Archive for the Magazines Category


Yuri Manga: Girls Love – strawberry milkshake

October 21st, 2011

In the beginning there was Yuri Hime and from Yuri Hime came Yuri Hime Wildrose, a series of “ecchi” (by which we mean “porn”) Yuri manga by artists that contributed to Yuri Hime or their cell-phone manga. Yuri Hime Wildrose was rendered into two “best of” collection called Remix disk A and disk B. (My review of the remix issues has links to all the original Wildrose volumes,as well.)

Now the series has been rebranded, again, as Girls Love. (Volume 1 review from March)

For readers, there isn’t a really significant difference between the Wildrose volumes and Girls Love – creators and content remain roughly the same. In this volume, Girls Love -strawberry milkshake- , we’re getting some of the best of the creators, including Nanzaki Iku’s ShizNat clones, (here called Youko and Hitomi), Amano Syuninta, Mikuni Hachime and others, each with a relatively “Plot, What Plot” one-shot that starts with attraction, moves to sex and ends with love.

It is this last that sets these stories apart from poorly concocted “PWP” stories. There’s nothing at all wrong with a story in which the story is merely the frame for the sex, but it’s infinitely more appealing (to me, at least) when actual caring and affection accompany desire.

I didn’t love every story in this collection, but I liked at least half, which is a pretty big leap from the distate with which I regarded most of the Wildrose volumes. In short – there were more adults, less school settings, more genuine affection and even a serious couple (thank you, Nanzaki Iku.)

Ratings:

Art – Variable, but let’s give it an 8 because most of these creators are good at what they do
Characters – same, 8
Story – N/A
Yuri – 9
Service – 8

Overall – 8

If you’re in the habit of looking for “ecchi” Yuri – i.e., you’re looking for lesbian porn, but don’t like saying it that way – I can actually recommend this volume. Far fewer distressingly drawn breasts than usual and some couples that I actually wanted to see together.

小松さんの要約: 大人の話が増え、好きな作品が半分になっただけでも、Wildroseよりは向上。





Drama CD: Love Gene Double X (恋愛遺伝子XX )

October 7th, 2011

The  Love Gene Double X (恋愛遺伝子XX ) Drama CD was included as an extra in the special edition of the first volume of the Love Gene Double X manga (which I reviewed in August 2011) Like the Haru Natsu Aki Fuyu Drama CD, this CD was essentially the manga volume performed by voice actresses. For people who like to hear characters given life, this Drama CD will suit nicely.

All the men of the world have died and women have rebuilt society along a new version of gendered lines. There are ADAMs, and there are EVEs. ADAMs are given the privilege associated with male roles and EVEs are the women of the world.  The story follows the arrival of Koshiro Aoi at the extremely elite school of Kingdom, her subsequent run-ins with the elite of the school and how she infiltrates the school leadership in order to take it down from within.

As I’ve repeatedly said, I have a LOT of problems with the premise, but also have great hope for the  resolution, as long as the creators are allowed the time they need to do what they *obviously* plan on doing with the story.

But, more importantly, and in the context of what I said about the GIRL FRIENDS Drama CD about CDs adapting a visual medium to a verbal medium) how is this as a dramatization of the story? Pretty good, actually. All the actresses do a decent job of their roles.  Taketatsu Ayana (K-ON!‘s Azusa, Yuru Yuri‘s Mikarun) sounds, I dunno, a bit girly as Aoi, but very thankfully, there is no attempt to masculinize the ADAM’s voices. So, after my initial surprise, she sounded perfectly normal in her role. Hikasa Youko (K-ON!‘s Mio, and a number of roles in other Yuri-ish series) actually sounded perfect as Kokonoe Sakura.  The only voice that didn’t work for me was Gotou Youko (Hiro in Hidamari Sketch) as Erika-sama. The character is over-the-top and she played her way over the top. It was meant to be too much…and it was.

The one downside to this Drama CD was that if you were not already familiar with the series, the brief set up might not be enough to fully convey the backstory. On the other hand, you can only get this Drama CD with the manga, so go read the manga first. There, problem solved. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

This was enjoyable as a performance of the manga, with a good dollop of service, and didn’t increase my frustration with the overall setup meaningfully. In fact, if anything, it served to convince me that the downfall of this system is the only possible resolution to the story.





Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari (ピュア百合アンソロジー ひらり) Volume 5

September 24th, 2011

I have a problem with Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari (ピュア百合アンソロジー ひらり) Volume 5. It’s pretty much the same problem I’ve had since the beginning. It’s a pretty problematic problem for a series called “Pure Yuri Anthology.” The problem is –  there’s pretty much no Yuri in it.

My standards for Yuri are relatively relaxed. But you know…I do actually expect some expression of emotional or physical connection between two female characters. Stories in Hirari do have “emotional” connection, but it almost always tends to be “OMG, she noticed me! We can be friends? Really? She won’t hate me because I’m….?”

Sometimes a story actually strays into “I’m jealous when she spends time with anyone else,” (as in “Salomelic,” Hakamada Mera’s story) territory, but almost any story in the anthology is easier to read as “friendship” than love, romance or desire.

