Archive for the Magazines Category


Yuri Manga: Tsubomi, Volume 18 (つぼみ)

July 9th, 2012

Tsubomi, Volume 18 begins with a phenomenon I’ve heard of but never actually seen…a chapter that hasn’t quite been completed.

Despite the fact that it lacks tones and final inking, “Hoshikawa Ginza Yon-choume” returns from a pointless digression to a very powerful chapter in which Otome learns that her mother (who never bothered to get in touch with her to let her know that she and her father had divorced,) belatedly sends a letter informing her that she’s remarried…and wants Otome to come live with her again. Suddenly, both Otome and Minato have to face the fact that they have no legally viable claim on one another. Now, at last, this story will deal with the reality that has been buried behind the deepening relationship between them.

Suzuki Yufuko’s “Candy” comes to an end, with exactly the kind of epilogue I enjoy most. This series is a real dark horse entry for my Top Ten this year, with an unexpectedly sweet and satisfying love story.

“Joouhachi no Jirenma” is a nice twist on a relationship between rivals.

Hoshino and her sempai have it out and put the past behind them, while we get a little glimpse into Hanaii’s past, as well, in “Hana to Hoshi.”

And, of course there a ton of other stories with things like panty shots (gods…how tired I am of those…) and other exciting moe Yuri tropes. All very fascinating if you’re not me. ^_^;;

Ratings:

Overall: Let’s see, 4 stories out of 16 that I liked, 2 more I didn’t mind… okay, let’s call it a 6.





Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime, May 2012 (コミック百合姫)

June 11th, 2012

The May 2012 issue of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫), has a decent amount of good. For once it doesn’t begin with Yuru Yuri, it drops directly in to some one-shots.

“Sotsugyou Kinshi” by Ohsawa Yayoi reminded me of the good old days of doujinshi Yuri where the threat of graduation is tempered by handing over an apartment key, so separation need not be experienced.

“Inukami-san and Nekoyama-san” continue with that same kind of goofy 4-panel nothing really we’ve become used to from Kuzushiro-sensei.

“Fu~Fu” was sweet and really hard to swallow. Komugi is supposed to be seen as tsundere, but as usually with that type, she’s rarely, if ever dere and is mostly just physically abusive. It’s really not that cute. But Hayase loves her anyway and manages to get the point across.

“Rock it Girl” brings the band right up to their debut night. Despite Kaname’s self-esteem issues, they do indeed rock it.

Morishima Akiko-sensei’s “Futari no Milky Way” was an exposition of de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince and why life with people doesn’t suck all that much, really. ^_^

The story with the incredibly long title that I can never be bothered actually reading by Amano Syuninta actually seems to be settling into a plot. Lost, Sa-chan and Ruki get very close to talking about Sa-chan’s awful boyfriend, and I’m betting next chapter brings a climax to that bit.

“Step Up” by Takemiya Jin has introduced the phrase “Oppai-o gozaimasu” to my house and I may never forgive her. ^_^;

“Kimono Nadesico” is more fun to read than to write about.

And…we’re gearing up for something big in “Love DNA XX” as Erika gets confirmation that Sakura and Aoi like each other…a lot. Too much. I really, really hope this story gets brave and confronts the horrible glaring problem with itself before it wraps up. If this goes all tidy wrap-up on me, I’ll scream.

As always, there are other stories, some of which I read. For a full variety of the styles and stories, get a copy of the magazine and enjoy it for yourself!

Ratings:

Overall – 8





Yuri Manga: Hana to Hoshi / Flower and Star（花と星)

April 30th, 2012

One of the things we don’t quite yet have in Yuri manga is a full blown love-hate rivalry on the field of athletic competition. With Hana to Hoshi /Flower and Star (花と星), we’re a little closer than we were before.

Hanai Sawako was a prodigy in competitive table tennis as a child. Faced with her first major loss, it broke her and she fled the sport. Now, years have passed and she’s ready to enter high school as a normal girl. On her first day, however, she sees a spectre from her past, the one girl who destroyed her careeer, Hoshino Shiori. Completely freaked out, Hanai-san feels her ideal world crumbling when she finds herself sitting next to Hoshino in class.

To make matters inexpressibly worse, when Hanai-san attempts to wake a sleeping Hoshino up in class, Hoshino gives her a sleepy smile…and kisses her.

