Archive for the Series Category


Yuri Light Novel: R.O.D., Volume 1

October 2nd, 2009

The reason I didn’t post yesterday was that I was hustling to finish this novel so I could write about it today. ^_^;

Most ROD fans are familiar with the anime – the OVA and the later R.O.D. the TV series. Fewer have read the two manga series, R.O.D. and Read or Dream. Each of these occupies a slightly different version of the ROD-verse, which the TV series neatly tied together in a strange, but amazingly satisfying package. Amazingly, because we end the series with many unanswered questions…but it’s perfectly all right that they remain unanswered.

Well, I had one question that I was NOT all right with not having the answer to. “What happened in the novels?” was an itch I couldn’t scratch any other way than by reading them. I obtained the entire series in pieces some years ago and there they sat on my shelves, visibly taunting me with their bright yellow spines. Hah hah, they seemed to say, you have no idea what happens inside us – and the pictures don’t help at *all*! Hah!

So, at last I have finally read the first light novel of the R.O.D. series.

The book begins with a really creepy scene as Joker confronts a book thief and Yomiko is introduced in the skankiest way possible, practically orgasming as she “confirms” a book’s provenance. Then a fight breaks out and it is revealed that she has super strange skills with paper.

Immediately, the book takes a right turn into a plot that you will basically recognize as the plot from the first volume of the R.O.D manga. Yomiko arrives at a school to become a teacher in order to meet and save genius teenage author Sumiregawa Nenene. The bad henchguy is different – where the manga has a fire wielder, the book has a guy called Scissorhands (because of his…you got it, right?) who had previously battled the former The Paper, Yomiko’s deceased mentor and lover Donny Nakajima. Yes, they were lovers.

Crazed fan “Paul S.,” who kidnaps Nenene, is all the same as in the manga. With extra creepy nuttiness thrown in for good measure.

Here’s the key differences – Nenene doesn’t kiss Yomiko upon meeting her, although she is still writing a different novel with each hand. There is way more actual violence in the novel, because Scissorhands cuts limbs off people.

When Nenene and Yomiko spend one quiet night together, there is a real sense of them actually thinking they might like one another, until the next morning Scissorhands blows it all to pieces. However, when Yomiko arrives to rescue Nenene, she actually does confess her love for the girl. We know this is what she meant by “Suki” because the narrator helpfully tells us so. “After this confession of love,” the books says….

Most importantly, the ending of the book makes it VERY, VERY, VERY clear that the emotion goes both ways. So if you weren’t really quite sure about Nenene and Yomiko the answer is – yes, they like one another.

Here’s the other thing of note that the anime leaves a little gray. In this version, Yomiko did definitely kill Donny, in order, she says, to become The Paper. As she so succinctly puts it, “He chose me over books – I chose books over him.”

Having finally read this thing I find myself liking Yomiko more than I ever have. She is very disturbed, that is clear. Her bibliomania is an advanced Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, yes. But despite the first chapter, once she meets Nenene, she becomes instantly sweeter, more human and more sympathetic. By the end, when Nenene finds and reads Yomiko’s farewell letter to her, I found myself saying “awwww.” Because it was a really sweet letter.

And, at the end of the book, when Nenene follows Yomiko to England, because she can’t get Yomiko – not The Paper, but the woman behind the title – out of her mind, I finished the book with a big ass grin on my face.

Definitely, positively not High Art. It’s full of service and the art really focuses on the insanity of the characters, as it does in the manga. But now I know what happened and I finally really like Yomiko. I just like her better with Nenene than without her. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 4
Story – starts at 4 but ends at 8
Characters – same
Yuri – 5
Service – 5

Overall – If I had stopped halfway, 5, but by the end, 8

I liked the end so much that I immediately pulled the next one down and stuck it on the pile of “things to read.” But today my order from Japan came in (a mere 34 hours after I placed it…) and so now it will probably be another 5 years until I get to it. ^_^





Yuri Network News – September 27, 2009

September 27th, 2009

Yuri Anime

The big buzz on the Yuri Network is the existence of Himegami no Miko, a possible new, alternate-universe series by Kaishaku recyclying everyone’s favorite lesbian priestess couple….again. The links on the site imply some kind of animation production. If this all sounds vague it’s because it all sounds vague. I want to thank a number of YNN correspondents for this item, but especially Aesyl for poking me to check back until the site had some actual information.

Ashley wants to remind everyone that the entire run of El Cazador can be watched streaming on Funimation’s online channel.

