Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau, Volume 3 (ささやくように恋を唄う)

November 16th, 2020

It’s not like Takeshima Eku’s high school love story is groundbreaking. It’s not that it’s game-changing. It’s just that this story is so pleasant and full of such pleasant characters, that it’s a joy to read.

Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau, Volume 3 (ささやくように恋を唄う) finds us (pleasantly) back at the beginning of the story where we started. Yori is helping out the SSGirls band for a performance once again and, this time, she’s even gone so far as to write a song – a love song, no less.

Himari, who was moved deeply by seeing Yori-sempai on stage that day, is ready now to give her an answer.

When the music starts, any lingering doubts are dispelled by the notes of the guitar and the beat of the drums. Himari wants to call what she feels “love.” So she answers Yori, at last -yes, she “likes” her and yes, she would really like to go out with her. The situation may be similar as the opening of the story, but neither Yori nor Himari are the same person they were when they met. Now they really have a chance to be happy together, because they are happy with their selves.

In the final pages, a rival band pops up, so we may actually have a bit of a story after the story and wouldn’t that be even more pleasant!

I really like Takeshima Eku’s art, and the writing and, honestly, all the characters. Even when we’re playing dress-up with Yori and Himari, there’s a noticable absence of creeper gaze. We never have to look around whatever has been shoved into our face to see the story, the emotions or the characters.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 8 There isn’t really a “story.” It’s pleasant.
Characters – 9
Service – 10000 where the “service” is two girls who are having a great time as they learn to love one another
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8

I’m delighted that you all can read this series and enjoy it with me. Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 1 is out now from Kodansha!





MURCIÉLAGO, Volume 14

November 13th, 2020

In Volume 14 of MURCIÉLAGO, we find ourselves revisiting a cast of characters that, perhaps, we had assumed we’d left far behind. Sensibly so, since the last time we saw Rose Marie was hanging from a basement ceiling with a meat hook through her chest. But when Narumi turns up and so do corpses with bites taken out of their necks, we get to see what became of the leader of the Virginal Rose and she’s not looking any better. Grafted literally onto her demonic sibling Rose Marie, they are reduced to haunting the sewers and finding victims to feed their lust for blood.

Of course Kuroko and Urara handle the problem with not much more than the usual difficulty. Narumi recognizes another Virginal Rose alumna, Carina, who is pivotal in the final battle. Narumi, formerly Teresa, is able to thank Gold Marie for having saved her, before she dies.

While this is happening, Hinako and Chiyo-chan are visiting the pool, beating up random folks and For our purposes, Chiyo spends a moment fantasizing about marrying  Kuroko, as unrealistic as that seems. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8 On repeat: In so far as it is conveying horrific violence, I think it’s getting better.
Story – 8 Creepier than usual, which is saying a lot
Characters – 8
Service – 5 less than usual, skimpy bathing costumes
Yuri – 4 Chiyo is the Yuri carrier drug here, and I’m okay with it

Overall – 8

There’s not much one can say about a series that is basically thin plots wrapped around creative ways to kill people.

 





Haru to Midori, Volume 3 (春とみどり)

November 11th, 2020

Haru is a lonely woman. She’s never really moved on with her life, even as she has lived it. There was once a girl who had meant something to her, but Tsumugi left, and had a child and now, Tsumugi is dead. Tsumugi’s daughter, Midori is living with Haru, and they are both struggling a little find out who they are out of Tsumugi’s shadow. But to do that, they need to enter that shadow.

Haru to Midori, Volume 3 (春とみどり), by Fukami Kon, was lovely.

Midori discovers one of the teachers in school knew her mother, but an interview with her leaves the girl unsure of who Tsumugi really was. What does become clear is how much of a effect her mother had upon her guardian’s life. And, maybe, it’s a little more understandable that having a lookalike of the only person Haru ever really cared about in her care, would be awkward. When her aunt sends a letter saying that she has a room free now, Midori decides to go live with her. Not to repudiate anything Haru has done for her, but to avoid complications with legal matters and to give both her and Haru space.

Haru isn’t sure what she wants or needs. She finally admits to herself that she was, genuinely, in love with Tsumugi and that her loss has stopped her from moving on. She decides to be able to see Midori off when she heads off to to live with her relatives and, that she’ll wait for her to come back.

And Midori does come back, when she’s graduated. She’s taller. And she needs a place to stay for university. Haru assures her that she has the space and she’s always welcome. Where Midori had been a reminder of what Haru had never had, now she’s a reminder of what she’s gained.

