Archive for the Series Category


I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s so Cheeky for a Commoner, Volume 1

February 3rd, 2023

Two girls in fantasy school uniforms, with red jackets and frilly white blouses are surrounded by pink flowers and flower petals. From below a girl with dark brown hair looks up at and holds a hand out to a haughty blonde with long hair in huge banana curls and a red bow who stands with her arms crossed and a dissatisfied expression. The title "I'm In Love With The Villainess: She's So Cheeky For A Commoner" is set off by a heart shape border on the left side and rendered in gold and silver letters. Black letters on the right hand corner read "Written by inori" "Illustrated By hanagata" and Novel 1. In 2020, I first read and reviewed what we now think of as I’m in Love With the Villainess, Volume 1 of the Light Novel series. In that review I speak of things like world-building and character voice because those two qualities are critical for me to enjoy a series. One of the most enjoyable things about the initial light novel series is Rae’s voice, which is at odds with her apparent goofy personality. As we have learned, there are several very good reasons for that.

Naturally, my top priority for I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s so Cheeky for a Commoner, Volume 1 (out now as a digital edition and in print at the end of the month) is that Claire’s voice is likewise preserved from the original, which I reviewed last spring. In that review I discussed the character aspect of this novel. Having fully developed the main characters in the five novels of the original series, inori-sensei here gives time to supporting cast including developing Pepi and Loretta, Claire’s henchicks. Both of them – and Claire’s heretofore-unseen roommate – are fleshed out and made whole in ways that I guarantee will be even more remarkable as the series continues.

We’ve all read “opposite perspective” stories. My first was probably Grendel by John Gardener (which sent me down a deep rabbit hole of villain perspectives when I was very young. ^_^) Here, since “the villainess” is our protagonist, everything is already topsy-turvy, and the novel just runs with that, throwing us off constantly from our previous expectations.

I have one small complaint about the entirety of the book which, again, has to do with voice. There is a line I love from Dorothy L. Sayer’s Murder Must Advertise, in which Miss Meteyard says, “Some people can be funny without being vulgar, and some can be both funny and vulgar. I should recommend you to be either the one or the other.” I use this line quite often and also believe it is true for being rude. Some people can be rude without being vulgar. It is my opinion that Claire François, daughter of the Minister of Finance of the Kingdom, would not be vulgar when she is being rude. So, when she used the phrase, “bat for the other team” I object. This is a vulgar phrase even now. Where might Claire have heard it? How would she have understood it? Do they even have a bat and ball game in Bauer? It has been pointed out to me that the phase is a holdover from that first volume translation, with which we had several issues. There were so many ways to indicate that she was being rude without her being vulgar that this was just an unfortunate choice.

As an aside, I am kindly begging all manga translators and their editors to never use or allow this phrase to be used unless the person speaking is an uncouth lout who is expected by the people around them to be gross.

After that little hiccup, I found that Claire’s voice was otherwise well handled. She was haughty, a tad naive, good-hearted and, ultimately, cute. It was much easier for me to understand why Rae fell so hard for Claire after meeting Claire directly. For all of this, I credit translator Kevin Ishikawa. The Claire we meet here is lovable. As are her henchchicks, the aforementioned Pepi and Loretta, even if their enthusiasm is misplaced, and her roommate, Catherine Achard. Believe me when I tell you, that Catherine is going to be someone you care deeply about.

Ratings:

Art – 7 hanagata’s art is  much more confident now
Story – 10 Outstanding writing
Characters – 10 Extraordinary character work
Service – 3? 4? A bit, sometimes
Yuri/LGBTQ+ – Super complicated question! Rae’s feeling are not returned, but the queer content is still totally there.

Overall – 10

Every single moment with this novel added to what we know, why and how it would affect the larger story. There will be more of that as the series continues. This is no mere “opposite perspective” but a whole new view of what is a complex and interesting story right to the very end. 

The digital edition of Heimin no Kuse ni Namaikina! Volume 2 (平民のくせに生意気な！) is available on Amazon Kindle in Japanese and JP Kindle. Volume 2 of She’s So Cheeky For A Commoner does not yet have a release date. I’ll be sure to let you know when it does.  In the meantime, I know you’re side-eyeing this spin-off. Just go read it, it’s worth it. ^_^





Whisper Me A Love Song, Volume 6

January 23rd, 2023

On a white cover, two girls in grey Japanese school uniforms. The taller of the two with wild, long black hair, embraces the shorter, with light brown hair from behind. In black and orange lettering, Whisper Me A Love Song, a white number 6 in a guitar pick shaped lozenge, Eku Takeshima in orange letters. Reddish orange cosmos bloom in the background.In most high school manga, summer is a time for our protagonists to go to the beach or pool, and make beautiful memories. For Himari, this summer will be the busiest of her life. Somehow she has become the manager of Lorelei, the greatest rivals Yori-sempai’s band, SS Girls, has.

