Archive for the Patricia Baxter Category


Cocoon, Entwined, Volume 6

June 26th, 2024

Two girls with long, flowing hair in white, flowing dresses run offscreen, clasping hands and looking at one another.Guest Review by Patricia Baxter.

As the curtain closed on Yuriko Hara’s Cocoon, Entwined series, I knew that a truly remarkable story had ended.  There have been times when I’ve experienced narratives, manga or otherwise, with strong writing in their characters and world-building, only for the ending to stumble, negatively altering my perception of the entire work.  Thankfully, Cocoon Entwined did not falter but instead ended in a tremendously fulfilling way, both in terms of its numerous visual book ends and how each principal character emerged from their metaphorical cocoons.

As the Christmas dance reaches its climax, the cycle of Hoshimiya Girls’ Academy is finally disrupted in a dramatic and unsalvageable way.  Even more shocking is that this disorder isn’t caused by Youko, the main protagonist, with her verbal plea for change, but by Hoshimiya-san whose actions speak the loudest without saying a single word.  Some readers may be put out by Youko not having the big dramatic “win” during the dance, but I felt Hoshimiya-san being the one to unravel this unchanging cycle made the most sense.  Between her familial connection to the school, her dramatic exit setting the stage for the whole narrative, and the way she has been constantly idolized and objectified by other characters, it is only fitting that Hoshimiya-san finally reasserts her agency by ending the system.

Thankfully, Youko has her moment of personal triumph when she meets up with Hana in the dressmaking room for the last time.  Youko shows just how much she has grown since the beginning of the series, and Hana is finally taking the initiative to step away from her role as the “prince”.  Their dance might be one of my favourite sequences in this series, showcasing just how much these two girls have changed themselves, and each other, for the better, genuinely making me misty-eyed as I read it.

The rest of the cast is also given their chance to change and move forward, though Ayane and Haruka’s story felt a bit rushed in comparison to the rest of the cast.  I honestly wish we would have had more time to explore their relationship, especially considering how much Haruka has been impacted by Ayane’s actions, but the resolution we do see is still satisfying.

As always, Yuriko Hara’s art is some of the most gorgeous art you can ever read in comic form, with extremely striking visuals that stay with you even after you have closed the book.  It is clear to me that she is an astounding talent in the medium of comics, who continues to develop and hone her skills, and I look forward to seeing what projects she tackles next.  I also sincerely hope that we can get her two manga collections, Out of the Cocoon (アウト・オブ・ザ・コクーン) and Atami no Uchujin (熱海の宇宙人), in English someday soon, since her talents in writing and art also excel in one-shots, as showcased in the Éclair and Bloom Into You anthologies.

Cocoon, Entwined was a delight for me to read, both as a yuri manga for its depiction of sapphic relationships and as a manga for showcasing the power of storytelling that only comics can achieve.  Even if I can’t see more of Youko and Hana’s story, I know that they are walking together, moving forward and always remaining open to changing themselves for the better.

 

Art: 10

Story: 10

Characters: 10

Service: 2 (for Youko and Hana wearing slips on the cover and during the dance sequence)

Yuri: 10

Overall: 10





Cocoon Entwined, Volume 5

June 20th, 2024

On a black background a girl in a black, old-fashioned school uniform runs off the cover, her long hair flowing across the cover behind her.Guest Review by Patricia Baxter.

If there is one word you could use to describe the penultimate volume of Yuriko Hara’s Cocoon Entwined it would be “change”.  While it is clear that these changes have been gradually building up since the series’ inciting incident of the elusive and mysterious Hoshimiya-san cutting her hair and leaving the school, Cocoon Entwined, Volume 5 showcases how the rest of the cast is now changing, or refusing to change, in response to how they’ve grown or stagnated.The volume begins with an interlude from Takagi-sensei, a teacher who has been present in the series since its first volume, and yet not given much of a role outside of providing exposition on Hoshimiya Girls’ Academy’s history.  We learn about her personal history as a student, watching her two onee-samas’ love flourish and abruptly end once the eldest of the pair graduates.  In the present, Takagi receives a letter from this eldest onee-sama: a wedding invitation revealing that she is engaged to a man.  Takagi’s story reinforces the classic formula of Class S narratives, where the love between two girls is merely “play-acting” love, a “practice” for adulthood where one enters “proper” heterosexual relationships, just as Takagi’s eldest onee-sama eventually does.  These stories are of bittersweet, ephemeral love, that cannot continue outside of the school walls.

