When you think of hostesses at Japanese clubs, the first thing you think of is…what? I’m betting that the characters that make up the “Sweet and Juicy Papaya Girls” of Papaya Gundan aren’t it. ^_^

Club Papaya is run by Hajime. Like most hostess clubs, the girls who work for him use aliases. Chieri, a popular girl with his customers, who happens to have a sex-friend relationship with one of his other girls, Mika. Mika definitely takes it way more seriously than Chieri, though and it’s causing some friction between them.

In the meantime, Hajime has fallen for one of his employees, an attractive, classic beauty who goes by the name Kyouko. Little does the owner know that Kyouko’s true passion is writing Boys’ Love doujinshi.

And then there’s Mariko who sort of adopts a younger guy she meets on the street. The next thing we know they are involved, and things are just getting plain weird between them.

The stories stand alone, but they don’t live alone – each intertwines with the other, and at least for this volume, the story of Chieri and Mika takes the lead spot.

It turns out that Mika knows Ryuu, Mariko’s adoptee boyfriend, from previous years of dancing practice. Of course when Chieri and Mariko learn about this – they want to see them dance. (Seriously – if it was your lover, wouldn’t you want to, too?) The surprise is on them when they learn that by “dance,” they meant “ballet” – and they are both damn good, as it turns out. After they finish their dance, Ryuu runs up to Mariko and confesses that he loves her, loudly, awkwardly and adorably sincerely.

In the mean time, Hajime pursues Kyouko, and upon learning that she’s called in sick, rushes over to pay her a visit with flowers and food. She’s actually called in sick to write her next doujinshi, but she can’t bring herself to tell him the truth. Nonetheless Hajime earns props, because indulgence goes a long way with winning a woman over. ^_^

One of the biggest points of contention between Chieri and Mika is the truth. Mika won’t give Chieri her real name, or tell her where she lives. One early spring day, Mika asks Chieri to meet her in town before work. Chieri is a little surprised to see Mika approach wearing a school uniform. She asks what the deal is, and is even more surprised to learn that Mika, whose real name is Kurara (oh, god, so cute! thinks Chieri) has just graduated from high school. The reason Mika never said where she lived was, because, when she turned 18 she ran away from home and is living with her brother Hajime, the club owner. Chieri forgives the deception, and takes Mika to a hotel to have a dirty weekend.

This volume wraps up with Kyouko coming in to work with a slapmark on her face, the result of her boyfriend stating that it’s either him or the doujinshi. When he comes to the club to beg her forgiveness and ask her to marry him, she responds with a chokehold of foul language and a piledriver of a middle finger. Hajime, mister cool, jumps right in to ask her to go out with him. ^_^ You really gotta love him.

This was the third of the three manga I recently purchased which surprised me by not sucking. It’s published by Fx Comics, the same company that publishes Aoi Hana, so it probably runs in a magazine for guys, but there’s a decidedly josei feel about it in art and content. If you’re looking for a josei-style story in which the women do *not* put up with abusive and assholish behavior from men, and in which the girl gets the girl to boot, you might want to give Papaya Gundan a chance. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. :-)

Ratings:

Art – 4 (I cannot stand the sex-doll lips style of josei)
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 9
Service – 4

Overall – 8

It’s, like, for grownups. About grownups. Kinda weird, huh?

Choir! was one of the manga I picked up last month that, despite my best efforts, I found I did not hate.  ^_^;

The color art on the back cover and inside really pushed my ability to tolerate and, in fact, upon revisiting this manga, I find myself repusled all over again by them. However, the manga itself is nothing at all like the color art, for which I am immensely grateful. So, should you be looking for a loli/moe school girl story about cat-ear girls, you will be disappointed by Choir!.

Choir! is a 4-koma style comic that runs in Comic Ryuu – the same magazine that gave us Nemurubaka – and is not unlike the many other 4-koma series about school girls published in magazines for men. Like Rakka Ryuusui or Tori Koro or Hidamari Sketch, 4-koma comics focus on situations that allow for wacky misinterpretation, or one cracked character saying a thing that is funny. Insert trombone, penny whistle, clown horn or kooky noise of your choice. ^_^

The premise of Choir!, such as it is, is about “Fashionable otaku girl” Mawata (a reference that made me laugh) and her friends in their day-to-day fun school lives. Because Mawara is an otaku, she does spend some time wearing cat accoutrement, and we get the inevitable Comiket chapter, as well as other typical otaku and school interests. And, of course, maid outfits.

