Butterfly 69 is everything that is good and right about Yuri manga. It makes me happy to be a manga reader.

Right from the first panel of the first story that ever appeared in Yuri Hime, I found Natsuneko’s art appealing. It has vibrancy, an energy that lacks in most manga these days. It’s not just that there’s action and energy depicted. The characters feel lively and real – even when the situations are ridiculous and unreal. Which they mostly are. ^_^

In “Butterfly 69,” the title story and one of my two favorites, we are introduced to Maria, the mixed-race singer of Butterfly 69 and Ageha, the prim and proper President of the Student Council at the elite music school Maria attends. Maria is an affront to everyone and everything at the school, with her crazy clothes and earrings and wild not-really Japanese self. Unbeknownst to the student body and staff, Maria and Ageha are engaged in a passionate love affair. Maria is given the opportunity to make it big overseas, but will have to leave Ageha behind, so she says goodbye the best way she knows how to – with a concert that rocks the school to its core.

Sakura is a young dress designer and her lover Dahlia is a model just about to become the Next Big Thing in “Quilt Queen.” This story reminded me strongly of Mist magazine stories, with the dress designer theme and a conflict straight from the pages of The Well of Loneliness.

Two sisters share a delusion in “Beautiful Pain.” My favorite part of this story, honestly, is that not just once, but twice, someone is hit by a truck. Made me laugh. I know, I’m a terrible person. :-p

In the unique, funny and offbeat story, “Okujou no Kiseki,” two women meet as they ponder committing suicide by jumping from the same roof. The joke is on them because they have been jilted by same girl. What makes this story really different, aside from the silly-awful premise, is that both women actually say they are Lesbian. Mind you, its sort of spit out as a little bit of self-loathing right before they throw themselves off a roof, but hey…. Oh and by the way – the story has a happy ending. Just in case you were worried.

“Spicy Sweets” was the first Natsuneko story to run in Yuri Hime and, as I said, I just liked it instantly then and no less now. Aki is a high school student with the dream of becoming a pastry chef and Yuu is a runaway daughter of a Yakuza household. There’s basically no reason to think they could ever live happily ever after, but they do. ;-)

As an omake for this collection, we get “Butterfly Effect” in which thwarted plans and jerky people keep Ageha and Maria apart – but not for long.

My *only* complaint about this volume is that they should have dropped the sister story and included the vampire story. It was much stronger.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 10
Service – 3

Overall – 9

The art is not at all moe, the stories run the gamut from classic Yuri to funky weird to absolutely silly, and in every case are thoroughly enjoyable. The manga is an easy candidate for my Best Manga of 2009. I very much look forward to more from Natsuneko.

Set in the Heian period, Itoshi wo Tome ~ Kimi ga Kokoro ha ~ (愛しをとめ~君がこころは~) is a story about noblewomen Tachibana and Sakura, whose older sister had been a lady of the Emperor’s palace, but had died. Sakura is living with Tachibana’s family as a courtesy.

Tachibana falls in love with Sakura’s tearful face early on but as much as they wish it, their story is not as simple as “Happily ever after.” First, Tachibana is betrothed to the stupidest, most cheerful doofus ever. His words are decorated with ASCII art just to give you an idea of his depth and intelligence. When he discovers Tachibana and Sakura locked together in an embrace, Sakura is able to convince him to be their friend and ally.

But a far, far worse threat is around the corner. Tachibana remains engaged to her doofus, knowing he won’t press the issue – but when Sakura is called up by the Emperor to be one of his women, there is no escape. Tachibana wails that as a woman she is powerless, but then comes to the surprising conclusion that even as a man, she would have had no power over the whims of the Emperor.

To protect her beloved Sakura, Tachibana takes her place in the Emperor’s bed. It is not a happy moment for either woman and eventually Sakura interrupts to stop what she cannot bear to see or hear.

The Emperor claims that he has no intention of separating them, instead asking them to have sex in front of him, to “prove” their love. They do, because it’s that or have sex with him (the saving grace of this scene is that he is young, attractive and not doing anything that would make a Yuri fan cry while he watches.) Unrealistically, he allows them to leave, unharmed. And despite my and Tachibana’s suspicion, he appears to be as good as his word. The book ends with them in each others arms thanking the gods that each other exists.

I can’t say I liked this book, really. It wasn’t vile or anything, but it just didn’t grab me. The art wasn’t up to either the Heian clothing or the “beautiful people” that populated the Imperial Palace. The few glimpses of actual Heian-style art served to really pull us down to reality on what was considered beautiful during that time – something I did quite like. I would have liked a more elegant style, something more Mist-like.

