Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Love Bullet, Volume 1 (γƒ©γƒ–γƒ»γƒγƒ¬γƒƒγƒˆ)

January 2nd, 2025

On a bright red cover, with the title "Love Bullet" in white English block letters. A girl in a school-uniform blouse and skirt with white hair and wings holds a gun as she runs.inee’s Love Bullet, Volume 1 (γƒ©γƒ–γƒ»γƒγƒ¬γƒƒγƒˆ) is best known for being saved from cancellation by a social media campaign begun by lexie on X – which happened while I was on vacation and mostly offline, so all I could do is marvel at the response! ^_^ Of course, once I could get myself a copy. I did. And what I found honestly surprised me.

Cupids have gotten a modern upgrade since Ancient Greece. No longer using bows and arrows, cupids are armed with guns and artillery. But their mission is mostly the same – pairing people up in romantic relationships. We learn that cupids are people who died before their own love was able to blossom – and they can earn their way back to life by creating enough pairings, but of course there are conditions.

We meet our protagonist Koharu as she and three other cupids ponder the fate of a trio of young people in a fast-food restaurant. A battle breaks out as the cupids split on which pairing they prefer, Koharu takes a risk and solves the problem.

The story then moves backwards to show how Koharu became a cupid. We already know that the premise is a poignant take on love, and Koharu’s story continues in that vein. When her first mission turns out to be very personal, I noted to my wife that this series is quite original, but very sad. As I mulled it over, I found I would describe it as straight-up bitter, rather than even bittersweet. The art is fun, even as it is quite violent. Explosions and bullet impacts are heart-shaped, for instance. The combination of extreme action and Greek tragedy makes for a pretty unique work that is likely to appeal to completely different audiences for different reasons.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – A bitter, but well-conceived 9
Characters – 8
Service – Guns and fighting mostly
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8

In a world in which more Yuri means some stories will go under the radar (and, globally, publishers often don’t promote more original Yuri work in favor of school girl romances that offend no one and take no risks) Yuri fandom is making its voice heard more often – a topic I plan on writing about as soon as I have a moment. ^_^ In this case, inee’s series has been given a second chance at life, a fitting fate for a story that offers the same choice to its protagonist.

 





Galette Magazine 01, Special English Edition

January 1st, 2025

Magazine cover of two girls in different Japanese school uniforms holding hands in front of a fence behind which greenery and a building. One girl with short reddish-brown hair wears a short brown skirt and yellow windbreaker, her eyes open, but veiled. The other girl, with long dark hair in a longer blue skirt and dark blue jacket has her eyes closed.It has been my habit of the last few years to begin the year with an exceptional Yuri series. I immediately thought of Galette magazine, whose evolution I have been supporting since the first issue.

In 2017, in the years after the collapse of two Yuri manga magazines, several Yuri manga artists and writers built a new project – an independent, crowd-funded, quarterly Yuri manga magazine, which they named Galette.

As a publishing project, Galette has weathered a number of storms – more than one crowdfunding tool pulled out from underneath them because of credit card issues, a pandemic which impacted sales at events, and the usual kinds of obstacles magazines face of shifting readership and economic downturns. Galette has survived for seven years now and is still quarterly, which is pretty amazing for a magazine, for an independent project and for a crowdfunded work. The lineup has changed over the years, too, but the current roster includes some big Yuri names. Galette has even held a few events of its own and artists have partnered with ANCHOR rainbow port Tokyo for events at the world’s only Yuri cafe, as well. In recent issues, Galette has included its readership to provide short 140-character stories.

Last year the folks at Galette launched a Kickstarter for an English language edition. Of course I backed the project, as I have backed the Japanese edition since the beginning. I’ve reviewed Issues 1-26 here on Okazu so far, with No. 27 queued up for review soon.. Kickstartr rewards are shipping globally as we speak. Mine arrived in time to celebrate a new year and it looks even better than I expected! ^_^

My rewards package included the Galette Issue 01, an adapted edition for the English-reading audience, featuring work by Miyuki Yorita, Milk Morinaga, Haru Yatosaki, Nekohariko22, Ringo Hamano, and Izumi Kitta and Momono Moto. The cover art by pen – whose work has graced every cover since – is the same as the Japanese edition and the size is the typical B5 of a Japanese manga magazine, which provides a great reading size for the 242 surprisingly thick pages of this issue. This has always been a stylish magazine, with excellent design work by blankie and chipco design. I did not get the autograph level, but those folks who did got a page with the creators’ autographs. Because the kickstarter made it to the third stretch goal, our volumes include color pages from every creator and extra cover art by pen, as well as an under jacket color book cover by pen. pen’s cover art has been one of my favorite things about the magazine, so I’m delighted to get more. ^_^

My reward level also includes a “mini” version of the first issue of the magazine in Japanese, at about the size of a standard collected manga volume, B6 size. If you did not get this level of reward, you can still get Issue No. 1 as a digital release. This issue includes works by Amano Shuninta, Otomo Megane, Takemiya Jin, and Yotsuhara Furiko (and, as a result, you can kind of see how this magazine was a result of the demise of Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari and Tsubomi magazines.)

