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Yuri Light Novel: Bloom Into You Regarding Saeki Sayaka, Volume 1 (English)

December 22nd, 2019

When you watched the Bloom Into You anime, you saw it. Maybe you understood it. Probably if you were queer, you had lived it.

You saw the way Sayaka held her coffee cup, the way her fingers tightened around it before she asked what was clearly one of the most difficult questions of her entire life to date, “Are you and Hakozaki-sensei dating?” You saw it and maybe if you’re queer, you knew what it felt like on a visceral level. The first time you said the thing. You probably knew the tightness in your muscles when you first saw someone looking at you and understood that they were looking at you that same way that you were looking at them. That you had something in common. The thing.

This is why it was so important to me that Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka, Volume 1 captures Sayaka’s inner voice so well. Not because I identified with her (although we are all her, in some way,) but because of this.

As I read the first of what I hope will be three novels, this was the moment when I knew I why her voice was so important:

As my senses sharpened, the path ahead grew brighter and clearer. My defenseless heart was exposed to the picturesque sunlight. And as I observed my current self neutrally as if from the outside, I finally realized something.

I was angry.

Right now, I was incensed. But why? I plumbed the depths of my heart for the answer.

Sayaka has spent the first 14 years as a spectator in her own life. This is the moment when she ceases to observe and begins to participate.

In this volume, we learn about Saeki Sayaka from two key moments in her life. The first part of the novel follows 11 year old Sayaka’s encounters with a girl her own age who, we can see from our distance, is in love with – or more probably correctly, desires – her. Sayaka has a bit of a sense of it, but it’s not until she experiences desire that it make sense to her. The second half of the book follows her when she is approached by someone who claims to love her, who she comes to love and who, ultimately, hurts her. And when she begins to understand herself, finally.

Saeki Sayaka and I differ in one very concrete way. I read a lot of fiction as a child. This is not an aside, or an irrelevant comment. Sayaka guesses at and correctly identifies her emotions as she experiences them. Had she read fiction, she would not have needed to guess. ^_^ But we know, because we are told it, that she doesn’t care for fiction. It is a testament to the author’s grasp of Sayaka’s voice, that we can be inside her head as she objectively discusses the range of emotions she’s experiencing. It was so wholly consistent with what we knew of her, I had to be impressed. As I’ve said in previous reviews, I consider Iruma’s writing inconsistent and wasn’t sure that the Sayaka we knew would be reflected here. When I reviewed the Japanese edition, I was happy to note that it was.

I’m even more pleased to report that the translation, by Jan Cash and Vincent Castaneda, with adaptation by Jenny McKeon, and editing by Nibedita Sen and Jenn Grunigen, preserved that voice in the English edition. (I’m also chuffed as heck to see my friend Julie Davis as Managing Editor on this volume! For one thing that means that Seven Seas has gotten to the point of size, volume and sophistication as a publishing company to be hiring managing editors which is a very good thing.) I trust this team to do the best possible job with a character I actually want taken care of. ^_^

Their hard work means I don’t have to spend my energy making the novel work and can instead spend my energy resenting Yuzuki-sempai and enjoying Sayaka watching herself swear to never fall in love again, then almost immediately fall in love with Nanami Touko. ^_^

Which is how it should be.

Ratings (same as the Japanese volume):

Art – 10 well, since the creator of the original did the illustrations, that stands to reason
Story – 8 In and of itself, not riveting, but it nails the character’s voice.
Character – 10
Service – 3 bathing suits and changing rooms
Yuri – Well, now…this is hard. I’m calling it a 5 because it’s so complicated

Overall – 9

For the interior life of a young lesbian, told in a way that is completely consistent with the character as we know her, Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka, Volume 1 is a very good book.

Thanks to Seven Seas for the advanced review copy!

Sailor Moon Manga Eternal Edition, Volume 6 (English)

December 19th, 2019

With Sailor Moon Eternal Edition, Volume 6, the Death Busters arc wraps up and so does my interest in getting any further volumes of the “Eternal Edition” release.

In Volume 6, the Inner Senshi and the Outer Senshi are forced to work together to protect Earth from Mistress 9 and Pharaoh 90, but they still fundamentally cannot see eye to eye about what to do to – or with – Hotaru. Worse, when from within Mistress 9 Sailor Saturn awakens, the Outers’ reactions are basically to continue to see her as an enemy.