Mostly, I just didn’t like the story. It was very “Plot? What Plot?” Tachibana and Sakura barely talk before they are having sex and the sex isn’t really portrayed well. (If you do that to breasts, guys, it hurts. I recommend not doing that if you don’t want to be slapped.) The scene where the Mikado has them have sex in front of him is, perhaps surprisingly, perhaps not so much, the sexiest scene of the book.

The *best* scene of the book, IMHO, was a moment when Tachibana carves Sakura’s name (桜) into her arm with a knife. Sakura grabs the knife and threatens to carve Tachibana’s name (橘) into her own arm. That’d be a heck of a carving.

This manga is a collection of another of the cell phone manga distributed by Ichijinsha. I’m not sure I’d subscribe to it – there is better out there.

Ratings:
Art – 6
Story – 5
Characters – 7
Yuri – 8
Service – 6

Overall – 6

OTOH, it didn’t suck massively, either. I’ve read better, I’ve read worse.

The second half of  Comic Yuri Hime, Volume 16 (コミック百合姫) starts off with what I consider to be an interesting turn of events. In “Honey Mustard” Morishima Akiko details a silly little story of two careerwomen, Kaori and Mitsuki. Some years ago they were lovers, but are now good friends – then rivals, as they fall for the ubercute server at the window of what we used to call in college a “grease truck.” Mai finds both women attractive in their own way, but her coworker, Chiho is less enthusiastic because she is, quite clearly jealous. The story itself is cute. It’s nice to see more adult characters, but that is not particularly what interested me.

What interested me was something Chiho said. In response to Mai’s comment about how attractive both Kaori and Mitsuki were, Chiho says “My gut tells me that those two aren’t like us.” In fact, she uses a phrase “Kocchi no Ke.” I’m not sure I’m going to be able to explain this right, so my apologies if I cock this up but in this sense “ke” is a group or way of existence. In English we might say, “My gut feeling is that they aren’t family” in the sense that the speaker is gay and so is the person being spooken about. “Kocchi no ke” (*this* way) not “socchi no ke” (*that* way.)

Japanese is a language of implication. This little phrase “kocchi no ke” implies a lot. The way Chiho says it implies that she and Mai are gay and she thinks that Kaori and Mitsuki are not. The next panel clarifies that, yep, Mitsuki and Kaori are women who love women. And to me, it’s the absolute closest we’ve ever had in this magazine to the recognition that there is a “world of L,” a “ke” that is not “non-ke,” the slang word for straight.

In any case, in the end Kaori and Mitsuki realize that Mai and Chiho belong together and they think that…maybe…they do too.

In “Renai Kouzou Shiki,” Maki finds that a bitter curse made 13 years ago rebounds on her exactly as she wished. Only now she has to deal with the consequences. This was a really fun story, because Chisato is so grounded and mature at 13 that it totally works and isn’t icky at all.

Kaoru is growing her hair a little longer and Mayu is thawing out a little, going so far as to be seen touching in public, in “Apple Day Dream.”

For fans of girls in bandages, a fetish I have barely registered before as such, but am starting to see some interesting patterns, “Kyoumei” explores a super violent world, and bonds of affection that can grow even in the harshest, bloody environment. I find I do not disapprove. :-)

Ichijinsha Iris Light Novel “Otome ha Hana ni Koi o Suru” gets an intro manga in which we can see that all the typical Yuri tropes are covered so we don’t worry that there’s any original ideas we’ll have to deal with. Phew.

It’s climax time in “Creo the Crimson Crisis!” Creo, Suoh and Suoh’s sister battle for survival in the face of Suoh’s transformation. Urara is saved by Kiki who fights the other visitor from Creo’s planet for her. Suoh finds herself grasping at things, only to see them slip through her fingers and although she wins the battle, it’s begining to look like there’s a war on that she’s being sucked in to.

“Mukashi mo Ima mo Kore Kara mo” is a very decent sequel to the story last issue of Kadou and Miya who are both crushing on Rinko-sempai and the fallout as Kadou and Rinko actually go out. Happy endings are had all the way around, as Rinko is able to find her true love and Kadou is freed to be with Miya.

A non-linear tale of love, and loss and coffee in “Imprinting no Coffee” was hard to follow, but one of the best in the book.

All is wrapped up by letters, and envelopes and ads.

Overall, an amazingly strong second half to what has to be one of the best overall issues of Yuri Hime so far.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

The 16th Volume of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫) starts off with a big “Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan” presence. Sarasa, Seriho and two new characters, Mana-chan and Shiko, adorn the cover. Inside the cover is the “Pink Princess” Drama CD in which we are introduced to Manako and Shiko.

