko would fare in a Warner Brothers setting. The cinema was on the top floor of a department store, along with five or six restaurants, just one floor up from the smiling tofu furniture. The event ticket was 1300 yen, a little over $14. Next to the theater there was a concession area selling mostly Warner Brothers character goods, but in the center was a kiosk stocked with all kinds of Marimite items. It was a breathtaking sight. Up until then I had found dreadfully few Marimite goods anywhere in Tokyo. So I happily piled armfuls of the stuff onto the counter. To her credit the woman behind the register reacted calmly, as though hyperventilating American Marimite fans show up in Tobu-Nerima all the time.

After cheerfully taking all my money she inquired whether I had gotten my cup. Cup? She led me around to the the drink counter, where my ticket entitled me to a limited edition Marimite New Year’s Eve Special Event lidded drink cup. The lids came in yellow and red. I don’t know what happened to the white ones. On entering the theater I was handed a pair of 3-D glasses. The special event was getting more special by the minute.

The theater was about half full, maybe 150 people, approximately 80% male, every one clutching a pink cup. The theater manager came out and welcomed us to the event. The first part of the show was the premier of the new season’s first episode. It was great seeing it on the big screen, though the opening was startling – the song bright and snappy, Yumi and friends hopping in and out of magic portals, white sailor collars fluttering wildly…. But the episode itself was back down to earth. And the ending credits were exceptionally charming. Next came a video greeting from Kana Ueda and Miki Ito, the voice actresses for Yumi and Sachiko, who asked us to put on our glasses as they mugged in 3-D for the camera. Then came the final presentation. This was a long music video made from clips of the first two seasons that had been fully three-dimensionalized. It followed the three rose families in turn, with music from the series. It was wild. The audience was simultaneously brushing away a tear and ducking out-thrust rosaries. And I have to state that Sei is every bit as fun in three dimensions as in two. It was wonderful, and at the end I thought some applause would be appropriate, but the audience enjoyed it all in silence. When the lights came on the manager reappeared, thanking us for attending, and urging us to purchase even more items at the concession stand. It was all a tremendous amount of fun, and a great way to end the year.

Erica again: Bruce, no doubt the waves of jealousy and envy will batter you appropriately. But thank you so very, very much for my teen-weeny little mascot figurines and the towels and the report! Next year in Tokyo.

Before I forget, today was the Girls Love doujinshi event in Japan. I’ll see if I can’t find a report on it to share. ^_^





Angel/Dust Manga (English) Guest Review by Eric P.

August 22nd, 2008

Today, we have another guest review – this time by Friend of Yuri Eric P, who has become a right-hand pinky to me, if not a whole right hand. lol Eric sends us news items, suggestions of things to keep an eye out for and reviews, as well as always being a big supporter of Yuricon and ALC. So, thanks Eric – take it away!

Angel/Dust is a one-shot manga about Yuina, your typical plain-jane high school girl who never stood out much and preferred it that way.

One day an angelic woman literally falls from the sky in front of her. She reveals her code-name to be ‘Seraph’ and that she’s an Emulate, a bioroid from an alternate dimension of Earth. In the world she came from, Emulates were made to integrate with human beings on an atomic level, drawing out their latent capabilities.

While stranded on Yuina’s Earth, she forms a contract with Yuina(sealed with a kiss much to Yuina’s surprise,) exchanging memories and knowledge, and thus the typical plain-jane high school girl becomes a winged super-girl and, through this, discovers many aspects of herself. Another female Emulate named Lucifer arrives on the scene, forms a contract with Yuina’s classmate Akiho, who in turn regards Yuina as a (pathetic)rival. What follows is a customary battle between Good and Evil.

At this deceptively simple manga’s heart it’s about a young girl growing up, but there are still a range of plot complexities squeezed into just nine chapters. While trying not to go into real spoiler details, it sheds light on what kind of world Earth becomes in the future. Unless Yuina just bears a striking resemblance to the woman Seraph said was important to her, it even hints Seraph and Yuina may have known each other in that world, and regardless of the manga’s bittersweet ending they would find each other again. How that happens, it doesn’t say; it just leaves you wondering.