Luckily, Himari is not as much in a pickle as that sounds, since the members of Lorelei are not only treating her well, but teaching her useful skills. Himari is able to offer some promotional suggestions, as well. Honestly…she’s thriving.

Himari finally asks Shiho what the deal with her leaving SS Girls is, and she is invited on an outing as a response. What could the big secret be? It’s not so much a secret, as a teenage unused to processing complicated feelings of /spoilers/.

There’s only one problem. Himari’s time with Yori-sempai has been slashed to pieces and she’s worried that too much distance between Yori and she might hurt their relationship. Yori is putting a brave and generous face on, but it’s killing her with jealousy. Yori admits that, and they affirm their feelings for one another. Yori’s plans for a first kiss don’t pan out, but at a summer festival, they finally get the time to just talk and be together and have the romantic kiss they deserve on a giant two-page spread. Yay for beautiful summer memories!

When they are caught in a sudden summer deluge, they end up at Yori’s house. As the volume ends, Yori contemplates what it will mean to having her girlfriend overnight. I admit, watch Yori stress about being attracted to Himari is a kinda cute. I think I get why Aki teases her all the time. ^_^

I know I keep saying this, but I really do love this manga. It’s sweet and genuine and has feels without manipulation or creeping. I love Takeshima-sensei’s art, and the “timing” of her page layouts. The characters are universally likable (even Shiho, sometimes.) I cannot wait for this anime and just really hope the animation team does it right. _^ Certainly, I can say with enthusiasm, that Kodansha handles this manga beautifully. Kebin Steinbach gives all the characters their own voice…you can really hear Himari and Yori and Shiho….beautiful lettering from Jennifer Skarupa, Tiff Joshua TJ Ferrentini’s editing gives it that final polish and once again Matthew Akuginow’s cover is just a lovely thing, with a great contrast between the smooth gloss and textured finish. All around, a fantastic edition.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 8

Overall – 9

Volume 7 will bring the great reveal of Shiho’s dark secret, out in English this June from Kodansha!





MURCIÉLAGO, Volume 20

January 13th, 2023

Blonde woman with large breasts in a tight t-shirt that reads "Destroy" short short and hiking shoes, sprawls with a variety of classical Japanese toys. Large outlined letter read MURCIÉLAGO and again in yellow, MURCIÉLAGO, 20, by Yoshimurakana. And explicit content warning features prominently.“Kuroko’s group goes to a hot spring deep in the mountains, where the entirety of the land is owned by the wealthy Yamatsukami family. But right as the family is going to decide the next heir, the third son is found murdered… To make matters worse, the only road in and out of the area is suddenly destroyed! Cut off from the rest of the world, the family begins to whisper about a mysterious “Ayako.” With little to go on, how will Kuroko solve this closed-room case?”

Not gonna lie – that synopsis does a better job of summing up the plot of MURCIÉLAGO, Volume 20 than anything I could have written, Kudos to whomever at Yen Press was responsible for that.  ^_^

Super creepy murders, a family secret, probably someone being buried alive, Hinako running off after bugs, large breasted women…you know, a typical volume of MURCIÉLAGO.

But when Reiko, our crazy-eyed, hot sniper shows up, I wondered where this story was going. It’s not like I have to be convinced to keep reading, I’m clearly in for the whole mishegas on this. 

The extra chapter was a hoot, however, as Kutsuha, Reiko’s…whatever she is… introduces herself at the end as a variety of famous people, including a kind of Rose of Versailles’ Marie Antionette in a little tale meant to praise Reiko. These pages had me laughing out loud, all out of proportion to the actual story. I guess any humor after 170 pages of death, manipulation, lying and torture is extra funny. _^_

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Service – Weirdly, still mild on the sexual stuff, but murdery service is pretty high.
Yuri – 1

Overall – 7

MURCIÉLAGO, Volume 21  is slated for a May release in English and has been out since March 2022 in Japanese. Volume 22 seems to be the last one available so far in Japanese so far, so we may catch up to this series this year.





Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna, Volume 3 (作りたい女と食べたい女)

January 8th, 2023

On a white cover, two women look at one another as they shop for groceries. The taller of the two, a large woman with black hair in a ponytail, wearing a light grey sweatshirt and a black pillow jacket, pushes a shopping cart filled with food. The shorter woman, with reddish-brown medium-length hair, wear a black tutleneck seater and print pattern skirt, with a stylish grey coat. She holds a large package of meat. Green outlined letters read "Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna" in Japanese 作りたい女と食べたい女. A large white number 3 sits in the middle of the cover. In black letters across the top it shows the creator's name, Yuzaki Sakaomi, in Japanese ゆざき さかおみ.In Volume 1, we met Nomoto Yuki, a contractor in an office. She finds society’s expectations for women confining and stress-cooks to relax. We then met Kasuga-san, her neighbor two doors over, a large woman with a physically strenuous job who eats with gusto. They bond over the making and eating of food. In Volume 2, Nomoto comes to realize that she’s probably never been interested in boys, and is definitely interested in Kasuga. They enjoy each other’s company and the food they make and share.

Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna, Volume 3 (作りたい女と食べたい女) is everything I could have ever asked for. This is an excellent volume of this consistently excellent series.

To begin with, there are two Content Warnings in this volume, one for eating disorder-food phobia and one for parental verbal abuse.

Nomoto and Kasuga have an empty apartment between them. In this volume they meet and quickly adopt their new neighbor. Nagumo-san is young, very nervous and has a very fraught and uncomfortable history with food. Nomoto and Kasuga accept Nagumo immediately without demands that Nagumo conform to any behavior. When Nagumo offers up a given name, Sena, we learn that Kasuga’s given name is Totoko. Nagumo immediately refers to them as Yuki-chan and Totoko-chan, which turns them red. ^_^

Nomoto is also getting closer with an online friend, Yako. They watch a lesbian movie together online and have snacks, drinks and talk. Yako talks to Nomoto about the spectrum of sexuality – a great conversation, I thought. We learn about Nagumo’s problems with food. And then, we turn towards Kasuga when…her father calls. I don’t want to spoil this scene, not even to summarize, except to say it was magnificent. I’ll scream about it when it comes out in English. ^_^

Yako invites Nomoto, Kasuga, and Nagumo over for a meal, where they make and enjoy naan and a bunch of curies and sauces. Yako gets to see Kasuga’s eating powers for herself. Then they have a sleepover where, again, they discuss the kind of small family trauma that clogs up a childhood. We all have those stories in our hearts, where inequity forced us to accept things that denied us something truer to ourselves.

This volume came with a little extra comic about the work Nomoto puts in to her social media food posts, ^_^

Overall, this volume covers a LOT of territory and does it with skill and sensitivity. There is tremendous power in being seen. I cannot WAIT for you all to read this volume. Volume 1 is out now in English from Yen Press and Volume 2 is headed our way in March. Definitely read this series – it is an outstanding slice-of-life (and bread) story about found family, finding one’s self and sharing delicious food with friends.

Ratings:

Art – 9 Yako and Nagumo give Yuzaki-sensei a chance to ramp up expressions to 11
Story – 10
Characters – 9 (only to give them room to be even more wonderful)
Service – 0  Unless, like Nomoto, you consider watching Kasuga eat “service.”
LGBTQ+ – 10

Overall – 10

OH! And! Valentine’s Day is coming…and yes, Kasuga-san would love to make, give and get chocolates with Nomoto.  ^_^ We have that conversation.

No one:

Me: …I am 100% confident that I am not the only person who actually looked through their shopping cart on the cover, because between the inside cover and back color pages, we get an intimate look at what they bought. ^_^





Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna Live-Action Drama (作りたい女と食べたい女)

December 18th, 2022

Pictured: Two women sit at a wooden table in a small one-room Japanese apartment, with plates and bowls in front of them. One women is in a sweater over a blue and white checked dress. The other woman wear loose-fitting grey sweats. Words on the image read 作りたい女と食べたい女 Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna. Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna (作りたい女と食べたい女), the NHK live-action drama, may well be the very best adaptation from a manga I have ever seen in any media.

Nomoto is an office worker who cooks as an outlet for stress. Many things stress her out, including the men in her office assuming that her cooking skill is meant to make some man happy. One day, she encounters a neighbor entering the apartment complex at the same time as her, carrying quite a lot of KFC. Upon asking if it was a party, the woman says, “It’s for me.”

