Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Soulmate, Volume 3, Review by Laurent Lignon

June 21st, 2023
It is time for us to go back to the story of Qi, a Chinese lesbian teacher whose mind has been switched in time with her past teenage self. Will she then be able to save the woman she loves from the disease that is slowly killing her? This review contains some spoilers for Volume 3 of Soulmate written by Wenzhili and illustrated by Keranbing.
 
“Soulmate” has been released as a webtoon in Mandarin Chinese by Kuaikan Manhua and in English by Tapas/Comic Panda, while the printed version has been published in French by Nazca Éditions.

IN THE PRESENT : Teenage Qi is finally reintegrated in her job as a teacher, a remark from her director pushes her to question the reasons that had led her to practice this profession in the first place. An incident allows her to discover who was the anonymous slanderer who outted her on the school social network, while at the same time discovering why she became a teacher and what price she had to pay for it : in order to have a regular income to help pay for Yuanzi’s medical expenses, she refused a contract to publish her first short story. Finally confronting the slanderer in person helps Teenage Qi realize the extant of her love for Yuanzi and decide to fulfill her dream of becoming a full-time writer with her help

IN THE PAST : Something is wrong. Adult Qi has told Teenage Yuanzi that she was in love with her, yet Yuanzi does not react accordingly to the news. Is something missing, maybe Yuanzi hasn’t fallen in love with her yet? Or perhaps it has something to do with the play their friend Keke is about to produce, a play that Adult Qi knows fully well that Keke’s father didn’t came to watch in her original timeline. To be sure that her own future will change and that she’ll be able to save the life of her loved one, Adult Qi decides to ensure that Keke’s father will be there to see his daughter ‘s first success as a play director.

Well, a lot of things happen during those 326 pages ! The stakes keeps getting higher and it is funny to see Adult Qi acting like an adult while in a teenage body (like when she literally break some would-be intrusive flirting boys in a single sentence). The chapter dedicated to the theatre play is perfectly drawn, showcasing some interesting part of the Chinese culture (the play is an adaptation of the classic tale “Tang Buo and Chow Heung”, which was adapted as movies in 1969 and 1993) and allowing Adult Qi to finally understand what is missing for her to fix everything and go back in her own timeline. When that event finally happen, it is in the most romantic way possible.

As for Teenage Qi, it’s a pleasure to see her mature this way and finally accept who she will become. This is to the point where she thinks she will never go back in the past and decide to carve her own path for the future, reciprocating Yuanzi’s feelings for her and accepting that their love will be short, for Yuanzi cannot be saved now. Unless…

Really, too bad that the gorgeous cover art is spoiling the ending ^-^

The secondary characters are what makes this volume so good, each one getting one or more chapters dedicated to how their own issues impact Qi in both timelines. Perhaps the most interesting one is Xinjue, Teenage Qi’s student who outed her anonymously : we finally learn why she did it, as well as the troubles she has in accepting her own closeted homosexuality. While she ends getting a well-deserved backlash for her actions, I still believe it is perhaps too much a strong one… Yet, this allows the story to be more realistic as this is probably what would befall Xinjue if she had done such acts in the ‘real life’. And I can’t help but to feel some pity for a girl who acted on impulse in trying to get herself loved and ended in losing everything she had.

Luckily, not all is dark and there is also a lot of humor, which helps to de-dramatize the most serious moments (my fave ? The reactions of Adult Yuanzi, desperately wanting to have some love action with Teenage Qi… But unable to pass the block of knowing that, even if stuck in an adult body, it’s a teenage girl completely unexperienced in sexual matters that lives with her)

As said before, you’ll know the end just by looking at the cover and it’s as romantic as you could expect (if not more). Those ladies deserved their happy ending, and it’s all wrapped up simply and with cuddly feelings oozing from every case.

ART : 7 – Lizi WENHZI knows how to draw good looking characters, I’m less of a fan of her super-deformed faces for comic relief but that is never a problem. The background are well drawn, and the colors aren’t too artificial looking despite being computer made.

STORY : 8 – Too bad for the cover art spoiling everything, but all the threads are wrapped up nicely until the end. The bonus chapter doesn’t bring anything new or useful, but is still a nice touch showcasing more how Qi and Yuanzi couple works as adults.

CHARACTER : 9 – Every character is relatable to, even the bastard ones like Keke’s father : we all know people like this, whether they’re good or bad persons. They may be just imaginary characters, yet we all know people who are like them. And we love them more for being that way.

SERVICE : 0 – Even with the few sexual innuendos of Yuanzi really turned on by accidentally seeing the naked body of her lover (barely shown on page).

YURI : 10 – As per the two previous volumes, of course.

OVERALL : I’m a sucker for well written love stories that end well and for well written science-fiction/fantasy : having both in the same manhua is a delight and, while Soulmate doesn’t break new grounds as a general rule, it is well worth your time.

I wish the World could be filled with more people like Qi, Yuanzi and all their accepting friends and families : it would surely be a better place.