This is why teenagers as magical girls is never really a good idea. ^_^;

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, as Sailor Saturn is so monstrously powerful they wouldn’t have been able to stop her anyway. She and Sailor Moon defeat the Death Busters and Sailor Moon saves everyone, as per the usual playbook. Hotaru is reborn once again, this time to a loving family of three mothers. This continues to be one of the best (and least trainwrecky) of the arc endings that don’t just end with Sailor Moon magicking everyone back to where they started.

This is followed by two extra stories. One of the is the touching story where Luna the cat falls in love with a human, that is the basis of the Sailor Moon S movie. It is in “Chibi-Usa’s Picture Diary, Beware of Tanabata” that my desire to have what ought to have been a definitive edition of this series was killed dead.

On Tuesday, I reviewed the fun mish-mash of Yuri tropes that is Yuri is My Job!, Volume 5 by Miman. In my review I praised translator Diana Taylor’s work, because when you’re neck deep in 100-year old tropes and are trying to make it make sense in the context of a modern maid-cafe oeuvre, it’s not that easy to remember that the readers still need an authentic reading experience. In that volume, Kodansha uses what is usually considered to be standard spelling “onee-sama” for the honorific.

In Sailor Moon, Volume 6, Kodansha did something that made me physically recoil. When Chibi-Usa, happening upon Haruka and Michiru, both in girl’s summer school uniforms, (something I wanted to write about on its own!) calls out to them as “Michiru-onêchan, Haruka-onêchan!” I was, honestly, appalled.

WHO. DOES. THAT?!?

And to highlight the absurdity of this choice, “oniisan” appears in the same volume. This is insanity. There are standard ways to transliterate names and honorifics. Pedantic use of diacritic marks does not make for a smooth reading experience. I’m thrown out of the moment every time.

At almost $30/volume I can’t subject myself to this any longer. The choices being made are enraging and don’t make sense given considering that they aren’t even consistent with other manga being put out by Kodansha right now, much less standard formats for Japanese names and honorifics.

Ratings:

Art – 8 Some of the best art the series has
Story – 8 Same
Characters – 8 Same.
LGBTQ – 5 Alternative family ftw
Service – 1 on principle

Overall – 8 with 2 points off for the typography which is like a stab through the heart every time.

This Eternal Edition may be physically beautiful, large and shiny, by the typography has quite literally robbed me of sleep as I lay there, tortured by the choices being made. It’s like visual misophonia. I have the Japanese volumes, I am therefore going to donate all of these English volumes to my library. These won’t be getting shelf space in my collection. Which is a damn shame.

Yuri Anime: Kase-San and Morning Glories OVA (English), Guest Review by Eric P.

December 18th, 2019

Welcome to another Guest Review Wednesday here on Okazu. Thanks to our Okazu Patrons, we welcome back Guest Reviewer Eric P who is going to take a look at the Section 23 release of Kase-san and Morning Glories. Take it away Eric!

Kase-San and Morning Glories OVA, the high school love story between shy Yamada and her athlete girlfriend Kase, seemed to be a fairly big deal when it came out, with much love and acclaim. So, whichever western publisher would license this title, one would expect them to be well aware of its beloved status and treat its release accordingly, including a high-quality English audio track should they produce one. Kase-San was picked up by Sentai Filmworks/Section 23 , who seemed very much aware of the OVA’s importance.

Yamada’s voice is provided by Bryn Apprill, who also did Historia from Attack on Titan. Upon first listen it seems her voice gives Yamada a stereotypically cute/shy sound, but then I switch back and forth between the English and Japanese audio, and realize it was meant to be reflective of the original seiyuu. Some may still criticize it for trying a little too hard to stay faithful in that regard, and the moments where Yamada shrieks may be a bit much for those that find English shrieks being higher-pitched than the original Japanese bothersome. Yet these are just stressing nitpicks on my part, because by no means is it bad acting and Bryn still fitted the character. Her voice is most soothing when she narrates, and there’s something about the way she says “I think this might be a big deal” as she waits for Kase to come to her house that I felt was well-captured.

