I cannot explain to you the feeling of wonder I got, when I picked up Comic Yuri Hime, June 2018 (コミック百合姫2018年6月号), knowing that, for the first time since it has begun publication in 2003, I will read and enjoy more stories than I don’t. That’s rare for me with any magazine. I’ve always maintained that if I really like 2 stories and mostly like a few others, a magazine is worth continuing. To have a magazine with so many enjoyable stories is rare, and for that magazine to be a Yuri magazine is a miracle.

I absolutely adore the nothing that is “Goodbye Dystopia” by Hisona. We know nothing of the characters, nothing of their world. We can guess very little about them, as well. And yet we travel along with them through a ruined, but beautiful, landscape. I could read this for volumes.

I feel bad that I no longer trust Kodama Naoko-sense, but after the extended horror of NTR, the reality is, that I don’t. Nonetheless, “Oya ga Urusai no de Sempai (♀) to Gizoukekkonshitemita.” may be worthy of my trust. A woman who is clearly in love with her roommate and sempai, wants to help her stop the demands for marriage meetups from sempai’s parents. She proposes that they visit sempai’s parents and tell then that they are in a partnership. Yes, the plot is awful and eyerolly and yes, it’s ridiculously clear that the sempai will eventually have to fall for her kouhai, blah blah blah, but I kind of liked the idea that the Shibuya Partnership certificate was presented as a marriage certificate…like it’s meant to be seen as. The parents’ reaction was bad, the story is a comedy and I’ll never trust the author again, so I’m still on the fence. We’ll see.

“Shiori no Sagasu page-tachi” by Kumosususme has had it’s big reveal, thus resolving any confusion or tension in the plot. I have no idea where it might go now.

Still like Shiroshi’s “Roid” and looking forward to more.

This chapter of “2DK, GPen, Mezamashitokei” will clearly be the end of of Volume 7…and what a chapter it was! Aois’ wedding at last. Nanami asks Kaede if she recognizes any of the folks at their table from school, Kaede says she has no idea who the other people are. Nanami glowers, thinking that Aoi has put them at a table of her ex-girlfriends…and gets even darker when she realizes the other women are current girlfriends.(-_-);

I have no fucking clue what or why Prison Town exists or how anyone, (most especially Akari) got there, but I’m still happy to read “Prisontown e Youkoso!” by neji.

Nanatsufuji’s “Kimi ha Shoujo” actually makes me quite uncomfortable. But I’m still reading this story about a passionate affair between a young woman and an older woman in a sheltered town.

And Ameno’s “Takane no Hana ha Usotuski desu” also about a relationship between a a younger woman and an older one is equally as uncomfortable, but for different reasons. And yet, I am still reading.

The bouquet has been tossed and caught in “Yurikkon” by Hisakawa Haru, and Hinako comes home to her lover Mizuki, asking “Why haven’t we thought about getting married?” Mizuki exclaims, “Get married?” and Hinako is forced to rethink their entire relationship. But we can see that Mizuki’s reaction to basically everything is to question it and eventually she and Hinako choose a traditional Shinto service for their own celebration. Watching this are two women, holding the hands of two children, who ask the children if they’d rather see their mothers marry in a western or Japanese ceremony. The torch has been passed.

There were other stories both read and unread in this volume, but I’m going to have to say I am really like the current crop. So many grown up women, some same-sex marriage, some kissing, living together (or as Pearl might say, “a little death and birth thrown in!”).

Ratings:

Overall – I’m going with 9. It was that good. Different feels, styles, tones. I like it.

The July issue is sitting on my to-read pile. I look forward to it!