Archive for the K-ON Category


K-ON! College Manga (けいおん！college)

December 21st, 2012

Let me be up front here for a sec – there is less Yuri in this new volume of K-ON! than there ever has been, which is to say, there isn’t a single shred of Yuri, even if you work at it.* Even Mugi has nothing to work with. So if Yuri is your single criteria for interest in this series, you’ll be disappointed in this volume when Yen Press publishes it.

If what you liked about the series is the interaction between the members of Houkago Tea Time, you’ll still have to deal with some change, but you’re less likely to be disappointed. ^_^

In K-ON! College (けいおん！college), Yui and the others find that the “Light Music” Club at college has a number of previous members who perform as a band. Tall, attractive Sara, gadfly Ayame and punk-y Akira end up taking their new kouhai under their wings, sort of. Akira, by virtue of proximity is asked to take care of Yui who, without Ui doing everything for her, is more annoying than I can adequately describe. The focus of the volume is mostly on Akira, her transformation to the punk look and her desire to be a pro, with some plot side trips.

With the focus so heavily on Akira and Yui, the rest of both bands fall back into supporting character roles. The real victim here is Mugi. If she says ten things through this volume, it’s a lot. Okay, yes, one of those things is, “Sabotage? That’s something I want to try!” But that’s her best line.

As a post-series fanfic, it suffers from the fate of many fanfic – the shift of focus from the main characters to someone else. But the someone else is as goofy as the originals, so it’s not much of a sacrifice. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7
Characters – 9
Story – 7 There is a limit to how many “Wake Yui up” jokes we can read before they begin to wear thin
Yuri – 0*
Service – 2

Overall – 7

*There is a teeny-weeny window for implausible slashers to pair Yui and Akira, but the creator works hard at limiting even that.





K-ON! Anime Season 2, Disk 3 (English)

September 21st, 2012

If you watch Episode 24 of K-ON!, Season 2 and aren’t just a teeny little sniffly when the Light Music Club sings “Touched by an Angel!” to Azusa, you are no longer a friend of mine.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

Superhero Eric P., who sponsored today’s review is definitely a friend! Thanks Eric, every moment I spend in the company of Houkago Tea Time reminds me of friends like you. ^_^





K-ON Anime, Season 2, Disk 2 (English)

August 31st, 2012

The second disk of the Season 2 of the  K-ON! anime, continues as it began, with wonderful moments of real life interspersed with absurd moments that only could happen in an anime…except when they actually happen in real life.

Houkago Tea Time enjoy their final high school school festival, play their final concert at school, pass their final final exams as high school students, take college exams and celebrate Valentine’s Day with their adoring underclassman, Asuza.

Time passes, as it does. I can barely remember my high school years, to be honest. Not all of what I can remember is good, but I find that my mind strays more to the moments that were good as I get older. Because K-ON! is about fondly recalling high school I will share a story with you from my high school years.

I’ve mentioned previously that I was in marching band and that I played clarinet. I was exceedingly mediocre, but when you’re playing that many hours every day…(band class, compulsory music lessons, marching band practice, football games, competition and individual practice) I was tolerable. My sempai in band was the woman who became my wife some years later.

One day we returned from an away football game to find that the band room entrance to the school was locked and that no one had the key. The band director went off to try and find someone to let us in and we stood there, bored, tired, ready to get out of our uniforms. To keep ourselves amused, we started to jam. One of our songs that year was a jazzed-up version of “My Favorite Things” – not a song that too many of us had any fondness for, but it did play well in the show. So we started to play that. The sun was getting low, it was getting dim out on the side of the school we were on, and we just…played.

For the first time it all meshed. The trumpets and the trombones got along, the soloist actually hit his notes, the drummers suddenly learned to count to 4. The woodwinds were in tune and on.

It was the best performance of that song we did all year.

If I never remember another thing about high school, I want to always remember that moment.

This disk of K-ON! made me remember that moment.