The one lead voice guaranteed not to give mixed feelings is Kase-san herself, portrayed by Morgan Berry, who also did Tokaku from Riddle Story of Devil and Dragon Panther from Cutie Honey Universe. While not the exact sound match-up to the original seiyuu like Yamada, she provides a fitting tomboy-type voice that emanates coolness within the movie’s first few moments. But when it comes to Yamada and their progressing relationship, she near-perfectly conveys vulnerable flustering and stumbling, countering her coolness with realistic adorableness.

The only other stand-out character is Yamada’s friend, Mikawa, voiced by Apphia Yu, who also did Tamako Arai from Barakamon. She gives Mikawa a suitable vibe of someone who is gearing up to be the life of the party, and all other additional/background voices making up the OVA’s overall mix come together as a natural-sounding whole. In the end, it is apparent the ADR cast and crew of Sentai poured their loving efforts into honoring this title. Even if one watches it in English just one time, the dub further serves its purpose in helping free the viewers’ eyes a bit and better take in the artistry that compliments the mutually lovely story.

The story itself is admittedly nothing groundbreaking. But even as a simple young romance tale, it is easy to recognize what made this OVA resonate so much is that it did everything it did well, with the right mix of direction, writing, art, music, what-have-you. It says just about everything it needs to say in a single self-contained hour, whether one has read or will read the manga or not. And because it also happens to be a same-sex love story, the focus relationship is depicted in such a casual, sweet and honest way without any “mandatory” sleazy stereotypes to bog it down. Yes, as I wrote the previous sentence I am thinking about that other OVA director Takuya Sato happened to do later that tried passing itself off as a spiritual follow-up to Kase-San. In a way it strangely makes me all the more appreciative that something like Kase-san and Morning Glories exists, and anyone could appreciate everything it offers any time they choose to sit down for one simple hour of pleasantness.

Ratings:

Dub—9.5
Blu-Ray—7*
OVA Overall—10

*Although a Sentai title, it is not yet available on HIDIVE as of this review posting. And Sentai’s basic blu-ray does not come with any bonus features outside the promo trailers and English dub. I would have thought Kase-San would have earned a Premium release of some kind, and nowhere on the disc will one find the Pony Canyon music video that started everything, which was surprising and curious enough on its own. Regardless, it is still worth owning if you are an English dub fan or are at least open to them. Or if you have not yet bought the original Amazon Japan release, then Sentai’s domestic blu-ray is still a more economical purchase to help add this to any Yuri collector’s library.

Erica here: Thank you very much, Eric for this look at the US release of this OVA! At less than $20 on Amazon, it might not be a premium release, but it’s worth every penny. ^_^

Yuri Anime: Bloom Into You Premium Box Set, Disk 2 (English)

December 16th, 2019

Bloom Into You Premium Box Set ends as it began, with shockingly good visuals and voice acting that elevates the story beyond the original manga.

Disk 2 might appear anti-climactic for those of us watching for Sayaka, but it is in these final episodes that the seeds of the rest of the story are sown. We are there to witness, you might say, the moment when Yuu’s promise turns into a lie. She might not know it yet, but we can see the moment she falls in love.

The DVD “extras” are basic. Clean beginning and endings for your Anime Music Videos (seriously, that’s why those are there, it’s a relic from “back in the day”) and promo material for other Sentai properties are the only content extras.

BUT, in order to do a complete review, (and to do a test run for the family get-together next week,) I made Rei’s cheesecake recipe. I wasn’t sure we had a springform pan and ultimately, we ended up throwing the one we had out, because it was degrading and made the cake taste weird. It might well have come with this house for all we know. ^_^;

The recipe was straightforward enough. It calls for cake flour, which gave the cake a lighter profile than the thicker cheesecakes I’m used to, which I actually liked. It wasn’t very sweet, which I also liked and the lemon functioned the same way sour cream does on Hungarian cheesecake, to cut the sweetness…and give it flavor.

Even packed down, the crust was really loose and crumbly. We’ll have to compact it a lot more next time, since we did not use cookies, we used graham crumb and it was super crumbly and dry. (Although, overnight in the fridge firmed it up considerably.)

