Archive for the LGBTQ Category


Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon, Volume 4

May 15th, 2023

Two women face us , holding hands. One with long brown hair wearing a brown skirt and white blouse, smiling brightly, shorter woman with short black hair, where pants and a white blouse, smiling gently. "Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon" is written in orange letters, with a chocolate glazed doughnut for the letter O, and a crescent moon just above and to the left of the O. Number 4 in the upper left hand of the page, a squiggle line, the Art & Story by Shio Usui.When Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts, Volume 4 (欠けた月とドーナッツ) landed in summer 2022, I said this about it, “…this was the perfect, most exactly correct ending to this series that we could have hoped for.” Now, in 2023, as I read Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon, Volume 4, I would not change a word of that. This was the perfect ending for this series. We could not have asked for better.

Hinako is every person who has been measuring themselves against a set of criteria that do not fit at all. Asahi is everyone who is spending their energy on someone else so they don’t have to think about themselves. When they meet each other, their ill-fitting facades begin to crack. Neither of them have ever had the leisure to develop any adult relationships. Asahi, because of her parents death, has kept her one old friend, but been unable (unwilling?) to make others. Hinako’s friendships are – she believes – based upon the construct she had created to pass in society, while she blames her failures to build romantic connections on herself.

This is a lovely, gentle story of lonely people breaking out of the habit of loneliness that they built up as the cornerstones of their lives.

This manga checks off so many of the things that makes  a good manga for me – adult women building different kinds of relationships with the women around them, emotional intimacy of differing kinds with those women and adult women breaking free of the constraints put upon them by society, family and themselves. Joyfully, this manga is also full of adult friends who continue to be friends when their friend basically stops pretending to be someone they cannot be.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Character – 10
Service – 0
Yuri – 10

Overall – 10

Asexuals are getting their time in the manga limelight right now, as well – if you were looking for a book about adults understanding themselves better, this should definitely be on your list.

I was *sure* that Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon was a shoo-in for a best Yuri manga of the year when Volume 4 hit, but it has to compete with Birdie Wing and She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat, both of which are so outstanding. That said, this is an excellent manga and you should not miss it!

 

 





She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 2

April 13th, 2023

Hi all, I am back with my first review since falling ill and I hope you’ll all keep supporting me and Okazu, as I have a LOT of new stuff to talk about this month. I’ll do my best to develop some kind of a schedule again, as I have the energy!

To get back into the swing of things, I really wanted to talk about She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 2 by Sakaomi Yuzaki. I’ve been singing the praises of this series since I first read it last year. As I said in my review of this volume in Japanese, “Nomoto and Kasuga playing house is my new hygge.” And that’s pretty much the point of this story. These two women free each other up to find a life for themselves that suit them in a way that nothing they’d been offered by family or society ever had.

This really comes home as Nomoto once again falls ill and is pummeled with feelings of failure and being a disappointment to her family. Once again, Kasuga comes to the rescue, but this time, Nomoto allows herself permission to “like” the other woman, a huge step forward. And she learns just enough about Kasuga to understand her appetite is it’s own story. Each woman begins to carve out a place for the other in a wholesome and supportive way. It’s inspiring and adorable…and I cannot get enough of it.

Caleb Cook’s translation  is outstanding. Sensitive, where it needs to be, light-hearted where it can be, it allows us to really feel a full range of adult emotional experiences.

In between emotional revelations, this volume is laugh-out-loud funny, as they Netzflitz and chill. They make classic home recipes and share special holiday treats. All I can say is that this is a manga I needed in my life. I’m sure I am preaching to the choir here, but if you have not picked this series up – do! Thanks Yen for giving us a fantastic rendition of this fantastic manga!

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Service – Still saying that the food here are the money shots
Yuri – Let’s edge it up to 4, now that we know Nomoto is in like.
Food – 9 It all look so good. What the what, I could make a fruit sandwich!

Overall – 9

I cannot be the only person who checks out the color images of what they shopped for, surely? I know I’m not the only person who loves visiting food stores in other countries. ^_^





Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 5 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。)

March 6th, 2023

Before we start today’s review, I want to let you know that until May my reviews are going to be less regular. I have a relentless schedule for March and April, but at the end of it, I hope I have a lot of fun stuff to share with you all.

Today, to get this new schedule off with a bang, we’re looking at Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 5 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。) In the aftermath of the Commoner Movement and the resulting loss, Claire is depressed and Rae is desperately trying to cheer her up. But when Claire does cheer up, it is because Rae’s only real rival is arriving – Manaria, the crown princess of the neighboring country Susse. Manaria is good-looking, popular, accomplished and worst of all, she’s the only quadcaster in the world. She’s top-level at all four elements, to boot. Even worse than worst, Claire has a childhood crush on her “oneesama.” Manaria is an understandably popular character, but in the real world, she’d be insufferable. ^_^

Now it’s Rae’s turn to feel loss…and have her worldview challenged. Manaria pushes Rae to be honest about her feelings for Claire, then destroys her in a duel. But when Rae gets back up and challenges Manaria to an epic battle of vows of love, it will change everyone in the story. This is one of the most popular arcs of the original series, according to inori.-sensei. For good reason. There’s a lot of nail-bitingly good stuff here.

