Archive for the Staff Writer Category


How Do We Relationship, Volume 7, Guest Review by Matt Marcus

November 23rd, 2022

Welcome once again to a Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu! Today we once again are pleased to host Matt Marcus, with his continuing coverage of one of our favorite messy couples. ^_^

Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, such as the JRPG games club podcast Lightning Strikes Thrice, which is currently covering Final Fantasy VIII.

We’re back on campus for How Do We Relationship, Volume 7. In the previous volume, we left off with Saeko growing into a more emotionally mindful partner with Yuria while Miwa has taken interest in Tamaki, a gruff freshman who resembles Shiho.

We are fully into the new normal established midway through Volume 6. It’s odd to say it this far in, but this volume is the easiest, least angsty stretch in the series so far. Not that there isn’t some tension to keep things interesting, but any conflict feels extremely low-stakes compared to the dizzying anxiety of the first six volumes. What we get instead is payoff in the form of emotional growth.

To start with Miwa, she has taken a mentor’s role to Tamaki (despite her growing crush on her). She calmly listens to Tamaki’s break-up story and is forgiving when she is hit with redirected frustration. She bears a bit of her wounds giving honest advice to Tsuruta, who is Too Nice™ to ask out a freshman girl who is clearly into him. Despite her nerves, she pursues and has a good time on a date with a woman she connected with on an app. At last, we are seeing real growth in her character, and it’s fantastic.

In contrast to Miwa, what struck me in this volume is how well Tamifull depicted Tamaki as immature. After hearing a little about Miwa’s messy relationship she suddenly becomes very vested in knowing things about Miwa that no one else does. Why? Because it makes her feel superior. She wants to dominate access to Miwa’s secrets, and not specifically out of jealousy or antagonism towards Saeko. It’s recognizable teenage behavior which puts Miwa off balance. Still, she has added an interesting wrinkle to the tapestry of characters. To be honest, I can’t help shake the feeling that we are meant to see her in a less alluring light than Miwa does and I find that fascinating.

Not to be outdone, Saeko also gets to demonstrate growth. For one, she helps out Miwa by scouting out her date. She’s been reading signals from Yuria that she interprets as lack of comfort with sex, but instead of letting things fester, Saeko decides to–gasp!–talk it out with Yuria. It turns out that she was wrong! You can really feel her relief…until the rug gets pulled under her with a familiar request. I hope the next volume finally addresses the Elephant In the Room that is Saeko’s past. I think Yuria (who continues to be a delight) might be able to break through Saeko’s emotional defenses.

I do want to take a moment to praise the art. Over the past couple of volumes, I’ve noticed more use of large panels, often filled with tons of lived-in detail. Tamifull specifically called out his excitement in drawing Saeko’s and Miwa’s rooms in the author’s comic and it’s noticeable. Also, I want to give kudos about the new students actually looking younger than the second years. Tamifull has managed to capture that sense of looking back a grade or two and realizing just how young they were only a year ago–and also how small they must have looked to their senpais. That level of verisimilitude feels rare in my (admittedly narrow) experience reading manga.

One thing I have not mentioned recently is the localization done by Kelleth Jackson, who took over for Abby Lehrke starting with Volume 6. This particular volume doesn’t have as many colorful language choices as we’ve seen before, but it remains generally strong in my opinion. That said, there is always one blatant typo or missing word in each volume.

So, something that I have been avoiding is talking about the “commentary track” comics that sit at the end of each volume. They depict Miwa and Saeko lounging around together, looking back on scenes from the chapters, heavily implying that they have gotten back together. I still think it’s an open question whether or not these scenes are diegetic, but it’s becoming more and more distracting.

To sum things up, this volume is a quiet reward for readers who stuck through all of the toxic relationship dynamics and heartbreak. What I lament is the feeling that this is one of the best currently running yuri manga that many may start, but few will finish. This volume is the first step towards justifying the drama.

Art – 9 The art has become more confident as the series progresses
Story – 9 Most of the work is character-forward and it’s great.
Characters – 9 Finally, some serious growth for Saeko and some forward momentum for Miwa
Service – 2 There’s some light canoodling
Yuri – 8 / LGBTQ – 8 Miwa uses a lesbian dating app, so up we go

Overall – 9

I do want to find out who gave Kan that shiner. He probably deserved it.

Erica here: Absolutely all of this. This is easily one of the most realistic manga I have ever ready, which can make it massively frustrating, but also incredibly rewarding as our protagonist are definitely maturing.  Thanks once again for a terrific review.