The instructions say to leave the cake in the oven until completely cool, but this really overcooked it. Next time, we’ll take it out at half an hour. It’s going to crack no matter what. You could use a bain-marie to keep it moist but does *anyone* really care if the cheesecake cracks? Seriously. Eat the damn cake.

The flavor was very good. As I said, it had a slightly cakier texture, which meant it wasn’t as cloying or rich. It’s a really pretty good recipe as cheesecakes go. I gave half to cake to neighbors with a cautionary “It’s a 6.5/7 on a scale of 10.” I don’t bake, so for my first cheesecake ever, it was pretty successful. I’ll try again next week with some small changes. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 1
Yuri – 3

Overall – 9

Bloom Into You Premium Blu-Ray Box Set, is a feast for any Yuri fan. With dessert.

Yuri Manga: Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Volume 8 (やがて君になる)

December 12th, 2019

Since I cracked open the fantastic Bloom Into You Premium Box Set earlier this week, and plan on finishing it up tomorrow (except for the cheesecake, which will have to wait a few weeks) I figured I had better just bite the bullet and wrap it all up in one go. So here we are with Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Volume 8 (やがて君になる) in our hands, ready to say farewell to this series in Japanese.

Volume 7 (which will be available in English in April 2020) left us on the cusp of a major change for Yuu and Touko. A major change that had been telegraphed for many volumes, so surely no one will be surprised. After this massive change in their relationship, the narrative shifts entirely from a story about young people struggling with who they might be to one about learning to be comfortable with who they are. To do this, some of you will have to let go of who you thought they were. This bring us to the creation of a relationship in which both Yuu and Touko had to figure out what they wanted for themselves.

Time marches on and the story skips two years into the future to end in what is an extended final chapter. Yuu visits her school once again, this time to watch her successors in the Student Council perform their play. And to catch up with everyone for a brief moment. Sayaka, Yuu and Touko have one last moment together in which the punchline of the yet-to-be-released third Sayaka novel is spoiled…and I’m perfectly okay with it. ^_^ It’s not like that was any less obvious than the end of this series. In a Yuri story, it doesn’t matter how many obstacles exist, we kind of have to realize that we’re headed to an inevitable conclusion.

The conclusion to this story may have been inevitable and, if we’re honest, a bit predictable, but it is nonetheless a nice ending and one that gives fans of the series plenty of room into which they can write their own desires. What conversations did Yuu and Touko have about identity and gender and sexuality and sex in those two years? We’ll never know, so feel free to tell the story you need to tell to make it work for you.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 10
Service – There is a sex scene. Whether you consider that service or not is entirely up to you.
Yuri – 10

Overall – 9

In the end, I am once again staring at the title, wondering if we’ve all been played for fools. Maybe every single character had someone they thought they had to become in order for things to work. Or, maybe Yuu was never the protagonist and we’ve been watching her in a supporting role all along to Touko’s journey to become, then surpass, then let go of her, sister. Or maybe the title had no specific connection at all and we were left, like the characters themselves, to struggle to find meaning.

We already know there will be a few “curtain call” projects for this series. Artbook, stage play reprise, the third Sayaka novel, and a series of LINE stamps have been planned. The first novel, Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka is available for pre-order from Seven Seas, so we’ll be talking about this series still for some time to come. But, in the meantime, we’ll tip our hat in thanks to Nakatani-sensei and wait to see if there’s something next.

Archive for the Series Category

Yuri Light Novel: Bloom Into You Regarding Saeki Sayaka, Volume 1 (English)

Sailor Moon Manga Eternal Edition, Volume 6 (English)

Yuri Anime: Kase-San and Morning Glories OVA (English), Guest Review by Eric P.

Yuri Anime: Bloom Into You Premium Box Set, Disk 2 (English)

Yuri Manga: Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Volume 8 (やがて君になる)

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Archive for the Series Category

Yuri Light Novel: Bloom Into You Regarding Saeki Sayaka, Volume 1 (English)

Sailor Moon Manga Eternal Edition, Volume 6 (English)

Yuri Anime: Kase-San and Morning Glories OVA (English), Guest Review by Eric P.

Yuri Anime: Bloom Into You Premium Box Set, Disk 2 (English)

Yuri Manga: Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Volume 8 (やがて君になる)

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