Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


I’m in Love With the Villainess Manga, Volume 1

March 31st, 2021

If you’re reading this, you’re probably aware that this particular isekai series has been given a lot of space in Yuri fandom’s head these days. With the successful light novels (Volume 1 and Volume 2 of which are available in English, Volume 3 on the way in July and Volume 1 through Volume 4 out in Japanese), a 5th place win in the recent survey asking what series fans want most to see as an anime, as announced at AnimeJapan, I think we can just agree to call this series an iconic series for Yuri in the early 2020s. ^_^ This point is key to today’s review, because this series, written by inori, with character designs by hanagata, has almost instantly become important to us. This emphasis will become relevant shortly, as we take a look at Volume 1 of the I’m in Love With the Villainess manga which was released this week digitally on Global Bookwalker.

Like the LNs on which the manga is based, we begin with Ohashi Rei, a worker at a company who finds herself reborn in to the world of her favorite otome game where she, as the protagonist, is finally free to romance the villainess, Claire François. There are a lot of things to like about this series. Much of fandom is thrilled to have an openly (and as it goes on, increasingly) queer Yuri work. I’m delighted to have an isekai work that addresses social and income inequities, government accountability, as well as surfacing gender and sexuality minority issues. Additionally, I really like that the protagonist is an adult, so their thoughts about these issues aren’t too simplistic. All of these things are part and parcel of why this particular series has made such a huge splash in Yuri fandom.  The fact that fandom has embraced this series with such passion is, in part, why the editing issues that lead to a excision of a passage in the first Light Novel (which has been restored already in digital editions) caused such a major uproar.  As I discussed in my recent article about Queer Representation, when we get more and better representation in media, we become more demanding, not less.

I really enjoy the manga iteration of this story overall. The art seems more lively/less moe than the original LN art, and there’s enough inconsistency in that art to highlight the comedy aspects. The nudity is entirely egregious, but it is also relevant to the story…not because the nudity itself is important, but what it says about the character. This is the core of the passage which had been deleted, in fact; the motivation of why Rae is the way she is. Those of us who have read past Volume 2 of the LNs will understand that this feels so long ago and almost irrelevant, but it had an impact on readers who were just beginning to love the story. To be perfectly honest, I assumed the story was originally a “comedy” that just morphed into a drama, and never felt Rae’s behavior needed explaining. But that’s just me.

Which is why it pains me to say this: The translation for the manga is not, in my opinion, very good. (Ironic, as I was just accused of being an apologist for Seven Seas last week. ) Jenn Yamazaki does such lovely work on the Light Novel translation.  Rae and Clarie’s voices are clear and appropriately translated.  As I read this manga volume, I became increasingly uncomfortable with the translation here. Given how absolutely critical Claire’s awareness of herself as a daughter of the nobility is to this story, some of the things that she says are crude, things said about her are uncouth and, ultimately in one of the final pages, she is seen to say, “bloody commoner.” 

I hate to be that person, but I am about to be that person. Not only is that not what she says in Japanese, which was 「本当にこの平民は・・・」 and not what is implied,  which I understood more as, “Really, this commoner is [just so]…”, it is wholly, unpleasantly vulgar. I  do not know if this was a failure of translation or editing, but it left me feeling absolutely bereft.

I’m with Rae. Claire high-handed arrogance is incandescent and her descent from that arrogance is a magnificent story which does not deserve greasy fingerprints of vulgarity. It left me thinking that neither translator nor editor care about this story and that is something I have not felt about a Seven Seas book in a very long time.  As I said at the beginning, this series has become important to us. It needs to be important to Seven Seas as well. I was so distraught at Claire saying “Bloody commoner” I woke up this morning and immediately composed an email to Seven Seas, letting them know what I would be saying here, so they were not blindsided. This translation did not feel as if it was done with love.

Surely one might assume that someone there would have thought to go over this before releasing it this week, after the problem last week?  A deleted passage is a problem that is fixable. An entire volume translated by someone who missed the point entirely may be fixable, but could have been prevented, if someone had been paying attention.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Characters – 9
Story – 8 It will improve over time. ^_^
Service – 5 Nudity and bathing
Yuri – 10

Overall – 8, with 1 off for the translation, which makes it a 7

If you don’t care about “voice” the way I do, it might not rub you the wrong way.  And, translation aside, this is still a fun manga, with great expressions and fun art and, of course, a terrific story. I’m still very eager to see the school festival cafe drawn by Aonoshimo-sensei. It was a scene that we all deserve to see realized. ^_^





Days of Love at Seagull Villa, Volume 1

March 29th, 2021

Mayumi has left her life in the big city behind. She knows she’s running away, but she’s committed to running as far as she can from the circumstances that have left her feeling empty. At the beginning of Days of Love at Seagull Villa, Volume 1, instead of of dealing, Mayumi has moved to a small seaside town to become a teacher. As she contemplates her future, she is accosted by a young woman who looks like a tough who thinks she is trying to do herself harm. One hilarious hijink later and Mayumi finds herself at the Seagull Villa, with a cast of characters and people with whose lives Mayumi will become involved.

When I read this series in Japanese, I felt very much that there was some kind of war going on between the artist and the story. Over and over it veers into the kind of dark territory so much of Kodama-sensei’s work is known for, and over and over it just sort of rests itself and tries again. It’s a very plucky story.

Mayumi comes across as a mope, but it quickly becomes apparent why and we do kind of root for her. But for my money, without landlady Rin’s jocularity, this story could and probably would have bogged down. That said, it doesn’t bog down and every turn for the worse, somehow pulls around into what will become an unlikely tale of alternate family and, (obviously, because this is a Yuri romance!) love. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7 It has moments.
Characters – 6
Service – Yes. It is a Kodama Naoko story, there is service
Yuri – 5

Overall – 7

Days of Love at Seagull Villa, Volume 1 by Naoko Kodama is available on Amazon and Global Bookwalker. Volume 2 is also available.





