Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Maitsuki Niwatsuki Ooyatsuki – Monthly With Ooya, Volume 4 (毎月庭つき大家つき)

March 21st, 2024

Two women, one with long blonde hair, wearing grey sweats and one with ear-length brown hair wearing green and blue comfy clothes, stand in a kitchen, blowing gently over mugs of something warm. If there was a “Perfect Manga About Pop Idols Who Are Adults”* award, Maitsuki Niwatsuki Ooyatsuki – Monthly With Ooya, Volume 4 would win, hands down. We’ve already seen Yodokawa handle adults having important conversations in Volume 3. Volume 4 was just about the most perfect volume of manga I have ever read. 

I don’t want to beat around the bush here – Suga’s issues around her birthday and Miyako trying to figure out how to celebrate, was resolved in a way so kind-hearted and human that I was deeply moved. For the thousands of horrible “pretend everyone forgot their birthday, so they can do a surprise party” manga, I at least have one manga in which a person who has trauma around their birthday was treated with gentle kindness. I will cling to this volume forever. But wait! There’s more!

As we learned in earlier volumes, Suga’s landlord, Miyako, is the former lead of a pop idol group, Elm. The new leader, Samukawa Ruri, know as Osamu, is a very serious and dedicated lead. And she’s working too hard. When she wants to detox, she’s showing up at the mangaka Suga edits for, Hato’s home. Hato struggles with what kind of relationship she and Osamu have – especially as she is a fan. This, too, is handled with gentleness and humanity, taking what might have been an overwrought situation and turning it into a good lesson on how to be a decent human.

And, finally, Suga takes Miyako home to meet her parents. Everything about this scenario could have been awful, full of terrible tropes, and yet, if was one of the most delightful things I have read so far this year. In the end I was left feeling very good about having read this volume and happy for both the characters and myself. I am all in for hygge in my manga and this manga is hygge, from Miyako’s and Suga’s comfy slippers right up to dinner made with love.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Character – 10
Service – 0
Yuri – 9

Overall – 10

Where we’ll go with Miyako and Suga is clearly not nearly as important as how we’ll be going – with love, kindness and some delicious food. Volume 2 of Monthly In The Garden With My Landlord hit shelves in English this week, from Yen Press.

*As opposed to my “perfect novellas about pop idols who are adults,” obvs. ^_^





Mr. Right Turned Out To Be A Younger Woman!? Guest Review by Em Evergreeen

March 20th, 2024

Two office women stand close, one leans in to whisper something into the other woman's ear as they both grip a folder between them.Content warning: there is one scene with sexual aggression and non-consensual touching, and the narrative doesn’t meaningfully explore any relationship consequences this might have.

I’ve enjoyed Kozumi Miura’s contributions to Yuri anthologies (White Lilies in Love BRIDE’s, Yuriquer Alcohol Yuri Anthology,

and to creator-owned magazine Galette, as well as her collection of one-shots, Totsuzen Nantonaku Tonari no Seki no Douryou to Kiss Shitaku Narimashita, so I was quite excited to see her office worker romance Mr. Right Turned Out To Be A Younger Woman!? made available on digital manga site Renta. It’s not only the first of her works to be translated into English, but also the longest Yuri story she’s created so far. Originally published by iProduction’s women-focused web manga label Comic Donna, the story was expanded from a one-shot to about the length of a single print volume.

Our heroine, Haruki Shiina, is a 33-year-old marketing professional who’s stalled out in romance and at work. She feels like her time is running out to find a boyfriend, get married, and have children, and she’s built up quite the reputation around the office as a energy-drink-guzzling, hard-partying, almost salaryman-like figure. So when she awakens after a night of drunken revelry with her co-workers to the clear aftermath of a one night stand, with vague but positive memories, she’s hopeful that it’s going to be the start of a magical office romance that’ll lead straight to marriage. There’s only one problem – she’s not quite sure who the previous night’s paramour was!

We know from the first page, however, that her opposite number is none other than her workplace rival, the serious and high-achieving 23-year-old Risa Takagai. Risa treats her coldly, makes competing marketing proposals, and interrupts her when she chats up her male co-workers. Though the two frequently butt heads, they also inspire each other to do their best work. We see a magnetic attraction quickly develop between them, culminating in the early reveal of Haruki’s anonymous lover.

The characters and their chemistry are compelling enough that I’m glad the story was expanded beyond the original one-shot, and that we get to see their relationship develop beyond this point. There’s a lot packed into these 6 chapters, but as a result, many interesting threads feel under-explored, and the dramatic tension comes and goes a bit erratically. There is a sustained focus on Haruki coming to terms with dating a woman for the first time, and on the pressures that the difference in their ages puts on the relationship, topics that are depicted realistically and with care. There’s even some attention paid to lesbian culture and the issues faced by queer women in Japan, though it ends up feeling a little “Lesbians 101” at times.

