Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Hakugin Gymnasium, Volume 1 (白銀ギムナジウム 上)

February 6th, 2015

Hakugin1Hirono Tsukiko’s Hakugin Gymnasium, (白銀ギムナジウム 上) is a non-linear tale of love and loss, betrayal and redemption. You know, like pretty much every other romance ever written. ^_^

In this first part of two, we meet Fiona and Eimi, two girls who reside at the Hakugin Gymnasium, an orphanage/ boarding school. Eimi was abandoned by her parents but somewhere out there, they still exist, while Fiona has no idea if her parents are alive or dead. Since the two of them were left at the Gymnasium on the same day, they are inseparable. But, when Eimi’s real parents reach out to her to bring her home, there’s nothing Fiona can do. And so, her beloved Eimi leaves her behind. As soon as she’s old enough, Fiona leaves the Gymnasium, walking away to create a solitary life for herself without the person she loves most in the world.

Time passes and Toutou and Eris, two younger students who admired Eimi and Fiona and their closeness, have now grown up to be about the same age Fiona and Eimi were when Eimi left. Toutou is increasingly aware of feeling for Eris, but instead of turning towards her, Eris is falling for a guy. A guy who is 100% clear about Toutou’s feelings and is pleased with himself for stealing her love.

More and more, Toutou finds herself thinking about Fiona, and wondering if the ache she feels in her chest now is similar to Fiona’s when Eimi left. Toutou goes through a crisis in which she finds herself about to harm Eris, and breaks down. To her surprise, she learns that her feelings are fully returned. Outside the room, Miss Maria, the head teacher, cries at the pain that awaits them

In the final chapter of this volume we learn something we had not previously known. Although we knew all along that Fiona’s feelings for Eimi went beyond friendship, in a short flashback we now can see that Eimi’s feeling were the same. And again, we see Miss Maria trying desperately to protect them from what appears to be inevitable unhappiness.

While in Japan in October at Toranoana’s Yuri section, I saw this book and it’s sequel. (Yay for technology. I wasn’t sure if I had ordered this book through Amazon JP yet, so pulled out my phone, checked my orders online and voila! knew I hadn’t gotten them.) So I picked up this volume. That night I flipped through it and realized that I really needed both volumes. The narrative was slightly too non-linear – and it wasn’t looking happy there by the end.

Never in my life have I been so happy that I waited until I had both books to read a series. 

You’re going to want to have Volume 2 right there when you read Volume 1. Trust me on this.

The name of the orphanage is interesting.  Hakugin (which means “white silver”) Gymnasium, (where Gynmasium is pronounced with a hard ‘g’. Gim-na-zhi-um) is set in somewhere in the Europe of the imagination, where girls wear long skirts, high laced boots, and poor orphanage/boarding schools have a grand piano. It’s quite likely a reference to Moto Hagio‘s early BL work Juichigatsu no Gymnasium (11月のギムナジウム), which famously, she has said she originally considered centering around girls, but instead chose to make about love between boys.

The art is a style I very much like. Like the title, it hearkens back to an earlier time. More like Himitsu no Kaidan (another classic boarding school story, reviewed here on Okazu: Volume 1 | Volume 2). I found the whole thing an attractive and compelling read, if maybe not the cheerfulest thing I’ve read this month. ^_^;

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 7 very non-linear. No adherence to Aristotelian principles here.
Characters – 8 Surprisingly very well developed
Yuri – 8
Service – 3 Partial nudity

Overall – 8

So here, in sometime, someplace Europeanish, we’re getting a story about love between girls. Two stories, in fact – one apparently happy, one apparently tragic. But we have a volume yet to go.





Yuri Manga: Tonari no Robot (となりのロボット)

February 5th, 2015

TonarinoRobotTonari no Robot is a bittersweet little love story about a humanoid robot and her friend, a human girl.

The robot, known as “Praha” to her build team, is called Hiro by Chika. Hiro and Chika met when Chika was 4 years old. And over the years they stayed friends, Chika aging as humans do, while Hiro outwardly remains the same.

