Archive for the Magazines Category


Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime 5, Part 1

July 26th, 2006

Yuri Hime Volume 5 has much that is good, some that is okay and one or two things that were disappointing.

Starting with the cover, as I always do, the characters are not Touko-sensei and Akiho, as I had hoped, but two entirely new characters who are nonetheless are from Tsunojo High School, the setting for Hatsukoi Shimai. There is a short bio for each of the characters and a discussion of their relationship.

Starting with the less good, to get it out of the way:I have heard that this particular issue was plagued with some difficulties, including illness (Morinaga Milk is reported to have fallen ill…we wish a speedy recovery if its true), so there’s a sort of tentative feel to the whole issue. There’s nothing by Morinaga Milk, Fujieda Miyabi or Morishima Akiko in this volume. BUT, don’t despair! We expect to have all three back next issue. Indeed, this issue includes a short bound volume as an extra containing an intro to Fujieda Miyabi’s newest story. More on that later…and a little surpise relating to that, too, even later. ^_^

On to the stories!

The volume begins with everyone’s favorite yuri love comedy, “Strawberry Shake Sweet.” At last, Ran and Julia are reunited – with some surprising outcomes. Sena confront the photographer that broke her heart, with some surprising outcomnes. And Saeki gets more exercise than she’s used to.

“Mermaid Line” is a new series about a pair of mismatched friends – one who is beautiful, graceful, etc, etc and one who isn’t, or so she feels. The beautiful girl, Megumi, jokes that she is really a mermaid, but seems to swim awfully badly for one. :-) When, after Karasuma buys Megumi a copy of a picture book of the mermaid fairy tale, she begins to fantasize, just a little, that she is the Prince. To Be Continued…

The essay on yuri history covers “Applause” – a title familar to those who like “classic shoujo” yuri manga.

Chi-Ran’s story this issue, “Shoujo Bigaku” is a little departure from the norm. Beautiful Natsuki (BTW, clearly “Natsuki” has replaced “Yuri/ko” and “Kaoru” as the new “default yuri character name…) is completely in love with cute Kanae. In order to be able to go out with her, Natsuki has cut her hair and is masquerading as a boy. Their relationship progresses to the physical, but as much as she’d like to, Natsuki can’t bring herself to confess the deception. One day Kanae ends up outside the school and is verbally assaulted by some of the students for being unworthy of Natsuki-onee-sama. Kanae is, quite sincerely, confused, but the light dawns when Natsuki arrives to disperse the crowd. Her secret is out. Kanae runs away. Natsuki skips school for three days, until Kanae arrives to apologize – and to admit that she was naturally surprised, but decided that she loves Natsuki, period. Happy end.

Taishi Zaou and Eiki Eiki present what appears to be “Little Red Riding Hood,” a sequel to the earlier “Female Wolf.” This story was pretty much a radical departure from their usual overwrought tone – and as a result, it was GREAT!. Fuyuka, having been given encouragement by the school doctore to pursue her feelings, decides that she’s going after Natsuki (ahem) the school’s female “wolf”. She devises the usual “Come over to my house, no one else will be there” stratagem and awaits Natsuki’s arrival with nervous anticipation. Natsuki arrives and the two proceed to eat dinner, dessert, play a video game and watch a movie. Natsuki thanks Fuyuka for a fun evening and takes her leave…. Leaving poor over-stimulated Fuyuka a complete mess. Was she wrong about Natsuki’s feelings? She ponders the question at school, as Natsuki has a run-in with the school’s “jaguar” to her “wolf”, Haruka. Fuyuka bails only to slam into Haruka’s pet girl, Akiho…who looks awfully like Fuyuka herself. It’s a tag-team Yuri something! Continued next issue – but who knows what will happen….

Oh my, how pervy “Tokimeki Mononoke Jogakuen” has turned out to be. I don’t know why I was surprised, really. The original color splash for it was pretty suggestive and, as I pointed out, female demons are almost *always* portrayed as possessing unusual (for women, as assumed by men) sexual appetites. Arera is confronted with the fact that she will NOT be communitng to school, and then is forced to realize that despite her claim to be a rain fairy, there’s incontravertable proof to the contrary – she’s got a navel. Pero and Neko agree to hide the fact and encourage her to participate in normal student life. Arera agrees, until she’s told that normal student life appears to include a lot of okazu…if you get my meaning. If not, check out the very first post here ever.

