Archive for the Series Category


Live Action: Maria-sama ga Miteru Movie (劇場版 マリア様がみてる 通常版)

September 15th, 2011

Many, many thanks to the efforts and sacrifice of Bruce for making it possible for me to buy this movie in Tokyo. As several people have noted, this was not easy to find on shelves, as it had pretty much sold out in pre-orders. The good news for overseas fans is that Amazon JP still has both the DVD and the DVD/Blu-Ray combo in stock. Being the bad otaku I am, I only bought the DVD, so missed out on some of the extras in the Blu-Ray combo set.

Maria-sama ga Miteru is a story about average high school girl Yumi, as she’s suddenly, unexpectedly drawn into the doings of the Yamayurikai, the Student Council of the school. This is no small matter as the Yamayurikai are known for being beautiful, smart and somewhat remote from the rest of the students. They even have a separate building on the campus in which they hold their meetings.

A chance meeting, an opportunistic photograph and a set of silly circumstances around the school play contrive to change Yumi’s life forever.

As I commented on my original viewing of this movie in Osaka, the actresses were each picked for a specific quality, so it was very easy to see “Youko” or “Sei” in them. Sachiko and Yumi are almost instantly lovable, IMHO. I liked that Sachiko starts to touch Yumi without realizing that she’s doing it.

Set in an old, wooden building, with creaky floors and small rooms, there’s a festive air of not-too-much-but-just-enough verisimilitude about the recreation of Lillian Jogakuen. Early on, there is an unexpected time lapse of Musashino City, so we are forced to imagine that this school is real, not just some fantasy space, like Astrea Hill.

The DVD includes the “Making Of” special, the trailer for the movie and the pre-movie in-theater “do not take pictures, eat loudly, make phone calls or give your soeur a rosary” warning animations, which were so amusing when I saw this in the theater. There are no subtitles for this movie, and as much as I hope that someone will license this, I would not bank on it.

The Maria-sama ga Miteru live action movie is a delightful rendering of this story which has captured so many hearts. It has certainly captured mine. Now I pray daily for the live action Kibara Kakumei sequel, as nothing would make me so happy as the chance to see Yoshino rage in live action. ^_^

Overall – 9 (+1 because squee! It’s a live action Maria-sama ga Miteru!)

If you consider yourself a Maria-sama ga Miteru fan, this is money well spent.





Cardcaptor Sakura Manga Omnibus, Volume 2 (English)

September 3rd, 2011

In Volume 1 of Cardcaptor Sakura, we met Kinomoto Sakura, an energetic, cheerful elementary school girl who accidentally (maybe) unleashes the power of the Clow Cards…a deck that was created generations ago by the great magician Clow Reed. We also meet Sakura’s family and friends, and the magical creature that assists her to collect all the Cards, Cereberus, nicknamed Kero-chan.

In Volume 2, we pick up where we left off as Sakura, her rival Li and besotted best friend forever Tomoyo are trapped in the Maze card and rescued by the power of Mizuki Kaho-sensei, the new substitute teacher.

At which point the story begins to be weighted down with predictions and implications and precognition. Great things are happening, powerful creatures are stirring and Sakura is merely a young girl. But Sakura rises to the challenge every time. Helped by her friends, she conquers card after card, and slowly begins to learn that Kaho-sensei has a role in all this…although she doesn’t yet know what.

Clow Reed begins, in this volume, to become a real presence. Sakura sees him in a dream, Kaho speaks of him almost as if she knew him. And, we learn, that Kaho has a bond with another man in Sakura’s life – her brother. Years ago, they dated when Toya was in middle school and Kaho, a student teacher.

What happens next I won’t spoil. If you’ve read it, you know why this is the coolest volume. Yue is worth waiting for, just for sheer prettiness. But if you haven’t, I’ll leave you to meet Yue on your own time. ^_^

Yet again, I find Dark Horse did a very acceptable translation job, and yet again, this book is so heavy, I would worry if a child tried to carry it around. But the color pages are as pretty as I remember, and the story is a delight, even the pander-y, manipulative ones that make me choke up. ^_^

As I said for the first volume, I am not nostalgic, but I truly do love this series. Every character is likable, even the unlikable ones, and it’s all so…nice.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Characters – 9
Story – 9
Yuri – 2
Service – 4

Overall – 9

I can’t wait for the next volume!

The especially wonderful thing about this volume is that it heralds the arrival of a brand new Okazu Hero! Thank you Walt R-B for sponsoring this review! Please email me at anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com to receive your Okazu Hero Badge, suitable for display on any website of social media profile. You’re my Hero. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Aoi Hana (青い花), Volume 6

August 25th, 2011

In Volume 5 of Aoi Hana (青い花), I commented that Fumi had made it past the third stage of coming out, saying something to a complete stranger. In Volume 6, she makes it to 3.5, telling close friends.

During summer vacation, the girls all head to a hot spring, accompanied by freshman Haru and, more notably, the teacher that Haru says is her sister’s lover. Fumi overstays her time in the outside onsen because she’s embarrassed and subsequently passes out. When she wakes in her room, the teacher comes in to see if she’s okay, and Fumi ends up asking her a question about liking another woman. This is not unconnected, as Fumi’s embarrassment is, in part, at catching herself looking at Akira’s naked body in the bath.

Later that night, Fumi also inadvertently says out loud that she’s in love with A-chan, and Akira says, also out loud, that she knows. There is a tension now between Fumi and Akira; but whether it’s anticipatory or not, they aren’t quite sure and neither are we.