Oh, and let me assure everyone – typos happen. ^_^ No matter how many eyes go over a book, typos happen. ^_^;





My Idol Sits The Next Desk Over Volume 4, Guest Review by Luce

October 12th, 2022
Welcome to another Guest Review Wednesday here on Okazu, featuring the perspective of Luce!
 
Over the course of the first three volumes, we’ve come to know Sakiko, a devoted fan of her favourite idol group Spring Sunshine; Maaya, a possessive fan of the same group; and Chihiro, the favourite idol of both Sakiko and Maaya. We’ve seen Sakiko come out of her shell, Maaya become… well, stay very Maaya, and Chihiro staying on the path of an idol with the support of the other two. Last time, we left on a cliffhanger of sorts, with Sakiko seeing one of the girls who had been somewhat unkind about Chihiro and her boyfriend at a festival at which Spring Sunshine are performing. 
 
In volume 4 of My Idol Sits the Next Seat Over, Sakiko encourages her disparaging classmate to give Spring Shine a watch, and while not converted, she can see that they put a lot of effort in. Chihiro and the group practice for the summer concert, held in an even bigger venue then normal – meaning tough dance routines to learn. We find out a little of Maaya’s home life, and maybe why she’s so… focused on the things she is. Finally, Chihiro and Sakiko plan a surprise for Maaya’s birthday, and Chihiro lands an acting role! 
 
I really liked the storyline with the classmate, and the ending of that – that you can recognise the work that goes into something and respect that without it necessarily being your thing. Her boyfriend was adorable as well. Again, we see that having friends who know and appreciate her idol work is very comforting to Chihiro, who is struggling with the dance routines. This manga is fairly light on the negative aspects of being an idol (although it certainly doesn’t completely shy away from them) but it’s nice to see the background, the hard work that goes into the routines and the staging. I also like how it’s balanced – Chihiro loves her work, but finds some of it difficult and has to work harder at it. 
 
The big thing covered in this volume was Sakiko and Maaya’s relationship. Maybe not when Chihiro is around, but we see Maaya feeling more conflicted about shrugging Sakiko off, and with her backstory, you start to understand somewhat where she’s coming from with her obsessional love of Chihiro. One thing is for sure, and it’s that Maaya needs a better mother than the one she has. She is mellowing a bit though, even though she’d hate anyone to point it out.  
 
This volume also ends on an cliffhanger – a pretty yuri-ish one! Genuinely wasn’t sure how it was going to go, but if you want to find out, volume five is already out! Review upcoming… Eventually. I felt like the Yuri quotient was upped here – Sakiko and Maaya certainly got closer in some aspects. I’m not sure it will actually end up in a romance, but it feels like it’s edging closer that way. We’ll have to see! 
 
Story: 7
Art: 8, it’s bright and sunny, like the subjects
Yuri: a cliffhanger 7…
Overall: 8 
 

If you can forgive Maaya’s worse antics in the first few volumes, especially if you like idols, this is worth getting into.  

Erica here: Thank you Luce for taking the time to keep our attention on this series. I know I appreciate your perspective of the characters dynamics a great deal!





Project A-ko **Perfect Edition** Blu-ray, Guest Review by Matt Marcus

August 17th, 2022

Welcome back to another Okazu Guest Review Wednesday! Today we welcome back Matt Marcus once again. Matt is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, such as the JRPG games club podcast Lightning Strikes Thrice that is currently covering Final Fantasy VIII.

Back in March 2021, Discotek Media’s official Twitter account posted that they were canceling their planned digital restoration of the first Project A-ko film for their upcoming Blu-ray release. In its place, they announced that the Blu-ray would instead be based on an upscaling of an original 35mm master, all copies of which were once thought to be lost to time. It was both a stroke of good luck for classic anime fans and a cautionary tale about proper filing procedures (said copy of the film had been filed under the wrong name and had been hiding for years). Project A-ko **Perfect Edition** released in December of 2021.

It is hard to feel the need to introduce this film, given its historical significance and how Erica has previously covered it on the site, but here is a brief overview: Project A-ko is a 1986 theatrical film produced by APPP, the creators of the Cream Lemon series of adult OVAs. It is a wacky screwball action comedy that is lavishly animated and stuffed to the gills with parody and references to other media (including but not limited to Fist of the North Star, Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, Creamy Mami, Harmadeggon, Captain Harlock, Starship Troopers, Megazone 23, The Flying Phantom Ship, Wheels on Meals, The Long Goodbye, and a couple of famous American comic book characters).

