Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Namae ha Mada nai (名前はまだない）

October 25th, 2013

Kazuma Kowo’s Namae ha Mada nai (名前はまだない）is the latest collection of her work from Comic Yuri Hime. And all I can say about that is…ahhhh. There’s something, I don’t know, relaxing I guess, about her work even when the strength of it lies with her prickliest characters.

The first half of the volume are short stories that follow fairly typical school love tropes, but I love how her characters are never in elite schools, or have unrealistic uniforms. They wear sweaters with sleeves that are too long, or sweatpants under their skirts. They watch each other artlessly, and forget they’ve used their outside voice. We never for a moment doubt that we’re watching a real life.

With the title story, we delve slightly deeper into her typical teaser/teased strategy. Amemori is annoyed (i.e., wowed) by the new transfer student who, for some reason, appears obsessed with Amemori. There’s a distinct feeling of “poking the wild animal with a stick” about the new student’s behavior, but it’s pretty clear to both of them at some point that they like each other. Amemori is very very aware that she has not yet called the other girl by name. The title, is translated by the author as “The Name is Not Yet”, and I have been puzzling over how I might translate it myself. Maybe “No Name Yet”? I don’t know. The point is, Amemori knows her name, but isn’t using it. Until the end, of course, when she jumps to calling Hinata by her given name.

The final chapter is a short prologue for the relationship from Junsui Adolscence, Kazuma-sensei’s last Comic Yuri Hime volume.

I really enjoy Kazuma-sensei’s tsundere protagonist formula. I couldn’t tell you why, but it works for me. I’m glad to see her back in Comic Yuri Hime and look forward to more from her. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 8
Service – 1, on principle. There was nothing really “service” about it.

Overall – 8





Yuri Manga: Tsuki to Sekai to Etoile (月と世界とエトワール)

October 23rd, 2013

Takagami Yuriko’s Tsuki to Sekai to Etoile (月と世界とエトワール) follows Maisaka Yozora as she enters an elite girls’ school that specializes in musical achievement. Following the steps of her idol Umiyuri-sama and the advice of her grandmother, she decides to attend Gekkoukan Gakuin and become a singer.

What Yozora learns, when she enters, is that the elitest of the elite pair off into Chevalier – Etoile pairs in a relationship that is called an “engagement.” Umiyuri-sama’s chevalier is the appropriately knightly Towa-sama. Umiyuri seems to have favorited Yozora’s rival, Kagami, while Towa favors Yozora.

Almost immediately, Yozora is dragged into Towa and Umiyuri’s affairs, of course, and she finds herself engaged to the straight-talking, somewhat brusque Kishinabe Sekai. Sekai and Yozora decide to compete for the Etoile position, despite their newness at the school, only to have suspicious circumstances keep them apart on the competition night. Undaunted, Yozora competes alone, singing Sekai’s music unaccompanied.

Towa and Umiyuri are forced to acknowledge Yozora and Sekai will be formidable rivals in days to come. And, if I’m not mistaken, the series is on-going, so more shenanigans and secrets and ancient history will come to light.

For all that it was a lot of the same thing over again, I have a hell of a time following this story in Comic Yuri Hime. Probably because I wasn’t really motivated to do so. Important rings, “engagements,” singing battles instead of swords, a beautiful couple, Etoile, lot of high-falutin’ names: Eternity, the World, Night Sky, Stars, etc. It all seems so derivative. But I sat down and really read the story this time…it’s not going to be a go-to story for me, but it’s not all that bad.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 5 (by implication, and one kiss so far)
Service – 1

Overall – 7

The elements are second-hand, but the story and art are attractive and would probably play well in a shoujo manga magazine.





Yuri Manga: Himitsu no Recipe, Volume 2 (ひみつのレシピ)

October 15th, 2013

In Volume 1 of Morinaga Milk’s Himitsu no Recipe (ひみつのレシピ), we met Wakatsuki and the President of the Cooking Club, on whom she has a raging crush. The feelings appear to be almost entirely one-sided, however and, as we head into Volume 2, Wakatsuki’s delusion about the two of them is clearly headed for a fall.

The problem is two-fold. One, the previous president of the club has taken to returning from time to time and it is quite obvious that the current president has deep admiration for her sempai. Wakatsuki sees the older woman as a rival.

