Archive for the History of Yuri Category


Flower Tales (花物語) Manga Guest Review by Michelle W.

March 18th, 2015

HanamonomanImagine me flailing wildly in excitement! Today we have two amazing things all at once. First of all, a Guest Review by long-time Okazu reader and commenter and all-around nice gal, Michelle W.! (yaaay!)  AND, the review is of the manga edition of Yoshiya Nobuko’s classic Hana Monogatari. (Of which Yellow Rose has been recently translated by Dr. Sarah Frederick and is absolutely terrific.)

So, two of my favorite things – Guest Review Wednesday and Yoshiya Nobuko all at once. Take it away, Michelle, before I cause a scene and swoon… ^_^

If you’re knowledgeable about the history of the Yuri genre, you’ve probably heard of Yoshiya Nobuko’s Taisho-era (1912-1926) work, Hana Monogatari (Flower Tales). The original Flower Tales is a collection of fifty-two short stories involving relationships between high school girls, and is largely considered the birth of the Class S genre. In 2014, almost 100 years later, Ozawa Mari turned fourteen of these stories into a manga by the same name.

Right away it’s obvious that this manga has a strong connection to the aesthetics of the past. Instead of relocating the story to current times, or leaving it floating in a non-specific time, Ozawa has put a lot of effort into reproducing the feel of the Taisho-era. The artwork is reminiscent of the 70s manga style, which is modern, and yet dated enough to be well suited for the material. The design itself is meticulous in its attempt at reflecting the era, and everything from hair, clothing, architecture, and even the trains are reproduced. If you enjoy the 1920s, this is a good manga to look into just for its visuals.

The stories are what you’d expect based on the original anthology. These are stories of two characters meeting, many only a few pages long each, with bittersweet endings. What’s striking is how many cliches are represented in these stories, however, when coupled with the art, you get the sense that this work created many of them. There are many classic topics, such as taking an entrance exam beside a cute girl, or a nurse falling for a patient.

Looking at Flower Tales in such a visual form, you can clearly see the impact Nobuko’s work had on Yuri (and homosexuality in Japan, for better or worse). The idea of fleeting, youthful romances being an ideal more than a reality is definitely present here, but unlike modern Yuri, this feels in context. You can see how impossible true homosexuality must have been in such a strict and orderly time period. It’s ultimately a testament to Nobuko’s passion that she herself was able to maintain a long-term homosexual relationship in this era.

It’s hard to give this story a rating, as it has such a specific appeal, even among fans of Yuri. In many ways, this feels less like a new work of fiction, and more like a loving retrospective of a classical work. For someone who wants to see Yuri’s tragic past come alive, this is for you. However, if you’re a fully modern or casual Yuri fan, who perhaps enjoys pretty artwork and fan pairings more, this is a tough sell. The art style is intentionally dated, and there’s very little, if any, Yuri content. Some of the kanji may also be a little bit difficult, as it relates to parts of 1920s culture that are no longer in common use. This is a world of flowers and subtext, a portrait of the past.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 6
Service – 0
LGBTQ – 5

Overall – 7

It’s hard to accurately rate something that is simultaneously so old and so modern, so maybe you should try it for yourself!

Squee! No, seriously, this manga sounds just fantastic. And thank you for the great review! I cannot *wait* to get this book. ^_^ I’m not sure I’d say Nobuko created “S”, but her work is definitely good examples of the genre. Her contribution to “girl’s literature” and therefore girl’s manga…and by extension, Yuri, is incontrovertible. ^_^





Yuri Short Story: Yoshiya Nobuko’s Yellow Rose (English)

February 15th, 2015

yellowrose Today’s review comes under the category of “At last!” Dr. Sarah Frederick’s discussion and translation of Yoshiya Nobuko’s Yellow Rose (黄薔薇) from her Hana Monogatari collection is available to us in English on Kindle from Expanded Editions press. It was worth every penny of the 299 pennies it cost – and to be perfectly honest, I would have paid considerably more to have it.

This epublication begins with a very excellent discussion of the time frame of the story, the symbolism it contains in the context of early 20th century Japanese literature, conjecture about the lacunae within the story and other literary and historical commentary. The kind of thing that reawakens my dormant inner Comp. Lit. major and makes me ridiculously happy. Even more personally meaningful, Frederick includes a small, but pointed rebuke to academic authors who do not acknowledge that reader’s impressions have both meaning and weight in popular thought. You may remember that that was my primary criticism of Passionate Friendships – that being cautioned to not see something as “lesbian” when, through my filter it could not be read as otherwise, is wasted effort. ^_^ Here Frederick acknowledges my point as, if not objectively verifiable, then at least subjectively valid.