Also included in this reward level is a “Galette Special Booklet” which is doujinshi sized at B5, featuring a very prismatic cover of art by Milk Morinaga, with more stories by Nekohariko22, Mera Hakamada, Mono Momoto, Haru Yatosaki, Miyuki Yorita and Ringo Hamano. Like the Galette Meets supplements, these are a bit more adult than the main magazine.  I also received an adorable little set of art cards from these artists.  The production team went with Red Strings Manga for translation, after a number of backers recommended them. They have worked with other Yuri manga kickstarters and shown themselves to be very solid in their grasp of spoken English and character voice.

So, as backers, we have received the same stylish magazine we know and love from Japan, with contributions from Yuri manga artists we know and love, and an excellent translation, for an authentic reading experience.

As a perfect example of perseverance of the Yuri genre, Galette Magazine 01, Special English Edition is everything I hoped it would be – with extras!

Ratings:

Overall – 10

The Kickstarter for the second volume of Galette magazine in English has launched, so you too can be part of this project to bring independent Yuri manga to English-language bookshelves.





Comic Yuri Hime, January 2025 (γ‚³γƒŸγƒƒγ‚―η™Ύεˆε§«2025εΉ΄1月号)

December 29th, 2024

Two schoolgirls meeting on the stairs as one with short dark hair, in a brown jersey jacket over her blue plaid uniform skirt walks up and the other, with long fair, braided hair, wears a blue sweater vest over a white blouse and blue skirt walks down, smiling.A new year has begun for Comic Yuri Hime and a new story begins on the cover of Comic Yuri Hime, January 2025 (γ‚³γƒŸγƒƒγ‚―η™Ύεˆε§«2025εΉ΄1月号), this year by artist Hechama. The first image we have is of two schoolgirls meeting on the stairs as one walks up and the other down. This is tagged with a date stamp of  “(Thu, May 27th, 2021 10:56:21 GMT +0900/16 years old)”. I can see from the next issue that photos of these two will be the through-line of the covers. I’m of course hoping for a interesting story-by-image.^_^  There is text on the cover, printed in non-accessibility yellow. It begins “”Everytime I turned around you were there.” It is in English. But also in yellow. ^_^;

The first story is, I’m glad to say, a new story. Somehow that suits a January issue. Torii Shizuku’s “Yume to Koi de ha Tsuriawanai” is about a girl who believes her dream of going to a good school and having a good life is not compatible with her falling in love, which she then does.

As a kind of fitting post-Episode 11 & 12 chapter for “Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau” Himari and Yori end up stalking Shiho and Aki while they are on a date.

In Usui Shio’s “Bokura no Ai ha Kimochi Warui, we learn the origins of Komugi’s obsession with Megumi…but we still kind of have to just acknowledge some mental unwellness to make it work, really. I read this story at a bit of a distance, because I don’t enjoy committing to monomaniac obsession as a plot driver.

SheepD’s β€œKanaria ha Kiraboshi no Yume wo Miru” went where it basically had to, and now Ayano knows what we had guessed – that Tsubaki is a prostitute. But I don’t expect this story to end on a bad note. It has a very MIST magazine feel about it and not just for the “no, really, she’s really a prostitute” scene. ^_^

There are a lot of stories in this volume in which characters look very unhappy. I strongly dislike this as a general rule, but especially so in stories where the sex is the point. I’m especially unhappy to see so much of it in a Yuri magazine with a proven majority audience of adult women, some of whom it ought to be expected to enjoy sexual and romantic relationships with other women. I’ll never be  fan of toxic Yuri. Life is too toxic as it is. Give me…

….”Koharu to Minato” are back and they are buying a car and going to a movie together. Yay! ^_^

β€œMuryoku Seijo to Munou Oujo ~ Maryoku Zero de Shoukansareta Seijo no Isekai Kyuukoku-ki ~” Nana and the princess learn about the town struck with misama and together they help the villagers purify their crops and water. Not everyone is on their side, but they are doing what they can to help the village.

In β€œGakeppuchi Reijou ha Kuro Kishi-sama o Horesasetai!” takes a turn towards a more than 2 volume level plot complication as Clarice and a barely-disguisd  Frost-sama meet a powerful merchant and her butchy bodyguard. Sparks fly, plots thicken and a story appears!

Claire and Rei come face to face with the leader of the Revolutionary forces and take their investigation to Salas, as “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou,” heads toward the truth of just who the traitor is. This chapter was really outstanding, in both art and writing.