I say outwardly, because Hiro is not just a robot, she is meant to closely approximate human behavior and learning. Over time, her build team helps her be more and more like a human (although they themselves aren’t all that normal) and of course Chika helps. Chika is an example of human complexity every single day and while she does not age, Hiro does changes because of this.

And, when Chika tries to teach Hiro about things like love and physical intimacy, Hiro’s build team is forced to accommodate new, unexpected situations.

We learn in the second half of the volume that the Praha type is meant as one of several types of humanoid robot types, designed for generalized and specialized functions. As we spend more time with build team, and less with Chika, Hiro’s Chika-less life seems not nearly as fun as it was when she was attending high school along with her friend.

In the final chapter we learn why – Chika has moved on and become an adult. Now 27, she is no longer this child who befriended Hiro, or a schoolmate. And, although the ending is happy, I am reminded by the final panel why all such human/robot stories are doomed to be bittersweet. Aging gives the human existence a time-frame, boundaries, limits on what we have time to do.

Throughout this volume, I was constantly reminded of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou and how the humans in that story were almost markers of time passing, while Alpha’s one deep, abiding relationship is with another android. We do not have to be sad that humanity is fading away in YKK, Alpha and Kokone will always have one another. Not so Chika and Hiro. Even the build team will one day cease to exist, but Praha might continue on like my poor beater car, still chugging away long after it is obsolete. Or, worse, Praha will fail and the Praha team will be long gone, and old and no longer needed and no one will be there to help Chika in her old age.

And so, I call the book bittersweet. Nothing in the book itself is bitter, but as a human reading it, I can’t not think about inevitable loss that is to come.

***

Support Yuri News and Reviews –  Subscribe to Okazu withSubcribe with Patreon

 ***

I guess I’m feeling my age today, because the book itself is not at all depressing! ^_^ It’s sweet, it’s cute, it’s got moments of adorable embarrassment, and traditional “robot misses the point” cuteness and above all, Nishi UKO-sensei’s art is, as ever, exquisite.

Ratings:

Art – 10
Story – 8
Characters – Chika is adorable and Hiro cute in that dorky robot way, but I really liked the bitchiness and ranting of the build team members best. Completely real.
Yuri – 9
Service – 4 There is a bit in the middle

Overall – 8

Although I felt a twang or two in the heart region while reading it, the fault lay neither in our stars nor in Nishi UKO-sensei’s work, but my own fragile operating system.

Note of interest – Praha, and the other robot build names, are Czech.





Yuri Manga: Citrus, Volume 1 (English) Guest Review by Amanda B

February 4th, 2015

CitrusV1SSELast week I confessed I just wasn’t enjoying Saburouta’s manga Citrus, and asked you, my dear readers  to jump in with a review. And once again you are the best readers ever. As a result, – it’s another Guest Review Wednesday and we have another Guest Review! Please welcome Amanda B who has graciously written up her look at Citrus, Volume 1 for us!

Saburouta, who made an appearance in Yuri Hime Wildrose Volume 7 back in 2007 with a smutty one-shot, has returned to the Yuri scene with a drama-filled, pseudo-incest manga titled Citrus. Citrus is currently in its 4th volume, running bimonthly in Comic Yuri Hime, and was recently licensed in English by Seven Seas (yay for more Iuri!). It has caused such a stir in the Yuri world that a Promotional Video was created (voiced by a few notable actresses featured in various Yuri anime titles) to recount the manga up through its 3rd volume! It’s pretty obvious this series is a guilty-pleasure read. Not everyone is into the whole “incest” factor, so discretion is advised if this isn’t your cup of tea.

The carefree and fashionable Yuzu Aihara’s world is turned upside down after transferring to an all-girls high school upon her mother’s remarriage. Not even making it through her first day of school she manages to sully her reputation and anger the beautiful, but snobby student council president, Mei. After returning home, Yuzu finds out that Mei just so happens to be her newly inherited younger sister, a detail mom forgot to mention. It is made evident that evening that Mei clearly has some boundary issues after randomly kissing Yuzu, at which Yuzu becomes literally dumbfounded about her newly appointed role as the “older sister”.