The premise is simple: head–and body–strong teenager A-ko and her childhood friend C-ko start their first year of high school in a posh girls school and run afoul of B-ko, the resident queen bee, who falls head-over-heels for C-ko. Oh and there is a crew of female aliens who are looking for their lost princess. Also B-ko is a mecha engineering genius? Look, the film opens with a “meteor” decimating a major city and then immediately cuts to sixteen years in the future where the city has been rebuilt inside the impact crater. Wild stuff all around.

Watching this film for the first time in 2022, I found a lot to like and a few things to side-eye. The mecha and spaceship design is gorgeous. The music is the perfectly aged flavor of ‘80s cheese. The detail put into the destruction of many, many bits of the environment is something to behold. Nevertheless, this is the Cream Lemon team, so even though the content is not R18 there are still a couple scenes of teen nudity and countless panty shots. A few other gripes: B-ko is a psycho lesbian trope (even though I love her); there is a surprising amount of murder happening being treated as slapstick; and I have no idea who finds C-ko’s wailing anything other than incredibly grating. I try to imagine an ‘80s salaryman watching this film in theaters, chuckling to himself as he thinks, “Oh ho ho, that C-ko is crying again! What mirth this bestows upon me!”

What really interested me the most with this release is the plethora of extra features, the standout being the 30 minute mini-documentary aptly titled The Music of Project A-ko. It is centered around interviews with the writing and composing duo of Richie Zito and Joey Carbone, as well as singers Annie Livingstone and Samantha Newark. (Sadly, Valerie Stevenson, who sang lead on C-ko’s theme song “Follow Your Dreams”, passed away in 2015.) As a music production nerd, it was very fun to hear the history of how the music made it to the film. I would also highlight the small featurette on the scrapped CD-ROM game, which is especially entertaining if you experienced PC gaming in the ‘90s.

It’s clear that Discotek had a lot of love for this film. As a newcomer to it, I appreciate it more than I like it. If you love Project A-ko, you’ve already bought this. For those who have yet to check it out, there is fun to be had if you allow it some grace for its vintage.

Art – 9 This is what you are here for, seeing lots of things crumble, shatter, tear, and explode
Story – 6 The story is just an excuse for gags and action, which it does well enough
Characters – 5 There’s some fun rapport but this is not a character-focused vehicle
Service – 7 Yes, definitely
Yuri – 5 / LGBTQ – 0 To quote one of the extra features, “B-ko’s obsession with C-ko seems to border on the homosexual”

Overall – 8 The currently best way to enjoy a classic

I would like to give a shoutout to my podcast cohost Sibyl (you can find her projects here). She and I covered this film in detail on a bonus episode of Boku No Stop, available only for Pitch Drop Patrons.

Erica here: Thanks for a great review Matt and a couple of guffaws! The key news about this release of Project A-ko was when Diskotek found the original 35mm masters literally in someone’s closet. The animation for this has never looked so good. Not even when it was originally animated. ^_^

 





How Do We Relationship, Volume 6, Guest Review by Matt Marcus

August 3rd, 2022

Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, such as the anime watchalong podcast Boku No Stop, which is currently covering the yuri anime Flip Flappers.

Well, here we are: How Do We Relationship, Volume 6. Miwa had her heart crushed, Saeko is trying to move on past their previous relationship, but the two are entangled yet again in a physical relationship but in an even more messy guise.

In the role reversal of the century, Saeko immediately apologizes to Miwa for treating her like a piece of meat–but much to her chagrin, Miwa is happy to be used because it means that she is still wanted. This time, it is Miwa who is using sex to escape how terrible she feels about herself, and the two end up in an ambiguous relationship. Over time though, Saeko helps bring Miwa back out of her depressive slump and back to school life. Eventually, Saeko shuts down their arrangement because for her, the love is gone.

Meanwhile, Saeko continues to slowly show more of her vulnerability to Yuria. In fact, she’s come to the realization that she is way more transparent about her feelings than she realized. When the inevitable happens and the two start dating, Saeko treats her with true kindness and consideration. It’s an incredible turnaround from the end of the previous volume, yet it feels completely earned. It seems bizarre to say, but, perhaps for the first time in the series, there are moments that are truly heartwarming.

