Archive for the Series Category


Yuri Anthology: Gokigenyou

March 15th, 2007

After all that nastiness in my ears yesterday, I decided to cleanse my soul with a little Maria-sama ga Miteru today. It’s especially fitting as, after all, Strawberry Panic is not much more than a trashy parody of Marimite.

You may remember that I picked up an inordinate amount of Marimite doujinshi anthologies while in Tokyo this past January (and if you didn’t remember, now you know.) Today’s reviewee, Gokigenyou, Volume 1, is one of those many. I previously reviewed another anthology, Maria’s Wink, Volume 2. which I liked very much. If anything, Gokigenyou is better.

The first several dozen pages of Gokigenyou are 4-koma, four panel comics, each focusing on one of the Rose families of the Lillian Student Council, the Yamayurikai.  Each of the comics are printed on paper that corresponds in color to the Rose in question: i.e., The Chinensis family comics are on red paper, Foetida on yellow and Gigantea on white. It’s a cute touch.

The stories that follow are a wild mish-mosh of gag and romantic stories, leaning towards the gag side. There’s a series of stories about Eriko’s taste in comics which is very amusing, and a howlingly funny and deeply disturbing series of stories in which Noriko is portrayed as the Ichimatsu doll she’s usually described as looking like in the novels. These last are so creepy and so *funny* that opening the book and looking at one panel starts me laughing all over again. Probably my favorite gag in that whole series comes after Yoshino and Yumi have grown a little used to Noriko’s monotone speech and creepy doll face that never moves (except to spin all the way around.) As they walk along with Shimako, Yumi comments pleasantly that Noriko sure looks like an Ichimatsu doll, doesn’t she? Shimako smiles blandly and replies, “Ah, you mean her hair?” It’s quite brilliant and awful. As is the moment that Yumi comes up from behind Noriko and slaps her smartly on the back to say hi, only to have Noriko’s head fall off.  Touko’s only comment, “Be careful, Noriko”, while Yumi disappears to a corner to shiver.

Following these are a series of stories by a circle called Bonnie Bonny that I like very much. They do cute and sweet in a way that doesn’t make me feel icky. (Kinder, gentler moe.) The first of the Bonnie Bonnie stories is one of my personal favorites, Yoshino and Rei and Sachiko and Yumi out on a double date. There’s a bit of out-of-character stuff, but it’s harmless and the story is really very nice, with a high Yuri rating. It also contains an incredibly unusual and interesting moment between Yoshino and Sachiko, who find themselves alone for a bit.

For that story alone, the collection would be worth it, but there’s plenty more than just that. There’s lots of quality time with Sei and her women: Shimako, Youko and Shizuka – and an emotional Shiori retrospective. And there’s another Rei and Yoshino story in which Yoshino wishes that they could become lovers; it ends with them on a date to the beach in winter, and Yoshino thinking that the way they are is fine.

The last story is Yumi thinking about saying goodbye to the former Rosas, and how hard it will be for her to say goodbye to Sachiko when she graduates.

So, again, not heavy duty with the Yuri romance, but what there is is excellent and the gag comics are actually really funny, which is kind of unusual. And the one Bonnie Bonny story more than makes up for the lack of romance, as it’s just chockful of Yuri love-love.

Ratings:

Art – Variable 5-7
Story – Variable – 6-8
Characters – well, duh. 10
Yuri – 6 (with a boost to 8 for the one story)
Service – 2

Overall – 8

What makes it better than Maria’s Wink is just how funny the funny stuff is. Another great way to enjoy a variety of Marimite doujinshi without the time and expense of digging out individual circles and books.





Yuri Drama CD: Strawberry Panic Lu Lim Hen

March 14th, 2007

While I did not find the Strawberry Panic Drama CD Lu Lim Hen: Oneesama to Maid Soudou to be the same kind of aural assault that occurred when I listened to the Mai Otome Drama CD, I did feel that another little piece of my soul has been sucked away by it…especially as the second time I listened to it, it bothered me less than the first. ^_^

As a quick flashback, let me remind you that the first Strawberry Panic Drama CD covered the great underwear mystery at St. Miator and the second CD in the series, the physical examinations at St. Spica.