***

Support Yuri News and Reviews –  Subscribe to Okazu withSubcribe with Patreon

***

Throughout the volume, Yuzu finds herself constantly conflicted between her increasing lustful desires, and trying to gain Mei’s respect in order to increase their family’s cohesiveness. One night when attempting to kiss Mei, Mei cries out for her father, whom we have yet to see, and the matter is not discussed further (at least in this volume anyway). After a series of disastrous events, Yuzu finds Mei’s grandfather (headmaster of the school) collapsed on the floor of his office and brings him to the hospital. After coming to understand Yuzu acted as the caretaker for her grandfather, Mei appears to be somewhat grateful before instantly returning to her tsundere mannerisms. The final arc of the volume centers on Yuzu coming to the conclusion (after consulting with bff Harumin) that her attempts to become an older sister figure have failed and that she is in fact, in love with Mei.

As a fan of Saburouta’s Yuri works, I am beyond pleased with the artwork. It is gorgeous! There is quite a bit of service throughout with various kissing scenes, particularly the shower scene. The story however is very chunky with a plethora of forced drama. Mei’s cold exterior warrants the obvious dramatic plot-hole I’m sure will be explored at some point. I get the feeling a good portion of the fandom for this series are in it mostly for the illustrations – watching pretty girls go at it is something I too enjoy.

Ratings:

Art – 10
Story – 4
Characters – 5 (definitely room for character development in the upcoming volumes)
Service – 6
Yuri – 9
Overall – 7

Sometimes I can’t help but wish Saburouta would just instead collaborate with another mangaka capable of writing a decent drama (maybe Shuninta-sensei) while she provides the illustrations. Volume 2 will be available in April.

Erica here: Thank you Amanda! Much obliged for the review.

I was reading Fujimoto Yukari’s essay in Eureka magazine’s “Yuri Culture” issue and something sort of dawned on me. In Oniisama E, we spend a lot of time watching Miya-sama and Saint Just’s unhealthy relationship on screen, but there’s actually another half-sibling relationship directly in front of us the entire time that is perfectly healthy – for a number of reasons, not least of which because Nanako doesn’t know it exists. Henmi and Nanako serve as sane, healthy foils for Rei and Fukiko, letting the audience know that it’s not normal to be so weirdly manipulative of one’s half-sister. Citrus is in desperate need of a foil couple, some representative healthy relationship,  to relieve the thick atmosphere of “this is not and really cannot be a good thing.”





Yuri Manga: Mebae, Volume 3 (メバエ)

January 30th, 2015

mebae3I’ve been reading tons of manga, but been so have busy with the Yuricon Shop that I haven’t reviewed much and I’ve been mostly watching Star Trek: Voyager re-runs on Amazon Prime (I know, I know, but it’s not as bad as I remember) so I find myself at the end of the day tired, with nothing to say.

And since I have nothing nice to say, I thought I’d write a  quick review of the Yuri manga anthology Mebae, Volume 3. (メバエ) ^_^

So, you know when you’re watching a martial arts movie and the obligatory love scene comes on and you just sort of cringe because….ewww? That’s pretty much how Mebae, Volume 3 strikes me.

Here we are, going along and there’s a character who seems okay and the lover and they’d be kind of cute together and then the art goes all TITS and CROTCH and what the HELL is THAT even?!? and you’ve lost the moment.

The one story I genuinely liked involved a house shooting out into Earth orbit and no sex at all. Why it’s in the volume, I have no idea, there’s nothing to indicate the characters are anything but friends, but I was glad it was. Got my mind off the really confused anatomy lessons of the rest of the book. ^_^;

Ratings:

Art – No. Just, no.
Story – If you took out the nasty sex, a few of them aren’t awful, but most of them still are.
Characters – 0 Variable, from nil to nada.
Yuri – 6 There’s darn little affection for all the nude antics.
Service – 101232530

Overall – 3 A solid meh.

I had some small dregs of hope that bits of it might be worth reading, but it really isn’t. Oh well.





Yuri Manga: Yuri Kuma Arashi, Volume 1 (ユリ熊嵐)

January 25th, 2015

yurikuma1Today I wanted to talk about something that has been much on my mind…

Picasso.

