Archive for the Series Category


Yuri Anime: Maria-sama ga Miteru OAV 1, Vacation of the Lambs

December 17th, 2006

Buy the raw, untranslated collector’s (and therefore more expensive) edition of the Maria-sama ga Miteru OAV, Volume 1: Kohitsujitachi no Kyuuka (Vacation of the Lambs)? What are you, insane?

You betcha. ^_^

The outside has a lovely clear plastic cover with Yumi and Sachiko holding hands, over the actual cover that has a red rose and “La Vierge Marie vous Regarde”, as you can see in the picture above.

Inside is a faux-leather novel cover with the Lillian seal on one side and the text logo for “Maria-sama ga Miteru” on the other, with a very cute leaf bookmark.

There is also a Lillian folder with postcards – original art by Hibiki Reine of Yumi and Sachiko holding hands, of Yumi and Sachiko separately, of the DVD cover and the three rose families from the opening credits.

The DVD cover is, IMO not such a great picture, but it does show a happily embracing Yumi and Sachiko. And for once, the title of the story actually sounds *worse* in French. ^_^ The booklet that comes with the DVD has character designs for all the characters.

I thought it the anime was excellent. They kept “Pastel Pure” as the OP, which made me glad, and they managed to actually de-angst what is really the last of the angsty Yumi novels. Yes, they cut stuff out to fit it, and a very few changes were made – but nothing of consequence and nothing that radically altered the story. In general, a very decent adaptation.

My *only* complaint…we don’t get to see/hear Touko play the violin. I wonder why, since we get all the other performances. And I am thrilled no end that Kashiwagi exlpains that Great-Grandmother isn’t infirm, she’s just pissed. (Although, you don’t get the full explanation, just a truncated one. )

They definitely upped the touchy-feelyness of the story, leaving in pretty much every embrace and hand/arm holding. There was a moment when Sachiko and Yumi decide to go to the party that was animated exactly the way kiss scenes are done – close up, then the a view from far away, which cued up the “romantic moment” tag in my head. The image stands out in my mind, because the surroundings are animated with a lot of detail and color. It’ll make a nice screencap.

Last night I watched it for the third time (the first straight through, the second for a script check and the third with the seiyuu commentary. The seiyuu present are Ueda Kana (Yumi), Itou Miki (Sachiko) and Ikezawa Haruna (Yoshino) and it’s pretty much like sitting in the middle of them as they watch what’s going on (or don’t, when they get distracted.) They wander in an out of talking about the characters as if they were real, as if they actual are the characters, and as if they are just three women sitting around watching an anime. ^_^ They discuss Mount Fuji, gasp and squeal at key points (point out the service) and laugh about random events in the story. It’s a very relaxed, not at all profound, commentary – and the bits I was able to follow were thoroughly enjoyable.

As is usual for an OAV, it’s better quality animation than the TV series. And if you check out the credits a few familiar names scroll by – including Bee Train. The character designs are strong – stronger than I had feared. I was particularly concerned with Sachiko because of the DVD cover picture, but she looks great throughout. And when the Yamayurikai all show up in day clothes, they somehow managed to convey their personalities in what they are wearing. (I *will* be annoyed about one of the character designs for the next OAV, be warned. Oh…and what was with Yuuki’s hair??)

The characters all remain charming. Three times I’ve watched it, and three times, I’ve grinned like a loon at the end.

As I always say, this series will never be half as popular with the lowest common denominator as Strawberry Panic, which is yet another good sign that Marimite is really quality in every way. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Character – 10
Story – 8
Yuri – 4
Service – 1 for fetishism, 9 for gooping like a loon at the screen because you’re a total fan.

Overall – 8

Good story, wonderful characters, romantic without being slimy and generally fun. Total thumbs up for everything – the goods, the DVD, even the box.





Gunsmith Cats Burst Manga, Volume 1

December 15th, 2006

Gunsmith Cats Burst has been picked up by Dark Horse Comics, but as I’ve been reading the Japanese editions, I thought this series would make a pleasant ending to no schoolgirls week, ahead of the English edition coming out in March.

