Archive for the Magazines Category


Galette, No. 14 (ガレット)

August 23rd, 2020

Galette, No. 14 (ガレット) marks a shift in my collection and starts with a multi-layered tale of woe. ^_^

Due to the  pandemic, this issue was offered in limited amount to backers as a physical publication, and eventually, it was offered to overseas backers but, for a number of reasons, I was unable to purchase the physical copy. Mostly, it was timing.

Jumping forward, Volume 15 is also being made available to backers but due to chicanery and corruption on both sides, packages sent by Japan Post to the USPS are now being held up for a minimum of 8 weeks on the Japan side, and who know what will happen on the US side. This is not hyperbole. When I shipped a package from Japan in July, I had the choice of around $200 by DHL (around, but I was completely unable to get an actual estimate off the DHL site, because the English-language page wouldn’t accept the Japanese address and vice versa, of course.  Apparently Tenso will only tell me what it actually costs after I commit to DHL shipping. So I chose JP Post to USPS – this was before the current administration’s open interference with the US Post Office – and was told right up front that it would take 8-12 weeks to ship. I have a package sitting in a warehouse in Kawasaki since July for, as far as I can tell, no reason whatsoever, except to make using a public service unappealing and shifting us to much more expensive shipping by private company, making what was already a huge barrier to overseas purchases practically insurmountable for normal humans.

As a result of this utterly malicious fuckery on both sides of the Pacific, I find myself unable to purchase the physical copies of Galette magazine. I’m saddened, but I upped my backer level, so I get a PDF copy of each volume when it’s released. Yay digital!

So here we are at No. 14, my first digital-only copy. I’ve linked to the Global Bookwalker version, which I also bought, because I wanted to see how it read. Honestly…I love it on Bookwalker. I use Bookwalker on a tablet, and it’s almost the same size as the magazine. I love being able to read the page on a large screen and page through it as I might in a physical copy. When I get the PDF, it reads on a browser as vertical, but I’m going to see if the Bookwalker reader will handle the PDF. It ought to. For those of you in Japan, it is also available on JP Kindle.

All the continuing stories are still continuing, which means ongoing works by Morinaga Milk, Morishima Akiko, Hakamada Mera, Hamano Ringo, Yatosaki Haru, Uno Jinia and Kitto Izumi and Momono Moto;  some of which are doing surprising and sometimes really interesting things. Morinaga Milk’s characters Rena and Yuna have moved into a larger home and are about to embark upon building a life together. This isn’t just “let’s live together,” this is “we’re a couple and this is us figuring out our lives together.” Kitto and Monomo’s “Liberty” has taken a dark turn and I really don’t know at all where it’s going.

But the winner this issue was definitely Hakamada Mera’s “Sekai ga Owarau sono mae ni.” It was just a really good chapter, probably some of the best work I’ve ever seen from her.

There was a fun take on Cinderella by Ei Imura, and the usual compliment of photography and art. All of which make Galette a satisfying read, that I look forward to every issue.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

Volume 15 is available as PDF and physically by mail to backers on Fantia at Gold level or higher, on Amazon JP Kindle and, kind of weirdly, in Japanese on US Kindle, but not yet on Bookwalker.





Comic Yuri Hime, August 2020 (コミック百合姫2020年8月号)

August 12th, 2020

I just want to take a moment before I even begin this review and offer a tip of my hat to cover artist Rolua, who in a few cover pieces told a decent short science fiction story. ^_^

There are a couple of new series starting in Comic Yuri Hime, August 2020 (コミック百合姫2020年8月号). Yuri Light Novel Kundan Folklore is being serialized by creative team SukeraSparo. We’ll get to that in a second. Because, the magazine opens up with a huge spread for “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou,” the light novel series which has been licensed by Seven Seas as I’m in Love With the Villainess. I didn’t hate it, but it sure veers close to fetishtry that does not overlap my own. ^_^

Rei, a miserable worker at a black company, wakes up one day in the otome game she had been playing, “Revolution.” although the game was specifically designed to partner the lead with one of the princes at the school, Rei had fallen in love with the obnoxious bully and rival for your choice’s attention… Claire. The harder Claire tries to bully Rei, the more Rei likes it. ^_^; This series is funny and just a tad creepy and I’ll be interested to see where it goes.

In Miman’s “Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto desu!” Kanako finally says some things Hime needs to hear, and Hime agrees to attend Kanako’s birthday event at the cafe. It feels very much as if we heading for a climax in this series…but we’ve got a few more bumps to deal with before we get there.

Something completely unexpected has happened in “Hello Melancholic” by Ohsawa Yayoi and I find that I really, honestly care about Minato now and desperately want her to be happy. ^_

“Kundan Folklore” looks…pretty interesting! Better thn that visual novel and let me  assure you that I’m surprised to say that. It’s front-loaded to be a scary family legend story, but it’s also a story about mismatched friends and protagonist who works hard to be where she is. I hope I like it.

Kodama Naoko’s “Umineko Bessou days” is also heading towards an ending, Sadly the complications are scraped from the back of the plot complication closet and just completely failed to keep this reader engaged. I don’t dislike this story, but it could have been so good. It was instead very average.

I adore the color washes give to Kon-chan’s dialogue in Inui Ayu’s autobiographical manga. Whatever the color of the “Hime Cafe” section of the magazine, is the color of Con-chan’s key lines. It’s adorable and I hope they keep it for any collected volume, should we get one.

Ratings:

Overall  – 8

As always, there are other stories I read and enjoyed and others I read and did not and a few I don’t read. A pretty even bell curve of interest and something for mostly any Yuri fan. The September issue is already out and has an amazing cover! I do like a woman with tattoos.