You know, Pablo Picasso, painter. Mostly famous for his Cubist paintings, but he was a prolific artist and evolved throughout his life, so while his work is undoubtedly his, it changed as time went on, as he changed, aged, evolved.

He’s on my mind a lot as I read and watch Yuri Kuma Arashi. And we’ll get to the “why” in a bit, but first, let’s just talk about the manga.

In Volume 1 of the Yuri Kuma Arashi manga (ユリ熊嵐), we meet Tsubaki Kureha, a shy, retiring student, who has recurring dreams of being rescued by a bear princess who, coincidentally, looks just like her popular and outgoing classmate Yurishiro Ginko. Ginko takes a liking to Kureha and starts to cultivate her friendship and develop her personality.

Kureha admits that she knows Ginko is a bear and all about the tragic backstory of her planet, but Ginko’s reaction is to fall apart in laughter a such a preposterous story!

Ginko lives with her late father’s sister as her mother is forever overseas (and unbeknownst to her, maybe, is her aunt’s lover). When a new girl transfers in claiming to be in love with Ginko, it throws a wrench in Kureha’s emotional gears; she was just deciding she “liked” Ginko, you know. If it weren’t enough that Lulu is a love rival, there are persistent rumors that Ginko and the Student Council President (male) are going out. Kureha doesn’t know what to believe, honestly.

When Lulu, Ginko and Kureha accidentally burn down their dorm cooking, Ginko has both of them come live with her. And, at last, we learn that Kureha may have been right about Ginko all along. Kureha swears to protect Ginko as the volume comes to an end, with many questions and few answers.

As you know, if you have been watching the Yuri Kuma Arashi anime and/or are familiar with Ikuhara Kunihiko’s style, these questions may not have any answers.

The manga is very much Morishima Akiko-sensei’s brand of cute/sexy art, with slightly more typical fanservice than usual. Unlike the anime, which has so much fanservice it’s actively crowding out the plot (if there is one) at the moment. And, if you are familiar with Ikuhara’s work, it’s important to remember that the repetitive scenes may never have any meaning per se, just visual impact, that we will later layer with meaning. The best way to approach his work is to not try to guess what it all means, but simply go along for the ride and see where it takes you.

***

Support Yuri News and Reviews –  Subscribe to Okazu withSubcribe with Patreon

***

Which brings me back to Picasso.

One of the things Picasso was seeking to do in his Cubist portraits was show two or more angles of a person simultaneously.  His masterwork Guernica takes this to another level, in which he is simultaneously showing us all three dimensions at once, among other things. And this is why he has been much on my mind. If you treat the simultaneously released versions of Yuri Kuma Arashi as two unique perspectives on the same story, there is still no guarantee that it will make sense, but it gives you a completely different understanding of the whole.

It’s unlikely that Yuri Kuma Arashi is Ikuhara’s Guernica, but heck it might yet be, we won’t know until it’s over and we can see all the angles. And the relics of other series that echo back at us like blood red buildings by day, have started to be integrated into – maybe – a new stylist tic, as they turn blue at night. Indicating what? Who knows…yet. Or ever.

I’ve only seen two episodes of the anime as of yet, but I do want to say that of all the random repeated elements, the one I actually like is “Kuma Shock”, which @twiitar has turned into a nifty ringtone. Thanks Phil! ^_^

The service in the anime is off-putting for me, as it’s not nearly at the level of creeping horror subtlety we’ve become used to. It feels a bit slap in the face-ish.  The one element that I truly do not care for is the use of the word “Yuri” and the image of the lily as a bludgeon, for no apparent reason. Yes, yes the girls are all named Yuri something, got it. Yuri and honey imagery. Yuckers.

I hold no hope that the “trial” scenes will ever make sense.

The one thing about the anime that I genuinely find appealing is that the character designs are very much Morishima-sensei’s art, animated. ^_^

Ratings for the manga only:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 8 They appear more coherently formed than in the anime
Yuri – 9
Service – 6

Overall – 8

By the time Volume 2 comes out, if indeed it does, the anime will likely be over and I’m sure we’ll have concocted meanings for all the things that don’t mean anything at all. ^_^