Speaking of El Cazador, the DVD volume is on the Yuricon Store.

Blue Drop Complete Collection is also on the Shop.

And as I reported yesterday, Ikkitousen DD will be out for November. I have actually heard some fans wondering incredulously why so *many* titles are coming out in November and December. Let me gently remind you of the phrase “holiday shopping.” :-)

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Yuri Drama CD

Say what you will about how painful it is to sit through, there is *no* doubt that Maria-sama Ga Miteru: Rainy Blue is the story of a break up. And now you can sit through it once more, listening to Yumi’s heart break as Sachiko drives away in the newest Drama CD. The good news is…after this, it’s *all* downhill.

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Snatches of Yuri

Significantly, one of Tokyopop’s new licenses, Seikon no Qwaser, is something that has piqued my interest *every* time I’ve seen it. There is a cool, competent female lead, uniforms, violence, and the smell of Yuri.

Death Co-mu-ni-ka-shun is another spin on school girls at a school for /fill in the blank/ theme. The first volume is apparently strong nioi-ke, the second volume not much of anything, but in Volume 3, Valentine’s day hits and with it, girls giving chocolate to one another – and a kiss scene.

Mahou no Jumon follows girls in a school for magic. In Volume 3, there’s enough girls’ love that two of the characters are discussing how using magic allows women to have a child together. This title also is significant because you can read three chapters online through KR comic’s reader:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

For heaven’s sake, please don’t ask if these are in English. These are from a Japanese comic, from a Japanese magazine, on a Japanese reader for Japanese people…in Japanese.

Sugar ha Otoshigoro seems to have settled down to having a storyline by…Volume 3. Asami is ignoring Hatanaka and she’s getting desperate. In a dream sequence, Hatanaka sings a love song to Asami, who responds with interest….at the end of the volume we’re not sure what is real or not.

Last month’s Cobalt Shueisha had a Maria-sama ga Miteru story that starred Yumi, Tsutako, Shimako and Kagura, so it looks like she’s caving and writing more about “our” characters. lol

And I might as well put this down here too. There is an anthology movie, (i.e., made of shorts) called GL – Imp’s Seduction. The code phrase here for “this is for FanBoys” is “No Men Allowed.”  In fact, I was talking to James Welker about that in regards to Yuri Hime, because it’s so suspicious sounding. As soon as a publisher puts “No Boys Allowed” or something similar on a magazine or DVD, you know *instantly* this is for guys. It’s so dreadful – it’s that whole fake girls in their lingerie eating bonbons, pillow fights and light foreplay crap in softcore sorority movies.The worst part is, if it *is* a book or movie that might appeal to women, tagging it like that is a clear “keep away” sign. So, now, these stories might actually be okay…which I doubt because Japanese on-screen kisses are excruciating usually…but ugh. Do I get this and suffer through a bunch of servicey, icky vignettes for what might be a good story or two as seen through the eyes of a Fanboy or not? I don’t know. I’ll have to think about.

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That’s a wrap for this week.

Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!





Fleurs Bleues, Volume 1 (French)

September 23rd, 2009

Why yes, it is Wednesday.

It is my very great pleasure to introduce our newest Okazu Guest Reviewer, Marc. Marc emailed to say that he had just gotten a copy of the French language edition of Aoi Hana, sensibly titled Fleurs Bleues. Of course I was thrilled to have both a new guest reviewer and a look at a French-language Yuri title. So, please welcome Marc and enjoy his review!

The first thing I thought when I picked up my copy of Fleurs Bleues was, “Man, it’s tiny!”, but more on that later.

Editions Asuka has put out the first volume of Aoi Hana (Sweet Blue Flowers) in French as Fleurs Bleues. It compromises the first seven chapters of the story and the author’s comments.

For those of you who aren’t aware of this manga (where have you been?), it’s the story of Fumi Manjome who returns to her hometown after ten years away. Fumi was a bit of a crybaby in her youth and still hasn’t really grown out of it. Due to the kind of coincidences that seem to happen a lot in manga, she meets up with her childhood friend Akira Okudaira, who also hasn’t changed much over the ten years. She’s still as feisty as ever, and is entering high school at the prestigious all-girl Lycée Fujigaya. Fumi is attending the less prestigious all-girl Lycée Matsuoka. In their respective schools the girls each make friends and involve themselves in school activities. Akira becomes fast friends with Kyoko Ikumi, and they join the drama club. Fumi has just ended a relationship with her female cousin, and being in a somewhat vulnerable state, meets and forms a relationship with upperclassman Yasuko Sugimoto. The manga deals with the ups and downs of these relationships as well as with Fumi coming out to Akira.