For the purpsoses of art, Mawata is not above kissing another girl. But she’s not really the Yuri character in the series. The cover characters, Mawata’s friends, Shousei and extra moe Mayuko are. Shousei’s interest in Mayuko is evident fairly early on, and it appears that Mayuko, for all her protestations of innocence and disinterest, is being more a tease than anything. Mayuko appears to find it amusing to string Shousei along, then push her away. (Run, Shousei, run! Don’t do it!) However, in a massive reversal of all that is manga, Mayuko *admits* to jerking Shousei around and at the end of the volume is absolutely, totally Shousei’s girlfriend. Not what I expected, certainly.

There is a fair helping of service in this story. Bathing, dress up, Yuri, cat ears, general otaku drooling at their particular fetish and the like. This is another 4-koma that, should an American publisher pick up, the average creepy guy in the corner would probably like. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 4 to *me*. If you like moe-ified high schoolers, then maybe a 7 to you.
Story – 6 It’s situation comedy.
Characters – 6 Like most 4-koma, the characters have the depth of one or two gags
Yuri – 7
Service – 7

Overall – 7

Not at all what I expected. I’m not displeased to have taken a chance on Choir!.

One more for the file of stories with adult female leads, Octave, Volume 1, (オクターヴ) has many admirable qualities that make it a series to keep an eye on.

Miyashita Yukino wanted, more than anything else, to become an idol. In defiance of the odds, she actually did manage to accomplish her dream only to find that being an idol is not enough to make one a celebrity. The idol group Yukino was part of failed to sell. Yukino went back to school, spending the remainder of her time there wading through jealousy and curiosity from the girls and a mix of sexual interest and disrespect from the guys.

Now 20, Yukino lives in Tokyo, far from her remaining friends and family, trying to forge a new life on her own as a talent manager. But she’s not really having any fun at it. Her life lacks purpose and rhythm and, even now, she has a nagging sensation that she should be that girl on the pedestal.

Yukino finds herself befriended by Setsuko, the sister of the guy who runs the laundromat she uses. Suddenly, Yukino feels that maybe Tokyo isn’t such a lonely place. She’s finally found someone she can relate to – Setsuko was a member of a small musical group that, like her own, only released one album. Setsuko now barely makes a living writing songs for singers who don’t even know who she is.

One night, as they eat mabutofu, Yukino finds herself telling Setsuko about her encounter with failure, and about her desire for a boyfriend, maybe marriage – a normal life. Setsuko responds by sitting much too close and forcing Yukino to face some of her own fears. That night they end up making love.

Yukino’s found what she thinks is a little happiness, but of course nothing stays the same forever. As she tries to find a place for her feelings for Setsuko, Yukino will encounter situations that wrap her in jealousy over Setsuko (who is bisexual,) over the paths her former partners in the idol group have taken, over everything everyone thinks of as a normal life.

Octave is not melodramatic, it’s not overwrought, it’s not full of love affairs going horribly tragic, or violent, or a life in crisis. It’s not WEtv. Thank *heavens.* It’s a grown up manga for grown ups, who like to read grown up stories about grown up women who like grown up women.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Yuri – 8
Service – 4

Overall – 8

I definitely recommend it for realistic, non-ridiculous Yuri narrative and sincerely hope that someone will consider picking it up for translation here.

Every once in a while, it’s extra nice to be completely, totally, utterly wrong. In the case of Poor Poor Lips, I’m pleased to say that I was completely, totally, utterly wrong. ^_^

I’ll admit that the art style of this manga does not appeal to me. I’ll never get past the hurdle of a 21-year old being drawn like a 6 year old. (I’m clearly a minority in this.) So, when I saw the cover I was quick on the draw to say “Blecch.” But the story itself was really quite cute and for once there was actually an inkling of lesbian identity and everything!

Nako is a poverty-stricken 21 year-old in desperate need of a job. She applies for a job at a jewelry store. When shop owner Ren identifies herself as a lesbian, the competition for the position evaporates, leaving only Nako. Ren asks her if her sexual orientation will be a problem, Nako sensibly replies that she’s not interested, so she doesn’t see any problem.

The comic is a a series of 4-koma strips, and range from beating Nako’s state of poverty to death (as in the strip where she’s about to eat bread crusts for lunch and is mistaken for feeding the birds) and to Ren’s privilege and her orientation. But never in a mean way. Nako’s not entirely naive, but she’s not entirely clueful either, which makes for a nice mix of goofy silly and plain funny.

As this volume draws to a close there’s no actual relationship or anything, but Ren’s become decidedly possesive about Nako these days. They’ve both found a place in their hearts for one another in a not uncomfortable or sexual tension-y way.

This manga isn’t going to break records in sales, but if Yen Press is looking to license a 4-koma series with *actual* Yuri content, this would make a safe bet, I’m thinking.

Ratings:

Art – 6 for me, 8 for people who like the style
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 7
Service – 4 (some bathing situations and breast jokes)

Overall – 8

This was one of three series that surprised me this time around. But it was the most pleasant surprise by far considering my assumption that it would utterly suck. ^_^