Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: SHIBUYA Gal Yuri Anthology (SHIBUYA ギャル百合アンソロジー)

July 4th, 2019

The “gal” is, in her own way, as stock a character in anime and manga, as the ninja. With her hair artfully asymmetrically arranged, her cell phones and nails intricately decorated, and her school uniform sweater tied around her the waist of her shortened skirt, we are accustomed to seeing the “gal” in a dismissive light, shone on teen girl culture by disapproving adults who nevertheless sexualize those same young women, even as they scold them for being young and carefree. The gal is Generation X’s “those kids are/do/too much…..”  You know, like…adolescent girls in every age. Creepy old dudes who creep, creepy old ladies who complain, when all the girls want to do is shop and eat, do karaoke and be left in peace.

So it was with some actual hesitation that I picked up SHIBUYA Gal Yuri Anthology (SHIBUYA ギャル百合アンソロジー), from Yuri Hime Comics. Named after the part of Tokyo which gals are mythically said to inhabit, was it gonna be filled with creepy hypersexualization or moldy morality plays about leaving that life? Thankfully, it was neither. With few exceptions, the stories in this collection are commitment free and fun and wholly lacking any kind of creepiness. I say with exception, because yes, there are a couple that are, by my standards, a bit creepy. YMMV.

I find I kind of like the one’s best where a gal has a normie alter ego, and then transforms into a hyper-fashionable gal at the behest of another girl. Which puts the first story of the collection right in my wheelhouse. Yoromo’s “Reverse Line” follows a gal’s encounter with a former Youtube Gal star at a makeup counter, which motivates the retired gal to resurrect her persona. It was very cute.

No surprise at all I liked the two older gals who live together and the story in which a gal changes a young woman’s life by visiting the izakaya she works at. I’m always going to be a sucker for food and romance between people who click. The final story, which follows a nice girl who falls for the gal at her school was surprisingly touching, as well.

Ratings:

Everything is variable as it is an anthology

Overall – 7

SHIBUYA is a pleasant, not-particularly-significant anthology exploring love between girls that includes gals.

 





Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime July 2019 (コミック百合姫2019年7月号)

July 2nd, 2019

Comic Yuri Hime July 2019 (コミック百合姫2019年7月号) was a little bittersweet for me. It marked the end of a series I hoped would never end, hisona’s “Goodbye Dystopia.” But aside from that there was so much that was else going on, that I didn’t have all that much time to be sad. ^_^

Kodama Naoko’s “Umineko Besso” took a different direction as we get to understand the story of Ayashima, and why she’s taking Mayumi’s intrusion on their happy household so personally.

“Tonari no Rakuen” by Kiriyama Haruka is a cute little adult life story about a working woman who needs a break and the partner who makes sure she gets it.

At last, we’re starting to get the backstory on Yano in “Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu!” by Miman. She is not sure that she can trust Hime…and not sure its worth it, but she’s sympathetic to Sumika’s request to fake it beautifully for the sake of the cafe.

It’s school festival time in “Hayama-sensei to Terano-sensei ha Tsukiatte iru” and Terano and Hayama could not be cuter if they tried. Until next month, when they will be even cuter. ^_^ Speaking of cute, Takashima Eku’s “Sasayakuyouni Koi no Utau” remains an adorable young love scenario. I’d add Yuama’s “Ikemensugi Sugi-sempai” to this list, as well. And “Itoshi Koishi” by Takemiya Jin.  All of these series have something that Yuri occasionally lacks – characters who really enjoy each other’s company. And now that I have said that out loud, as it were, I realize that that one thing is totally my boom in a romance. I really like it when characters like each other’s company. ^_^

“Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts” is turning out to be a surprisingly touching, as an office worker begins to question the assumptions she’s made about adult life.

“Scarlet” and “Kimi ga Shine Made Koi Shitai” scratch the horror itch, in completely different ways.