This is followed by something I do not particularly care for. There is a thing that Japanese seiyuu do, to play with the images of their characters and as a form of service, where they pose or imply Yuri between them and the other actress(es) who voice characters in the same show/CD. It’s pretty popular among fans, there’s even blogs that track this fake lesbian coupling among seiyuu…but it really kinda squicks me. They aren’t a couple, and they don’t look like they even want to touch each other. It strikes me as icky, not cute. Nonetheless, those kinds of pictures accompany completely banal interviews with the voice actresses of “Pink Princess,” and more ads for the delayed first volume of Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan with or without Drama CD extra.

A GIGANTIC two-page spread with GIGANTIC characters frenetically announces the return of Zaou Taishi and Eiki Eiki to the pages and cover of the next volume of Yuri Hime.

And then, for variety, we get the next chapter of “Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan.” :-) Seriho has told Sarasa about Sumire, a school friend who is, indeed, a woman who loves women, but who was not her lover. Sumire arrives early and gets to tease both Sarasa and Seriho in turn. More importantly, she gets to see the two of them interact and not surprisingly sees what neither of them can, that they are in love. After the shop closes for the night, Sumire lays it out to a genuinely amazed Seriho, then passes on their day together to give Sarasa an honest-to-goodness date with the woman she loves.

“Kuchinashi” (Gardenia) is a nod to Yoshiya Nobuko’s Hana Monogatari, even set in the Taisho period for verisimilitude. Sayako is adored by all the girls in the school, but Suzuno’s feeling are deeper. They meet, come together and are parted by the usual complication of marriage. But they will always have these memories.

“Sumire-chan no Namida” is about a crybaby, and the girl who loves her for it.

What goes on in the staff rooms of a women’s club? Read “Girls End” and meet the staff of a ladies club for women who like women and find out! (Reality may be checked at the door.)

Miura Shion takes on the Machikado Hanadayori manga in her essay on Yuri.

Kurata Uso takes a look at the true meaning of being “in the closet” in “Closet,” as Kaname wrestles with her true feelings for Ai.

Sa-chan is shocked to learn that her beloved sempai is leaving to go to Switzerland – and sempai is just as shocked to learn so belatedly of her feelings, in “Keshi Saru Koi to Onegaigoto.”

And the next chapter of the Black Cat Mansion series continues with Tamaki, who has never really managed to make friends with any of the other girls. She finds them loud and irritating. Until she meets Kei, who also stands apart from the rest of the class. The two of them become close, but Kei keeps a distance between them that Tamaki would like to close. Crisis brings them closer than ever before, and maybe is the start of something more between them.

Ichijinsha continues to flog the Yuri-themed game Soulphage and, as with Aoi Shiro previously, has a manga to push it. Kagura is so very excited to be going to high school where she can reuinite with her adored Sukune-oneesama, only to find that Sukune has no idea who she is.

“Tenki Youhou Ha” tells of the March that Kae spends camping outside in the cold rain to purge the feeling of a broken heart, and the warm summer sun that Satoko ultimately brings into her life.

Tae-chan is spending the summer break working off the debt she accidentally incurred by pushing Yui into the water and losing her necklace. Yui seems rather stand-offish, but Tae learns that it’s more possessiveness than aloofness. To cheer Yui up, they walk up to the very top of a tall hill and look down from the shrine there on the beautiful coastline. Tae wonders what Yui’s former lover was like, but Yui only responds enigmatically, the she’s fallen for someone else….

The love triangle in “Kono Onegai ga Kanau kara” takes a surprising turn. Umi’s jealousy threatens to turn her against Tsukiko and You-chan. When she learns that a shrine behind the school can grant wishes, she seriously considers cursing them in order to get Tsukiko for herself. When gym class becomes a game of Hide-and-Go-Seek, Tsukiko finds herself alone with Yoe-chan, who points out that its obvious that Tsukiko *really* likes Umi. Tsukiko runs after Umi and finds her returning down the hill where she made peace with her feelings and wished not for revenge, but that Tsukiko’s feeling reach You-chan. Umi collapses, and Tsukiko carries her to the infirmary. When Umi wakes up confesses her feelings, kisses her…then keeps going. You-chan, on her way to vist Umi, comes across an embarassing scene in the infirmary – then runs interference to keep them from being discovered by the school doctor.

Which seems like a good spot to stop for the day. It’s a pretty strong first half for this volume – with some rather interesting things to come!