Suzuki Yuuko’s Candy (キャンディ), Volume 1, is a realistic and pleasantly executed “Story A” collected from stories that ran in Tsubomi magazine.

Kanan is an athletic, somewhat goofy girl, who finds herself strongly attracted to Chiaki, the model “good girl.” Kanan is admired by many of the students for her cool performance in archery, but her best friend, Ichijou, knows that really, she’s just a big goof.

Goofy as she is, Kanan approaches Chiaki and almost unbelievably, it turns out that the honor student is just as interested in her. Their relationship develops quite normally, as they figure out how to deal with their own feelings, each other’s feelings and the inevitable rumors that spread through their school. Luckily for both of them, they are in socially stable, perhaps even powerful, positions in the school hierarchy and the rumors leave them relatively untouched – except, as Kanan discusses her relationship with an underclassman admirer, she notes that if this is weird, her mind is just full of weird these days.

Their biggest crisis comes in the form of a date, when they realize that their different personalities go way deeper than just life of the mind vs life of the body. But, after what could have been a killer crisis, they each leave their own comfort zone a bit and find a common ground. This chapter was outstanding to me, simply because both made an effort not just to cope, but to adapt.

The main story ends with our happy couple happy. Perhaps happily-ever-after awaits them, perhaps not, but for *this* moment, all is well.

There is a short extra chapter about Kanan’s friend Ichijou and her struggle accepting Kanan and Chiaki but, that too, resolves with a smile.

It’s true that this story breaks no new ground; given how many times this same path has been walked, this book was still a delightful companion for that stroll.

Ratings:

Art – 8 Clean, lots of white space, easy to follow, easy to enjoy
Story – 8 Same as above
Characters – The same as always, and yet, very pleasant and likable
Yuri – 7
Service – 1 on principle only

Overall – 8

If you’re looking for a book to practice Japanese reading with, and want something approachable, easy on the eyes and feel good, Candy is your book. Ultimately, Candy is a truly sweet look at first love.

Sometimes when you pick up a book, what you want is to slip into a comfortable story and just…relax. Renai Manga (レンアイマンガ ) is that story. This manga is the equivalent of a pair of comfortable slippers.

New manga editor Haruka has just been assigned to her favorite manga artist ever, Kuroi Ritsu. Kuroi-sensei’s manga, “With You” motivated her to turn her life around. When she finally meets shut-in, mopey, entirely unfashionable Kuroi-sensei, Haruka is in for a bit of a shock.

The shock only lasts a very little while and Haruka finds herself taking care of Kuroi-sensei, until she’s faced with a second shock….when “With You” was in production, the current managing editor of the magazine was Kuroi-sensei’s editor…and, Haruka can’t help but wonder if Kuroi-sensei still has feelings for her former editor.

Of course, we can see that they’d make a great team, if only they could breach the gap between them…and they do when it comes to light that Kuroi-sensei’s good luck charm and favorite fan letter was written by none other than Haruka! Shocking, I know. ^_^

In the end they get together and are all adorable together and we really wish we’d get to see the story from this point forward, but we don’t, as it draws to an adorable, totally comfortable, totally predictable end.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 8
Service – 2 Kuroi-sensei needs a better bra

Overall – A warm, fuzzy, comfortable 8

Earlier this month, I wrote a review of “Story A” for Hooded Utilitarian. In many ways, Story A is like a music hall song. You know music hall songs – these are songs that you know – at least the chorus. When music hall was a common entertainment, popular songs were sing-a-longs, with songs like “A Bicycle Built for Two.” (By Blur. Because music hall music is timeless.) Don’t know the lyrics?   Performers would display the lyrics as they were sung, so *everyone* could join in.  My wife’s favorite music hall song is “Let’s All Go Down The Strand” (also by by Blur, because why not)  which is a very singable song. Try it, go ahead, you’ll have fun. Here’s the lyrics, so you can follow along. The Strand is a large street in London, like 5th Avenue in New York City, with a lot of stores and museums and Trafalgar Square. Popular place to go and “be seen.”

The point is – when you know what to expect, sometimes it’s more fun, because you can just relax.

In Tsubomi (つぼみ), Volume 10, we can just relax and sing the chorus, because we already know the story: There is a girl, she likes another girl, the girl likes her, the end. Like a good music hall song, there’s nothing unpleasant about repeating this refrain over and over because we enjoy it.

Sometimes, there’s even a new verse or two.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

Kyoumei Suru Echo (共鳴するエコー), by Kigi Tatsumi, is a collection of shorts from Tsubomi magazine,  that are intertwined by mutual acquaintance but otherwise don’t intersect. In this case, the connections have very little impact on the story and serve only as a thread that links them.

In “Runner’s High,” a horrible trauma turns out to be less of an issue than we might have expected, and once Yuki faces the truth, she’s able to move on.

Yuki’s coach Ayami deals with life and love when she was in high school in the second story. Nothing new, but cute nonetheless.

The third story covers a day in the life of the Yuki and her twin sister Hibiki, their older sister and the drama that makes a family a family.

It is the final, multi-part story that sets this collect a little apart from others of its kind. In “Lonesome Echo” Yuki and Hibiki’s older sister, Ritsuko joins the staff of a school as a new teacher. Ritsuko encounters a strange slacker student Yohko, who lounges around the music room and asks embarrassing questions of the new teacher.

As time passes, Yohko learns that some thing is not at all right with Ritsuko. She is being abused by her lover. A lover who, Yohko finds out, is female, older and Ritsuko’s former music teacher. Yohko stands up for Ritsuko, only to be brushed off by the arrogant, abusive lover. But Yohko is not a shrinking violet – she is the granddaughter of the school chancellor and has strings she can pull and the clout to protect Ritsuko. The end of the story is a handwave, but a perfectly acceptable one.

I thought this last story was interesting – if pat – because it illustrates a trend I notice in any maturing genre. Once every possible iteration of “Story A” is told, writers start to branch out. Depending on the genre, they may reach into more and more extreme perspectives, which why “suspense” novels are now filled with serial kidnappers/torturers/killers. In the case of Yuri, it means that along with some silly fantasy scenarios, we’re getting some looks at “lesbian life” outside the romance part. In the case of “Lonesome Echo” we got a glimpse of a real issue, abusive relationships. Yes, it’s true that the ending was not realistic, but the expression on Ritsuko’s face and the words she spoke about how her lover is really a good person, it’s her fault…those were real.

Ratings:

Art – 7 (I wish, in collections like these, that authors would include a cast of characters page, so I don’t have to guess at names and relationships)
Story – 7 overall, but 8 for Lonesome Echo
Characters – 7
Yuri – quite low, until Lonesome Echo, in which we see an actual couple in crisis – 6
Service  – 1

Overall – 7, Lonesome Echo – 8

If we want Yuri to mature as a genre, we must be willing to take a look at the bad along with the good.  This was a reasonably gentle entrée’ to a topic that would be distasteful to some and inexplicable to other readers of Yuri. The audience of Tsubomi magazine are used to their Yuri being dished up in palatably sweet flavors of schoolgirl crushes. A story like this would have a sour taste for many. And for that, I applaud it.