The introduction was at least as good as the story itself. That alone would have been worth reading this for. But then, we get to enjoy one of the two “Yuri” stories from Hana Monogatari. In Yellow Rose, we meet a just-graduated young woman who is off to her first job as a teacher, only bare years older than her students and the student with whom she forms a romantic relationship. It is a short, fraught story with a surprisingly bleak ending. Even more unusually bleak, when compared with Otome no Minato a scant decade later. But, perhaps more importantly, while the ending is neither happy nor sad, it also does not contain the “marriage or death” ending that will plague Yuri narrative from the 1960s well into the 2000s.

The translation itself is…well, wonderful. Frederick is able to capture the early 20th-century constipated sentence structure while keeping both the narrator’s voice and the narrative whole.

In short, this was tail-waggingly good and if you are at all interested in early Yuri, early queer lit or basically anything that we care about here at Okazu, you should absolutely get this Kindle edition! (If you don’t have a Kindle or kindle app, you can read it on Amazon’s in-browser Kindle reader.)

Ratings:

Art – 9 The cover art is adapted from a Takabatake Kashō illustration ,“Bara no gensō” (薔薇の幻想). It suits this edition well.
Story – 8
Characters – 8 For such a short story, the protagonist is surprisingly three-dimensional.
Yuri – 6
Service – 2 That distinctively early 20th century verbal sensuality-service

Overall – 9

Thanks to Dr. Frederick for shout-outs to both Yuricon and Okazu. An unexpected surprise. Thank you!

Lastly I want to note the obvious, intentional irony of the one incontrovertibly not-‘S’ character in Maria-sama ga Miteru being the Yellow Rose, Torii Eriko.





Eureka Magazine – Current State of Yuri Culture ( ユリイカ 百合文化の現在)

November 23rd, 2014

Eureka-12-14The December 2014 issue of Eureka magazine (ユリイカ ) is entitled “The Current State of Yuri Culture” (百合文化の現在). It is the first collection of essays specifically about Yuri as a genre, that I am aware of in any language. To say that this is a ground-breaking look at Yuri is absolutely reasonable.

But, more importantly, it is a stunning collection of people who are immersed in creating, studying and promoting Yuri and, as such, it’s going to be an amazing read. I’m practically bouncing out of my skin with anticipation for this collection! If you are interested interested in the study of Yuri, this magazine is going to be a must-have.

To give you a hint of why I’m so damn excited, I’ve decided to translate some of the contributors/contributions, as listed on the official Seidosha website, so you can see exactly what has me jumping around my house. My translations, as always, are approximate, rather than definitive. This is the first time I’ve ever attempted to translate writing at this level, and these titles (and punctuation) were…difficult*. Thanks to James Welker for some help with this – and please feel free to suggest better translations. ^_^

Eureka December 2014

The Current State of Yuri Culture

[The Soul of Girls Novels]

Looking at Maria-sama ga Miteru: A Place Where “Sisters” Sigh – Konno Oyuki, transcribed by Aoyagi Mihoko

A Symbol of Partial Destruction: Yoshiya Nobuko and the Community of Yuri Desire – Kawasaki Kenko

A Viewpoint of “Suddenly [there was] Yuri”: Tawada Youko, Yoshiya Nobuko, Miyamoto Yuriko –  Kimura Saeko

From Yoshiya Nobuko to Himuro Saeko:   Genealogy of Novels for Girls  and “Pride” – Saga Keiko

Yuri as a Liberated Zone – Nakazato Hajime

 

[The Tangent of Being “Realistic”]

The Representation of Women’s Relationships: Notes of A Look Around at Lesbians –  Horie Yuri

Yuri-Lesbian Controversy Battle Picture Scroll – Makimura Asako

 

[Her Friendship, or Love, Possibly]

Love of /for a Woman, The Issue of Observation in Yuri – Amano Shuninta, transcribed by Aoyagi Mihoko

“Yuri” in the Past: How Has Manga Drawn “Women’s Love”? – Fujimoto Yukari

Girl’s  Breakthrough – Kawaguchi Harumi

Japan, Fertile Ground for the Cultivation of “Yuri” – Takashima Rika

read between the lines – Nishi UKO

It’s The Same Story, So Why Does It Taste Like Alienation?: Analysis of the Movie Version of LOVE MY LIFE – Mizoguchi Akiko

 

[Intersecting with “Yuri”]

