Archive for the Series Category


Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime, Volume 3 (Part 1)

February 7th, 2006

It’s that time again! Time for me to sing the praises of the newest issue of Yuri Hime. And in this case there’s not only alot to praise, but some things to smirk and choke at, as well.

Starting, as I am wont to do, with the cover – for the first time in a really, really long time, it depicts Chika and Haruna from the serial Hatsukoi Shimai together. With the Drama CD for that series coming out later this month, and the end of the first part of their story later in the magazine, it was a fitting choice. Maybe we’ll get lucky and get Akiho and Touko for the next cover. I pray that it is so.

The first comic in this issue is the new serial, “Simoun”, which is slated for an anime later this year. The story of Simoun is a “speculative fiction” (what I’ve always called sci-fantasy, but I am, I have been informed, well behind the times in my labeling.) In the world where “Simoun” takes place, everyone is born female, and at their fifteenth birthday chose whether to remain female or become male. We begin the manga with a moody, pouty “Princess” Neviriru confronted by newcomer Aeru. Aeru asks Neviriru why she doesn’t fly, at which a cool, older butchy type scolds Aeru and walks her Princess away. We get some overview of the world, and the reasons that these girls must fight in fantasy mecha aircraft thingies, etc, etc. Ultimately Aeru finds Neviriru, and they fly. Happy, happy.

I was not overwhelmed by this story so far, but at least in part, it’s me. I’ve gone waaaaaayyyy off fantasy and I am never 100% in love with yuri stories where the protagonist may or may not be a woman. In this case, as the manga is running in Yuri Hime, I think we can be at least mostly certain that Aeru will (she hasn’t chosen yet, but she wants to fight and to do so must remain female.) I also found everyone’s clothes distressing, but the color page art is pleasant and watercolor-y. But I will withhold any real judgement until I’ve seen a few chapters, to know where its going and how it gets there.

The second story was a three-page preview for a new series starting in the next issue, “Tokimeki Mononoke Jogakuen”. From these three pages, I really am looking forward to it. It adds an extra measure of silly to the usual girls school story…all the students are non-human. Our heroine, who looks perfectly human, is actually a rain fairy. That’s all we can see from these three pages, but it looks like fun.

Morinaga Milk’s newest entry is once again following Hitomi and Nana. “Chocolate Kiss Kiss” brings us to Valentine’s Day at this particular all-girl school. Nana is surprised to find that all her classmates are unashamedly giving chocolates to female sempai (and girlfriends, unbeknownst to her…). She considers making chocolate for Hitomi, but fails at the hand-made part. In a discusion with Hitomi, Nana learns that , unintentionally, she hurt Hitomi last year by not realizing that the chocolates Hitomi was making were really for her. Nana feels terrible, and makes it up to Hitomi by, Hitomi suggests, giving her something sweeter than chocolate.

I like these two in general – and I’d like to see “next steps” manga for some of the other couples we’ve been shown as well. Nana’s unintentionally causing Hitomi emotional wounds reads as fairly accurate to me (even if Hitomi has to be a bit too patient and understanding.) And of course, the art is both cute and sexy in turn.

“One Room” by Mucchiri Muunii is very much the kind of story I don’t care for. In a nutshell, it’s a story in which one girl’s desire for the other must be forced out of her by a confrontation/forced kiss. This is exactly the same mentality that gives us the kind of yaoi stories in which the uke has to be raped to “understand” his feelings. But don’t let my rant fool you – this story is not nearly that extreme. Seme girl, Tsubaki, invites herself over to uke Umi’s room to stay over because she knows that Umi lives alone. Tsubaki forces a confrontation, but when Umi runs away, prepares to leave – at which Umi asks her to stay and admits she’s right, she does like Tsubaki. Gosh I just love passive-agressive manga…. Anyway, the art is not to my taste, but I’ve seen worse.

At last, we get to seen the final chapter of “First Kiss” by Zaou Taishi and Eiki Eiki. Ryouko gets an email message from Ayano on the evening that she is to meet her fiancee’s parents. She kisses him goodbye and runs back home, to find Ayano on her doorstep. Ayano screams at Ryouko that she’s loved her all along, and Ryokou screams back, her too. It was actually kind of a funny scene. Anyway, they fall into bed, and assumably live happily ever after. Cut back to school, where Takashima, the student from the first scene (and from the story “Female Wolf” before that)is about to leave the Doctor’s office. Ryouko tells her, in short, that what’s she’s feeling is love – and to go for it. Look for *that* story to continue next volume.