“Salvia no Bouquet” brings Ellen and Liza to finally talk about who and what they are to one another. I kind of hope this doesn’t just wrap up, but also, would love to see a sequel after Ellen graduates.

β€œKiraware Majyo Reijō to Dansou Ouji no Kon’yaku” by Chinmi Chiruha, adds a new complication to Eve and Ciel’s story. Ciel’s brother may not be the enemy they thought he was, but is this little girl really the power behind the threat of dark magic?

As always, there were other stories I read and others I did not, and columns and interviews and ads for pop-up shops and color spreads and more in the more than 600 pages of the first issue of Comic Yuri Hime for 2025. Here’s to a great kickoff and a good Yuri year for us all. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Comic Yuri Hime for February 2025 is already available online and in print and is waiting for me at the bookstore. ^_^





The Moon On A Rainy Night, Volume 6

December 27th, 2024

Two young women in summer yukata stand on a balcony looking at one another, as fireworks explode colorfully above them Volume 5 left us on a bit of a cliffhanger, as Saki accidentally allows her truest thoughts to be seen by Kanon.

The Moon On A Rainy Night, Volume 6, by Kuzushiro, picks up with Saki mortified beyond her ability to express and Kanon struggling to find words to address it. Luckily for both of them, life as a Japanese teenager is filled with enough activity to allow them both some space to roll around on their beds, screaming into the pillow.

Nonetheless, things are changing, Kanon has become aware that since she lost her hearing, she has not been a good friend to the people she leaned on. And she takes a small step to caring about someone and something other than herself. Suddenly aware of all the people around her who have given her opportunities, Kanon is changing. Saki reaches out to the one adult she is pretty sure gets what she is going through, and Tomita returns to class with surprising results. Although they have spent most of the summer together, Saki suggests one special event for them to share watching fireworks together from her apartment balcony, where they take one more towards opening up to one another and to themselves.

Rinne finds herself changing as well. As a little sister, she was unable to help Kanon much, could only watch over her in a general sense. But she sees that Saki has changed her sister for the better and it’s made Rinne more willing to take a risk, a little despite herself. She encounters Chiyma, a girl with a condition that is not harmful but has and will make her life difficult and unpleasant and decided to get involved and be a friend.

I have repeatedly said here and elsewhere (and to anyone I could pin up against a wall and tell) that I love this series. From my perspective – which is not that of an HHD person, but of a person who is chronically ill and had many of the same kinds of issues as both Saki and Kanon as a teen – this story does everything right.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Service – 2 Saki and Kanon in yukata is definitely meant to serve.
Yuri – 4 It’s only just begun.

Overall – 9

The Moon On A Rainy Night is a masterwork of manga and an outstanding example of how good storytelling can help us to be better.

I cannot *wait for you to read the next couple of volumes! Volume 6 is out now from Kodansha.





Hana ni Arashi, Volume 12 (はγͺにあらし)

December 26th, 2024

Book cover for Hana Ni Arashi, Volume12. Bathed in golden light, two high school girls wearing Japanese school uniforms of white blouses with blue sailor-style collars and blue skirts sit together on a commuter train, one smiles, one looks pensive.We met Chidori and Nanoha 5 years ago in real time, 3 years ago in their time. At the beginning, all we had of them being girlfriends was their inner thoughts, where they certainly believed they were, as amazing and embarrassing as it was for them to admit it to themselves.

In the last five years and 11 volumes, we have seen their love for one another grow. While they still have not been able to be fully honest with their school friends, they are planning on an immediate future together. Only..Nanoha’s college of choice is a trade school in Kyoto while Chidori plans on heading to Tokyo. Sure there is the train, but that’s not cheap and even at the fastest, the Shinkansen takes more than 2 hours. What they need is a miracle.

They’ll get a miracle, of course they will. These two are not tragic figures, they are the golden girls of a fantasy of a shiny, romantic, adorable lesbian youth. ^_^

In Hana ni Arashi, Volume 12 (はγͺにあらし), Nanoha and Chidori start working on a shared vision of their future –  sharing an apartment, coming home to one another after a long day, and living happily ever after. They haven’t quite had the opportunity to admit to this, so their friends  – who may not be as clueless as these two think – are surprised to hear that they plan on living together. Dousei? (同棲) one asks, and startled, they insist, no, no, it’s just a roomshare (ルームシェを). The difference is similar to “living together” as opposed to “roommate” in English. But that friend asked the right question, didn’t she?

We then are treated to a look back at how the two of them originally met to round out exactly how much they have – and haven’t – changed.

This series has one more volume to go! I’ve just picked up Rainbows After Storms, Volume 1 from Viz, so will revisit these two back at the beginning, before I move on to their future. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 7
Service – 0

Overall – 8