Thankfully, Youko enters and disrupts this melancholic narrative, prompting Takagi-sensei to take up the pen, literally and metaphorically, to help re-write the story and end the cycle.  Chapter 30 highlights that while Class S narratives are an important baseline for many contemporary sapphic narratives, yuri or otherwise, they cannot continue as they have in the past.  As the world continues to grow and change, we need to be willing to foster a narrative environment where sapphic girls and women can find happiness together, rather than “grow up” and fall into society’s expectations of heteronormativity.

On the flip side, Ayane’s story shows the negative implications of change, specifically when it is done not out of personal desire, but to fill and fulfill a role for the sake of tradition.  Ayane’s obsession with Hoshimiya-san causes her to latch onto the void she left behind, wishing to shape herself into the “princess” of the Academy, and make Hana her prince.  Ayane’s current arc in the story shows just how damaging holding onto certain legacies can be, as she forces Hana, Hoshimiya, and herself to participate in a cycle that is causing them all grief.

In terms of visuals, Yuriko Hara continues to be one of the most gorgeous and striking comic artists I have ever read, not just in terms of her use of light and shadow, but her dynamic panelling and visual metaphors.  This volume in particular showcases Hara’s prowess in creating some truly haunting visuals, my favourite of which being the two-page spread of the seniors covered in veils before the Christmas party.  This feeling of dread permeates the entire book, even when the scenes are brightly lit, but thankfully the spark of hope, and change, remains true.

Volume 5 of Cocoon Entwined is an excellent book to read, building up on the tension that Yuriko Hara has established since the series’ inception, and continuing to showcase her prowess as a cartoonist and character writer.  While it is clearly setting the stage for the grand finale, it remains an engaging and engrossing read, asking important questions about the nature of the stories we tell and re-tell, and providing an insight into how we can change those narratives for the better.

Ratings:

Art: 10
Story: 9
Characters: 10
Service: 0 (unless you count gorgeous art as fanservice, which would make it a 10)
Yuri: 8, but it’s a bittersweet and, in some cases, more of a performative gesture than genuine desire
LGBTQ+: 2 (Chapter 30 addresses heteronormativity and societal expectations)

Overall: 9





The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This, Volume 4 Guest Review by Patricia Baxter

December 13th, 2023
Two women lean on a fence, looking at each other, entwining fingers. One woman has medium-length brown hair, wearing a red blouse and cargo khaki capris. The other has long blonde hair pulled into a severe ponytail, wearing a lavender long shirt and a white skirt.My name is Patricia Baxter (she/her). I am a bisexual autistic writer who has previously written articles concerning how media represents different marginalized communities. You can find more of my work through my personal website “Autistic Observations”.
 
The fourth, and final, volume of The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This is, in a word, delightful.  Not that this manga series hasn’t been an absolute delight for me to read these past two years, because it has been, but this volume in particular emphasizes just how special the series was to read.  In essence, this series’ greatest success is the same reason why I also love She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat and If We Leave on the Dot so much; they are manga series centred on the lives of sapphic women who are living happily and without shame for who they are, who they love, and what they do with their lives.  It sounds like a simple thing to take joy from, but in a media landscape so entrenched in heteronormativity it is still challenging to find narratives that even cover a fraction of what members of the LGBTQ+ community experience, or wish to experience, for themselves.  Therefore, instances where we can read a series where the characters who, even if they are not exactly like you, foster a sense of familiarity and empathy to you, are all the more special.
 

Ellie and “Wanko” continue to be a delight to read, as their day-to-day routines and shenanigans do not fail to amuse and warm the heart and they feel like actual people who exist in our reality.  The emphasis on the couple moving forward to the next stage of their relationship, discussing their future in terms of marriage and their respective career paths, adds a new layer to their established dynamics.  This may sound mundane on paper, but it’s enriching for those of us who need to see these ordinary life events occur to imagine our futures for ourselves.There is one element of the book that, while overall handled very well, deserves some criticism.  This volume introduces a new character to the series, a high school student named Kita, who is revealed to be a transfeminine youth.*  They initially assumed that Ellie was a trans woman, and asked her for advice on how to become a woman.  While Ellie cannot be the guide Kita needs to traverse through a gender transition, she is still more than willing to lend an ear and offer positive reinforcement to think about their future.  The main sticking point in this volume is the pronouns used to address Kita are exclusively masculine ones, which is a choice I felt frustrated by.  I’m uncertain if this is meant to reflect how they were addressed in the original Japanese edition, or if it was an intentional request by Takashi Ikeda for the English translation, but having a transgender character only addressed by the pronouns associated with the gender they’ve been assigned with at birth is something many people will find discomforting, as it did for me.  This slight hiccup is unfortunate, as this volume has several instances of queer positivity, but overall I am happy for Kita’s inclusion in the narrative and that their story was treated with empathy and kindness by the author.

