Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Azuma-san to Itakura-san ha Koi wo Suru. (εΎε¦»γ•γ‚“γ¨ζΏε€‰ε…ˆθΌ©γ―ζ‹γ‚’γ™γ‚‹γ€‚)

August 23rd, 2017

Being the manager of the Chorus club is a lot of work. Itakura-san is in charge of new members, keeping the chorus together during practice and keeping the energy high as they get close to competition time. In Azuma-san to Itakura-san ha Koi wo Suru. (εΎε¦»γ•γ‚“γ¨ζΏε€‰ε…ˆθΌ©γ―ζ‹γ‚’γ™γ‚‹γ€‚), what Itakura-sa has no time for is Azuma-san, who wants to join the club late in the game, with really mediocre singing. She just doesn’t have time for this! So, then, why can’t she get the underclassman out of her mind?

Itakura-san reluctantly allows Azuma-san to join the chorus and, after a little tutoring, gets the young woman to fit in seamlessly. And only then is Itakura-san able to see just why Azuma-san is on her mind all the time. Luckily for her, Azuma-san feels the same way. It’s  a nice little Yuri story.

Unlike the previous story, “Yuujyou Shiraben” is not a nice story. When Aizawa Yuuka’s class gets a transfer student with the same exact name, Yuuka thinks it’s pretty funny. Aizawa Yuuka and Aizawa Yuuka become friends, naturally. But Yuuka sees the other Yuuka beating her academically, and in sports and even taking her friends, and starts to fantasize about killing the girl with the same name. In fact, she’s pretty sure she actually did kill her, but there she is, day after day. And day after day, there’s the other Aizawa Yuuka, still thinking they are friends. It all comes to a crisis when Yuuka realizes her jealousy about Yuuka is because she’s in love with her. Oh, okay, that makes perfect sense. Not. We’ve all had serial fantasies about killing the people we love. Not.

So as cute as the first story is, the second story is pretty much the opposite. ^_^ Whether this collection is worth reading will be entirely a personal decision on your part. I think Itakura and Azuma, whose story is more than half the book, were worth spending at least a little time on.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7 for “Itakura,” 5 for “Yuujyou”
Characters – 8 for “Itakura,” 5 for “Yuujyou”
Service – 1 on principle for “Itakura,” 3 for the violence in “Yuujyou”
Yuri – 5 “Itakura,” 2 for “Yuujyou”

Overall – 6





Discovering New Yuri 2017 Presentation

August 21st, 2017

At Yurithon 2017 I did a presentation called Must-Read/Must-Watch Yuri.  At Flamecon 2017, the same presentation was presented as Discovering The Best New Yuri Anime and Manga.

I promised to put the entire presentation up here, so folks could draw on the links, rather than taking photos of the screen. Not that I didn’t want them to do that, but this is SO much easier, I hope! For reasons, the videos were making it impossible to upload as a Powerpoint (and not everyone has that, so I’ve taken out the videos and converted the presentation to PDF. The links should work for you. Only the Utena Blu-Ray and Citrus anime have no links, as they currently have no ETA. 

 

 

 





Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime September 2017 (γ‚³γƒŸγƒƒγ‚―η™Ύεˆε§«2017εΉ΄9月号)

August 18th, 2017

While the management of Comic Yuri Hime focuses on their blitz of creepy Yuri anime this summer, the rest of the reading audience might be expected to just suck it up in front of the promotional wave.

Oddly, this does not happen. Of course there is a focus on series I’m not interested in covering here, but once we move past those, there’s actually some really good stuff in Comic Yuri Hime September 2017 (γ‚³γƒŸγƒƒγ‚―η™Ύεˆε§«2017εΉ΄9月号).

“Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto desu!” by miman has gone somewhere unexpected and typical, but what it will do there and why are still unpredictable enough that I’m still reading. 

Tokuwotsumu’s “Tsume no iro” was pleasant, as as Hisona’s “Ha no Hanabatake to Hakashirube.”

