Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Soulmate, Volume 2, Guest Review by Laurent Lignon

December 21st, 2022

Welcome back to Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu! This time of year is always too-busy here and this year I have complicated matters for myself by trying to squeeze out one last video for Yuri Studio before the end of the year, as well as the Okazu Patron Holiday Party! So thank you, as always to Journaliste/Chroniqueur Laurent Lignon for taking time to share this review of Soulmate, Volume 2 . Laurent reviewed Volume 1 last spring. So, let’s jump right into it – take it away, Laurent!

It is time for us to go back to the story of Qi, a Chinese lesbian teacher whose mind has been switched in time with her past teenage self. Will she then be able to save the woman she loves from the disease that is slowly killing her? Soulmate has been released as a webtoon, in Mandarin Chinese by Kuaikan Manhua and the printed version in French by Nazca Editions.

IN THE PRESENT : The relationship of Yuanzi and Qi was anonymously revealed on social networks, and by no one other than Xinjue, Qi’s student assistant. As the homophobic flame starts to rise online, Qi is temporarily laid off by her administration until the rumor calms down. For Teenage Qi, who is still struggling to adapt herself to an adult life in an adult body, the blow is hard. Her lover Yuanzi tries to calm her down by organizing a meeting with their old high school friends, only for Qi to ask to meet the only person she remembers from her teenage years that was supportive to her : her father. However, Teenage Qi learns that she hasn’t seen her father for seven years : when she came out to him while he was in a middle of his divorce, he overreacted and rejected her, pushing her to cut all ties with him in order to stay with Yuanzi. As Teenage Qi confronts her father about accepting her life of Yuanzi, she has an unexpected encounter with Chen Shuo, the boy who was in love with her during high school and was unable to express his feelings for her. Unknown to them, this encounter lead to a sudden change…

IN THE PAST : Adult Qi is still actively trying to date Yuanzi years before they became an official couple, in order to push her to be diagnosed and treated for the disease that will kill her 10 years later, and which Yuanzi is yet unaware she has. However, Adult Qi starts to see that things are changing from her memories and not in the way she expects it. First, a painting done by Yuanzi and inspired by Qi is stolen. Then, Chen Shuo confesses his love to her, something he never did in the original timeline. Hearing this, and thinking Qi may actually love Chen Shuo and think of her as nothing more than a friend, Yuanzi run away, leading to Qi chasing after her and hurting her ankle in the process. This accident allows for a long conversation between the two girls, in which finally Adult Qi confesses her true feelings for Yuanzi, further changing their past.

Let me be clear : a lot of things happen in those 200 pages. The story written by WenzhiLizi is gripping, rooted in everyday life and will speak to everyone, with all the characters being well developed and having a distinct personality. Most importantly, this development sheds a new light on the personality of two characters : Chen Shuo, who is finally revealed to have spend his whole life in the shadow of the love between Qi and Yuanzi, and is unable to move forward with his life ; and Xinjue, who is revealed to be secretly in love with Qi and, behind a friendly and helpful face, a manipulative personality who anonymously reveal Qi’s homosexuality online out of spite when she understands that her love will never be returned.

The struggle of Teenage Qi to adapt to adult life is paralleled in the way past Yuanzi learns to accept her own sexuality : both girls hide their true feelings and personality behind the mask of shyness, until they manage to accept their love for each other. In some ways, this is a classic ‘master and student’ story, with each of the main characters playing the opposite role in each of the different timelines. This is a story that had me totally hooked, the thin veil of sci-fi never hiding the beautiful slice of life I’ve read here.

ART : 7 – Keranbing’s art is still good looking, even with computer-colors (mind you, it was first designed to be read on cellphones and e-readers). It suits the story well, the only flaw I can find is that nearly all adult male characters don’t seem to have aged a bit during the 10 years gap between the two timelines : lucky bastards!

STORY : 8 – Even better than the first volume, with higher stakes and many twists. However, I think that the part about the forced coming out on social media is important but not as developed as I had hoped it would be. This is quite a problem in the real world, and it would have been interesting to see it tackled more deeply here.

