Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Strawberry Panic, Volume 2

December 5th, 2006

Welcome to “schoolgirls” week on Okazu.

Feel my excitement as I contemplate yet another half dozen manga with pretty much the exact same subject. I hope you’ll forgive my lack of enthusiasm – I have a cold and a cranky attitude.

Let’s start with the “omg, most AWESOME 4tw, this series roxors!!!!11111” series since Kannazuki no Miko, shall we? I am of course, speaking of Strawberry Panic which, by the sheer number of emails and comments that look like the above phrase, has an even less discriminating sophisticated fanbase than KnM.

And yet.

I read it. I enjoy it. I find it amusing. (For those of you tempted to write in that I am a moron because I cannot see how wonderfulness Strawberry Panic is, please read the first three sentences of this paragraph again. Then again, until you can understand that I *do* like it. I just don’t think it’s as amazing as some do.)

Let’s start with the cover. You can see that the main character and her stalker roommate are depicted realistically. For eight year olds. However, they are actually 15.

And let’s enjoy the causal wear they are modeling. Exactly *which* part of the school uniform is that? Because clearly it’s only part of it.

But, hey, I’m told by dozens of people that this series is GREAT! Well, usually they say something like “its grate” – and no, I am not kidding or being mean. This is completely representative of the comments I’ve seen on Strawberry Panic.

DESPITE the fact that the fanbase is appalling, the second volume of Strawberry Panic has deviated quite remarkably from the anime and even from the first volume of the manga, which was primarily dedicated to light sexual harrassment which, if it had been guys doing it, would have made most fans of the series upset. But it was two girls, so many enjoyed it anyway. Just, not me.

In Volume 2, the Etoilesen, the competition for the school’s star couple, is about to begin. Unlike the anime, in which each school put up one couple, in the manga version many, many couples from all the schools appear to be eligible to compete. Of course the only two we care about are the Shizuma/Nagisa and Amane/Hikari pairs.

The competition opens with the swearing of vows of love and loyalty, all very wedding like. A couple clearly gets points on style, hence Amane’s swinging Hikari into her arms romantically (something also used in the anime, rather inexplicably if you hadn’t already read the manga. Luckily, I am getting the monthly issues of Dengeki G’s that the manga runs in, to cover just such situations. lol)

In the manga, it is Shizuma and Nagisa who are standing for the Etoile, not Tamao and Nagisa. Shion, president of Spica, is not above using dirty tricks to get Amane and Hikari into the Etoile position, so she secretly sends Nagisa info on Shizuma’s former partner. During the vow portion of the event, Shion asks Shizuma to swear that her love wholly and completely be given to Nagisa. After a moment of hesitation, Shizuma falls to her knees and makes the vow.

Nagisa is totally confused about everything which, for once, I can’t really blame her too much.

The first test is obviously designed to place Amane/Hikari above the pack with an awesomely stupid contest in which all the “cadets,” the younger partners, are shoved onto a platform on a tower, while the “ane,” the older partners, ride a steeplechase, save their princess from the tower and ride back. Of course tragedy strikes as both Hikari and Nagisa manage to fall. Of course they are saved. I mean, puh-leeze. We could hardly hope that they would be allowed to die so soon, more’s the pity. LOL Instead we are treated to Prince Amane and Etoile Shizuma at their knight-on-charger coolest. (And, btw, they are *still* an allegory for Heaven vs Hell. Just want to make the point. Amane all in white on her gray [white horses, for those of you non-horse people, are all “gray”] and Shizuma, all in black on her big black horse. [There’s no real black horses either. FYI.])

After the first round is over, there’s a little party at which Nagisa expresses her self-doubt. Shizuma restates her vow and the two seal their promise with a kiss.