Color pages of “midsummer love” follows, with random couples shown sexing it up. A few lines fill in details about each, as if anyone cares. ^_^

And I’ll finish this part off with the latest chapter of “Hatsukoi Shimai.” Touko-sensei’s arrival has the whole school in a tizzy – but none more so than Chika, Akiho and Haruna. Chika’s greatful for Touko’s ride home, but would rather have been with Haruna. In order to keep Touko away from Chika, Akiho is throwing herself at the teacher as a roadblock. She’s not even sure why. In the meantime, Haruna is starting to have dreams about the stressful time when she confessed to her former sempai and was (it’s implied) rejected – the thing that made her originally so cold to Chika. We learn that the dream had gone away since Chika came to the school…. As she feels Chika growing closer with the new teacher, Haruna withdraws, ultimately snapping at Chika in a very hurtful manner. Again, some of the stuff that’s going on is new from the original Drama CD, so I approve – especially the Haruna backstory, and Akiho’s overreaction to Touko-sensei. ^_^

I’ll call it quits here and try to get Part 2 up soon!





Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime 4, Part 3

April 27th, 2006

Okay, okay, I have finally read “Nanami to Misuzu”. So, Misuzu is having weird dreams. In the first, she imagines herself in a field of flowers, making a cute little flower garland. But when she puts it on what is originally Nanami, it all of a sudden turns into Ichijou-sempai! Misuzu awakes in a sweat, and is asked by her maid if there is anything wrong. But…OMG! The maid is Ichijou-sempai! But, no, it’s not Ichijou Rina, Misuzu’s sempai, but her nearly identical younger sister Runa. To further confound and confuse Misuzu, at school Ichijou-sempai (the real one) gives Misuzu back her flower garland from the dream. Misuzu gives it to Nanami. The cat girl cheerfully relates that she has six sisters: Hitomi, Futami, Minami, Yoshimi, Itsumi, Mutsumi and, of course, she is the seventh sister – Nanami. (If you didn’t follow that, it’s a counting thing – 1-7.) When Runa arrives, Misuzu calls her Ichijou-san, which brings Rina out to join them. Utter nonsense occurs for the entirety of the last page.

“Simoun” – at last, we’ll have two whole chapters to work with. Before the new chapter we get a color page with pictures, captions, etc of the anime – pretty shiny ad basically. This is followed by the standard color pages of anime we are already talking about at the Yuricon Mailing List. You can find reviews of all of them here on Okazu, as well: Strawberry Panic, Loveless, and Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl. The last color page has random Yuri-flavored goods, CDs and manga that have largely also been covered here on Okazu. ^_^

The new issue of “Simoun” begins with Neviru dreaming of her former partner, Amuria. When she wakes, she wonders if she’ll ever be able to fly again with anyone. Looking over, she sees Aeru curled up n the floor uncovered, covers her gently with a blanket and sits with her for a while.

The next day Lodoreamon, one of the pilots of Call Tempest, is having a crisis of identity. She’s afraid to continue as a pilot, but hasn’t decided what to do about going to the sacred spring. When Aeru approaches, she finds Lodoreamon with another pilot whose name we don’t yet know. Both Aeru and the other pilot are firm in their desire to be pilots. Mamina, Lodoreamon’s partner, arrives and snidely suggets that eru doesn’t want to fight and fly so much as simply be Neviru, the Golden Pristess’ partner. Mamina snarks about Aeru’s sharing a room with Neviru, when there are perfectly good empty rooms available. Neviru shows up and says it’s not big thing to share the room, but mamina insists that as Neviru is a special person, it *is* a big thing. The unnamed pilot takes her leave, since “this conversation has nothing to do with me.” Aeru comments that she doesn’t know the girl’s name, and is told by mamina that she its not neccessary to have that information.

