Archive for the Matt Marcus Category


How Do We Relationship, Volume 5, Guest Review by Matt Marcus

March 2nd, 2022

It’s another Guest Review Wednesday and we have another great review! Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, such as the JRPG games club podcast Lightning Strikes Thrice. Please welcome Matt back to Okazu!

How Do We Relationship is a story about two college students Miwa and Saeko who learn together how used to date. In How Do We Relationship, Volume 4, the couple broke up over a myriad of problems around communication and personal hang-ups, but despite lingering feelings they try to go back to being friends.

Just by looking at the cover of How Do We Relationship, Volume 5, you know you’re in for some shit. Gone are the big smiles, playful antics, and instruments of the past; they have been replaced by a disheveled Miwa, her hair grown out haphazardly, looking forlornly into the middle distance.

This volume has a theme: self-centeredness, selfishness, and greed. Almost every principle character displays these traits in varying degrees of severity and the effects of their actions ripple out until they become ship-wrecking waves.

Saeko, in what feels like a passive-aggressive move, casually pushes Miwa to reach out to her high school crush, Shiho, and confess her feelings. When the two former classmates reconnect, they make plans for Miwa to spend two months visiting Shiho in Okinawa. 

There is a lot I can say about Shiho because she is fascinating. When she first appears in How Do We Relationship, Volume 3, you wouldn’t be blamed for expecting her to merely be the love rival that forces Miwa to make a firm, definitive decision on to whom she will give her heart. As it turns out, she is a much more complex character. Yes, she managed to escape from the traumatic environment that was her family home, however she continues to bear scars from her upbringing. Tamifull does a wonderful job portraying her inner struggle and how it leaks out into the rest of her life: she lives in a barren apartment and wonders why it freaks out her friends; her previous romantic relationship ended due to her lack of interest; she doesn’t feel a need to fall in love, yet she is still working out her feelings towards Miwa while sending very mixed signals. What is crushingly sad is that she not only doesn’t know what she wants for herself, she doesn’t even know how to want. You will think that her ultimate decision about Miwa is cowardly–and it is–but she needs more time to heal and grow. I am hoping we get to see it. Regardless, the trip sends Miwa into a tailspin.

This puts her on a collision course with Saeko when school resumes. I mentioned in my previous review that Saeko’s behavior could be a barrier for some readers, and I think this volume offers the ultimate test of that. There is a moment towards the end of the volume that truly stunned me. I won’t spoil it, but it will send shivers down your spine. It may even disgust you. It’s a high risk move and we do not see it payoff before the volume ends, but I simply have to credit Tamifull for constructing a scene that packs such a wallop.

I haven’t mentioned her yet, but Saeko’s coworker Yuria takes on a larger supporting role and she’s still a delight. Not a lot of depth to her, but she’s a breath of fresh air given everything else that’s going on.

Out of the previous volumes so far, this one is the most consistent in tone. The focus has tightened and it benefits the storytelling because it gives more space to explore the internality of the characters. I will say though that I am still confused about what Tamifull is trying to say with Rika, beyond the fact that she is self-aware about her selfishness.

One major demerit I would give the story is how Miwa expresses a desire for self-harm through neglect that is not taken very seriously by Saeko–it’s melodramatic at best and disrespectful to the severity of the topic at worst. If the story’s direction continued down such a path I could see myself dropping the series, but I have it on good authority that this is the “lowest” point and that things get better from here. It really is about time that Miwa starts showing some serious development because the poor girl deserves it.

On the positive side, I want to give a shout-out to the localization team because I am continuously impressed with the fresh and naturalistic phrasing choices that provide a distinct voice to the characters while sounding realistically like college students.

If you have ventured this far into the series, be prepared for the choppiest waters yet. Despite finding myself emotionally wrung out by the twists and turns on my first read-through, I have found engaging with the characters in repeated readings endlessly rewarding. I’ll be waiting (im)patiently for the next volume which comes out in English this July.

Ratings:

Art – 8 Some great paneling and nonverbal expression.
Story – 7 Heavy, less funny, but still engaging. Docking it one point for overplaying its hand with Miwa’s meltdown.
Characters – 9 I love what they did with Shiho and Saeko continues to be compelling.
Service – 1 Sex is still present but it is not played for service.
Yuri – 9 / LGBTQ – 7 One door opens while another seemingly closes, so on balance it’s a wash.

Overall – 8 This continues to be a unique and engrossing yuri series.

Erica here: Thank you Matt for covering this volume so thoroughly. I can guarantee that everything will be different (for the better) now. and I’m so glad I can talk about this series again!
 