I also note I never reviewed the original Gunsmith Cats manga, or the OAV anime. This will be remedied in the future.

In the meantime, having never reviewed the old versions, let me talk about the new!

Gunsmith Cats is the name of a series that is primarily devoted to three things: guns; cars; and women in various states of (un)dress. All three of these things are wrapped in whimsical, yet in incredibly violent and grim surroundings. The story follows the adventures of Irene “Rally” Vincent, bounty hunter and gunsmith, and her munitions expert partner and friend, Minnie May Hopkins. Rally and May are joined in their world by a variety of colorful characters, on both sides of the law.

While the series is primarily set in Chicago, which is explored in some detail, what really stands out in this series is the amazing (and slightly tedious) level of detail with which the specs of both cars and guns are discussed. If you know what I mean then, you know what I mean. ;-)

So, GSC Burst is more of the usual shenanigans with Rally, May, Becky and Misty and the usual gang of criminals, runaways, scofflaws and crazies. Rally tracks down wanted criminals, gets into car chases and shootouts, Becky gets information and complains Rally doesn’t pay her, and Misty sort of likes Rally. Bean Bandit stands around looking large and can’t be killed. You know – the usual. ^_^

Yuri-wise, there’s Misty. Her character description points out that she’s got strong feelings for Rally, sort of. (And in the past and in a later volume, there’s something else, but I’ll get there when I get there.) And there’s Rally. I don’t care if there is not a single iota of proof, Rally’s gay. I have it from a childhood friend of Sonoda’s that he described Rally as being gay, but more in love with her car and her gun than anything else. Even if this childhood friend was lying through his teeth, I think that sums Rally up perfectly.

BTW, did you know Becky drove a BWM 200 Turbo? Neither did I, but that piece of information is SO crucial, it’s in her character description. ^_^

The first story starts off with a half-dressed blonde conning Rally into doing something for which she gets shot at. That’s all, I think, you need to know about Rally. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8 I like Sonoda’s art. It’s neat and clean and easy to follow, with good action.
Characters – 8
Story – 7 If you like guns and cars and half-dressed women, 10.
Yuri – 1 Implications, wishful thinking and Yuridar.
Service – 4 Yes, underwear, yes. But in almost all cases, except for that of the improbably youthful-looking May, it’s also all adult women’s bodies and only a little irritating.

Overall – 7

1. Note I never mention Rally and May as a potential couple. That is because they aren’t. It’s a stupid pairing.

2. If you would like to see Rally paired with a much better match, someone who can match her shot for shot, please feel free to visit my GSC fanfic, Back in the Saddle (adult content warning), for which I am, even as you read this, writing a sequel. ‘Cause I want to see Rally with a cool girlfriend, too. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Simoun

December 12th, 2006

I spend a lot of time here at Okazu commenting on random slivers of Yuri lodged in the fingers of larger and un-yuri manga and anime series, so it’s nice, sometimes, to be able to review something that was actually created to appeal to the Yuri fandom, and yet not jam-packed with nothing but fanservice and lowest common denominator plot bunnies. Simoun, as it ran in Comic Yuri Hime is both those things. (In stark contrast to the evil twin Simoun manga, which runs in Megami magazine as a parody gag manga and deserves a review of its very own.)

Let me start with the biggest negative of this Simoun – it ended WAY too early, before the story even started, really. With this great, complex world, and all these characters to work with, the manga reads almost like a summary of the main relationship’s storyline from the anime. I can only imagine that there was a management decision involved in this. (And bizarrely, as I type these words, my iPod shuffle just started playing the Simoun anime opening song. The chances are 2:120 that I’d get a song related to Simoun. lol)

As the story begins, Aeru is a newcomer to the Chor, where she finds and confronts Chor Tempest’s Sibylla Aurea, Neviriru. Why aren’t you flying? she asks. And in doing so, she sets off a series of emotional confrontations. Her first confrontation is with Parietta, Neviriru’s close companion and self-proclaimed protector. Aeru then encounters Mamiina, Rodoreamon’s partner, who eventually challenges Aeru to a battle of will in the air, from which Aeru emerges triumphant.