Once home, Akira visits Fumi and asks if maybe they should just try dating and see how that works out. Body and mind exploding with fear/joy/freaking right out, Fumi has completely lost whatever cool she usually has. But, at some point, Fumi pulls herself together and, when they are out on their first date, she kisses Akira with no second thoughts.

Fumi is speaking with her friends, Pon-chan and Mugi, when Pon-chan asks if Fumi is “that way,” (and Mugi flips out at Pon-chan because you don’t *ask* that kind of thing!) we see that Fumi has once again adapted to her new, stronger self and replies quite calmly and honestly that yes, she is “that way,” then lets her friends work it out for themselves. Which they do, very quickly, because after all Fumi is their friend and they love her. (In a nutshell, the number one reason for coming out, IMHO.)

But, wait, there’s more! Fumi’s parents leave on a romantic trip over Christmas, leaving Fumi and Akira to stay home. They buy cake, crack open the bottle of champagne Fumi’s Dad had received and Fumi proceeds to get just tipsy enough to say things she wants to say to A-chan. And so she does. About how she wants to have physical intimacy with her friend. Knowing that the excuse of the alcohol is the best lead-in she’s ever going to get, Fumi drags Akira about three steps forward in the relationship, the same ways she has since the very beginning – by being honest.

Fumi ends by saying that it’s really probable that A-chan’s “like” and her “like” are different, but she really likes A-chan…who responds by embracing her.

And I smiled. I smiled through just about every single page of this book. My god what I would have given for Fumi to have existed when I was 15.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 10
Characters – 10
Yuri – 10
Service – 1

Overall – 10

If this book is ever translated into English, I will endeavor to make this story the light at the end of the tunnel for every gay teen in America. There are a lot of young women out there who need Fumi in their life.





Hayate x Blade Manga, Volume 14 (はやてｘブレード)

August 22nd, 2011

When it comes to Hayate x Blade, Volume 14,  (はやてｘブレード) there are no adequate words to describe what it made me feel. So…I’m not going to try. I will tell you this – I screamed. A lot. But that’s hardly a good description.

As I read the chapters that comprised this volume in Ultra Jump magazine, I decided what this review would be.

 

 

 

 

I’m going to let this volume speak for itself. So, here is my review of Hayate x Blade, Volume 14:

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Characters – 10
Yuri – 1
Service – 1

Overall – 10





Hayate x Blade Ultra Drama CD Sanban Hoshi! Hyuuryuu Tsumeawase (はやて×ブレード ウルトラドラマCD さんばん星！ 漂流つめあわせ)

August 12th, 2011

Hayate x Blade Ultra Drama CD Sanban Hoshi! Hyuuryuu Tsumeawase (はやて×ブレード ウルトラドラマCD さんばん星！ 漂流つめあわせ) broke my head. Just seconds ago, I could feel it go “pop.” I’m pretty sure steam came out of my ears, too.

As with the first two of these Drama CDs, the 3rd of the series follows three shinyuu couples as they do utterly ridiculous things in the utterly ridiculous, mutually exclusive ecosystems that surround Tenchi Gakuen. We already know from the manga that there is a mountain behind the school (from Volume 11 and Volume 12.) We also know from the first of this Drama CD series, that that there is a jungle wilderness, and so, it should really come as no surprise that there is a beach as well. As the title translates to something like “An Assortment of Drifting” it should also not be too surprising that this CD follows our principles as they wander around these ecosystems aimlessly.

Hitsugi and Shizuku (and Tatewaki) go to the beach, where Hitsugi tortures Shizuku by crafting nefearious plans and tortures Tatewaki by torturing Tatewaki.

We are then allowed to enjoy an extended visit with Sid and Nancy that begins propitiously with Sid composing a little ditty about being hungry and ends up with her unpropitiously being eaten by a giant snake. (Clearly our Yuri military force needs Giant Snakes. We’ve had them in many of our best series!) Sid worries that Nancy will leave her, but when Nancy rescues her from being eaten, she realizes that she will never get that kind of fun with anyone else.

Next up, Akira and Sae. Is there a more typical couple in all of Tenchi? Akira’s butchy grumpiness, Sae’s complete unconcern for anything except having a little fun at Akira’s expense and her ineffable cheerfulness in the face of hardship, like being stranded on a desert island….and even a very little Yuri-service for the Akira x Sae fans out there. Very little.

And in the end it was all one of Hitsugi’s nefarious plots. ^_^ But that wasn’t what broke my brain.

What broke my brain was the very final seconds of the CD as Tatewaki does her rendition of being the phone clock. You remember that, don’t you? From the days before cell phones? You’d call the number and a woman’s voice would say, “When the tone sounds it will be Eleven-thirty and 45 seconds in the morning,” then the tone sounds. Then she’d say, “When the tone sounds it will be Eleven-thirty and 50 seconds in the morning,” and it would repeat endlessly all day. Well, you haven’t heard it done right until you’ve heard it done by Tatewaki. /pop!/ ~(^_^)~

There is a mini-comic that, if I were to live in Japan I could get by order from from this CD, but since my chances of getting here are small, so I won’t be able to review it. If anyone does nab a copy, let me know how it is!

Ratings:

Overall – 9 just for Sid singing about how hungry she is. And Giant Snakes.

Not too long ago I said on Twitter than I consider Hayashiya-sensei to be the best story teller in manga. I stand by that. She loves her characters, that’s obvious. And as a result, I love them too. ^_^

Hayate x Blade, Volume 14 should hit the shelves any day now…I cannot wait to review it. I have been planning this review for *months!* (^_^)v