Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: MURCIÉLAGO, Volume14 (ムルシエラゴ )

October 10th, 2019

In MURCIÉLAGO, Volume14 (ムルシエラゴ ), the gang learns of a new, exciting horror to infest their city; someone is chomping chunks out of the necks of women.

Narumi and Kuroko team up to discover just what the hell is going on, but Narumi finda herself purposefully disabled and stuck in a sewer with a bunch of other girls, all of whom have the same injury she’s been given. Narumi and the others…have been put in the larder. She quickly learns the horror this time is not new at all…in fact, it’s the return of one of the most complicated and interesting antagonists of the entire series. 

Rose Marie is back and creepier and more horrific than ever! Narumi holds out until Kuroko and Shizuka arrive and help her take out this new/old scourge.

The counterpoint to all of this is that Hinako and the remaining half of the team go to the pool where they swim, eat, and pound the living shit out of some assholes. All good fun.

Chiyo has one of those serious moments, when speaking about Kuroko to Hinako and explains that her “like” is definitely different than Hinako’s like – she’s not above a little fantasizing that they might be married one day… Hinako’s main objection is that the idea of Kuroko in a dress really annoys her. ^_^

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

I am in awe of Yoshimurakana’s ability to come up with new skin-crawling terrors. I am also a little in awe that this series, which is very heavy on the violence against girls doesn’t make me want to punch someone. The only thing I can think of is that the violence against women is the only part that’s taken seriously. When guys are killed, it’s like, “eh, whatevs.” ^_^





Yuri Manga: Jyoryusakka to Yuki, Volume 2 (女流作家とユキ)

October 9th, 2019

In Volume 1, we met Yuki, a young woman who works at a coffee shop in a bustling Taisho period town, who is very interested in the works of a particular female novelist, Azuma Beniko. When Sensei comes in to her cafe, Yuki finds herself instantly captivated by the cosmopolitan author.

In Volume 2 of Nagori Yuu-sensei’s Pixiv manga Jyoryusakka to Yuki (女流作家とユキ), Yuki learns more about the novelist, and about herself. Yuki is starting to fantasize about Azuma-sensei and recognizes, as she has read many romance novels, that she’s falling in love. She also learns that those same novels were the cause of a lover’s suicide, when two girls killed themselves supposedly motivated by one of Sensei’s books.

We learn that Yuki’s obsession with Azuma-sensei’s work stems from being a lonely child on account of not being physically strong. Her mother had died when she was young and her father is away for work most of the time. And, when he returns, he tells Yuki that he’s setting up a marriage meeting for her. She protests, and he blames the novels she likes. In anger, she runs to Azuma-sensei who brings her back, but both she and Yuki stand firm in the face of her father’s anger. Ultimately, he relents. It moot, because Sensei has admitted to herself that she loves Yuki and invites Yuki to live with her.

In the end, Yuki wakes up, amazed and embarrassed to find herself in the bed of a woman she’s idolized for so many years. But this time, she’s assured, it is not a dream or a fantasy. And we can close this book assuming a happily-ever-after for this successful female author and the coffee-shop girl she loves.

Okay, yes, it’s a ridiculous story. I loved every page of it. I loved the clothing, the backgrounds and with the exception of a chapter in the middle where the style significantly altered (I’d assume because of a hardware/software or materials change) the art.This story was a joy to read and the ending left me with a huge grin.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story –  8 Still girl meets author and is swept off her feet. Still okay by me.
Character – 8
Service – 2 Nothing particularly salacious. Yuki’s fantasies and Yuki’s reality are as close as we get.
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8

This was a Yuri romance that I looked forward to every chapter of. I slowed myself down reading a few times, just to enjoy it longer. Then I re-read it. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Teiji ni Ageretara, Volume 1 (定時にあがれたら)

October 8th, 2019

In Volume 1 of Teiji ni Ageretara (定時にあがれたら), one day at work, Yukawa learns she’s dropped her keys when fellow employee, fashionable and attractive Mizuki, returns them. The two of them become friends, sharing meals and hanging out together. One day, almost without realizing it, Yukawa tells Mizuki she likes her, then immediately asks Mizuki to forget it. But Mizuki finds that she just cannot. No matter how much she’d like to go back to being just friends, they aren’t going to be able to. So Mizuki asks Yukawa out.