This, the third Drama CD based on the Strawberry Panic franchise, focuses on the doings in Lu Lim Academy, the youngest, and strangest, of the three schools that make up Astoria.

The one defining characteristic of Lu Lim (other than bad French) is that the students are encouraged to not only take part in club activities, but go ahead and make as many new clubs as they want. This fact I gleaned from the Strawberry Panic light novel, which I’m reading in Japanese.

So, the CD begins as Kizuna starts a brand new club, one that doesn’t include Lu Lim Student Council President Minamoto Chikaru. The “Renai” (romantic love) Club is going to talk about all *sorts* of things related to love. Only, neither Kizuna, nor fellow club members Lemon or Kagome, or even Kagome’s stuffed teddy bear Percival, has anything to say on the subject. The three wonder what kind of person Chikaru-oneesama would fall in love with.

Chikaru comes in and starts the meeting of the usual “Henshin Club”, which if you’ve seen the series, you know is Chikaru playing dress up with her three dolls, erm girls. The Henshin Club is running a “Charity Maid” event, where people will bid on the services of a maid to help clean up around the school. They decide to design a maid costume for the event, but no one has any good ideas so…and I’m sure you saw this coming a mile away…Chikaru flips a switch in the wall, which turns the classroom into an elevator that drops into a huge sub-basement full of maid outfits.

O_o

Kagome is outfitted in classic Victorian style, Lemon gets the standard maid cafe treatment and Kizuna gets an ultra-sexy miniskirted, thigh-high-stockinged outfit which sends Chikaru into absolute paroxysms of ecstasy.

It was this scene that led me to my conclusion that “good” Yuri can be differentiated from “bad” by simply substituting a guy for the girl in question. Should we have been subjected to a male character in the throes of sexual excitement while looking at Kizuna at that moment, we would have been disgusted. As, indeed, I was.

And things only get *better* as Chikaru then decides they need to prowl the school’s secret spots to determine what outfit would suit the event best. So, for the next few tracks, we are subjected to a series of incredibly service-y Yuri-ish scenes to wank to.

In the Library, Nagisa and Chiyo are doing *something* and it sounds horribly intimate, but in fact they are just trying to reshelve a book that’s high up. (Honestly, this scene made me bang my head against my steering wheel, it was so cringe-makingly awful.)

In the Greenhouse, Shizuma toys with Miyuki’s affections, which ends with her sucking Miyuki’s finger a lot more than a simple cut could account for.

In the Church, Yaya is about to confess her feelings to Hikari (and seriously, how stupid does Hikari have to be to not have figured it out…?) when a noise interrupts them. Lemon and Kagome run away, trying to not get caught.

Having used all other places in the entire school where service could have taken place, we retire to peep a little in the bath. In the end, just about every single member of the cast except for Amane ends up in that bath. Shizuma, Chiyo and Tamao squabble over who gets Nagisa, ostensibly to scrub her back. (Oh and by the way, in case you missed in in the anime, because that was a little subtle, Kagome *also* has a crush on Nagisa.)

When one of the nuns discover the Henshin Club members all hanging around the bath in maid costumes, she demands to know what’s up. They say that they’re there for a bath, duh, and jump in. But she thinks they are up to something, and since they are in maid outfits, she assigns them all to clean the church as punishment. Chikaru thinks it’s a great way to play maid and they are all happy about it, which utterly confuses the Sister.

At the next meeting of the Renai Club, a new member enters – it’s Chikaru! Surprise! They ask her to tell them a story of love and she responds with this unhappy tale of a girl, just like themselves, a second year middle school student:

Girl C, we’ll call her, although Chikaru gives no names at all, is lost in the woods somewhere between schools when she runs into what looks like a boy and a horse! She got the horse part right, but in fact, it’s another girl – a girl that is, like herself, a second-year, and who wants desperately to be a horseback rider. Girl A. as we’ll refer to her, is apprenticing with the horse riding club. It’s her job to exercise the horses.

