In Mi-chan to Airi, Part 1 (みーちゃんとアイリ (上)),  Midori is heading home one day and passes a pile of garbage bags, on which she sees the sleeping form of a girl. So she takes the girl home, as one does. Gives her a bath and some food and a place to sleep and asks her to lock the door on the way out. Only, when Midori comes home later, there’s the girl!

The girl, Airi, says she’s a witch and while that may or may not be true, as the days go on, she definitely brings a little magic into Midori’s otherwise dull life. Even coworkers start to notice that Midori is bringing lunch from home, instead of just grabbing junk food, and Midori is dressing nicer…and smiling. Is Midori in love? In the meantime, Airi is practicing cooking and is cleaning the apartment. She take long walks, sometimes – we see her find a little girl’s missing ribbon and it sure looks like she’s using real magic this time.

This first volume of a 2-part series by Ichikawa Natsuo is messy and fun, just as a “a witch meets an office worker and brings magic into their lives” ought to be. Midori is average, Airi is irrepressible. As they grow accustomed to one another, it sure seems like they are starting to like each other, only for a threat to pop up in the last few pages of the volume that could tear them apart. Oh no!

The art is likewise “messy” with sparkles and flowers and stars and markups and decorations of a dozen kinds, all of which bring color and texture to Airi’s airyness. Midori is never allowed to be too unpleasant or grumpy, or the set-up might grind to a halt.

All in all, this is a cute and fun little story that drew me in unexpectedly. I came into this completely unsure whether I would like it, but everything grew on me as I read.

Ratings:

Art -7
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 1 Kisses as service I guess?
Yuri – 6 Plenty of room to go up

Overall – 8

Part 2 is already available and I’m kind of looking forward to reading it now.

The best romantic comedies, in my opinion, are ones that stop trying to be a comedy. In Volume 1, this series was definitely a comedy.

Lonely Girl ni Sakaraenai, Volume 2 (ロンリーガールに逆らえない) is something else. It’s a story about a person who had pretty much given up on life, finding someone who puts joy and color back into it.

But first we have to deal with a transfer student from Osaka who appears to be trying to split Ayana and Sora up…but don’t worry, it’s just a thin plot complication to make them admit that they like each other. Not to each other, but to themselves at least.

And then we settle in for some nice friendship stuff and school sports day stuff and Sora finding that Ayana has become the light in her life. Ayana, some steps behind, ask if they can become friends for real, but will that be enough for Sora? Only time (and anyone reading this book for like a chapter) will tell. ^_^

Despite the goofy premise, that initially veered a little closer than I like to something that could have gone into boundary breaking and unhealthy relationships, this series has been actually quite gentle and sweet. It’s still got some room to be complicated, as Sora’s family situation is not a good one, and Ayana is planning on college, but I presume that both creator Kashikaze and the editors will handwave the conflicts away because we do not work through things for real all that often in the pages of Comic Yuri Hime. (Which is not to say we never do…come back tomorrow and we will in actual fact look at a series that does the work.)

Ratings:

Art – 7
Characters – 8
Story – 8
Yuri – 7
Service – 1

Overall – 8

Watching Ayana and Sora helping each other to find something to enjoy in life, is honestly very pleasant.

As Teiji ni Ageretara, Volume 4 ( 定時にあがれたら) opens, we find ourselves in a story that is  so grounded in reality that it seems almost magical.^_^

Kaori and Kayoko have been dating for a year now and they are genuinely happy together. In a lot of recent manga,  we’d skip to the end of the story at this point, and just have a wedding. But, we must understand that this story isn’t about fictional happily-ever-afters, it about two adult women in what looks very like the real world.

In this volume, Kaori formalizes their relationship by giving Kayoko a key to her apartment. Kayopko is adorable as she enters her lover’s apartment on her own for the first time. Then, more critically, Kaori takes the risk of her life as she comes out to her friends; the same friends with whom she had been unable to be wholly honest a few volumes previously. I have to give Kaori’s friends point for their reaction – they are surprised, but not stupid and now her previous reticence makes sense to them. One friend is worried about coming off as insensitive, and it seems like we’re going to have one of “those” scenes…but no. Once they know, they are all in on giving Kaori good anniversary present advice. It’s a nice scene in a series full of nice scenes.

Their anniversary is a festive occasion. The two discuss moving in together one day. As the final pages of this series arrive, Kayoko and Kaori are two adult women in love, building a life together. No, there is no fairy-tale wedding, but that’s not what this story was ever about, really. This story is about a couple navigating the kinds of hurdles that are common to most couples, with the additional stress point of coming out.

Inui-sensei’s art has pulled together beautifully here. While there is intimacy, it never feels as if there is service.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8 Relatable
Characters – 8 Same
Service – 1
Yuri – 9

Overall – 8

I’m delighted to remind you that you can read this series – legally, for free, from Manga Planet as If We Leave on the Dot. It’s a lovely series that gives one hope for both Jousei and Shakaijin Yuri, modeling happy, healthy relationships between people who are accepted and loved by the people around them.