We learn through flashbacks that at least in part, Neviriru is still grieving for her former partner and deceased lover, Amuria.

Also though narration and flashbacks we see that this is the same world as in the anime, a world in which all people are born female and must choose their gender. In the manga, they make their choice of gender at 15, not 17 as in the anime, but the choice is equally as fraught with…well, fraughtness. It’s THE choice they have to face. And Aeru quite openly shuns it. We also learn that the Chor are fighting a war, as they do in the anime, but the politics and pressures that affect them in the anime are absent here; as I said, the series was cruelly cut short before we could get into any of that.

Aeru’s success in breaking down Neviriru’s walls upsets Parietta, who now has to face her own feelings for Neviriru. On the cusp of forcing herself upon Neviriru – who may or may not welcome it – Parietta finds the strength in herself to give Neviriru up completely.

Free, Neviriru runs to find Aeru and vows to continue to fly with her. As priestesses, they pray together, and hear each other’s vow of loyalty and love. In a finale marred only by the fact that it comes too soon, they kiss.

A final chapter entitled “Intermission” follows devoted Rodreamon as she discusses her evil-eyebrowed, but good-hearted partner Mamiina with Aeru, then as she shows her devotion with a little emergency hair care and gentle words. Mamiina walks away, vexed that she cannot despise gentle Rodo’s affection. ^_^

The art throughout is solid, if not to my personal taste, with those little girl faces, a tendency to close-up in a decidely soap opera fashion, and clothes that quite frankly distress me in their design. LOL The color pages from Yuri Hime are reproduced, as they have been with all other Yuri Hime collections.

Honestly, the ONLY bad this about this story is that it’s over before it begins. I would have gladly read this for years and years to come. But oh well. There’s always fanfic.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Characters – 7
Story – 6
Yuri – 9
Service – 6 (Did I mention the distressing clothes?)

Overall – 7

Undoubtedly Yuri in every way, for a female audience, Simoun will probably make my “top ten” list for the year, but I just can’t stop thinking about what might have been….





Yuri Manga: Hatsukoi Shimai, Volume 1

December 6th, 2006

“Schoolgirl week” continues here on Okazu!

Imagine my surprise when I realized I had not reviewed the first volume of Hatsukoi Shimai, when I reviewed the first wave of manga from Yuri Hime. Particularly surprising, as I’ve been following the series since it was nothing more than a couple of pieces of cover art and a few paragraphs of story. :-)

Once again, to get you up to date with the story, Hatsukoi Shimai began its life as the cover images for the first three issues of Yuri Shimai magazine. Inside the covers were short text stories about the cover couples – just little vignettes, nothing more. The three couples pictured were Chika and Haruna, Akiho and Touko-sensei, and Miyu and Kirika.

The first two couples were brought to life in the two Koi Shimai Drama CDs, both of which I have reviewed previously. (Here are the reviews for Koi Shimai 1 and Koi Shimai 2) and eventually, after Yuri Shimai folded and was resurrected as Yuri Hime, the series was resurrected as Hatsukoi Shimai, now with longer short stories (does that even make sense?), a manga and the Hatsukoi Shimai Drama CD which, this time, included our third cover couple as well. The manga is so far based on the events of the first two Drama CDs, with some slight alterations.

The manga, while based on the character designs by Hibiki Reine (illustrator for Maria-sama ga Miteru) and the original Drama CDs, is clearly a work by committee. There are a whole host of names for the art, writing and production.

I will assume, as I always do for collected volumes, that you have not read my summaries of the individual chapters. So, we begin.

Hatsukoi Shimai is primarily the story of Matsusato Chika who, when she visits the very hoi-poloi girls’ school, known as “Tsunojo”, meets up with cool upperclassman Kanzaki Haruna. During their day together touring the school, Chika falls in love with Haruna and determines that she will study very very hard and get accepted. Also during the course of the day, she trips and falls. Haruna uses her handkerchief to clean the wound and Chika, moved by Haruna’s gentle care, promises to return the handkerchief in the spring when she enters school.