There were a lot of admirable qualities in this manga. The art was gentle, the storytelling sympathetic. Both Haru and Midori are given plenty of room to make their own decisions about themselves and each other. In the end, best of all, they choose to grow as individuals and as a family. A very satisfying end to this series. It was an enjoyable read – I’m glad I read it. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 4 Haru finally confronting her emotions about Tsugumi was cathartic
Service – 0

Overall – 9

For a look at the series, you can read two sample chapters on Pixiv Comics, in Japanese.





Yuri is My Job, Volume 6

November 9th, 2020

Depending on who you feel is the actual protagonist of the story – or whomever you are personally rooting for – Yuri is My Job, Volume 6 by Miman can be hard on the heart.

Let us say, for instance, that you feel Hime is the protagonist, as we’ve been following her since the first page of the series. In that case, Volume 6 is largely her struggling trying to not hurt her former best friend again, while also not hurting her newer best friend and preserving the even newer relationship she’s built with that former best friend.

If you’re rooting for Mitsuki, you’re about to watch her spill her heart and soul out in front of Hime without any guarantee of it being recoverable.

If you, like me, actually sympathize most with Sumika and Kanako, you’re going to be watching as things break and you cannot even help to catch the pieces this time.

It seems like something is going to have to give and Hime decides that that thing…is her. Or, is she just running away again? We don’t know yet. (Frankly, we *still* don’t know in the ongoing serialized chapters in Comic Yuri Hime, either. ^_^;)

Despite Miman’s protestations to the opposite in the author’s note, it seems like the story is very much under control. We, the readers can’t yet predict the outcome….but we can conjecture on the possible courses to lead to the outcomes we want, which is a wholly different thing.I know what I want – it isn’t Hime and Mitsuki as a couple. I expect that is what we’ll get, and that’s jut fine. But it’s not that I want.

Miman’s art is stronger than ever before, backgrounds are really being filled out and characters have more definition. So, when we get the next volume, pay close attention to the background people. They are getting people-ier. ^_^

When the Yuri in this volume lands, it lands hard. ^_^

Kodansha is doing  clean job of the reproduction. And we’re getting people to credit now for that work. Translation by Diana Taylor captures the emotion beautifully, Jennifer Skarupa’s lettering helps keep the story moving along. Logo design and cover design by Phil Balsman and My Truong respectively are terrific and editing by Haruko Hashimoto pulls it all together.

 

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 4 Mitsuki’s cleavage is its own character
Yuri – 7

Overall – 8

Yuri is My Job, Volume 6 is a pivotal – and emotional – volume of a a series that is more than the sum of it’s Yuri trope parts.





Fuzoroi no Renri, Volume 3 (不揃いの連理)

November 5th, 2020

In Volume 1, we met Iori and Minami, an career woman and a server at a izakaya whose relationship is surprisingly not fraught, and Saori and Shizuku, Iori’s little sister and Minami’s “sister” at the orphanage whose relationship is more of a light hand-to-hand combat than a battle.

In Volume 2 we added manga artist Heke and her editor Shinohara, who are partners in an onling RPG, but not quite there in real life.

Volume 3 of Fuzoroi no Renri (不揃いの連理), by Mikan Uji, adds a new couple to the collection. Kujyo-sensei is interested in women but cannot bring herself to go into the lesbian bar, so she keeps visiting the maid cafe next door. Sugimoto one of the students at  school, works at the cafe and thinks Sensei is kind of cute and awkward.

The remainder of the volume is snips and clips of the various couples’ lives, as they deal with whatever life throws at them. The art is cute and also kind of dynamic. The stories are slice-of-lifeish scenarios and the characters are all pretty cute. Although I really hope that Shinohara manages to finally confess to Heke-sensei soon.

This manga is light-hearted and fun. It’s a lovely distraction in these stressful times. I’m glad for Mikan Uji-sensei having three volumes so far and think Kadokawa seems a good fit for their work.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 2 Even less than usual, as we spend time with more couples, less of it is intimate.
Yuri – 10

Overall – 9

I’m always happy to see Shizuku and Minami’s piercings and Minami’s tattoos, just because we so rarely get characters that look like that, but also because I like piercings and tattoos! If you’ve seen me in person you know I have my own collection of holes in my face and a couple of tattoos that are waiting patiently to be added to. ^_^