To try to describe this manga would make it sound like a condensed mess; while it might be condensed it’s certainly not a mess, at least in my opinion. What’s important are the concepts and themes it revolves around, such as living life and not running away from facing problems, and there it says everything it needs to say.

While not groundbreaking, Aoi Nanase’s artwork is really beautiful. Maybe readers have seen better, more finely-detailed angelic imagery in manga like Angel Sanctuary, or even anime like Haibane Renmei, but the designs in Angel/Dust are still lovely eye candy. When I first followed this manga in Newtype USA (before it went defunct), it was like seeing it all on a big-screen theater, especially with the Emulate battles. In its smaller-sized manga format, it’s like appreciating it on the home TV. The pictures are still pretty to look at, but it’s really something else when you get to read it in the original Newtype size.

Whatever Yuri there is, it’s all subtext. I know what you’re all thinking; if it’s subtext, it could easily be seen as not Yuri (Ms. Friedman made it clear to me in an e-mail she doesn’t believe there’s any trace of it in this title, and this review’s not likely to change her mind). We’ve heard this argument many times over, in such titles as Haibane Renmei and Noir, and Tetragrammaton Labyrinth, all of which have plausible deniability built right into them.

After when Seraph ‘forms the contract’ with Yuina, the latter wakes up in bed the next morning and finds Seraph in bed with her and screams. Later in the story, Seraph tries making Yuina breakfast, with imperfect results. These are classic/standard scenes out of almost all awkward romances that involve one of the two characters not being human. On the other hand, they can just be seen as usual comedy/fanservice scenes and nothing more. Yuina and Seraph have many moments together that could be interpreted either way.

So what example could make readers at least open up to the idea of the subtext? For a good example, I’ll have to reference the sequel manga, Angel/Dust Neo. In this story, average-joe Akito forms a contract with not one, not two, but three Emulates. The contract-sealing ‘kiss’ itself may mostly be to exchange knowledge/memories and to bring out the person’s latent potential, but their bond still develops into something more, and they all vie for his attention and affection. So if making a contract is a metaphor fors ealing a romantic relationship of some kind, why would it be any different between Yuina and Seraph? Maybe in their case, it could be seen as an example of that ‘intense emotional connection’ that Erica has touched on before, where it’s not consciously recognized as ‘love’ or ‘desire’ but the attraction’s still there on a subtle level. \\

Quickly regarding Angel/Dust Neo; it may have a more upbeat narrative than Angel/Dust, but I wouldn’t recommend it so much. Angel/Dust’s storyline may feel rushed, but at least it had a beginning, middle, and an end. Angel/Dust Neo has a beginning—then stops. Its ets everything up for what might have been a long-running series, but then just ends before the real story gets rolling; literally nothing happens. It’s a good thing it stops before we’d have to read through another generic, formulaic harem title (even here you’d find the amnesiac girl, punkish girl, and lolicon girl), but then what’s the point? The only two things that make Angel/Dust Neo worth reading would be to see more of Aoi Nanase’s artwork, and for Yuina’s(all-too-)brief cameo in the first couple pages, which provides a miniscule, cryptic clue to how her world bridges with that of Seraph’s world.

All in all, Angel/Dust is one of those stories where you can find deeper meaning to it if you want, and even if you just take it at surface level you might still find it enjoyable light reading. Just looking at the cover should give enough sense of what you’re in for.

Ratings:

Art – 9 (you can’t go wrong with angel-images, and AoiNanase does it well)
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 1 (I’d actually say 2, but I’ll just play it safe here)
Service – 0 (unless you count Seraph’s getup in thesecond chapter, then maybe 1)

Overall – 7

Erica here again. Thanks Eric, it’s always great to get a point of view that is not my own. It’s true that I don’t think of this series as Yuri, but plenty of people do, so I’m really glad that you wrote this review for us. ^_^





Lucky Star Anime Guest Review by Sean G.

January 5th, 2008

Once again, I am pleased to present a guest review by Sean Gaffney, who bravely undertakes to watch and review stuff I simply can’t hack. The subject of today’s review is one of those series. The art put me so far off this, that even though I am as much the target audience as any other otaku, I just couldn’t bring myself to watch it for more than mere seconds. So thank you again, Sean, for saving my brain. ^_^

This sort of anime has been a long time coming. There have been various anime over the years that tried to glory in being a fan. Otaku no Video comes to mind. Yet with otaku getting a bad name in Japan for years, it became harder to be a fan without needing to hide it or cover it up.