Yume no Hashibashi, Volume 1 (夢の端々 上)

March 25th, 2021

Yume no Hashibashi, Volume 1 (夢の端々 上) is a story told by leaps backwards in time, of a relationship between two women that would never have been allowed to thrive.

The book begins in 2018, as Kiyoko, who is 80 years old, lives with her daughter and granddaughter. She is visited by an old friend, Mitsu. They talk about what might have been and part, promising to meet again. Some short time thereafter, Kiyoko learns that Mitsu has been killed in an accident.

From there on, we look backwards at their lives; specifically, at the points where they might have been able to make something happen, but couldn’t, and at one passionate night spent together. Kiyoko – who sees no other path possible for herself – marries. Mitsu who decides on a career, deals with all the obstacles for a woman who decides to have a career rather than a family.  This volume ends in 1961, but that is not where the story begins. 

This is the first of a two volume set that will end where the relationship began, with two young women who could not be together. It’s historical, and sad, and interestingly, rather than beautifully drawn, with deep emotion covered by banal words. Volume 2 will plumb the depths of their relationship and the choice that sets the events of volume 1 in motion.

It’s not a happy story, as you might imagine, but one I think is worth reading, particularly if you are younger and never experienced the almost-complete inability to maintain a same-sex relationship that existed in the 20th century for most women. We celebrate those people who manged it, but for many – probably most – it was not a tenable solution. Women were not allowed to have credit cards without a male signatory during my lifetime. Even if they worked. This reality might seem unbelievable, and that is exactly why this story ought to be read.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – This is tough to score. It’s told well, but is painful to watch. 7?
Characters – 7 Kiyoko is mopey, but we understand why
Service – Not really
Yuri – 7

Overall – 7

While we in 2021 look forward to a new world in which all of this is alien and inconceivable, it’s important, I think, that we remember what those who oppose our existence would like to return to. This world may be imperfect, but it would have been kinder to Kiyoko and Mitsu than the one they had.





How Do We Relationship?, Volume 1

March 22nd, 2021

Miwa, like many young women, has come to college and hopes to fall in love. Also like many young women, she’s a bit unsure how to go about that. When she meets Saeko, the two of them start hanging out. They enjoy each other’s company. Miwa is introduced to Saeko’s circle – a group of folks working on becoming a band.  Saeko and Miwa are hanging out so much, that Saeko finally suggests that they just…date. And so they do.

But it’s not all smooth sailing. They don’t quite seem to be matching up; neither their physical needs, nor their communication styles are in sync. They both have some baggage too, before they can make this work.  In How Do We Relationship, Volume 1, Miwa and Saeko take their first steps along a path for which they cannot see the destination.

Tamifull’s art has a great feel of being grounded in reality – and even more appealingly, so does the writing. Both Miwa and Saeko are someone we might know,  folks we might have hung out with at school…or have been ourselves. ^_^ I remember those days in college when my relationships with other people were tenuous enough that I didn’t know who to rely on.

This story, while it is a romance, it is really a story about communication. Will Saeko and Miwa be able to work things out and communicate? I don’t want to jump the gun, but with five volumes already in Japanese and a 6th on the way, we can at the very least guess that they might. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 9 / LGBTQ – 5
Service – 4

Overall – 8

If you like stories of people figuring out stuff beyond just “do I like her?” and how to navigate within a more complex society than high school, How Do We Relationship, might just be the narrative you’re looking for. I will want you, however, it will be a bumpy ride. ^_^





Alter Ego by Ana C. Sánchez

March 17th, 2021

Noel is in love with her best friend, Elena. Or is she? She’s jealous when Elena spends time withe her boyfriend and now she’s going to have a new rival for Elena’s attention, June. Frustrated and feeling alone, Noel blurts out her feelings to a complete stranger. When Elena finally introduces her to June…you guessed it, she was the complete stranger.

Noel tries to keep her feelings about Elena front and center, and put distance between herself and this older woman, but “circumstances” keep bringing them together. The more about June she learns, the harder it is to keep distance between them. Noel struggles with conflicting feelings, until she’s forced to admit the truth.

There are a lot of things to like about Alter Ego, Ana C. Sánchez‘s manga-inspired comic from Tokyopop’s LOVE x LOVE imprint. I especially liked Elena, as we quickly realize she is neither clueless…nor without agency. June is an interesting character, as well. We’re told she’s older and indeed, her perspective does seem more mature than Noel’s in some ways, but not in others.

The weakest element of the book is Noel herself. Her behavior is not just immature, it’s often selfish, manipulative and, IMHO, quite toxic. I frequently sent mental waves to both Elena and June to tell her to shape the fuck up or get out of their lives. I will give Sánchez credit – she makes passive-aggressive behavior exactly as unpleasant as it actually is and doesn’t pretend it’s “cute.” I was also a little surprised that there is no mention of queer identity in this comic, but it wasn’t a point against, as clearly this is meant to be read as a “Yuri manga.”

The art is solid – it suffered, I think, when the artist was attempting to draw “a manga” rather than just draw her story, but this improves as the story continues. Overall, this is a fine one-volume story, that has a lot of the strengths and weaknesses of one-volume stories. If you’re looking for a one-shot Yuri romance that won’t ask too much of you but also won’t break any new ground, Alter Ego by Ana C. Sánchez is available from Tokyopop in Print and Digital in English and Planeta Cómic in Spanish right now.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – Noel was a 5, everyone else a 7
Service – 2ish?
Yuri – 7

Overall – a solid 7

Thank you very kindly to Tokyopop for the  review copy!