The end of the magazine includes a new JP publisher’s initiative to avoid piracy and the advert for Ohsawa Yayoi’s upcoming new series, about which I will have thoughts shortly. ^_^

Once again, this was a solid issue full of things I read and did not read and liked and did not like. The Yuri gods are in their heaven and all is right with the world.

Ratings:

Overall – 9 if I remember to not read – or even look at – several of the creepy moe series, 6 if I don’t

The August issue is already available and I’m already halfway through it. I love that there’s so much Yuri, but ahhh! I can’t keep up!

 

 





Yuri Anthology: Whenever Our Eyes Meet… (English)

June 28th, 2019

A little over a year ago I had the pleasure of reviewing Anoko to Me ga Autabi Watashi ha Shakaiin Yuri Anthology (あの娘と目が合うたび私は 社会人百合アンソロジー). Today I have the even greater pleasure of reviewing the translated edition, Whenever Our Eyes Meet…!

The place of anthologies in the west are still pretty shaky. People are sometimes confused by the idea of a scene, or a concept being the point, rather than a fully developed story. Japanese anthologized stories are so often just a scenario or setup to something that we are then supposed to imagine the rest of, rather than a complete story. But for a glimpse of the variety in jousei Yuri manga being created in Japan, this is a great collection. My favorites remain the same as in the JP edition. Quoting myself:

The volume starts off really strongly with a lovely cover image and opening story by Harukawa You. In the opening story, a graphic designer is hired to do a CD cover design for an indie singer whose schtick is wearing a horse head. What is hidden underneath the mask is a really lovely young lady who admires her work.

I really enjoyed irua’s “Everyone’s Missing Out” in which a unloved boss turns out to have a secret supporter among the employees. I still enjoy this one, especially as the boss is middle aged.

Seta Seta’s “Stopped Meter” was a ridiculous story I liked about a female cab driver finding herself driving someone she knew a long time ago in another job.

And Yuki Yukiko’s ”Hand-delivered Love Letter,” about a woman who works at a shipping company and her charming and beautiful customer, was a terrific end story for the book.

Yen did another lovely job, and Leighann Harvey’s translation was seamless, but for one complaint which is not her fault. I will stick to my guns and say that Yen translating “Yuri” in the title is pointless. Yuri is a genre term and does not need translation. You don’t have to translate the word “daikon” in a recipe, either. It’s called a daikon. Yen’s refusal to acknowledge that we’ve worked long and hard to get that term recognized is a pain point for me and exactly why I do not tend to count Yen as “allies” in the manga industry. Queer folks and our allies understand how hard we fight for our words and how much it takes to have them recognized. Yen’s management does not and will not recognize this because this is not their fight and they don’t “get” why it’s important. Nice people, who do a great job, but not necessarily on our side.

Ratings remain the same as for the JP edition:

Art – Variable but generally good
Story – Surprising variety, considering
Characters – Generally likable
Service – Not really
Yuri – Yes

Overall – A solid read, let’s give it an 8

Realistically, I’m no more interested in falling in love with a coworker than a classmate, but at least they are all adults. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Liberty, Volume 1 (リバティ)

June 27th, 2019

Liberty, Volume 1 (リバティ) follows Honjou Maki, a boyish young woman who works for a small game company and is happy enough with her life, although the constant talk about who is seeing whom and who she might be or not be interested in is tiresome. Maki’s boyish , but still resents the fact that the other women just presume she’s not interested in men. She’s on her way home when a woman runs out into the street in front of Maki’s car. It wasn’t a suicide attempt, though…the woman was just trying to save a kitten from being run over. The women is flirty and flighty and before Maki drops her off, the woman asks Maki if she likes women. Maki isn’t able to answer, but the woman, also recognizing her specific boyishness calls her “Walking Coming Out” and writes down a phone number on Maki’s hands before she get out of the car.