In the end, the final volume of The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This emphasized just how much I love these characters and taking the time to experience their lives.  I didn’t want the book to end, but I am glad that we were able to catch a glimpse of these characters’ journeys for a little while.

* I chose to use they/them pronouns for Kita in my review because Kita is a transfeminine character, and it is important to address the possibility that they may be non-binary as they are still considering their gender identity for themselves

Art: 8
Story: 9
Characters: 10
Service: 2 (some nudity, references to Ellie and Wanko still having very enthusiastic sex together, but nothing egregious)
Yuri: 10
LGBTQ+: YMMV, 5 – 7 depending on how you view Kita’s treatment in the book
Overall: 9.5





77 Oleander Avenue Ghost House Investigation, Guest Review by Patricia B.

January 18th, 2023

Title image of 77 Oleander Avenue, Ghost House Investigation, written out in white letters. The image is dark and moody, showing a brown-skinned woman with red short curly hair, hunched over herself, blood visible on her white tank top. A wine bottle label shows a woman in a red dress. A broken window in the background.Welcome to our first Guest Review Wednesday of 2023! I’m extremely pleased to welcome back Guest Reviwer, Patricia B. on her own account and also because she is here to tell us all about a Visual Novel of note. Thank you Patricia, the floor is yours!

My name is Patricia Baxter (she/her). I am a bisexual autistic writer who has previously written articles concerning how media represents different marginalized communities. You can find more of my work through my personal website “Autistic Observations”.

July 22nd, 2022.  Tabby, a paranormal investigator, wakes up in a dilapidated and abandoned house without her phone, wallet, keys, or memory of how even she got there.  She quickly realizes that she is not alone in the house, upon meeting a ghost named Evie who is significantly better at being adorable than she is at scaring people.  Tabby soon sets up a plan: find her lost items, remember why she woke up at 77 Oleander Avenue, learn more about Evie, and perhaps even uncover the truth behind the house’s final residents: the Larkspur family.  That is if she can survive the night.

77 Oleander Avenue Ghost House Investigation is a visual novel that reminded me just how much I love video games and the unique forms of storytelling that can only be experienced through the medium.  Runa Liore Winters pulled no punches in crafting a horror game that is deeply unsettling to experience, even upon re-exploration.  The writing, visuals, and audio design, all work in tandem to create a place that may have been a house once but was never really home.  The sound design deserves especially high praise, both for its soundtrack and sound effects, which not only allow the player to empathize with the experiences of the protagonists but also feel the house’s hostility surround them through their headphones.  Furthermore, the interactive and cyclical nature of video games helps add to the terror of being trapped in a haunted house.  

At its core, 77 Oleander Avenue is a queer horror game both in terms of its protagonists and central themes.  Tabby and Evie are two delightful lesbians who are the type of endearingly charming people I would be more than happy to befriend in reality and still clearly human in their complexities and personal baggage.  Additionally, the game posits important questions about queerness and how it impacts how we are remembered after we are gone.  In a world deeply entrenched in cissexist and heteronormative ways of viewing people, historical accounts of queer people tend to be ignored at “best” or have their lives entirely rewritten at worst.  It has only been recently through the efforts of the LGBTQ+ community, that we are beginning to uncover those lost histories.  Tabby considers this question as she explores the house, and we see the effects of this erasure as we learn more about Evie’s past.

For all my praise for this game, it is still one where I insist upon reading the content warnings the developer helpfully provides before fully diving in, as the game is full of scenes that may be deeply triggering for queer players and/or those who grew up in abusive households with strict religious upbringings.  I personally found it was better to play the game over three days, one for each level of the house, as this was an effective way of tackling the game’s heavy content without emotionally exhausting myself.

Overall, 77 Oleander Avenue Ghost House Investigation is an exquisite example of the type of stories we can only tell in video games, and one of the greatest examples of queer horror I have ever experienced.  And yes, you can pet and name the (metal inanimate) dog.

You can purchase the game either on Steam or itch.io.

Visual Art: 9 (the game relies more on photography than the digital art typically associated with indie games in the genre, so YMMV on how well that works for you)

Music & Sound Design: 10
Story: 10
Characters: 10 (Tabby & Evie feel like real people, as do the other characters for better and for worse)
Service: 0 (violence is there for discomfort, not salaciousness)
LGBTQ+: 10 

Overall: 10

Thank you so much, Patricia!  This sounds like an intriguing visual novel that I am sure folks here will be interested in.





If We Leave on the Dot, Guest Review by Patricia Baxter

February 23rd, 2022

Hello and welcome to another Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu! I am super excited to welcome a new guest reviewer to our blog. Patricia has been an enthusiastic YNN Correspondent and now I am super pleased to have her as part of our Guest Review staff! Please give Patricia a warm, Okazu welcome! Kind comments are always appreciated. ^_^

My name is Patricia Baxter (she/her). I am a bisexual autistic writer who has previously written articles concerning how media represents different marginalized communities. You can find more of my work through my personal website “Autistic Observations”.