“In tens of thousands of spaces and times, I will always love you.”





Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna, Volume 4 (作りたい女と食べたい女)

June 19th, 2023

A large woman with long hair in a ponytail, wearing sweats carries fresh greens, a shorter woman in cream blouse and long, green skirt carries a box of groceries. They are smiling gently at one another.There are so many reasons that Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna, Volume 4 (作りたい女と食べたい女) is an amazing volume of manga, that I’m hard pressed to pick one thing. That said, the best thing about this volume of manga is that it is extremely queer even as the characters basically just sit around eating food. ^_^

I don’t want to spoil anything about this volume because it is just so good, but I will tell you that it includes Valentine’s Day, important backstories and a huge decision that will change everything. I just love how everything in this series is rooted in reality. The story acknowledges trauma, but does not wallow in it. In fact, it offers a clear – and kind – path forward.

In the mean time, Nomoto and Kasuga have developed a family. Nomoto’s friend Yako hosts wonderful food parties, so we can enjoy them making takoyaki. New member of the family, Nagumo, begins to find her own self because of Kasuga’s and Nomoto’s kindness. That, in a word is why this series has become important to me – it is rooted in women taking care of each other, of accepting one another as they are. There is so much pressure even – often, especially – by other women, to conform to certain norms, that a series based around women caring for one another is exceptionally wonderful.

Because so little happens, and the story mostly revolves around people talking and eating, the expressions carry a lot of narrative weight. Yuzaki-sensei’s art is lively and fun, especially when the four are all together having a food party.

I will also tell you that Valentine’s Day is, typical of this manga, more to that than just shared chocolates. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 10 It’s not perfect but the expressions are fantastic
Story – 10
Characters – 10 Ahhhhhh!
Service – 0
LGBTQ+ – 10

Overall – 10

This volume just came out – I bought a print copy, but that wasn’t going to arrive until today, so I also bought this on Bookwalker so I could read it on the 15th. ^_^ Now, having written this review, I’m heading over to get caught up on Comic Walker. ^_^ Not obsessed much.

We’ll be getting She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat, Volume 3 in October from Yen Press.





Run Away With Me Girl Volume 2, Guest Review by Matt Rolf

June 14th, 2023

Two adult woman sit up in bed, half dressed, gently touching.What happens when a woman gets to question the path she’s on in a supportive environment away from negative people and the weight of societal expectations? Battan gives their protagonist the space to do just that in Run Away With Me Girl, Volume 2, and the result is a book far more enjoyable to read than Volume 1.

Makimura still holds a torch for Midori, who is still pregnant and engaged to a man. At the beginning of the book the women are not speaking. But, as Midori contemplates the weight of her impending life changes, she breaks down and lets Maki back into her life. Maki takes the opportunity to invite Midori on a trip to see Maki’s friend Komari, a school girl with whom she chats online. Midori, wanting to escape her own life, takes Maki up on the offer, and the women immediately leave for Shōdoshima Island where Komari lives. 

The bulk of the book takes place on Shōdoshima, keeping the reality of Maki and Midori’s real world at bay. It is here that all three women connect with each other and take stock of their lives. The adults find awe in Komari’s fearlessness and honesty as she grapples with the challenges she faces in trying to live her identity. All three observe and encourage each other and use the information to consider what it is they really want from their lives and relationships.

I strongly support the plot choices made in this book. At least some of the characters in this volume are working toward healthier choices than Volume 1, and that’s to Battan’s credit. As with all vacations, there is a bill to be paid upon Midori and Maki’s return.  The bill does not come due in this volume, allowing the characters to bask in the possibilities of a hopeful future.

The artwork is improved in this volume. The dreamy quality of the series overall is accentuated on the island. The backgrounds are more interesting and help set the scene better than Volume 1. Battan wields frame-breaking character features with skill, and uses them more effectively here than Volume 1. My biggest critique is that at times Komari is drawn in a very elfin manner. This accentuates her youth and the un-reality of the island vacation, but at times she just looks weird.

While yuri, this book still exists in a space where the relationships and commitments of the characters are left unstated at important places. A group bath scene with excellent artwork is the service highlight. The scene is tasteful and well-done, and anything more explicit is just not what this series is. The real relationship payoffs are emotional. Midori is moving toward making definitive statements about the sort of relationships she wants, and Volume 3 will give her an opportunity to make good on those movements.

Final Verdict: Leave your troubles behind and get yourself sorted in a steam bath with other women.

Published by Kodansha Comics, with translation by Kevin Steinbach and lettering by Jennifer Skarupa.

