Archive for the Series Category


Hana no Asuka-gumi! ∞Infinity, Volume 9 (花のあすか組! ∞インフィニティ)

September 8th, 2024

A young woman with short brown hair, wearing a read long coat and pink scarf looks up at us through half of a gold infinity sign on a gold background at a crow with wings and claws extended as it fights.Once again, we come to the end of the longest-running girl-gang manga series. I say “again,” because this series has ended several times before. This first time when the final gaiden volume of the original series, Hana no Asuka-gumi (花のあすか組！, which began in 1985, was published in 1992 (Wiki says ’95, but I looked up the date in the edition I have and it says ’92.) This was followed by the completion of Shin Hana no Asuka-gumi! (新・花のあすか組！) which ran from 2003-2009 – which I have spoken about at length for  doing something inexplicable and wonderful.

Hana no Asuka-gumi! BS (Black School) (花のあすか組! BS(ブラックスクール)編) ran for two volumes in 2018. I have long guessed that those two volumes were a test run for the longer, more epic Hana no Asuka-gumi!  ∞Infinity (花のあすか組! ∞インフィニティ) of which this is the final volume. In Volume 8, the School Wars have ended, but the battle of the gods has begun and once again Asuka is the target.

If you are new to this series, you may wonder why the head of the girl gangs in Tokyo, the melodramatic gothic spider at the center of the web, Hibari-sama, has been pursuing a single girl for nearly 40 years in our time. Well..it’s because Asuka walked away from her. Hibari offered her power (and what passes for in Hibari’s weird little heart) love and lust, and Asuka rejected her. A woman spurned indeed. You’d think the gangs might question what the fuck, but no one does, because the way to power in the Zenchuu Ura organization is taking down Kuraku Asuka.

Which almost happens.

The gods and their henchgangs are all out fighting – each other, the Area Masters, whoever gets in their way. Phantom, with her drones (both actual mechanical ones and her fighters,) and Jesus and her disciples are having a all-out war to see who is the best fighter. When Shibun, the head of Phantom takes the lead, she and Asuka duke it out. For a while it looks Phantom will win and Asuka will finally be defeated. But.

In that moment, a young women Asuka had saved – much against her will – steps back into the story. Mamaharu is a girl who was starving herself in order to become a pop idol. Asuka saw that world and asked Mamaharu to reject it. In this volume, Asuka drags Mamaharu to see her world, something she has never done before with a damsel in distress. In a pivotal moment, Mamaharu distracts Shibun and saves Asuka. The battle concludes with Asuka walking away once again from the Zenchuu Ura and it’s leader.

Back in Zenchuu Ura HQ, Hibari releases the rankings and, for the very first time, Asuka’s self-proclaimed arch enemy, Kurenai, is not on it.  Hibari shuns Kurenai completely. Almost 40 real-years, maybe two in-story years, after Asuka scarred her face and took her crow (yes, that crow on the cover,) Kurenai is outta here. Buh-bye~!

There a are a ton of old-series pairs that show up to provide greek chorus commentary – Saishuu and Baba from the Ranjuku Detention Center (I was so excited I recognized them, but they were named and so was Ranjuku, since that was a lot of decades ago.) Kiryuu and Bara no Miya make a late appearance, together, just to remind us that they still come as a matched set – they are my favorite headcanon ship, both so jaded from street fighting back in the 80s. ^_^

Asuka walks away with her bestie (and late lover/mentor/abuser, Yohko’s, half-sister) Miko along the river bank as they have done so many times before.

Will there be more fights in Asuka’s future? No idea. If so…I’ll be there, like Dead Yohko haunting Asuka’s thoughts.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

This series is one of the most toxic and bizarre series I have ever loved. And so, so gay, for having no non-violent relationships.

Reprieving my notes from Volume 7 of this series for context:

My reviews here about this series have been sporadic and mostly incoherent as I try to explain the complicated structure of the Zenchuu Ura and the whole series, but there is a category for it: Hana no Asuka-gumi. Of these reviews, let me suggest these two for fun.