Time passes and despite the odds, Chika does get accepted into Tsunojo. She meets a classmate, Kanzaki Akiho, with whom she becomes quite friendly. Akiho learns about the handkerchief and encourages Chika to return it. But…when Chika finally finds Haruna, she is coldly rebuffed. Confiding in Akiho, Chika is shocked to learn that Haruna is Akiho’s older sister!

Despite Haruna’s disinterest, Chika persists, and eventually finds Haruna in her “secret place” – a sunny glade by a pond. Chika returns the handkerchief and is gratified to see Haruna acting more the way she remembers. Naturally cheerful, Chika drops by every day to see Haruna.

One day Haruna confronts her, hostile and confused, demanding to know why Chika is following her. Chika plainly and simply confesses to being in love with Haruna.

Depressed because Haruna has once again rebuffed her, Chika’s grades drop. When she does poorly on mid-terms, Akiho sets her up with Haruna as a tutor. Able to be with Haruna at last, Chika works very hard and aces the makeup exam.

But.

Their class president, Teshigawara Chiyo, is a very unpleasant sort and is always on Chika’s ass. When Chika’s makeup exam is scored, she and some of the other girls accuse Chika of cheating. After all, failures don’t turn into A students that easily. Akiho hears the accusation and runs off to find her sister – the only person who can confirm that Chika simply studied hard. (In the CD, Chika was forced to take a retest, as Teshigawara didn’t exist.) Haruna runs up and shields Chika from the others and, for the first time, calling Chika by her given name. After an honor student upperclassmen tells them they’re dirt, the girls all back off – except Teshigawara, who has other issues, primarily a raging case of jealousy.

The volume ends at a cafe, where Haruna gives Chika a barrette as a present for doing so well. Chika promises to treasure it always, and points out, a bit coyly, that Haruna called her “Chika-san” when she defended her. Haruna is mortified, because she is just a formal and stuffy kind of person. She and Chika share their souffles and, in a complete reversal of personality, Haruna licks a crumb from Chika’s cheek, which makes Chika explode in a really cute SD panel. ^_^

End of volume.

The book, like all the other Yuri Hime Comics, has been given a high-quality treatment. Color pages are reproduced and the cover and inside cover art is cute. The book cover includes several 4-panel comics, two of which actually made me laugh out loud. And the book comes with a small insert pamphlet with rough sketches by the manga artist, with commentary (in Japanese, of course.)

Where Strawberry Panic is filled with tons of fanservice, this series almost runs to the other extreme, with not only no service, but hardly anything happening at all. No horse-racing, falling off towers or library seductions here. Instead, the narrative is primarily character driven, with lots of doki-doki moments and small moments of almost tortured intimacy. If translated into English, Hatsukoi Shimai would not be nearly as popular as Strawberry Panic, by virtue of having no related anime and not being created expressly for appreciation by the Lowest Common Denominator.

Ratings:

Art – 6 (still a little on the young side for my taste)
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 6
Service – 1

Overall – 6

Even for me, Hatsukoi Shimai a tad tame (but we must remember it began in the pages of Yuri Shimai which constantly erred on the side of chaste romance.) That having been said, slight insipidity is superior to a charge of tedious trashiness. IMHO. (Note the entirely unintentional, yet remarkably clever, repetition of consonant sounds that makes the former sound classy and the latter junky and crass. Aren’t I a clever girl.)

Update: I joked about “no library seductions” but I belatedly realize, I lied. The text story that introduced Akiho on the inside cover, actually takes place between Akiho and her eventual lover….in the library.





Yuri Manga: Strawberry Panic, Volume 2

December 5th, 2006

Welcome to “schoolgirls” week on Okazu.

Feel my excitement as I contemplate yet another half dozen manga with pretty much the exact same subject. I hope you’ll forgive my lack of enthusiasm – I have a cold and a cranky attitude.

Let’s start with the “omg, most AWESOME 4tw, this series roxors!!!!11111” series since Kannazuki no Miko, shall we? I am of course, speaking of Strawberry Panic which, by the sheer number of emails and comments that look like the above phrase, has an even less discriminating sophisticated fanbase than KnM.

And yet.

