Archive for the Magazines Category


Yuri Manga: Collectors, Volume 1 (コレクターズ）

February 14th, 2013

In honor of Valentine’s Day I can think of no better candidate for review than Nishi UKO’s Collectors, from the pages of Rakuen Le Paradis magazine.

Nito Shinobu collects books. Kanzaki Takako is interested in fashion and collects clothes. The two of them love each other very much but, as they both consider their future together, their competing use of space could make living together awkward. ^_^;

With their friend Naomi and “the other one,” the unnamed friend who makes up the fourth in their group, Shinobu and Takako’s life together is detailed in amusingly realistic 4-koma strips or chapter-long stories.

From how they met, to Shinobu hiding from her students at a book store, to going away with friends, to bickering and moments of intimacy, their lives look remarkably like a real life that a real couple might have, rather than the melodramatic extremes of so much manga. For me, Collectors is a refreshing, realistic, fun look at a relationship between women who love each other. Weird huh? I mean really weird. Because there is hardly any manga like this.

Here’s my favorite scene – Shinobu, standing with Naomi and the other one (Okay, let’s just pick a name for her. Put your suggestions in the comments section and I’ll pick one, and send it to Nishi UKO-sensei as a suggestion. ^_^) waiting for Takako to arrive, when  Shinobu says Takako is heading towards them. Naomi asks where, as a woman walks up to them. Takako’s changed her hair color, but Shinobu knows it’s her from meters away. ^_^

They snipe at one another about each other’s collection habits, they have tender moments with hands entwined in each other’s hair, they live and they love. Just like me and my wife, just like you and your girlfriend, just like lesbians whose relationship does not end with a kiss or graduation. This is what after the happily-ever-after really looks like.

Whether you collect glasses, boyfriends, books or clothes, Happy Valentine’s Day from myself and everyone at Yuricon & ALC Publishing!

Ratings:

Art – 10
Story – 10 Life. What could be funnier, more poignant or more interesting?
Characters – 10
Yuri – 10
Service – 1

Overall – 10

As I read this book before bed, I look fondly over the multiple piles of books-to-read next to my bed and smile. I’m on Team Shinobu. ^_^

Go ahead and put your suggestions for Takako’s friend’s name in the comments. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫), January 2013

January 24th, 2013

Once again, the cover of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫) tells a story. The January issue’s story, which is helpfully titled “Love Story”, provides flashbacks to Mad magazines of old, as the cover and inside cover offer *4* pages of story with the fold.

This issue was primarily interesting for the various ways in which so many of the stories explored the typical tropes of schoolgirl Yuri with abandon. And I mean that – artists are really just going nuts within the same few basic ideas. Girls are still transferring into elite schools, where they encounter the star of the school…but none of the typical things one might expect are happening. The star of the school is not who she seems, murders occur, things are being smashed and thrown and kisses are hard, sometimes, and gentle sometimes. Characters are enigmatic, cheerful, angry, polite and crazy. This issue is not, really, in any way a great reflection of life, but that isn’t my point. My point is…wow there’s a lot of *stuff* going on in this magazine!

And once again “Fu~Fu~” wins the universe as Sumi decides that she and Kina ought to, y’know, have matching rings. Oh god this series is so cute! Kinana agrees that matching rings would suit them well…and she suggests that the next thing on the menu ought to be a wedding ceremony. ^_^ Squee!

This issue was a really nice selection of stories of girls and women in a variety of relationship from utterly dysfunctional to happily ever after. Exactly what I want in an anthology. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8





Yuri Manga: Hana to Hoshi, Volume 2 (花と星)

January 18th, 2013

In Volume 1, we meet Hanaii Sawako and Hoshino Shiori, former rivals in the sport of table tennis, now classmates in high school. In Volume 2 of Hana to Hoshi (花と星) their former rivalry has now turned into something more complex.

The bulk of the book is spent dealing with a digression and a McGuffin. The McGuffin is revealed in the backstory of Funami Chika, whose relationship with Hoshino is far more intimate  than Hanaii is ready to cope with. It’s Funami-sempai who tells Hanaii her story, ultimately freeing Hoshino from her past.

The digression is the existence of a male schoolmate who has fallen for Hanaii and – in an exceedingly rare display of normal behavior – confesses to Hanaii, followed by requests for eating lunch together and a date. The fact that he’s such a nice guy is almost a shame, because you’ve gotta feel bad for him. He’s so functional and he’s screwed. Poor Ogawa.

