Archive for the Magazines Category


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.





Yuri Manga: Tsubomi (つぼみ), Volume 11

August 17th, 2011

It’s been almost three years now, since quarterly Yuri anthology Tsubomi (つぼみ) made its debut. And I find that, as it is just about to complete that third year, that I enjoy reading more of the series than I don’t. Which means that, by my estimation, it has arrived. ^_^ Today we look at Volume 11.

“Hoshikawa Ginza 4-choume” remains good and problematic in equal amounts. Otome has decided to act out in rebellion against Minato’s desire for her to matriculate and has run away. If this series weren’t so decent, I wouldn’t give it another thought, but it is decent, and I want to know what will happen.

Morinaga Milk’s “Himitsu no Recipe” goes nowhere fast (cutely) as the cooking club approaches their summer training camp.

“Hana to Hoshi” continues to be a very real story from a rather silly premise. The love triangle (if it really is a love triangle) may end up bring Hanai and Hoshino closer.

The end of “Renai Manga” is warm, fuzzy and utterly predictable. ^_^

“Candy” was as adorable as a standalone chapter as it was part of a collection.

Nawoko’s “Private Lesson” finally circles back to the first of the two complicated relationships, in which Tamago is as honest as she can be with her tutor.

As always, these are not every story, just a few I enjoyed more than others. The rest are a variety of explorations of “Story A” as so many Tsubomi stories are, and a very bizarre chapter of “Shimaism.”

Volume 11 was not the best of times, it was not the worst of times. In keeping with the every-other issue having higher quality, Volume 11 seems poised for…something great to come in Volume 12.

Ratings:

Overall – 7





Love Gene Double X Manga (恋愛遺伝子XX )

August 1st, 2011

Please note that I do not call Love Gene Double X  (恋愛遺伝子XX ) a Yuri Manga. That’s only because I’m not sure it is, yet. I’ll reserve my judgement for future volumes.

In the future, all men have died and women, able to procreate without them, have recreated a similar dual-gender society, splitting into ADAMs and EVEs, with an almost-expected propensity for dressing in Rose of Versailles-style clothing. The story begins when transfer student Koshiro Aoi enters “Kingdom,” one of the the most elite schools in society.

Aoi, an ADAM, is welcomed into the school with a typical mix of fascination and repulsion. She’s good at her studies, and is athletically inclined as well. But she carries around a dirty wooden sword, straps her breasts down with sarashi (instead of the protectors used by the other ADAMs) and has declared that she is there take over the top position.

She is befriended by Sakura, one of the “stars” of the school. And, as she blunders around, she finds she has other allies in the school elite, as well.

Aoi needs allies too, as she inadvertently offends the top EVE, Erika-sama. In the middle of the EVE and ADAM mixer ball, Aoi finds herself having to duel Erika’s fiancé, none other than Sakura…which is where the real trouble begins. It is absolutely forbidden for ADAMs to engage in relationships with other ADAMs and Aoi is starting to have some feelings for Sakura. Luckily, she’s not so bright about such things and one of her other allies, Matsuri is able to refocus those feelings…for the moment…into desire for friendship.

Matsuri is also our greek chorus in this series. She is the one who discovers Aoi’s secret and the source of her antagonism for the school elite. Aoi’s mother was an ADAM, who became an outcast when she took the taboo route of becoming an EVE in order to marry the ADAM she loved. Matsuri tells Aoi that she is not alone in wanting to take this restrictive system down and councils Aoi not to bash around Kingdom making threats, but to work subtly from the inside.

In the meantime, Aoi challenges Sakura to a “duel” in grades and while she loses, makes herself one of the top  academic lights of the school. Sakura, Aoi, Matsuri and the last of the school stars, Mizuki, all become friends and comrades as the first volume main story comes to a close.

The extra chapter is a rather silly dream in which Aoi “learns” that the others are all really men, and she spends the next day checking their breasts to make sure they are really women.

To say that I have a lot of problems with this story is a vast understatement.

I’m super unhappy that the premise is that women, when left alone to create their own society, immediately force an extra-restrictive dual-gender society upon themselves. Same-gender role relationships are taboo, gender-role switching is even more taboo. This was really hard for me to take, but….

…on the other hand, Eiki and Zaou are immensely talented and I’m still trusting them to handle this scenario. We’ve got enough of a set-up that, given time, they *could* bring this to an amazing conclusion. But…will they be given that time? I’m not sure that Ichijinsha has given any creators more than 2 volumes so far. 5 or 6 more chapters is unlikely to bring this story to a satisfactory end.

I’m ambivalent about the potential for taboo fakey BL, the potential for a story half-assedly brought to conclusion, the potential for bad, bad lessons here and generally vexed at the whole thing. ^_^

Only the implication that the “real” story here is that Aoi and her friends might destroy these restrictions (given enough time and page count) is keeping me reading. And the fact that the story is being told with a good sense of humor helps, too.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – I’m totally bipolar about it. Sometimes I’m giving it an angry 5 and others a hopeful 8. Let’s be vague and call it 7
Characters – The saving graces, definitely – 8
Yuri – 2 One kiss by Erika to a henchchick so far
Service – 5 Breasts shots mostly

Overall – I’m going with a hesitant 8

Basically, Volume 2 is going to make or break this series for me, I think. If it goes to a Volume 2.

The picture and link above are for the deluxe edition, with Drama CD. There is also a regular manga-only edition available too, for those of you not as helpless before the siren call of Drama CDs as I am.