Kimochi no Katachi, Volume 2 (きもちのかたち), continues to follow the stories of Satsuki’s relationship with Kano, and Mako’s relationship with Rina. In both cases, the relationship become closer and matures past that “Story A” space.

Satsuki’s story really takes off in what is probably my favorite of all the chapters, which centers around a most common object – a cell phone.

Satsuki’s father is rather strict and old-fashioned and he doesn’t see a business case for his children getting cell phones. So Satsuki has to rely on the family phone, which makes talking to Kano awkward. Kano lends Satsuki her cell phone, but Satsuki’s father hears her talking in her room and throws a hissy fit, assuming she’s talking to a boy who’s up to no good. Scared half out of her mind, Satsuki decides to approach her father directly and ask for a phone. Unfortunately, he’s a shouter, and starts to overwhelm his daughter before she can get started. Like some kind of miracle, Kano shows up, apologizes to Dad for the fuss and woos him into being quiet long enough for Satsuki to make her request. He agrees that she can have one, which becomes their next Sunday date. But that isn’t the point. The point of the scene, as both Satsuki and Kano later comment on, is that Kano sits in seiza, with one hand lightly on Satsuki’s back as she petitions Dad to allow his daughter to have a phone. It’s a beautiful moment. That small gesture claims Satsuki as *hers* in a way that’s unmistakable, without saying a word. Later on, Kano admits that she was terrifyingly close to asking Dad for Satsuki’s hand in marriage. ^_^

Meanwhile, Mako is making herself ill because she really, really, really wants to kiss, touch and do other things with Rina. Unfortunately she’s still horribly gun shy and, even though no one is stopping her, Mako is just not ready to accept her own desire. (As I once wrote in a story, desire is a terrible thing, because you can never go back after giving in.)

Mako’s previous crush doesn’t make it easier by telling Mako that *she’s* ready to accept Mako’s feelings. Mako’s making herself and Rina miserable, but the only one who can release her from her prison is her. Eventually Rina helps Mako see the light, and Mako and she finally are able to move their relationship forward.

For a series titled, “Shape of Feelings,” both arcs really fit the bill. There’s a genuine and heartfelt exploration of feelings and situations that a young woman who finds herself in love (and lust) with another woman might be dealing with. More importantly, the stories deal with the fallout of these feelings into other, completely normal everyday experiences. Mako’s inability to cope with her fantasies about Rina, or even her enjoyment of looking at Rina’s body; Satsuki’s fear that Kano will be stolen from her, or that her feelings for Kano will be discovered by her family are not unusual to anyone who has ever fallen in love with the “wrong” person.

I can’t recommend this series enough. It’s got strong characters and completely real, completely accurate feelings. Something that I’m glad to say there’s more and more of these days. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 9
Service – 2

Overall – 9

Congratulations to Sakuraike and many thanks for their fantastic work over the years!

You know the old stereotype of an old person crying tears of joy, saying something like, “I’m so glad to have lived to see this day”? I am that old person. ^_^

Almost all of my favorite original doujinshi artists have been discovered, their stories collected, their work recognized for its innate value.

Today’s review is a collection of a series I talked about five years ago. Sakuraike was one of the first original Yuri doujinshi circles I began collecting, and we had the incredible pleasure of being able to include some of their work in our Yuri Monogatari 5 anthology.

Kimochi no Katachi (きもちのかたち) is the collection of all the Tact doujinshi series in two volumes.

The first arc of the volume is by Kitao Taki and introduces us to Mako, a boyish, athletic, but sweet and kind and soft-hearted girl. Her best friend Takemi is protective of her, but not grasping. When another female student falls for Mako, Mako resists primarily because she’s already been burned for having feelings for another girl. But Rina is nothing if not persistent. Mako’s relationship with Takemi suffers because she can’t find it in herself to tell her best friend what’s obviously going on. Takemi knows – she’s not an idiot – but she needs Mako to be the one to say it. Takemi’s right, too. Mako needs to be able to be honest with herself.

Rina is fighting to get Mako to say her name, when Mako’s former love interest shows up to complicate things. Mako has to move past her old unrequited love, her fear of her own feelings and plain old embarrassment. But she does, and by the end of the arc captured in this volume, Makoto and Rina are finally able to be a couple.

The second arc, by Mitou Kana tells the story of Satsuki, who falls for her sempai in the Library club, Kano. Satsuki is very well aware of how people perceive women who love women, and she carefully draws an imaginary line between behaviors that are acceptable and those that are not. By accident, she meets a lizard who teaches her the meaning of “being gross” and “being different” and learns to accept her own feelings.

Satsuki is assisted in this by her friend Mana, who sees immediately what’s going on and – like Takemi in the first arc – demands that Satsuki be honest with herself. At the end of the first volume Satsuki admits to Mana that, yes, she does like Kano. Since the very first 4-koma of the arc shows the two of them as a couple, we can relax…a little bit. ^_^

When I first discovered Sakuraike, I was enchanted by their characters. They were doing what everyone else wasn’t. Their characters were talking about, thinking about and dealing with the reality of being in love with another girl – territory that’s *still* pretty rare in Yuri. Thanks to the leveling up of artists and circles like Sakuraike, UKOZ, Morinaga, Takashima, Tadeno and Morishima, we’re getting more and more realistic situations in our Yuri.

Artistically speaking, there’s some good and some less good in Kimochi no Katachi. Remember, Tact is pretty old now (I started collecting it in 2004 and it had already been a round for a while), so as artists, both Taki and Kana have improved since then. Taki’s art tends towards a loose playing-free-with-proportions style, and Kana’s style is more 4-koma cute.

For me, it’s the characters that rule here. Satsuki is instantly likeable, Kano is fun and you know, when Rina’s aching because Mako’s so cute…you feel it, you really do. The story lines might appear to be paths that have been well-trod, but they weren’t – not when these stories were first written. And they still hold up today, I think.

If I wanted to give a good Yuri manga to a young woman who was questioning her right to love another woman and worried that people might think she was weird, this is the manga I would give her.

Ratings:

Because this volume is a collection of doujinshi that were released over years, the ratings are amost all variable.

Art – From 3-7
Story – From 6-8
Characters – 8-9
Yuri – 9
Service – 1

Overall – 9

I am so glad to have lived to see this day. I mean that. Holding this book in my hand was like a gift from heaven. 18 days into it, 2010 is still the best year of my life (so far!)