End of volume.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a plot starting to develop in this volume – Kaname’s desire to win the Etoilesen has now been augmented with her open desire to win it *with* Amane (which leads to a great scene where Amane complains that if the two of them run together they’ll look like a Boy’s Love couple, which is countered by Shion saying that as a couple of Takarazuka Top Stars, they’d be a winning pair.) Kaname remains an EPL (Evil Psycho Lesbian), but Momomi is, at the moment, at least, not part of the equation. One hopes that she and Kaname will end up together.

Shizuma and Nagisa’s relationship is not being dragged unnecessarily through the angst fields as with the anime, and the kiss was neither sleazy nor servicey. In fact, for this series it was quite sweet. …I’m all for false hopes.

Ratings:
Art – 6 (too loli for me)
Story – 6
Characters – 5-6 depending on my mood
Yuri – 8
Service – 7

Overall – 6

It’s written by guys, for a fanboy audience. But I’ve seen (and enjoyed) worse. Not bad enough to be funny, not good enough to be “good,” it will no doubt be immensely popular when Seven Seas translates it.





Yuri Manga: Tori Koro, Volume 2

December 1st, 2006

I am about to say something I have never said before about a fellow translated manga distribution company – DrMaster is really *very* bad at their job.

I’ve read over and over that they’ve “gotten better” but given that they are coming from a place where translations are awful to abysmal, honorifics wander in and out of a book like a bored 13-year old and the reproduction of the pages is so poor that I honestly have no idea what’s going on, I can only imagine that they *have* to get better…because there’s not that much further down to go. Frankly, I’d be ashamed to put something out of this poor technical quality. The color page was so blurry and vague that it would be virtually useless to use it as a character guide, unless you had an idea who the characters were already.

Storywise, Tori Koro, Volume 2 is similar to Volume 1. The story is told in 4-panel comics, full of mind-bogglingly bad puns, Tatami’s weird-ass brain function and a lot of stupid sillyness. It’s not “wackiness,” not hysterical, just silly.

Niwa-chan’s feelings for Yae continue in this book much as they did in the first, with an added degree of desire. She’s wangled a place in the household where she spends a lot of time holding Yae in her arms as they sit around, and few times she slips and says something a tad more explicit than usual. As Yae appears to be blissfully unaware (or she’s perfectly happy with it – whichever reading you prefer,) that leaves Makishi and Tatami to react comically. Nothing in this book is anything other than comic setup, so expect no romance. Niwa’s still gets to hold Yae in her arms, so I’ll call that a win for her. ^_&

I had a good laugh at the rating on Tori Koro, too. They’ve rated it at 13+, which is fine, since there’s very little that can be called objectionable (some teeny-weeny bits of Makishi fanservice, almost as an aside and, of course, Niwa’s professed desire for Yae) but I defy anyone to find a 14-year old who would read three chapters in this manga with any enjoyment. The punch lines are so often based on regional cultural knowledge and bad puns that frankly I cannot imagine the American teenager who could read it with pleasure. ^_^;

Ratings:

Art – 4 (Weird at best, but because of the bad reproduction often completely incomprehensible here)
Story – 5 (If you like puns)
Characters – 7
Yuri – 4
Service – 4 (Also mostly lost because of the bad reproduction)

Overall – 6

So, technically this book is the single worst I’ve ever seen, and the story, such as it is, is impenetrable. But I’m still glad it’s available in translation, because impenetrable puns may be bad in English, but every month when I read my Dengeki Daioh I just KNOW I’m missing 70% of what’s going on. ^_^;

(Oh and how ’bout that…*three* translated manga in one week!)





Yuri Manga: Read or Dream, Volume 1

November 30th, 2006

Wow, two English translations in one week!

I originally reviewed the first volume of Read or Dream on February 4, 2004. That review gives a quickie overview of the whole R.O.D. continuity to that point and ends with a short review of the manga.

Now that an English translation of this enjoyable series is out, I wanted to take a look at it, of course.