In my review of Volume 1 I suggested that I knew the perfect ending to this story. It’s not like it was a stretch or anything. This story began with table tennis and the only proper thing to do with it was to end it there, as well. And so, like Yukiko and Chikage in Sakura Namiki, Sawako and Shiori express their genuine affection for each other through their shared love of a sport.

Yesterday I mentioned that my review was a paean to connections. This manga was indeed on the top of my “to-review” pile, and so, when I hit page 18 of Sakura Namiki and found Yukiko in the middle of a ping-pong match, I started to laugh. As Lillian was born from Catholic boarding schools before it, the chances that  Flower and Stars was coincidentally about girls who played table tennis receded to near zero. No Yuri is an island entire of itself. And truly, one piece at a time, we’re now seeing tribute paid to the classic manga that came before in the manga that makes us smile now.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 8
Service – 1

Overall – 8

This story, so enjoyable on its own, must be seen as a part of a body of literature. Which, to my mind, makes it just that much more enjoyable.^_^





Yuri Manga: Asagao to Kase-san (あさがおと加瀬さん)

December 18th, 2012

Yamada is a completely typical Japanese girl, completely undistinguished, she thinks. On the other hand, Kase-san is athletic, attractive, popular. Kase-san’s a star long distance runner and Yamada is a nobody. There’s no way they could ever be friends.

In Asagao to Kase-san (あさがおと加瀬さん) Yamada finds that, amazingly, she does have something in common with Kase-san – they both take care of the flower boxes full of morning glories (asagao) on the school grounds. And, amazingly, they do become friends.

But as much as their friendship brings her joy, Yamada is tortured by Kase-san’s proximity. Her feelings are becoming far more intense than just friendship. She and Kase-san become a little closer when the runner decides that she’ll train Yamada for the marathon in gym class. They go out to buy Yamada proper running shoes, and we can see that their feelings are the same, but can they? It all comes to a head during the marathon when Yamada’s training is put to the test and so are Kase-san’s priorities.

Yet again, Hirari brings us a “Story A“-type story in which the pages end just as the story is beginning but, in this case, the emotions ring true and the story left me smiling. As “Story A” goes, this was a lovely little example of the beginning of a first love between two girls. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7 A little messy, but I liked it
Story – 8
Character – 8
Yuri – 8
Service – 2

Overall – 8

The story broke no new ground, but the characters’ reactions were real enough to carry the volume. Of course, I wish we got to see them after this volume ends, when their relationship begins taking off. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari, Vol. 8 (ピュア百合アンソロジー ひらり)

December 11th, 2012

Let’s say I have a bowl of vanilla ice cream (schoolgirl Yuri) and I think vanilla ice cream is okay, but it’s not as exciting as it could be.

When you’re confronted with a bowl of plain ice cream (a flavor you think is okay, but not wow) what do you do to make it tastier? You cover it with sauce and and blend in exciting things like gummy bears and toffee. Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari, Vol. 8 (ピュア百合アンソロジー ひらり) is a bowl of vanilla ice cream.

So here’s the cover story by Hakamada Mera, in which Kikuka and Tsubaki become friends and maybe Tsubaki has a few internal monologue moments where she thinks that Kikuka is “pretty” or “interesting.” Pretty vanilla, right?

So then we add a little soy powder to the top of the vanilla in the continuation of “Kitsune-hime.” It’s an interesting taste, but a little dry.

No, what we want is something crazy – something really extra super yummy. How about caramel sauce, colored sprinkles and a LOT of whipped cream? Well, lucky you, because Morishima Akiko has you covered, in “Seijun Shoujo Paradigm.” Aoi comes to a real rich-girls’ school, all ready to be blown away by the ojou-sama in her class, so she’s a little disappointed when they turn out to be normal, Did I say normal? As they head up to the roof to do an AKB48 dance, you realize that you’ve landed in the sundaest story you’re gonna find in this mostly vanilla collection. ^_^

Sated as you are, you can peruse the rest of the stories and enjoy their different flavors:

Ballet and Yuri tastes like a blend-in of salted peanuts. Teacher/student Yuri tastes like bitter, bitter dark chocolate. Auri Hirao writing a Yuri story with actual Yuri tastes like finding a real vanilla bean in your vanilla ice cream. Grown up Yuri tastes like coffee liqueur over your the top. Each variation brings a different flavor or texture, even though the base is still vanilla. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – Jim Dandy

Age check – how many of you think “big bowl of vanilla ice cream” and think “Moby Dick” (If you get the reference don’t give it away.)