Hanai-san is so put out by this that she can’t reconcile her feelings of distaste for Hoshino with ever-increasing like for the girl. All she wants, she’s sure, is to just avoid her completely…until an upperclassman informs her that there is a table tennis club at school and she’s paralyzed with fear. Hoshino steps up and explains that they – neither of them – will be joining.

The story shifts at this point, away from Hanai-san’s internal struggle to reconcile her image of Hoshino past and present, to a surprising backstory between Hoshino and the upperclassman. As Hanai-san starts to understand that their relationship is far more intimate than she realized, she now has the deal with a third, competing, feeling. Jealousy.

For some reason, despite the fact that she’s pretty unrealistic, I really like Hoshino. Something about her un-real reactions to things appeals to me. Hanai-san was harder for me to like, but I came around after the first few chapters. Her incompetent bumbling is a little obnoxious, though.

What will become of the two of them? Will they manage to be friends or is it destined for more? We still don’t know, as the story continues in the pages of Tsubomi magazine. But of the stories in the magazine, this is one of my favorites.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 8
Service – 1

Overall – 8

It’s right on the edge of a sports story and I have the perfect ending in mind for it. We’ll see if the creator, Suzukin Kalio, has the same ending in mind. ^_^ I sure hope so.





Yuri Manga: Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari, Volume 7 (ピュア百合アンソロジー ひらり)

April 12th, 2012

Almost despite itself, Pure Yuri Anthology, Hirari, Volume 7 (ピュア百合アンソロジー ひらり), actually includes some Yuri.

Yes, most of the stories still skate on the thin edge of thinking/feeling and acting, but a few stories make the jump to actually expressing the emotions and desire out loud.

Yostsuhara Furiko’s “Ai o Kakujin” is not one of these, but it was sweet in its own way. A girl can’t stop herself from writing her object of desire into a novel as a romantic lead, despite the friend’s discombobulation.

“Suhin Behin” was a strangely taught little story about the importance of makeup and clothes to a woman, but also about how makeup and clothes are a form of lying about how one “really” looks.

In Hakamada Mera’s “Salomelic” Salome’s flaky mother is not helping her settle in at all, but at least she’s decided to make up with her boyfriend, and stay in town. To celebrate the fact that she won’t be moving again, Salome officially switches into the school uniform. Oh, and she confesses to Hikari that she likes her. But Hikari has a secret she isn’t sharing…^_^

The cover story wins this time. “Harukaze to Kase-san” went in a completely unpredictable direction. Yamada has been training with Kase-san to run the school marathon and for the first time ever, should be able to complete the course. Due to a freak accident however, Yamada is injured right at the start, and while Kase-san wins (not just for the girls, but overall, beating all the guys, as well) she immediately runs to the infirmary. Once she’s made sure Yamada is okay, she takes her prize for winning 1st place – a kiss.

This issue of Hirari actually had a few kisses. Like I said, despite itself it’s actually leaking out of the characters’ heads into action. Let’s not tell anyone, or they may put a stop to it. ^_^

As always there are loads of other stories, but these were the most notable IMHO. Your mileage will surely vary.

Ratings:

Overall – 7





Yuri Manga: Tsubomi, Volume 16 (つぼみ)

March 26th, 2012

Tsubomi, Volume 16 gets off to a strong start with the cover story “Aoi Honou,” about a girl that falls for another girl in school (what originality!) with ceramic making as the club prop,  but ends some years in the future with a satisfying ending.

I’ve been on the fence with “Hoshikawa Ginza Yon-choume,” but now that they’ve moved into this loft, I’m find the story intolerably creepy.

On the other side of the fence is “Prism,” a series that I’m liking more and more with every chapter. *Now* we’re moving into after happily ever after.

And so it also is with “Candy” in which real life affects Kanan is a way she had never intended. Both this and “Prism” are the only two stories where the characters reactions read close to realistic. As a result, they are my favorite stories.

In “Hana to Hoshi” Hanaii learns about Hoshino’s past a bit and ends up in a ping-pong game for Hoshino’s affection.

There are so many other series, and most of them are fine to good, but these are the stories that stood out, good or bad in my opinion this volume. It’s a better read than it was a few years ago, that’s for sure.

Ratings:

Overall – 6