Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Pulse, Volumes 5-7

June 23rd, 2024

by Eleanor Walker, Staff Writer.

Content warning: Volume 6 contains scenes of sexual assault.

A blonde with long hair in an orange dress and a long dark-haired woman wearing a beige top embrace happily.

Remember when I said back in my review of the first two volumes “does this hospital not have an ethics board?” Never did I predict this statement would come back to bite the way in the way that it has.  The hospital director, who we met at the end of volume 4 is cunning, ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what she wants, which is Mel. They have history together (they are ex girlfriends), and thanks to something Mel did which is never explicitly discussed, although it is covered in flashbacks, she cannot use her hands properly and had to give up being a surgeon. She is quite clearly a sociopath who only sees people as tools to be used and thrown away once she’s finished with them.

Back to Lynn and Mel. At the end of volume 1, they made a bet “If I can get you to fall in love with me within 2 years, will you be the one to operate on me?” It’s now time to call that bet in, or is it? Volume 5 sees Lynn’s condition getting worse, she’s back in the hospital and been moved to the top of the transplant list. But the director steps in, and the donor heart is sent elsewhere. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Lynn has to have another operation to place a device in her heart to squeeze out some more time while waiting for the transplant, and the director bursts into the operating theatre mid surgery and orders Mel to leave the room immediately.

 

A blonde and a dark-haired woman share an intimate moment, as the blonde takes the other woman's glasses off, as she sits on the floor next to a bed.

Because of the situation Mel finds herself in, in volume 6, Lynn overhears some of the other staff talking, concludes that this is all her fault and it would be best to break up with Mel so she doesn’t lose her career. It’s the least convincing breakup ever, but I’m pleased to report that they eventually find their way back to each other via all your favourite cliches, including a reunion at the airport, as is obvious from the frankly adorable cover of Volume 7.

Lynn finally gets a new heart, the director gets her long awaited and well deserved comeuppance, and they all live happily ever after. How far we’ve come from the stone cold woman who doesn’t believe in love, and the journey has absolutely been worth it. I’ll certainly be reading again from the beginning, and at 7 volumes the story is a nice length without dragging itself out too much.

 

 

 

A blonde in a wedding dress and a dark-haired woman in a wedding suit smile at one another happily.

Lynn and Mel continue to be the main attraction of the series, and although you do want to tell them to just talk to each other sometimes, we wouldn’t have a story otherwise. Olivia also deserves a lot of credit for being brave enough to stand up for what she thinks is right.

The art is as attractive as ever, and the erotic scenes are well crafted without leaving much to the imagination. Seven Seas have once again done a lovely job of designing the covers, and the interior printing is of good quality with clean lines.

Hot off the press, Thailand is expected to legalise same sex marriage by the end of the year.

 

Ratings:

Art: 8. As charming as it’s ever been.

Story: 8. Enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and even thinking the unthinkable. The side story with Mel and Crystal at school is also very fun.

Service: 10. Graphic depictions of sex with very little left to the imagination, as always. Also, Mel in a suit.

Characters: 9. Olivia, thank you for doing the right thing.

Yuri: 9.

Overall: 9. As I said for the first two volumes, if you’re looking for something with adult characters and a decent bit of spice which isn’t just porn, you could do a lot worse than Pulse. These later volumes up the drama but if spice is your main thing, you won’t be disappointed.





Cocoon Entwined, Volume 5

June 20th, 2024

On a black background a girl in a black, old-fashioned school uniform runs off the cover, her long hair flowing across the cover behind her.Guest Review by Patricia Baxter.

If there is one word you could use to describe the penultimate volume of Yuriko Hara’s Cocoon Entwined it would be “change”.  While it is clear that these changes have been gradually building up since the series’ inciting incident of the elusive and mysterious Hoshimiya-san cutting her hair and leaving the school, Cocoon Entwined, Volume 5 showcases how the rest of the cast is now changing, or refusing to change, in response to how they’ve grown or stagnated.The volume begins with an interlude from Takagi-sensei, a teacher who has been present in the series since its first volume, and yet not given much of a role outside of providing exposition on Hoshimiya Girls’ Academy’s history.  We learn about her personal history as a student, watching her two onee-samas’ love flourish and abruptly end once the eldest of the pair graduates.  In the present, Takagi receives a letter from this eldest onee-sama: a wedding invitation revealing that she is engaged to a man.  Takagi’s story reinforces the classic formula of Class S narratives, where the love between two girls is merely “play-acting” love, a “practice” for adulthood where one enters “proper” heterosexual relationships, just as Takagi’s eldest onee-sama eventually does.  These stories are of bittersweet, ephemeral love, that cannot continue outside of the school walls.