Next time she’s super stressed, Nomoto introduces herself to the neighbor, offers some of the too-much food she’s made and a friendship is born. Kasuga is a woman of little affect, and is clearly not in the habit of making friends. She and Nomoto become closer as they spend time together, cooking and eating. Slowly, Nomoto starts to realize that her feelings for Kasuga are more than friendship..

Of course, going into a story like this, with a fandom who undoubtedly has feelings TM for the story and the characters, is challenging. This is a story that openly addresses Nomoto’s feelings for Kasuga. The word “lesbian” spoken out loud. As I sat down to watch on NHK Plus, (a system for which I am appreciative but have a deep loathing for it’s cumbersome process), I had all my digits crossed that they would come close to the feel of the original.

They nailed it.

Higa Manami is absolutely brilliant as Nomoto. She wears her every emotion openly, so we can burn with repressed rage, or tear up in amazed relief, or joy. Equally, Nishino Emi does a fantastic job of the sincere, eager, yet reserved, Kasuga. I was thrilled with the supporting cast, Nomoto’s co-workers felt utterly real, and my sympathies to Nakano Shuhei, whose role exists largely to be cheerfully clueless, annoying and occasionally despised. Poor guy. He did a great job.

So yes, the cast is terrific, and – at least, in my opinion- they handle the material well. We get all the key moments of the first manga volume and a half or so. There are way too many excellent moments to claim one as a favorite, but perhaps my vote goes to the conversation Kasuga and Nomoto have about their periods when Nomoto is struck down by hers, and Kasuga comes over with pads and a cooling patch, energy drink, etc, and makes Nomoto food. This scene – in which two non-related adult women care about and take care of one another in a way that I have seen in the real world a million times, but rarely in media – brought tears to my eyes. But really, this is one of a dozen wonderful moments. Nomoto squealing her way around the farmer’s market had both my wife and I grinning because…yes, been there, done that. ^_^ Like the triumphant moment when Kasuga and Nomoto return to the karaage restaurant where Kasuga had previously been given a small rice portion because she is a woman, when the proprietress was now asking whether people wanted a small, regular or large rice order – moments like this trumped even the moment when Nomoto recognizes that her feelings for Kasuga are more than friendship.

All that said, my absolute most favorite thing about the series is…their apartments. Whoever did the set design for Nomoto and Kasuga deserves an award. They live in studio apartments. Nomoto’s bed is under the window, her furniture and kitchen are all wood. It gives the room a warm, homey feel. I love the dresser they found for Nomoto. It’s behind Nomoto in this image below. Look at how wonderful it is.

Pictured: Two women sit at a wooden table in a small one-room Japanese apartment, with plates and bowls in front of them. One women is in a white cricket sweater with blue striped collar, the other in loose fitting dark sweat pants and shirt. Behind the woman in the sweater is a wooden dresser,each drawer stained a different shade of wood. The effect is very stylish.

Kasuga’s room is mostly white and unadorned, with a soft, blue comfy sofa chair and large TV. It really nails the “feeling” of these women’s lives… .

OH!…and the way they film Kasuga eating. Can I just tell you a story quickly? When I was a kid there was a Bill Cosby Show long before the Bill Cosby Show you all remember, back in 1969. And in one episode he was hired to film a commercial about a breakfast cereal. They do a gazillion takes and he gets sick to his stomach from eating so much cereal. The child actor with him tells him to never really eat the food. That scene has lived rent-free in my head for 50+ years. So…watching Kasuga eat is a big part of this story. How are they going to handle that? Well…they film a take from 7 different angles, then keep using it, so it looks like she’s eating, but Nishino-san doesn’t have to get sick. I thought it quite clever. ^_^

I sincerely hope NHK will bring this over to NHK World so more folks can enjoy this series (not that NHK World is any less annoying and cumbersome than NHK Plus, mind you, but if you have cable you can just get it added. Still grrrr, let people watch your shows!) In the meantime, if you can manage the byzantine labyrinths of NHK Plus, sign up and definitely give this a watch!

Ratings:

Cinematography, staging – 10
Story – 10
Characters – 10
LGBTQ – 6 Solid opening
Food – 7 Easy to cook stuff that looks yummy. We were dying for karaage….

Overall – 10 I can’t think of anything they could have done better.

In the meantime, Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3 and Volume 4 of Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna (作りたい女と食べたい女) are out from Kadokawa in Japan, and Volume 1,  Volume 2 and Volume 3 of She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat are out in English from Yen Press to keep us happy and emotionally fed until Season 2!

Get yourself someone who looks at you the way Nomoto watches Kasuga eat.

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