Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: GIRL FRIENDS, The Complete Collection Volume 2 (English)

March 10th, 2013

Morinaga Milk’s GIRL FRIENDS, The Complete Collection, Volume 2, begins with an ending which segues into a new beginning for both Mari and Akiko.

As I noted in my review of the original volumes, after we’ve fully tasted the situation from Mari’s side – which is to say, plumbed the confusion, mortification, attraction and tension from the perspective of an introvert – we turn to Akiko the extrovert, who is no less confused, ecstatic, hurt, and out of her mind.

After plot complications that are realistic and some that are not so, the two find a moment to air out their mutual issues and, for a moment, are as one.

In re-reading this book I am once again reminded that, for all the manga tropes and plot complications, this is a fairly realistic story. Happily-ever-after does not begin with the moment of mutual confession. Life can never be that simple – and indeed it is not, even at the end of the series. But we can know, with every fiber of our being that Akiko and Mari have an excellent shot at building a life together because, as Mari says, “Regardless of what may lie ahead, I will never give up on you.”

Seven Seas’ volume was once again very decent. (There was one repeated typographical error -the music notes in reverse color – that should be fixed for any second printings, as it is actively distracting.) I notice that Macmillian is distributing the books, so I guess they managed to shift their contract from Tor into the larger group – for which I’m glad, that was never a great fit, and it allows them the distribution that direct sales and Amazon cannot provide. It also explains why GIRL FRIENDS is able to make the NY Times best-seller list. I’m pleased for Seven Seas and Morinaga-sensei all around.

Ratings:

Art – 9 (The art definitely improved over the course of this series)
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Yuri – 10
Service – 6

Overall – 9

For those readers who worried that the first volume ended in a bad place – have patience and read the whole story. ^_^

CONTEST RESULTS:

I would like to thank everyone who entered in the Complete Collection Give-a-Way. We have a winner!

Kathryn (who writes the Contemporary Japanese Literature blog, which is absolutely worth your time) your message inspired me and, I hope, many others! You are the winner of this contest. Please email me at yuricon at gmail dot com with your address and a complete set of Morinaga Milk’s GIRL FRIENDS will be on its way to you!

I want to thank all of you who entered with your messages of love and acceptance. And I especially want to thank Ana Moreno, translator of GIRL FRIENDS, the Complete Collection, for her generous provision of books for this contest!  Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

AND I want to thank Okazu Superhero Amanda M. for her sponsorship of today’s review! I could not do it without you!

We’ve got a pile of new contests coming up here, so keep your antenna tuned to Okazu in days ahead. (So many things to give away…) ^_^





GIRL FRIENDS Contest Reminder

March 8th, 2013

In February, I reviewed Morinaga Milk’s GIRL FRIENDS, The Complete Collection, Volume 1 and I announced a contest –

To enter to win a complete set of this delightful Yuri romance by Morinaga Milk, in the comments write a message of encouragement and hope to a young LGBT person who isn’t sure about their self or feelings right now – or even a message to your younger self. Please include your name,  – if you plan on being Anon, please give yourself a nickname so I can let the winner know they’ve won.

I’ll be reviewing Volume 2 very shortly, so get your messages in (to enter, please use the comments on the review of Volume 1) and be entered to win both volumes of the Complete Set.  Good luck! ^_^

 





Yuri Manga: Pure Yuri Anthology, Hirari (ピュア百合アンソロジーひらり) Volume 9

March 5th, 2013

hirari9Pure Yuri Anthology, Hirari  Volume 9 (ピュア百合アンソロジーひらり) pulls out the big guns right from the start. Opening with a Morinaga Milk story about a bad choice that goes good,  using the setup of popular, athletic girl gets together with nice girl, it segues beautifully into Takashima Hiromi’s continuing series about Kase and Yamada, another athletic, popular girl and nice girl couple.

Kita Konno has an interesting little tale of gender, sexuality and acceptance of self, followed by Hakamada Mera’s fantasy of having a good excuse to not have to accept one’s self.