CHARACTER : 9 – All characters get more fleshed out, even the secondary ones. More importantly, all motivations behind actions get explained. The past is changing, and with it the way each people see themselves and their place in the present little play.

SERVICE : 0 – Not even a kiss.

YURI : 10 – A lesbian time-traveling into the past to save the life of her lover and live happily ever long after with her : how more Yuri can you get ?

OVERALL: I won’t lie, I read it in a single take. While the sci-fi nerd that I am is quick to point out some small inconsistencies (time paradoxes, all the way!!), it never distracted me from the fact that this is a well written story, with charming characters that are easy to get attached to.

I can’t wait to read the third and final volume, for they all deserve their happy ending (yes, even poor Chen Shuo and jealous Xinjue!)

“to answer your question: the person I love is currently carrying me on her back.”

Erica here: Fantastic. I wonder what Volume 3 will bring! Thank you again, Laurent.





Yuri Espoir, Volume 3

December 14th, 2022

Back in the mists of Internet history, fanfic was one of the key drivers to fandom.  Not just my fandom, but many folks would read a fanfic and find themselves enamored of the ideas, the situations and the characters in that fanfic…sometimes more than the fiction that the fan-created derivative fiction was based upon. I’m not immune to this. I have very clear and specific ideas about how the glamour that protects the Senshi in Sailor Moon works, for instance, even though it is never explicated in the series, which one must constantly remind one’s self was created for 11 year olds. ^_^

So a story about creating stories seems, on the face of it, right up my alley. If the Yuri stories created within the story continued to be the point, I’d be on board. Unfortunately Yuri Espoir, Volume 3 falls into a trap  which often ended up weighing down otherwise decent fanfic – it is taking itself very seriously. It is truly unfortunate, because stripped of what has become a rather dire actual plot, I really enjoy the idea that Kokoro and Amami walk around fictionalizing complete strangers into comfy Yuri tropes. It hurts no one, and is only marginally weird. ^_^ (Real people shipping can be very weird, but let’s face it, it’s not uncommon. Much of the BTS Army exists for that purpose.)

Now, in V3, we get the real depth of despair Kokoro feels, the real backstory about the art teacher and the fact that both of their lives revolves around a faceless guy with the personality of a bucket of warm water. It’s…not fun. In fact, this volume gets quite dark in places. I have to ask myself “why?” To what end is this darkness? Will it go anywhere? I can’t tell.

In the spaces between Amami and Yuki’s unrequited love for people who have been portrayed as idiots, there are some cute ideas. But like every fanfic in which a potentially queer character was drowning in the darkness their author had nowhere else to express, there’s a distinct lack of espoir in this volume.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Stories – 8 for the fanfic, 5 for the main plot
Characters – 8
Service – 4 – there’s some, expressed in ways that are “this is a bad thing” but they are there.
Yuri – 9

Overall – 7

Had I been the editor, I think I would wrap this up next volume, unless it can shed this habit of trying to be a Very.Important.Story. 

Thanks to Tokyopop for the review copy and thanks to their team for their hard work!





Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 5 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし)

December 13th, 2022

You know, it sounds kinda cool to have a bunch of youkai fighting over you for your delicious blood but, as Hinako has found out, it’s not, really. Worse, it turns out that Hinako’s blood may not actually be as delicious as she thought. So…why are the youkai fighting to get to her?

Hinako thought she had gotten used to the idea of being eaten by Shiori – one day. But, in Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 5 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし) when Ayame, revealed to be a futakuchi onna, returns after having been defeated by Shiori….she tells Hinako a different story. And, when Hinako asks her best friend, the kitsune Miko, if her blood will help her heal, gets the confusing confirmation that it’s not her blood that any youkai wants. Hinako’s blood is kinda gross, actually.

Shiori is avoiding Hinako, who wants to understand the truth…about her family’s death, about her own survival, about Shiori. Can she handle the truth? Shiori, the mermaid, tells her. It’s her own blood that everyone is after and Hinako was given some of it, after the accident that killed her family. Now Hinako has to decide all over again how and why she will continue to live.

