Archive for the Series Category


Yuri Manga: Kashimashi ~ Girl Meets Girl, Volume 3 (English)

August 8th, 2007

I have two gentlemen to thank for today’s review. First and foremost, Daniel P. who sponsored today’s review by hitting up my Wish List. Thank you very much Daniel! And secondly, Mike H. who just yesterday wrote me a wheedling email wanting to know when I would review this manga already. Mike – I’m reviewing it, ‘kay? Stop whining. ^_^

The plot of Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl, Volume 3 is no different from my review of the Japanese edition in 2006. For a basic outline (with the usual mild spoilers) of the plot in Volume 3, please go ahead and read that review. This time I’m going to focus on the adaptation to English.

First of all, I continue to be both impressed and pleased by the translation and adaptation of this manga. Not only is Seven Seas attempting to capture the feel and sense of the original, but leaving honorifics and cultural relics untranslated, but in this issue I noticed a sincere effort to capture the *voice* of each character. This simply puts this adaptation orders above every other translated manga company out there, except for ALC. Because we also work hard to keep the character’s voices intact through our translations and adaptations.

If you know anything about me as a writer or editor, have ever attended a writing workshop with me, or even just read my Fanfic Writer’s Workshop, you’ll know that lack of “voice” in writing, much less translation, is my bete noir. I cannot stand it when all the characters in a book, manga, anime, whatever, sound the same. Rarely do they, in the original, but American translators, by virtue of being one person translating several chapters/volumes, often smooth out the voices to the point that all the differences in speech disappear. Maintaining them in any translation is difficult. And kudos to 7S for obviously working at it.

But.

(You just *knew* there had to be a “but,” right?)

Unless Tomari has all of a sudden become an old Jewish guy, I’m just not convinced that “putz” is the right word as a translation for “baka.” *I* don’t even use putz – and I’m an old Jewish woman. My Dad…*he* uses putz. “Idiot” “Moron” “Stupid” – all are perfectly good insults that don’t make Tomari sound like my father. ^_^

One other thing I wanted to point out on the good side: I noticed immediately that all the characters, save Sora-sensei (who is alien and a freak above that) now call Hazumu “she” or “her.” Well done. Thank you.

The Stupid Plot Complication Disorder (SPCD) this volume is far more exhausting than Yasuna’s merely not being able to see men, and I can swear to you that the conflicts, such as they are, will drag out for most of the next two volumes. But I’ll also council you to stick with the story, because IMHO, the end isn’t at all bad. Check back here for an upcoming review of the final volume, which came out this summer in Japan.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Characters – 7
Story – 7
Yuri – 9
Service – 4

Overall – 8

Asuta and his fantasies…total snooze. What a paucity of imagination that boy has.





My HiME Anime, Volume 5 (English)

August 6th, 2007

Okay, here’s the problem. You’re a teenager, a girl, with some serious powers, a magical beast companion and, you learn, a destiny. But, the person telling you what your destiny is, is the smarmiest roach of a guy you’ve ever met. And the destiny he’s telling you that you have is to fight a malevolent force – but only after you’ve defeated all the people you think of as your friends first.

You see the problem, right?

The answer is, “Nagi. You’re a tick and none of us trust you. It might be true what you say, and the person who reigns supreme after we fight will have the power of all twelve HiME…but we *already* have that power as 12 HiME. So instead of fighting one another, we’re gonna kick *your* ass, and then take on the evil whatmacallit.”

Of course, that would end the plot now and we wouldn’t get two and a half more volumes of pure, unadulterated angst in which to wallow. So that’s no good.

So here we are at My HiME, Volume 5. Our menu for today includes beating Mai to death with the angst stick and for dessert, making Mikoto cry. But it’s all IMPORTANT, so that’s okay. Without all this angst, our characters would have no impetus to make bad decisions and do the thing Nagi said they would do.

The DVD extras on this volume include a servicey Midori looking at her own choices in life, a Yuri-service Mashiro/Fumi vignette, Akira’s feelings about Takumi and Takumi talking to Mai.

More importantly, this volume includes the much-screencapped scene where Shizuru gives away her feelings for Natsuki briefly, as she plays with a sleeping Natsuki’s hair. Aside from the implied emotions, it’s a very pretty scene.

Also, while not Yuri, the gender-bendy Akira and Takumi have a genuinely sweet scene, which IMHO is probably the best scene of the volume.

Some attempt is made to give Tate a personality, but it’s wasted effort, really.

