Archive for the Galette Category


Yuri Manga: Galette meets, Issue 6 (ガレット meets)

November 6th, 2019

One of my purchases at Girls Love Fest in September (along with piles of doujinshi) was Galette meets, Issue 6 (ガレット meets). Galette meets functions as the doujinshi arm of the quarterly Galette magazine. It’s subtitle reads “All one-shot, slightly SEXY and more SWEET, galette meets.” I receive meets as a backer of Galette, but when I can get a copy in hardcover, I do, because my growing section of Galette publications makes me happy. ^_^I encourage you to become a backer and get a PDF download of magazine and meets as a perq!

This issue contains 6 stories for a hefty 84 pages. There are a number of cute and fun stories, but the one that I enjoyed the most was “Watashi no Roommate” by Morino, An ero-manga artist is not comfortable with her roommate at all. She’s relieved when her roommate leaves. As she works on her comic, she finds herself stimulated and moves to the bed to take care of the issue. Her roommate walks in on her, comments drily, “I forgot my phone” and leaves again. ^_^ The roommate’s complete lack of concern was pretty funny.

nui’s “Hibi no Katachi” also scratched my Yuri android itch. I really like Yuri android stories for some reason. ^_^

Overall – 8

Issue 7 of Galette meets was released at the end of September in print. You can also get Issue 1 through 3.5 on Bookwalker Global in digital format. Issue 4 and Issue 5 are available as Kindle only on Amazon JP. You can find other links to purchase them (Melonbooks, Comiz Zin) on the Galette meets website.





Yuri Magazine: Galette, No. 10 (ガレット)

July 23rd, 2019

I know I’m running late with this, but I am finally getting around to reviewing Galette, No. 10 (ガレット)! Yay!

Reading Galette is always such an interesting experience. There is much variety and I’m often surprised when something I didn’t think I’d care for turns out to be something I like, or vice versa. I was a little bit worried that this was the end of my favorite story, “Liberty,” as Liz and Maki had finally come to a point where they were on the same page. I didn’t want it to end because that would have been very “Story A.” It hasn’t ended, but is has immediately turned in a direction I laughingly called “Story B” inside my head as Liz’s thoughtless former lover is probably returning to cause drama.

Hakamada Mera has an unusual offering this issue, about an adult couple that was very pleasant. Morninaga Milk’s drama about two women and their cat came to a head over… the cat. ^_^ “Kuri-san Kamo” told a story from a backwards angle that I quite liked.

This volume had additions from Galette Plus and Petite Galette. Color photo pages and color ink pages gives it the feel, a little bit ,of the magazines one picks up in the convenience stores. I’m not sure if I think it works, yet. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Another varied and fun issue of my favorite Yuri magazine! Here’s hoping that the crowdfunding picks back up and they can expand the issues a little. (I’ve bumped up my subscription, so I’m no longer next to the one name in the funders listing I actually know well. Awww. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Liberty, Volume 1 (リバティ)

June 27th, 2019

Liberty, Volume 1 (リバティ) follows Honjou Maki, a boyish young woman who works for a small game company and is happy enough with her life, although the constant talk about who is seeing whom and who she might be or not be interested in is tiresome. Maki’s boyish , but still resents the fact that the other women just presume she’s not interested in men. She’s on her way home when a woman runs out into the street in front of Maki’s car. It wasn’t a suicide attempt, though…the woman was just trying to save a kitten from being run over. The women is flirty and flighty and before Maki drops her off, the woman asks Maki if she likes women. Maki isn’t able to answer, but the woman, also recognizing her specific boyishness calls her “Walking Coming Out” and writes down a phone number on Maki’s hands before she get out of the car.

Maki calls the number and learns that it’s for a musical performance venue. After work she goes over the location where the line is very long to get in. She learns its for the band Liberty and that the woman she met is its lead singer… and, that she is expected, although her new nickname is now “Aruku Coming Out” and she is a walking advertisement for her own sexuality now, whether she likes it or not. The singer takes her aside after the show and aggressively kisses Maki, making it very plain that she is interested in the other woman.

The next day Maki meets the new band that’s been signed on to do the music for the game her company is working on– the band is Liberty and their lead singer is Liz. Maki is clearly genuinely interested in and attracted to Liz, but Liz’s reactions are not…within normal parameters. When Maki gives her a pair of earrings a present, Liz yells at Maki to get out. We and Maki eventually learn why, but by the end of Volume 1 Liz is still mostly an enigma to both us and Maki. And her reactions are still over-the-top in any situation.

