Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Sayonara Folklore

January 6th, 2011

You know how it is – you join a club, start a new hobby or take lessons in something, and find that there’s a whole freaking mythology attached to it. Rituals, jargon of course, and all these unwritten rules that no one tells you, but you gotta know.

In Sayonara Folklore, (さよならフォークロア) Hayase has gone to this school for years, so she knows that you do *not* touch anyone on Monday, and if you do, there’s a little incantation that must be recited. But Mashiro has just transferred in, and does not know these things. Hayase explains –  we do not touch on Monday, because not too long ago two girls did – and they fell in love, became lovers and tried to die together. Therefore, if you don’t recite the charm, you might fall in love with whomever touched you…and that would be bad. Of course Hayase explains this after Mashiro has touched her…on a Monday.

At first Mashiro is amused, then annoyed and finally, frightened by this stupid ritual that forces Hayase to continually reject her touch.

By the time the rumors have traveled through the school and the teachers find out, it’s too late for Hayase and Mashiro – they have indeed fallen in love. The “Monday curse” has come to pass. When Hayase refuses to deny the relationship, they are separated. Hayase is left in an attic room to reflect on her behavior. In that room, she find letters from one girl to another…  Mashiro, never one to play by the rules, climbs to the dormer room to be reunited with Hayase, who has now learned the truth about the two girls who originated the Monday curse.

This story and a short omake about a woman and her animal-eared maid, are by Kowo Kazuma, one of my current favorite artists. Kowo-sensei just manages to reach into my chest and squeeze my heart. I never really understand why, but her work always touches  me. Something about the art makes me *care* about the characters in a way that few other artist’s work does, and this feeling extends to her non-Yuri work, as well. I love Kowo-sensei’s story in Rakuen le Paradis, “Dear Tear”.

More objectively, this is a nice little Story A with a silly setup that manages to remain sustainable through the volume (unlike, say, Zettai Shoujo Astoria, in which the zOMG thing just gets left behind, then picked up again later and explained away badly.) This is not a major work of literature, but it is a good solid read, especially if you like stories of schoolgirls in love, with a teeny “human tribes create ritual and taboo” driver.

Ratings:

Art – 7, but I like it 9
Story – 7
Characters – 7, but I like them 9
Yuri – 8
Service – 1

Overall – 9 for me, but your mileage may vary, depending on how you feel about Kowo’s work.





Yuri Manga: Kono Kutsu Shirimasenka?

January 6th, 2011

Story A: There is a girl, she likes another girl who likes her. They like each other. The end.

As you might expect, there are a *lot* of iterations of Story A in the Yuri Manga world. These stories come in all shapes and sizes…and varying degrees of quality.

Kono Kutsu Shirimaskenka? (この靴しりませんか？) is a collection of Story As created by Mizutani Fuuka, that ran in Tsubomi magazine. Some are stronger than others, of course, but the collection as a whole stands up as an entertaining read.

The title story is one of the few “before Story A even happens” that I feel works. Mismatched shoes lead two women to discover each other. The story ends as they meet for the first time, but in both cases, the characters charm the socks right off you. The poster Chishina creates to get her missing shoe back is worth the price of admission.

The next story is an unlikely pairing of a tall, cool elevator woman and a goth-loli who rides the elevator.

Is there a more perfect story for a young gay person than “The Ugly Duckling?” It’s hard to imagine that there is. In “Beloved Duckling,” a girl finds that the object of her affection is too appealing to others once she’s become a swan.

“The Snow Princess” was a pretty thin story about love between leads in a play, which is followed by equally thin stories about love in the clarinet section, which appealed to me on an entirely personal level, as my wife I am were both clarinetists. ^_^

The final few pages tell the story of the missing shoe from the other woman’s perspective. As an iteration of Cinderella, it’s a sweet, slightly goofy just “before Story A happens.”

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – Variable, but average 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 7
Service – 1

Overall – 7

This fairy tale collection is good for a smile, something we can all use from time to time.





Yuri Manga: Tsubomi, Volume 8

December 28th, 2010

Since we just did Volume 7, let’s jump right into Tsubomi, Volume 8, (つぼみ) shall we?

“Hoshikawa Ginza Yon-choume” begins with an anniversary. Minato and Otome apparently met two years ago (and I wonder why I thought it was six from the collected volume, but am too lazy to go find it wherever it ended up in secondary storage and figure out what I mis-read.) No surprise to anyone, Otome was, at the time, a badly behaved kid, acting out her frustration with adults in a variety of typical ways. This flashback gives us a chance to see just how far she’s come since then.

