Archive for the Series Category


LGBTQ: Legend of Korra Turf Wars, Part One Preview on Amazon (English)

July 17th, 2017

Via Senior YNN Correspondent Eric P. we have some really exciting news today.  Legend of Korra: Turf Wars, Part One is due to hit shelves at the beginning of August and Amazon has a preview of the first chapter.

You know how I am with managing expectations, but for once, I have very high hopes that this book will break ground. And, from the glimpses I’ve had from the preview and the of-course leaked pages on the Internets, it look like our hopes will be realized. Korra and Asami will be balancing relationship and teamwork in this series. As the description reads, “In order to get through it all, Korra and Asami vow to look out for each other–but first, they’ve got to get better at being a team and a couple!”

There, they said it.

I don’t know if this is the first mainstream large publisher, commercial property to ever say that so plainly or not, but it sure is one of the biggest YA franchises to do so. And certainly the only one I can think of where the lead was the one in the same-sex relationship, not a supporting role. We still love you Willow, just you weren’t Buffy… and I see all my favorite female characters stretching back to my childhood, all the almosts and might have and should have beens starting with like Jaimie Summers in the Bionic Woman. My life is littered with crumbs of female leads that ought to have been gay… and here we are. Finally. 2017 and we finally have a lead character of major commercial franchise who is a lesbian and the relationship is with another major character, not just someone to kill off.

Enjoy the preview and wait patiently a few more weeks. ^_^

Many thanks to Eric for the heads up and for the sponsorship!

 





Card Captor Sakura, Clear Card Arc Manga, Volume 2 (カードキャプターさくら クリアカード編)

July 13th, 2017

A year has gone by since Kinomoto Sakura has been called upon to collect the Clow Cards and turn them into Sakura Cards.  And, as a new school year begins in Volume 1 for Sakura and her friends, new cards, two-sided but  magically transparent, are throwing the town into chaos. Luckily for Tomeda Middle School, Card Captor Sakura is there to protect them. 

In Card Captor Sakura, Clear Card Arc , Volume 2 (カードキャプターさくら クリアカード編) new cards are appearing, and it no longer seems to take much out of Sakura to capture and name them. But, her dreams of a hooded, masked figure are causing some problems. She can’t see the figure, but realizes that it is the same height as she.  Sakura is visibly taller than most of her female friends, although the boys are taller still, so a girl at her height would be noticeable.

And then a new transfer student arrives! Shinomoto Akiho (a name that, in Japanese, is both similar and opposite to Sakura’s) has been all over the world traveling with her family, but she seems really nice. And,we cannot help but notice, she’s the same height as Sakura.

While in conference Yue takes a moment to note that the new cards don’t feel magical at all. 

I’m looking forward to Volume 1 of the new arc coming out in English from Kodansha in November 2017!

Ratings:

Art – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 1 Unless you’re writing fanfic, then it’s always more
Story – 7
Service – 1 On principle 

Overall – 9

Who Akiho is and what the Clear Cards mean is still a mystery, but it’s all good, I’m happy with this kiddy ride full of pretty art and nice kids.





Yuri Manga: Kase-san and Bento (English)

June 12th, 2017

To begin this review of Seven Seas’ release of Kase-san and Bento, I want to discuss something that may appear irrelevant – the way words work.

In Japanese, the titles of this series are written – XYZ to Kase-san – . Asagao to Kase-san, Obentou to Kase-san, Shortcake to Kase-san. So, when the next book comes out Apron to Kase-san (エプロンと加瀬さん。), it will “scan” perfectly fine. The title formula is “everyday object + Kase-san’s name.” Very simple.

When one doesn’t understand how words scan – how they feel, and sound and fit together, when one imagines that the title of this series can be flipped, to “Kase-san and XYZ” and doesn’t realize that the scan has been killed, one gets an awkward title like “Kase-san and Apron” that one then feels obliged to do something with. And this, kids, is why someone needed to have said, “don’t flip the title, it ruins the scan.”  This one thing aside, this is really a wonderful book. Shout outs to translator Jocelyne Allen, adapter Jenn Grunigen, and all the folks on the technical side, including the retouch and letterer, because that’s a brutal job.

Kase-san and Bento is an excellent English release of a charming Japanese Yuri manga that explores the development of a relationship between two young women, one of whom has no self-confidence. It’s a little painful to watch Yamada fail to trust her own or Kase-san’s feelings, but it’s delightful to see Kase-san step up and be a decent friend as well as good partner. Yamada may not trust herself, but Kase-san clearly trusts her and it feels…just right.

 Great looking book that’s satisfying to read even for this long-time Yuri fan.

Ratings:

Art – 8 
Story – 8
Character – 8
Yuri – 8
Service – 5 There is a fair dollop of service as both Yamada and Kase are starting to be interested in each other’s bodies, accompanied by a even larger dollop of awkwardness.