Not sure of each other’s interest, there’s miscommunications, and misunderstandings, but slowly and surely Yukawa and Mizuki work their way towards a mutually romantic relationship. When Mizuki confesses that she loves Yukawa, it’s not so much a climax as a great relief to both women that they haven’t been wrong.

The final chapters are more of the same as Mizuki thinks out loud about becoming lovers and Yukawa has to figure out what she thinks about that.

The story here, in this Pixiv comic, is watching two adult woman figuring out what their relationship means to both of them. The creator is in no rush to reach any great dramatic climaxes. As a result, this manga is a slow, relaxed paced relationship, building upon shared time at the office and off-work. Neither Yukawa nor Mizuki are gregarious, but nether is super introverted. There’s little conflict except the moments when they don’t know what to do with their feelings. Inui Ayu’s art lends itself to the emotional struggles, with a focus on faces and inner states over action, as one might expect from a jousei manga. Lots of blushing and tears.

Teiji ni Ageretara is not the most compelling office romance I’ve read, in part because the characters act as if they are 14, not 24. And this is not even unrealistic for characters in their mid-20s who never expected this kind of relationship, I’m just a little less tolerant of existential crisis over calling someone by their first name in October 2019 than I was in previous years.  (That said, I will soon make a hypocrite of myself in an upcoming review, so wait for it… ^_^)

Ratings:

Art – 7 Characters have a tendency to look a little soppy
Story – 7 It’s nice, not amazing
Characters – 7 Same
Service – 0 in this volume
Yuri – 7 We end this volume at the beginning….

Overall – 7

The series is ongoing on Pixiv, so if this kind of slow-burn office romance appeals to you, you can follow Yukawa and Mizuki on Manga Jam on Pixiv and see how they are getting along. ^_^ You can read chapter 1-2, and then ongoing chapters starting with 6. For chapters 3-5, you’ll need to pick up this volume of the manga!





Yuri Manga: Isekai Tensei Yuri Anthology (異世界転生百合アンソロジー)

October 4th, 2019

Never before have I seen a collection with so many vehicular deaths.

Ichijinsha’s Isekai Tensei Yuri Anthology (異世界転生百合アンソロジー) was somewhat disappointing from my perspective. I was hoping for fun (i.e., innovative and original) Yuri stories about being reborn into an alt-universe. Instead I found this anthology clogged with repetitive tropes that take the place of good writing.

When I was reading fantasy novels in the 70s and 80s during the first big boom, Isekai was a pretty common plot. Lots of “people who ended up in the world of their D&D games as their characters,” or something very similar. It was so common that it almost instantly became a parody of itself and, one or two of the riffs ended up being more memorable than the lazy writing it parodied. Ultimately, they all came down to two plots: We Have to Get Back or Life is Better Here, We Want to Stay.

We’re at that point, clearly with Isekai, where we need some folks with the chops to parody the whole thing better than the originals, because this whole anthology was uninspired and uninspiring.

Which brings me to my original comment. I have been reliably informed about “Truck-kun” the standard form of death that catapults a character to some alternate world. I have so many objections to this interpretation of “reincarnation,” I could write an essay. I’ll spare you other than to say: That is not how reincarnation if we are speaking of the re-incarnation of the soul – works, if it indeed works. “Reincarnated as a Slime” and “Evo Girls” are closer to the idea, even if they are both are hyper-sped up. But setting that aside, the fact that almost no creators in this book came up with *any* new idea to get us to that world is just…disappointing.