Galette, No. 13 (ガレット)

July 9th, 2020

Galette, No. 13 (ガレット) begins with a shift to a different cover material. Gone is the overlay and reflectivity from previous issues. The new cover stock is textured and matte that nonetheless has a reflective topic. Pen’s art is consistently excellent. I always look forward to their work for Galette.

The ongoing series continue to be very strong, among them Morinaga Milk’s “Watashi Kawai Neko-chan” and “Liberty” by Kitta Izumi and Momono Moto, which goes exactly where we feared it might when Liz’s previous manager appeaedr. “Motto Hanjuku Joshi” by Morishima Akiko gets…well…kind of weird, I guess, when Chitose’s first love turns out to be her current fencing rival.

I’m really enjoying Hakamada Mera’s “Sekai ga Owaru Sono Mae ni” with it’s honest exploration of an adult woman’s life that has gone through many changes. Sachiko’s admission to Shino that she had once been married becomes far more pressing when her ex-husband shows up at the door and she tells him that’s she’s there with her lover.

Nakano Mayaka’s one-shot “Sweet Spicy Lip Tint” is a cute apparent-opposites- attract story that includes a visit to Iakarazuka Theater. ^_^

The final pages include some data from the recent Galette questionnaire, about what readers are looking to read. I had filled this out along with others and, to my surprise I actually received the Hamano Ringo clear file it promised!

Ratings:

Overall – 9

A solid issue during uncertain times.

In fact, I had originally purchased and read this magazine digitally, unsure if I would be able to get it in print. Then it arrived and I was delighted. In the mean time, Volume 14 was printed in limited quantity and although GW made some issues available for overseas readers, the timing was off for me, and I was not able to get one. Nonetheless, Galette 14 is still available as a digital manga on JP Kindle or outside Japan on Global Bookwalker. I keep forgetting that I get a digital copy of the current issue at my level of patronage and end up buying it again, anyway. ^_^;





Comic Yuri Hime, July 2020 (コミック百合姫2020年7月号)

July 8th, 2020

I’m really enjoying the crazy fonts of the current cover set by Rolua and so far, this is my favorite cover. The out-of-focus fence is fantastic and – even though we know what it says, I couldn’t make this font out at all, so that was fun. ^_^ It’s a heck of a way to begin Comic Yuri Hime July 2020 (コミック百合姫2020年7月号).

The magazine starts off with a new story, about a tall, introverted girl who is a semi-professional novelist in Yuama’s “Kimi to Tsuzuru Utakata,” which feels strikingly similar to “Hello Melancholic” and is likewise, charming.

Himari finally sees Yori-sempai in concert and is once again blown away, in Takeshima Eku’s “Sasayaku Youni Koi wo Utau”…and, at last Himari offers her answer to Yori’s question.

Sumiya Zeniko’s “Majyo to Koisuru 5-byou Mae” is filled with action and shouting.

Since we know it’s ending next issue, “Umineko Bessoudays” by Kodama Naoko comes to a climactic moment as things are said that must be said to move forward.

Hinako makes an important decision in “Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts” by Usui Shio and we all cheer for her.

There are, as always, many other stories in the issue, many of which I read and enjoy. There are several I read that I don’t enjoy and others I skip completely. Which means that, depending on your likes and dislikes, there ought to be something for you, as well!

Ratings:

Overall – 7

There’s a bit too much wackiness and screaming in the newish series, but I’m willing to see where they go. ^_^

The August issue is out now and September hits shelves later this month. ^_^





Comic Yuri Hime June 2020 (コミック百合姫2020年6月号)

June 3rd, 2020

Comic Yuri Hime June 2020 (コミック百合姫2020年5月号) has a couple of notable comics. Some of what I was hoping for has not come to pass and some of what I was avoiding, is still avoidable.

Let’s start with the not-great. I had really, from the bottom of my heart, hoped “semelparous” would settle down and be less about bouncing tits and more a story. Well, Ogino-sensei has decided to go with torture porn; characters dying and being mutilated, emotionally and physically scarified. Oh well. I had heard good things about this creator and genuinely wanted to see them excel. I’m not going to give series this any more time.

Also disappointing has been “Pochi Climb” by Mintarou. It’s not bad at all. It’s cute and sweet and not even remotely anything like a sports manga, even though we learn a lot about bouldering. I’m not dissing it, it’s just 90% moe girls doing things cutely and 10% sweat. For my moe quotient, I’m content to read Takeshima Eku’s “Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Uta,” in which Yori and Himari go on a date. ^_^

Terano-sensei and Hayama-sensei are still adorable in “Hayama-sensei to Terano-sensei ha Tsukiatteriru by Ohi Pikachi (coming to us from Seven Seas in September as Our Teachers Are Dating!

A second climax is definitely on the way in Miman’s “Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto desu!,” as Kanako finally says everything she needs to to Mitsuki about Hime.

I love Usui Shio’s “Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts” and if this and Inui Ayu’s “Kyo mo Hitotsu Yane no Shita” which this month, details how she and her partner met, continued forever, I would be well okay with it. ^_^　And no surprise I enjoyed “Konya ha Vanilla to Choco Mint” by Shino Hirofumi which was yet another adults living together as a couple story.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

July 2020 is already out in Japan and available on Global Bookwalker digitally or in print on Amazon JP. I have got to get cracking on it, since the August issue is imminent! I’m still reading these digitally (and paddling quickly to keep up) but I do love that I can subscribe to the magazine, or just get the next issue on Bookwalker.