How Do We Relationship, Volume 4, Guest Review by Matt Marcus

November 10th, 2021

Welcome to another Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu. I am so delighted to introduce a new Guest Reviewer here today for so many reasons: Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, such as the JRPG games club podcast Lightning Strikes Thrice. Finally, after me waiting patiently to have someone to talk to about this…here we are at last. There will be spoilers in this review and let me tell you, I am so relieved! Please give your attention and a warm welcome to Matt!

How Do We Relationship is a story about college first years Miwa and Saeko who, once they learn that they are both attracted to women, decide to date. Last we saw them in Volume 3, the lack of open communication had continued to strain their relationship, leaving Saeko troubled over her standing with her partner while Miwa is tempted by the reappearance of her old high school crush Shiho.

There is no sense being coy about it: How Do We Relationship, Volume 4 is where the girls break up. Saeko had been using sex as the panacea for her insecurities, but troubles in the bedroom, coupled with confronting the reality that Miwa harbors deep romantic feelings for another woman ends up straining her to the breaking point. Miwa wrestles with guilt over her conflicting attractions and tries to cling to the relationship but to no avail. The two agree to stay friends, however it is clear that Miwa believes that she carries the sole blame for the end of their courtship.

The fulcrum on which this series balances is how tolerable you find Saeko, and in this volume we see her at her worst so far. She starts to seriously lose control of the defense mechanism that she developed after her traumatic experience in middle school–the facade of a carefree and kind partner. It is not until late in this volume that Saeko finally has a moment of emotional honesty, voicing some of the ugly thoughts and fears that she had been repressing–but not with Miwa. If you have seen or experienced this emotional playbook, this can be a tough read. I want to root for Saeko to grow and truly heal from her past, but on the flip side she hurt Miwa quite badly and has yet to even acknowledge it. The sole consolation I have is knowing that with seven volumes currently out in Japan, there is quite a bit of runway for her to turn it around.

I have focused on the heavy stuff, but like the rest of the series the emotional drama happens around character-driven shenanigans with mixed results. A particular low note are the couple of chapters that focus on group singer Mikkun and Saeko working around the former’s jealous new girlfriend, which does little to drive the plot forward and rehashes the “straight cis man has a crush on a lesbian” beat from Volume 3. In a story with quite a large supporting cast, I would have liked to see a little more character development in their subplots.

As for Yuri/queer content, this volume pushes things ever-so-slightly forward, with the final chapter opening the door for a couple more queer relationships to develop. Another noteworthy element is the reappearance of Kan, the “villain” of Volume 2. It is hard to say for sure from what little we see of him, but he may have started letting go of his internalized queerphobia. At the very least he comes off as less of an unrepentant asshole (heavy emphasis on “less of”).

I have always appreciated Tamifull’s art, particularly the outfit designs and instruments. On occasion it can be disorienting (for example, second year Mozu–who already looked like a dead-ringer for Miwa but with light-colored hair–reappears with black hair just to make things more confusing for two pages), but I found the tumultuous energy accurately reflects the free-wheeling nature of one’s first year of college. When it counts, Tamifull knows how to visually punctuate an emotional moment or punchline (shoutouts to the Pound Cake Face).

All in all, I found these chapters challenging but rewarding. If you have found the messiness of the story and the characters compelling thus far, this volume really delivers on moments that will have you screaming internally the whole way with some heartrending lines to boot. Other than a small tease of a flashforward near the end, I have no idea where the next movement will take this series, but I know that I will be tuning in for it.

Ratings:

Art – 8 Has a few standout moments in the series so far.
Story – 8 A little uneven at times but lands the big moments.
Characters – 7 Compellingly infuriating.
Service – 3 There still is sex, however it is less of a focus compared to previous volumes
Yuri – 9 / LGBTQ – 7 Someone actually says “lesbian” out loud; unfortunately, it’s Rika.

Overall – 8 A challenging but rewarding read.

Lastly, I have to give big props to Tamifull’s very cheeky reveal in the author’s notes. You will clearly see what they meant if you flip back to Chapter 1.

Erica here: Thanks very much Matt!

OKAY. Now that you have all caught up I need to say this. Saeko and Miwa always were a terrible couple. I’m glad they broke up. You all were cooing over them in Volume 1 and I was up to Volume 3 chanting, “Break up, break up, break up.” ^_^ In fact, if they hadn’t, I was going to stop reading, because Saeko’s jealousy was intolerable to me; traumatic experience or not. I can assure you this, I am about to dive into Volume 7 in Japanese and 1) I am still reading and 2) this is a completely different, (dare I say, much better) story now.

Volume 5 is slated for a February release in English and everything (including the cover style) is about to change.