More color pages – this time for the climax of “Hatsukoi Shimai.” Haruna suddenly develops a personality and defends Chika publically against the charge of cheating. Unlike the Koi Shimai Drama CD, in which it was the teacher who accused her, and Chika had to take a make-up exam, in this case its just a jealous Teshigawara whose made the accusation. Teshigawara gets dissed by the other students, and of all people Akiho has to tell her that she understands how she feels. Trust me – Akiho isn’t any happier about it than we are. To celebrate, Chika and Haruna go out to a cafe for souffle’. In a scene also not in the original Drama CD Haruna admits to Chika that in the past, she also had a much admired sempai, but was basically told that, as cute as she was, she could hope for nothing more. It broke her poor little heart, which is why she was so cold to Chika. Whatever. But the completely out-of-character end of the story is the same, as Haruna, in public, leans over and licks souffle’ from Chika’s face, causing the younger woman to explode. This will also continue next issue – and keep your fingers crossed that it’s the much better arc where Touko-sensei arrives.

This takes us roughly half-way, and I’m home sick today with fever, etc., so I think I’ll stop here.

As always, you can get Yuri Hime 3 from Amazon Japan through the Yuricon Shop – and your support is greatly appreciated, believe me! Feel free to come over to the Yuricon Mailing List to chat about the series in Yuri Hime or other fun Yuri anime and manga!





New Hana no Asuka-gumi Manga, Volume 1

February 1st, 2006

Kuraku Asuka is back. And the Zenchuu Ura isn’t happy about it.

Welcome to Shin Hana no Asuka-gumi.

Asuka has returned from America, eighteen years in real time, and about 3 months later manga time. And immediately weird stuff begins to happen. Strange markings are being drawn upon people, things and buildings around Tokyo. The Area Masters, the leaders of the gangs in each section of Tokyo, are hearing strange whisperings about Hibari’s new favorite, and about a possible takeover of power among themselves. And in the middle of all this, Asuka strolls in, with her studied nonchalance, and hyper-mad gang fightin’ skillz, and basically turns everyone on their heads.

There’s lots of girls fighting, and gang leaders waxing philisophic and world-weary, and a lots and lots of…cell phones.

Yes, in the three months and two decades Asuka has been gone, cell phones have taken over the lives of the girls of Tokyo – including the girl gangs. In fact, my clearest memory of Volume 1 is Miko screaming at Asuka because she never remembers to take her cell phone with her. :-)

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know I adore the girl gang manga series of the 80’s. And I, along with a multitude of middle-aged women, adore the fact that Asuka is back on the streets of Shinjuku, moving the Area Masters and their gangs around like pieces on a chessboard.

That’s all the good. The bad is that this manga had a rocky start, and took a while to find a magazine to call home (it ended up in Feel Young, the same magazine that carries Yamaji Ebine’s work,) so the first volume is a bit inconsistent, and a little unfocused. The art is actually not quite as tight as the original manga – I’m sure it’s because Takaguchi has all new assistants these days, and after all, she hasn’t drawn Asuka for nearly twenty years. And lastly…and this is the real killer for me…Hibari has gone off uniforms and is into Goth-Loli now. Isn’t that dreadful??? I mean – Kasuga in a uniform was one of the highlights of the original manga!

Anyway – this is one of those manga in which the *main* cast numbers in the dozens, so I won’t even really bother trying to explain who is who and what is what. I will say that the standard tropes of Asuka remain consistant – damsel in distress that Asuka saves only to draw her into a tangled web of internecine gang warfare and politics within the Zenchuu Ura headquarters, and possible threats from the HQ enforcers, and Miko yelling at Asuka, and Hime being *way* too cool and together for a 13-year old. Okay, maybe 14 now.

There is one more thing that is not so good about this volume, but there’s absolutely nothing that can be done about it. Yohko is still dead. In fact, Yohko isn’t even mentioned, which bums me right out the door. But in the current chapters, the plot is a-thickening and I hold out hopes that something yuri-ish this way comes. For now – its a bust.

Ratings:
Art – 6
Story – 6
Characters – 8
Yuri – 1 (but only because of Asuka’s natural animal magnetism)
Loser MiddleAgedFanWomen – 8

Overall – 6, unless you’re one of the LMAFW above then 8, dammit.

Girl gangs fighting in the streets of Tokyo – now that’s the Japan I wanna see!





Yuri Manga: Strawberry Shake Sweet Volume 1 (ストロベリーシェイクSweet)

January 30th, 2006

I cannot tell you how happy I am to be able to review the first volume of Strawberry Shake Sweet. Here are some of the reasons why I think that this manga is particularly important:

1) It’s the first time that Hayashiya Shizuru has professionally published a volume 100% Yuri story, for an audience of Yuri fans. It’s not like she hasn’t written tons of Yuri into her works, both professional and doujinshi, but this is the first time that a professional story by her has Yuri as the target genre.