Miwa is now forced to move on, and this is where things get a little…odd. With Shiho’s words still lingering in her head, she wonders if it would be easier to just date men instead. Weirdly, Saeko encourages this, which leads to a plot thread involving a handsome manager of a cafe where Miwa works. Now, sexuality is a fluid thing, but to my mind it would be very strange for the story, and for Miwa as a character in particular, if she fully explored this direction, even if only to reject it later. (Remember her turning down Tsurata in Volume 3?) Miwa admits to herself that she has some kind of abstract attraction to the “kind of guy” the manager is, but she isn’t convinced that she is really attracted to him.

This thought experiment doesn’t leave the hypothesis phase when she meets a new first year named Tamaki who bears a striking resemblance to Shiho. I would say this is another strange twist. In a way, it feels like falling back on old habits, especially when Miwa–before detecting any interest from the painfully blunt first year–states to Saeko that she might end up getting a girlfriend again after all. The volume ends hinting that the two may become closer very shortly.

Really, Saeko steals the show here. She shows an amazing amount of growth as a character. That said, I would have liked to see her at least take some responsibility for shutting out Miwa when her past came up. In fact, even after Miwa finally gave her the whole story on her Okinawa trip, Saeko did not fully reciprocate with Miwa by telling her about her middle school. I am hoping that her relationship with Yuria will give her the comfort she needs to address those issues head-on because they still feel unresolved. Nevertheless, this is the best version of her we see so far and it feels fantastic to see it on the page.

Miwa, on the other hand, acts really terribly in the early chapters by pushing on Saeko’s boundaries in a way that is quite uncomfortable to read in a couple of instances. Even after her recovery, she feels a bit unmoored in the second half of the volume. I trust that Tamifull will pull off her arc, but the path towards it is not entirely clear. Oh, and Shiho doesn’t make an appearance in this volume at all, which was disappointing to me.

I mentioned back in my review of Volume 4 that this manga captures the tumultuousness of college. Part of what contributes to that feeling is how the story tends to slip forward in large chunks of time. That becomes the most jarring in this volume, because Miwa’s rapport with Saeko changes seemingly on a dime. One chapter, she’s crying her eyes out realizing that any chance of dating Saeko again is truly gone, and the very next scene opens with her beaming to hear about Saeko’s first date with Yuria. It is nice to see that they are still friends and can openly discuss such things without hurt feelings simmering underneath like in the past, but it just feels too soon for the reader.

All in all, this volume felt a little more uneven than past volumes but improved greatly on later rereads. Its biggest flaw is lacking some narrative connective tissue that would have made certain plot turns feel more natural. Perhaps Tamifull felt that we had wallowed enough in the Bad Feels Zone and that it was time to kickstart the next phase. At any rate, with a new school term starting, there are still plenty of credits to earn.

Art – 8 Continues to carry the story well
Story – 7 More of a mixed bag than previous volumes, but with really high highs
Characters – 8 Finally, some serious growth for Saeko and some forward momentum for Miwa
Service – 2 The sex is the least “appealing” that it’s been so far
Yuri – 8 / LGBTQ – 7 docking it one yuri point for Mr. Cafe Man

Overall – 8

Tamifull loves a good callback, and this time he “swung” for the fences. See if you can spot it.

Erica here: Thank you so much Matt! I’ve got Volume 8 on my plate in Japanese and I have to say, I’m actually really interested in where this is going. ^_^





Yuri Espoir Volume 2, Guest Review by Matt Marcus

July 13th, 2022

We’re back o schedule today with a Guest Review Wednesday! Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, such as the anime watchalong podcast Boku No Stop, which is currently covering the Yuri anime Flip Flappers. Welcome Matt back and give him our attention and kind words at the end of today’s review.  Take it away, Matt!

Back in the pre-pandemic, I would commute to work by bus. After a day of slaving over the computer, I would schlep my exhausted self into a seat near the back and space out while listening to a podcast. As the bus meandered through the suburbs of Maryland, I would often find my eye wandering to the other passengers. Among them, there were two regulars who stood out: the first, a white woman with a boyish haircut dyed Jolly Rancher red; the other, an Asian woman with an undercut, the top of which was colored a deep cyan. They didn’t know each other–in fact in the three years of that commute I don’t think they even sat near each other once–but on those dreary rides home, a part of me would wonder. What if…?

Had Kokoro Komadori been seated on that bus, she would have been furiously sketching a meet-cute, with hearts in her eyes and lilies blooming out of her hair. In Yuri Espoir Volume 1, Kokoro, a third year high schooler and daughter of a powerful CEO, learns that her father has picked her a “suitable” fiancé whom she will marry after graduation. However, Kokoro is only interested in girls–and “yuri” relationships in general. Knowing that she can’t refuse her father, she resolves to spend the “last year of [her] life” indulging in every yuri fantasy she can imagine and capturing them in a sketchbook with her best friend and comrade in arts, Amami, who is secretly in love with her. The volume ended on a cliffhanger as Kokoro receives a confession from a first year girl named Mitsuru.

And thus we come to Yuri Espoir, Volume 2. As with the first volume, each “chapter” comes in two parts–the daydreamer’s version chock full of familiar tropes followed by the real story that is more complex. I continue to appreciate that the true stories occasionally have some bite to them with a touch of bitter aftertaste, like 70% dark chocolate. Thankfully they are not all like that, else the reader would be left with a very dour outlook for real life yuri relationships. So far, we have yet to revisit any of the couples from volume 1, though this volume includes two bonus chapters that tell the backstory of side characters that made appearances in Chapters 2 and 3.

This volume focuses on Kokoro’s outlook on her situation and the perceived limits of her agency. Yes, she wants a love story of her own but not if it has an expiration date…or perhaps, it would have to be with a particular someone. One thing I like here is that Kokoro’s sense of filial piety has nuance to it: sure, she doesn’t want the marriage and will never forgive her father for arranging it, but also she knows and appreciates that he had not previously pressured her with any extraordinary expectations like is common for other children of powerful families. She is given a push by Mitsuru and later Amami to speak to her father and voice her feelings on the matter. Whether she will follow through with it is another matter entirely.

Amami gets to step up a bit in this volume. She may be a neophyte to yuri, but she is willing to indulge Kokoro in her lily-scented flights of fancy. The second daydream scene was a particular highlight that I won’t spoil, but it was very fun to see Amami get in the spirit of the exercise. Unfortunately, it seems that her behind-the-scenes machinations with her art teacher to thwart the engagement are not working out to her advantage.

To be honest, I didn’t care much for newcomer Mitsuru. Usually, when the object of your affection rejects you and slaps you in the face, that should not deepen your feelings for them. Maybe she proves herself a worthy character down the road, but here she comes off as a nuisance. I do like that Sou, the fiancé, is starting to get a bit of page time. The story seems to be trying to humanize him somewhat, but his eyes have never been drawn on his face which clearly feels pointed. I’m certain we will learn more about him in the next volume.

The art makes wild tonal swings, often to great effect. Whenever the topic of the engagement comes in, things suddenly take a horror manga turn with heavy lines and deep cross-hatching. The backgrounds are generally not very detailed, with most of the effort put into the characters. Overall, there is something about the art that feels “vintage” in a way that I cannot quite put my finger on. It’s got charm.

I haven’t mentioned it yet, but this series is surprisingly funny. Every chapter or so there’s a gag that hits me at just the right angle. The premise in general is a vehicle for coy winks to longtime yuri fans, so Okazu readers such as yourself will likely get a lot out of this series.

I am curious to see for how long this story ends up running. Could be four volumes, could be ten. So far, the series has felt quite fresh, but I wonder if this dual chapter trick will continue to sustain it.

It has been over two years since I’ve had to take that bus ride. Maybe the next time I do, a little Kokoro will be perched on my shoulder, weaving new stories in my ear as she sketches away. 

Art – 7 Simple but charming

Story – 8 Mostly vignette-driven with a heavy dose of winking metafiction
Characters – 7 With one exception, the characters all have a fun rapport
Service – 2 A couple of suggestive fantasy panels, but nothing too scandalous
Yuri – 9 / LGBTQ – 1 It’s yuri all the way down

Overall – 8 The formula still works, the question is for how long

PSA: please don’t actually ship real life people. Also, don’t smoke.

Erica here: Thanks Matt! Are strangers you see on a bus really “real people”? Especially if you only see them once and never again? Of course they are real…with lives of their own…and thinking about those is what makes sonder a great exercise in creativity. I’ll admit that at least one fiction story I have written was inspired by compete strangers on a train. I also agree on not smoking. Smoking is really quite disgusting.

Yuri Espoir, V2 is on my to-read pile and I’m glad to hear it’s taking this unique way to look at Yuri tropes and building a real story with it!