Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


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

January 24th, 2013

Once again, the cover of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫) tells a story. The January issue’s story, which is helpfully titled “Love Story”, provides flashbacks to Mad magazines of old, as the cover and inside cover offer *4* pages of story with the fold.

This issue was primarily interesting for the various ways in which so many of the stories explored the typical tropes of schoolgirl Yuri with abandon. And I mean that – artists are really just going nuts within the same few basic ideas. Girls are still transferring into elite schools, where they encounter the star of the school…but none of the typical things one might expect are happening. The star of the school is not who she seems, murders occur, things are being smashed and thrown and kisses are hard, sometimes, and gentle sometimes. Characters are enigmatic, cheerful, angry, polite and crazy. This issue is not, really, in any way a great reflection of life, but that isn’t my point. My point is…wow there’s a lot of *stuff* going on in this magazine!

And once again “Fu~Fu~” wins the universe as Sumi decides that she and Kina ought to, y’know, have matching rings. Oh god this series is so cute! Kinana agrees that matching rings would suit them well…and she suggests that the next thing on the menu ought to be a wedding ceremony. ^_^ Squee!

This issue was a really nice selection of stories of girls and women in a variety of relationship from utterly dysfunctional to happily ever after. Exactly what I want in an anthology. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8





Yuri Manga: prism

January 23rd, 2013

Show Higashiyama’s prism was a perfect example,  I thought, of a manga series about which my opinion changed over time. A re-read of Volume 1 helped me realize that my opinion changed because the story itself changed.

I remember reading the first chapter in Tsubomi and being wholly unimpressed. Megumi’s first love was with a boy she met one summer when she was young. She and Hikaru shared their first kiss. Now she’s met him again for the first time in years and it turns out that he’s a she. Hikaru is still in love with Megumi. After a while, Megumi gets over her reluctance for being in love with another girl.

Their relationship consists of stolen kisses and increasing intimacy, which would all be very realistic, if Higashiyama wasn’t portraying everything like he was drawing a porn doujinshi. As I read this volume, I remembered why I had been reluctant to say I liked this series for so long. It’s not until it gets into later chapters that it becomes less creepy and more honestly uncomfortable-making.

However, this may be moot, as Volume 2 may or may not ever be forthcoming. This series was put on hiatus and this volume pulled from stores after a plagiarizing scandal. (In which I unusually find myself on the side of the artist.) This is a damn shame as it was later chapters in which this story started to be really worth following. And now that Tsubomi has gone to digital, (updating mostly manga we never cared about) we may never see any more of it. So, unless you were collecting Tsubomi and unless they bring back prism, your best bet is used manga bookstores, or 3rd party sellers.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – Starts at 6, but climbs steadily
Characters – 7, they get better in later chapters
Yuri – 10
Service – 7

Overall – 8

I’ll hope that in some future date we’ll  get the gay-bashing chapter in a collection because that was when this series went from “okay” to “absolutely worth following.”





Yuri Manga: Hana to Hoshi, Volume 2 (花と星)

January 18th, 2013

In Volume 1, we meet Hanaii Sawako and Hoshino Shiori, former rivals in the sport of table tennis, now classmates in high school. In Volume 2 of Hana to Hoshi (花と星) their former rivalry has now turned into something more complex.

The bulk of the book is spent dealing with a digression and a McGuffin. The McGuffin is revealed in the backstory of Funami Chika, whose relationship with Hoshino is far more intimate  than Hanaii is ready to cope with. It’s Funami-sempai who tells Hanaii her story, ultimately freeing Hoshino from her past.

The digression is the existence of a male schoolmate who has fallen for Hanaii and – in an exceedingly rare display of normal behavior – confesses to Hanaii, followed by requests for eating lunch together and a date. The fact that he’s such a nice guy is almost a shame, because you’ve gotta feel bad for him. He’s so functional and he’s screwed. Poor Ogawa.

In my review of Volume 1 I suggested that I knew the perfect ending to this story. It’s not like it was a stretch or anything. This story began with table tennis and the only proper thing to do with it was to end it there, as well. And so, like Yukiko and Chikage in Sakura Namiki, Sawako and Shiori express their genuine affection for each other through their shared love of a sport.

Yesterday I mentioned that my review was a paean to connections. This manga was indeed on the top of my “to-review” pile, and so, when I hit page 18 of Sakura Namiki and found Yukiko in the middle of a ping-pong match, I started to laugh. As Lillian was born from Catholic boarding schools before it, the chances that  Flower and Stars was coincidentally about girls who played table tennis receded to near zero. No Yuri is an island entire of itself. And truly, one piece at a time, we’re now seeing tribute paid to the classic manga that came before in the manga that makes us smile now.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 8
Service – 1

Overall – 8

This story, so enjoyable on its own, must be seen as a part of a body of literature. Which, to my mind, makes it just that much more enjoyable.^_^





Love on the Edge of Admiration and Desire – Proto-Yuri Manga: Sakura Namiki (さくら並木)

January 17th, 2013

Everyone who pays attention to the historical context of manga and anime has at least some knowledge of the better-known periods of Japanese history. We know the Heian period for being the background to ever so many ghost/magic/supernatural tales. Of course the Edo period plays host to any number of samurai epics. The Meiji period was a time of intense upheaval and saw a rather abrupt “westernization” of Japan. The Taisho period was a time of economic growth and nationalism. Post-WWII Showa Japan is shown in a million fragmented ways, from emotional tales of war life to the most idealized (and deeply fetishized) backgrounds possible.

