Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Yuri is My Job, Volume 4 (English)

July 22nd, 2019

Yuri is My Job is unquestionably rooted in Yuri tropes. It is indubitably based around intense emotional relationships between women. There is one one-sided romantic relationship, the acted frisson of relationship between two characters and, in Volume 4, we learn of a past romantic relationship among the Liebe cafe staff. But there is not a romance among the main characters…as of yet. For all I know, there may never be.

So, I ask you, my dear readers: is Yuri is My Job a “Yuri” manga?” ^_^ Think about it, then tell me what you think in the comments. I’m not planning on editorializing about this, I just want to know what you think.

In Yuri is My Job, Volume 4, we delve ever more deeply into Kanako’s inner life, as she is poked and prodded by Sumika, who presents herself as coming from a high moral ground, but may in fact be more self-serving than she appears. We get to see that Nene is the staff member whose relationship Sumika has told Kanako about and it turns out that she may well have gotten that wrong, too. As Nene states so plainly. “I think I at least know how to fall in love with people on my own.”

Finally, the Blüme contest is on. Even after securing her vote, for some reason, Sumika will not leave Kanako alone. Kanako thinks of it as bullying, Sumika thinks of it as concern. And, after order has prevailed, Sumika as “third-year” has won; after all of the drama, the politics, all of Kanako’s desire to see Hime pull off a coup has been left behind, they come to a place where they are able to confide in one another. Kanako – finally – puts a name to her feelings for Hime.

And then the cafe moves on to the next marketing event! For the first time the “students” will be wearing summer uniforms. This brings a whole new crisis…and a whole new solution.

We get a couple of extras, including a fun little Yuriten-themed short Miman-sensei had drawn a “Yuriten Cafe” comic for the event the year I attended and I was all whiny at the staff about it not being real. Uchida-san told me they just couldn’t manage it that year. I hope they consider doing one eventually! I want to go to a Yuri-trope cafe and be made to feel uncomfortable about my interests. ^_^

The second extra follows Nene handling the various teas, and what motivated her to talk to Sumika about their failed sisterly bonds.

Once again, Miman-sensei gives us insight into their process, which I continue to find fascinating.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 5
Service – 4 since one piece of this volume pretty wholly focuses on breasts.

Overall – 8

Yuri is My Job hits all the right notes for all fans of classic “S” Yuri literature, animation and comics. One of my favorite volumes so far. There’s a lot of strong character-building for all of the staff.

So, what do you think of Yuri is my Job? Is it – by your standards – Yuri?





Yuri Manga: Fuzoroi no Renri, Volume １(不揃いの連理)

July 16th, 2019

Tanaka Iori is a 28-year old OL in a stressful and not very satisfying job. Fuzoroi no Renri, Volume １(不揃いの連理) begins with Iori on her way home after a hard day, stopping by a local izakaya for a meal, some drinks and a vent with Minami, the cute girl who works there.

The next day Iori wakes up very naked next to an equally naked Minami and learns that the night before she had been very drunk and had been sick over both their clothes. Mortified, Iori wants to make it up to Minami. She gets her chance when Minami hurts herself. Iori invites the younger woman to stay with her. And the mishap is forgotten as they- much less drunkenly this time – become lovers. Iori’s still got some dealing to do when she learns that’s she’s now going out with a much younger woman. Yes, Minami is an adult, but that doesn’t stop Iori from feeling kind of old.

Minami has tribal tattoos on her arms neck and back and multiple piercings (thus, perhaps for the first time in non-gang ouvre do I see someone who is my type in a manga. ^_^) but is not a juvenile delinquent or gang girl. Iori learns, though, that Minami grew up as a foster kid and her foster sister, Shizuka, and she did get int a lot of trouble. When Shizuka shows up at the door, Minami is very firm that Shizuka should leave Iori the hell alone. But Iori has her own hands full with her younger sister, Saori, who is giving Minami a hard time for having moved in with her older sister. When Shizuka and Saori encounter each other in school, it s match made in somewhere tangential to heaven. ^_^

Iori is a pretty good partner, noticing when Minami gets a new pierce and gets one of her own to understand Minami’s life. Minami is likewise a good partner, cooking for Iori and helping her get ready for work. Coworkers have noticed the change in Iori, too.

The drama in this slice-of-adult-life is relatively gentle, with a few not-gentle punches and kicks from Shizuka and Saori…but once they have each other to abuse verbally, that settles down. ^_^;

I really enjoyed this book, enough that I finished it and started again to see what I had missed anything the first time around. I generally like Mikanuji-sensei’s art, even if it is a tad moe for me. The scenario of a mis-matched pair who completely work for and with each other appealed and it was especially nice to see tattoos and piercings not evidence of criminal class existence, just as body art.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 3 Some light nudity, nothing salacious
Yuri – 10

Overall – 9

The initial drunknness aside, both Iori and Minami are hardworking, decent people that I quite like…and would very much like to continue to read about.





Yuri Manga: Tsukiatte Agetemo Iikana, Volume 2 ( 付き合ってあげてもいいかな)

July 11th, 2019

Miwa met and started dating band member Saeko in Volume 1, and spent the volume not sure how she wanted their physical relationship to go.