Ratings:

Art – 5
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 1
Service – 4

Overall – 8

Thanks to Okazu Superhero Eric P. for sponsoring this review…and for bringing that memory to mind. ^_^





K-ON Anime, Season 2, Disk 1 (English)

August 15th, 2012

Season 2 of the K-ON! anime is, well, pretty much exactly the same kind of thing as Season 1 was, so if Season 1 didn’t appeal to you, then probably this season isn’t going to either. ^_^

Season 2 has exactly the kind of thing *I* liked about Season 1, so for me, this is total win.

The two things I liked best on this disk have nothing whatsoever to do with Yuri or music. For me, what makes K-On! work is the interplay between the four leads. More than any other series, this one strikes me as one written by someone who actually knew something about real girls. (As say, compared with Yuru Yuri, which reads like a guess as to sort-of what girls are, maybe, like, when they hang out.)

There are two scenes that strongly affected me in this way. The first, when the four are sharing a room for their school trip and making each other giggle by saying stupid things. Yep, we did that. Heck we *still* do that. My Mom once yelled at me when staying over my house for the holidays that my wife and I needed to stop giggling, it was keeping her up.)

The second is a scene so meaningless, so…normal…that it took my breath away. When they are all shopping at the home goods store and Yui comes running over to exclaim “Screws!” then dances in hyperactive delight at all the shapes and sizes of screw…yep, we do that too. ^_^

The palpable lack of Yuri is a plus, as well. When Yui hangs on Mugi there is no fanservice, overt or implied. This is how it should be. This is in fact, how it is.

K-ON! s that most rare of creatures – a moe 4-koma gag story about girls hanging out that gets it exactly right.

Ratings:

Art – 5
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Yuri – 1
Service – 4

Overall – 8

Once again it is my great pleasure to thank Okazu Superhero Eric P. for his sponsorship of today’s review!





Yuri Network News – April 21, 2012

April 21st, 2012

Yuri Manga

 Big news, from Comic High magazine, Morinaga Milk-sensei will be launching a new Yuri manga titled Gakuen Porichi. (学園ポリーチェ) “It’s Yuri, it’s School, it’s Police!” says the short write-up on the Comic High website.

The Mawaru Penguindrum Fabulous Anthology (輪るピングドラム　ファビュラス・アンソロジー) has pages filled with names you’ve come to know and love, like Morishima Akiko, Sakamoto Mano, Hoshino Lily (the very same Hoshino Lily who did the fabulous still art for the series) and others.

ALC Publishing has just wrapped up the the (grueling!) work of translating, adapting and editing Kimi no Tame nara Shineru – and threw in an essay to provide context for those of you not familiar with Heian Japan, for good measure. I’m going to say something about this series I *never* say about a 4-koma…it’s laugh-out-loud funny. Erin did a stellar translation job and even the letterer is throwing himself into this one with vigor! When it’s released on JManga, I hope you’ll purchase it, because this may well be the most amazing translation job *ever*. ^_^

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Yuri Event

Next weekend, April 29, I will be doing the first-ever live online Yuri panel. I’ve done my best to come up with a time that is most accessible globally. Check out the details of the event on Yuricon and send in your questions or come to the event with a question or two. I hope to see you there.

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Yuri Games

Michael H wanted to let you all know that Magical Diary, an indie game from Hanako Games, has some Yuri in it! He says “The female protagonist has a grand total of 5 potential love interests in the game and two of those are female. Therefore I think it would be relevant to Yuri fans.  I found the Virginia romance path in particular to be especially interesting.” He also thinks the writing is quite good, especially for an indie game.

YNN Correspondent Mara has been following the progress of the Yaneura no Yuri Rei game and notes that it now has shipped. (He also points out that two of the artists he follows on Deviantart are working on a Yuri webcomic called Picture This.)

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 Other News

Maria-sama ga Miteru ~ Farewell Bouquet (マリア様がみてる フェアウェル ブーケ) is now up for pre-order, and will be hitting shelves next week.

Either wall space is at a premium or people are far, far more delusional that we previously presumed, because waterproof Yuru Yuri and K-ON! posters are available in Japan, so you can stick them up in your bathroom.

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That wraps it up for this week.

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