When challenged about her non-decision to go to the spring, Aeru says that she’s accepted her path in life and feels good about it. She’ll know when it’s time – right now, she has something else she wants to do. Her tranquility revives Neviru for a moment, but she subsides back into melancholy quickly. Lodoreamon worries that Mamina resents her staying with her in the same room. Mamina says that if she wants a partner to protect her, she should go find herself one that plans on becoming a man. Lodoreamon is devastated, and Mamina is obviously using tough love, which is hurting her a little as well.

Neviru and Aeru has a private little conversation about how much Aeru loves the sky and wants to fly. Neviru lightens up, going so far as to take Aeru’s hand, but once agin, her eyes drop and she pulls back as she thinks about Amuria. Aeru continues, though, commenting how in the sky, there are no borders or boundaries.

Mamina interrupts, harshly mentioning that that kind of thinking could get them killed, how they are focusing on a dream, rather than reality. Mamina challenges Aeru – if Aeru doesn’t fly with enough skill then Mamina would become Neviru’s partner. Aeru refuses – she says she wants to fly with Neviru, but has no interest in flying with Mamina. Neviru commands Aeru to fly with the other woman. Aeru agrees, since Neviru wishes it. Over to the side, Parieta and another pilot watch Lodoreamon during all this. They ask if she’s worried – she says she is.

Aeru and Mamina almost immediately run into a crisis, forcing Mamina to admit her own confusions and concerns. They recover and land, whereupon Lodoreamon runs up and calls Mamina an idiot for risking herself that way. Lodoreamon says that she wants to be with mamina, to be at her side – not to be protected by her, but to share life with her and fly with her. Mamina lightens up enough to tell her to do what she wants, which is about as good as Lodoreamon was every gonna get, so she’s happy. Pleased that they made up, Aeru turns to Neviru, only to be told that Neviru cannoy be her partner. End of long chapter – to be continued next volume.

“Voiceful” begins the final chapter with Hina about to do a live radio show. She hits a wall and can’t speak, much less sing, until Kaede comes to the rescue. They, after a mutual confession, presumably live happily ever after. ^_^

Mucchiri Muuni continues her story from last issue with “Song Song Roman”. Tsubaki and Umi are at school where Sa-chan, a younger student has developed a raging crush on Tsubaki. Umi finds herself obsessed and jealous – and freaked out by her own emotions. When Sa-chan confesses to Tsubaki, she is rejected bluntly – and to make matters worse – Tsubaki kisses Umi in front of her. Sa-chan cries uncle, and school life goes on happily.

And that, as they say, is that. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime 4, Part 2

April 26th, 2006

The second half of Yuri Hime 4 begins with the first issue of the new Hatsukoi Shimai arc. This was the arc I was waiting for – the one based on the Koi Shimai 2 Drama CD.

All the girls at the school are blown away when a hunky young woman arrives on motorcycle and asks for the staff room. They are wowed by her boyish charm and her openly seductive teasing – and even more wowed when it turns out that Hiiragi Touko has arrived to be a substitute teacher! Touko-sensei, for some reason, really rubs Akiho the wrong way and her bad feeling doesn’t get any better when Touko-sensei neatly inserts herself into Chika’s personal space at every possible turn.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this chapter was that it did not follow the Drama CD word for word, but elaborated a bit on some of the interpersonal relationships that have already been established. So we get to see Chika and Haruna have a quiet, romantic, moment together, something we never really had on the CD. We get to see Teshigawara yell at Chika – and hear the rest of the class teasing her about her ongoing issues with Chika. Touko, for her part, is smooth and sexy and pretty plausible, so that was cool. And Akiho’s instant dislike for Touko was a perfect prelude to her later involvement with the teacher. I was really happy with this chapter.

