Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


If You Could See Love, Volumes 1-3, Guest Review by Luce

April 5th, 2023

Welcome to a very special Guest Review today! Luce has returned and is shouldering a three-piece review for us! Given how hard writing even this intro is, I cannot express how much I appreciate this. Kick back and let’s dig into all three volumes of If You Could See Love!

Mei Haruno has decided to start in a new school where no one knows her, owing to issues in middle school, stemming from the fact that she can see arrows above people’s heads, pointing to those that they like. Swearing off romance altogether, she assumed an all-girls school won’t have romance… Oops, looks like it’s a lot gayer than she thought! There, she finds Sayu, her best friend from elementary school, who confessed when she had to transfer away, and what do you know, Mei sees an arrow pointing to herself. Later, Mei meets another girl, Rinna, who quickly gains an arrow pointing to Mei.

In the second book, having admitted to a girl on the roof about setting the arrows, Mei is recruited to the student council as a ‘love advisor’: helping other students with their relationship troubles.
There was a chapter in this book that I really liked, where we encounter a Yuri throuple between adults. They even mention that they had to work hard at it, but it’s lovely to see them together.

In the third book, Sayu and Mei go on a date to the amusement park, and Mei loses the ability to see the arrows?

The arrows, and whether their shape means something, isn’t really explained – it’s implied that the strength of the arrow is equivalent to the strength of the person’s love at that moment, so it ebbs and flows a bit. A weak connection is a small wobbly one, and sometimes they fill the page. There is a small section where someone’s arrow, pointed at an idol, gets ‘sharp’ and goes black, so clearly there is some meaning to them. I quite liked it as a mechanic, and actually thinking about it, anyone would probably get into the same mess as Mei. A nice touch in the manga is that it uses colour pages throughout to highlight the arrows in pink- sometimes the background is pink or other things are highlighted, which adds to the art.

I quite like the characters, although I would have liked to spend more time with some of them, like the throuple. Mei being incredibly anaemic as a hold-over from her (you guessed it) Ambiguous Hospitalising Disorder kind of made sense, but was a little annoying at times – although there was a panel in the amusement park where Sayu forbids Mei from going on a ride since the sign says ‘not for those with medical conditions’ which was funny. For all I’m not a fan of the sick child trope, at least it stuck to it without being too overbearing.

I’m going to talk about the ending, although I will give it it’s due that I don’t think it was super obvious who (or if) Mei was going to end up with, if anyone, at the start. But as seeing as they even including a canon throuple, I hoped this would somewhat foretell the ending, especially considering that it seems to be setting itself up that way, with Rinna starting to see Sayu romantically at one point. If you’re looking polyamory here, I hate to disappoint, but it doesn’t happen. I think it actually would have been a fun ending. The second book really seems to lean into it, which makes me wonder if it got vetoed by an editor.

Nonetheless, it is a cute story. It’s not going to challenge you, but you could do a lot worse than this: it’s finished at three volumes, which is probably about right for this; it doesn’t feel unnecessarily dragged out or curtailed, and the epilogue was really nice to see.

Ratings:

Story: 7
Yuri: 10 – I mean, I don’t think there is a man drawn on page that has a face, in so much as they’re all background characters. Three Yuri pairings, and more implied offscreen (plus a point for a character that is implied to be and I’m taking for aromantic)
Service: 2? There are a few bath scenes with minimal service, but there is a scene where someone imagines a kiss going a bit further. It’s not explicit.
Art: 7 (I doubt any panel would stop you in your tracks, but I didn’t note any particular anatomy issues, and some panels are quite pretty. The pink as a highlight helps, but I didn’t think it was overused)
Overall: 7

A cute, fairly quick read. The poolside read of the Yuri world – not going to knock your socks off, but it’ll probably make you smile.