So, allowing for the obvious flaw in reasoning (and who would expect a bunch of 16 and 17-year olds to reason things through, anyway?) and the incessant beating of Mai and by extension Mikoto, which is the main driver of the plot, Volume 5 is quite good.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Character – 6
Story – 7
Yuri – 3
Service – 7
Angst – 9 and still rising

Overall – 7





Maria-sama ga Miteru OAV 5, Ciao Sorella

August 5th, 2007

I’m back after a few days of refreshing and recharging. It’s a beautiful summer day outside and I will have some important news later today. “God’s in his Heaven – All’s right with the World,” as Robert Browning wrote. :-) (The wife reminds me that this quote actually originated with Cervantes, but I’m using the Browning version today.)

While I was relaxing, I was able to watch the 5th Marimite OAV, Ciao, Sorella (this link leads to to the Collector’s Edition. Click here for the DVD-only editon) with seiyuu commentary, and incidentally give my office an overdue cleaning while I was at it. While not as Yuri-ful as the previous OAV, Ready, Go!, of all the novels I have read, it seemed to me to be the most suited for adaptation to an anime. I have not posted my notes here, but I *have* already read Ciao Sorella.  Most of the novel is travelogue; descriptions of all the normal tourist spots and doings that one would cram into a week school trip in Italy. From Yumi’s unique perspective, of course.

Let’s start with the important bits – the goodies inside the collector’s edition. I was close with my prediction for the gimme. I had predicted a marble-patterned pad – it was a marble-patterned photo album (similar to the one that Sachiko received.) So, close enough.

Postcards were, as usual, appealing, and the character design booklet that comes with the DVD included Yumi, Yoshino and Shimako in regular clothes, their teacher Katori Maki (who has been in several of the stories in the novels and although she had no major screen time here, I was glad to see her) as well as important characters like “shoulder bag” and “airplane seats.” ^_^ And Yoshino’s magic cloth.

Also included was a one-sheet flyer with a picture of Yumi and Touko on the front and some seiyuu comments on back, with a notice about the upcoming fourth season of the anime.

The OAV was, as I had hoped. The animation was significantly better than Ready, Go!. Without all the detailed description of the buildings, the story is rendered down to a few key scenes that worked perfectly well. What was cut was in no way crucial to the story. And they kept in pretty much every good scene.

I think they nailed the scene with Shizuka singing – kudos to the sound mixers. They really captured the sound of Shizuka’s voice reverberating and blending with itself in the high ceiling.

I listened to the DVD with seiyuu commentary which is, as always, amusing, when I can follow it. This time it was the seiyuu for Yumi (Ueda Kana,) Yoshino (Ikezawa Haruna,) and Shimako (Noto Mamiko – who, when she forgets to be breathy, has a surprisingly deep voice.) They commented at one point how they’d like to have a lover like Rei. No, really, they did. ^_^ At the end of the anime, instead of a next episode teaser, there was a one-line, “4th season is coming.”

Here are the two best scenes, IMHO. At the Vatican, Yumi comes across Shimako standing in from of the “Last Judgement” crying, beautifully of course. Shimako says she can’t make the tears stop. Yoshino joins them and says, “don’t you think Jesus is a little fat?” And Yumi, standing between these two thinks, these are my best friends. ^_^

The other great scene was truncated, but as its the punchline in a long joke, I’ll just say this – when the bird speaks, *really* pay attention to what it says.

As for Yuri…well, this novel had already proved to me that Sachiko and Yumi are definitely, positively not gay, even if they are indeed incredibly lovey-dovey and romantic. At the end of the story when Sachiko confronts Yumi about the postcard, it was a *very* sexual tension-filled scene in the novel. But they do not kiss, and Yumi does not even think about kissing Sachiko. So, while it’s a great scene – and works well in the anime, better even, because we can’t hear Yumi’s thoughts – it seals the deal that they are totally not a couple. More’s the pity. It’s still very sweet, though.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Characters – 9
Story – 8
Yuri – 2
Service – 4 (bath scenes, some implied nudity – each instance of which Ikezawa Haruna points out in the seiyuu commentary. “That’s service.” No, really? ^_^)

Overall – 8

Nothing to do with this DVD, but when I watched Ready, Go! with seiyuu commentary (Yumi, Kanako and Touko’s voice actresses) and Sachiko walks up in gakuran, Ueda Kana says, “Gakuran is nice, huh” is a very wistful and wishful voice. The other two respond, in stereo, “very nice” equally as wistful and wishful. It was funny as hell.





