Archive for the Series Category


Yuri Manga: Maka-Maka

August 31st, 2004

makamaka1One word – wow.

Maka-Maka is a very shounen, adult, and reasonably mature take on the development of a relationship between two friends, Jun and Nene. The subtitle of the manga is “Love Sex Communication” – this is a major theme right from the first chapter.

Maka-Maka is published monthly by Jive, and is available as a Flash issue on the Maka-Maka homepage every month. The first seven or eight issues have been bound into a print volume which is really quite slick. The volume is all-color pages, with character information and an insert of a “psychedelic” poster – one side is Jun, one Nene. There’s a bonus cover on the inside of the jacket as well. All in all, and excellent design, totally worth the money. There are even Jun and Nene dolls available as a premium for people who return the insert card. I sent it in – we’ll see if they bother to send me a doll. ^_^

The story begins as Jun and Nene both find themselves frustrated and dissatisfied by sex and the lack of connection that exists between themselves and their lovers. In the course of schoolwork, they find themselves playing around and the playing takes a sexual turn. As the subtitle promises, they actually *communicate* and as a result, find themselves more and more interested in each other.

As stated, this is a shounen manga, so expect alot of sexual situations, nudity, fanservice, etc. But for all that, it’s never presented in a cheesy manner – in fact, I found myself getting a little nostalgic at some of Jun’s and Nene’s antics.  There’s a sense of reality about Maka-Maka that’s quite surprising.

Of course, nothing is perfect, so there are conflicts..Jun seems to be more needy than Nene, while Nene tends to be a little more inconsiderate than Jun. This only serves to heighten the versimilitude, not to lessen it. It does mean that there are times when you don’t *like* the characters, but that’s not, IMHO, a weakness here.

By the end of the first volume, if you have a soul, you are hooked. ^_^I read the monthly issues with interest and am looking forward to the second collection – maybe I’ll be able to snag that second doll.

Ratings:

Characters – 9
Story – 9
Art – 8
Service – 9

Overall – 9





Maria-sama ga Miteru: Drama CD – Kibara Kakumei

August 12th, 2004

KKDCDFinally! I have a chance to review this really spectacular example of what the combination of a decent budget, talent, popularity and some marketing savvy can do.

When I placed the order for this Drama CD, I noticed that the price was higher than the two previous Marimite Drama CDs. I wasn’t thrilled about that, but I wanted the thing, so I ordered it. Well, am I glad I did!

The first two Maria-sama ga Miteru Drama CDs came in DVD-style packaging, with inserts and a pair of stand-up plastic dolls (Yumi and Sachiko in Vol. 1 and Yoshino and Shimako in Vol. 2). Volume 3 includes all of the above – and *2* CDs – the entire Kibara Kakumei/Yellow Rose Revolution storyline. Hence the slightly higher price tag. But the price was only about $8 more, and it was a complete arc, so, along with the dolls (Rei and Eriko this time) and the inserts, I was pretty pleased all the way around. Even the packaging is an improvement – the plastic case is translucent, and the back/inside of the cover is a very cute picture of Yumi, Yoshino and Shimako, with, of course, the Kibara Kakumei novel cover on the front. (In fact, looking at the packaging from the first two volumes, I notice that while Vol. 1 has the first novel cover, Vol. 2 has a new piece of art by Hibiki Reine, the artist for the serialization of the story in Cobalt Shueisha.)

So, right off the top – kudos for good value and improved packaging!

All the way around, a vast improvement over pretty much any CD or DVD I’ve ever bought, ever. I hope that they continue this trend for all the Drama CD arcs. I’d be ever so happy if I didn’t have to buy every CD separately. And speaking of future CDs, this includes, not one, but *two* advertisements for the next arc, available in October. (And we all know what *that* will be, right? If you answered Ibara no Mori/Forest of Thorns and/or “Sei’s lesbian angst arc” you are right! Not just one, but *two* increasingly strident ads – “It’s coming in October, okay? Please stop writing us and asking! AAAAGGGGHH!!!!” With pre-order and everything. I bet it blows records for Drama CD sales through the roof. :-) You can be sure that I’ll be waiting for my copy with bated breath. And we’ll get Sei and Youko toys, which will only make it all even cooler and completing our Yamayurikai set.)

Now – onto the story.

Kibara Kakumei, aka Yellow Rose Revolution, is the story of Rei (Rosa Foetida en bouton) and her petite souer, Yoshino. (I’m going to recap quickly for those who may be less familiar with the series…):

While the head of the Yellow Rose hierarchy, Rosa Foetida, Eriko, is apparently AWOL, Yoshino sets the whole school in an uproar by returning Rei’s rosary and nullifying their souer relationship. This all after she and Rei have just been voted as “Best Souer Couple” by the students. Yoshino’s actions cause a backlash of annulled souer relationships.