Girl C and Girl A end up meeting every day at the creek where they first met and, as time goes on, they start to wonder why they want to see each other SO much. It’s obvious that love is flourishing between them. They share hopes and dreams as they meet in the woods every day, despite their duties – Girl A with the horseback riding club and Girl C with the many, *many* clubs she’s in. Girl C dubs Girl A a “prince” for wanting to ride on a white charger.

One day, Girl C comes running to their meeting place, only to be met by the President of the Riding Club. The President tells Girl C to stop seeing Girl A. She has great plans for Girl A, and plans on making her a champion rider. But to do that, she needs to be able to focus on her riding, and not be distracted. Girl C makes the President swear to make Girl A a rider if she goes away, which the President does. So, in order to fulfill Girl A’s dream, Girl C leaves and finds a place to cry her broken heart out. When Girl A arrives at their place, she’s met not by Girl C, but by the President, who tells her that Girl C said she can’t come anymore. The President tells Girl A that she’s being promoted to rider. Girl A is thrilled, but begins to cry anyway, as she realizes that she really won’t have time to see Girl C anymore.

Chikaru ends the story, as all the club members sob happily at this tale of unfulfilled love. As Kizuna, Lemon and Kagome go back to their room, Kizuna wonders why Chikaru looked so sad as she told the story. (Erica looked sad, too, but not for the same reason. I was just concerned that all three of the girls – even Lemon, for whom I had some hope in the beginning of the CD – were so dense.)

Once back in their room, they wonder who they might fall in love with. Lemon admits that she wants to fall in love with Kizuna, but Kizuna is already asleep and misses the big confession. Kagome falls asleep wondering what kind of person Percival would fall in love with.

The messages from the cast track had one or two good moments, my favorite being when Amane’s seiyuu, Kaida Yuko, apologizes to Hikari’s seiyuu. ^_^ (If you missed why, read Chikaru’s story again. Get it this time.)

The bonus track is a little story of life at St. Miator, as Nagisa slams into one of the nuns and knocks her down. After being scolded for running in the halls, Nagisa offers to deliver the mail the sister was carrying. As she visits all the principals at St. Miator (Tamao, Chiyo, Shizuma and Miyuki) she barges into their rooms to deliver the mail, only to find them each writing a letter. What she doesn’t know is that, in each case, the letter is being written to *Nagisa’s* parents, each from the uniquely insane perspective of that character. When Nagisa returns to the nun, she is scolded for never writing her own parents. The Sister muses that her parents are probably worried that they never hear about Nagisa at school. Ha ha.

The final bit is an advertisement for the first of the three SP Drama CDs, with Shizuma commenting cooly that she’s interested not in Nagisa’s underwear, but on what’s inside.

Ratings:

Art – N/A
Story – 4
Characters – 6
Yuri – 8 but largely service and double entendre
Service – 10

Overall – 5

I took a moment to read the reviews over at Amazon JP for this Drama CD and I have to admit, the level of moe was high. *Very* high. I really was surprised at how many people thought this Drama CD was the best of the three, and how many people just thought it so incredibly wonderful in general. One comment even said that it was worth buying just for Chikaru’s story. Really? Okay, whatever.





Ikkitousen Dragon Destiny Anime

March 10th, 2007

I know that you’ll all be pleased to know that Ryomou Shimei, Kanu Unchou and Kaku Bunwa are all still wearing underwear. It’s an unavoidable conclusion that one has to come to in mere seconds of watching Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny.

You may recall from my reviews of Ikkitousen that I am fully aware that this is utter crap of the lowest sort. Nonetheless I enjoy it, not because I am ignoring the utter crappiness, but because I am enjoying some individual parts of the utter crappiness. ^_^ The panty shots are not among these parts. I like the fights and I like women who have mad fightin’ skillz. And I like The Romance of the Three Kingdoms bits, so I put up with the boring stuff to eke out some pleasure from the rest. ;-)

(As an aside, I was at Anime Castle today, where there was a 3′ tall figurine of Kanu Unchou for sale. I could only boggle. What on *earth* would one do with such a thing?