2006 – Drama CD: Hana no Asuka-gumi Gaiden (花のあすか組外伝) – this was one of two Drama CDs for the series. I still haven’t found time to listen to the other, but this one is one of my prize possessions for reasons that will become obvious if you read the review.

2011 – Yuri Artbook: Kuraku Asuka Mairu! (九楽あすか参る!). This was another item that absolutely centered my obsession with Yohko and Asuka’s relationship, in a literal sense. As well as giving space for Hibari-sama to be a complete freak.

So, look, I know none of you are running out and reading 52 volumes of an untranslated 40 year old gang girl series…but IF you want to read a 40 year old gang girl series with 52 volumes of manga, two movies, a live-action TV show, 2 anime OVAs, 2 Drama CDs and 2 novels, make it Hana no Asuka-gumi!.

 





Yamada to Kase-san, Volume 4 (山田と加瀬さん。)

September 5th, 2024

As you age, one of the absolutely weirdest things is watching the people you knew as children growing up, maturing, starting their own lives. You never know what they’ll turn out like but it is an interesting process and a reminder of our mortality. (When you get to some point, practically everything is a reminder of our mortality, really.)

We, as a collective, have been watching Yamada and Kase-san grow up now for more than a decade. My first mention of them here on Okazu was in 2012. It always makes me happy to see the Hirari Comics imprint on the spine, in fact. The magazine isn’t completely gone as long as we have that. In those years, they have a long road, but they graduated high school, and have moved to the big city to pursue their college degrees. There has been a lot of relationship stuff they needed to work through – Yamada’s low self-esteem, Kase-san’s jealousy. Some volumes felt like there was no progress at all. But here we are at Yamada to Kase-san, Volume 4 (山田と加瀬さん。) and they are all grown up. The kids are okay. ^_^

Yamada has really grown into herself. She’s good at her chosen career, and has a lot of options in her future. She likes her job and is making friends in school and at work. Kase-san, the star of her high school track team is the more fragile of the two and has to work much harder, but is up to the challenge. The two of them plan to move out together when the next school year begins.

At which Fukami, Kase-san’s roommate, snaps. We’ve seen this coming for a long while, but it was good to get it out into the open. Fukami, having fallen for Kase-san in the most toxic and possessive way, demands Kase-san race her to see if she’ll be “allowed” to leave the dorm. Of course this is ridiculous. But Kase-san is at heart a kind person and not very confrontational outside competitive running.

Yamada ends up getting a smaller, less ideal apartment than she had hoped, but finds a place in Mikawacchi’s building, which means our three school friends are reunited. Kase-san races Fukami, says she hopes they can stay friends and is generally the big-hearted and kind person she always is…and, at last, comes home to her girlfriend in their new home together. Squee.

They’ve come so far. Yuri has come so far. We’ve come far together.

Kase-san and Yamada are going to be okay.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Service – 2
LGBTQ+ – 4 Kase-san has to come out for real for the first time
Yuri – 10

Overall  – 9

This was the volume that I was waiting for from this series.  I look forward to more of their adventures “playing house” together.





Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 8 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。)

August 21st, 2024

A girl with long silver hair stands in the foreground, a girl with collar-length brown hair behind her, both wearing fantasy school uniforms of red jacket and blue skirt with white underskirt, both looking concerned. Behind them a blonde woman in a white shift dances in front of a display of blue flowers, bathed in light from the moon.Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 8 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。) is the climax of Yu’s arc and, as a result it is poignant and touching in about 4 different ways.

To begin with, the entirety of Rae’s conversation with Misha is expanded upon with their meeting as children. Misha, ever practical, finally demands to know the truth about Rae, who she insists is nothing like her childhood best friend. When confronted with the truth, we learn two key things – one that Rae was adopted and two, sometimes in this world children just…appear from nowhere. No one knows where the Children of the Forest come from, Misha says and this seemingly random fact will come back several times in this story in surprising ways. 