In Tsukiatte Agetemo Iikana, Volume 2  ( 付き合ってあげてもいいかな), Tamifull’s webcomic, Miwa and Saeko have resolved that issue and are now navigating how much, if anything, to tell the people around them – an issue that becomes increasingly important as the volume goes on.

Saeko isn’t hiding their relationship, but Miwa is visibly less comfortable with it being public knowledge. And  the guys in the band keep hitting on her, and then wondering about her and Saeko out loud. Both Saeko and Miwa are sharing confidences with the women in the group, but because Miwa isn’t comfortable with being out and open, the two of them are closeted in the open – as so many people often are.

The story is surprisingly tense a lot of the time, as Miwa is constantly put into positions she really just has no idea how to manage. She’s smart enough to realize that her own reticence is at the center of her problems, but it isn’t solving them.  In the meantime, this volume also delves into the inner life of Chie, a group member who really doesn’t get what people are going on about when they obsess about love and sex. One hopes that she’ll be developed a bit more in the future. (If you want to read her story, check out Chapter 14 of the webcomic, up now on Yawara Spirit. In Japanese, of course)

The band heads out for a overnight training camp – Miwa and Saeko are having serious communication and time problems. Saeko is the first to snap, asking Miwa if it is over. Miwa’s shocked to find that they’ve both been suffering from the same doubt. They reconcile. Now that the two of them know who and what they are and what they wan, it’ll be interesting to see where Volume 3 takes us when we get there.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – Still kind of sweet, but occasionally still hits a sour note. Let’s call it a 6
Characters – 6 This volume the band members are kind of annoying, especially the guys being clueless and intrusive.
Yuri – 9 / LGBTQ – 6
Service – 3

Overall – 8 Characterization is still inconsistent, but I’m sticking with it so far.

I’m still hoping for another bump up on the LGBTQ score in the future. It has an extra point this volume, for a potentially asexual character.





Yuri Manga: Yurikon, Volume 2 (ゆりこん)

July 9th, 2019

In 2019 we have Yuri in the schools, Yuri in the office, Yuri slice-of-life, Yuri scifi, Yuri sports, and plenty of Yuri weddings.

Yurikon, Volume 2 (ゆりこん) picks up the thread laid down in Volume 1, in which two women get married and their story leads to the next couple and the next. As this volume opens, two of the marriages from Volume 1 are are having some communication and sex problems, but it’s all sorted out with talking, alcohol and photos that absolutely could be used for blackmail, if anyone was so inclined.

Two girls whose mothers are married are themselves in love. A young woman has to face rejection from the sempai she loves, and sempai heads off after graduation to marry her love. Despondent, Megumi is taken aback when the woman at the crepe truck confesses to her. But Rita is sincere and adorable and Megumi is swayed.

The next chapter is an old throwback to doujinshi past, as a recalcitrant child gets in the way of two women, but turns out to be their furbaby, rather than a human one. ^_^;

And, finally, a wrapup chapter that brings all the couples back into one story, as they various go out shopping, on dates, eating and running into old friends out on the town.

 

Ratings:

Art – 7 Cute and cuddly, in the oeuvre of Morishima Akiko.
Story – 7 V1 was Dum Dum lollipops, V2 is more like Jolly Ranchers. Super sweet, but there is some unique  flavor
Characters – 8 Precious, ever last one of them.
Service – Still obsessing about weddings and drawing different wedding dresses and a bit of wacky
Yuri – 10

Overall – 9  All the happily ever afters have happily ever afters. ^_^

It’s all an adorable and lively romp through Yuri romance without social or political identity. No one is struggling to be recognized by the government, or being harassed at work. Not a single heckle in these squeaky clean and cute stories of Yuri love.





Yuri Manga: Yuri is My Job, Volume 3 (English)

July 8th, 2019

In Volume 1 and Volume 2, we met and learne about Hime’s inner life – or lack thereof – and, Kanako, Hime’s best/only friend who believes in Hime’s goal of marrying rich and living a comfortable life. But why would such a shy and retiring girl like Kanako even be friends with someone so shamelessly extroverted as Hime?

As we get into Volume 3 of Yuri is My Job! by Miman, it’s Kanako all the way down. How she met and became friends with Hime, and why she feels such intense loyalty to someone who, by her own admission, lies constantly, it’s all explained…to some extent. The rest of the story is Kanako’s own obsessive tendencies…tendencies that really worry Sumika.

As the senior member of the cafe staff, Sumika takes it upon herself to prioritize the harmony of the cafe over any one person’s needs. We get a tantalizing glimpse of her past and a situation involving employees in a romantic relationship and the fallout of that situation.

But for Kanako, she has a number of hurdles to jump. For one thing, her monomania means that she won’t speak directly to anyone else on the staff other than Hime, a situation that becomes that much more difficult when jobs have to be redistributed as a result of the chef calling in.

And then there’s the “Blüme” contest. Hime is shooting for the position, despite being told how inappropriate her desire is. Worse, in Sumika’s opinion, Kanako is going to support her. The politics of the situation are surprisingly complicated and everything is in turmoil. Sumika worries about the cafe and the customers, while Hime has to be reigned in and Kanako is forced to address her obsession.

Once again the author’s notes are excellent, really explaining the process and limitations of scripting an ongoing series.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 4
Service – 2

Overall – 8

Yuri is My Job! is a rich and thoughtful drama and a ridiculous comedy of manners rooted deeply in 20th century Yuri tropes.