Archive for the Series Category


Yuri Manga: Hayate Cross Blade, Volume 1 (English)

October 30th, 2008

It has been almost three and a half years since I first reviewed Hayate x Blade and in all that time, never once has my delight in this series lessened one iota. So you can imagine how thrilled I am to tell you now about the English-language edition of Hayate x Blade, Volume 1. (In case you somehow missed my raving about this manga, please feel free to check out my reviews of the volumes already out in Japanese.)

The story of Hayate x Blade is an entertaining mix of comedy, action, drama, chicks with weapons, and a a Yuri-ish setup that grows ever more Yuri as the plot develops. Pairs of girls, sword sisters, competing in battles for supremacy, power and money….and mostly for the amusement of the chairwoman of Tenchi Gakuen, the wholly whimsical Amachi Hitsugi. This is awesome stuff.

In terms of the reproduction there’s something I really need to tell you. It was my pleasure to be able to be the copy editor on this book. No, seriously. Remember way back last spring when I told you that I had gotten a side job? Well, that side job was to be able to edit manga for Tor. I love working on the Seven Seas manga, not just because it gives me the opportunity to see the books early (because, frankly, I don’t really feel any need to see Inukami ever, much less early) but because they do such good work. It’s very enjoyable to be part of the process.

So, before I tell you that the English edition is damn good, you need to understand that it’s pretty much a conflict of interest. ^_^; Nonetheless, I honestly think they did a pretty damn good job with this book!

The volume is not entirely without problems, but those that exist are so small – slightly too thin paper, slightly too dark print, I don’t really love the design for the logo – are so incredibly small and tedious that they bear mentioning only in the interest of fairness. The important stuff – the reproduction, the translation, the adaptation, the lettering, the sound f/x, etc. are all top-notch.

Yuri in Volume 1 is mostly confined to the existence of openly lesbian (i.e., shounen-style pervy girl) Kuga Jun, roomate to one of our leads, Mudou Ayana. But don’t be disheartened, the Yuri quotient rises as the series goes on. And I just finished reading the most recent chapter and can swear to you that the series has never let me down in any way. Yuri, comedy, drama, action – it’s all there in spades.

I am so very, very glad that Hayate x Blade made it out in 2008, so I can happily name it the best English-language Yuri manga of the year.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 6
Service – 2
Overall – 8

Run! Run! Buy this for yourself and two copies for friends. Yes, it’s that good.





This Week in Yuri – October 25, 2008

October 25th, 2008

It’s been very exciting this week – let’s get right to the good stuff!

Yuri Manga

Kodansha has announced that they are releasing three issues of their Morning 2 magazine online for free. You’ll need to download their online reader, but it is also free. You’ll see all sorts of news how this gets you Saint Oniisan and Peepo choo but, who cares about those absolutely brilliant, quirky, manga series when this means you can finally read the equally quirky, brilliant and Yuri Gunjou!!!! And you *need* to read it. Dark, brutal, dysfunctional Yuri that transcends anything else the genre has ever offered. (And for once, the lesbian character is actually a lesbian.) Issues 14, 15 and 16 of Morning 2 will each be released as the next print issue hits the shelves. Gunjou is a shoo-in for my number one spot at the end of this year. It’s absolutely breathtaking. (Morning 2 is a Japanese magazine, written in Japanese. “Gunjou” has not yet come out in a collection, nor is it licensed. Please, I beg you, do NOT ask me if it’s available in English or when the tankoubon is coming out. No, and I don’t know.)

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Yuri Games

Keep forgetting to mention this, there’s a new Yuri game for PS2 in Japan called ‘ppoi. Now, let me be honest here – I know nothing about this game, and am skeptical as to its actual Yuri content. It’s about a couple of high school girls and you and I both know that means that if two touch, or perhaps look into each others’ eyes, the hordes will call it Yuri. OTOH, who knows. It might actually have some snatches of Yuri. Guess someone’ll have to play it and tell us! ^_^

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Yuri Events

Kyouka wrote in to let us know that there will be a new Yuri event in Japan this coming February (so you have plenty of time to plan a trip!) The event is called the Girls Love Festival. The event is held in Tokyo on February 1, from 2:30PM – 4:30 in Itabashi-ku, Tokyo. 100 circles will participate. If you missed Maiden’s Garden, can’t make it to Comiket, and don’t want to wait and see if there’ll be another Yuriket, this is your big chance to score a pile of Yuri doujinshi!

And, while not specifically Yuri, I think it’s worth mentioning that tomorrow is “Wonder Woman Day III” – held in Portland, Oregon and Flemington, NJ, with proceeds going to benefit domestic violence shelters. I’d cut and paste the press release, but it’s like a mile long, so here’s the basics:

Wonder Woman Day III (Portland)
Sunday, October 26, 2008 – 12noon-6pm, FREE
Excalibur Comics, 2444 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, Oregon

Wonder Woman Day III (New Jersey)
Sunday, October 26, 2007 – 12noon-5pm, FREE
Comic Fusion, 42 Main St., Flemington, New Jersey

Additionally, I’d like to point out that Comic Fusion is co-owned by Yuricon staffer and a very good friend of mine, Stacy. So, yes, I’m totally biased when I say you should absolutely go down there – it’ll be a blast!