With Rae’s unbelievable, yet truthful admission, Misha, at last is ready to help the team free Yu. In an epic moment, in front of the eyes of virtually the entire capital, Yu takes her place as the woman she is, throwing her mother’s plan to dominate the throne into complete disarray. It’s a fantastic moment, drawing magnificently. This will not be the only trans narrative in this story, but it and the other are both very good.

Rae is punished of course, for her actions and ends up being removed from the Royal Academy…again, a seemingly small moment that will have massive repercussions later in the story. Which makes me think about the ping=pong nature of so many epic Japanese stories. How many Gundam series, for instance have world governments overthrown and replaced and overthrown again in the course of what has to be a few months at most? And here is Rae, who catapults to the top of the school, is named a Knight, saves everyone from a chimera, now is thrown out, works for the King, thwarts a revolution and will eventually return to the school as an instructor, only to leave almost immediately as an exchange student to Nur, where she foments revolution there. That seems like a perfectly normal couple of years. ^_^;

Anyway…this volume is fantastic and beautiful and you should definitely get it!

Ratings:

Art – Excellent, with one egregious choice that…woof.
Story – Fanastic
Characters – The princes step up like crazy
Service – Everyone deserves to have their needs served, not just the salacious ones.
Yuri – The main relationship is set on the back burner in service to the larger narrative

Overall –  A brilliant volume of manga.

Volume 7 is on the way in English this October from Seven Seas!





Otherside Picnic, Volume 10

July 24th, 2024

Two women stand back to back. The shorter with collar-length dark hair in a green jacket over striped shirt holds her hand up to her face near a blue eye, that does not match her other brown eye. Behind her is a taller women with long, blonde hair, looking back over her left shoulder at us. In the background are a tall girl with red hair, her hand on a shorter girl's shoulder. The shorter girl holds up a fist as if ready to protect the other girl.by Sandy Ferguson, Guest Reviewer

Otherside Picnic, Volume 10 includes the satisfying conclusion of ‘Sannuki and the Karate Kid’, the beginning of ‘The Whisper Is At-Your-Own-Risk’ and the always welcome bonus Kozakura story ‘Getting Lost in Self-Loathing’, the title is a bit of a spoiler…

In this volume the events of the stories happen in our world. Sorawo and Toriko do not enter the Otherside, instead they are responding to the Otherside interacting with our world in both stories, though in very different ways.

Throughout this volume Sorawo shares her thoughts concerning the nature of the Otherside and how it becomes part of our world.

And through conversations Sorawo explores the distinction between those who actively seek an encounter with the Otherside, people like her and Toriko who are willing to risk the consequences of such an encounter, compared with those who stumble on a ‘patch’ of the Otherside that has somehow infiltrated our world. This is partly as an explanation of why she is willing to help those who stumble into the Otherside, but as she also makes clear she doesn’t want to deal with them being a nuisance who might get in the way of her and Toriko’s fun.

We hear more of Sorawo’s definitions of urban lore and ghost stories and why the distinction is so important to her, with a harrowing glimpse into her childhood to explain why this is the case.

One aspect of Otherside Picnic I appreciate is the ability to portray the presence of the Otherside in an ordinary setting that I find unsettling. For example, Sorawo’s response to seeing Satsuki in a crowd and what happens next.

Satsuki Uruma looms more and more into the narrative throughout this volume in a variety of ways, such as Sorawo becoming annoyed when people are happy to tell her that she looks like Satsuki.

Satsuki haunts Sorawo’s life, not just with her presence, but her fears of what will happen if she shares with Kozakura and especially Toriko that she can see Satsuki. We see more of the connections that Satsuki made, the young women who were drawn to her and who she recruits. The question that arises is what was Satuski’s objective bringing these young women into her vision of the Otherside?

In ‘The Whisper Is At-Your-Own-Risk’ we meet Runa Urumi, also known as Luna-sama, a Satsuki devotee touched by the Otherside with a talent that is a powerful illustration of the consequences of what happens when elements of the Otherside being deliberately introduced into our world.