Thankfully, Youko enters and disrupts this melancholic narrative, prompting Takagi-sensei to take up the pen, literally and metaphorically, to help re-write the story and end the cycle.  Chapter 30 highlights that while Class S narratives are an important baseline for many contemporary sapphic narratives, yuri or otherwise, they cannot continue as they have in the past.  As the world continues to grow and change, we need to be willing to foster a narrative environment where sapphic girls and women can find happiness together, rather than “grow up” and fall into society’s expectations of heteronormativity.

On the flip side, Ayane’s story shows the negative implications of change, specifically when it is done not out of personal desire, but to fill and fulfill a role for the sake of tradition.  Ayane’s obsession with Hoshimiya-san causes her to latch onto the void she left behind, wishing to shape herself into the “princess” of the Academy, and make Hana her prince.  Ayane’s current arc in the story shows just how damaging holding onto certain legacies can be, as she forces Hana, Hoshimiya, and herself to participate in a cycle that is causing them all grief.

In terms of visuals, Yuriko Hara continues to be one of the most gorgeous and striking comic artists I have ever read, not just in terms of her use of light and shadow, but her dynamic panelling and visual metaphors.  This volume in particular showcases Hara’s prowess in creating some truly haunting visuals, my favourite of which being the two-page spread of the seniors covered in veils before the Christmas party.  This feeling of dread permeates the entire book, even when the scenes are brightly lit, but thankfully the spark of hope, and change, remains true.

Volume 5 of Cocoon Entwined is an excellent book to read, building up on the tension that Yuriko Hara has established since the series’ inception, and continuing to showcase her prowess as a cartoonist and character writer.  While it is clearly setting the stage for the grand finale, it remains an engaging and engrossing read, asking important questions about the nature of the stories we tell and re-tell, and providing an insight into how we can change those narratives for the better.

Ratings:

Art: 10
Story: 9
Characters: 10
Service: 0 (unless you count gorgeous art as fanservice, which would make it a 10)
Yuri: 8, but it’s a bittersweet and, in some cases, more of a performative gesture than genuine desire
LGBTQ+: 2 (Chapter 30 addresses heteronormativity and societal expectations)

Overall: 9





Tsukiatte Agetemo Iikana, Volume 12 (付き合ってあげてもいいかな)

June 14th, 2024

A young woman with collar length black hair stands on a street of food stands, wearing a long red coat and white boots, holding a plastic bag. The frame is at an angle, as she looks back over her shoulder at us.Yesterday I said that I was reviewing two series this week that focused on complicated relationships. The first was Volume 9 of  Otona ni Nattemo, by Shimura Takako (available in English as Even Though We’re Adults from Seven Seas.) Today we are looking at the second of these, Tsukiatte Agetemo Iikana, by Tamifull, available as How Do We Relationship from Viz Media.

These two series have nothing in common on the surface, but they both have one similar feature – there are no “bad guys” here. None of the relationships we’re seeing are harmful or toxic. In both series, we’re simply seeing people learning that sometimes even love isn’t enough to make things work.

In slight contrast to Ayano and Akari’s story, the folks we’ve met in this series are college age, not expected to be settled or be “adult” quite yet. Both Miwa and Saeko are just facing down an upcoming graduation and entry into adult society. Interviews with prospective employers and a third of their lifetime wearing a black suit in an office is a daunting barrier for anyone, but they are persevering.

In Tsukiatte Agetemo Iikana, Volume 12 (付き合ってあげてもいいかな), both Saeko and Miwa are also facing the ends of their current relationships. They have great affection – even love – for their partners, but it’s just not working out. To break the tension, they go on a overnight together and face the question of whether their relationship is something that can be renewed or not – a subject of constant conversation on the Okazu Discord. ^_^ I have always been ambivalent about them getting back together, but while I think I might not be as opposed as I previously was, I’d still rather them move on.

Also, several years into any of this, these queer girls have somehow kind of avoided talking about being queer, or becoming queer adults and while I want to think it’s because they feel the world they are entering will accept them as they are, it’s more likely that these conversations are just not being made part of an otherwise honest and realistic story.

I am glad that current chapters of How Do We Relationship are available on Viz.com and the Viz app, so I can stay current with the translated volumes, but I find myself letting go of these characters. In fact, I am kind of hoping the series ends at graduation.  What will Volume 13 bring us? I…don’t know and am honestly not sure I care, which is a devastating thing to say about a series I have been following for 5 years and 12 volumes. We’ve seen the characters change and grow a lot over the years., but I’m no longer invested in their personal growth – the story has become the manga equivalent of coworker who only ever talks about their love life.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 6
Characters – 7 They are trying so hard
Yuri – 8
Service – 7 CW on the end of the book for sexual assault survivors, again, but it does get addressed.

