Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji, Volume 1 (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ)

December 18th, 2020

In the Yuri world Ikeda Takashi is best known for Sasamekikoto / Whispered Words in English, from One Peace Books. That series made fun of every Yuri trope, balled them all into one funny, poignant and, in the end, beautiful comedy-drama with the perfect ending. It’s been about five years since we got the ending of that in the west and, whike Takashi-sensei has done other series, few of them have wandered into our territory.  Until now.

Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ) is a slice of life manga about two adult women who are a couple, and who are happy and settled in their relationship. Sakuma Eri is a writer and Inuzuka Wako is an aspiring voice actress. Together they eat and sleep and do work and spend their days happily in one another’s company.  We meet some of their friends and colleagues and, ultimately family, which puts this story into one of the very few Yuri manga that provides the main characters with something that resembles an actual life.

The art is very chill and adult, even as Ikeda-sensei still uses wacky expressions and visuals. Since the scenes take place in their apartment or sometimes at the recording studio, there’s little detail or frivolous background. The story is very much centered on the relationship between Wako and Eri, and how they react to one another’s needs, both spoken and unspoken.

By the end of the volume, the story starts to take off, as Sakuma shows her understanding and appreciation of Wako’s hard work, and we finish the volume off with a visit from Wako’s mother to meet Eri that is only the normal amount of “mom is visiting” stressful and not angst from coming out or hiding. As we’ve seen mom earlier, all excited about meeting her daughter’s special person, we know it will go well. Overall, the story is comfy and not at all stressful, with added bonus heartwarming moments.

This is a story about the everyday life of two people in a functional relationship, with low drama and very comfortable affection and caring. Ikeda-sensei still knows exactly how to end a volume. Such a terrific way to end this week, honestly, and I look forward to Volume 2 when it comes out. ^_^ (Update: Volume 2 was even better.)

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 5 a bit, it’s a story for adult readers
Yuri – 10

Overall – 9

This volume is available on Amazon JP, of course, and if you’d like to read it digitally outside Japan, it’s also available on Bookwalker Global, where you can also check out a few sample pages.





Night and Day by Akegata Yu on Manga Planet

December 17th, 2020

I’ve talked about Tsuki to Suppin by Akegata Yu a few times. Here on Okazu, I’ve reviewed Volume 1 and Volume 2, and I mentioned this series as a “someone oughta license this” in my Recommendations video. About fifteen seconds after I mentioned this title in the video, Manga Planet licensed the series and has now released it as Night and Day.

Akari is fashionable and trendy and Shiho isn’t…in fact, her collection of utterly meh t-shirts is a running gag in the series, in part because her day job brings her to concerts by small, less-well-known bands. In part, because she’s just like that. The two have been together for a while now and, they are very much a solid, comfortable couple. As you will see.  They get each other.

This is not a series with high drama, and workplace shenanigans, like Hitorigoto Desu Kara!, which Manga Planet also has licensed and cleverly titled It’s Personnel!. This is a quiet, simple story about two women who are as different as the moon and turtles, as different as chalk and cheese, who just…work…together.

Manga Planet offers a subscription service. For $6.99/month, you can read as much as you’d like on their platform, and they are investing quite heavily in Yuri right now. If that is too much, you can still read quite a lot for free. They are clearly running on a thin staff as multiple credits go to a few people. So props to Ian O’Connor and Amimaru and the whole MP team for their work on this.

Chapter 1 of Night and Day is free to read, and makes a great introduction to this super low-key, enjoyable and sweet Jousei Yuri series. Give it a try and tell me what you think!

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 10
Service – . 5 A very little dress-up with Shiho

This is a series that gets better and better as one reads it.

I love this title, I love that Shodensha is still putting out Yuri and that Manga Planet has licensed it and the Yomuco “super light” novels. I’d been holding them all in my queue for future reading and now I’ll be able to blow through them in English instead of piecing together time and energy to read them in Japanese.  Excuse me, I have to go read Kitao Taki’s Two Guns Under The Sheet now!





Yamada to Kase-san, Volume 2 (山田と加瀬さん)

December 16th, 2020

Happy anniversary to Takashima Hiromi-sensei for 10 years of Kase-san and Yamada.  Who could have imagined that, when the series debuted in 2010 in Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari, we’d be still  be following Yamada and Kase-san a decade later? It’s an absolute triumph of will that here we are at Yamada to Kase-san, Volume 2 (山田と加瀬さん).

College life has presented a number of challenges to Yui and Tomoka, both personally and relationship-wise. They are no longer able to see each other every day. Yui still has an unfortunate tendency to default to low self-esteem thinking, but a trip to the seashore with Mikawacchi and Hana seems just the thing to kick her out of her funk. Once there, she discovers that Tomoka is staying at the same inn! Only, of course, nothing is that simple. Tomoka and Yui eek out a few moments of time, and work on their own jealousy issues.

