Due to a conflict with a recent update, the Yuricon Store is not currently functional. We’ll get it back up as quickly as we can, but in the meantime, links on Okazu will go straight to Amazon or Amazon JP. We apologize for the inconvenience.

It seems a lifetime since I read Comic Yuri Hime, May 2019 (コミック百合姫2019年5月号).

The first story, by Usui Shio, “Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts” tells a bittersweet story of the sacrifices a woman makes in her life to be correct and popular; the breakdown she has over her inability to be what society expects of her and the coworker who comes to her rescue. Will it be love? We’ll have to tune in to find out. (No, obviously not, it runs in Comic Yuri Hime for pity’s sake. It will be love, duh. ^_^)

Although it appears to be yet another high school love story, I am really liking Takashima Eku’s “Sasayaku You ni koi o Utau” about a girl and the lead singer she’s fallen for – and who is shocked that she’s falling back.

Iwami Kiyoko’s “Luminous Blue” is heading for a confrontation between various pieces of this love triangle and I don’t see any way around it.

Okay, it’s time to talk honestly about Kodama Naoko’s “Uminekosou Days.” I do not dislike it. I actually kind of like it. But can I just admit that I hate the main fetish here? Mayumi has run from a relationship with a guy with whom she didn’t (couldn’t? wouldn’t?) have a child. And that relationship and the idea of having a child (or not…it’s not really clear whether she wants to and can’t or doesn’t want to,) is haunting Mayumi here in this tiny village in nowhere. This is why I have never loved anything Kodama-sensei writes, even when I like it…it always centers around a compulsion or fetish and won’t move past it. I hope to heavens that this series moves past this, because I actually *want* to root for Mayumi and Rin.

Flowerchild offers two different teacher x student things. “Idola the Coward” is another cute workplace story, by Kayoko, whose art reminds me of something.

Ah…ha! “Itoshi Koishi” by Takemiya Jin has cracked the “coming out” wall. I have been waiting to see this story from her for years. Hanano and Yayoi are making their New Year’s hatsumode when they run into a bunch of Hana’s classmates. Hana, under pressure, lies and says Yayoi is a relative. The older woman is totally understanding, but Hana is devastated by her own internalized homophobia. Yayoi asks Hana if she’s afraid her friends will reject her. Hana says they *know* she’s seeing someone older…and she thinks at least one has figured it out, but…she finds herself, yes, scared. She decides she’s going to tell them. Soon.

This is the narrative we almost never see in Yuri manga. Watch this space as it develops.

“Scarlet” wraps up the current arc and we learn of the promise between Fine and Iris.

In “Goodbye Dystopia” nothing important is said, but as we walk away from Asami’s story, we are clearly about to head into Mizuki’s.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

As always there are many more stories I didn’t mention and some I didn’t read, (and some I did, but this review had gotten so long I wanted to wrap up!) and overall this was a really strong issue of Comic Yuri Hime, that ought to appeal to just about everyone, from moe Yuri fans, to folks looking for fetishy stuff or those looking for adult life Yuri and it’s even edging towards having a lesbian character.

Comic Yuri Hime, February 2019 (コミック百合姫2019年2月号) conveniently front loads all the stories I have no interest in, so I can skip past everything they consider worth animating and putting promotional money into to get to the stories I feel are worth reading.  ^_^

I began with “Luminous Blue,” by Iwami Kiyoko, which is developing into an attraction triangle. I’m having a hard time seeing love, rather than infatuation here, but am willing to watch to see if this goes all melodramatic on us.

Usui Shio’s “Friday Night Cinema” is a cute one-shot of a couple. And Takemiya Jin’s “Itoshi Koishi” starts to fill out with a bit of a back story and a little light jealousy in the present. 

“Kimi ga Shinu made Koi wo shitai” just gets weirder and creepier and I still don’t know if I like it, but I’m certainly still reading it! That also goes for “Scarlet” by Yuino Chiri.

Miman’s “Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto desu!” explores the differences in tea and clearly sets up the next crises within the two pairs of Schwestern. 

“Ikemen-sugi Shiki-sempai” really blasts up the too-cool-for-her-shirt factor for Shiki-sempai, but I can’t get a read on any of the characters’ true feelings and have to wonder if this is going anywhere, or we’re just circling the dance floor for fun. Which is perfectly okay, too. ^_^

Shiroshi’s “ROID” wraps up kind of suddenly and I feel like either the story had no idea where it was going or it was cut off just before the plot fully developed. I would have liked for us to spend more time with these characters and their world. More importantly,  the Yuri I had seen a hint of was tossed into the ring in the final pages as if it suddenly remember that it ran in a Yuri magazine. That was unfortunate.

“Welcome to Prisontown” also wrapped up with an epilogue. Again, I felt like this could have developed more and was cut to fit an arbitrary volume limit, but for all that, I liked the ending.

And, “Yurikon” delves into a fairly old school story for dramatic effect and change of pace. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Another decent, and varied, issue of Comic Yuri Hime. And a prayer that one day, something I like gets to be animated. /clap hands together/

The March issue is waiting for me at the bookstore. It’ll be interesting to see the new stuff!