Yukawa Kayoko is a quiet thirty-one-year-old woman working in an office building, who typically hangs up her winter coat on the office coat rack rather than place it behind her chair. Through a series of coincidences, Kayoko finds that a co-worker, outgoing twenty-six-year-old Mizuki Kaori, has accidentally placed her apartment keys into Kayoko’s coat pocket. After this chance encounter, the two women begin to see each other frequently after work, keeping in touch and planning outings by leaving each other notes in their coat pockets. As these meetings progress, Kayoko finds herself surprised to discover that her feelings for Kaori extend far beyond friendship, and, in a moment of courage, confesses her feelings to Kaori. Thus begins this series focusing on the tender romance between two working women.

Inui Ayu’s If We Leave on the Dot is the yuri manga equivalent of cotton candy. Kayoko and Kaori are two extremely cute, nearly permanently blushing, women who wear consistently adorable outfits and eat consistently delicious-looking food together. Every chapter had at least one moment that made me feel at ease, thanks to the various expressions of love felt and displayed by the couple and the embodiment of that love by enjoying the pleasures of everyday life together.

Kayoko and Kaori are probably one of the sweetest pairings I’ve read in a romance manga, yuri or otherwise. Their relationship is built on mutual love and trust that is palpable with each chapter of the manga. And when the few instances of low self-esteem and jealousy creep up on the pair, instead of letting the negative feelings fester for an absurd number of chapters (as some romance manga are wont to do), they have emotionally honest discussions about their feelings, which help maintain and strengthen their partnership. It’s refreshing to read such a wonderful example of an emotionally mature relationship, with a couple able to weather through such relatable insecurities and doubts.

This is made even more intriguing by the fact that the majority of the series focuses on the relationship between two women who are very clearly adults who are established in their careers. While there are quite a few examples of yuri manga focusing on the lives of adult women, a lot of series focus on the lives of university students, or women in their early twenties. For Kayoko to experience her first major romantic relationship at thirty-one, is very reassuring for any readers in their thirties, as it can still be rather difficult to find romances focusing on women older than twenty-something.

Alongside If We Leave on the Dot’s many positive achievements, it is also noteworthy for how it addresses the topic of Kayoko and Kaori’s sexualities. When the series takes time for the couple to think about sexuality, it is typically are less about Kayoko and Kaori’s individual sexual identities and personal self-discovery, and more about how other people will react to or perceive their relationship. One example of this occurs during a company celebration, where Kayako mentions that she is in a relationship and loves her partner very much, but aside from those vague mentions, cannot go in-depth in describing her partner to her colleagues, despite sitting right next to the person she loves. Instead, Kayoko and Kaori have to share a quiet, tender moment, holding hands under the table, hiding in plain sight from their co-workers. Not long after this Kaori goes to meet up with her close friends, despite feeling happy talking about her relationship with Kayoko, she feels “Tired…from dodging their questions”, as she had to misdirect her friends by calling Kayoko her “boyfriend”.

This is a rather massive contrast in comparison to a lot of fluffy yuri romances, where the closest thing to an examination into LGBTQ+ issues is the main character(s) briefly getting confronted by the heteronormative expectations society places on women, and even then it is only there as a cursory issue. Instead of placing her characters in a bubble separated from the struggles of the real world, Inui’s If We Leave on the Dot takes time to showcase and legitimize the frustrations and exhaustion that queer women experience on a regular basis.

With its relaxing and down-to-Earth depictions of the everyday life of a same-gender couple, If We Leave on the Dot is one of my all-time favourite yuri romances that I highly recommend.

Ratings:

Art: 7.5

Story: 8

Characters: 9

Service: 0 for the first three volumes, 2 for volume 4 (due to a bathhouse trip and the couple beginning to sexually explore each other’s bodies in a manner that is sincere rather than salacious)

Yuri: 10

Overall: 9

If We Leave on the Dot is currently only available through the online manga subscription service Manga Planet, though the first chapter is free to read. There is a range of options for subscribing to the service depending on reader preference.

Erica here: Thank you so much Patricia! I agree with everything you’ve said. The mood between Kaori and Kayoko is very relaxing and warm. I loved all four volumes of the series in Japanese, Teiji ni Ageretara. That was my first taste of Inui Ayu’s work  – work that I continues to enjoy. Her autobiographical series, currently running in Comic Yuri Hime, Kyou mo Hitotsu Yane no Shita, has much the same warm, fuzzy feeling, with a bit more LGBTQ+ identity.