The cover is a spoiler, there’s just no way to avoid the obvious, so let’s address that right away.

We last left Hana, reaching into blackness, looking desperate.  Now we see on the cover of Mayu, Matou, Volume 6 ( 繭、纏う) that she is reaching towards Youko. Then we see that the covers of Volume 5 and Volume 6 are a diptych which beautifully represent the transition from one to the other.

Kujou has taken her place at the head of the students and she delivers a cool, passionless speech about nothing ever changing at the school. That, as the students before them wore these uniforms so will the students after them, in a unbroken line without change.

Youko stands up in the middle of this to protest that she will change and runs off to find Hana. Predictably, Hana has weighed herself down with self-doubt. Youko finds her and reaches out to her and they find themselves alone, dancing in an empty room.

One of the students is found burning a uniform, which set the school all at odds, as hair is notoriously foul when burned.. Two of the teachers discuss that, just maybe, they have held on to that tradition too long, maybe it is time for change.

Graduation happens, of course. It will always happen. Youko leaves, but she does look back at the gates behind her before walking away.

The final chapter shows us Youko, her hair still shorn short, being met by Hana, also with short hair. Youko offers Hana some of Hoshimiya’s hair, but ultimately, they let it go into the wind, then head out on a date together.

When we open the cover of Volume 5, we see the true ending. Hana, no longer looking desperate, being pulled along by Youko, who is always moving forward. Released, at last from the cocoon that entwined them.

I found this series fascinating, occasionally creepy, always fraught…but this was exactly the right ending. And beautifully drawn as the whole series has been.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Characters – 8, Youko – 9 from beginning to end
Story – 9
Service – 4 The dance scene was evocative
Yuri – 8

Overall – 9

As a final punctuation on the tropes of private girls’ school Yuri from a century ago, this series was a perfect farewell. We await the final two volumes from Yen Press.

Three is a very fine balance in a story that has to be maintained. We have to care about the characters we’ve been asked to care about…we have to be invested in the ending. When a story adds characters, they have to maintain that balance or they distract.

Mayu, Matou, Volume 5 ( 繭、纏う) is so carefully riding that line here in the penultimate volume.

What appeared to be a love triangle in which one side had no idea she was involved, has become more complicated. Kujou is vying with the unknowing/absent Hoshimiya for Saeki Hana’s heart. But Kujou does not know that Yokozawa is also in the ring.

Kujou, trying her best to entwine Saeki, asks her to the dance…and makes it almost impossible to refuse. Saeki, who has no interest in being the school prince, acquiesces. But when the dance starts…Hoshimiya arrives…!

This whole manga is a fairytale in which the princess is absent, the prince is emotionally tortured by the witch and the heroine is ignored by nearly everyone in the story. I don’t even want Kujou to come to a bad end, I just want Saeki out of there and away from this mishegas of hair uniforms and creepy ritual. Frankly, the best thing any of these girls can do is to get the heck out of that school. 

Volume 5 and and Volume 6 came out at the same time in Japan, which I think was a very good idea – even moreso now that I’ve read Volume 5. I definitely felt the urge to speed into reading the final volume, in hopes that Yokozawa would free Hana from, not a cocoon, but a web,  built from her own desires and self-loathing. Instead I sat with it, and how deeply uncomfortable it made me. The cover, when unfolded, shows Saeki Hana reach desperately into a black void, only trailing hair visible, as whomever passes beyond the border.  Hara Yuriko-sensei’s art is quite outstanding.

Ratings:

Art – 9 It’s beautiful and repulsive
Characters – 8
Story – 9
Service – 5 As in Volume 4 this is dark, creepy, sexy in ways that are uncomfortable
Yuri – 8

Overall – 9

Volume 6, when it gets there, will change that narrative completely.

I hope.

(Spoiler alert for clicking the link and seeing the cover.)

In Volume 1 we met Shirakawa, top of her department in her office and Kuroda, a promising up-and-comer who threatens to take everything Shirakawa has built. They briefly team up, but in Volume 2, Kuroda makes a mistake that sets her back. Luckily for her, she’s got a mentor who pulls her out of the jam.

In 白と黒~Black & White~, Volume 3 Shirakawa is done playing nicely. She doesn’t care what she has to do, who she has to use or who gets hurt…she’s going to destroy Kuroda. With her own powerful patron within the company, she will ruin careers, physically and emotionally use and abuse others and she will get her way. There is no doubt that Shirakawa wins the battle…

…but does she win the war?

This was not the ending I wanted for this series, I’ll be honest. As I have long said, I like equals who go toe to toe. Choices are made here that are not fighting with a respected rival. As Shirakawa rises, I lost respect for her. Her decisions get ugly and the collateral damage grows. Now, the thing is…in the same position, would Kuroda have been any different? Without spoiling why, Kuroda has an outside chance to fight back…but doesn’t take it. In the end she walks away from the fight.

Having seen so many power struggles in the office  – this is not inaccurate. One cannot lose in a political struggle and still remain on top. So, while not what I wanted, this manga remains a kind-of-accurate version of a intra-office battle for power. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 10
Characters – 10
Service – 7 A lot of sex and violence, including rape
Yuri – 7 Above, and now, jealousy!

Overall – 10

I had called this series the Best manga since GUNJO for best worst couple, but Shirakawa lost me in this volume.

We join Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau, Volume 7 (ささやくように恋を唄う), our resident adorable high school love story as Himari and Yori-sempai share their first real kiss.

This leads to them spending the night together after a sudden passing trope leaves them soaked. Yori stresses over the intimacy that sharing a bed brings, while Himari falls asleep.

Shiho decides to tell Himari the whole story about why she left SS Girls and it’s about what one might expect; a pile of mutually exclusive needs and desires that are compounded by strong emotional circumstances. Himari takes it all in so Shiho can get it all out, then politely asks Shiho to deal with the one things she hasn’t ever admitted – her feelings for Aki-sempai.

This series is moe in the most specific sense of the word – one wants very much to treasure these young ladies and protect them from harm. But also one wishes to celebrate them and that is what Kodansha did this weekend at Anime Expo! Head over to the Ichijinsha twitter account and take a look at the photos of their display. Revel in the Yuri-ness of it all. Yuri Is My Job!, I’m In Love With The Villainess and Whisper Me A Love Song all got space and time at the booth. Happy sigh.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 9
Service – .0001
Yuri – 10

Overall – 9

So darn cute.

Volume 6 of Whisper Me A Love Song is out now from Kodansha!