Yumi is taken into Yoshino’s confidence and learns the reasons *why* Yoshino gave Rei her rosary back. Yumi is also there as Rei’s confidence crumbles and she wanders around half out of her mind with grief. Ultimately, Yoshino opts to have heart surgery on the same day that Rei has an important kendo match, forcing Rei to become more self-reliant. Of course, everything ends well.

The anime for this arc was a fast two episodes, and several conversations, explanations and occurences were cut out, or moved to a different episode. The drama CD restores them to their rightful place and gives us insight to all of the characters that was missing from the anime and even the manga.

Sei teasing Yumi (and through her, Sachiko) is funnier with the original conversations restored, especially Sachiko’s warning to Yumi, “Don’t do anything to make Rosa Gigantea happy.”

We also get to see much more of Rei and her inner thoughts, including a really touching scene when she breaks down in a teacher’s arms at the thought of losing Yoshino forever.

In the end, everyone lives happily ever after, Rosa Foetida returns and, interestly, pumps Yumi for information on her “cute little sisters.” (Why doesn’t she just ask Youko and Sei? Probably because Yumi is easier to get information from.)

For Yoshino x Rei fans, we get the satisfaction of actually *hearing* both of them tell each other that they love each other more than anyone one else in the world. ^_^

The Drama CD ends with a really strange bonus track of all the seiyuu speaking as their characters – starting with wishing us a good morning, they tell us a few lines about their day and end with wishing us a good night. It’s not as cool as the free talk from the seiyuu of Koi Shimai, but considering that the entire set is excellent, I’ll be generous about this one slack off from perfect. ^_^

Ratings: 9 across the board for character, story, Yuri, design etc.

This is a Drama CD that is *totally* worth having, whether you’re a Marimite fan, or just a fan of damn good drama. ^_^





Yuri Manga – Yuri Anime: Cutey Honey

July 22nd, 2004

What’s that, you say? Cutey Honey has no Yuri? Well, you are both right…and wrong. This is, after all, Go Nagai’s baby, and hence, *will* have implicit, mild Yuri.

Let me back up. I was given a copy of the original Cutey Honey collection, circa 1985, from Rica Takashima, who was cleaning out her closets and thought, “A-ha! Here’s a desperate gaijin who loves crap! I’ll give it to her!” And she as right – I love crap…and I have a house in America, not a small apartment in Tokyo, so I can coexist with far more crap than she. She told me that Cutey Honey was her first favorite manga, because she was the first anime/manga superheroine not to need a man at all – that she’s totally independent and that throughout the series, she saves girls from various threats repeatedly. In effect, the perfect heroine for a young, Japanese babydyke.

And so I received the manga for Cutey Honey. Upon initial review, there is some mild akogare, as Cutey Honey is assigned to a private girls’ school to protect the innocent lambs from their troublesome, and occasionally lascivious, teachers (including the female ones.) Honey’s schtick is a full-frontal nude transformation, so there is alot of nudity, Honey’s and the other girls’, because, like I said, this is Go Nagai. The adoration the rescued girls have for Honey is sweet and really not terribly sexual, except as it’s frequently expressed while both parties are naked, it adds to the Yuri ambiance. ^_^

I also have a volume of the New Cutey Honey manga, which ran in 2002 or so, and that is quite a bit darker and more adult. The art has become more sophisticated, there’s a lot more blood, but less Yuri. I think as Go Nagai has aged, he’s decided that blood sells better than sex, because all his newer stuff is darker and violent. I keep meaning to look for more of this series to see whether there’s the usual implied Yuri, but it keeps slipping my mind.

BUT, last night I indulged in a spot of watching Cutey Honey Essential Collection, Episode 2 gave me *just* what I was hoping for – an evil S&M-type ojousama baddy, named the “Jewel Princess,” with too little clothes and a pretty girl fixation, who wanted to posses Honey’s body in a decidedly not nice way. :-) To my delight, when Honey transforms, she does so with these words, “You may call your self a Princess, but…” [insert nude henshin, while Erica grins like a moron, because she knows what’s coming next] “…but you can call me *Queen.*” At which I clap my hands in delight, because Honey has transformed into her “S&M Queen” form. And when the Jewel Princess *also* claps her hands and says, “Oh! Now I *really* want this one!” it just made my day. ^_^

So, of course, Honey defeats the evil princess – which is a terrible shame – and delivers a kiss to the peach-fuzzed cheek of the young lad who is the hero of the show, but I, and all other Yuri fans, know that there will be more than one evil Princess lurking out there who wants to possess Honey. ^_^

So, okay, this series is NOT a “yuri” show. It does have moments, and occasional whole episodes of big Yuri fun…and the manga has lots of naked girls hugging.