Maki calls the number and learns that it’s for a musical performance venue. After work she goes over the location where the line is very long to get in. She learns its for the band Liberty and that the woman she met is its lead singer… and, that she is expected, although her new nickname is now “Aruku Coming Out” and she is a walking advertisement for her own sexuality now, whether she likes it or not. The singer takes her aside after the show and aggressively kisses Maki, making it very plain that she is interested in the other woman.

The next day Maki meets the new band that’s been signed on to do the music for the game her company is working on– the band is Liberty and their lead singer is Liz. Maki is clearly genuinely interested in and attracted to Liz, but Liz’s reactions are not…within normal parameters. When Maki gives her a pair of earrings a present, Liz yells at Maki to get out. We and Maki eventually learn why, but by the end of Volume 1 Liz is still mostly an enigma to both us and Maki. And her reactions are still over-the-top in any situation.

This manga is a collaboration between voice actress Kitta Izumi (Cordelia from the Milky Homes franchise)and Yuri manga artist Momono Moto, whose work I have followed for years. This story really plays to Momono-sensei’s strong points, too, with strong emotions and reactions and Liz’s light-gothic fashion look, which contrasts nicelyto Maki’s downplayed business casual. I’ve liked this story since it debut in Galette in 2017 and have been eagerly awaiting a collected volume. I noticed immediately that when Kitta-san announced this on Twitter, it was not published by Galette Works, instead it is a Kadokawa book. Good for them for getting the investment. (It’s not too hard to see Kadkoawa’s angle – voice actress from a Kadokawa series, veteran Yuri artist and their current investment in Yuri as a growth market. It all adds up.)

The book includes a short interview with both creators that is surprisingly cute and energetic.

As an adult life story with both a cute mostly-closeted boyish character and a beautiful melodramatic feminine character, Liberty makes for great Yuri soap opera.

Ratings:

Art  – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 7 Yes, in an adult female-focused way. Maki’s seduction is not explicitly consensual but meant to be understood as mutual.
Yuri – 10 with a light flavor of LGBTQ

Overall – 9

I really like this story and am pleased that Maki and Liz are going to get a chance to develop as characters and as a couple.





Yuri Manga: Hero-san to Moto Onna Kanbu-san, Volume 1 (ヒーローさんと元女幹部さん)

June 25th, 2019

Rapid Rabbit is the super-hero line of defense between humanity and demise at the hands of the Antinoid army. In battle with the baddies and their fearsome mid-level boss Honey Trap, the two women are revealed to one another…and Honey falls hard for Rabbit’s true identity, Hayate.

Honey gets canned for her failure and ends up at Hayate’s door, where she learns that Hayate is…a really nice person. Honey’s a goner and she and Hayate team up.  Amusingly, Hayate’s dayjob is as a costumed superhero show performer, and while Honey loves to watch her, when they are genuinely attacked she’s gone so far over to the side of good that she transforms and fights against her former co-worker, Kyouka Suigetsu (which appears to be a martial technique in Bleach and Naruto and Nurarihyon no Mago, … and which explains her costume and suits the shounen manga sentai-type series background noise tone of the story.)

Hero-san to Moto Onna Kanbu-san, Volume 1 (ヒーローさんと元女幹部さん) is a light-hearted romp in the tropes of Japanese costumed superhero television shows. It requires little knowledge or commitment but is a lot of fun.  Somechime’s art is totally up to the task, and the collected volume has a number of costume and Antinoid design charts. The whole thing was a terrific antidote to yesterday’s high drama and just the kind of thing I think Pixiv is especially good for – a testing ground for off-brand stories. 

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8 I mean, 5 but…it’s cute
Characters – 8
Service – 4 A bit in the costume designs and a regrettable “joke” about Hayate’s underwear. Ha. (-_-)
Yuri – 3 Nothing much actually happens outside Honey’s head

Overall – 8

Sometimes, like Honey,  we all just need a attractive, athletic, female hero to sweep our evil plans away. ^_^