Comic Yuri Hime for July 2016 (コミック百合姫2016年7月号) wasn’t as wretched as the May issue, but the divide between stories I like and the super creepy fanservice that is pretty much indefensibly vile is widening.

Looking at girl’s crotches, even fictitious, drawn, completely not-at -all real ones, when the “plot” literally has to contort itself around that, just to make it constantly possible, is still utterly repulsive to me in every possible way. And, too, I’m finding it harder and harder to tolerate Amano Shuninta’s “Ayame 14,” which might be sincerely meant, but feels just exactly like another way to pander.

“Prince Princess” wraps up with a (if you think about it too hard) bizarre affirmation that girls don’t have to be masculine if they don’t want to. Being girly is A-OK. Since that’s not usually a problem – and, in fact, the opposite is usually the problem –  it kind of fails as an analogy for inclusivity. But it’s a happy ending, so…yay?

Thankfully for me, Takemiya Jin, Ohsawa Yayoi and Kuzushiro all have continuing series. Phew. I long for the covers drawn by Kazuaki, as the entire magazine steadily falls back into the most banal and egregious moe tropes. Okay, pendulum, it’s time to swing back now!

Ratings:

Overall – 6

Thank *heavens* for Ohsawa Yayoi. She’s the only one drawing adults right now and I cling to “2DK, G Pen, Alarm Clock” like a life preserver.

The May 2016 issue of Comic Yuri Hime has a little faux sticker on the cover that reads “Inside is the same Comic Yuri Hime as always.” There’s little else to say about it. ^_^

The first half is mostly series I’m not reading for any number of reasons. Ohsawa Yayoi’s “2DK, G Pen, Alarm Clock” has taken a turn away from the lead characters to continue following Koyuki who is, I fear, not as interesting to me as to others. Her self-esteem issues might be real, but I can’t really care.

“Ayame 14” by Amano Shuninta finally embraces a Yuri theme with Ayame and Sango recognizing their interest in each other, but it’s still a little creepy to me, as we focus on Ayame’s budding sexuality, with no attempt at grounding it in identity, character or…anything, really. It’s just Ayame discovering sex, which is kind of ick.

The Yuri Yosei and White Yuri Yosei seem to be developing a bit of a relationship in Minamoto Hisanari’s “Kanaete! Yuri Yosei” after wrapping up a multi-chapter relationship that mostly only needed a nudge or two, but got three or four.

“Princess Prince” seems to have settled down into a really kind of touching discussion of performative gender, something I never expected of Aoto Hibiki’s goofball comedy.

Katamura Ako’s “Last Waltz” remains intriguing and odd and sexual and violent, sorta.

Kuzushiro’s “Nekoyama-san to Inugami-san” takes a really unlikely, but rather pleasant turn, as we look at Suzu’s older sister from the point of view of the guy who will never get the girl.

Takemiya Jin takes a look at creating a monster and then being jealous of it in “Kara no Hoka”.

Ratings:

Overall – 6

Overall, I’m feeling again like the emphasis is on the stuff I don’t care for, but at least there is still content that I like.

I’m kind of liking the mix that fills the March 2016 Issue of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫2016年3月号). I actively don’t like a few stories, don’t care about a few, like a few and like a few very much. It seems as if Ichijinsha has managed a fair balance.

Of the stories that I like, I’m both amazed and pleased that “Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san” by Kuzushiro continues to be interesting, even as we occasionally glance away from the menagerie towards Aki’s relationships, which are surprisingly fraught.

Shinobu in Katakura Ako’s “Last Waltz” must put off some pheromone that makes her super attractive to the other characters in a way that the art can’t *quite* convey. ^_^

I have to admit I have completely lost the thread of “Shoujo Shikaku” by Kawai Roh and can’t make the romance/drama work at all with the horror story that surrounds it. Also the lead is a total drip. (-_-);

I like Nakahara Tsubaki’s “12-bun no Etude” even if it really isn’t a Yuri story, and really only because of the story in my head, not so much on the page.  But at least the two leads have managed to make it to the friend stage, rather than nice kid being rebuffed by talented asshole stage.

“Kanaete! Yuri Yosei” by Minamoto Hisanari continues to be a delightful little romp in silliness.

Takemiya Jin has a new story “Kimi ga Iru Bassho” about a girl who falls for another girl she sees all the time. They become friends and it turns out that the second girl isn’t the clueless doofus we kind of pegged her for.

“2DK, GPen, Mezamashitokei” by Ohsawa Yayoi takes a side trip into Koyuki’s sad and slightly unrealistic backstory, to give us an inkling of why she is so driven to succeed in manga.

And Aoto Hibiki’s “Prince, Prince” returns from the edge of unreadably awful to just sort of silly and unhealthily obsessed with gender roles, clothes and a messy plot, where it belongs.

As with every other issue, there are many other stories not mentioned in today’s review for reasons ranging from disinterest to revulsion. There’s nothing wrong with that, really. I am interested in approximately 1/3 of the magazine right now, which is way better than some years, when there were two stories I could read.

Ratings:

Overall – 7