Thanks so much Luce! You’re a true Okazu hero today. ^_^





Akuyaku Reijou ga Sei Heroine o Kudokiotosu Hanashi. (悪役令嬢が正ヒロインを口説き落とす話。)

March 23rd, 2023

Akuyaku Reijou ga Sei Heroine o Kudokiotosu Hanashi. (悪役令嬢が正ヒロインを口説き落とす話。) is a mostly goofy series of manga gags, until it turns quite serious. Then it’s still quite goofy, except it’s also kind of icky.  Then it ends and it’s still quite goofy.  This is a series populated by a series of puns, running around being their name. ^_^

Akuya Kurei-jou (a pun on Akuyaku Reijou, i.e., “Villainess,”) is the sister of the Prince who begins the story by stealing her ex-fiance’s fiancee, Sei Hi Roine, (Sei Heroine, Saintly Heroine). For a villainess, Akuya is loving, and quite committed to doing right by the woman she loves. The “jokes” are primarily her acting evilish, then giving her besotted heroine love the love she deserves.

The prince’s name is also a pun, Sanpunkan, which I’m fairly convinced is “Mr. 3 Minutes.” and Akuya’s ever despairing Maid’s name is Yabba Kisuna Kasa, which I can’t get a handle on but is undoubtedly something bitchy about Akuya caught kissing again.

I was hoping that this would be a little more fully formed than a series of short gags, but it definitely made for another perspective on the lesbian villainess trend.

Ratings:

Art – 7 Sketchy, and unrefined
Story – There wasn’t one, until there was and then I wish there wasn’t again.
Characters – 7 Akuya and Sei were cute
Service – Oh yes. Of many kinds.
Yuri – 9

It didn’t hold together, but as a series of doujinshi-like shorts, it definitely had it’s moments.

The cat’s name was Nora. I don’t know if that was a pun or not.

I read this volume on Bookwalker, but it is also available in print!

 





ULTIMATE-MAMA, Volume 1

March 10th, 2023

A woman with scars across her face in a tactical bodysuit carries a high school girl in a torn school uniform, ULTIMATE MAMA in Japanese and English in pink letters across the front cover. Black letters read Story and Art by Hayashiya ShizuruOne of the minor high spots last year that wasn’t everything to do with launching a book on the history of the Yuri genre (!), was news that one of my favorite manga artists, Hayashiya Shizuru, was serializing a new manga online. ULTIMATE MAMA, Volume 1 is the print collection of that series. Please allow me to simply quote myself for the synopsis:

A bunch of content warnings on the manga for today’s review, for blood, and violence, and “comedic” BDSM and nudity and some other stuff.

Fujimori Manatasu is a very cute high school student. At 18, she already has a modeling career and is well-liked by her friends. Walking home from school one day she sees what looks like a giant black crescent moon in the sky. She is rescued from some slavering creature by a woman with abs of steel, Ultimate Fang, and her apparently small child, Meteora. The next day at school, Manatsu finds the child to be 18, and a transfer student into her class…and both Juou Ruriru, the child and Juouo Hagane, the buff mother, are now her next-door neighbors. Hagane is there because Manatsu has blood that will also give her super powers as well, if only Hagane can awaken them. Preferably by having sex, but whatever. When another equally buff woman arrives, Savage, (real name Jade Anderson) Manatsu’s mom falls, hard. Now it’s up to Hagane to awaken Manatsu’s powers and gain a partner.

In addition to the gags about Hafgane and Manatsu having sex to activate Manatsu’s powers, two high school girls are having intimate relations in the school library, and seem to be opening up the crescent gates for the creatures to come through. Who are they and…why?

This story plays out with not-explicit, but very obvious, sex, along with nudity, gags, blood, and excruciating puns. Hagane and Manatsu save the day from the big bad who was a bit of a surprise in the sense of the “half-brother who had gone to South America” kind of surprise – you know, we just weren’t told the important thing up front.  Everyone ends happily every after, and the bad jokes keep going, one presumes, long after the story ends.

