Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Network News (百合ネットワークニュース) – March 29, 2014

March 29th, 2014

YNN_MariKYuri Manga

Top story of the week: Digital Manga, after months of having it listed as “coming soon,” has formally announced Aoi Hana/Sweet Blue Flowers will be released on their eManga platform.

YNN Corrspondent Niki S. want you to know that Tokyopop has recently started adding its “global manga” titles to Comixology, which includes the by-now out-of-print 12 Days. Excellent news for anyone who missed that book the first time around.

As we look towards the release of the Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san (犬神さんと猫山さん) anime, the third volume of the manga is out next month. Also next month by Kuzushiro-sensei, Heian period gag comic Kimi ni Tamenara Shineru, Volume 4 (姫のためなら死ねる) hits the shelves.

Out from Yuri Hime Comics is another gag 4-koma series, Kimono Nadesico, Volume 3 (きものなでしこ ).

Rakuen Le Paradis, Volume 14 (楽園 Le Paradis ) graced shelves at the end of last month, and I’m sure I mentioned it, but it’s worth a reminder.

I have no doubt that someone out there wants this Japanese Kindle Yuri bondage maid manga Kosoku Maid – Yuri no Saku Choubatsudai (拘束メイド-百合の咲く懲罰台). If you get it, let us know how it is, will ya?

I know *nothing* about Mebae (メバエ), except that Comic Natalie tells us it’s a Yuri anthology slated for an April release.

And the winner for the most ambiguously “good” news this month – webcomic site Champion Taboo, has a comic that stars a Yuri fan called Fragtime, (フラグタイム) Volume 1 of which is available on Japanese Kindle. (Ambiguously good, because anything with “Champion” in the title is not necessarily a good thing.)

It’s been pretty well-covered. but Japanese comic site Comic Walker has opened up for global registration. Some of the manga is English (licensed back from American localizers) and going forward they are planning on translating other, not-previously translated titles. Right now, they have Non Non Byori, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma ☆ Illya Drei 3, in English (among about 20 English titles) and the Mouretsu Space Pirate movie manga, Abyss of Hyperspace in Japanese. Registration required and downloading their Publis reader, but totally worth the few moments it takes.

***

That’s a wrap for this week! Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge. Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!





Yuri Manga: Yuri Koi☆Girls Love Story, Volume 3 (百合☆恋)

March 28th, 2014

In February, I hit a wall on the Yuri manga anthology, Yuri Koi☆Girls Love Story (百合☆恋). The one story I was interested in had gone quickly from interesting to excruciating and I wasn’t sure whether I’d get Volume 3.

An Okazu reader by the name of Tim assured me that the story got better. Tim lied. Okay, okay, he probably didn’t lie, and he was looking into much later chapters, but…. ^_^

So, in Volume 1, in the lead story “Yuri no Tanpopo”, we meet Mizuho and her lover Ena through the eyes of Mizuho’s younger sister. In Volume 2, Mizuho is a jerk to Ena. In Volume 3, We see Mizuho through the eyes of Ena and even accounting for Ena being biased, Mizuho is a much, much worse jerk than we guessed.

In fact, this story so depressed me, I have been unable to bring myself to read the rest of the stories in this book. The bland moe stories don’t interest me, but a few of them don’t look so bad…but I can’t do it.

Ratings: Mizuho, you jerk. You’re ruining  it for all of us.

 





Rakuen Le Paradis, Volume 13 (楽園 Le Paradis)

March 17th, 2014

Rakuen Le Paradis, Volume 13 (楽園 Le Paradis) is more of the very pleasing same.

We get the usual adorable stuff from Mizutani Fuuka and Kowo Kazuma, and the usual creeptastic stuff.

We get a deeper look at the mismatch that is Takako and Shinobu in “Collectors.”  Each has such a unique perspective on life that they can’t even give directions that make sense to the other.

In “Kakera no Omoi,” we have indeed turned our attention from Mayu and Mika, to the eternally suffering best friend with an unrequited love, Saki. Unfortunately for Saki, her conversation with Mika about Mayu is overheard…by Mayu. Now Saki’s worst fear has come true – Mayu knows her feelings. What will Mayu’s reaction be? Tune in and find out. What would yours be if you found out that your best friend was in love with you?

And in “Au,” Nishi Uko tells the story of an entire relationship from meeting to breakup and makeup in art and words in the “-au” verb form.

And filling out the Yuri in the lineup is Harumi Chihiro’s “Hankagoto” in which school girls learn they are on the same page after all.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

I love this magazine. It hurts, it’s weird, it’s wacky, it’s adorable and it’s lovely in equal measure.

 





Yuri Manga: Plastic Blue in GEN Monthly (English)

March 10th, 2014

PlasticI’ve mentioned GEN manga a few times in the past few years, but let’s start with a recap, shall we? GEN manga is a small independent manga that licenses doujinshi directly from artists for their GEN Monthly manga. The February issue of GEN Monthly includes a Yuri story, “Plastic Blue.”

The story is competently told by creator Aji-Ichi with an overall sense of sweetness, without any of the creepy faux “innocence,”  that is so popular now.

“Plastic Blue” is available with a GEN Monthly subscription and GEN has a few sample pages up for you to check out.

This is a not-too-stereotypical beginning for Yuri’s first appearance in GEN’s anthology – here’s hoping we’ll see more Yuri in GEN Monthly!

 





Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari, Volume 12 (ピュア百合アンソロジー ひらり)

March 9th, 2014

I am formally letting go of the now-outdated idea in my head that Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari  (ピュア百合アンソロジー ひらり) is the “also ran” Yuri anthology. That is empirically not true. At this point, it is a strong equivalent contender with Comic Yuri Hime, with solid artists and series.

In Volume 12, Isoya Yuki starts the book off with a heartbreakingly sweet “love at first sight” story, “Shoujo no Mateki,” in which a high school girl falls for the older woman she sees crying and how – despite everything – they find themselves drawn together. I really hope this series continues.

“Ajisai to Kase-san” continues the excruciatingly adorable relationship between Yamada and Kase. Once more Yamada fears to infringe on Kase’s privilege, only to have Kase reassure her with a kiss.

Morishima Akiko’s “Shoujo Paradigm” takes a bit of a serious turn, as we look at the actual relationship behind the Takarazuka couple, school stars Reika and Yuki….what brought them together and what keeps them apart. Lily forces them to address the gap between them and it turns out to be more of a practical matter.

In “Under One Roof” Fuuka finds herself in the rather awkward predicament of protecting Miho from awareness of the LGBTQ community of which she is a part. Yuri crushes are one thing…”being gay” is another.  Miho and Fuuka are on a collision course that only readers can see.

“Tsubakuma” was 50% perfect, and 50% awful and the whole was wholly impractical. A former soldier (with and eyepatch!) is looking for work and gets the job of being nanny to a willful child. Since the idea that Yuri will somehow be a thing between an adult and a child of 4 or 5 makes me very unhappy, the + of former soldier with an eyepatch merely goes to waste. Blergh.

I love “Nigetai Shoujo”. Two stereotypes as a couple, tough girl who always gets in fights and moody nerd. Swoon. That this is a series just boosts my love 10x. ^_^

Two more stereotypes: Demon girl and hikkikomori perv…not so much. It’s full of sex, but has no soul. Well, duh, I guess.

And that’s just first half of the book.  The second has a lot more typical school life stuff and another demon girl story, and is variably good, depending on what you like.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

An extremely strong volume from Hirari…and I get the feeling that more strong volumes are on the way.