Following closely on the heels of such happiness came Morishima Akiko’s Yuri life illustrated column with 4 pages of eye-bugging “WTF? Is there really such a thing?” Spring has arrived and Akiko’s editor decides to take her out for a Yuri-ful adventure. (Bear in mind kids – this is all real. Akiko is a real person, her editor ditto, and she’s about to go to real places.) They start with “Imoutoke Cafe Nagomi” in which all the waitresses address you as onee-sama and act like your adorable little sister. Cafe Nagomi is in Akihabara – the address and phone is printed on the bottom of the page. Then, off to my beloved Ikebukuro section of town and “Maid Refloxology” at (I SWEAR I am not making this up!) M@IFOOT. It is exactly what it sounds like – a reflexology bar where maid-outfit wearing massage therapists rub your feet. I laughed for a solid ten minutes at the name “M@IFOOT.” Brilliant! Then, off to B:Lily-Rose, also in Ikebukuro. Take a deep breath. Sit down. Relax. At B:Lily-Rose, the hosts are women in suits, roleplaying Boy’s Love couples. The women in suit jackets are seme/tachi/butch/tops and the ones in vests are uke/neko/femme/bottoms. How very wrong is this? I am STILL laughing at the idea. Akiko-sensei, once again, I am insanely jealous. I really ought to write her and tell her so. ^_^

“Tsuki ni Onegai o” is the newest chapter in Morinaga Milk’s continuing saga of Hitomi and Nana. This one is from Hitomi’s point of view. She and Nana, now second-years at school, are desperately squeezing in time together at night after school and clubs and before dinner. Hitomi coments that she’d like them both to be grown up, so they could live together. Nana blushes, but does not protest. They’ve both matured and it’s obvious. Nana goes back to school and randomly asks Abe (her classmate and the protagonist of an earlier chapter herself) how old one had to be to be considered “grown up.” Hitomi finds herself the object of open akogare/admiration/desire from one of the new first-years on the basketball team. Hitomi wrestles with trying to find balance bewteen her desire to be part of a team and her desire to be with Nana. She has a little crisis, worrying that her limited time with Nana will drive her away. In the end, she is a happy young lady and decides that she can have it all.

In this issue’s “Nami to Misuzu” funny things happen. I don’t know what they are, because I find this particular series a tad tooth-grinding. If I ever read it, I’ll rewrite this summary.

I’m going to break this into three parts because I’m pressed for time. I’ll finish this issue up tomorrow, promise! (Yes, yes, Simoun!)





Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime 4, Part 1

April 25th, 2006

This, the newest volume of Comic Yuri Hime once again proves that Yuri manga can be targeted to an audience of women (and judging from the letters section, mostly lesbian!) and be sexy, funny and a darn *good* read.

Really, the very worst problem with Yuri Hime is that it is a quarterly publication. I wait with baited breath for the day that it is a bimonthly – or even better, a monthly magazine. It hurts me a bit to know that it will be summer before I can once again enjoy these stories. Secondarily, not every single comic appeals to *me*, but I am not the world. ^_^ It’s a genuine strength of Yuri Hime that the types of stories and the art is varied enough that there are things I like – and things I don’t. This particular issue was overall excellent, with great things to come.

As always, we start with the cover. Haruna (left) and Chika (right), the leads in Hatsukoi Shimai grace the cover once again, this time in fetching spring ensemble. Gone are the days of one or the other looking surprised or vexed. They are shown here holding hands openly and facing us directly with happy smiles. Think back on covers of yuri manga…how many can you think of that show that? Not that many, trust me.

The first story is new, “Tokimeki Mononoke Jogakuen.” This is the story of a young girl on her first day at a new girl’s school. Her mother is sad that it’s raining on her first day, but Arera tells her that it’s okay – she is a rain fairy, after all. On the way to school, she take a short cut through a cemetery…which seems to go on and on and on and on…. Arera sees a beautiful woman, approaches to ask her directions and finds herself entwined by the woman’s long, stretchable neck. Arera is, of course, freaked, but more so when the woman starts to scream in pain and ask her to push the button on the back of her neck. Arera does, and the neck snaps back like a vacuum cleaner cord. Turns out, this is Arera’s teacher. ^_^ Her classmates are a cat girl, several oni, a bodiless head of smoke, and other non-humans. There’s a moment of anxiety when they mistake her for a real (tasty smelling) human, but she assures them she’s a rain fairy. She’s accompanied to her dorm (which she didn’t now she was assigned to and tries to escape only to find that she is inexplicably trapped on top of a cliff) to find that her roommate is a licking demon – a long-tongued female demon that enjoys, erm, licking. Yeah – more next issue as Arera deals with weirdness. The color page for this is exceedingly suggestive – remember, kids, all female demons have heightened sexual needs – that’s part of what makes ’em demons. ;-)