This manga is a collaboration between voice actress Kitta Izumi (Cordelia from the Milky Homes franchise)and Yuri manga artist Momono Moto, whose work I have followed for years. This story really plays to Momono-sensei’s strong points, too, with strong emotions and reactions and Liz’s light-gothic fashion look, which contrasts nicelyto Maki’s downplayed business casual. I’ve liked this story since it debut in Galette in 2017 and have been eagerly awaiting a collected volume. I noticed immediately that when Kitta-san announced this on Twitter, it was not published by Galette Works, instead it is a Kadokawa book. Good for them for getting the investment. (It’s not too hard to see Kadkoawa’s angle – voice actress from a Kadokawa series, veteran Yuri artist and their current investment in Yuri as a growth market. It all adds up.)

The book includes a short interview with both creators that is surprisingly cute and energetic.

As an adult life story with both a cute mostly-closeted boyish character and a beautiful melodramatic feminine character, Liberty makes for great Yuri soap opera.

Ratings:

Art  – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 7 Yes, in an adult female-focused way. Maki’s seduction is not explicitly consensual but meant to be understood as mutual.
Yuri – 10 with a light flavor of LGBTQ

Overall – 9

I really like this story and am pleased that Maki and Liz are going to get a chance to develop as characters and as a couple.





Yuri Manga: Cotton Candy

April 11th, 2019

Hamano Ringo’s Cotton Candy was the first of the Galette collected volumes to be printed. I feel a little bad that it’s taken me this long to get around to it because, like it’s name, it’s very sweet.

There’s nothing objectionable at all, about the collection but for me the stand out story is the first, the titular “Cotton Candy.” This three-part story follows two girls who share a commute to school. They don’t really talk much, but after one has a run-in with a male schoolmate, and is rescued by the other, they become friendly. Mii often goes to a local coffee shop to talk over her experiences and feelings with the owner, Bun-chan.The older woman is a good confidant and helps Mii figure out how she feels about Hinako, as those feeling amble past friendship into attraction. More importantly, Bun-chan tell Mii that she, too was in the same position, because she likes women. This opens Mii-chan’s eyes and she is able, after some initial hesitation, to make her feelings known. When it turns out that they are returned, Mii brings her new girlfriend to the coffee shop to meet Bun-chan.

For what I think are obvious reasons, I really like this story. ^_^ Adult role models show young people that they are not outliers, not weird, not alone. There is nothing I want to see more of in Yuri than this…not even a sports series. ^_^

Hamano-sensei’s art is old-school cute without being moe. Lots of cute kids and bright smiles, school settings and sweets. It’s all kind of innocent and…nice.

Ratings:

Art – 8 It’s definitely old-school and I like it
Story – 7 School life
Characters – 8 Likable and cute
Service – Not really. 1 but on principle only – the most service-y thing in the book is a filler image of two girls in their pjs.
Yuri – 7 First love, crushes, exactly what you’d expect

Overall – 8

Again, like the confection it’s named after, it’s not filling, but the memory of sweetness lingers.





Yuri Manga: Galette, No. 9 (ガレット)

March 27th, 2019

Galette, No. 9 (ガレット) is just such a genuinely lovely book, that it took me a long time to read it because I kept paging through it admiring the actual thing itself. Every issue the cover illustration by pen just enchants me.

There a quite a few color pages; inside cover, photos and illustrations, including two absolutely charming pieces, of a lovely white lily themed piano duet 2-page spread by  Murasaki Noa (I’m probably wrong on the family name and welcome correction on  that) and Kabocha’s joyful fireworks illustration. These made a terrific mid-issue break.

This issue includes Petit Galette and a comic from the Galette Meets series, in addition ongoing stories from Morishima Akiko, Morita Miyuki, Yatosaki,  Haru Amano Shuninta and others, as well as one-shots by a number of other regular contributors.

It’s a strong line-up, with a nice variety of art, although the story lines have seemed to settle back into school life more often than not. Nonetheless in my opinion, Galette is always well-worth the money I’ve spent supporting and purchasing it. This one I was pleased as punch to be able to buy at Comitia this winter, which just made it that much better. ^_^ I believe in Galette so much, in fact, that I’ve upgraded my support on the Fantia crowdfunding page for the magazine. I quite like the Gold course, as it provides me with PDF versions of the magazine and Meets. (Sorry, Erin, we won’t be next to each other in the credits anymore. :-( )

Ratings

Overall-9

As always, Galette is available digitally on JP Kindle and US Kindle. Volume 8 is available at the end of this month on Bookwalker.