The art here is very on point for me, as well as for Manatsu and her mom. Both Hagane and Savage have exceptional exterior obliques and wear a suit with class. Both the action and sex are full of gags…in fact, when she published the “climactic” (hah) chapter, Hayashiya-sensei commented something like, “I just can’t do good sex scenes.” She can, she just can’t do *serious* sex scenes. But she can’t do serious anything, so that’s fine. ^_^ Her art, though has probably never been better. I was flipping through some earlier work and wow, this art is so confident and mature.

As an added bonus, this volume contains “Friday Is The Day,” the one-shot from the second of Shueisha’s Yuritora Jump Yuri anthologies. This story pretty much convinced me that Sensei and I are separated at birth TM, as it is a short about two mixed martial artists beating their confessions into one another at a boxing gym, while an audience of an elderly man and woman cheer them on.

This volume is a delightful mix of humor, violence and Yuri, by Hayashiya-sensei, just the way I like it. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8 Ridiculous, but fun
Character – 10 Ridiculous and fun
Service – 5 Ridiculously fun
Yuri – 10 Fun and ridiculous

Overall – 9

In addition to this, I also got Yankoi Shokudo C-teishoku (ヤン恋食堂　C定食), the third issue of Hayashiya-sensei’s yanki girls fighting, eating and falling for one another doujinshi, so I am replete with Yuri, food and fighting manga for a moment. ^_^ 





Pulse, Volume 1 and Volume 2, Guest Review by Eleanor W

March 8th, 2023

Two women lay, clasping hand, sprawled in a bed of white flowers. "Pulse" is written in large cursive letters across the cover in a cursive letters that end in a heartbeat from a cardiac monitor.Welcome to Guest Review Wednesday, where you and I both get the benefit of someone else’s voice here on Okazu! This week we welcome back Eleanor W with a look at the Seven Seas edition of Rata Satis’ Pulse. I reviewed Satis’ own release of this book in 2016! Wow, time flies. I’m looking forward to hearing what Seven Seas has done with this series, so take it away, Eleanor!

Hello again, as always, it’s nice to be back. You can find me on various parts of the Internet as @st_owly, including the Okazu Discord. This is a series that has been on my radar for a while, but I’d never quite gotten around to it until I saw the first volume in the shops. I’m grateful as always to Erica for offering me the opportunity to review it. 

2022 was the year print editions of webcomics exploded, with several publishers now offering full colour printed graphic novel editions of popular comics from online platforms such as Webtoon, Tapas and Lehzin. Most of these releases are of Korean comics, but today’s review covers a notable exception. Pulse was originally released on the Lehzin comics platform, and is by Thai artist Ratana Satis. Due to the mature content, this series is not available on the Lehzin iPhone app, you can only read it on their website.

The synopsis from Seven Seas on the back of Pulse, volume 1 is as follows:
Mel, a renowned heart surgeon, is well-known for being a stoic loner. She views her erotic flings with other women as a tool for pleasure rather than a show of affection. Then she meets Lynn, a beautiful and spirited cardiac patient who needs a new heart, but refuses a transplant. The two women meet with minimal expectations but soon become enthralled in a relationship that changes everything for them both.

This Girls’ Love comic–and first place winner of the 2nd Lezhin Comics World Comic Contest–is one of the most popular series by fan-favorite Thai creator Ratana Satis, also known for Soul Drifters and Lily Love.

Seven Seas covers are usually excellent, and these two volumes are no exception. The title is embossed on the volume covers and spines, and the heart monitor line in the logo is a nice allude to the theme of the series. The volumes themselves are printed on nice glossy paper, and the lines and ink are crisp, especially important for a full colour release. Moving on to the actual contents of the books, it’s nice to read a yuri story where one of the main characters is openly described as a lesbian. The first 2 chapters are all about Mel. Lynn, the other protagonist, isn’t actually introduced by name until chapter 3, when after a chance meeting in the hospital corridor, circumstances mean that she and Mel meet formally as doctor and patient. Lynn strong arms Mel into buying her lunch the next day, and as the book progresses they gradually start getting to know each other. Read together, volume 1 feels like an introduction, setting the stage for the actual story to start in volume 2, but I don’t see this as a bad thing.