But it is useful to remember that Satsuki and her ilk are not the only people bringing the Otherside into our world. Sorawo uses the gift of her eye to prepare Akari for her confrontation with the Kano Sannuki.

‘The Whisper Is At-Your-Own-Risk’ is one of my favourite stories from the novels, and the manga has already got a good start in its version of the story, with its dramatic recreation of the kidnap, the story of Luna-sama being touched by the Otherside and Sorawo’s realisation that she has to face the trauma of her past as she is confronted by held captive by a cult who worship Luna-sama.

I am really looking forward to Volume 11, which comes out in November!

I was particularly drawn to the bonus short story, “Getting Lost in Self-Loathing”. As always, we are invited to witness Kozakura’s perspective on events, and this one was a doozie. Kozakura’s honesty about her complicated feelings about Satsuki, Toriko and Sorawo and how they had drawn her into the Otherside is compelling and raw.

Sorawo’s role in Kozakura’s musings are particularly interesting, as Kozakura expresses a combination of annoyance with a dash of gratitude over how Sorawo has changed her life.

Ratings:

Story – 9

Artwork – 9 “A whole lot of…teeth?” is a scene that will be haunting my dreams. And then there is the ethical dilemma, can we enjoy the wonderful artwork of Akari beating up what looks like an old woman?

Character – 9 We are given more glimpses of the complexity that is Sorawo, how she responds to the trauma of her childhood and how this has shaped her ability to be in relationship with other people. And ‘Getting Lost in Self-Loathing is an excellent character study of Kozakura

Service – 7

Yuri – 8 In this volume we are introduced to more potential Yuri thanks to Natsumi and Akari.

Overall – 9





I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s so Cheeky for a Commoner, Volume 2

July 8th, 2024

A girl with long blonde hair with a red bow and a girl with medium-length brown hair with a baby water slime on her shoulder walk under a parasol,. Both wear red school uniforms jackets and blue skirts. In Volume 1, we once again find ourselves in Bauer’s Royal Academy, where one Rae Taylor upends the school and eventually the entire country in her pursuit of  Claire François. Only this time, we’re seeing it all from Claire’s perspective. That first volume added a ton of new content to the story including a character that was influential, but never seen in the initial series.

In I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s so Cheeky for a Commoner, Volume 2 of the spin-off light novel series, we once again see things from perspectives other than Rae’s. Claire, Misha’s… even Pepi and Loretta’s,  Claire’s close friends and hench chicks, turn out to have a story all their own. It turns out that their story is – and will continue to be very worth reading. I find I never reviewed it when I read the Japanese edition, d’oh. It was my favorite of the three volumes. How annoying.

I refuse to spoil the why, so you will have to trust me on this. ^_^

In the meantime, this volume does something I find fascinating. By taking two side characters and putting then in the limelight, we’re forced to rethink their motives and actions completely. And this leads to my absolutely favorite scene in the entire series. One I liked so much, I referenced it in my interview with inori-sensei for Yuricon 2023. It is in this novel we truly come to understand Pepi Barlier and her bosom friend, Loretta Kugret. When they follow Claire to Rae and Misha’s hometown of Euclid, their lives change forever. I promise that their story does not just end there, either. Despite the fact that the Revolution arc basically shelves them, here more will happen that will include them…and it will have repercussions.

Once again this book forced me to confront my weakness at stories about the twins, Mei and Aleah. Any time spent with their trauma will always hit me hard. I’ve said that this book is worth reading if you liked the original I’m In Love With The Villainess light novels. I stand by that. It is not mere a “other person’s perspective,” it is a reminder that one person cannot know everything, no matter how much knowledge she has. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Service – 3? 4?
Yuri/LGBTQ+ – We see their relationship from Claire’s side

Overall – 9

 Volume 3, the final volume of the series, (until/unless inori-sensei completes her sequel) will hit our bookshelves in October.

Volume 1 is already available as an audiobook, and Volume 2 is headed our way in that format in August.