Archive for the Galette Category


Galette No. 19 (ガレット)

November 14th, 2021

Galette No. 19 (ガレット) magazine is, happily, still chugging along with quality series by popular Yuri manga artists. This issue is probably the smallest we’ve seen so far, which had me worried, but apparently, the team is persisting through the various challenges of crowdfunding a magazine during a pandemic, when the shows that sustained sales have until recently dried up.

One of the main points of success for Galette was the various streams of income it was able to generate, between online and in-person sales. I know all too well how nearly impossible it is to have a major stream of income cut off in publishing. That said, the comic shows are coming back. Winter Comiket is scheduled to be in-person this year. Attendees will have to be vaccinated or prove they have a negative PCR test. (If it were my event, I’d have a vaccination booth outside the event, to encourage folks to get those vaccines.) Comiket is kind of a strange animal, with all the side doors open in Tokyo Big Sight, it’s inside, but also open to the outside, which might make people a little less concerned. However, there are always a *lot* of people at Comiket. But, I digress.

There are 5 continuing stories in this volume, a few of which are now into a second volume and ought to see collected tankoubon soon.

Additionally, this volume includes one of the Galette team’s “Collaboration” projects, with a paired manga and a short story, a concept I quite like. It feels very much a throwback to doujinshi circle works where folks would do a similar collaboration around a theme or a story. In this collaboration, the story comes first and the manga finishes up.

This is followed up by the editors’ notes and an ad for the 5th anniversary issue No. 20, which hits shelves in Japan this coming week. I’ve already seen the cover on the pre-order for crowdfunding backers; honestly Pen’s covers have been consistently one of my favorite parts of the book! ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

I’m really hoping that the return of comic markets will bring in renewed vitality for Galette. It’s still totally worth getting, but I’d still love to see it consistently over 200 pages, and hope to see some of my fave artists return to its roster. ^_^





Galette No. 18 (ガレット)

July 16th, 2021

Galette magazine has done a pretty solid job of weathering a few challenging years and every single volume, collection or artbook published by Galette WORKS is a veritable triumph for a crowdfunded work. Before we get into the content, just think about what this magazine has gone through – switching crowdfunding platforms, having the comic shows they regularly sold at being canceled, and of course the general (and personal) stress of the pandemic. So, for Galette to be getting a quarterly journal out, along with collected volumes and Galette MEETS, is something for them to be proud of and for us to admire.

And, while Galette No. 18 (ガレット) is down in pages a bit from the pre-pandemic issues, what we are getting is both high quality and still some of the biggest names in the genre!

We start with another excellent cover by pen.

Aoto Hibiki is back with a story about a high school girl who falls in love with an older woman…who is not at all prepared to take advantage of a younger woman.

Morinaga Milk’s “Watashi no Kawaii Neko-chan” has turned towards a plot complication I’m not particularly fond of, but I have no doubt all will be well, eventually.

“Tsuki-chan” by Morita Miyuki is a one-shot about an adult who realizes her friend means more to her.

I have no idea where “Liberty” by Kitta Izumi and Momono Moto is headed, because Maki isn’t a confrontational sort, but I’m thinking we might just be pushing that last button. Liz needs rescuing and Maki is a good set of arms for her to fall into when she leaps.

Hamano Ringo offers up “100% Magic” about a woman at a call center and the woman who falls for her….not because of her voice.

And “Motto Hanjuku Joshi” by Morishima Akiko has now turned it’s sights towards my favorite couple of the original story, Ran and her former student, Mari who are still together now that Mari is a college student…and still fucking with Ran’s head. I love that this story has encompassed all the characters of the original Hanjuki Joshi series and expanded the cast out now. With Seven Seas picking up more of Morishima-sensei’s work, my fingers are crossed for this series – and the Galette sequel – one day in English.

When I said that this magazine is down in page count, don’t get the wrong idea…it’s still a solid 200+ pages of excellent Yuri content.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

This volume is available in print on Amazon JP through 3rd-party sellers, or from  Galette‘s Booth.pm shop….or in digital format on Bookwalker JP. 

I hope the magazine makes it through what is an objectively difficult year and is able to celebrate a successful 5th anniversary.





Galette Illustration Book 01

June 21st, 2021

Crowd-funded, creator-owned quarterly Yuri manga magazine, Galette is coming up on a third anniversary later this year. It’s currently at 18 issues of the main magazine out, 15 volumes of Galette MEETS, several Collaborations and about a dozen collected volumes under their belt. Not so much a celebration, but as a fun extra book, the folks at Galette WORKS took some time to collect some of the color art from Galette Magazine up into a single volume, Galette Illustration Book 01 .