…

Now that I think about it, don’t tell me. Forget I mentioned it.)

Anyway, Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny begins with my beloved Ryomou attempting to steal a dragon seal, and almost, but not quite, being thwarted by Kakuen Myousai.

You *may* recall from the previous series (but probably not) that the new leader of the Toushi, the Fighters, is Sousou Moutoku. He’s going to be calling for a new throwdown soon, and the various schools are tense as the Fighters all brush up their skills and jockey for power.

Many of the characters are returning from the first series. Ryomou and Hakufu from Nanyou Gakuin, the aforementioned Sousou and Kaku Bunwa, now from Kyoshou Gakuin.

And from Seito Gakuen we get a lot more face time …you *know* what I mean… with Kanu Unchou who, in the first series came by only to fight Ryomou. Kanu is joined by pushy Chouhi Ekitoku and Ryuubi Gentoku. Ryuubi is clearly a lover, not a Fighter, and even tough Kanu softens a bit when she’s around her.

I can safely predict there will be much fighting, and panty shots and exploding clothes but whether there is any Yuri, only time will tell. So far Kanu blushing at Ryuubi’s clueless niceness is our only hit so far as episode 2. But we haven’t seen Ryomou and Goei together yet, and they are the couple I love best. ^_^

I’ll keep my fingers crossed that I can re-visit this series at a later date with assurance that while it is still utter and complete crap, it is at least utter and complete crap with *Yuri*. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 4
Characters – 6
Yuri – 1
Service – 12

Overall – 5

I like Ryomou, because I like joint submissions. I like Kanu because I like women with polearms…and she uses a guando, which just about makes me drool with desire. I can’t help myself. I like Ikkitousen ^_^





Yuri Drama CD: Simoun Uruwashii no Haken OL

March 7th, 2007

I’m trying something new today…the picture on the left is linked to the Amazon.JP entry for this Drama CD, the title below is linked to the Amazon.com entry. (Yes, you can get Drama CDs from Japan through Amazon.com. Shipping from Japan is included in the price, which is why they seem so expensive. No, they have not been translated.)

If the Simoun manga that ran in Megami magazine felt like a fourth-rate cross-over rip-off fanfic, then the Simoun Drama CD: Ah, Lovely Temp Office Ladies (why are we doing this?) Simoun, Inc. feels like a not-too-bad post-series fanfic, with some funny moments.

Let’s talk about the title for second. It really is that long, with the first part being spoken (loudly) by everyone, the part in parentheses said (despairingly) by Parietta, and the last (matter-of-factly) by Neviriru.

The war is over, Aeru says at the beginning. What will we all do now? And in the flurry of discussion, Limone comments that she wants to go to Tokyo. So, go to Tokyo they do. Neviriru decides that they should form a company, which they also do. They decide to be a temp agency for “office ladies” (OLs).) The girls (everyone but Alti and Floe, that is – those actresses appear to be missing) all argue about where to live because, of course, they have no money. Neviriru wants to stay in Roppongi Hills and when everyone disagrees, she locks herself in a room and sulks. Rodreamon and Mamina (with a really scary cheerful voice) try to coax her out. Parietta does the same, but fails utterly to her chagrin.

(Somewhere in the middle of this, Rodo calls Neviriru “Nevi-chan”, and by the end just about all of them are using the nickname.)

When Aeru calls out to Neviriru, she comes right out, and when Aeru gets her to put her face out a bit more, so she can kiss Neviriru, Parietta starts on a series of depressed glosses of “I’m useless” which gains Kaimu’s sympathy, but not much more. To everyone’s discomfort Aeru and Neviriru continue to be exceedingly lovey-dovey, until Limone comments that they should take a company trip.