Thanks to the culture widening, as well as the success of Densha Otoko, it’s OK to be a completely obsessed geek in Japan again.

I mention this because it is the reason for Lucky Star‘s existence. The entire show, as well as its lead character Konata, is made up of references to other media. The show is so tied up in its own self-referencing that it can have Yuko Goto appear, as herself, in Episode 23 and not even call attention to it. (The characters call her ‘Goto-zo-sama’, which is the closest it gets to even identifying the gag of Mikuru’s seiyuu as a yanki.)

Lucky Star also became popular among the fansub culture over here, mostly because we now have the ability to look online and find that obscure 1970s song the girls karaoke in the end credits, and we all know by now what Comiket is like. (The show is aware of us as well, of course, via the character of Patty, herself a parody of Western fans).

Genshiken did this as well, of course, but I think Genshiken was trying to hold up a mirror to the more unpleasant aspects of the culture, while still supporting it. Lucky Star doesn’t bother. Geeks rule.

As for the show itself, it’s a schoolgirl anime with few male characters, a teacher with almost as many bad habits as her kids, a diminutive lead character, the characters tend to get into discussions of tiny minutiae, and it’s based on a 4-koma. You really can’t get away with not mentioning Azumanga Daioh at least a LITTLE bit. The humor has a different feel, though, with the aforementioned anime and game references pervading not just the details but the character’s personalities. Konata will actually treat much of her life as if she is gaming.

The pacing is variable, and probably the show’s weak point. I gave up on it after the first episode, which was frankly awful, and only starting watching again after much nagging. They replaced the director after 4 episodes, so I was apparently not the only one that thought this. The new director sped things up and re-paced it, so that it kept the odd cadences but didn’t make you want to switch it off. Even so, there are times where you desperately wish something would happen.

Oh yes, I should mention the Yuri. Konata’s cousin, Yutaka, is tiny, cute, and adorable. Their friend Minami is tall, ‘cool’, and emotionally stunted. They give off a big Takarazuka vibe (something not lost on the show, which puts them in costumes a la ‘Zuka for the Culture Festival). And they have a good friend, Hiyori, who draws ecchi doujinshi and cannot help but see them in Yuri situations. She’s ashamed of herself, but draws it anyway. It’s sort of Yuri-lite, played for laughs, but is cute, and given the lack of men on the show it wouldn’t be hard to extrapolate something between them when they get older.

Anyway, that’s all the Yuri we get in the show.

Hm? Konata and Kagami? 90% of all Lucky Star fanfics in English are about them? All the Japanese fanart pairs them together? Kagami is tsundere and therefore clearly hiding her love-love feelings?

That’s nice. But there’s none of that in the anime at all. Sometimes a friendship is just a friendship.

Ratings:

Art: 6. It’s loli-moe-Dengeki style, with Konata deliberately looking like an 11-year-old despite being 18. If that’s your thing, bump it up a couple of
numbers.
Story: 6. There really isn’t a story in half these episodes, but the half that do
have one have very amusing ones.
Characters: 8. If you aren’t watching this to play spot-the-reference, you’re watching for the characters. The four lead girls are balanced perfectly, and everyone has a nicely defined role. Plus Konata’s a heroine whose type we’ve rarely seen before (at least not as a lead).
Yuri: 5. It’s there if you want it. Except where it isn’t.
Service: 10. Actually, no, this needs a Spinal Tap dial twist. 11. Without otaku obsession, this show would not exist.

Overall: 7. I do enjoy the show a great deal, to be fair. I just know that I happen to like a lot of stuff that’s not particularly good or original, shamelessly. :) It got bumped up from a 6 because of Lucky Channel, the hysterical parody of voice actors and pressurized Japanese recording industries that ends each episode, with Akira and Minoru stealing every single scene they’re in. Effortlessly.

–SG

Erica here again. Sean, seriously, when you review things, they sound so much better than they actually are….