The standout story this issue, however, is set in that typical mythical private girl’s school, with gorgeous, accomplished onee-sama and average underclassmen pining away with admiration. Once again, Morishima Akiko-sensei is the recipient of *my* admiration with this chapter of “Seijun Shoujo Paradigm.”

Lily is still pining after Reika-sama, but Aoi cheers her up with heart-pounding collection of “Yuri” stories. They are all excited when they learn that schoolmate Midori is the author. They express how much they like the story, and Aoi says that she wishes she could see the characters after high school, together. Midori is confused by the request. This isn’t that kind of love – it’s just teen love, a love between young people in school. After school they’ll graduate, separate, get boyfriends, etc. Thinking about how unfair this is, Aoi starts to cry. They two girls are so in love, she sobs, they give it their all, and then they won’t even get to be together?  Lily comforts her by reminding her it’s just a story, but Aoi passionately swears that she’ll stay with Lily and help her find a real love, someone with whom she’s destined to be together forever!

What Lily and Aoi don’t know, is that Midori’s insistence on harsh reality has hurt another, as well. Secretly, class rep Toudou and Midori are a couple, but Midori’s been hurt by Toudou’s lack of verbal affection. They work through their issues and I hope to see Midori accept her new reality with a less unfair story for Aoi and Lily. ^_^

The most important thing about this chapter was, of course, Aoi’s passionate defense of stories that go beyond high school. As we know, lesbians don’t die or go straight just because they graduate. When one has one’s own place to live, income and schedule, it actually becomes easier to have a “real” relationship, not less easy.  Aoi, and Morishima-sensei through her, speaks for many of us (certainly for me!) when she says she wants to read more post school-life Yuri.

Ironically, since the editor of Hirari said that they probably wouldn’t be shifting away from school-life stories. And yet…

…I’m noticing more stories about adults seeping through the cracks, like Ohsawa Amane’s “Omiashi o Koko e,” a tale of shoe fetistry and emotional connection and Fujio’s continuing series,  “Under One Roof, which takes a surprising turn.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

So, almost despite itself, Hirari is becoming serious competitor to Comic Yuri Hime, with a wider range of stories, the occasional chapter with serious impact…and more stories about adults. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Collectors, Volume 1 (コレクターズ）

February 14th, 2013

In honor of Valentine’s Day I can think of no better candidate for review than Nishi UKO’s Collectors, from the pages of Rakuen Le Paradis magazine.

Nito Shinobu collects books. Kanzaki Takako is interested in fashion and collects clothes. The two of them love each other very much but, as they both consider their future together, their competing use of space could make living together awkward. ^_^;

With their friend Naomi and “the other one,” the unnamed friend who makes up the fourth in their group, Shinobu and Takako’s life together is detailed in amusingly realistic 4-koma strips or chapter-long stories.

From how they met, to Shinobu hiding from her students at a book store, to going away with friends, to bickering and moments of intimacy, their lives look remarkably like a real life that a real couple might have, rather than the melodramatic extremes of so much manga. For me, Collectors is a refreshing, realistic, fun look at a relationship between women who love each other. Weird huh? I mean really weird. Because there is hardly any manga like this.

Here’s my favorite scene – Shinobu, standing with Naomi and the other one (Okay, let’s just pick a name for her. Put your suggestions in the comments section and I’ll pick one, and send it to Nishi UKO-sensei as a suggestion. ^_^) waiting for Takako to arrive, when  Shinobu says Takako is heading towards them. Naomi asks where, as a woman walks up to them. Takako’s changed her hair color, but Shinobu knows it’s her from meters away. ^_^

They snipe at one another about each other’s collection habits, they have tender moments with hands entwined in each other’s hair, they live and they love. Just like me and my wife, just like you and your girlfriend, just like lesbians whose relationship does not end with a kiss or graduation. This is what after the happily-ever-after really looks like.