Overall – 8

As I said in my review of the Japanese volume, I find myself wanting desperately to hug both of them and invite them over for tea, so they can see that sometimes we do get a happily-ever-after, after all. ^_^

Thanks once again to the folks at Seven Seas for the review copy, I went and bought myself a print volume anyway, because I love this series and want to support it!





Yuri Manga: Anoko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo, Volume 6 (あの娘にキスと白百合を)

June 6th, 2017

If you enjoyed Volume 2 of Anoko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo (Or Volume 2 of Kiss & White Lily For My Dearest Girl) you will probably like Volume 6 of Anoko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo (あの娘にキスと白百合を).

Chiharu and Izumi have grown closer, but when a classmate gives Izumi a flower with a red ribbon (a newly forged class tradition, in which the color of the ribbon signals your emotional intention; friend, love, etc) Chiharu abandons her own desire for intimacy with Izumi. Izumi rejects Amane, who takes it well enough, and forces Chiharu to face up to her lingering attachment to Hoshino-sempai, before the two of them can be the couple we want them to be. 

Amane tries again, but her classmate Hiroma, while actually interested in her, is not a very extroverted…and is swayed from response by Amane’s bestie Nina, who turns out to have it bad for Amane. The ending for this threesome is clearly illustrated on the cover.

I’m glad the story has circled back on Chiharu and Izumi, as she has previously done for Yurine and Ayaka. It’s nice to know that we’re going to get a little bit more than just “I like you. The End” for some of the strongest characters. The art’s getting more detailed, too. I can’t help but wonder if Canno-sensei has picked up a bunch of extra assistants with her new fame. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 6 A bit pat, but okay
Characters – 7 New characters feel a bit thin at the moment, even as the older ones are getting more developed
Yuri – 5
Service – 1 on principle only

Overall – 7

The thing that keeps bringing me back to this series (aside from the fact that it’s ubiquitous and I can’t escape it ^_^) is the different forms the relationships take. They are far more complicated than the ones I remember from my high school, for sure. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Revolutionary Girl Utena, Volume 2 (English)

June 4th, 2017

The second volume of the Revolutionary Girl Utena Manga Complete Deluxe Box Set remains complex and uncomfortable right until an ending that was much better than I remembered it being.

The primary conflict in the final arc of the Revolutionary Girl Utena anime, appears to be between Utena and Akio. In the manga version, the Student Council has been set to the side, neutralized by Anthy in order to set Utena up for Akio. 

But, like the anime, something happens just as Anthy is set to betray Utena. She begins to believe that Utena can set her free. And here in the manga, that changes everything. Freedom changes Anthy in a way that gives one hope. (And inspires one to write fanfic.)

The art here at the end of the manga arc is strong and hyper-romantic, very suitable for the magazine it ran in, Flowers, I believe it was. I wish there was a color version of Utena-Dios, because you just know she looked amazing in her white and lavender Council uniform. ^_^ 

The complete set includes Juri’s sidestory, which sadly focuses on Ruka, rather than Shiori. And the final section of the collection covers the manga version of the Revolutionary Girl Utena Movie: Adolescence of Utena. This manga volume was the precise moment when I started understanding the literary roots of Yuri Manga and for that, I have a lot of fondness for the thing. The story focuses on two not-really-real relationships, Utena’s adoration of Touga and Anthy’s adoration of (an even more horrible than in the TV manga) Akio. But it ends with the same relationship the TV manga does – Utena and Anthy, finding healing and friendship and love in one another. No wonder we all wrote so much damn fanfic. ^_^ 

 The art of the movie manga has already leveled up significantly from the earliest chapters of the television series manga, and still holds up well enough to satisfy an older audience. The deluxe set wraps up with two short notes by manga artist Chiho Saito and director Ikuhara Kinihiko.

Ratings:

Art- 8 Solid, stylish, with moments of brilliance 
Story – 8 A much better ending than I remembered 
Characters – 8 Touga and Juri end up better than expected, Miki and Saionji suffer and Akio gets extra helpings of awful. Anthy is even more complex and interesting.
Service – 5 Creepy non-con seductions and slapping so…mostly violence against women’s autonomy, with a side of bullshitty consent issues.
Yuri- 7 Anthy and Utena 4ever. <3

I love that between the two Utena manga, anime and movie there are four unique versions of this story and each one ends centered around a relationship built on friendship and hope and love.

One last note – I’m pretty sure I have all the Utena artbooks, but there is a color image in this set that I have never seen before. I refer to it as the “Takarazuka” image, as Utena is wearing a feather back piece and both her and Anthy’s outfits are unusually sparkly. I like it a lot. ^_^ It’s yet another good reason to get this complete manga deluxe set!