If It’s Love, it’s Necessary: About Her and Her and Him Depicted in Kanojo to Camera to Kanojo no Kistesu  – Tsukiko, transcribed by Tamaki Sana

Yuri: A Genre Without Borders – Erica Friedman translatd by Shiina Yukari

Thoughts on the Representation of Yuri Fandoms in Yuri Danshi by Uso Kurata – James Welker

The Blooming of a Variety of Yuri Is Good, I Want To See Yuri the Color of Blood – Tamaki Sana

The Dust Which Constitutes The World of Manga. Can We Draw A Border Around Yuri? – Hidaka Toshiyasu

 

[Girl(s) Whereabouts]

Looking Everywhere for Yuri – Ayana Yuniko, transcribed by Kitsukawa Tomo

Pretty Girl Fighters Shouting Out, And Then Yuri – Ishida Minori

Freeing the Inner Girl: Simoun and Solidarity in Loneliness – Ueda Mayuko

Your Pain Is Mine, The Joint Struggle – The Tranquility of (Magic) Girls – Sugawa Akiko

 

[NO YURI, NO LIFE]

In Order to Categorize Yuri Culture: A Guide to Works, People and Media – Aoyagi Mihoko, Tamaki Sana, Nagato Yuusuke

 

***

Being included in this volume with a number of my favorite writers, artists and scholars = Squee. >_<

 

* This took me about 4 hours, no fooling and that’s just for the titles. I cannot imagine how hard it would be to translate academic articles.Thanks very very much to Shiina Yukari-san for translating my article. I know I’m in good hands with her.





CBLDF Presents Manga: Introduction, Challenges , and Best Practices

April 21st, 2014

Quickie personal note – I haven’t had a lot of free reading time in the last few weeks, so my apologies for the slowdown in reviews. Next couple of months ought to speed up as I spend less time with actual people. ^_^.

In 2011, I was approached by Charles Brownstein, Exec. Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which was handling more and more legal challenges to manga in schools and libraries,  to edit a book for them on the topic of manga. I was working with JManga at the time and had my hands full, so I regretfully said no, but suggested the amazing Melinda Beasi, Editor-in-chief of Manga Bookshelf instead. Thankfully, Melinda said yes, and as the next few months played out, she and Charles pulled together an amazing team of manga journalists and reviewers to create CBLDF Presents Manga: Introduction, Challenges , and Best Practices. I’m immensely honored to have been a part of this project and I wanted to take a moment to talk about it with you.

The book begins with a solid, short overview of Manga, Anime, OEL/Global Manga, Manwha and Manhua by “Manga Critic,” Kate Dacey. This is followed by an extremely informative discussion on Shounen Manga written very entertainingly by Shaenon Garrity. I’ve been steeped in manga history, but both these chapters had something to teach me – a strong opening from this book.

Sean Gaffney of A Case Suitable for Treatment, also on Manga Bookshelf, handles the chapter on Shoujo manga with solid scholarship and his usual sense of the big picture, while Ed Chavez of Vertical Press brings his encyclopedic knowledge to the incredibly broad topic of Seinen Manga. Shaenon then deals with the least-familiar genre here in the West, Josei and later Boy’s Love. I was able to contribute chapters on Yuri and Doujinshi/Scanlations.  The book wraps up with a detailed discussion of challenges both librarians and teachers might face in regards to manga, penned by Robin Brenner of No Flying, No Tights and Shaenon Garrity, as well as a comprehensive list of resources for defending against challenges to manga in classroom or library.

The stand-out quality of this book is that it is clearly and simply written. Anyone without the slightest background with comics or manga will be able to understand the admittedly foreign concepts presented. For readers with a familiarity with manga, there is a tremendous amount of information you may not have seen or heard before.  As well-read as I am about manga, I learned quite a bit reading this book – and I really enjoyed myself reading each chapter. The slight differences in tone and handling of the material felt more like a panel at a con, than being lectured to. It’s all very approachable and personable, as are the people who contributed.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

This book is an important defensive weapon in the toolbelt of educators and free speech advocates. In addition, it’s a good read and solid source of history and info about manga for fans everywhere. We did good. ^_^ Purchase of this book does raise money for CBLDF to assist them with free-speech issues  and defense of comics and manga, so get two copies – one for you and one for your local library!





Proto-Yuri Novel: Otome no Minato (乙女の港) – Part 2, Group Discussion

March 2nd, 2014

onmcoverIn Part 1, I introduced a key ‘S’ relationship novel, Otome no Minato (乙女の港) 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.