One of the greatest pleasures I have as a Yuri manga fan is seeing the development and growth of an artist I like. In 2015, I had the chance to introduce you to Ratana Satis, a talented Thai artist, who had put together Lily Love, a story of two college students who fall in love. Earlier this year, I was able to review the English translation of the story. As with Godley Malabanan’s Tagalog Yuri comic World Canvas, my only criticism was in the typicality of it. Lily Love is a classic “Story A” without much to differentiate it from the many others of it’s sort.

Still, I loved Ratis’ art and her characters, I was thrilled to be able to pre-order her newest series, Pulse. Volume 1, which arrived as a gorgeous hardcover volume that is now sold out. I hope that it will be re-released as a softcover, but it can be read online for now.

The hardcover is large, like a bande dessinée, with a color cover wrap, and a one-color image on the book itself. The pages are full-color, each with two strips down the page lengthwise, as one reads online. The pre-order came with a color postcard of the leads, a pin and the book includes a color fold-out poster.  It pretty much pulls out all the stops. ^_^

Pulse is, in short, the story of a heart surgeon  who has no heart. Mel is a successful heart surgeon and a playgirl. She has her pick of the nurses and other lovers, but has no interest in a relationship. When she meets Lynn, a college student who needs a heart transplant but will not get one, Mel feels an unsual, for her, sense of attraction.

Lynn recognizes Mel’s interest but also can see that Mel herself is isolated from others – by choice, but still.., so she comes up with a ridiculous idea. If Lynn can make Mel fall in love with her, she’ll get the surgery, and only if Mel will do the surgery. Well, Mel refuses to commit to the last bit, but takes Lynn’s bet. As the volume comes to a close Lynn has moved in with Mel, in order to better push her case.

There’s a lot to like in this story. Mel is kind of cold, but not a jerk. That is to say, she’s not unkind, or rude, she’s simply uninterested in other people. The sex is nice and always consensual. In fact, that’s one of Mel’s two additions to Lynn’s contract. Sex, should it happen, will be consensual and Mel is not changing her life at all for Lynn’s benefit. Seemed perfectly reasonable to me.

The attraction between them is instant and by forcing them and us to give it time, we can enjoy the tension instead of rushing them to a conclusion. 

The fact that both Lynn and Mel are adults appeals to me, just as Donut and Pew were, but with the added layer of an adult not in school. This is something we really have to grasp, in a scene where Mel and Lynn are present when a car accident occurs and Mel jumps into caring for the victims. 

The last thing that really made the story stand out was that men exist in this world, as relatives and colleagues. It’s not one of the all-women-all-the-time worlds. This world is the world.

Once again, I have nothing but praise for Satis’ art. Mel is sexy and adult and competent and a little aloof, and Lynn is cute and we want her to win so she’ll get a new heart. 

I also want to shout out to the Three Musqueerteers translators, who continue to put out excellent work.

Ratings:

Art – 10
Story – 9
Character – 8
Yuri – 10
Service – 6

Overall – 9

Pulse is an excellent story, and a beautiful book, and I look forward to reading more.

In Volume 1 of Katakura Ako’s Last Waltz, we met Shinobu, a “fixer” of a sort, for her high school’s Student Council President. She’s good at hand-to-hand fighting and, apparently, excellent in bed, leaving a trail of broken hearts and jealous lovers.

Volume 2 of Last Waltz (ラストワルツ ) brings two of her lovers, Yukari, a teacher, and Maria, a pop idol, into direct competition for her attention. Unfortunately for them, Shinobu declines to pick sides. In time honored fashion, they bond over Shinobu’s foibles.

More concerning, is someone is recruiting the girls from the school to a underworld life through a cafe waitress job. Shinobu racks up another conquest as she takes down the corrupt cafe owner.

And, finally, she learns the identity of the photographer who has been plaguing her. She’s captured by him, but manages (tied up as she is) to take him down and grab his camera. Will this stop the harassment? We’ll have to tune in to find out! 

As I was reading this volume I had a sudden thought. If Shinobu was a male character, I probably wouldn’t give this series the time of day – but, even as ridiculous as it is, I don’t hate it. Shinobu herself has little personality, so you get to create the Shinobu you want as the story plods along. In my mind, Shinobu is a cold, calculating mercenary, with a mild lust for the President. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 5
Characters – 5
Yuri – 8
Service – 8

Overall – 5

It makes amusing before-bed reading, so I’ll probably go ahead and get Volume 3 when it comes out. ^_^ Shinobu sleeps with a lot of girls, that’s the best recommendation I can make for this book.

Ichijinsha is doing some interesting things these days. In an attempt to discover new (presumably cheaper) Yuri talent, the editors of Comic Yuri Hime have been looking at Pixiv, as well as doujinshi,  as a farm league for manga artists.  Mimoto is one of those artists.  And today we’re going to look at her manga, Yuta-san ha Mamanaranai! (ゆたさんはままならない!).

We meet Reki, a disaffected young lady, who is going through the motions of life and school with no particular joy and the changes in her life as her classmate Yuta-san just sort of worms her way in.

Usually, when we encounter a “my pace” character they tend to be a little loopy, kind of lazy and kind of hyper, like Yui in K-On!. But in this case, the “my pace” character is actually the grounded one, and the foil is the one who tends towards overreaction and hyperbole.

The Yuri is implication and goofy situation comedy, but by the end of the story, when Reki is looking at Yuta-san and finally sees her for the lovely, kind young woman she is, you can easily imagine that there’ll be more.

The final chapters are a short about a relationship built on lies and sexual coercion, which contrasted unpleasantly with the rest of the content.

Ratings:

Art – 6 Mostly simplistic, but when she ramps it up, it has an immediate effect
Story – 8 for the main story, 4 for the extra
Characters – Same as above
Yuri – 5 for “Yuta-san”, 7 for “Usotsuki”
Service – 2 for “Yuta-san”, 8 for “Usotsuki”

Overall – 7 for the main story, 4 for the extra

The main story is a kind of sweet little tale about a girl pulling a cynical and world-weary classmate out of her self-imposed shell. It’s a manga I had no expectations for and ended up enjoying immensely. For which I am extremely grateful.

Let me wrap this up today with my annual Thanksgiving note. It’s harder for me this year than this has been in 14 years – I’ve rewritten this paragraph 6 times. But I can and will say this, I am exceedingly grateful to every one of my Okazu readers and commenters, Guest Posters, Heroes and Superheroes. You are the greatest community any writer could ever ask for and not a day goes by that I am not sincerely, deeply thankful for you all.

Thank you – all of you – for being part of the Okazu family!