In general Viz did a decent job of the translation. Of course they lost the honorifics, replacing “Ma-nee” “Mi-nee” with Mags and Mich…which totally has the opposite effect of the names with the honorifics (Anita is being both casual and respectful with her nicknames, highlighting their sibling relationships – something that is crucial to the story in later volumes – while in the English version the nicknames are merely causal,) but in most other respects they left the names and story intact. The final chapter, with the “kiss scene” conversation and the sexual tension between Maggie and Faye wasn’t changed at all, so thumbs up from this Yuri fan for that. ^_^

Visually, I thought the English version lacked some of the style of the original. The color pages of the original were not reproduced, nor was the dust jacket which covered an cute alternate universe story that was originally printed directly on the book cover. Instead, the story is reproduced in the back of the book on standard black and white pages. There’s nothing wrong with the way it was done – it just doesn’t have any pizazz.

Also. I wonder again about the ratings given to manga. I know why *I* give certain ratings to ALC manga. I wonder why this book, with inappropriate behaviors all over it, a strong current of yuri and shota – and an interview with manga writers and artists in the back that was conducted in an openly declared state of inebriation – is considered appropriate for young teens. I have no problem with it, and any kid I’d give it to would certainly be able to handle the content, but as a parent, I think I’d probabaly question the choice. Maybe Brigid at Mangablog might have an opinion about this? We talked a bit about this kind of thing at Manganext and neither of us were really able to come to a conclusion about they whys and wherefores of ratings by most of the companies. (My mistake: I checked the rating a little later to find that it’s “Older Teen” which I think is pretty appropriate. So forget all that for this book specifically, but the comment still applies generally. )

Is Read or Dream, Volume 1 worth getting?

Yes. In any language. (At the Yuricon Shop, you can find it in English or Japanese as you prefer.)

This first volume is a bit “wackiness ensues” but it sets many of the characters for later chapters and is easy and fun to read. There’s definitely added enjoyment if you know the Paper Sisters from the appearance in the ROD The TV anime, but it’s certainly easy enough to follow if you haven’t.

Ratings:

Yuri – 5
Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 9

Overall – 8

This definitely would make a nice offbeat gift for the tomboy/babydyke/Yuri fan in the family. ^_^





Yuri Manga Anthology "Yuri Monogatari 4" to Premiere at Comiket

November 30th, 2006

ALC Publishing, the world’s only publisher of 100% yuri will be premiering yuri manga anthology, Yuri Monogatari 4, at the world’s largest comic market, Comiket, in Tokyo on December 31, in West Hall, Row “Yo” Table 37a. This is ALC Publishing’s fifth appearance at Comiket – the only American manga publishing company to have a table at this event.

Yuri Monogatari 4, which is available online at the Yuricon shop and for pre-order on Amazon.com, features stories by Akiko Morishima, Althea Keaton, Kristina Kolhi, and Tomomi Nakasora. And we’re proud to announce the English-language debut of the sequel to Rica Takashima’s best-selling title, “Rica ‘tte Kanji!?,” “More Rica ‘tte Kanji!?” Rica Takashima will be at the “Yuricon” table for autographs.

ALC Publishing was founded in 2003 to create and disseminate high-quality yuri manga to the worldwide English speaking audience. ALC is a division of Yuricon, a celebration of yuri and shoujoai in anime and manga.

For more information on ALC Publishing’s 100% yuri publications or on Yuricon, please visit our website at http://www.anilesbocon.com or email us at [email protected]





Yuri Manga: Ninin ga Shinobuden, Volume 1

November 28th, 2006

At a rough guess, I figure I’ve reviewed about 150 yuri manga titles on Okazu. Of these, about a dozen have been in English, a number which includes the 100% Yuri manga titles from ALC Publishing. And of those, about half weren’t even reviewed by me, but by guest reviewer Sean Gaffney (who owes me a review, which is why I am mentioning him by name to shame him into action. ^_^)

So it still feels weird to me to do reviews of manga translated into English. ^_^

As you may remember, last week when I was able, at last, to see one of the books I slaved and sweated over on an actual bookstore bookshelf, I also picked up a copy of the first volume of the 2×2=Shinobuden manga.

