Lycoris Recoil is the story of two young women, both contract killers, who have been burned by the organization that uses them as tools. One of them has secrets she cannot share and a mysterious past, one has very little memory at all. As they work together, they will see in each other something important for themselves, and will protect one another – even against the people that made them the perfect instruments of death that they are.

Oh, sorry. That’s Noir, isn’t it?

Well…it is also Lycoris Recoil, Volume 1. We meet Takina, who is clearly too good for the organization who uses her, DA, to control. So they exile her to a cafe front for their best and least-controllable agent, Chisato. Togther, they will serve coffee – here it would be great to say “and justice,” but that is not what it is – and do jobs for DA and whomever they serve.

It’s no accident that Lycoris Recoil is similar to Noir. It’s a winning formula, after all. Fans are always willing to pencil in the details that they think ought to be there, when they are give a general storyline – girls with guns, in this case, sort of on the run, is a broad, but popular, concept. Yuri fandom is, of course, happy to equate intimacy with romantic interest, even if the series itself does not commit, e.g. Noir. ^_^

To continue the comparison, where Noir gave us a “beloved Mirielle” that was instantly downplayed by Bee Train. Lycoris Recoil gave us a Chisato willing to put herself on the line to save Takina, and a dream sequence in the novel in which Takina literally awakens to her feelings. No actual relationship, just intimation of intimacy. Which is why when I noted on the Internets that I do not think of them as a couple, a lot of fans took that very personally. I could certainly see that they might one day become a couple, but as the series ended they are partners probably on the run for all eternity. You know, like Noir.

I’ll stop now. ^_^

Volume 1 cleaves pretty closely to the anime, but fills in enough info that if you haven’t seen the anime, you can follow the manga easily.  (Except the obvious, and never-answered questions about the existence and functioning of DA, but we just have to accept that it is.) There is a lot of action, and the art by Yasunori Bizen really holds up to those scenes.

If you are a fan of the anime, this is a fun way to relive the story that got you hooked the first time. The translation by Kiki Pitkowska is solid and where Adnazeer Macalangcom could replace the s/fx, they did, which I always think adds readability to a manga.

It’ll make a nice gift for that friend who love cute girls with guns, for sure.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – It’s all plot to drive action. In that, it succeeds 8
Character – 8 Except, Mizuki being a drunk is still not funny
Service – 3 Chisato in underwear because
Yuri – 0

Overall – 8

Thanks very much to Yen press for the review copy!

Akko and Yuri have been friends since high school and Yuri has always been a bit of a basic bitch. Akko has bailed her out over and over, but since Yuri got married to a very rich man who beats her, Akko hasn’t been able to do much. Until circumstances bring her and Yuri together one long night in Bakajo, 26-ji, Volume 1, (バカ女26時) written by Touno Meza, illustrated by Ayano Ura.

Akko invites Yuri out, handing over a bag which she says contains Yuri’s abusive husband’s head. In fact, it holds a motorcycle helmet, but the conversation inspires them both to hop on Akko’s motorcycle, head to the airport and get out of Japan. They end up in Vietnam, where an acquaintance of Akko’s (who is a chat app idol,) gives them a place to stay.

The problem is that Yuri learns nothing from all this. She constantly relies on Akko, for money, information, ideas, and solutions, while she worries only about her appearance. Embarrassed by the scars on her arms as she is, Yuri still insists on buying an Áo dài . It’s not until Fotui, Akko’s friend, offers her a jacket, that she covers up the thing she’s most embarrassed about.

It’s hard to understand Akko by the end of Volume 1, as well. Yes, Akko clearly cares about Yuri enough to take care of her – even to the point of killing her husband, which she seems to have done. While they are in Vietnam there is news about an explosion in an expensive Roppongi mansion. 

It is even harder to sympathize with Yuri, even with the visible reminder of domestic violence. She walks through this manga making really weird  choices, even to the point of repeatedly doing the one thing she was asked to not do.

It’s hard to see what Akko gets out of this “friendship,” which does lead one to believe that Akko’s feelings are stronger than just friends. But there is no sign of that in her behavior and we are not given much time in her interior monologue. What we do get is Yuri stomping through the world simultaneously oppressed and oppressor…and wow, it’s annoying. They call her a “baka,” but surely there has to be something stronger than that for someone so demanding, so clueless and thoughtless and yet also helpless and hurt.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – ? I have no idea.
Characters – 5
Service – There is some, we encounter Fotui doing a group sex stream, let’s say 4
Yuri – Tough call. Maybe. Let’s say 3

Overall – 6

The plot had me thinking of the vastly superior GUNJO throughout. Where Nakamura-sensei’s characters were deep and compellingly flawed, I don’t know if I really care to find out what happens to Yuri or Akko in Volume 2. Maybe if I need to find something to read, who knows. I bought this with points on Bookwalker, which is exactly the kind of thing that makes Bookwalker useful. Maybe if I get a lot of extra points again, I find out what happens. ^_^

If flights of fantasies about escaping DV to another country without a plan suits you, then maybe you’ll enjoy this story more than I did.

Every once in a while, I choose a book by it’s cover. ^_^ In the case of A Magical Girl Retires, by Park Seolyeon the title and synopsis piqued my interest, but it was the cover, by Kim Sanho, who also did the cover art for the entertaining An Error Occurred, which I reviewed this past summer. The art style is very appealing and I love the palette, so as soon as I knew I was taking a vacation, I grabbed this book, which had been translated into English by Anton Hur, to read.

It was short, bitter, dark and really pretty damn good.

Our protagonist has hit a dead end in her life. In debt, with no job, not opportunities and no support system, she’s let her small dream disappear into the tide of society when she is approached by a “guardian angel,” Ah Roa who tells her that she is a magical girl. At 29 years old this sounds less great than it does at 14. But she has no other options and is unable to end things, so she reluctantly becomes a magical girl. The job does have some benefits – there’s is a union, but the unnamed protag cannot access her powers, even though she is assured that she is a magical girl. And magical girls are needed to fight climate change.  And an even greater threat that comes from within their own ranks.

This is a fabulous story about being exhausted and facing consequences of one’s actions. It has a realistic approach to the idea of “what would magical girls be like in our reality?” Although the narrative is rooted deeply in the worst ways in which women are denied opportunities to thrive, it finds a very non-magical way through that back to a reality that has hope it in once more. And yes, there is Yuri, which is both important to the story and also shoehorned in in a way that it didn’t need to be, so I was very glad for it. The translation of this story was easy to read. The whole thing zipped along and I finished it up before I realized.

This novella was, well, not fun, but very entertaining and I would read another book by the same author.

Ratings: