Yuri Hime S, Volume 11 comes with a calendar for 2010, each month with an illustration by one of the artists from the magazine. Whether you think it’s great or mediocre will entirely depend on whether you like the artists in this magazine. The front illustration is hitting Dengeki Daioh levels of icky and then it heads right into that paean to passive-aggressiveness, “Flower Flower.” Nina sees Shuu through the eyes of the common people who adore her and at the end she’s still passive-aggressive

The second story of the collection was so surprising, so breathtakingly stellar, that the bulk of my review today will be centered around it. Minamoto Hisanari’s “Fu-Fu” is a story that I have already read three times and cannot stop boggling at how it managed to be included in this magazine and thanking the deities that it has.

Today is the first day that Su-chan and Kina are living together. They are already a couple, and clearly have taken the next step forward in their relationship. Kina asks if she can be Su-chan’s hanayome. That is, her bride. Su-chan wants to know why the word “lovers” (koibito) isn’t sufficient. Kina answers that their relationship is more than just lovers, now that they are living together, and she’d like a word that recognizes that fact. She suggests the traditional word for a married couple, fufu. This word is written 夫婦 in Japanese, the first character symbolizes the husband and the second, the wife. Kina likens it to sushi. Tuna is maguro, but there are specific words for the parts of the tuna that are special, toro, chuutoro and ohtoro. Likewise, when a person takes a special place in your life, there ought to be a word for it.

Before I deliver the punchline here, let’s stake a step back and look at the magazine once more.

This is Yuri Hime S which, since it’s inception, has targeted the male, moe Yuri audience. This is an audience that is not particularly LBGT friendly in any country, preferring to see Yuri as entertainment and titillation for them, and nothing to do with real, probably ugly lesbians who don’t really want them to watch, so screw off.

This story is quite sweetly making a case for what is arguably one of the two main issues involved in the question of same-sex marriage. One is, obviously, an issue of unequal rights and benefits. The other, more pernicious issue, is that of wording. The word “marriage” is powerful, precisely because it gives a name to a very specific joining of two people that is recognized by their community, potentially their deity, and their government at *all* levels. Likewise, the words “husband” and “wife” are equally powerful because they provide an instant way to establish the relationship between two people that combines their emotional and legal existence in one word.

Significant other, girlfriend/boyfriend, lover, just do not do that. They don’t and all of us who have to correct, reply, cajole, point out and casually mention what we call the other person in our lives who happens to be of the same sex, know that.

And here is this quiet little Yuri manga addressing what is a traditionally ultra-conservative group of people. (I was at a lecture at the Japan Society in which a Japanese art professor excoriated otaku for clinging to outmoded gender roles and national identity (I.e., focusing on fantasies of male/Japanese supremacy) to the exclusion of all else, but I sincerely doubt that the American otaku in the audience realized that he was talking to them, as well. Updated: I just read a chapter of Genshiken which made the same point, in which a male otaku insisted it wouldn’t be right for him to sit on a subway when there was a woman with him. She said, “how typical of an otaku.”)

I read this story open mouthed, agape, amazed and exultant. No, still not the “L” word, but I will gladly bypass that conversation to resolve this one. I will give up the word Lesbian, to be able to call the woman I love, “my wife.”

That is exactly what Kina and Su-chan do. While they can never be fufu, 夫婦 , they decide that they will be fufu, 婦婦. A word I whole-heartedly approve of.

This is meant to be a continuing series, so I now have a grain of hope that Su-chan and Kina will cutely and sweetly train the male Yuri fans of Japan to have a clue. In fact, between this and Poor Poor Lips I have more than a grain of hope. (Day 33, 2010 is *still* the best year ever!)

“Konohana Teikitan” has fox girls in kimonos doing things cutely for people who like that kind of thing.

“Osanajimi to Yobanaide” is a drippy looking story about a love polygon at school, by an artist who draws drippy looking stories about love polygons at school.

“Zettai Shoujo Astoria” combines EVERYTHING. For pity’s sake, even the title is a combo of everything ever. Rito comes to a new school, with a mysterious “unicorn horn”pendant around her neck and finds herself in love, then enmity, with her roommate and there’s school mysteries and stuff, and fighting, too. This series is a total ice cream sundae of a series and all it needs is a transformation scene to have one of each and some sprinkles on top.

I’ve stopped reading “Honey Crush.” Not because it offended or disgusted. I just got tired of it. It failed to hold my attention.

“Hatsujou Jijou” by the same artist who drew “Love Cubic” so I skipped in on principal.

Twice as much blood than ever before in “Shinigami Alice” which is desperately flailing for a plot. Dead people everywhere this time, including the protagonist. I guess that means something will actually happen now.

I can’t believe I’m saying this. I was so happy to see “Kaichou and Fukukaichou” in this volume. I guess I just wore down from the constant onslaught of carnival-head Yuri. Fine, fine, I like Hakamada Mera – are you *happy*?!?

In “Casseopeia Dolce” Anna gets lots of kisses and is surprised when her doll talks. I can’t imagine why…the one doll has been talking since the beginning of the series. Oh, and for some reason, not a single bath was taken this chapter. Takagi is falling down on the job.

“Yuru Yuri” follows that. Again, I have no particular reason to not read it except that it doesn’t interest me.

Yoshitomi Akihito’s “Futari to Futari” looks like every one of his last fifteen stories. I think he’s played out, overstretched, something. There hasn’t been a single story in any of his stories in three magazines for over a year.

More fox girls, more “Konohana Teiktan” followed by the resurrected, but no more interesting than it ever was “Nanami to Misuzu.”

Another skipped story and this time, I can’t even be bothered to translate the title it’s so unappealing. lol

“Ko-no-hana-link” finally hits the big day of the school festival and an old relationship drops by to cause a scene in front of Chieri. I find the title ironic, because it’s honestly quite difficult for me to remember who is who and what their relationships are from chapter to chapter. I expect a collected volume will help with that. I don’t blame the story – in fact, that single fact makes me believe that there’s an actual *story* in here, something more complex than “Story A.” One day I will read all of it in a row and find out what’s actually going on. :-)

I’m sorry, I’m just not as resilient as I used to be, so I skipped “Hime-chan ha yappari tereya-san” purely on account of the art.

Uso Kurata’s “Apocalypse” went somewhere I didn’t expect. When Matsuhara accidentally breaks Natsu’s game system, she asks Natsu and their friends to go on without her and lends Natsu her system. They do, and meet up with a guy wandering alone. He’s a nice guy, so they team up for that adventure. He sees Natsu’s marriage ring – that oh-so-rare item – and is kind of flipped out when he hears that she’s exchanged it with another woman. He writes it off as being just a game thing, and her friends don’t help by calling Matsuhara her “friend.” Although it’s just a game, Natsu wants to make sure she doesn’t leave Matsuhara behind, and asks Shibachi to lend her system this time, to let Matsuhara catch up. Clearly, Natsu has some reconciling her real feelings and their game relationship to do. I’m totally interested to see where this goes. Plus I really like Kurata’s art.

And finally, there’s a two-page short of drippy art that once again I skipped.

I’m sorry I skipped so much, but I’ve gotten to the point that I’m not wasting my time reading stuff that doesn’t interest me anymore. If you mostly disagree with me and my opinions, if you just read the stuff I skipped, you should probably be satisfied. ;-)

Ratings:

Overall – 7

Overall, the magazine was just as variable as ever, but the entire thing was made worth it by “Fufu.” That was such a significant, amazing story that I’d recommend the magazine just for it alone.

Presented for your derision, the worst of the Yuri Hime cell phone manga and my first entry to the Yuri Hall of Shame, Japanese edition, Johnouchi Nene’s Otome Senshi Lovely 5!.

You may recognize Johnouchi Nene’s name from the Apple Day Dream series in Yuri Hime and Yuri Hime S, a series which I have never reviewed, or indeed, even purchased as a collected volume on account of the fact that I think it’s intolerably dull. I fought with myself over purchasing this title, and clearly the wrong side won that battle.

The basic plot of the story isn’t too hideous – cute Sweet Lolita wants to avoid wearing the boring school uniform (ironically, the *exact* same “plot” as the Tiara Bunko Light Novel I’m reading right now) and decides to create a sentai group to fight for cute things.

It’s not the plot that’s the problem – it’s everything else.

As you may know, I adore Fujieda Miyabi for his costume design skills as much as his characters. He has a real way with fashion, subtly highlighting a character’s feminity or masculinity without giant flashing arrows pointing to their secondary sexual characterisics. In just about every possible way Johnounchi Nene is the exact opposite. Her designs are ill-conceived; tortured, ugly even on their intended victims and not only have giant flashing arrows pointing at crotches and chests, but force us to look in those directions again and again, as if we might somehow not notice.

Her characters mix irresponsible, unrealistic BDSM – admittedly, the kind that’s most fun to read, but this falls short in that as well – with illegal relationships and uncomfortable situations, and then pounds us with gigantic breasts on top of all that, because there wasn’t *enough* fetishtry to keep our attention.

And to top it all off, the bad guy is a woman running around the school naked, trying to strip the Senshi of their frills to…are you sitting?…not drinking anything?…. SAVE THE PLANET. The moral of the story is that while Goth-Loli might not be ecologically sound, running around the school naked means a loser is you. Well, duh.

The only relationship in the entire series I didn’t want to see end in flames was the teacher and the pop singer who physically and emotionally abuses her. That one was okay.

In the end, the one big question was – which color would Momoka be? (Since, of course, each member of a sentai group has to be a color.) Given her name was Momoka, I could be forgiven for yawning and guessing she’s be in pink, but hah on me, because she’s Otome Senshi Lovely Rose.

Ratings:

Art – 4
Story – 2
Characters – 3
Yuri – 8
Service – 230,007

Overall – 3

I think I sprained my eyes rolling them, I really do.

This book was so good, that I’m giving it away. Here’s how to enter:

In the comments field, tell me what color and Loli style you would be as a Goth-Loli Senshi. Check back on the next Saturday YNN Report (not tomorrow, the one after that) for the winner, who can email me to  get this book out of my house get their prize! You must be 18 to enter.

In Volume 3 of Gokujou Drops (極上ドロップス) Komari is sexually harrassed by every human being she interacts with, and is suddenly parted from Yukio with no communication between them for the 437th time.

This time, it’s serious. Yukio’s mother is disgusted by the news that she’s living – and sleeping – with some nobody at school. She determined to force Yukio to transfer and marry her off as soon as possible. But Komari braves the labyrinth once again and saves Yukio – with the deus ex machina of an aunt that had been a former resident of the Haraizo Dorm and letter from Yukio’s off-scene father.

I am so done with this series. There’s nothing even remotely interesting in Volume 3, it’s a tired rehash of everything from the first two volumes. Komari being forcibly undressed by just about anyone who walks by was always tedious – now its plain old, old and tired. The art is the same, the sex (consensual and non-consensual) is the same; the crying, the non-secrets, the snuggling – its all the exact same.

As I mentioned, the cell phone manga collections from Ichijinshi weren’t great this time around. This wasn’t the worst of them, however – that’s still to come. ^_^

Rather than spend your money on Volume 3, you can just re-read Volume 1 and Volume 2 over and save your money for something better.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 5
Characters – 5
Yuri – 8
Service – 8

Overall – 5

Sexual harassment isn’t a particularly good plot complication, much less an entire *plot.*

But hey – here’s an opportunity for a enthusiastic fan, if Vol. 4 comes out, I won’t be getting it, so we’ll need a guest review!

Hiromi is a tomboy. She prefers pants to skirts, likes to be physically active and, as a child watching Ribon no Kishi, she wanted to be that Princess Knight.

When a beautiful, but somewhat brusque, new student transfers into her class, Hiromi finds herself defending, then befriending Juli. Juli calls Hiromi “Romeo” and casts herself as Hiromi’s Juliette.

Hiromi is disturbed to find that she is on the one hand, caught up in Juli’s apparent delusion about them as a couple, while on the other, having actual feelings for the other girl. Juli’s behavior is not in any way helping as she alternately voids Hiromi’s boundaries while simultaneously drawing clear battle lines around the two of them, cutting Hiromi off from the rest of her friends.

When the school festival rolls around, it’s no surprise that Hiromi is Romeo and Juli is Juliette in their class play. Hiromi finds herself increasingly uncomfortable being cast as a “prince” by the people around her, even though that was what she wanted for herself as a child. She does want to be with and protect Juli, but she also wants to be seen as Hiromi and not some construct, “Romeo.”

During the death scene in the play, Juli kisses Hiromi, who reacts wth surprised violence. Mortified, Hiromi stays home from school until her best friend Maki comes to collect her some days later. She finds Juli has become the center of a storm of harassment and abuse in her absence. When Hiromi shows up, Juli’s emotional damn breaks and Hiromi rushes to hold and comfort her. The rest of the class can only watch as Hiromi and Juli become an actual couple, despite the rumor and innuendo.

Juli’s behavior is no less delusional, but now Hiromi is willing to give in more, since she’s decided that she definitely wants Juli. After Juli tearfully admits that she’ll be moving away at the end of the year, Hiromi and she spend the night together.

After graduation, Hiromi transfers into a new school – a traditional private girls’ school. Her boyishness is no less popular that it was, but she’s resigned to it. She’s told that a new student is transferring in but when she hears a shout of annoyance, disbelievingly, she runs into the next classroom to see Juli sitting there, her hair shorn – a way to keep Hiromi with her while they were apart. They go running out of the room to find a quiet place where they reuinite with a kiss.

So, yes, this had a happy ending, but it wasn’t all that enjoyable. Juli’s lack of respect for Hiromi’s boundaries and manipulative behavior made it hard for me to ever really believe she was in love with Hiromi. Instead, I kept feeling as though she never really saw the real Hiromi at all and was only in love with the Romeo she’d made up in her head. Hiromi’s feelings were equally as difficult to accept, because I can’t be really happy about her falling in love with someone so high maintenance and, well, crazy. I’ve seen this in real life and yes, the relationship can go on for decades, but it isn’t going to be pretty…and everyone around it is *doomed.*

Just about the only thing I really liked was the balance in the beginning scene, as Hiromi is told of a cool new transfer student by her friend Maki and the final scene in which her new henchgirl in the new school tells her about the cool new transfer student.

Sora-iro Girlfriend (空色ガールフレンド) is another collection of a Yuri Hime cell phone comic. Unlike the others, it’s low on the sex, but makes up for it with no-less-creepy-for-being-realistic Lesbian Drama.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 5
Characters – 5
Yuri – 8
Service – 2

I’m not loving this batch of the cell phone comics. This manga was the best of them…. /sob/