Company trip? Company trip! Neviriru agrees, and commands that they will leave…in the morning!

As second-in-command Parietta had taken upon herself to assign roles for everyone in the company. Aeru and Limone are the bottom rungs, so they are sent off to gather supplies. The second track consists of them bicycling to town to get stuff.

At the onsen, in the third track, the bulk of our time is spent in making Parietta look foolish. Aeru slams a door onto her accidentally pushing her into the water – that kind of thing. Parietta begins to yell, when the music changes and bizarrely from behind her, Onashia appears coming out of the onsen. It’s a walk-off cameo which I thought was simply brilliant. There’s some fanservice-y discussion of how beautiful various members’ skin is and the almost inevitable breast size conversation. They jump into the water to do “remersion practice” and follow it up with incredibly silly remersion names. When Aeur attempts to do a Suigyoku remersion, however, everyone screams “stop!” and yells at her.

This is followed by food, which they all think is disgusting, except Mamina, who thinks its wonderful. Her enjoyment helps the rest get over themselves, except Rodo, who passes.

They talk about getting entertainment, but as they have no money, they opt for a talent contest. This ends up with some marathon drinking by Parietta, who asks Neviriru to dance, only to find that Nevi-chan has fallen asleep against her. (Note the spiffy piece of fanart I found for this scene last night.)

The fourth track follows Mamina and Rodoreamon as they hit Harajuku. It’s a typical rich girl/poor girl scenario. Rodo is freaked by all the people, the idea of shopping in a 100-yen store and tries to buy a crepe with a credit card. Mamina, in turn, is utterly put off by Rodo’s choice of lunch – a ramen shop. She had hoped to eat somewhere elegant and expensive. They make up over little gifts and live happily ever after.

Track 5 includes the most inappropriate use *ever* of the Emerald remersion, as Aeru uses it to pop 30 minutes into the future so she can eat some flan.

The final track has Neviriru coming out and announcing, with many words – something that does not pass without comment – that she’s dissolving the company. Everyone is shocked, but as they come around to the idea, and discuss possible futures for themselves, Rodo mentions that she’s always wanted to be in Takarazuka. lol

After Neviriru complains that she’s running out of patience waiting for Aeru to make the first move already, the two of them finish the CD with another discomfiting bout of kissing, hugging and personal talk, this time of the slightly TMI variety.

Once again, I found the bonus track hysterical, as the actresses all discuss their enjoyment as they made the CD. The best line is right at the beginning when they are talking about Onashia’s bizarro cameo when, from the back comes Onashia’s voice saying, “don’t touch me” totally deadpan, which flattens everyone. Including me.

I have to mention the music. I’m not the only one who has mentioned how exceptional the music for this series is. Look around online, you’ll find others. It *is* exceptional. And all of the best bits are used, quite incongruously, for the Drama CD. So music that was used for battles and flying Simoun are here used for…eating flan and shopping. It adds a measure of complete wtf-ness to what is already a silly story.

Okay, so, this is NOT a serious look at the characters from Simoun. It’s also not entirely out of character, although Parietta gets beat on pretty badly throughout. But in return you get actual kissing noises done very poorly by the actresses for Aeru and Neviriru, which indicate that they are now actually a couple. (So badly its almost worth a soundbite…but I’m not gonna bother – just kiss the back of your hand once or twice loudly. Make it sound stupid. That should do it.)

Ratings:

Art – N/A
Story – 5
Characters – 6
Yuri – 7
Service – 7 (anyone pokes my breast in an onsen, they’re going to get their fingers broken…)

Overall – 6

If what you liked about Simoun was the depth, the complexity – avoid this DCD at all costs. If you can get the stick out of your butt long enough to see this as the goofball fanfic it is, you might enjoy it.





