Galette No. 8 (ガレット) is here, full of Yuri goodies, as always, and some interesting treasures buried inside! Yay! ^_^

There are a lot more color pages than previous issues, which keep surprising me, no matter how many times I read through the volume. (I usually give it at least two read-throughs before a review.) The volume is also somewhat smaller than previous issues, and the Petite Galette is incorporated into the larger magazine. This is not as surprising as it might be…one of the remarkable things about Galette is that in it’s mere two years a number of the artists have been picked up elsewhere by magazines, worked on  (the increasing number of) Yuri anthologies, are working on collected volumes with Galette and/or other publishers. In other words,  Galette‘s been good for the Yuri business. 

There are always a few series that stand out to me.

“Liberty” has moved past it’s first main crisis to a relationship that might, possibly work, except that we know that stories run on conflict. ^_^ Nonetheless, Liz has decided to wear those guitar earrings after all.

In “Motto Hanjuku Joshi” Morishima-sensei gets to give Yae something very few people get in real life, closure. Yae is able to close the book on her first love with a much better ending for all concerned than we might expect.

 The centerfold is a bit of an easter egg – it’s by Akiyama Haru, featuring the characters from Octave!  A nice blast from the past. ^_^

Amano Shuninta’s “Toma-kun” has yet another outside perspective. This time a little sister tries to understand what her older sister sees in this strange girl.

Many of the stories are ongoing, and this issue has ads for a couple of collected volumes coming out, oh, today, at Comiket and one at Comitia in February (which means they will have a table there, which means I will be buying extra copies for Lucky Boxes…!) 

I’m always torn between reading Galette first when a new order comes in, or saving it for last. This time, it was first. It’s a relaxing place to visit, with some of my favorite artists. 

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Reading an issue of Galette is like a day ticket to the Yuriland theme park. ^_^

Galette, No. 7 (ガレット) actually came out back in August but I’ve been, um, busy, so here it is just a few weeks before No. 8 hits shelves in Japan. ^_^; 

There were a couple of very notable entries this issue. First among them was Takemiya Jin’s horror Yuri manga, “Sekai no Owari ni Anata to Futari” in which this case, the end of the world was literal. (O_O)

I had to laugh at Morishima Akiko’s “Motto Hanjuku Joshi” chapter, in which we meet the “female version of a male version of Yae” and it makes perfect sense.

With continuing stories from Morinaga Milk, Kita Izumi and Momono Moto, Amano Shuninta, Yorita Miyuki, Hakamada Mera, Hamano Ringo and Uno Junior, this doujinshi-magazine scratches a whole lot of different itches.

The Petit Galette was full four-color, which felt like a nice bonus. (And the soy smell was not nearly as pronounced this issue as it as last time.)

Of everything in this entire magazine, the one thing that stood above all, was a lovely, color photo of two adult women in yukata at a summer festival. It was just so sweet is left me smiling for days.

Ratings: 

Overall – 9

You can buy Galette in print from Amazon JP, on US Kindle (which I did this time, when I knew I wanted to read this issue before I was going to be able to get the print volume. I really like magazines in digital format – it’s great for reading anywhere or anytime.) Galette is also available on BOOK☆WALKER digitally. 

I’m running a bit behind now on Galette magazine. I blame the fact that we have so much amazing Yuri and LGBTQ manga and media this year that I’m having trouble keeping up with just the stuff that comes out in English, much less all of it from Japan. It’s a pretty great problem to have, but I want to make time to review Galette, No. 6 (ガレット) before Galette,No. 7 gets old. ^_^

“Philia to Eros no Aida” by Yorita Miyuki seems to be coming close to a finish, unless some new drama rears its head.

Hakamada Mera’s “Fuwafuwa Futashika Yumemitai” has hit the perfect middle ground for this creator and she’s really in her sweet spot of characters feeling feelings that include physical attraction, admiration, and companionship.

Ito has a story about heavy girl finding some one who likes her for her in “Saikau ni Saku.”

Morishima Akiko takes a Yuri story to the one location no one would ever expect it to be set in this chapter of “Motto Hanjuku Joshi,” as Chitose and Yae visit a boy’s school. ^_^

In Takemiya Jin’s “Watashi no Unmei no Hito” an Omega propose to a Beta, and everyone seems okay with that…until she meets an Alpha.

“Toma-kun” by Amano Shuninta gives Toma-kun a rival, but it’s hard to be a rival when the other person makes you swoon. 

And, in Kitta Izumi and Momono Mono’s “Liberty” we find out just why Liz reacts the way she did over the earrings…but it doesn’t excuse her at all. 

This issue has some lovely photographs and more color pages than ever before.  This only downside to this entire volume is that the new soy ink smells like, well, soybeans. I mean, good it didn’t catch in my throat the way soy ink usually does, but the you can always tell what room this magazine is in. ^_^;

Other than this one thing, No. 6 is once again a book chock full of Yuri manga by Yuri creators for anyone who loves Yuri!

Ratings: 

Overall – 9

You can check out previews of the stories on the Galette website on Pixiv.

Galette is available in Print, on US Kindle, JP Kindle or as a PDF if you subscribe to the Gold Course on the crowdfunding site Enty. 

Remember, this is a creator-owned publication, the money you give them goes straight into paying the folks who work on this book. Please, for pity’s sake, don’t read scanlations of this magazine. For only a few dollars you can have a legitimate Kindle version and help support Yuri creators. Use Google translate on your phone, or learn Japanese, but please, stop rewarding people who illegally distribute content they have no right to distribute. 

Happy 1st Anniversary Galette (ガレット)! With Volume 5, this magazine has hit an important benchmark – one full year of publication. To celebrate their birthday, the folks of Galette are participating in a special multi-creator signing event at the Shosen Book Tower. And, the week after, the magazine is participating in the Yuriten Yuri Fair with a booth. It’s all very exciting. 

Also to celebrate, this fifth issue of Galette has added a long-awaited addition to the roster, Morishima Akiko-sensei with a continuation of her hit series Hanjuku Joshi!

The print volume of this issue includes a Petit Galette insert with Anniversary wishes, and short manga entries.

This was also a damn good volume of Yuri manga.

Takemiya Jin-sensei has a new series.”Anata ha Watashi no Unmei no Hito” with a near-future in which people are expected to find lovers (of either sex) based on whether they are Betas (average) or Alphas (exceptional). But there are also Omegas, one of which our protagonist find herself labeled as. As she hunts around the school for the fabled Alpha she finds, falls for and is roundly dismissed by the Student Council VP. I couldn’t but help remember Zaou Taishi and Eiki Eiki’s manga Renai Idenshi XX (恋愛遺伝子). But I’m gonna trust Takemiya-sensei to handle this better than they did.

The blow away story was Momono Moto and Izumi Kitta’s “Liberty” in which DRAMA happens and for once it piqued my interest. ^_^

I quite liked Nakano Miyahana’s “Junai Entropy” about a girl who is inseparable from twins, but always knows which one is the one she loves.

Lots of color photography, and color art pages, and a color lead page for Takemiya-sensei’s new series. They’ve added some non-black-and white manga pages. AND (yes, i’m gushing a bit here,) there is a credit for the cover design. The art by Pen has been excellent, but now I can thank Blankie at chipco design for the exceptional design work, at last. Excellent work, Blankie-san.

Every issue of this magazine is stronger than the last. I have a wish list of two other creators to be added at least as guests and a short list of “things I’d like to see.” #1 on this list is: Sports Yuri.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

Come on, Galette folks! Gimme a sports Yuri manga series! Please. ^_^