More importantly, Wakatsuki is not a member of the cooking club because she enjoys cooking or wants to learn to do it. In fact, she’s a hot mess in the kitchen  and manages to sabotage nearly every meal with stereotypical “bad cook” tropes such as replacing sugar with salt. Sigh.

There are other only moderately funny scenes on top of this, culminating in the cooking club reluctantly eating crickets for a meal.

But Valentine’s Day saves the story, as Buchou offers to help Wakatsuki make chocolate and they exchange feelings and sweets. As the book closes, Wakatsuki tells the club in the most transparent way that her lover’s identity is a secret. I imagine no one was fooled.

As I said in my review of the first volume, this is not Morinaga-sensei’s strongest work. It’s not terrible, but there’s no self-awareness, no honesty, no real connection between the two. And as I worked on my lecture for Kanagawa U., I realized that that’s what I’m looking for in my Yuri – honesty.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 4
Characters – 5
Yuri – 6
Service – 5

Overall – 5

It won’t kill you to read this, but I’m glad Seven Seas went with Gakuen Polizi for their next Morinaga title instead.





Yuri Manga: Tsuki to Doro (月と泥)

October 4th, 2013

When I reviewed Ohkita Hiroko’s Hadashi no Chimera, I was distressed at the overall damage, both physical and emotional, inflicted upon the characters. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that I was ambivalent about picking up her next book,  Tsuki to Doro (月と泥). While I would hardly consider this book perfect, it is much less bad in that regard.

Unfortunately – or perhaps fortunately – the title story follows the pattern of the previous book, with a wounded girl, and unlikely relationship and a murder. After that story, the tone shifts. Yes, there’s still a lot of physical and emotional damage, but more of the characters take control of their lives on their own and for their own reasons – reasons which may or may not become clear during the stories.

I enjoyed this book much more than the previous one, but I think Ohkita could do even better. A little more storytelling and a little less torture would go a long way.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – Variable, from 4-6
Characters – 6
Yuri – 6
Service – 4

Overall – 6





Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫) September 2013

September 30th, 2013

The cover of the September 2013 issue of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫) is 3D, with a pair of glasses inside the magazine, so you too can look down the bikini tops of the girls of Yuru Yuri in 3D.

For me, one of the highlights of the issue was a fractured fairy tale by Minamoto Hisanari about “evil” stepmother Mars-sama, her step-daughter Snow, and the magic mirror, that was utterly silly and not all that sweet, really.

Momono Moto’s “Kuryaami no Asterisk” finishes up with both characters stepping out of their bad habits and reaching out to one another. A better ending than beginning.

“Bousoku Girlsteki Mourou Reainaiteki Suteki Project” heats up with a bitter rivalry for Student Council Vice-President. Less “harem battle” than I expected, but still kind of fun.

Takahashi Mako’s “Mujintou e Matte Ikunara” was lovely. Honestly the best story I’ve ever read by her. The feeling of going through life alone, as if one was on a deserted island, is something that probably many readers of manga can identify with.

I absolutely loved Katakura Ako’s “Warawane Majou no Shikeisenkoku” in which a witche’s prediction comes true, with a smile.

Nana is still working through her feelings for Satomi, but once she learns Satomi’s not-so-secret secret, she comes to a conclusion of a sort in “Kiss ChuChu” by Takemiya Jin.

The circumstances change between Ruki and Sachi, but not necessarily for the better, in “Watashi no Sekai o Kousei Suru Chiri no You na Nanika.”

Zaou Taishi and Eiki Eiki’s “Love Gene Double X” is climbing tortuously towards a climax. We learn the source of the bitter feelings between Sakura’s and Aoi’s families as they face each other in a duel. The loser will be forced to become an Eve.  I’m still super uncomfortable at the direction of this story and I don’t have any hope that the real issues in the story will be resolved. Grrr…

In “Rock It Girl” by Tanaka Minoru, the band faces a new crisis/opportunity as they head to a summer music festival. Kaede is moved so deeply by the energy and the crowd that when Seira kisses her, she doesn’t resist. For a moment the two of them are able to not freak out and just be comfortable together.

The 4-koma strips “Nekoyama-san to Inugami-san” and “Kimono Nadesico” go through the paces as they usually do. Fans of “Yuri Yuri” and “Yuri Danshi” will find nice juicy bits to enjoy.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

This was a pretty decent volume.