Art-wise, this book is phenomenal. From the tension on the spectators’ faces during Rae and Manaria’s duel to the incredible climax of the Scales of Love contest, there are whole volumes in Claire’s eyebrows. ^_^

This arc is a breather before the story takes a darker turn – a breather that is still quite intense. It’s also the first time Rae is able to meet someone in this world who admits to being queer…a remarkable thing that heralds many other remarkable occurrences in the series, as well as laying some foundations down for future arcs.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 7
Service – Manaria is a kind of service. ^_^

Overall – 9

This volume does not yet have a English-language release date, but when it does, don’t hesitate – it is wonderful. ^_^





The Girl That Can’t Get A Girlfriend

February 21st, 2023

A blonde short-haired woman holds up a hand to black and white weebish girl with short dark hair holding a hear-tshaped flower. Letters read "The Girl That Can't Get A Girlfriend, Story and Art By Mieri Hiranashi."Disclaimer: I am a huge, weeby fan of Mieri Hieranashi and contributed to her patreon for many months, Do not expect anything like an “objective” review. I am about to gush.

The Girl That Can’t Get A Girlfriend is an autobiographical manga by a young butch lesbian who would like, very much, please, thank you, to find a butch girlfriend. This is, as many of us know – and some might guess – a complicated ask. It’s not that the lesbian butch/femme dynamic is a given, but human sexuality is a really complicated system and there are many moving parts to who we like and why.

….

Well…, maybe why isn’t that complicated.

Mieri, like so many of us, discovered Haruka and Michiru. ^_^

 


We’ve all been there. ^_^ (This is me, looking at the Sailor Moon fanfic I wrote in the late 90s through the 2000s.  I ain’t ashamed, it’s all still on my fanfic site.) But fanart is one thing and real life is another, as Mieri discovers, trying to find a partner and, ultimately herself.

When she finds a girlfriend in Japan, she falls in love and her whole world changes. We’re watching over her, like a virtual Maria-sama and can see that what feels to her to be the right choices may not be the best choices for her. We struggle with her struggle and hurt when her heart is broken. Can I be a literary nerd for a second? This is the manga equivalent of The Sorrows of Young Werther* and I wish to heavens I had had this when I was in college I would have compared and contrasted the shit out of it…I’d like to say “just to piss my teacher off,” but that teacher probably would have been cool with it.  Everything in this book is relatable even if a reader hasn’t experienced that specific thing. We know those feelings.

As a counterpoint to the emotional drama, The Girl That Can’t Get A Girlfriend is laugh-out-loud funny. Mieri’s use of meme is always spot on. Her own reminder to remember a potential date is also human had me laughing for a whole day.

You can feel the timeliness of the memifications and jokes. They will hold up as a snapshot of dating life in the early 21st century. My wife and I still joke about “today’s chin” from when I read that scene on Patreon.The humor is humorous, even when it’s a little sad or more than a little self-deprecating. There is a quite a bit of negative self-image in this story…again, relatable for most readers. Mieri presents the women she dates as dashing, while drawing herself a caricature with one exception. Did you catch the one panel where she doesn’t draw herself goofily? Tell me in the comments.

Mieri wrote both the Japanese and English script for this book and you can feel how personal it is to her in both the images and words. Which is why the final chapter is so important. We are carrying her burden along with her as she tells her tale. It is important for us as readers, that we are left with a hopeful look, not just for ourselves, but for her as well. Much like Kabi Nagata’s 282 liter refrigerator, we can see this book as a physical expression of her finding herself and triumphing.

Extras for this volume also include a gallery of sketches she did for the cover art. 28 sketches!?! Yikes, Viz.

Which brings me to one last thing I want to touch on. I had the pleasure of talking with one of the editors of this book at AnimeNYC. I want you all to know how enthusiastic Viz has been about publishing this book. I can see many of the changes made from the original Patreon pages and I could see how loud Viz was about letting people know about it.  This is a beautiful, heart-breaking and hilarious book about queer life and love.

Ratings:

Overall – Yes, Erica, what rating would you give this heart-rending, emotional autobiography?

9, goddammit, it’s a 9.

Absolute must-read for anyone who has ever existed as a human on this planet.

*Yes, I did just compare this book to a novel by Goethe. I will not apologize.

 





Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 7 (おとなになっても)

December 8th, 2022

In Shimura Takako’s Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 7 (おとなになっても) a lot happens.

We left Akari and Ayano having been carefully not seeing one another for some time, as Ayano’s divorce proceeds. When they meet again, they mutually decide to begin over, but the rumor that Ayano is having an affair begins to spread.  In school, Ichika’s life has become more complicated as she’s refusing to return to class. I’m honestly way more invested in the well-being of the children than I want to be. ^_^;
Eri and Wataru are reeling as their relationships fail. Neither the adults nor the children are particularly alright.

But Akari and Ayano are doing a pilgrimage to Akari’s hometown, visiting her childhood haunts. They are taking time to talk through their lives – something they have never had a chance to do. It’s good for them. There is a particularly charming moment, when they fantasize about having gone to school together…who would they have been and how would they have related to one another? The art is especially cute as they (as adults) imagine each other as children.

When they return, they find that the rumors are picking up steam. But they have made a decision. They tell Akari’s family that she is moving out…and moving in with Ayano.

Shimura-sensei’s art is not refined in these chapters, but there’s a sense of motion, and emotion, that is subtle and intense.  When she’s good, she’s really good. This story is one of the adultest mange I have ever read. I cannot imagine being a teenager and giving a hoot about anyone in this manga for any reason. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8 I don’t think I dislike anyone…. there’s no bad guys here
Service – 0
LGBTQ+ – 6, maybe? Lives are changing while we watch

Overall – 8

Little girls and and friendship and school, adults and marriage and divorce and choices with consequences. This series would make a pretty solid live-action drama.