2) This volume is explicitly *marketed* as a “Girls Love” comedy, with a cover obi that reads that “Girl falls in love with girl at first sight!!” Yuri has, of course, been marketed as Yuri in the past…but that was and is usually explicit Yuri for a primarily male audience – this is fun Yuri for a primarily female audience. (I got that info firsthand from the editor of Yuri Hime, so you’ll have to trust me on that.)

3) This is one of the first manga volumes put out by Yuri Hime Comics, collected from the body of Yuri Shimai and Comic Yuri Hime magazines. It’s a very decent showing. Large-size format makes it easy to read, the color pages that appeared in Yuri Hime are reproduced (instead of that yucky dark black look that many color pages turned B&W get.)

All in all – this volume marks a significant movement forward in establishing Yuri in Japan as being both *by* women and *for* women. Something that I feel fairly strongly about. :-)

Okay, so let’s move on to the actual manga. I’ll pretend that neither you nor I am familiar with the story, just as an exercise. Strawberry Shake Sweet is the story of young pop idol Tachibana Julia who, at 16, is both popular and busy in her entertainment career. She is asked by her agent (a dorky little guy) to take a new upcoming talent under her wing, show her the ropes, etc. Julia objects flat out. She’s no dummy – and this new kid would be her rival. There’s no *way* she’s going to train up the person who might end up stealing her career!

That is, until she opens the office door and finds herself face to face with Asakawa Ran, the tall, attractive upcoming new talent. Julia does a complete 180 and demands to be the new kid’s mentor.

The next few chapters cover the utterly psychotic way in which Julia, tormented by her desire to be near Ran, but also to keep herself distant, treats her poor junior. Ran, luckily, is a little doofus-y, and starts to assume Julia’s mania is really a form of tough love.

It’s not until their overstressed manager, Saeki Ryouko points out that Julia’s in love with Ran (after carefully pointing out that a girl/girl scandal would NOT be good for anyone). Julia, who had no idea that she was in love, is both relieved and energized. Now she has a name to put to this insane feeling! Saeki immediately regrets mentioning it at all.

Saeki is the series’ constant “straight man”. She fends Julia off of Ran, beauty parlor owner/operator, lesbian and former classmate Shinjou Kaoru off herself, and generally is the butt of many a gag. I quite like her – and the fact that she’s clearly a lesbian magnet. Not only is Kaoru openly desirous of her, Saeki’s junior in talent management is also wanting her pretty badly. Surrounded by lesbians as she is Saeki starts to wear down…eventually. But we’ll get there later.

Also contributing to the high lesbian quotient is Ryou, the lead singer from “hyper visual band Zlay.” Zlay has four members, all female, split into two couples. Ryou’s partner is Goth-Loli Reki, the creepy cute doll-like synth player. Ryou pops into the story suddenly and quite literally sniffs out Julia’s desire for another woman. But later, when she meets Ran, crushes Julia’s hopes by saying that Ran does not have the scent of onnadoushi. (Don’t worry – Ran later tells Julia that she is an important person to her. And let’s face it – it’s a girls love story. They’ll get together…*eventually.* lol)

Last, and kind of least, is babydyke Haruna, who is another idol, but a year younger than Julia. She is out and out in love with Kaoru, who doesn’t dislike the attention one bit. (In fact, in the most recent chapter from Yuri Hime, it’s fairly obvious that Kaoru and Haruna have a genuine thing going on, as Kaoru shows up drunk at Saeki’s door to complain about her relationship with Haruna.)

By the end of Volume 1, Ran has made Julia happy, sad, pychotic and elated about a thousand times, and the two of them are so inevitably growing closer, that you can just *see* Saeki wilting and her ability to keep the two of them apart starting to break down. But more importantly, Ran’s big debut has arrived at last and both Julia and Ran are left alone, desperately desiring to see one another – but holding back to try to be strong. And the maddening thing is – this takes us to the last chapter but one, and I don’t know what’s going to happen!!! Arrrrgghhh!!! (The last chapter was a New Year’s gag issue, so we’re still waiting to find out how Ran handles her debut for an art magazine.)

Ratings:
Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 8
Service – 3

Overall – 8

If you’re familiar with, and like Hayashiya’s art style, you’ll be familiar with, and like Strawberry Shake Sweet. It’s the same kind of physical humor, gags, bops on the head, nosebleeds and the like that you’ll find in her doujinshi as Jesus Drug, and her professional art in series like Hayate Cross Blade.