The anonymous translation, credited only with “Localization by Renta,” occasionally stumbles a bit, and the quality of lettering similarly isn’t up to par with releases by the major US publishers. More than the sometimes-stilted language, though, my primary issue with the translation is that it introduces a somewhat misogynistic tone to certain scenes that’s not present in the original work. This is a shame for a manga that otherwise draws on the best traditions of female-focused manga in its heart-pounding moments, emotional introspection, and appropriately-adult sexuality without unnecessary fan service.

Mr. Right Turned Out To Be A Younger Woman!? is absolutely worth figuring out Renta’s points system for (bad news: it’ll cost you $15 to buy, and you’ll end up with 300 points afterwards. sigh). The art really shines. The important moments are lovingly rendered, as are the outfits, and the jokes are paired with deeply funny reaction faces. I quickly got invested in Haruki, Risa, and their happiness, and was glad to see the story reach a satisfying ending. Our pair and the rest of their co-workers are realistically flawed, but there are no villains here, and our cast comes together to support one another when it matters.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Service – 3
Yuri – 8

Overall – 7

Em Evergreen is a lonely lesbian with a manga addiction. Find her at linktr.ee/em.evergreen.





SHWD シュード, Volume 3

March 18th, 2024

Two women in military gear lay in the ruins of a battle, laughing and smiling at one another.In Volume 1 and Volume 2, we meet Kouga Airi, a new recruit to the Special Hazardous Waste Disposal Unit, under Sawada Shino, a hard-boiled veteran. Both these women are huge, muscled and strong, a prerequisite in the fight against Dynamis, the inhuman creatures that attack people’s minds.

In Volume 3 of SHWD (シュード), by sono. N, we learn the truth behind Dynamis, and behind Sawada’s ability to resist them and both are as horrible as we might imagine. In a major battle with two Dynamis at once, Sawada loses part of her arm, and her subsequent weakness forces her to rely on Kouga’s generosity. Luckily for her Kouga has fallen in love with Sawada and wants nothing more than to be there for her. This is very much complicated by the aforementioned horrible backstory, but the two of them manage to find a way.

This would have been a very good ending to this series but for one thing…and I absolutely hate to complain about it but… something happened to the art. One of the defining characteristics of the women in this series is their huge, bulging muscles. In Volume 3, Sawada is a typical thin-limbed manga action figure. Kouga remains large, but her muscles, too, have nearly disappeared compared to previous volumes. It’s impossible to not notice, especially as so much of the story previously had been given over to their impressive musculature. And it makes the climax of the story a little less believable, which is a shame.

Setting the change in art style aside, the story itself is quite, dare I say it, cute? Kouga has been all kinds of adorable since the beginning and when Sawada finally notices, it feels right. It’ll take someone like Kouga to heal the many emotional wounds Sawada’s been ignoring. And together they will work to fix the problems other people have created.

While I don’t know for sure, my guess is that the series was killed by either the magazine or the creator, because the other couple is non-existent. Nonaka is not in this volume at all and Leo only pops in towards the end to offer a word of advice.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 8 Even more tragic backstories!
Service – 3
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8

SHWD Volume 1 is out in English from Seven Seas and Volume 2 is on the way in October.  There does not appear to be a release date for Volume 3.





Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta, Volume 2 (気になってる人が男じゃなかった)

March 15th, 2024

On a background of bright green, two girls drawn in black and white, look up at us at an acute angle. One has her arm draped over a stage microphone, smiling above a mask pulled down to her chin, the other clasps her hands behind her back, looking at us seriously. In Volume 1, we met Ohsawa Aya, a fashionable girl in most ways – except for her retro taste in music. When she walks into a shabby CD store Aya goes gaga over the cool person working behind the counter. Aya falls hard for the person, not realizing that it is the same person she sits next to every single day at school – the apparently aloof Koga Mitsuki. They bond over their shared love of Gen X music.

In Volume 2, the two girls start to think a little bit about their feelings, about each other’s feelings and about their feelings about those feelings.  ^_^ They have little time to process this, though, as student life continues apace. Introverted Mitsuki is scandalized when Aya and her friends include her in their group for the class trip! She appreciates the gesture – but all that socializing, and hair, makeup, boys conversation exhausts her. And of course exam time creates a whole new burden to get past. Koga’s good at what she’s good at…but really bad at everything else. (Well…duh.)

In an interesting turn, we meet Mitsuki’s Uncle Joe’s ex, Kanna, who lives in the US. Kanna is a force of nature, getting to know Aya and even goes so far as to invite Mitsuki to stay with her. I really enjoyed that Joe and Kanna both speak about their history together, so they aren’t just being weird adults with a history, but become fully fleshed out for us. Joe, in particular. Other than a smoking habit, he seems a standup kinda guy. His affection for his niece is very apparent and sincere. I love that, honestly.