I love these types of manga. No big explosions, no giant robots or girls, or giant robot girls (if you’re into that sort of thing). This is a story about relationships and their development. Fumi’s insecurities, Akira’s wanting to protect and support her friend despite not having seen her in ten years, Kyoko’s unrequited love, and Yasuko’s teasing make them feel real.

The art is simple but beautifully drawn, which is exactly what you need when you want to focus on the story. The characters are engaging and not too stereotypical for this type of manga. (Though I must say, Akira’s brother’s sister complex creeps me out.)

The translation is well done. It is in very proper French, which lends itself well to the characters and story. It gives it a sort of poetic feel, which I feel enhances the drama. Like Erica, one of my pet peeves is when sound effects or background dialogue is not translated. Thankfully, Asuka did translate all these little bits.

But that isn’t to say there aren’t any problems.

When it comes to the suffixes (-san, -chan, -kun), my philosophy is either don’t use them at all, or use them all the time. For reasons I can’t explain, the translators removed all the suffixes except for two. Yasuko is still called Sugimoto-sempai, and Akira’s original Japanese nickname of Ah-chan was changed to Aki-chan. Go figure. I think I’d have preferred if they’d dropped them all. (Not that I’m suggesting you shouldn’t buy the book because of that. How big a Fanboy do you think I am?)

Then there’s the size. As I said at the beginning, it’s smaller than the manga I tend to see published in book form. At 6.5 x 4.5 inches, it is much smaller than the average 7.5 x 5 inch English ones. It literally is a pocket book (it fit in my jeans pocket just fine). It is considerably smaller than the Japanese version (8 x 6 inches), and it sort of reminded me of a Harlequin romance paperback. I don’t think that was unintentional. However, the small size was a little off-putting for me but didn’t impact my reading enjoyment.

The Japanese cover was lovingly recreated in beautiful pastels and the left to right reading was kept in place. The reproduction of the content was crisp and clear, and the font choice made reading (even for a bifocal-wearing old man like me) easy. Nothing mimeographed here.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Yuri – 9
Service – 1 (mostly the creepy brother)

Overall – 9

Reproduction – 9

All in all, this is a great read for yuri fans. I found myself smiling a lot while reading it. If you can read French I suggest you pick this up for your collection. I can’t wait for the next one.

Thank you so much Marc for a terrific look at another edition of this fabulous manga. I hope one day to be able to include an English-language review on the list. And please take note European Yuri fans – if you have an edition of any Yuri series in a language other than English or Japanese, please do email me – we’d love to have a review!





Hayate x Blade Manga, Volume 10

September 20th, 2009

If you have been following Hayate x Blade (はやて×ブレード) from the beginning, you are vaguely aware that there is an itch in this series that is not being scratched.

But first, as Volume 10 opens,  there’s the persistent and dangerous Ensuu and Mei to deal with. With incredible effort, and the stupidest technique ever (one used in previous volumes but no less silly this time) Ayana and Hayate *finally* bring the bad girls of Tenchi to their knees. Yay Team Us! Woo hoo!

From almost the very first volume, we know that Hayate is one of a pair of twins. In fact, her older sister Nagi was the one originally accepted into Tenchi Gakuen, but wasn’t able to attend because she was in the hospital. Only a few volumes ago, we were given a glimpse of the elusive Nagi, but that wasn’t enough! Nagi needs to be in the story, and soon, I felt.

Well, so did Hayashiya, apparently, because Nagi finally arrives to take her place among the sword-bearing student body at Tenchi Gakuen. And by doing so, she confuses the heck out of the idiots that surround her sister.

The best moment is when Jun comes face to face with Nagi, and looks her over in detail. You look the same, she says, but you’re not Hayate. (Thus proving that Jun is in fact the smartest person at Tenchi, which was a given, since she’s a lesbian.) Nagi does a little moronic song and dance, asking if that makes her look more like Hayate. I laughed because, well…it did. ^_^

Nagi is instantly not really all that likable. In a series chock full of really likable characters (with the exception on Ensuu, who is so completely crazy that you can’t dislike her, and if you do, after Volume 11 you won’t anymore. Because it’s hard to dislike someone that…so *completely* off the rails,) Nagi stands out as someone that it’s quite easy to not like. Watching Hayate frantically trying to please her older sister is a little heart wrenching. When Nagi publicly proclaims that it is her intention to take Ayana as her shinyuu, and Hayate just rolls over, it’s massively heart wrenching. Not just for us, either, as Ayana makes the point that she, and no one else has the right to choose her own shinyuu, dammit, and she’s chosen Hayate. That she makes the point with a reverse suplex does not diminish the message.

