Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Throw Away The Suit Together, Volume 2

November 13th, 2024

A woman with pinkish collar length hair wearing denim shorts and a green tee shirt, holds up a can of beer, while next to her a woman with long black hair, wearing running shorts and a white tank top sucks on an ice pop, as she takes their selfie in front of a deeply blue ocean.

by Matt Marcus, Staff Writer

In the first volume of Throw Away The Suit Together, college students and partners Haru and Hinoto decide to ditch the city and the pressures of job hunting and escape to Hinotoā€™s auntā€™s island summer home. Sure, it was an impulsive decision, but they can certainly make a new life here with no degree, no employment, and no money. Right?

Throw Away The Suit Together, Volume 2 opens as the girls finish writing up a marriage contract. It would be a feel-good moment if either of them had any plan on how they will make a marriage work. Haru immediately says they need to make a lot of money to afford a wedding, but even before that, they are nearly flat broke and need to make some money now.

Luckily, they had met local dive instructor Naruko via lost scooter. She offers them part-time work, and the girls feel like theyā€™ve been thrown a little bit of a lifeline. Sure, they are literally living paycheck-to-paycheck each day, but itā€™s a start.

We spend a lot of time with Haru and Hinoto as they anxiously kill time between shifts. They do laundry at the local laundromat. They sleep in late on a day off. They go to a diner. They have plenty of conversations, except for the one they really need to have: what is their backup plan. Each of them is harboring doubts.

However, even before they can think long-term, Naruko mentions that they only have about three weeks of work left in the busy season. What that leads to isā€¦going back on the job hunt. Given their remote location and high expectations of what kind of job they think they qualify for, options seem nil. In a hail Mary shot, Hinoto again uses her aunt, who has a connection to someone high up in a medium-sized company. This does not pan out, since the job requirements include a college degree. The volume ends with Hinoto calling her college about reenrollment, with Haru eavesdropping.

Like with the first volume, the book ends with a bonus story with a bit of spice, but itā€™s honestly pretty off-putting. I could do without ever seeing a bit where a partner gets jealous and so decides to cover their loverā€™s body with hickies so that they are forced to cover up. Itā€™s never been a good trope.

I had some concerns with this story in volume one. Most of it focused on the nagging feeling that this whole plan is a house of cards, ready to fall with the slightest gust of wind. It made for very anxious reading, and it seems now that the feeling was the intended experience. But worse, Iā€™m not sure what the story is really driving at. Sometimes love is not enough? Thereā€™s no escape from capitalism? That college degrees are important? I feel like Iā€™m watching slow-motion Yuri Uncut Gems, with the girls gambling with their future.

The other thing that is bothering me is that we donā€™t get any view into Haru and Hinotoā€™s life before the story begins. Had they fought through adversity before? Are there any shared memories that they hold dear? Do they, uh, like things in common?? They clearly know each other well enough to give (loving) critiques on their personal quirks, but Keyyang-senseiā€™s got to give me something more to hold on to here.

The art also somehow seems worse this volume. The characters just look sloppily drawn to begin with, and then there are wild swings in style used for humor that causes even further whiplash. The one drawing I would say really hit for me was a full page spread of the girls job searching on their phones while sitting in the dark living room (which raises the question: how are they paying for their phone service?).

By the end of this volume, I am bracing for disaster. The girls are one missed paycheck away from ruin, and yet they seem to leave those envelopes of money lying around without much concern. The island dream may be over soon, but will a new dream follow it?

Ratings:

Art – 5 Itā€™s getting more distracting as it goes
Story – 6 Things donā€™t appear to be getting better, but to what end?
Characters – 6 Haru and Hinoto continue to make bad choices
Service – 3 Only for the bonus story
Yuri – 9 / LGBTQ – 5 Gonna leave this here

Overall – 6 Would possibly be put on a PIP, if they even had a job

The third and final volume of this island ā€œescapeā€ story hits shelves in February.

Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, as well as the writer for the blog Oh My God, They Were Bandmates analyzing How Do We Relationship in greater depth.





I Canā€™t Say No to the Lonely Girl, Volume 4

November 11th, 2024

A girl in a salmon pink jacket over a white tee, with long dark hair and a girl in a denim jacket over a white tee with blonde hair are seen from above as they embrace.In Volume 3, Ayaka stood up and protected Sora from a neglectful and selfish mother. With Sora no longer dealing with an unkind parent, Ayaka and Sora are free to figure out who they want to be as people, and what kind of partnership they want. This could very well have been the end of the series, but instead, we turn to our newest member of the friend group, Wakana.

It was pretty obvious that Wakana’s gaydar was sensitive enough to pick up on Sora and Ayaka’s relationship. And the way she watched over them felt like a story. In I Canā€™t Say No to the Lonely Girl, Volume 4 we learn that story.