Oh, and gosh – a story of a lesbian pop idol…now where have I heard THAT before? Just for the record, Shoujoai ni Bouken came *first*. ^_^

If there’s one down side to this story it’s got to be that Yuri Hime is, at this point, quarterly. Which means we can’t expect a new volume for at least two years! Sob…





Yuri Anime: Winter 2006 – Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl

January 26th, 2006

Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? Kasimashi Girl Meets Girl is about a boy named Hazumu. He’s, shall we say, a “sensitive” kind of guy, who loves gardening. He’s also in love with beautiful, but distant Yasuna. He confesses his feeling to Yasuna, is rejected and goes off for a walk into the hills to burn off his misery. As he stands on the mountain trying to let go, he is hit by a crashing alien ship and killed. BUT! The aliens feel bad, so they revive him – except inexplicably, they can only bring him back as a girl.

The aliens helpfully broadcast the announcement over the entire earth, so Hazumu is instantly the source of interest to press. But his friends and family seem to be mostly okay with the whole thing. His mother even helpfully mentions that she’d always wanted a girl, yay for her!

There is a period of adjustment: For Hazumu, as he has to learn not to show his underwear in a hundred and fifty different ways; For his friend Asuta who is much less interested in Hazumu’s well-being as he is in staring at Hazumu’s boobs; And mostly for Hazumu’s best friend Tomari, who seems to be the ONLY person freaked out about the whole thing. It’s not until Hazumu has a meltdown and she has to protect him (as she has their whole lives) that she really gets that this is still the same Hazumu she’s always cared for.

Hazumu’s opinion of the whole thing? Well, I guess this is just the way it is, so…

Can I express a small measure of doubt that too many people would be that blase’ as a result of an sudden, unwanted gender switch? Oh, but, it’s okay – Hazumu has always been kind of girly, so it’s no big deal. Uh-huh.

The anime is pretty much following the manga, with a little softening of the slightly more annoying perviness – no scene in which Hazumu’s mother has bought her clothes but no underwear. We do get a bra-shopping scene, but it wasn’t *quite* as annoying as in the manga.

Since the story is the same as the manga, let’s talk voices. I think they are pretty good, actually. Kana Ueda’s “boy voice” for Hazumu sounds like Yumi from Maria-sama ga Miteru, and her “girl voice” is moderately girlier, more Mikan from Gakuen Alice. Not unpleasant – and different enough to account for Tomari’s discombobulation. I was desperately afraid that Horie Yui as Yasuna was going to be dog-whistle high, but she isn’t. (Iwao Junko could do that for Tomoyo and get away with it….anyone else fails.) Nor is Tamura Yukari’s Tomari annoyingly boyish. I was especially pleased with Ayuki’s voice as done by Asano Mayumi – which sounded exactly like it did in my head. lol

The animation looks like the manga animated, so nothing remarkable there. In fact, there’s nothing remarkable about Kasimashi Girl Meets Girl except that is quite pleasant. The love triangle will heat up shortly and then we’ll get all sorts of Yuri-ness.

Ratings:
Art – 7
Story – 7
Music – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 8
Service – 7

Overall – 7

To sum up, the good things about the story are still good, the bad things are marginally less bad, and the only thing we need to wait and see is where the story actually goes.





Maria-sama ga Miteru Tenth Novel: Rainy Blue, Part 3

January 21st, 2006

Rainy Blue
Part 3

How much did I *not* want to read this part of the novel….

The bulk of the novel is internal monologue and thoughts, so the anime really just couldn’t manage to convey what was going on, I think. The animators sucked. In fact, they managed to totally misconvey everyone’s emotions in this episode, so Touko seemed evil, Sachiko seemed heartless and Yumi seemed like a happy bunny run suddenly over with a steamroller. In fact, Touko is smart but just doesn’t like Yumi, Sachiko is distracted and troubled, and Yumi…well, Yumi is engaging in a bout of well-deserved overwrought angst brought on by a lack of ability to communicate. She’s 17. Just remind yourself of that from time to time. If you’re over 25, it’ll help. ^_^

***

It was losing the umbrella that did it. If she hadn’t lost the umbrella, she would have been okay.

***

The umbrella had a hydrangea pattern on it, hence the hydrangea imagery in the anime with which we are beaten.

***

Yoshino and Yumi are talking when Tsutako comes up and asks if she can take a picture of them for the weekly. Jokingly, Yumi lifts her bag to hide her face and refuses.

***

Yumi walks to Sachiko’s classroom, and comes across the scene of Touko begging Sachiko to go with her on a drive. Yumi is so offended by Touko’s impudence that she turns around and leaves.