This is probably the last volume of Hirari, I’ll review, because clearly “pure Yuri” is what I see as friendship. Unless something really stands out, I won’t bother mentioning this anthology again.

Overall – 6

I prefer more Yuri in my “Yuri” than this anthology is willing to give. Forget moving past schoolgirls, this magazine hardly gets as far as “I like you.”





Yuri Manga: Tsubomi, Volume 13 (つぼみ)

September 21st, 2011

Tsubomi (つぼみ), Volume 13 opens with a cover sure to please Morinaga Milk fans. From there, it’s right into “Himitsu no Recipe” in which Wakatsuki is still having no luck getting a moment alone with the club president…until she does.

Of the many stories in this volume, here are some notables:

From there, we jump into my favorite story, “Lonely Sheep, Lonely Wolf” in which Imari-chan finds the strength given to her by big Imari to stand up to big Imari’s ex and get her girl back, dammit! I award a standing ovation to Imari-chan.

“Hoshikawa Ginza Yon-choume” starts to re-ravel after Minato and Otome’s relationship had come completely unraveled.

“Candy’ continues, somewhat surprisingly, with the intrusion of one of Kana’s admirers.

A new story, “Sogo Tovoarisch” begins and I can make neither heads nor tail of it yet, but that’s par for the course these days. Get back to me in three chapters.

“Prism” ends in a unexpectedly sweet way, then launches into a side story of itself.

“Hana to Hoshi” brings Hanai-san up against the obvious relationship between Hoshino and her sempai. What will she do about it, and about her feelings? I think we can assume she’ll work it through, don’t you? ^_^

And something about “Kurai Mori, Shiroi Michi”: appeals to me, but I have no idea what it is. This quiet little love story about a depressed girl and a blind girl is little more than talking heads, but they are sincere and fully fleshed out in a way that surprises me every time. I once again hope that we don’t have to draw the curtain yet on what is the beginning of something good.

As always these are hardly scratching the surface of what is in this volume. It’s quite literally too much to review thoroughly anymore. But these stories were some that I thought stood out from the pack. I will also say that there are a few more non-schoolgirl stories these days, so if you’re getting jaded on the all-schoolgirls thing, Tsubomi is a little less of that than it was previously. No sports manga (well, other than a story about ping pong players who no longer play ping pong) or action/adventure yet, but travel and scifi is starting to claim their spots.

Overall – 8

Once again, I’m pulling for us to see a little bit past the “we like each other!” phase of relationships here, but not betting my lunch on it. Still – it’s getting better.





Yuri Manga: Tsubomi (つぼみ), Volume 12

August 19th, 2011

In my review of Volume 11, I said that Tsubomi (つぼみ) Volume 12 was poised for something. And so it is.

The covers have recently told short stories on their own and this issue actually includes the story of the cover story as the first story in the volume. Interestingly, the insider color art page is by Kazuaki, the same artist illustrating the “Justice for Girls” novel in Comic Yuri Hime. It’s a small, small Yuri network. ^_^

Otome is starting to realize that her actions have caused Minato some considerable pain in “Hoshikawa Ginza 4-choume.” She has yet to see that she’s hurt another girl, as well.

Wakatsuki spends a lot of time inside her fantasies of the cooking club’s summer camp, but the reality is not what she had hoped in “Himitsu no Recipe.”

In “Prism” Hikaru is having a hard time with her feelings, and her relationship with Hirose-san. A not-at-all chance discussion with a classmate who comes out as bi, sets Hikaru back on the right path.

“Shimaism” adds a couple of new characters to allow Yoshotomi Akihito to draw the girls in random cosplay and a much less skeevy couple to the mix.

The big surprise comes in “Lonely Sheep, Lonely Wolf.” Big Imari and little Imari are spending the night together to celebrate their shared birthday, but a visit by a former lover of Big Imari’s, Rika, throws them both into very uncomfortable territory. But little Imari isn’t having any and stands up to this person who wants to drag big Imari back nto the past. Rika’s reaction to this was such a genuine shock that I gasped out loud. I’m freaking out here, not knowing what happens! This series has been my favorite for some time, and it has just stepped into completely different not-Story A territory. I long for the next chapter.

“Ai o Komete” is exactly the opposite – it’s a slightly annoying “Story A,” featuring an American transfer student whose Japanese is quirky, but fluent.

“Kuraimori, Shiromichi” continues as the depressed Shou finds her thoughts filled with impressions of the blind girl she met in the park and desire to spend more time with her.

Nawoko’s “Private Lesson” wraps up as both Tamago and Tori-‘nee learn all the lessons they can from their relationship to music and to one another.

As always these aren’t all the stories in the volume, just the ones I found notable.

Congratulations to Tsubomi and all the folks who make it happen, for making it through 3 years! Here’s to many more. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

This volume was probably a 7 overall, but the shock of “Lonely Wolf, Lonely Sheep” bumps the volume as a whole to an 8 and that series in and of itself to a 9.