The climax of “Kotonoha No Miko To Kotodama No Majyou To” finds Letty facing down the god of Tsumugi’s shrine, in order to release the miko from her bondage to the place. The god appears as Tsumugi since, as she points out, the miko is the most important thing in Letty’s mind right now. The witch demands Tsumugi be released, and the god offers a deal – if Letty can handle her power, she’ll let Tsumugi go. The god blasts Letty with everything she has. Back in the room with Tsumugi and Suzushiro, the red thread that attaches Tsumugi to Letty snaps. Tsumugi wants to run off to the shrine to save the witch, but Letty reappears, weak as can be, but alive. The god takes Suszushiro as her next miko (which works perfectly, as Suzu was in love with Tsumugi from afar and can now worship her up close and personal as the god.) Letty and Tsumugi kiss, Letty makes a new red thread to bind them (and in the shape of a heart, I might add – Letty’s such a romantic) and the two go off after throwing us the boquet at their wedding.

Mako’s most recent contribution, “Michikusa” wasn’t as awful as her other stories, although her art will never really be appealing to me. We follow a couple who all the other students are making fun of, because they are always together and hold hands. One confesses that her feelings for the other are exactly what the other kids are implying. No crisis occurs and they continue to walk along the grassy path, doing flower ID, holding hands. Much happier than her usual fare.

“Goshuujin-sama to Issho” hits a whole LOAD of fetishes that aren’t mine. ^_^ In this story a rich young brat wants a puppy and gets a puppy girl who she instantly loathes for being a mutt. Muttgirl is clumsy and dorky and emotionally fragile and it kills her to see her mistress so unhappy (which brats almost always are.) Eventually they learn to love one another and live happily…but one will always have dog ears and a tail and a collar and somehow that’s just…yeah. If it’s your fetish, it’s adorable. Enjoy.

Hayashiya Shizuru continues the pre-New Year’s arc in “Strawberry Shake Sweet,” in which Ran has just made her modeling debut. It’s Julia’s worst nightmare – Ran looks gorgeous. She keeps herself going with the promise of seeing Ran someday soon, while Ran is doing the same thing, interspersed with work. Her new photographer and she are walking together when another woman accosts them. This was a former idol and someone the photographer “cultivated closely.” Now, spurned by the photographer, the former idol is bitter and obsessed. She warns Ran, who is clueless as always. Ran and Julia end the issue with separate, but mutual self-cheerleading and promises to be together – eventually, soon.

Chi-Ran’s story “Kanoujo ni naritai!” I think takes us back to an earlier couple. Either that, or all her stories are so similar that I’m having trouble keeping them apart…. Matsuri is a famous model. She and erm, the other one (sorry, I’m really, really tired today) are sharing a place to live for some reason or other. Girl is obsessively attracted to Matsuri and wants to be just like her, but really, what she wants is Matsuri, you know, naked and close. Matsuri seems to have either no inhibitions or is coming on so strong that only an idiot wouldn’t recognize it. Our resident idiot fights back her feelings just as long as she can until, while sharing a bath, she kisses Matsuri. They end up in bed (in a Chi-Ran story? shock!) and live happily ever after. This series is also upcoming as a collected volume, so keep your Yuri-dar on that for one too. ^_^

And that’s going to be where I cut for today. I’ll try very hard to finish part 2 (Touko-sensei! New Simoun!) before I leave for vacation at the end of the week.