Summer Vacation – Time for Beautiful Memories

August 1st, 2007

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. It’s a combination of lots to do (keep your eyes peeled here for a preview of Yuri Monogatari 5!) and an unwillingness to do anything else. :-)

So pardon me while I take a few days off from Okazu and enjoy some of the anime and manga that have piled up on the living room table. And summer. I have some beautiful memories I wish to make that include things that are not anime or manga at all.

In the meantime, I have obtained permission to upload pictures of the amazing Marmite cosplayers from Otakon. They are all very sweet kids, and very cute. Thanks to Leanne and her Dad for permission to use the pictures!

This was at AnimeNEXT where I saw them for the first time. I’m not kidding when I say that my right hand is hovering over “Shimako’s” shoulder by about an inch, because I didn’t want her to think I was creepy. :-)

This is my new friend Leanne as Sei. I already told you about her great story where Noto Mamiko called her Onee-sama. Well, I learned recently that Noto-san was telling folks on the Otakon Guest staff, too. So win all around!

Could Yumi and Shimako be any *cuter*? Could they know it any more than they do? LOL (Yumi looks remarkably like my sister at that age, which strikes me as kind of funny.)

Here’s all three at the end of the Yuri Panel at Otakon.

And last, here’s all three, myself, Sean, Serge and Bruce. Sadly, Katie had to blow out of there so she missed the photo opportunity.

Anyway – thanks again to these amazing cosplayers – and very gracious young ladies. :-)





Live Action: Cutie Honey Movie (English)

July 26th, 2007

I reviewed the Cutie Honey live-action movie back in 2004 when it first came out and fundamentally, none of my opinions have changed. It remains an incredibly silly, thoroughly enjoyable, and overwhelmingly fannish look at one of anime and manga’s longest-lasting superheroine series, Cutie (or Cutey) Honey.

For new readers, Cutie Honey is the name of a cute female android created by a Professor Kisaragi. Honey uses the I-system (a pun on “Ai” the Japanese word for love) to transform into whatever form best suits the situation. From motorcycle rider, to Office Lady, to S&M Queen to Bad Guy henchclone, Cutie Honey’s form will be just what is needed to save the day. Her true form is as a ally of love and justice and several times an episode we are given the opportunity to enjoy Honey’s at least partially nude transformation, because that’s the way the series works. In this live action movie the transformations are more coy but we get plenty of partially-clothed Honey for other, even less justifiable reasons, because that’s the way the movie works.

In every incarnation, Honey fights the crazy baddies of the evil Panther Claw gang: in this case the nipple-ringed Gold Claw, creepy Cobalt Claw, short-lived Scarlet Claw and pop idol-wannabee Black Claw. It comes as no surprise to anyone who has watched any of the Honey series that she will win in the end. Because, after all, love always wins the day.

Because I did indeed already review this movie, I just want to make a few comments on the official US release. One – go get it. It’s really wonderful. Thoroughly cracktastic – from the music to the use of animation, the bizarre body language to the choppy cinematography. It’s like Power Rangers for grown up otaku.

Secondly…the subtitles. *What* was going on with the subtitles????? The two most obviously persistent problems were in regards to Sister Jill-sama, the chief bad guy. Sometimes translated “Lord Sister Jill,” sometimes “Lady Sister Jill” and other times not translated at all, the phrase “Sister Jill-sama” because a cue for me to try and guess the next version. Worse, the translators apparently had serious issues with Honey’s Uncle’s name. You say Uzuki, I say Utsugi – the translators used both. Indiscriminately. And they never settled on one version by the end of the movie. If it hadn’t been so sad, it would have been hysterical.

Thirdly, and most importantly. Is it love between Na-chan and Honey? Despite reporter Seiji’s aborted attempt to get close to Inspector Aki Natsuko, by the end, it is SO Honey who has taken over the tough-as-nails inspector’s heart. For pity’s sake – even Jill’s creepy butler notices. And when, in the final scene, Seiji kisses Honey’s hand, no one is gonna tell me that Na-chan’s reaction is not pure jealousy. Not for Seiji, either. It’s really obvious that it’s on Honey’s behalf.

I’m not sure that someone new to anime and manga would “get” this movie, but for anyone who is even remotely a fan of the legend of Cutie Honey, it’s a must-see. It is just so much fun!

Ratings:
Story – 8
Character – 9
Cinematography – 8
Costumes – 9
Music – 9
Yuri – 5

Overall – 8 edging into 9