Wakana’s past was only a little sad and, amazingly, her new friends make it possible to patch things up with her old friend. And that, in a nutshell, is what I like best about this series. Friends are as important here as lovers. Good friends give each other room to grow and accept their friends as they are. Sora and Ayaka are flying because their friends have lent them wings. In return Ayaka and Sora have opened up – to each other, to their friends, and to themselves.

The next hurdle is going to a tough hurdle – Ayaka has exams that will separate her from Sora, even as they both are thinking about moving forward in their physical relationship.

Ratings:

Art ā€“ 8
Story ā€“8
Characters ā€“ 8
Service ā€“ 1
Yuri ā€“ 8

Overall ā€“ 8

Kashykaze’s art is gentle and swooshy, everyone is maturing little by little, the rough edges of the plot are almost all smoothed out. There’s no doubt that the climax of this story will be happily-ever-after-…or will it?  Volume 5 will be out in December from Kodansha.





Now No One Lurks Under The Snow & Her Kiss, My Libido Twinkles

November 4th, 2024

The last few years has seen a huge shift in the crowd-funding landscape for independent Yuri artists. With the success of the BoyishĀ² Butch x Butch Yuri Anthologies, and the Galette magazine crowdfunding in Japan and now English as a Kickstarter, we saw a number of Yuri artists reaching out directly to fans at home and overseas. It’s an exciting change in an industry that had been reticent to look online for financial support. It’s an imperfect solution, but today’s reviews offer a clear indication that this is the right direction for some artists.

Two women in white shifts, one with a long dark braid, one with short brown hair, embrace in garden.First up, we have 姉äŗ•ęˆø Aneido, who has been creating one-shot and short manga volumes for a number of years. In the past few years, Aneido-sensei has taken to crowdfunding to bring out two of their manga in English, most recently, Now No One Lurks Under The Snow.

This book is set in a manor deep in the mountains, in what I guess would be early-to mid 20th centuryish…after cars, at least. An unnamed young woman visits the manor to take care of androgynous Madam Kay. The two protagonists fall in love and ultimately reject the lives that are demanded of them. Our narrator walks away from a life as a “tool” used by her family and Kay rejects the gender they were assigned at birth and admits to being a non-binary person who does not love men. This is an 18+ book, with a number of explicit but very loving sex scenes. In the end they drive away, hopefully to make a life together.

The book itself is very lovely with a color cover and color dust cover. I backed this at the level that gave me color postcards, a signed bookplate and a pamphlet with notes on the creation and translation of the book. The translation was done by Red String Translations who also worked on Mutusmi Natsuo’s Kickstarters. I have no complaints. 

I was glad to have an affirming work from Aneido-sensei and a really nice-looking result from a Kickstarter.  If you’re looking for an 18+ work starring a non-binary protagonist,  you can still buy a digital copy of this comic on the creator’s shop.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

 

Two girls are close enough to touch. The girl with long blonde hair gently touches the chin of a girl with a collar-length pink bob.Next up we have Her Kiss, My Libido Twinkles by åƄē”°ćæ悆恍 Yorita Miyuki, a consistent member of the Galette magazine line-up. In fact, this Kickstarter collects one of the early stories Yorita-sensei published in that magazine which, unusually for me, made me feel a bit nostalgic about it!

Stuck in the hospital with an injury, Sana meets and is intrigued by Akane, a mysterious older girl who missed a year in school due to illness. Akane is a bit possessive, but Sana wants her to be friends with all her school friends too. When the chance finally comes to introduce Akane to her best friend, Mi-chan,  Mi-chan discovers Yuri books in Sana’s room and impulsively hides, becoming a witness to Sana and Akane kissing.

This story has the potential to be ugly, but it stays mostly kind, with Akane teasing just a bit meanly – and she is honest about not really getting people, society and friends at all. Sana’s journey through puberty drags Mi-chan along as well, but Sana’s earnestness forces both Akane and Mi-chan to at least learn to be civil to one another.

The collected volume is very cute, with the same cover image as the Japanese digital edition on the color dust cover. The volume includes 5 chapters and an extra chapter that gets a little hot, but stays well in under-18 territory. In fact, the entire story can be understood as a very adolescent journey. BPS Co, Ltd. did the translation and, once again, I did not feel there were any major problems, only a very slight awkwardness at the beginning due to the way JP sentences fit together in word balloons. It passes quickly.  BPS was the company that Galette initially announced as the translation team, but eventually went with Red Strings Translation, as well, after a number of recommendations from backers and creators.  

My backer level this time was book-only, as it hit on one of those weeks. ^_^; It’s a nice book though and a pleasant read. And, of course, I am delighted that independent Yuri manga artists are finding a direct line to their overseas audiences! I’d love to see more Galette WORKS manga make it’s way over here, maybe we can turn to Seven Seas and ask them to invest in Galette books beyond Morinaga Milk’s My Cute Little Kitten.

Also very interesting – this story was turned into a short live-action Youtube series that you can still watch online! Overall, another  fun get from crowdfunding.

Ratings:

Overall  – 8

It looks like 2024 is definitely the year that oveseas fandom has made a visible impact on Yuri creators in Japan. I think that’s fantastic.

 

 





Comic Yuri Hime, October & November 2024 (ć‚³ćƒŸćƒƒć‚Æē™¾åˆå§«)

November 3rd, 2024

Surrounded by an elaborate gold frame, on a dark blue background, two girls in deep red smock-like school uniforms hold hands, as they walk through a dramatically starry sky, lead by one of the girls holding a lit lantern.I received a notification that my copy of the December issue of Comic Yuri Hime has arrived and I still had not finished up the two previous issues (my last bout of illness came with a protracted fever, which made it hard to read for long.) So I kicked into high gear this weekend and valiantly finished reading both. Today, I’m doing a two-issue review of the world’s only monthly Yuri mangamagazine, in order to be current. ^_^

Comic Yuri Hime, October 2024  (ć‚³ćƒŸćƒƒć‚Æē™¾åˆå§«2024幓10ęœˆå·) was an excellent issue!

A number of the new fantasy series really appeal to me. This issue kicks off with the energetic and empowering ā€œGakeppuchi Reijou ha Kuro Kishi-sama o Horesasetai!ā€ As Black Knight Frost struggles to remain horrible and unpleasant, her new wife endeavors to make herself useful and beloved.

Tamasaki Tama’s ā€œMuryoku Seijo to Munou Oujo ~ Maryoku Zero de Shoukansareta Seijo no Isekai Kyuukoku-ki ~ā€ also provides us some empowerment as the powerless Saint and the Princess who cannot use her power begin to learn that together they are very powerful. Now they just need to get it under control.

In “Salvia no Bouquet” having worked through Ellen’s feelings for Liza, now is focusing on her school life and her friends…a far cry from the lonely orphan this story began with.

A confrontation is being set up in “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou,” written by inori. and illustrated by Aonoshimo, which will become a climax, which will lead to a Revolution. Volume 9 sidetracked a lot into a Rei and Lily arc which was needed to make several things clear. Overall, while I still don’t care for Lily, I think the time was an interesting way to address an expository part of the story.

In “Odoriba ni Skirt ga Naru” Utatane Yuu is taking a moment to explore Kiki’s older sister’s story and repair their relationship a bit.

Fumino presses ahead with her exotic model and her mother dead-set against her interest in fashion in ā€œKanaria ha Kiraboshi no Yume wo Miru.ā€

As usual, Kodama Naoko handwaves the ending of a comic, giving us a happily-ever-after for our couple in “Usotsuki Hanayome to Dousei Kekkon-ron.”

And in ā€œKiraware Majyo Reijō to Dansou Ouji no Konā€™yakuā€ Eve is kidnapped and Ciel discovers that her true enemy is her older brother

Ratings:

Overall – 9

A very, very strong volume.Which brings us to….

 

In an elaborate gold frame on a brown background, two girls in a dark red old-fashioned winter dress-style Japanese school uniform, sit beneath a gingko tree, framed by gold light pouring through the leaves. A girl with long dark hair leans with her eyes closed on the shoulder of a girl with short silver hair, Comic Yuri Hime, November 2024 (ć‚³ćƒŸćƒƒć‚Æē™¾åˆå§«2024幓11ęœˆå·) which was – for me, as I am the reviewer here ^_^ – a pretty weak issue. Every month I note that there are series I am not reading in the magazine…and series I am not specifically mentioning, but do read. Overall, as several of the series I do like had a new volume out now, or are on hiatus, it felt very much like this issue was mostly filled with serials I am skipping. A number of these are the 18+ stories…none of them have held my attention,  focusing on manipulation and just people being super unhappy or whatever that face that Japanese editors seem to prefer women have during sex scenes that are not explicitly them having a good time. So hard pass from me on those.

Although I felt like there were fewer series I specifically enjoyed, this volume is still hovering around 550 pages of Yuri manga, columns and comic essays which…wow.

“Sasayakoyouni Koi wo Uta” has shifted focus to Himari’s best friend and confidant, Aki’s little sister and her band sempai who has asked her out. The thing I like best about this section is that, kind of for no reason, Yori is there and is being treated like a “sempai in Yuri affairs of the heart,” which is embarrassing the daylights out of her.

Kashykaze’s “Kimi ga Hoeru Tame no Uta oā€ is being very sincere and intense as Ogami struggles to write a song that suits her classmate idol’s Vocaloid voice and tells a sory she wants to express.