I know I keep saying this, but I really love this story. It’s creepy and gross in a shivery ghost-story kind of way. The blood is for ambience, it’s not the point of any scene. I don’t much care about Hinako, per se, or Miko, or Shiori, but I do want to know where this story is going and why all these youkai seem to be drawing lines around Hinako. Which youkai will attack next and what will happen? Each chapter feels very portentous,  although it isn’t if you examine it too closely. Gimme more Yuri creepy youkai please. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8 We’re setting up for something here, it’ll all ominous whole notes
Characters – 8
Service – Did I mention creepy youkai?
Yuri – ? If Shiori doesn’t want to eat Hinako…why is she here?

Overall – 8

This series remains one of my top “license this title, please” titles. Fingers crossed for 2023.





Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 7 (おとなになっても)

December 8th, 2022

In Shimura Takako’s Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 7 (おとなになっても) a lot happens.

We left Akari and Ayano having been carefully not seeing one another for some time, as Ayano’s divorce proceeds. When they meet again, they mutually decide to begin over, but the rumor that Ayano is having an affair begins to spread.  In school, Ichika’s life has become more complicated as she’s refusing to return to class. I’m honestly way more invested in the well-being of the children than I want to be. ^_^;
Eri and Wataru are reeling as their relationships fail. Neither the adults nor the children are particularly alright.

But Akari and Ayano are doing a pilgrimage to Akari’s hometown, visiting her childhood haunts. They are taking time to talk through their lives – something they have never had a chance to do. It’s good for them. There is a particularly charming moment, when they fantasize about having gone to school together…who would they have been and how would they have related to one another? The art is especially cute as they (as adults) imagine each other as children.

When they return, they find that the rumors are picking up steam. But they have made a decision. They tell Akari’s family that she is moving out…and moving in with Ayano.

Shimura-sensei’s art is not refined in these chapters, but there’s a sense of motion, and emotion, that is subtle and intense.  When she’s good, she’s really good. This story is one of the adultest mange I have ever read. I cannot imagine being a teenager and giving a hoot about anyone in this manga for any reason. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8 I don’t think I dislike anyone…. there’s no bad guys here
Service – 0
LGBTQ+ – 6, maybe? Lives are changing while we watch

Overall – 8

Little girls and and friendship and school, adults and marriage and divorce and choices with consequences. This series would make a pretty solid live-action drama.
 





Catch These Hands, Volume 3

December 5th, 2022

It was in March 2020 when I reviewed Watashi no Kobushi wo Uketomete, Volume 3 ( 私の拳をうけとめて). Re-reading that review, honestly, I can add little to it for this review, so I will quote myself liberally. ^_^ My apologies in advance. 

In Volume 2, Takebe has hit the end of her rope in trying to be a new person. She’s not feeling the support from Soramori she thought she’d get. For her part, Kirara is half jealous and half frustrated by Takebe’s search to become someone else. They stop speaking, both confused as how to move forward.

As I said in my review of the Japanese Volume 3: The problem is not that they aren’t enjoying each other’s company…Takebe starts to really understand what Soramori means to her when they aren’t hanging out. And it’s not that they are rivals, Soramori, realizes as days go by when they aren’t speaking. But something is off and they both know it. In Catch These Hands, Volume 3, Takebe reaches back into her past to try and create a new future…in the wrongest way possible, by assuming that she can’t move forward until she’s settled the past with KiraraAfter taking to Maria (and training for the confrontation that’s coming,) Takebe calls Soramori to the park to have it out the old-fashioned way. The way they know, the way they met each other. She challenges her former gang-member rival girlfriend to a fight. And fight they do.

And, at last, Soramori understands. THIS is the woman she fell in love with. This is the self she wants to be. And when she beats Takebe into the ground with one final punch, she finds that the two of them really enjoyed beating the heck out of each other.  

As the volume comes to a close, they have – as far as they are able – to communicate that they want to continue dating. And now, maybe they can stop worrying about being something they are not.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Service – 0
Yuri – 5

The team at Yen Press did a great job. Amanda Hadley’s translation of the gang patois works for Takebe. This story is a lot of fun, again. ^_^

Volume 4 is headed our way next spring!