I comment on this every single time I get an issue – I absolutely love pen’s illustrations for the cover of Galette and also really like the design aesthetic. With this volume, you can see a number of the cover illustrations, some of the inside cover and internal illustrations by other artists and get bios and art from other popular artists with ongoing series… among them Hakamada Mera, Morinaga Milk, Hamano Ringo and Momono Moto.

If you, too are a fan of these artists, of creator-owned Yuri manga, you can get digital back issues of some of Galette’s publications by becoming a supporter on Japanese crowd-funding site Fantia. The illustration book is available to anyone on the “Normal Course 500￥/month or above. If you prefer to support the artists directly without the magazine, there’s also a Galette Pixiv Fanbox, where each month a different artist contributes illustrations and a post.

If you’re interested in the art, but don’t want to support the magazine as a whole, you can grab a copy of the Galette Illustration Book 01 on on US Kindle. It’s only a few bucks and has some really lovely art. And I love that it’s been collected in a single volume to enjoy.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

pen’s work scratches all my artistic itches…stylish, adult, beautiful design, no blob heads to be seen. It’s everything I want in Yuri manga cover art. ^_^  I like it so much I jumped at getting a copy in print. It will be heading over on my next shipment from Japan. ^_^

While you’re at it, get yourself a copy of Galette No. 18 in Japanese on US Kindle and enjoy the new illustrations!





Galette, No. 17 (ガレット)

April 22nd, 2021

Since I’m doing books that include my A-Team creators this week, it seems like a good day for talking about Galette, No. 17 (ガレット). And, much like my post yesterday, I really wanted to talk about it for one specific story.

Those of you who follow Morishima Akiko’s series Hanjuku Joshi when it ran Yuri Hime, will remember that there were two main couples. We’ve been enjoying the return of Yae and Chitose in Motto Hanjuku Joshi, and this chapter we see the return of Mari and Ran! Now that Mari is in pre-med, we might expect their relationship goes more smoothly, but…nope! ^_^ The reason why is the subject of this issue.

Akiyama Haru’s story is very short, but absolutely lovely, with a magical portal to a ryokan in a women’s basement. “How come we don’t have one of those?” my wife asks.

And the remaining stories give us a number of ways to look at relationships and the people in them. Interestingly, Hamano Ringo’s “Sora-iro Melancholic” continues on and wow is the Bun-chan we see here a different person. She’s really grown since that first volume that I recently reviewed.

The magazine has seen some changes in the past few issues, as I’m sure both artists and supporters have found their circumstances altered by the pandemic, but makes me happy to go through the list of supporters and see some of your names there! I know that as long as I can, I’ll be helping to make this magazine, because I think it needs to exist. They’ve opened up a Pixiv Fanbox in addition to their Fantia page, so now you have another way to help good Yuri manga be created.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Every day Galette exists is a good day for Yuri. ^_^





Galette, No. 15 ( ガレット)

September 2nd, 2020

Galette, No. 15 ( ガレット) continues the excellent work that we’ve seen all along, with names that are engraved now into a kind of Yuri Hall of Fame: Morishima Akiko, Morinaga Milk, Hakamada Meru, Inui Ayu, Morita Miyuki, Kitta Izumi and Momono Moto…

…and Akiyama Haru.

I know I sat up straight as can be when I saw that name on the masthead. It’s long enough ago now that maybe the Yuri-reading audience doesn’t remember Akiyama Haru’s adult-life series, Octave, but I sure do. A decade ago, before the current rise of Shakajin Yuri, Octave was a lovely, complicated story about complicated adult women in a complicated relationship, both professional and personal. It’s pretty exciting to see the name back and in Galette magazine, no less. It’s a good day for Yuri.

This volume is once again available in print, JP Kindle, digital on Bookwalker or digital, in Japanese on US Kindle. It has the usual lovely interior illustrations, and pen’s stylish cover art. The only thing missing from this issue is completely understandable, but somehow missed the more for that. This issue has no photography, a stark reminder that there is a pandemic out there.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Overall, a good volume, and I’m glad to see that the hiccup that made Volume 14 a collector’s item is history. Manga artists are surprisingly resilient.

Next issue, we welcome back Amano Shuninta! You’ll excuse me, if I hope to see Takemiya Jin again soon, as well.