But…Hayate knows that she’s not as strong as her sister, and so she slips out of the school into the woods, where she meets, Yanagi, aka Yagyuu, a crazy-eyed, Edo-period slang speaking, ex-Tenchi swordbearer. And so, we are launched into what may well be the absolutely most strange arc in this series so far.

Will Hayate be able to survive the training at the hands of her new oyabun? Will Yanagi’s reputation come back to haunt them? Will Ayana be able to convince Hayate to return to her? Will Hitsugi take matters into her own hands to bring discipline to one of the very first graduates of the sword-bearing program at Tenchi? Or will the entire school be thrown into a crazy free-for all?

Yes, all of the above, coming in Volume 11. ;-)

Ratings:
 
Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 2
Service – 1
 
Overall – 9
 

 

I didn’t even mention Hayate and Nagi’s Mom. Meeting her explains *a lot*. I never get through a volume of this series without snorting at least twice. ^_^
 




Yuri Network News – September 19, 2009

September 19th, 2009

Yuri Games

One of the biggest news items this week is the Sasamekikoto kissing game application for iPhone and iPod touch. It’s available with English subtitles and apparently Ushio and you get to practice kissing until her mask dissappears. As you might remember, a Sasamekikoto anime is due out soon, so this is an interesting way to promote it. The game is free to download. Ted the Awesome shared his experience with the app on the Yuricon Mailing List: “Just put two fingers together, put it where you think the lips are behind the mask and gently move the fingers away from each other and than move the away from the screen. The moment your fingers no longer touch the screen is when the ‘kiss’ is counted for. I scored 100 at least four times and got some bonuses.

The more you kiss her, the more her mask becomes transparent. If you’re a good kisser throughout, she’ll even take the mask off. The more points you score, the more character profiles shots you unlock.

It also comes with a Manga preview. Not too bad for a free little app.”

Also rocking the Japanese games world right now is Love Plus, a DS Game in which you court and date any one of three girls. I first read about this game in a blog written by a Japanese lesbian who confirmed what seemed obvious to me – by its nature, if you’re a woman playing this, it’s an insto Yuri game. :-)

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Yuri Anime

Crunchyroll has announced that they are streaming Koi Hime Musou. The description was so cute, pretending it had anything really to do with Romance of Three Kingdoms. :-)

On the Japan side, a series called Working!, which has been on a number of Yuri lists there, is getting an anime. Take a look at the (so far, sparse) website for yourself.

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Yuri Live Action

Here was my crazy news find for the week! I was doing something I have not done in about a year – surfing the internet. (I know, wild, huh?) and I came across this – a NEW Hana no Asuka-gumi Live Action Movie! It’s real and it looks totally legit. What Hana no Asuka-gumi NEO! does not look, is good. :-) It also looks like it couldn’t be less like the Asuka I know, but hey, the first Asuka live action movie….that was no masterwork, let me tell you. (And I always hear the Rolling Stone’s “Satisfaction” when I think of it. lol) Miko seems to be a major character in this new version and Hime makes an appearance, but no Yohko. OTOH, the bad guy looks psycho enough for fun.

I’ll see about getting a copy and reviewing it for you.

And, amazingly, while we’re on the topic of series that will not die, there’s new news about the Live Action Bubblegum Crisis movie. Apparently the project is alive and using the weirdest way possible to recruit staff. :-)

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Snatches of Yuri

Tamatamato follows the romance of a diminutive miko and a school girl and zOMG they kiss!

Beni! Aina Jogakuen is a Japanese “Plot What Plot” taking place at a school, at which sex occurs. The school name is…sexually suggestive. There is bondage and highly unrealistic body proportions.

In Yuki no Saku ni ha – Suddenly Chihiro’s life is disrupted by the appearance of a Yuki-Onna (a snow spirit) who moves in with her and starts to act like her wife. Clearly this is all that is needed for love to bloom between Yuki and Chihiro.

And to end on a pleasant note, there’s Nagisa no HaiQ-bu a 4-panel series about a girl, Nagisa, who joins the Beach Volleyball club and who falls for fellow team member, Akira.

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That’s a wrap for this week.

Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. (Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed.)

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!