In the anime, Sachiko is smiling in this scene. In the novel, she’s quite serious.

***

During the scene when Yumi asks after Sachiko’s family, Sachiko really *could* have told her. So the problem does begin with Sachiko, right here.

***

Yumi has, in fact, noticed that Sachiko touches her all the time. And she *likes* it.

***

When Minako shows Yumi that Sachiko and Touko are talking in the hall, she mentions that that has occured every day, recently. Yumi’s surprised, but acts like she’s not. This scene was pretty well done in the anime, but it did leave out Minako’s description of her friend acting like a wife whose husband is cheating on her. The onee-sama was going out with another girl, giving her presents all secretly. The friend knew it, but pretended she didn’t. The friend cut her club activities in half, saying that it was too much for her.

Minako also says that none of this has anything to do with the newspaper, and in fact, she’s thinking of retiring.

***

When Sachiko calls the next time to cancel, Yumi has many questions but doesn’t ask any of them. Up to this point, Sachiko has to shoulder the blame, but at this point, Yumi is as culpable.

***

The next day, Yumi is depressed, so of course she runs into Touko. She really doesn’t like Touko and feels jealous of her.

***

The next day, in the Rose Mansion, Sachiko’s kind words only hurt Yumi. She’s begun resenting Sachiko, and feels that onee-sama’s words are sugar-coated, but empty. That day the teacher discusses the hydrangea and how it, because it changes color, it is also known as “capriciousness”. She thinks, but the color is so lovely, why would anyone want to change it? – thinking of the hydrangeas on her umbrella. Then she thinks that Sachiko’s feelings have changed.

***

The scene in the Rose Mansion where Yumi asks for a new promise was done straight in the anime, but afterwards this was cut:

Yumi goes out the back entrance to be able to see the hydrangeas – she notices that their color is already slightly different than they were in the morning. The rain is pounding down and she comes across Sei, huddling under a overhang. Sei asks Yumi to let her under her umbrella. Sei was standing in a place that is popular for sheltering from the rain.

Sei asks Yumi if Shimako has changed. Sei had cut class the day before, but some classmates said that they saw someone who looked like Shimako near the college. Yumi realizes that Sei doesn’t know about Noriko and then realizes that Sei had been hanging about waiting to ambush Shimako. ^_^

Yumi thinks about how Sei has always been there to save her, every time she was depressed or upset.

Sei asks if the cause of Yumi’s depression is “tate roll” (the narrator’s description of Touko’s hair) and Yumi is surprised that Sei knows. Sei confesses that she had just seen Sachiko walk by with her a little while ago.

While waiting for the bus, Sei asks Yumi to not abandon Sachiko.

***

Saturday – Sachiko isn’t at school. After the way they parted, Yumi doesn’t want to see Sachiko, but the thought of her not being there at school makes Yumi a little lonely.

Rei and Yoshino have reconciled. Shimako and Noriko are also happy. “Yellow and White, how nice for them.”

Touko *is* at school, which relieves Yumi a little, but she still feels bitter and suspicious.

On the way home she stops at a convenience store to get butter (unsalted) for her mother. That’s when her umbrella is taken. Done heartbreakingly well in the anime.

***

Sunday when she calls Sachiko’s house, her alibi is to apologize – NOT because she did anything wrong, but because she said too much.

***

When Yumi meets Sachiko outside the shoe locker room, Yumi is ready to give the rosary back, but her hands are full and she can’t reach it in her pocket. Sachiko tells Yumi that they have a lot to talk about, and takes a step forward towards her. Yumi panics for no discernible reason, and steps backwards. She has mixed feelings – she’s glad Sachiko waited to speak with her, but she’s afraid that Sachiko wants to ask for the rosary back.

As Yumi runs off, leaving Sachiko and Touko behind, she knows that she looks the picture of a emotionally wounded heroine from a drama, but she doesn’t stop running. She runs past the statue of Mary to the front gate where a group of college students are gathered. Among them, she sees someone she knows. In the middle of all the gaudy colored umbrellas, one black men’s umbrella stands out.

When Sei turns around to see Yumi running at her, so does a pink umbrella, a yellow one with blue dots and a checked pattern. Their owners all stop to watch the scene.

Sei is considerably shaken by Yumi throwing herself at her. Yumi is too upset to explain coherently, so she just cries into Sei’s chest.

In the end, it was the fault of the rain that Sachiko drove off without a word – she couldn’t see Yumi in the gloom and the haze of rain.

Not the end. Thank god.

Ratings:
Story – 6-8, depending on the section
Characters – 8
Yuri – 7
Obsessive Fan – 10
Pathos – 10