In the early 20th century, magazines for young women created a whole new feminine ideal. How to dress, act, what accomplishments were expected, all of these melded into a culture half focused on physical perfection and half on emotional well-being. Take a look at any rack of “women’s magazines” in America or Japan (and most other countries) you’ll still see the same pressure expressed through whatever is the fashion of the day.

In pre-war Japan, readers were introduced to idealized romance between girls in Yoshiya Nobuko’s works (Wasurenagusa, Yaneura no Nishojo, Hana Monogatari). Sakura Namiki (さくら並木) is a post-war look at the same themes. The book begins with art and design familiar to readers from the magazines they consumed. These artistic stills accompanied by narration were a direct descendant from Edo-period Ukiyo-e prints, especially those of the popular Utagawa artists. These prints, the pop culture of their time (which were, you might be interested to know, so popular that they were copied and sold illegally) often had a portrait image with accompanying text.

A child of  the post-war boom, Sakura Namiki is balanced deliciously between Ukiyo-e prints and modern manga, with both narrated stills and panels with dialogue.

We are told by the author, Takahashi Makoto, of the emotional trials and joys girls encounter at this particular private school. We are then introduced to our protagonists, Yukiko, first-year, her beloved onee-sama Chikage, a third-year and the conniving second-year Ayako, who gets between them. For a very excellent summary and discussion of the story, I’ll refer you to Katherine H’s post Marimite in the 50s. ^_^

I would like instead to talk about something else, as I so often do. ^_^ Today I am talking about the human ability to notice connections between things. (A habit that leads us to create connections where there are none. This is why conspiracy theories exist and remain powerful long after anyone who was affected is gone.)

Sakura Namiki is a tale instantly recognizable to any fan of Yuri. The hothouse environment of Akiko’s YWCA, Nagisa’s St. Miator, Yumi’s Lillian, Rie’s St. Azaria is once again explored in the guise of Sakuragaoka Girl’s Academy in, we are told, Osaka.

I’ve seen this setup so many times that it frankly had no effect on me at all this time. I remained wholly  unmoved until page 18 when we learn that Yukiko is currently in the middle of a sports match with Ayako. What a modern girl!

You know I’m always pining over the lack of sports Yuri. But if you’re a regular reader here, you know there is one recent sports Yuri manga…can you guess what sport?

Here’s today’s lecture punchline:

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.

– John Donne, Meditation XVII

So there I am, with the one sports Yuri manga I know of sitting on top of the “to be reviewed” pile and I start to read Sakura Namiki. At which I realized that no Yuri manga is an island entire of itself, either. ^_^

Without Akiko, we would not have Yukiko. Without Yukiko we would not have Nagisa, or Yumi…or, well…click here  for the next chapter in this saga.

In the meantime, we can relax and be happy with the knowledge that Yukiko and Chikage move into the future together as so many young women have.

Sakura Namiki, by Takahashi Makoto is available as a deluxe edition, packaged with another shoujo manga from the 1950s by Takahashi. It’s currently available on  Amazon JP in limited quantities. If you can find it, it’s worth it for another island in the Yuri archipelago. ^_^

Overall – 8

Futher Reading: Prolegomena to the Study of Yuri, Part 1





Yuri Manga: Wagamama Millefeuille (わがままミルフィーユ)

January 8th, 2013

Just when I think I’ve seen every possible set up for a “Story A,” someone like Chisako comes along and comes up with a story like ”Yokubou Parade” in a collection like Wagamama Millefeuille (わがままミルフィーユ)

“Yokubou Parade” (Parade of Desires) begins with what is sure to be seen by stodgy old grumps like myself as a superficial young woman selling herself to men for new purses and fashionable clothes. When a rich classmate, Miki, stops her from doing that by offering to keep her in new goods, Minami thinks she’s hit the jackpot. She meets up with Miki – who asks for nothing, not even companionship – and is given nice things. It’s like heaven…for a little while. Minami grows dissatisfied with her end of the bargain – she wants to do *something* for Miki, even if it’s just hang out with her. Minami tries to get closer to the other girl a number of ways,but Miki roughly rejects Minami. Minami, rejected and lonely, finds her usual arranged dates more honest than the non-relationship she has with Miki. But what’s really bugging Minami is that she kind of likes Miki, and would really just be happy doing something, anything for her.

When Miki discovers that Minami has returned to dating men, she’s pissed. Hasn’t she given the other girl enough? That’s not it at all, Minami insists.

Because, ultimately, this is a “Story A” they end up together, of course. But props for a different set-up.

Ratings:

Art – 6, again not to my taste but competent
Characters – Variable, from 4-7
Story – Same as above
Yuri – 5 Stories end with a safe kiss
Service – 2 Some slight Yuricest (in the weakest story in the collection)

Overall – 7

Not all the stories in Wagamama Millefeuille were to my taste, some are much more typical than the opening story and the art is decidedly moe, but I’ve read worse. This is better than most, even if the “Group date gone bad leads to love” is still one of the most overplayed plots in Yuri. ^_^