Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Okujou PikaPika Romance (屋上ぴかぴかロマンス)

March 31st, 2014

You know what? I think I really, really like Ohsawa Yayoi. Last year I was blown away by her Black Yagi to Gekiyaku Madeline /Strange Babies series, but here we are in her totally grounded in reality collection of shorts, Okujou PikaPika Romance (屋上ぴかぴかロマンス) and I still really like her work. A lot.

In “Shoshin Metronome,” Kawai-san does not like snare drummer Ichibashi-san, but as a trumpet player, she has to sit directly in front of her.  Their relationship changes from prickly dislike to reluctant friendship to maybe just a little more.

Hana and Nozomi have been friends since childhood, but new school friends are pulling Hana in one direction, and she’s not sure if Nozomi is holding her back or not. I didn’t much like this story, as Hana forces herself on Nozomi in a very un-friendly way and a happily ever after does not actually make it okay.

“Double Bind” is probably the realest story in the book, which follows a deeply uncomfortable breakup between two adult  women. Mayu breaks up with Emi to go out with a guy. We follow Emi’s grieving and have to recoil a bit when Mayu shows up again and again, so Emi can’t move on. Worse, Mayu sleeps with Emi as a piece on the side, which enrages Emi. Emi pulls herself together and is starting to get her life back together when Mayu shows up, again, this time having left the guy because she realizes she was an idiot. The story does not have an end, leaving us with Emi’s tearful face. Will they get together again, or not? We don’t know…which is exactly why I think the story works.

In “in secret…?” a student learns there is more to her doofus-y teacher than can be seen on the surface. Carole King’s version of You’ve Got a Friend plays an important role in this story, which immediately made me think of nawoko’s Voiceful.

The final story is an original for this collection which returns us to the somewhat fraught relationship between Kawai-san and Ichibashi-san, as they find more than just a friend in one another.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – Variable, but 7 overall. “Double Bind” is hard to read, but really the standout story at a 9
Characters – 7 You like some more than others, just like life. ^_^
Yuri – 9
Service – 2

Overall – 8

Yet again, I find that I connect better to these stories as a collection, rather than individually in Comic Yuri Hime. And I strongly hope we’ll be seeing more from Ohsawa Yayoi-sensei.





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.

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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!