Yuri Anime: Mai Otome Zwei OAV 2

March 5th, 2007

While digging around the intewebs for the picture I wanted to illustrate this review, I couldn’t help but notice people’s shock as they realize that Mai Otome Zwei does not have a real plot! Oh noes! I had to laugh, because apparently these same people are suffering from that selective memory rewrite that fandom frequently resorts to when they “forget” that they are watching trash. ^_^

Folks, I’m here to remind you…Mai Otome was trash. But it was *fun* trash. So lighten up and enjoy the OAVs which will also be trash, but sillier. And, as in the case of this OAV, have more Yuri fodder. It will also likely have the Sunrise Reset we all loathe and abhor, as Arika’s love and belief and faith and hope and lots of other intangible good things completely dispels the largely pointless display of strength shown by the bad guy/gal/entity. Just like Mai Hime. Because Arika is the H-E-R-O.

Okay, so this OAV focuses on the doing in Elias, home to our favorite President/Otome comedy pair, Yukino and Haruka. I have long loved Haruka, from the moment she fought her own death long enough to haul off and belt Shizuru in Mai HiMe. I have to respect that kind of bull-headed tenacity. I like Otome‘s Haruka even better. In the beginning of this OAV, we learn that I am not alone.

Elias is in the middle of a terrorist threat. Chie (whose “cool” rating bounces up and down like a heart meter during the Tour De France during this episode) has developed “Operation Silent” in order to surround and disarm the terrorists. So, of course Haruka shows up with a giant megaphone and starts screaming at them. Stupid? Yes. I loved it – laughed like a hyena just for the fact that Haruka has a *giant megaphone* stowed in her tank.

As I said, I am not alone in this – when Yukino’s rival for the Presidency shows up (with ladder-climbing ex-evil Otome Tomoe in tow) the watching crowds shout him down saying that they LIKE the Yukino/Haruka combination – it’s goverment and entertainment all at once. The crowds go on to cheer Marshal Haruka because she’s 100% Haruka and nothing else.

In the middle of this tense, highly realistic scenario we find that Arika is one of the people on the bus being held hostage. She does not yet know this, because she is sound asleep. When she does wake up, she immediately gives up her identity, and the fact that she can’t materialize anymore, because Mashiro is missing. Always a bright bulb, our little Arika. Chie is about ready to explode with frustration, when Operation Silent begins.

Yukino, who had gone out, bravely, insanely, to speak to the terrorists alone, ends up with Arika on the bus, having been traded for all the innoncents who have been set free. There ensues a very touchy-feely conversation whose sole purpose is to remind us that Yukino and Haruka are a couple. This becomes important in a second.

There’s lots of shininess as the Otome all swing into action – and an extra measure of kaboom and swoosh when a “Child” suddenly appears and attacks everyone. (Yes, like a “Child” from Mai HiMe only, not.)

Chie’s Otome powers appear to have turned her into Saint Tail, a joke which very few people will get, but the ones I care about will, so I don’t care. Magician Chie is one the one hand quite sexy and on the other mind-bogglingly stupid. But it makes for great fanart. “Hey Aoi, watch me pull a rabbit outta my hat!” …Another reference that no one will get. Still doesn’t matter, I’m on a roll!

When Yukino’s life is more endangered than it was before, Haruka moves heaven and earth to save her – their coupleness is reaffirmed in the perfect love perfect trust and perfect understanding they have with one another, which ends up in the cool screencap above.

So, when Haruka goes down, like all the Otome before her, we actually feel *bad*. Because we get to see how truly brave and yes, insane, but powerful, loyal yadda yadda she is – and how much she really loves Yukino. Like her “death” in HiME Haruka’s moment of being a hero in Zwei was full of win.

The end of the OAV leaves us with one less powerful Otome in our arsenal, but a last minute appearance by the one person who was missing will surely even the score. (No brain cells will be needed for the final OAV, I’m thinking. “I believe in you, Nina! “I believe in you, Arika!” Arrrrhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Whoosh! We win. Yay.)

Ratings:

Art – 8
Character – 8
Story – who cares, I mean really
Yuri – 6
Service – 6

Overall – 8

Peronally, I LOVED this OAV. Loved it with all my love. Yukino and Haruka 4tw.