Whether you collect glasses, boyfriends, books or clothes, Happy Valentine’s Day from myself and everyone at Yuricon & ALC Publishing!

Ratings:

Art – 10
Story – 10 Life. What could be funnier, more poignant or more interesting?
Characters – 10
Yuri – 10
Service – 1

Overall – 10

As I read this book before bed, I look fondly over the multiple piles of books-to-read next to my bed and smile. I’m on Team Shinobu. ^_^

Go ahead and put your suggestions for Takako’s friend’s name in the comments. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Watashi no Sekai o Kousei Suru Chiri no You na Nanika (私の世界を構成する塵のような何か)

February 5th, 2013

In trying to come up with a short summary of Amano Shuninta’s Watashi no Sekai o Kousei Suru Chiri no You na Nanika  (私の世界を構成する塵のような何か) I find that the closest thing I can describe it as is a Yuri Manga “The ‘L’ Word.”

Watashi no Sekai o Kousei Suru Chiri no You na Nanika  (translated by the author as “What is like the dust that constitutes my world?”) is a mostly realistic soap opera set among a group of women attending a women’s college. The protagonist is Ruki, a realist with an edge of naivete’, Sachi, whose boyfriend is controlling, Remia who takes the opportunities she can get to sleep with the women around her, Asuna, her girlfriend, narcoleptic Fueko, Meru and slightly older, ever so slightly-too-cool-and-worldy-Maasa.

When they are assigned to do a project (for what has to be a sociology class) together, Ruki finds her life suddenly full of these people. WE can see that Ruki is interested in Sachi, but that boyfriend is so omnipresent, Sachi won’t even discuss how controlling he is. “I’m the girlfriend, that’s why,” she tells a puzzled Ruki who can’t imagine why she puts up with it. They fight about it.

When Maasa and Remia set up a sleepover for the group to work on this project they all go, despite some obvious tensions. Asuna and Fueko have broken up – and I am absolutely positive I remember the chapter when Fueko splits due to physical intimacy issues, but that chapter is not included here. And then there’s Ruki and Sachi.

One of the biggest issues I have had in the past with “Yuri Manga” – and depictions of women in manga in general – is that they rarely are given society. There’s the love interest, and that’s it. In a largish ensemble cast like the one here, that is a non-issue. Yes, there’s still the tendency to pair the women up, but that isn’t the same thing as them being couples. Ultimately they are all acquaintances and schoolmates first, then friends and there is the occasional ‘relationship.’

But what about Ruki and Sachi you may ask? Well, the boyfriend issue will come to a head, and the two of them patch it up before then (as a side product of getting lost and having nothing else to do for hours but hash things out) but we can hardly say things are settled between them…as it is painfully obvious to us that Ruki likes Sachi. Whether it will ever be obvious to them is an issue for future volumes.

The story is ongoing – and, as much as I do not generally care for soap operas and night time TV serial dramas, I think this series may be exactly what Yuri needs right now. I’m glad it’s in the capable hands of Amano-sensei. The art is strongly character-focused, but along with society, these women have physical space, as well. Apartments, classrooms, cars, beds, scenery, all combine to flesh this series as far more 3-dimensional than just about anything else running right now in Comic Yuri Hime.

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Ratings:

Art – 9 This is my kind of art. If you prefer moe, take off a point or two.
Characters – 9 We’ve barely scratched the surface. I want to know more about them all
Story – 8 Soapy to begin, but not painful or superficial
Yuri – None of them identify as Lesbian, although they do discuss female couples. I’m going to say 9 on Yuri, 3 on Lesbian and see if it shifts at all in future volumes
Service – A shockingly low 2 for all the naked women

Overall – 9

My wish is that this series last for longer than the meager two volumes the magazine has been allotting to popular series. If something as nothing as Manga no Tsukurikata can get 6 volumes (which is the manga crime of the century, IMHO) this series deserves at least 3, if not more.