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Yuri Anime

Eric blows the horn on the good news – Funimation has announced that fan request has trumped strategic business model and they *will* be releasing the final volumes of Red Garden, Welcome to the NHK and some other anime that I can’t remember off the top of my head and am too lazy to go look up. lol So if you, like me, have collected 5 of the 6 DVDs, you will not be forced to buy a 3-disk box just to complete the collection. Now it’s up to us to actually go *buy* those Volume 6s and make it worth their time, or next time they aren’t going to bother listening to us.

(This news item came in a few days later:) Eric promises that this is the last time he’ll mention it, but that Funimation has put up a limited pre-order for Red Garden 6. (Which, oddly, was what I suggested they do. I have no doubt that they came up with it on their own, it would be bizarre if they took my suggestion. lol) Anyway, he points out that if we don’t want to seem like a bunch of morons, NOW would be the right time to run out and pre-order that disk. lol Thanks for the heads up, Eric!

And thanks to everyone (whose numbers are too great to count) who wrote in with the the answer to the question – yes, Right Stuf is blessing us with more goo-gaws for pre-orders of the second season of Maria Watches Over Us. This time, we are being gifted with a White Rose phone strap. Naturally, we will now all expect and demand the Yellow Rose phone strap for the Third set, the OAV season. :-) I wonder if our phones will hold all these? Incidentally, I found a picture of the Japanese versions of the phone straps. I expect that they were more expensive and down’t ship flat and neatly as the ones we get. I’m not complaining, don’t get me wrong. I’m glad that we get anything!

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Yuri Novels

Thanks to Kasuga for letting me know that there is a Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou novel. I can’t wait to add it to the pile of Japanese novels I have sitting here, mocking me, taunting me, while I don’t read them.

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I think all that’s enough to hold us a week, don’t you? :-)





Yuri News This Week – October 18, 2008

October 18th, 2008

Yuri Anime

The new anime season has begun and, in response to a thread on the Yuricon Mailing List about new anime with no Yuri but that wouldn’t stop people from making up in their heads anyway, several people have jump up to recommend new anime Mouryou no Hako for possible Yuri. I haven’t ‏seen it yet, but will probably watch it as soon as I’m done here. :-) Too many people to name pointed this one out to me, so thanks to all of them!

For series that really aren’t Yuri in any way, but that won’t stop anyone, you might want to check out Hyakko, Shikabane Hime, and Michiko to Hatchin.

Speaking of anime with no Yuri, but that doesn’t stop fans (including myself) from seeing it anyway, Eric points out that Right Stuf has announced a January release date for the Aria The Natural season.

ADV has announced free samples of Azumanga Daioh on iPhone and iPod touch through some service or other. If it gets you Sakaki in gakuran, it’s a good thing. :)

anonymous writes in to share that RightStuf is running a competition for Canada and US residents with a sampler disk of the first season of Marimite for a prize. It closes on the 6th of November.

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Yuri Manga

Media Blasters emailed me to say that they have completed Maka-Maka, Volume 1 and Volume 2 in English and they look fabulous. With luck, I’ll be able to give you a sneak peek at MangaNEXT.

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Yuri Webcomics

In a fit of generosity, Ayane wrote in with a long list of Yuri webcomics for me. As I don’t really read them that much, I thought I’d pass them on to you (can one re-gift information?) I have not read any of these and am not endorsing them. You’re all grownups and can make up your own mind. :-)

Hold Me Tight – http://hmt.smackjeeves.com/

Paradox – http://paradox.smackjeeves.com/

Just the Circumstances – http://jijou.smackjeeves.com/

Juxtapose – http://juxtapose.smackjeeves.com/

Inamoratosister – http://inamoratosister.smackjeeves.com/

Milk – http://milk.smackjeeves.com/

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Other, not really Yuri News

Not really Yuri, but relevant to our interests: The master of “wtf,” Go Nagai, was interviewed briefly by FANTASY.fr and they kindly translated the interview into English for us. Among his many creations, Nagai talks about his classic Cutey Honey series.

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I want to take a moment to thank everyone who reads Okazu. I appreciate that you can identify satire when you see it, I appreciate all the comments you make in the comments fields, and I can’t thank you enough for all the great news items you send in for the New Reports! I couldn’t do it without you!





My Zhime (My Otome) Anime, Volume 7 (English)

October 17th, 2008

As we begin Mai Otome, Volume 7, the world is poised for war; Meister vs Meister, Otome vs Otome, Garderobe and its allies lined up to do battle against Nagi and his forces of Chaos. What do we want most in a situation like this? We want *heroes*! We want the damn cavalry to come thundering down the damn hill and we want it to be shiny, and colorful and we want the horns of Rohan to blow wildly and we want it now.