Yuri Manga: Kuchibiru Tameiki Sakurairo

March 14th, 2006

Kuchibiru Tameiki Sakurairo comes with the English translation Kiss, Sigh and Cherry Blossoms Pink. Just so you don’t have to work at it. ^_^

This is the second (only because I got it second) volume of Yuri manga from collected from Yuri Shimai and Yuri Hime magazines. This is the first collection of the stories by Morinaga Milk which, while not really a series, are related by virtue of them all taking place at a single girl’s school. From now on, to make things easy, I am going to call the series, such as it is, “Cherry Blossoms”. If a second volume comes out with a different title, I’ll work out something later. ^_^

So, my first thought upon cracking open Cherry Blossoms was that the stories had been reordered from the way they first appeared in the magazines. I have a sneaking suspicion that that had more to do with the printing process and placement of the color pages than with any textual redefinition. But as the stories are, at least in the beginning, stand-alones, it didn’t affect the series’ continuity one bit. The color pages that originally ran in the magazines are here reproduced – and very lovely all over again. There’s an additional color page in the beginning, depicting Nana and Hitomi, as they walk through a wood filled with cherry blossoms – Hitomi gesturing back to Abe and Tachibana who are also enjoying the petals. Appallingly cute,as you can imagine. :-)

As I did with the first volume of Strawberry Shake Sweet, let’s begin from the beginning as if we have never read these stories.

Cherry Blossoms is a series of connected stories about girls in love at what is a private girl’s school. In and of itself, this is not an original idea. But these are well executed, with a variety of personalities, character types and situations, so unless one objects strongly to the idea of high school girls in love, then it’s a pleasant enough example of same.

We begin with Nana and Hitomi, two girls who have been in school together since time immemorial but, for mysterious (to Nana, at least) reasons, Hitomi did not go to the same high school as she. The story starts off with her dreaming of the time she learned Hitomi would be going to another school. She wakes in tears. Nana is a pleasant girl, and has made some friends in the new school, but she’s lonely without Hitomi. One Sunday she runs into Hitomi who, having joined the basketball team at her new school has shorn her locks, and seems to be very friendly with her teammate. Nana tries not to be jealous and stricken. Hitomi jumps unmbrellas to return home with Nana, ostensibly to see her new school uniform. Once home, Nana breaks down in tears, telling Hitomi how unhappy she is. Hitomi reminds Nana that her feelings and Nana’s are not the same. In middle school she had kissed Nana, only to have Nana ignore it completely. Because she could not be just friends anymore, Hitomi thought it would be better to not be near the object of her desire. Nana throws herself into Hitomi’s arms, declaring that her feelings *are* the same, she was just scared and…and…she kisses Hitomi. It’s okay, Nana says, if we’re not friends. Rabu rabu.

The second story tells us of a ghost of a girl who attended the school in the past, and who now hangs around the school doctor. By accident, the ghost is absorbed into the body of a student who, all of a sudden wants to hang out with the doctor all the time. The ghost tells us of the time that she attended the school. She was very ill, and the girl who is now the doctor spent time with her every day. Ultimately the ghost grew to love her. Her friend went on to become the doctor to spend her days in the same office they had been in together. As they talk, the doctor realizes what has happened, and she addresses her friend by name. They kiss briefly, the ghost leaves the student’s body and all returns to normal…except that the student now has an inexplicable crush on the doctor. ^_^

The next chapter is probably my second favorite, and the couple I most hope we get to see more of – if only because they are perfectly unsuited for one another. Abe and Tachibana are practicing for the school play. Abe says that she can’t quite get into the head of the bound princess, so Tachibana removes the ribbon from her own hair, ties Abe’s hands behind her back, undoes her braids and says there! – now you’re a bound princess. As Abe recites her lines, Tachibana is moved to kiss her. When the rest of the theater club gets there, Tahibana has to explain that Abe burst into tears and ran off after she untied her. The club members are appalled. It turns out that Abe is in Nana’s class. Innocently, she asks Nana if she’s ever been kissed. Nana explodes, but Abe changes the subject before Nana is forced to prevaricate. In her mind, Abe says that she’d always imagined that her first kiss would be a prince – or at least a nice guy…but the image of the prince in her mind changes to Tachibana. The senior members of the club catch up to Abe to try and convince her to come back to the club. Tachibana overhears them – so when Abe bursts into tears, she grabs the younger girl and takes her away. Tachibana tries to apologize, but it seems to make Abe cry even harder, when she realizes and says out loud that she likes Abe. Tachibana asks what she can do to be forgiven. Abe tells her to say that she likes her once again. At the school play we see Nana and Hitomi in the audience and there’s just enough time for hijinks and goofiness before we cut.