Overall – 6

There are no bad guys here, just complicated and sometimes messy relationships. That’s not enough to keep me coming back much longer.





Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 9 (おとなになっても)

June 13th, 2024

On an orange background, a woman with long blue hair, leaning on her arms, wearing an orange knit or patterned blouse, looks at us with a slight smile.I am currently reading two Japanese series about adults in complicated relationships. Both series are, in equal part, compelling and interesting and annoying as heck. Today we’re looking at Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 9 (おとなになっても) by Shimura Takako.

This story follows a (now-formerly) marries woman, Ayako, and a lesbian, Akari, as they meet, fall in love and come together again, as all the cracks in Ayako’s life come apart. In my review of Volume 8 is commented, “This continues to be such a low-key adult life Yuri that one can hardly think of it as barrelling down on the conclusion of the series…and yet, that is where we are. ” As Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 9 (おとなになっても) progresses, I’m constantly reminded of the other series, which is equally as complicated, but so much less “adult” somehow. I’ll talk about that one tomorrow.

Akari and Ayako are living together, at last. Things are good, or might be, as soon as they negotiate what any of this means to them. They haven’t really dated, and they know that. Did they do this too soon? Maybe, and they know that too, but are really going to try and make it work.

In the mean time, Ayako’s former students have gone from being children to tweens, in the way that children do. Two of them come to visit their former teacher, and marvel at her relationship with another woman. Ayako’s still uncomfortable answering questions, but Akari much less so.

Slowly, steadily, life goes on here. Things change, people change. Wataru has, maybe a new girlfriend, his mother visits the salon to see all these bit players who have completely shaken up her life. And Akari and Ayako find some quiet joy in the idea that they now can actually get to know one another. At last. Until next volume. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 0
LGBTQ+ – 8, as Akari tries to be a good role-model for young women who may well need one.

Overall – 8

Volume 8 of Even Though We’re Adults is out in English and Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 10 is out in Japanese!

 





Koudou Ryou no Seizana Hibi, Volume 1 (黄道寮の星座な日々)

June 9th, 2024

A blonde with short hair in a white school uniform and beige cardigan, embraces a brunette with pigtails, who reaches out towards us. Both smile as they look at us, surrounded by small cute girls representing the Zodiac signs at the Zodiac Dorm.One again, this review comes with a story. I was standing in Animate in Shibuya and saw a book I had been meaning to read for a while, so I nabbed it because it was one of the featured titles. Well, I got home and found that I had purchased Volume 2 of this series, so it was going to require me to get and read Volume 1 first.  As it turns out, I was incorrect – I absolutely could have started with Volume 2 and just jumped right in, but I didn’t know that yet. ^_^

So Bookwalker to the rescue, which is where I purchased Koudou Ryou no Seizana Hibi, Volume 1 (黄道寮の星座な日々) by Canno, creator of Kiss and White Lily For My Dearest Girl.

A young woman comes to the “Zodiac Dorm” where every resident is referred to solely by the Zodiac sign they represent. Our protagonist arrives to explain the she intends to be the next Virgo. She seems passionate, and competent and all she needs to do is get the approval of all the other 11 (no Ophiuchus here) residents, which necessitated Virgo meeting all the other signs, being dragged into their drama and solving several conflicts before breakfast.  The rooms in the dorm accommodate two people, so there are some love affairs and personality conflicts. As far as I can remember Scorpio and Taurus are dating and, I think, Aries and Sagittarius.

And then, there’s Gemini. Gemini is…well Gemini. I’m not hugely into astrology, but if you know a Gemini, you know this Gemini.  She’s a human boundary violation. ^_^ And at the end of the tour, she rejects Virgo. Why? It’s a Mystery!

Only, it isn’t really and about then I realized I could have just read Volume 2 and have known exactly what was happening. No worries though, there’s nothing wrong with a little predictability. I’m watching Blue Eye Samurai on Netflix, I feel like it’s the equivalent of watching a Shaw Brothers movie (including the masterwork 36th Chamber of Shaolin, which is a must-watch for fans of the genre) – every line is pretty much predictable, every “reveal,” every scene. It’s okay to relax into that kind of thing and just let it wash over you.

What is Gemini’s deal? Who is the “Alice” that Virgo was told to protect by her older sister? Yeah…it’s the same story.

Ratings:

Art – 7 Not Canno’s best
Story – 7 Same as above, but that’s okay
Characters – Exactly as you’d expect
Service – 0 Unless you have an astrology kink
Yuri – 9

Overall – 7

So Volume 2 is awaiting me, but I’ll be shocked if I am shocked. ^_^ In the meantime, as the worst Virgo ever, I absolutely approve this Virgo as the new resident of the Zodiac dorm.