Boy oh boy do we get that in Volume 7. ^_^

One scene after another, we think we (“we” being the good guys, of course,) have turned the tide in our favor and Nagi pulls yet *another* trick out of his ear, even going so far as to manipulate his own Meister by shooting Sergay and using Nina’s desire to save him to wreak havoc. (His manipulation-fu was a little weak and if Nina hadn’t been such a mopey sop, she might have noticed, but we needed her to just go with it to set up the final confrontation anyway.) Each time calling for yet another triumphant entry of the next wave of the good guys, accompanied by epic background music.

One after another, the Meisters arrive and add their strength to our forces, and time after time, our strength is neutralized until, in a gigantic display of Miyu ex machina all the contracts are cancelled, the Meisters set free and they can *all* take on Nagi’s last-ditch efforts to break toys and pull the wings off of flies.

Of course the world is saved by Arika. Were you worried?

And everyone lives happily ever after, even Tomoe who really should have died horribly. Several times.

Volume 7 also offers a mixed bag of Yuri for our various pleasures. While the volume attains utter fail for Shizuru’s and Natsuki’s completely unromantic and untouchy reunion, we can’t blame them too much, they were both a bit distracted by being in the middle of a war zone. We get a quick retrospective of Shizuru’s playtime with Tomoe (who assumably was a good girl) and for Ers x Nina fans, there’s Erstin’s moving letter to Nina upon which I am sure many a fanfic is based. ^_^ Of course there’s the climax of the whole series where an embrace by Arika brings Nina back from the brink of destruction, and although I am not an Arika x Nina ‘shipper, I know they are out there. Haruka and Yukino continue to be the best manzai government ever. Lastly, but not at all least, there’s Chie’s moving reunion with Aoi. (That’s everyone *I* can think of. I’m sure there are others, so feel free to add in whatever ones you’ve made up in your head to the list of those I’ve made up in mine.)

Mai Otome was never intended to be high art. It was, and remains, a very silly, action comedy-drama with loads of service frosting. A great time for the whole family…assuming your family is like mine. ^_^ (D’oh! I should have watched this with my Dad last time he was here – he would have loved it! Oh well, next time.)

Ratings:

Art – 8
Characters – 8 (We love you Miss Maria, oh yes we do…)
Story – 8
Yuri – 3, but with nuts and candy filling
Service – 5

Overall – 8

And *speaking* of heroes, all my thanks today goes out to the hero of the day, Bruce M, for his sponsorship of this fabulous volume of a lots o’fun anime. (My Dad thanks you too, although he doesn’t know it yet.)





Yuri Manga: Sasamekikoto, Volume 3 (ささめきこと)

October 13th, 2008

Today we turn our attentions once again to the trials and tribulations of Murasame Sumika, aka Sumi, and her hopeless love for her best friend forever, Ushio.

Volume 3 of Sasamekikoto (ささめきこと) begins with the advent of the school sports festival. Someone appears to be targeting Sumika in an attempt to sabotage her class’s chance at victory. As Sumi lines up for the final race, a shoo-in for her, she runs off to save a “kidnapped” Ushio. Sumi and Ushio – now in penguin costume – are happily reunited.

The school erupts in wonder at the arrival of Lotte, a cute little German girl who transfers into the school in order to experience Japanese life. Resisting Ushio’s attempts at dressing her like a doll, Lotte idolizes Sumi’s strength. In order to train Lotte in karate, Sumi picks up her own training for the first time since she met Ushio. We learn that she quit it because Ushio likes cute girls. Now back in the dojo, Sumi remember just how much she loves karate.

In trying to become strong like Sumi, Lotte over exerts herself and collapses. Ushio blames Sumi for not allowing for Lotte’s size and condition. Sumi responds that Lotte *wanted* to train hard, and likes Sumi’s size and strength – that yes, she is NOT cute. Sumi goes running out into the rain and promptly falls ill. (Once again causing me to speculate on Japan’s bacteria-endowed rains….)

Ushio comes to Sumi’s house and nurses her back to health, but pays the price and gets the cold herself. We spend a little while in Ushio’s backstory, learning how she and Sumi became friends when she transfered in, as a result of the rest of the girls in the class ostracizing her when she admitted to liking girls.

Sumi comes to visit Ushio – seeing Ushio upon the veranda, Sumi’s expression says volumes about her feelings, but Ushio runs away. Sumi bangs on the door and demands to see Ushio who, after extracting a promise that they will always be friends (despite the fact that, at this point, neither of them want to be just friends anymore) falls sobbing into Sumi’s arms.

What will happen in the exciting volume 4 of this manga? I don’t know! But I’m very much looking forward to reading more of this really quite excellent tale of best friends in love.

Ratings:

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

Overall – 8

My favorite moment was watching Sumi watching Yabase Takemi fighting. The tension in her body, that desire to be out there, to test her strength against another champion…awesome. Like Lotte, I enjoy watching Sumi being not cute at all.