Volume 2 begins with Lynn showing up at Mel’s apartment and announcing she’s moving in with her. U-haul lesbians are a meme for a reason, but this is fast even by lesbian standards. There’s even an obligatory yuri aquarium date later on in the volume, where it’s lovely to see them both just genuinely enjoying each other’s company and, as the book goes on, Mel realising she cares for Lynn in more than just a professional way. Hints at Mel’s romantic past are sprinkled throughout the 2 volumes, no doubt all will be revealed later on, and I’m definitely sticking around to find out. The two of them are too charming not to, and I’m rooting for them to get their happy ending. 

 

Ratings:

Art: 8. Whilst it’s not particularly unique, it’s attractive and well done and some of the facial expressions are a delight.

Story: 7. Don’t think about it too much, just enjoy it for what it is and you’ll forget how implausible the scenario actually is (does this hospital not have an ethics board?) 

Characters: 9. These two really do make the series. Lynn reminds me of a little puppy with her energy and eagerness to please, Mel is the cold hearted one who “doesn’t like dogs” and their growth, both as individuals and as a couple, over the two volumes is very endearing. Service (level of salaciousness): 10. This one is rated Mature and shrink wrapped for a reason. The erotic scenes are plentiful (2 in the first chapter alone) and there is very little left to the imagination. 

Yuri: 9. Two women who need each other more than they both realise. It’s lovely to see Mel opening her heart (no pun intended) to Lynn. 

Overall: 8. If you’re looking for something with adult characters and a decent bit of spice which isn’t just porn, you could do a lot worse than Pulse. 

Erica here: Thank you so much! Now that this is available digitally, I might pick up the next volume and see where the story leads ^_^





Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 5 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。)

March 6th, 2023

Before we start today’s review, I want to let you know that until May my reviews are going to be less regular. I have a relentless schedule for March and April, but at the end of it, I hope I have a lot of fun stuff to share with you all.

Today, to get this new schedule off with a bang, we’re looking at Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 5 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。) In the aftermath of the Commoner Movement and the resulting loss, Claire is depressed and Rae is desperately trying to cheer her up. But when Claire does cheer up, it is because Rae’s only real rival is arriving – Manaria, the crown princess of the neighboring country Susse. Manaria is good-looking, popular, accomplished and worst of all, she’s the only quadcaster in the world. She’s top-level at all four elements, to boot. Even worse than worst, Claire has a childhood crush on her “oneesama.” Manaria is an understandably popular character, but in the real world, she’d be insufferable. ^_^

Now it’s Rae’s turn to feel loss…and have her worldview challenged. Manaria pushes Rae to be honest about her feelings for Claire, then destroys her in a duel. But when Rae gets back up and challenges Manaria to an epic battle of vows of love, it will change everyone in the story. This is one of the most popular arcs of the original series, according to inori.-sensei. For good reason. There’s a lot of nail-bitingly good stuff here.

Art-wise, this book is phenomenal. From the tension on the spectators’ faces during Rae and Manaria’s duel to the incredible climax of the Scales of Love contest, there are whole volumes in Claire’s eyebrows. ^_^

This arc is a breather before the story takes a darker turn – a breather that is still quite intense. It’s also the first time Rae is able to meet someone in this world who admits to being queer…a remarkable thing that heralds many other remarkable occurrences in the series, as well as laying some foundations down for future arcs.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 7
Service – Manaria is a kind of service. ^_^

Overall – 9

This volume does not yet have a English-language release date, but when it does, don’t hesitate – it is wonderful. ^_^