It got points with me right off the bat for having the original cover. The Japanese title Ninin ga Shinobuden is featured prominently across the right half of the cover. The translation is in the upper left corner where it says in English 2×2=Shinobuden The Nonsense Kunoichi Fiction. I realize that I’m waaaaaaayyyyyyyyy in the minority on such things, but I really do prefer things to be changed as little as possible. I really am one of those old fogeys who remembers the day when you had to watch a nth generation VHS raw with a typed out translation. I’m not saying everyone should have to suffer for their art, but I like when the translators remain as transparent and non-intrusive as possible.

(I have just learned that some people are watching the newly released Marimite OVA with *my* notes in place of the typed out translation, which feels kind of weird, somehow… lol)

Here’s my obligatory honorific rant: Barring insanely popular series like Naruto, who, exactly, do the publishing companies think *buys* manga? Is some random 10-year old really likely to pick up Shinobuden, or Read or Dream?? I mean really. As far as I know, ALC Publishing is the only manga publisher out there that always-always-always keeps the honorifics intact. It’s true that there may be people buying our books who do not know what “-san,” “-chan,” and “-kun” mean, (in fact, more of a chance, I think than with most manga, since the larger G/L/B/T community is unlikely to know of these and other cultural relics) but I look at it as an opportunity to educate and entertain. And, dammit, the honorifics are so much more precise at placing people in relationship to one another! Please, Viz, Tokyopop, Seven Seas, Dark Horse, and everyone else – leave the honorifics in!! There just is no freaking reason to not call Shinobu “Shinobu-chan.” There just isn’t. There’s notes all over the book, and you’ve left the technique names in Japanese – why not just add one more thing?

Okay, rant over.

The first volume of the Shinobuden manga will be instantly familiar to anyone who has watched the anime,  Ninja Nonsense.) It begins with naive female ninja-in-training Shinobu on a important training mission to retreive underwear from high school girls. Her first target is Kaede Shiranui, who she immediately befriends, and quickly falls for. Shinobu’s sweet, kind of sad attempts at getting closer to Kaede are hampered by three things – 1) her own social dysfunction; 2) her master and fellow ninja’s intrusive perversion, and; 3)Kaede’s just not interested.

Kaede remains the only one in the book with three brain cells to rub together, and the main plot complication is “wackiness ensues”, but it was an amusing read for an otherwise unencumbered evening.

Technically, I think Infinity Studios did a pretty good job with the book. It’s an A4 size – the same size we use at ALC Publishing, with no color pages, but good overall reproduction. There are copious notes throughout, often crammed into teeny spaces which made them hard to read, as various cultural and series-specific things are explained/described. But, seriously – you’ll take space to define “shuriken” but not leave in and explain “-chan”? I’m just never going to understand that…sigh.

None of the sound effects were translated at all. This does not bother me in the least, as I never notice them. (I received a complaint about the untranslated s/fx in our first printing of WORKS, but honestly, I never figured anyone would care – I never, ever notice them. That was corrected for the second printing, so if you get a copy now, it has translated s/fx.)

One thing they really managed well, was the various “voices” of all the characters. It’s not that easy to do, and it comes across well here how different Shinobu and Kaede are, as well as how different they are from the other characters.

There are, at least as far as I can tell, no changes or edits from the original – this still remains a fairly pervtastic book, that mocks the FanBoy even as it caters to him. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 6 Cute in that Mediaworks kind of way. Not my taste, but not really bad.
Story – 6 Depends if you like physical comedy or not, mostly
Characters – 7 Somehow, despite her cluelessness, or maybe because of it, Shinobu is awfully cute
Yuri – 4- Shinobu is, undoutedly interested in Kaede, but for this volume at least, there’s no return on investment.
Service – 6 Not really high enough to be a turnoff, but still vaguely irritating

Overall – 6

If you like wacky ninja comedy, this is definitely worth a read. If you’re looking for something more on the romantic or serious side, give Shinobuden a miss.