Morinaga Milk’s “Himitsu no Recipe” starts off with Wakatsuki’s romantic club time with the club president squashed as the previous president shows up. Now studying to be a pasty chef, the former President is clearly admired by Yuuko, and Wakatsuki is not happy about it *at all.* After a fight and making up, Wakatsuki’s plans are totally foiled by the President’s successful plan to make the club popular. Bwah~wah~waaahhh~

I was a little disappointed that “Lonesome Echo” ended with such a pat ending. Walking away from an abusive relationships is rarely that simple. But, happy ending, so I’m inclined to be forgiving.

“Green” sketches the crushes of several generations, centering on Ryouko, who is the object of a crush now, but fondly remembers one of her own back then.

Need. More. Sports. Yuri. Manga. In “Hana to Hoshi” a childhood ping pong rivalry turns into something different when an accidental, sleepy kiss turns Hanai’s life upside down.

Fuji-sensei realizes that she really needs Komomo in her life in the conclusion to “Metoraba” and won’t be stopped – even by tremendous distance – in her attempts to get her back. This story gets a little shiny star for the final line, too.

Haruka takes care of a sick Kuroi-sensei in “Renai Manga” but thinks she may have a serious rival in the chief editor. Rival for what? Neither Haruka nor Kuroi could answer that yet, I think. Maybe in a chapter or two.

The school festival is coming and the resident Ame-Onna (Rain Woman) is asked to make it rain in “Kami-sama to Omefurashi.” But when the day of the festival comes, it’s sunny, and neither girl seems to really mind.

Something we rarely see – a chubby chaser Yuri story. “Futo Metcha Club” follows a heavy girl and the girl who loves her for her cute roundness. This story is notable for actually showing a cute, round, heavy girl for the “fat” girl, rather than slightly less than anorexic.

“Tandem Lover” is not a series I particularly liked, I have to admit, but I did like the ending of this chapter, in which Meru gives Shima a letter to her future partner in the Tandem competition. This story could have been better without all the service and some decent art, but it wasn’t.

“Yume yori Sutekina” was creepy, but kind of adorable, as a careerwoman notices and follows a high school student and sees her head off hand in hand with her girlfriend. Stalker=creepy, youth being less closeted than adults=adorable.

Nawoko’s “Private Lesson” continues. Tamago-chan learns a little bit more about her beloved piano teacher, which galvanizes her into action.

Ratings are Variable:

Overall – 8

As always, these are not all of the stories, but the ones I found notable. And you’ll notice that there’s a bunch of them that I found notable this time. No longer do I sigh with resignation at the idea of reading or reviewing Tsubomi. That’s got to be a good thing.





Yuri Manga: Tsubomi, Volume7

December 22nd, 2010

Here we are at Tsubomi, Volume 7, (つぼみ) an anthology with 20 stories, many of which are continuing series. I purchased this volume at the same time I bought Volume 8 and, as a result found it much easier to remember/follow several of the stories. And, while the previous volumes of Tsubomi have filled me less than full of glee, I overall was surprised at the quality of what I read.

Of note was the silly, but charming “Lonely Wolf, Lonely Sheep” about two women with the same name, born a day apart from one another, visit the same phone fortune site and, with, in a masterful overuse of handwaves, have the same injury for which they need to same therapy. One version of Kakimoto Imari is a butchy landscaper’s assistant (complete with motorcycle) and the other is a very feminine and cute woman. The two are drawn together, first as friends and by the end, maybe more. I’m just charmed by Mizutani Fuuka’s work, although I can’t put my finger on why. The characters are likable, in a “so cute, we want them to succeed!” kind of way.

Kazuto Izumi’s “Metoraba” is the story of a prize-winning romance novelist who finds that she really needs a wife to cook and clean for her, so she rents one from a service. As Fuji-sensei becomes more used to Komomo’s presence, they become closer and Komomo picks up more personal tasks like beta-reading and even a little writing. But in a massive blow-up, Fuji-sensei sends Komomo away. Will they get back together? Who will cook and clean for Fuji-sensei? Tune in next time to find out what happens in this soap-y, but enjoyable short drama.