The next story is probably the least comfortable or cute of the collection. Chisato had, when they first met, tried to help an outsider, Mizuki, but had been rudely rebuffed. Now in their third-year, Chisato still remembers that day, and can never quite take her eyes off of her classmate. Chisato falls ill with a cold; upon going to the doctor’s office, she thinks Mizuki is the doctor – apparently their voices are very similar. Chisato lays there, thinking about how her dream had been to be close friends with Mizuki….but that had never worked out. Chisato stays out of school for a few days, and is very surprised to have Mizuki drop by to see how she is. Mizuki apologizes for her behavior so long ago. She had just tested into the school and was being treated nastily by the insiders. She had kiss marks on her neck – when Chisato had offered a bandaid, she was just in bad mood and took it as more teasing. Chisato returns to school, but she’s still sick and ends up once again in the doctor’s office. There she talks to the doctor through the curtain about how she could never get Mizuki out of her mind. The doctor, who we can see is really Mizuki, tells her that some day she’ll have a wonderful love. Chisato thinks about that and wonders if, then, she’ll remember this – her first love.

Chiharu has always loved her friend Misato from a close distance. She loved the way Misato played the flute when they were younger, and now, after an injury has kept Misato from playing, Chiharu loves Misato’s home-made sweets. But really, more than anything – she just loves Misato. During a conversation at school, she’s lead to believe that the feelings are one way – and over the following days Chiharu can’t help but feel a little down. She is over Misato’s house to make sweets when Misato breaks out her flute and plays for the very first time in a long time. Chiharu is all starry eyed all over again. Misato says that she’s noticed that Chiharu was a bit blue and her music always seemed to cheer her up – but she’s gotten rusty since she stopped playing. Chiharu disagrees. Misato continues – she wanted to thank Chiharu for always keeping her spirits up when she was injured. Chiharu finds strength in this, “accidentally” downs a glass of wine (kids don’t try this at home!) and decides to bare her soul. As we cut out, Chiharu tells Misato that she has something important to talk about…

Nana and Hitomi kiss in full color! And, in the following pages, do more than that. But it’s all a naughty dream and Nana is appalled at herself – right in the middle of midterms, too. Sure enough, distracted as she is, she does badly and has to take a retest. This is all complicated by the fact that Hitomi has bluntly asked for them to do more than kiss. It’s not that Nana doesn’t want to…it’s that every time she gets a look at herself, she frankly cannot believe Hitomi wants a clod like her. She imposes a Hitomi ban upon herself, studies and takes the retest. It’s been a week – Nana hasn’t even answered her email. She calls Hitomi, only to hear the other girl’s phone ring under her window. Hahaha. Hitomi was in the bushes. Once safely in Nana’s room, Hitomi admits to being impatient – she couldn’t stand not being able to talk to Nana. Nana admits to feeling inadequate, which Hitomi forcefully denies. She thinks Nana is cute, and kind and beautiful, etc, etc. So, eventually, they do more than just kiss.

When Michiru, an underclassman, approaches and asks out Nosaka, an upperclassman, it throws Nosaka’s world into a tizzy. She wants to be friends, but Michiru insists that they are dating. After an attempted kiss is rebutted with a slap, Nosaka feels awful. She meets Michiru with new short haircut and thinks it’s her fault. But Michiru says it’s not. In the end, Michiru decides to be by Nosaka’s side, and plan her college encounters for her. Of all the stories, this one was the weakest, IMHO.

The postscript has a nice romantically sexy picture of Nana and Hitomi. ^_^

As with Strawberry Shake Sweet, the quality of reproduction is very good – no complaints there.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Characters – Various, say 7 on average
Yuri – 9
Service – by virtue of being Morinaga Milk works, full of rosy-cheeked schoolgirls, 7

Overall – 8

Well worth your money, as long as you don’t mind schoolgirl Yuri.