The “Yuri goggle” rating on Cutey Honey: Anime – 7; Manga – 6

And, before I go, let us not forget that a new live-action Cutey Honey movie has just been made. It looks not *quite* as awful as the live action Kekkou Kamen, but you know I’m going to have to see it one day.  It pairs Honey up with “seemingly cold policewoman Natsuko Aki” and you what *that* means, right? ^_^





Yuri Anime: Maria-sama ga Miteru – Haru

July 20th, 2004

mgsmhA few things occured to me as I watched the first three episodes of Maria-sama ga Miteru – Haru. This series really deserves a careful rewatching of the first season. There are many things which make a lot more sense the second time around – and many more clues to the characters’ natures that weren’t immediately obvious upon the first viewing, when we were focused on getting the sense of the words.

But I’ll save all that for another day. Right now, I just want to linger lovingly over the beginning of the new Marimite season.

The first episode is a flashback to the previous New Year’s day, where we see Yumi and Sachiko still feeling each other out as soeur. The story line shows how much Sei has become part of Yumi’s life – in my opinion Sei is acting more as sempai to Yumi than anyone else, including either of her grand soeur. The underlying theme is that Yumi learns – from an outside, if not entirely unbiased source, Kashiwagi – that Sachiko really seems to enjoy being with her. If we recall, in the Rosa Canina arc, Yumi was still unsure *how* to be with Sachiko, so this is one more step in the development of their relationship. The Valentine’s day “date” was another – allowing Yumi to take control for a little while. The story is meant to set the tone for the season – that was then, now it’s spring, and we’re all ready to move on, but before we do…

The second episode gives us some insight into Eriko – a hitherto mysterious and aloof personality. We learn two key things about her – she’s impulsive and she likes things she perceives as unusual. We also learn, incidentally, that she’s the straightest girl in the cast. In the beginning, she muses that she doesn’t want to go to college, and when Yumi suggests she enter the workforce, she’s surprised by the idea because all she really wants is to be married. She then rejoices in being compared to a dinosaur, (but not for the obvious reasons, which was kind of funny.) My take-away from this episode is that Eriko is far more flaky than we could have possibly known. But her choice of Rei as soeur makes a bit more sense now. LOL

The third episode deals with the imminent departure of the current Rosas. This is a big step for the story and it’ll take up at least two episodes…but it’s inevitable and necessary for the characters, especially Shimako and Yumi, to develop. In the third episode, Sei takes advantage of Yumi’s earnest nature and tells her that it’s traditional for the petite souer to hold a talent show for the departing Rosas. (I am unconvinced, but the ploy works – Yumi is not as cynical as I am.) The key factor is that for once, Yumi – in public and everything – relaxes a little, and as a result, so does Sachiko. I think this is a HUGE factor in allowing Sei and Youko to leave with no regrets.

The next episode looks like it’s going to be a big emotion-fest as we say goodbye to the old Rosas. I’m looking forward to seeing Yumi step up to become Rosa Chinensis en bouton, and even more to watch Shimako meet Noriko. I am sad that we have spent so little time, relatively, with Youko, but this series is always forward-looking and I too, have no regrets about the departure of the Rosas. (Although I hope that the series continues and we do get as far as the trip to Italy and the reappearance of Rosa Canina and Sei.)

As for aesthetics, if anything I think the opening and closing credits are improved – the lyrics for “Pastel Pure,” the OP, are lovely and appropriately sung by our Yuri goggle favorite, the Ali Project. The closing credit images up the Yuri quotient considerably. I defy *anyone* to tell me that the image of Shimako and Noriko isn’t hot. ^_^

All in all, top scores for Maria-sama ga Miteru – Haru. Characters, story, music, Yuri and overall are still strong ‘9’s across the board.

This series is a definite keeper and a worthy poster child for Yuri fans everywhere.





Yuri Reviews: Strawberry Panic!

July 16th, 2004

gspanic(If you are looking for a review of the 2006 Strawberry Panic anime please take a look at my April 11, 2006 review!)

Not to be confused with Strawberry Shake, the amusing on-going manga running in Yuri Shimai Magazine, Strawberry Panic is a serialized set of short stories that run in Dengeki’s G’s Magazine.

The basic “plot” is that there are three all-girl schools at which “Yuri coupling” is a tradition. Each issue of Strawberry Panic, called Sto-Pani for short, includes short stories about each of the four “couplings,” all of which are detailed on the website. The short, one-page stories about each couple that manages to be sweet, without actually, say, developing them at all as a couple.

G’s Magazine is a gaming magazine that specializes in bishoujo games – so you know that there will be not great plots, no intense character development, not much more than superficial Yuri cuteness…much the sort of thing that bugs me about the stories in Yuri Shimai. The reader will get the occasional chu!-type, peck on the cheek or lips, kiss. But in general, the stories read like candy apples without the apples – all sugary and gooey and sweet, with not much of anything else to support it.

The thing I actually like *best* about Strawberry Panic (aside from the occasional good Yuri picture,) is the fan art at the bottom of every “coupling” serial. These are a little more daring, sometimes, than the actual stories. But the art in general, as with most bishoujo art, tends to make the characters looks considerably younger than I like. However, if you like your Yuri moe – then it will be well worth your time to take a look at Strawberry Panic.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 5
Characters – 5
Yuri – 10

Overall – 7