In “Renai Manga” Kuroi-sensei’s manager tries to draw the shut-in manga artist out, by taking her to a hugely popular, busy and crowded area for some research. When Kuroi-sensei goes missing, Haruka panics, but it’s okay. Phew.

“Nickname Apaato” was quite possibly the silliest thing I’ve read in ages, but gosh it was cute. ANOTHER writer (are we seeing a pattern…?), well writer-wannabe, has given nicknames to all the other denizens of the house she shares. The Witch is always carrying herbs into the house, the Chef cooks up wonderful smelling meals, The Vampire goes out at night and returns by dawn, Eda-san confides to the young woman she sees out in the garden. Kurogawa-san is enraptured by these tales and enjoys Eda-san’s company…and only admits that she is the Witch, the Chef *and* the Vampire herself, when it has become obvious. What do you do for a living? Eda-san asks, but although we can see that Kurogawa is a published author, she doesn’t answer the question.

“Lonesome Echo” is a creepy story about an abusive relationship and a young woman who won’t stand for it.

“Endless Room” is the tale of a suite in a hotel room and the people that stay in it.

“Girl’s Ride” is a cute short about two girls on a vacation and how a foot injury brings them closer.

“Darling Darling” tells a little tale of communication and why it’s so important even between a couple that has been together for a while.

It’s good to see Nawoko again. In “Private Lesson” a girl learns how love was the motivation for her beloved teacher to lose weight and excel in her music.

And in “Caterpillar & Butterfly” Kurogane Kenn tries his hand at a story about two adult women, and the intimacy created between them over something as simple (or not) as a hair cut.

While these are not all the stories in the anthology, they are the ones I enjoyed most. Amazingly, I note how many are stories about adult women. Some are more Yuri than others, some barely find the itch, much less scratch it, but overall, things are looking much improved from my perspective.

Ratings are Variable:

Overall – 8

If someone would draw a cover that actually reflected any of the above, and we lost Shimai-ism, I’d be far more enthusiastic about the magazine as a whole. Nonetheless, compared to the first year, Tsubomi is a completely different (and significantly better) animal.





Yuri Manga: Blue Friend, Volume1

December 20th, 2010

Man, was Blue Friend (ブルーフレンド) depressing.

Where Nakayoshi‘s Nobara no Mori no Otome-tachi is melodramatic in a Strawberry Panic! kind of way, and Ciao‘s Waza-ari Kiwami-chan is energetic and positive, Ribon Magazine’s contribution to the growth spurt of Yuri in shoujo manga trots out every nasty, tawdry, icky-feeling, angst-making trope it can find. And does it quite well. ^_^;

Ayumu is athletic, popular, smart. Misuzu is ostracized, unlovable, broken. Through circumstance, Ayumu find herself defending Misuzu against just about every jerky way school kids have to be mean to each other. And for her troubles, she is rewarded by a kiss from Misuzu. Misuzu, who hates boys, eventually admits that Ayumu – and only Ayumu – can be close to her. But this immediately turns possessive, when Misuzu runs off a boy who wants to become close to Ayumu. Even though it ultimately turns out that Misuzu was right and the boy was a jerk, the two cannot get their act together as friends or…whatever…because immediately a new threat appears. Someone who knows Misuzu’s dark past is determined to torture her with it. Notes threatening Misuzu appear in her locker. Ayumu can see something is bothering Misuzu, but does not know what.

The newcomer, Satsuki, who has returned from suspension for undisclosed reasons, clearly has an axe to grind and grind it she does, against Ayumu’s unknowing friendship and Misuzu’s already ground-down soul.

Thing come to a climax when papers identifying Misuzu as having had an affair with an older man, a doctor, and ruining him, are plastered all over the school. In Misuzu’s memory, we can see that this is probably not the whole story, but it’s too late for Misuzu, who collapses.

There will be a second volume, and there is an (apparently happy) after-story that has just been published, but Volume 1 is pretty much unremitting angst, no less angsty because you can see everything coming from a mile away. Ayumu is a bit too completely perfect, Misuzu is a bit too completely broken for my taste. But both are sympathetic in their own ways. I do hope for that happy ending, even if I know it’s not going to be them together.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 6
Yuri – 6
Service –  3

Overall – 6

If you loved Pieta, or any of the old, angsty classics of Yuri manga, you  should probably take a chance on Blue Friend.

I did want to mention that the obi that comes with this volume reads “This Yuri Manga is great” in Japanese. Now that’s kinda interesting, isn’t it?