Ratings

Art – 8
Story 8 – Not as harsh as volume one, and that’s most welcome.
Characters – 7 We’re getting there.
Service – 5 We don’t have to take our clothes off to have a good time.
Yuri – 8
Overall – 8





My Future Starts Today ~Miku&Kyoko~, Volume 1

June 12th, 2023

On a background of blue hydrangeas, are two girls in tan sweater and red skirt school uniforms are back to back. Standing, one holds a camera. The other reaches back above her head to hold the other's ponytail and reaches behind her to hold the other girl's wrist.Do you remember Blue Drop? It began as a manga, then had a couple of Drama CDs. Some years later it was given an anime that was both very interesting and kind of forgettable at the same time.  Funimation licensed it, releasing a complete collection in 2010. That’s practically a human lifespan ago and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you didn’t remember it. But the point is, that the creator, Yoshitomi Akihito has gone on to make a number of stories and few series, most of which center on sexualizing schoolgirls. None of them have made it over here. I was very surprised to learn that My Future Starts Today ~Miku&Kyoko~, Volume 1 has been localized and released as a digital volume.

Kyoko and Miku have been friends since childhood, but Kyoko doesn’t really understand Miku. So when Miku tells Kyoko she’s in love with her, Kyoko has no idea how to feel about it. It doesn’t help at all, that Miku offers Kyoko her body to do whatever she wants with.

Miku sets about trying to appeal to Kyoko, to seduce her, but Kyoko…while not opposed, per se, really doesn’t know what Miku is thinking. Miku ramps up the seduction with every chapter until Kyoko pushes her away, causing a separate misunderstanding. As this volumes ends, Kyuko hears rumors in school that Miku is hanging with the predatory lesbian Nana-sempai! 

The major down side to this story is Miku’s behavior. She’s written and drawn like every pervy middle-aged dude who thinks high school girls are seductive, thinks girls are like. It’s frankly exhausting. But this has always been Yoshitomi’s oeuvre, so I can’t say I was surprised. That said, both girls stay mostly full dressed (Miku does undress a little) and while they do kiss, when Miku tries to touch Kyoko is when she is pushed away.

This series is complete at Volume 2 if you’d like to see what becomes of Kyoko and Miku. I think I can guess. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7 Very clean and understandable, lots of “sexy” poses
Story – 5 Miku wants Kyoko, there’s not that much subtlely
Characters  – 7 Other than the immediate circumstances, we don’t learn much about the as people
Service – 7
Yuri – 7

Overall – 7

I’ve encountered the publisher MediBang and Media Do Co., Ltd.once or twice, but I finally looked them up. MediBang seems to be a publishing and art platform, while Media Do describes themselves as “one of the largest eBook distribution companies in the world ” – and they own Netgalley, for those reviewers out there. On the translation side they seem to be doing a fine job, but this manga hardly had complicated ideas to communicate, either. They don’t credit humans for the production and I have a nagging feeling that some or all of this is automated. I hope I am wrong.





Mejirobana Saku, Volume 3 (メジロバナの咲く)

June 8th, 2023

Two girls in flower-like green school uniforms, pass another girl in the same uniform, on a brick path.It was summer 2021 that last time we visited this manga by the insanely hard-working Nakamura Asumiko. When I initially encountered it in the pages of Rakuen Le Paradis in 2018(!) I did not expect it would keep going as it has. But as I spend time with the characters, I find myself more interested in them.

In Volume 1 we met Ruby Canossa, a young lady at a private school for girls and Steph, the engimatic older student who fascinates and terrifies her. In Volume 2 a crisis pops up when it appears that means that Ruby may have to leave school. Ruby’s reluctant and resentful roommate Liz rises to the occasion and helps out, but don’t assume she’s a friend!

Now in Volume 3 of Mejirobana Saku (メジロバナの咲く) our attention is turned towards Liz…and Steph. The circumstances of Steph’s injury, Liz’s complicated feelings for the older girl…and a teacher’s grooming of Liz are all entwined in a way that makes this volume compelling, incredibly hard to read and emotional. Content Warning for off-screen violence and implication of intended sexual assault. It wasn’t an easy volume.

Now, at last, we understand the undercurrents that wrap around Ruby. And now, a new plot has appeared. There are rumors of a ghost are starting to appear around the school and small items are going missing…! <shiver>

Nakamura-sensei’s art is so distinctive and so evocative. When a scene is getting intense, it’s really intense. Because the magazine this series runs in is quarterly, we’re only getting a volume every other year, but every volume has been a delight. It’s impressive to see Nakamura-sensei do such an interesting and pretty unique Yuri story, given that the setting is pretty Class S and she’s best known as a BL artist. That said this is a really great story.

Nakamura-sensei’s art is so distinctive and so evocative. When a scene is getting intense, it’s really intense. Because the magazine this series runs in is quarterly, we’re only getting a volume every other year, but every volume has been a delight. It’s impressive to see Nakamura-sensei do such an interesting and pretty unique Yuri story, given that the setting is pretty Class S and she’s best known as a BL artist. That said this is a really great story.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Service – Nothing overt, but the implications were dark
Yuri – 7

Overall – 9

Great stuff and I always look forward to more. We’ll be getting this volume in English as A White Rose in Bloom, Volume 3 in January 2024.