Finally, Mitsuki and Aya get a moment alone…and it’s as wonderful as you might imagine. The thing that has brought them together is music. Mitsuki plays for Aya and asked her to share “her rock” with her. At this point, they both know what is going on between them, but they are working hard to make it their own.

This volume was much tighter narratively than the first. Arai-sensei’s art has has  a nice balance between the textured perspectives of street art  she was exploring online and a more standard manga style. Panels are often broken out from and angles are still creative – as one can see from the cover.

And what good timing that this was on the to-review pile for today because Manga Mogura – who is usually very good with insider knowledge – broke the news on Twitter that this series has been picked up for an English language release….and maybe Denpa Books has the license.

Muzzle Inc notes that there is a second Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta Pop-Up Shop in the Ginza and Umeda Loft stores this month. And, finally, the Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta Drama CD will be available next month from Frontierworks (who did such an outstanding job on the Hayate x Blade Drama CDs that I still think about scenes from them all the time.)

So it’s a good week for fans of Arai-sensei’s series all around. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8 I definitely like the uncle
Service – 2 Mitsuki being cool is this series’ service
Yuri – 6

Overall – 8

The Yuri has landed, they will probably make great music together. What songs will we hear? Keep up to date with new chapters on Comic Walker! or we’ll see you in Volume 3!

 





How Do We Relationship, Volume 10

March 13th, 2024

Two women smile at us, as they walk arm in arm in a city at night.by Matt Marcus, Staff Writer

The other day I attended an “empty the bar” party for a friend of mine who is moving to Hawaii. Naturally, most of the drinks served were tiki drinks, strong but easy-drinking concoctions of tropical fruit juices mixed with multiple types of overproof rum, often complimented with an earthy hit of allspice dram. The first drink I reached for, however, was not like the others: it was a Bardstown, a potent mix of apple brandy and rye, the kind of drink you nurse slowly as the ice in the glass melts, softening the bite of the booze. I took one large sip and nearly coughed it up onto the floor. I decided to set it aside and make the rounds through the other offerings—a mai tai, a zombie, a painkiller—but I would come back and take a sip of Bardstown here and there. I liked it, but I was not looking for something so intense in such a large dosage.

I was thinking on how to approach this review of How Do We Relationship Volume 10, and as I mulled it over, I was thinking about the discussions I’ve had within the Okazu Discord and elsewhere, especially after Erica’s review of Volume 11 in Japanese. I remembered that Bardstown, and the thought rose in my mind that you can think of manga series like cocktails. Citrus is flashy and trashy like a tequila sunrise—a poor decision in a glass. Whispering You A Love Song is a virgin Shirley Temple: bubbly, sweet, and at worst will give you a tickle up your nose. How Do We Relationship—when the mix is right—is a negroni. It’s complex, with top notes of herbaceous bitterness but lying beneath is a sweetness that carries you forward to the next sip. And if you have a low tolerance it will knock you on your ass. It’s not to everyone’s taste, and it may not be the right drink for every occasion, but those that love it will reach for it over and over again. The rub is, after all the heartbreak we’ve seen these girls endure, I’m sure that a lot of readers are thirsting for some sweet relief. But Tamifull is the bartender, and their hand is getting heavier on the pours.

In Volume 9, Saeko went through a rough stretch leading up to her coming-of-age ceremony only to be saved serendipitously by Miwa. Saeko opens up to Miwa about her past, and the two connect more deeply as friends than they ever had as lovers. Meanwhile, both are having mild struggles with their respective girlfriends, but with each other’s support they should be able to weather these small bumps in the road. The volume ended with a potentially awkward run-in with Tamaki that may blow their “we’ve only ever been friends” story.

Of course, if you’ve read the series this far you know that Tamifull loves to set up a cliffhanger to end a volume only to lead to an anticlimax at the start of the next. Despite a little bit of sulking, Tamaki ends up making use of the knowledge that Saeko used to date Miwa, because she’s in need of some advice. Miwa wants to have sex frequently and she just can’t understand why. But even knowing the “why” does not answer the “how” she will handle it.

What it boils down to is that Miwa and Tamaki have completely different feelings on sex. Miwa’s sex drive is high but has yet to be satisfied; Tamaki mostly feels like sex a chore, albeit one she can sometimes enjoy in her own way. They do have a conversation about it, but you can tell that they are not really understanding each other. Tamaki isn’t really being honest with herself about her needs and wants, and she is definitely unaware of the mixed signals she gives to Miwa. Miwa for her part is letting her anxiety overpower her ability to listen. The tension continues to simmer throughout these chapters.