In the background a couple of interesting things are going on. Aikawa, Tomoka’s high school rival is hanging out with Fukami, Tomoka’s roommmate. And what on earth is going on with Fukami? Because something…definitely…is. 

We have watched over a decade as Takashima-sensei’s art has grown stronger and the characters become more who they are. And here we are, able to continue to enjoy that very thing Yamada and Kase-san in love. What a fantastic way to close out a brilliant (if slightly surreal) year for Yuri. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 5 a bit of skin
Yuri – 10

Overall – 9

Happy 10th anniversary to Yui and Tomoka, and to Takashima-sensei…and to us! We’ve all come a long way. ^_^

I couldn’t wait for this to arrive in print, so I picked it up on Global Bookwalker.  ^_^





Comic Yuri Hime December 2020 ( コミック百合姫2020年12月号)

December 8th, 2020

The final issue cover for this year by Rolua, is beautiful and poignant….and sadly relevant in this year of the plague, as the characters are released at last from the confines of this life, with a prominent “Memento Mori: And Two Borders Disappeared” across the cover, in case we didn’t get the point. ^_^;  Beautifully drawn, thoughtfully conceived and touching, this is still one of my very favorite cover art-novellas this magazine has ever had. What an amazing way to begin at the end, for Comic Yuri Hime December 2020 ( コミック百合姫2020年12月号)

The major series ending in this issue is tMnR’s series “Tatoe to Todokanukeda Toshitemo,” which…ended. After all the angst, it wraps up with a big old handwave. I’ll allow it. ^_^

I’m still impressed by the adaption of SukeraSparo’s VN “Kudan Folklore” and I’m sorry that Ohsawa Yayoi’s “Hello Melancholic!” looks to be heading for a climax next month, but I’ve really enjoyed the ride. ^_^

Some of my favorite ongoing series are Takashima Eku’s “Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau” which just continues to be sweet as can be, even as we are getting a set-up for some kind of conflict, Hanagata’s “Watashi no Oshi ha Akujaku Reijou” and I like “Odoriba ni sukaato ga aNru” by Utatane Yu. A couple of the one-shots this volume are also interesting, at least visually.

A decent end of year volume. 2020 definitely was a great year for Yuri overall, and for Comic Yuri Hime, in general.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

The January 2021 volume is already and out and content wise, it’s starting the new year with a bang!





Lonely Girl ni Sakaraenai, Volume 1 (ロンリーガールに逆らえない)

December 2nd, 2020

Sakuraii is a model student but has a fatal flaw – she absolutely sucks at tests. If it weren’t for tests, she’d have no trouble at all getting into her school of choice, but alas… . Her teacher makes her an offer she really cannot refuse. If Sakuraii convinces a fellow classmate who has not come to class all year to show up to school, the teacher will give Sakuraii a glowing recommendation.  So, there is Sakuraii, standing in front of Honda’s house, trying to find a convincing argument to get the girl back to school. Honda, it turns out is a pretty chill person. She agrees to help Sakuraii out, but only if she gets one “wish” a day from the other girl. Fearing the worst,  Sakuraii accept the terms and indeed, the first wish is a kiss. As days stretch on Honda’s wishes range from walking home together to going on a date and Sakuraii starts to find that she’s enjoying her time with Honda. Which is good, because the teacher has added a condition – not only does Honda have to come to school, she’s got to pass class.

Lonely Girl ni Sakaraenai, Volume 1 (ロンリーガールに逆らえない) is a Yuri rom-com. Like most romantic comedies, we have to allow for the abrupt destruction of personal boundaries as a condition for both the “rom” and the “com” portions…. But where the premise is absolutely suited to instantly becoming unappealing, it pulls back immediately and starts the whole thing over, letting the two girls get to learn to actually like one another. As the volume ends, it steps back into the “wrong lessons to teach” lane as Honda uses her leverage to push Sakuraii’s boundaries again.

I have no idea why I don’t dislike this story, honestly, but I don’t. I like it. Kashikaze’s art is pleasant enough. The characters are likeable, except when they are not. I’m not alone, either as this book sold out almost immediately when it was first printed and it has taken me months to get this volume (in part at least because of international shipping being messed up due to the pandemic for weeks over the spring.)

Ratings:

Art – 7
Characters – 7
Story – 7, sometimes slipping downward with faithless teachers and the like
Yuri – 7
Service – 2

Overall – 7

 I want Sakuraii to get into her school and have opened up Honda’s life and the two of them to be forever altered in a positive way by their interaction. I’m still reading this monthly as it comes out in Comic Yuri Hime and I still like it. I have no idea why! ^_^