Minato and Koharu decide to redecorate in “Koharu to Minato: Watashi No Partner Ha Onna No Ko.” I’d say nothing happens, but that’s the point and the joy of this series, that these two “play house” together and have fun doing so. 10/10 from me.

“Kanaria ha Kiraboshi no Yume wo Miru.ā€ is both great and not-so as the fashion contest finally happens. The other participants complain that Tsubaki does not belong there as a model, since she is a foreigner and this is a contest for Japanese women’s fashion. The great moment is when Fumino, terrified, but firm, insists that since Tsubaki was born in Japan and speaks Japanese, wears Japanese clothing and eats Japanese food, she’s as Japanese as they are, who cares what color her hair and eyes are? This is followed by a conflict I kind of saw coming as  Tsubaki is accused of being a prostitute by a member of the audience. Sigh. So good and bleah.

“Osoto Gohan wo Goissho ni” comes to a gentle conclusion as Fuuka and Yomogi admit that they really like hanging out together and can’t they just stay neighbors forever? This was a series that never really needed a conflict, IMHO.

Conflict has been the norm in ā€œKiraware Majyo Reijō to Dansou Ouji no Konā€™yakuā€ and this chapter ups the ante. Eve has been kidnapped by Ciel’s brother, but as they begin to fight, Ciel is not up to the task, and her brother knows it, as he shatters her sword…

The final story is by a new creator, Tomofuji Miru, about a girl who can’t remember her girlfriend’s given name. ^_^;

I called it a “weak” issue, but looking back at this write-up it is really quite okay. Just compared to October, November came off a little less strong.  It was still pretty good. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

December will bring back a number of series I’m enjoying and it is waiting for me at Kinokuniya, so I had better get a move on and get over there, so I don’t fall so far behind again!





Bakumatsu Joshikousei – Oni to Yoake, Volume 1 (å¹•ęœ«å„³å­é«˜ē”Ÿ 鬼ćØå¤œę˜Žć‘ć€€äø€)

October 31st, 2024

A girl with medium length dark hair, wearing a Japanese high school sailor-style uniform holds a sword in a unique two-handed style, as she grimly faces an opponent we cannot see.Back a the beginning of the year, I reviewed the second volume of a sequel to this series, Oni to Yoake Yuzikiyo (鬼ćØå¤œę˜Žć‘ å¤•ęœˆå¤œ). Given that I knew almost nothing about the Bakumatsu period and the appalling people in the Shinsengumi and the Hitokiri, beyond what a few nights with Wikipedia offered, I did pretty good reviewing it, I think.

Today I have backed up and started with the beginning of the series, Bakumatsu Joshikousei – Oni to Yoake, Volume 1 (å¹•ęœ«å„³å­é«˜ē”Ÿ 鬼ćØå¤œę˜Žć‘ć€€äø€). The students and teachers here at Koharu Girl’s School are reborn members of the Bakumatsu, the end of the Edo period of Japanese history. As I noted in the previous review, this book follows two high school girls who have the reborn souls of Sakamoto Ryouma and Toshizo Hijikata. Sakamoto transfers to  this high school, where the spirits of late Edo period warriors attend school, and falls in love at first sight with Hijikata, a member of the public morals committee. However, love is strictly prohibited by school rules.

And…that’s basically the whole story. There is a lot of running around as Hijikata keepsragging at Sakomoto for her lax uniform or showing up late but, as mostly every one else, Sakomoto only does this when Hijikata is on duty.

Everyone – including our principles – knows they are in love, but the rules of the school are clear. Love between students MUST be forbidden as any kind of bad feelings could spill out into another civil war. Since everyone is aware of who they are, who everyone else is, and all the various lives they’ve lived, everyone takes this rule very seriously. Nonetheless, they have allies, even if they aren’t aware of them.  Okita Sou, who hold the soul of  Okita Souji, is dedicated to protecting them both.

And this, in a nutshell, is what I genuinely like best about the series. Everyone knows who they were and are, they understand the larger issues amongst themselves but, reincarnated  in the 21st century as high school girls, all the politics they were involved with are meaningless. Both sides of the Bakumatsu period were using the Shogun and the Emperor for their own power, to reclaim the kind of past they imagined would be best for them, a peace that allowed them to be on top really. No one was fighting for a future that was more kind, more healthy, more equitable. And here they are, reborn into a world as girls in a decidedly not violent state where their primacy is determined in on a kendo floor, not in the street. As a result, all they have left of themselves is their relationships – which they care about deeply.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – There isn’t much of one, so 5, maybe?
Characters – 8 Much nicer than their historical precedents
Service – Not really
Yuri – 5

Overall – 8