In Ohsawa Yayoi’s “2DK, GPen Mezamashitokei” Nanami’s confession has thrown everyone – Nanami, Kaede and Koyuki – into a tizzy. Koyuki tells Nanami that’s she’s confessed to Kaede which officially puts this series into love triangle mode.

As usual there are any number of other entries, both ongoing and one-shots that are worth reading. Overall I felt like, yes, this issue still has a metric ton of schoolgirls, but the stories themselves felt a little more varied. I am a bit concerned about the shift into gimmick (schoolgirls with animal ears or who are game prodigies or are half-human) but I still found this issue to be readable.

Ratings:

Overall – 8  

For “2DK, GPen Mezamashitokei,” alone, this issue would have been good.

 





Yuri Manga: Eclair blanche – Anata ni Hibiku Yuri Anthology (エクレを blanche あγͺγŸγ«ιŸΏγη™Ύεˆγ‚’γƒ³γ‚½γƒ­γ‚ΈγƒΌ)

July 31st, 2017

In April 2017, I reviewed a new Yuri anthology,  Eclair  β€“ Anata ni Hibiku Yuri Anthology. It was, apparently, successful enough that a sequel was almost immediately planned, and so, today, I’m taking a look at Eclair blanche – Anata ni Hibiku Yuri Anthology (エクレを blanche あγͺγŸγ«ιŸΏγη™Ύεˆγ‚’γƒ³γ‚½γƒ­γ‚ΈγƒΌ).

There are many names in this anthology that will be familiar to Okazu readers, Amano Shuninta, Nakatani Nio, Kitao Taki, Canno and Hirao Auri among them.

Like all anthologies, your mileage may vary, as the authors play to their interests  and strengths, with still fairly heavy reliance on schoolgirl stories. This isn’t just a fetish, you understand, it’s a comfortable place to play, as no commitment, no social commentary and above all, no political position need be taken to present a heartfelt, sincere Yuri story. 

Of this anthology, the standout piece for me was Canno-sensei’s story which follows a fairly jaded lesbian, who finds a real connection with the girl next door. I also liked Kitao Taki-sensei’s story that takes the tired trope of a childhood promise and examines it in an adult light.

All in all, a collection of strong voices and variable art styles makes for a great place to pick and choose from a buffet of Yuri. You’re likely to find a piece or three that suit your tastes. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 7

While this collection is not available on the US Kindle, you can get it digitally on Bookwalker Global, which has the advantage of being both region and device agnostic. Both Eclair and Eclair blanche are available.

 





Revolutionary Girl Utena 20th Anniversary Manga in Flowers Magazine

July 28th, 2017

Back in May, we reported that Flowers Magazine would be running a Revolutionary Girl Utena chapter. Well, in honor of the 20th anniversary of this series, manga artist Saitou Chiho will be releasing a 60-page new, original chapter in the September issue of Flowers. The 20th Anniversary Facebook group has released a number of images from the magazine.

We know that this chapter is called “After the Revolution” (okay, yes, I squeed at that) and that there will be at least another chapter released this winter.

Thanks to YNN Correspondent Shannon L for sending along the news link and for reminding me to order the magazine! (I missed getting the first issue of the new Card Captor Sakura. boo….) You can order the magazine in print from Amazon JP (or other reputable JP vendor) or order it with a Japanese bookstore chain like Kinokuniya or Sanseido if you are in or near a city. Undoubtedly, if there are any extras, you may be able to get them on Amazon through a buyer, but it looks like Shogakukan is not a publisher that is embracing digital, yet. I’ll follow up with links and check back with you if it becomes available digitally.

You may remember I’ve commented that Saitou-sensei’s work has really hit extraordinary heights in her series, Torikaebaya. I cannot *wait* to see Utena and Anthy rendered with confident maturity. This cover is already pretty damn good. And they’ve also released this:

As soon as I get a copy, I’ll be sure to tell you how it is! (Oh please, oh please oh please be good….!)