Meanwhile, it turns out that Yuria struggles with depression (surprise!) and does not want Saeko around when she is in that mood. Adding to her feelings of personal failure at work, she feels miserable about Saeko’s decision to aim for a high-paying office job to help support her dream of starting her own salon. Saeko feels like she’s acting with the best of intentions, but she can’t convince Yuria to accept her choices. The injection of this point of conflict feels like a hard left turn for Yuria’s character in a way that seems calculated. On a metatextual level, I can feel the hand of the mangaka planting the seed of destruction for the relationship, which is a bummer especially after all the work and growth that those two have accomplished together. Nevertheless, it is darkly funny to me for this turn to happen right after I sang Yuria’s praises in my last review.

That’s not to say that this volume is all doom and gloom. When Tamaki reaches out to Saeko to talk about Miwa, it is a nice moment of vulnerability for her and an opportunity for Saeko to help her friend. Miwa also runs interference with Yuria and helps smooth over the current rough patch with Saeko, demonstrating how much she cares about Saeko’s happiness. Yuria and Saeko have a fun onsen trip together, and at the end of the volume they visit Yuria’s hometown to meet her twin sister and her fiancé. All of this great character growth building off of the last volume. That said, there isn’t much relief to be had because of the festering undercurrents that are flowing beneath both relationships. Think of it like replacing the Gosling’s in your dark & stormy with the Reed’s Extra.

I’ve noted in past reviews that the way this series tracks time is quite loose, and in this stretch I felt it most acutely so far. It was surprising for me to realize that by the  end of this installment over a year has passed since the end of Volume 8. (Someday I will map out each volume on a timeline for the blog, which I will update eventually I swear.) That leaves an awful lot of time that we don’t get to see. In particular, we don’t really spend any time with Miwa and Tamaki enjoying an outing without some kind of tension undercutting or tempering the proceedings. What Tamifull choses to show has always leaned towards scenes that drive the plot forward, which naturally means conflict. It can be exhausting, unless you are someone who has a high craving for drama. After all we’ve seen Miwa go through, I think we deserved to have her be happy and satisfied on the page for more than a few fleeting moments.

There is one other pattern in Tamifull’s writing that I am starting to notice, which is that relationship developments for side characters function almost entirely to comment on or signal something about the main pairings; in this volume, it is Mikkun and Rika who serve that purpose. It can feel a touch on the nose, like when Tamaki voices her empathy for Mikkun’s old ex-/current/soon-to-be-ex-again girlfriend, who is described as  sex-repulsed. Tamifull does mention in the author commentary that there are lots of dangling threads for the secondary characters that had to be cut to keep the story moving, and this is one of the consequences.

Personally, I’m still enjoying the story even if moments started to wear on me. There are plenty of elements of Tamifull’s writing that I continue to appreciate, such as the continuity of character. I briefly turned into Leo DiCaprio pointing at the TV when Tamaki observes that Miwa has a preference for romantic clichés, something that goes all the way back to the beginning of the series. Also, Saeko’s tendency play caretaker makes another appearance as she tries to keep Yuria from falling deeper into a self-care spiral. The dishwashing scene is a very well observed moment of caring for a partner who struggles with depression that really hit home for me. It’s the depth and nuances of small moments like these that constitutes the sweetness that lingers after the bitterness fades.

Apropos of nothing, I am always amused when a series sums itself up in a single panel

If nothing else, How Do We Relationship continues to serve up the most potent dose of painfully relatable love in the Yuri/GL space. If you’ve missed that stinging sensation on your palette from earlier in the series, you’re going to be savoring this volume.

Art – 9 You know you’re in too deep when you start to notice how the way the character’s noses are drawn has been subtly changing over the past few volumes
Story – 8 You can start to feel the needle move back towards the negative, which may be fatiguing for some
Characters – 8 There is some unevenness with Miwa and Yuria in the service of drama that feels a touch heavy-handed
Service – 6 Yes there is sex but I’m also counting Saeko in her job hunting suit in this score
LGBTQ – 10 Is there really any doubt at this point?

Overall – 8 The bitter top notes are starting to overpower the other flavors, but it is still plenty potable

Volume 12 is currently available in Japan and you can catch up completely with the simulpub chapters on the VIZ Manga site or app. A college LGBTQ drama so real, you’d swear you owe tuition. 

Matt Marcus is a serial enthusiast whose range of appreciations include guitars, watches, and a particular genre of Japanese popular media named after a flower. Outside of writing for Okazu, he cohosts various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, where he frequently bloviates about video games, anime, and manga. He also hosts a blog Oh My God, They Were Bandmates analyzing How Do We Relationship in greater depth.