I read it. I enjoy it. I find it amusing. (For those of you tempted to write in that I am a moron because I cannot see how wonderfulness Strawberry Panic is, please read the first three sentences of this paragraph again. Then again, until you can understand that I *do* like it. I just don’t think it’s as amazing as some do.)

Let’s start with the cover. You can see that the main character and her stalker roommate are depicted realistically. For eight year olds. However, they are actually 15.

And let’s enjoy the causal wear they are modeling. Exactly *which* part of the school uniform is that? Because clearly it’s only part of it.

But, hey, I’m told by dozens of people that this series is GREAT! Well, usually they say something like “its grate” – and no, I am not kidding or being mean. This is completely representative of the comments I’ve seen on Strawberry Panic.

DESPITE the fact that the fanbase is appalling, the second volume of Strawberry Panic has deviated quite remarkably from the anime and even from the first volume of the manga, which was primarily dedicated to light sexual harrassment which, if it had been guys doing it, would have made most fans of the series upset. But it was two girls, so many enjoyed it anyway. Just, not me.

In Volume 2, the Etoilesen, the competition for the school’s star couple, is about to begin. Unlike the anime, in which each school put up one couple, in the manga version many, many couples from all the schools appear to be eligible to compete. Of course the only two we care about are the Shizuma/Nagisa and Amane/Hikari pairs.

The competition opens with the swearing of vows of love and loyalty, all very wedding like. A couple clearly gets points on style, hence Amane’s swinging Hikari into her arms romantically (something also used in the anime, rather inexplicably if you hadn’t already read the manga. Luckily, I am getting the monthly issues of Dengeki G’s that the manga runs in, to cover just such situations. lol)

In the manga, it is Shizuma and Nagisa who are standing for the Etoile, not Tamao and Nagisa. Shion, president of Spica, is not above using dirty tricks to get Amane and Hikari into the Etoile position, so she secretly sends Nagisa info on Shizuma’s former partner. During the vow portion of the event, Shion asks Shizuma to swear that her love wholly and completely be given to Nagisa. After a moment of hesitation, Shizuma falls to her knees and makes the vow.

Nagisa is totally confused about everything which, for once, I can’t really blame her too much.

The first test is obviously designed to place Amane/Hikari above the pack with an awesomely stupid contest in which all the “cadets,” the younger partners, are shoved onto a platform on a tower, while the “ane,” the older partners, ride a steeplechase, save their princess from the tower and ride back. Of course tragedy strikes as both Hikari and Nagisa manage to fall. Of course they are saved. I mean, puh-leeze. We could hardly hope that they would be allowed to die so soon, more’s the pity. LOL Instead we are treated to Prince Amane and Etoile Shizuma at their knight-on-charger coolest. (And, btw, they are *still* an allegory for Heaven vs Hell. Just want to make the point. Amane all in white on her gray [white horses, for those of you non-horse people, are all “gray”] and Shizuma, all in black on her big black horse. [There’s no real black horses either. FYI.])

After the first round is over, there’s a little party at which Nagisa expresses her self-doubt. Shizuma restates her vow and the two seal their promise with a kiss.

End of volume.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a plot starting to develop in this volume – Kaname’s desire to win the Etoilesen has now been augmented with her open desire to win it *with* Amane (which leads to a great scene where Amane complains that if the two of them run together they’ll look like a Boy’s Love couple, which is countered by Shion saying that as a couple of Takarazuka Top Stars, they’d be a winning pair.) Kaname remains an EPL (Evil Psycho Lesbian), but Momomi is, at the moment, at least, not part of the equation. One hopes that she and Kaname will end up together.

Shizuma and Nagisa’s relationship is not being dragged unnecessarily through the angst fields as with the anime, and the kiss was neither sleazy nor servicey. In fact, for this series it was quite sweet. …I’m all for false hopes.

Ratings:
Art – 6 (too loli for me)
Story – 6
Characters – 5-6 depending on my mood
Yuri – 8
Service – 7

Overall – 6

It’s written by guys, for a fanboy audience. But I’ve seen (and enjoyed) worse. Not bad enough to be funny, not good enough to be “good,” it will no doubt be immensely popular when Seven Seas translates it.