Once the character find themselves in “another world,” I was yet again reminded of the D&D isekai novels of my youth as every single alt-universe is some variation of a fantasy feudal society. I mentioned this on various platforms online and several people noted that Isekai, as a subgenre, is meant as a kind of rejection of societal norms and adult oppression – a paean to not growing up. To which I replied, “I reject growing up and being oppressed by authority! Let’s escape to a feudal monarchy!” Even as a child I could see that fairytales were only a good place to be if you were the third Prince with two idiot older brothers. They were shitty for everyone else. ^_^;

The very coolest thing about this collection is the cover. There is no story inside that quite hits that same level. There is one story with a cool knight from another world in ours, who is defending a much younger girl, for some reason, but that failed to engage my attention. Many of the stories include animal-eared or demony girls. My general objection is absolutely zero of the stories were about two adults, and combining lolicon and anthropomorphic fetishes do nothing to endear me more to either.  Although some of the stories were just fine on their own, I have no idea what made them Isekai other than a panel that showed someone dead from being hit by a truck.  These could have just been in the non-human x human anthologies I’ve previously reviewed.

Apparently it is too much to ask of a wholly fantasy setting to have something original, about women in that fantasy setting doing something cool.

I was so looking forward to reading this anthology. I cannot truly express how disappointed I am in it.

Ratings:

Overall – 5

It’s an *alternate universe*, you can make up anything as you go – why be so boring?





Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime October 2019 ( コミック百合姫2019年10月号)

October 2nd, 2019

The October issue of Comic Yuri Hime is what I’m starting think of as “steady on.” There are series I like a lot, that sort of sandwich series I don’t much care about, that sandwich stories I don’t like at all, which means I’m reading the beginning and the end of the magazine and just sort of skipping the middle. It’s not 100% every issue, but relatively consistent.

The magazine opens up with a short text story for Yume Utsustu Re:Master, the game that is being promoted in the early pages of recent issues.  This Yuri Visual novel by Konami is about sisters, so is dead to me. Do let me know if you’ve read it and would like to do a review!

“Pochacrime,” Mintarou’s new manga series about indoor climbing, known as bouldering, was not bad. It’ll have to develop a little more before I really decide if I like it or not. My reticence is most because of the art and the viewpoint of the art. If the characters develop to become more than a vehicle for “cute girl eats” and “staring at cute girls’ asses” I’m totally willing to get on board.

A serious crisis comes to a head in Miman’s “Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu!” as Hime finally confronts Mitsuki about what the actual heck is happening here. What she finds is probably not what she expected, but once again, her reaction is better than I expected from her. It’s a sign of good writing that I find myself totally comfortable with changing my opinion of both lead characters.

I’m pretty sure this is not going to break any new ground, but I still like Takshima Eku’s “Sasayaku ni Koi wo Uta.”

I’m pretty sure it is going to break new ground, so I’m always eager to read a new chapter of Takemiya Jin’s “Itoshi Koishi.” Yayoi’s confronting some of her own concerns once again and Hina’s right there to let he know when she’s overstepped.

Ohsawa Yayoi’s “Hello Melancholic” is already pushing Minato very hard. She’s barely had time to realize that she’s got friends before she’s realized that she’s falling in love with one of them. A late night caper of illicit musical practice isn’t helping her feel any more grounded….but it’s kind of obvious that this sort of total disruption of her status quo is what she needs.

Ichijinsha is reprinting Kindaichi Renjurou’s Mermaid Line, (which I reviewed back in 2008) with a new complete edition. This month’s issue reprints the classic-Yuri style story “Yukari to Mayumi,” in which two OLs pretend to be dating, but one of them finds that it makes her question her own feelings.

“Ikemen-sugi Shiki-sempai” takes a shocking turn towards drama as Hana learns something about Shiki-sempai that’s she not supposed to know. (It’s not really shocking, but it’ll be good for a couple of chapters of drama.)

Werewolf / vampire /drug / dark fairy tale “SCARLET” is still chugging along, as Misery (Mizallie, but let’s face it, her name and her fate are “misery”) throws herself into the middle of the story once again.

And “Umineko Bessou,” by Kodama Naoko, is getting a little darker as Ashima’s horrible family life crowds out Mayumi’s personal drama. When Ashima points out the obvious, it break Mayumi’s carefully constructed emotional cocoon.  Yes, Mayumi, it is obvious you like Rin. I’m kind of with Ashima on this, it is a bit of a “duh” moment.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

The stories I don’t like, I don’t like more than ever, but the ones I do, I like more, so it all works out.

The November 2019 issue is available and waiting for me at the store – I’m looking forward to it very much!