Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


白と黒~Black & White~, Volume 2

August 11th, 2022

In Volume 1, we met Shirakawa Junko and Kuroda Kayo two high-spec, elites in an international sales department, who are natural enemies. They don’t just fight…in fact, they don’t fight at all. Their battle is in the world of reputation. Who among their colleagues loves them best, who respects them the most. They go for the throat in business…and in bed. This hate-hate relationship consumes them both.

In Volume 2 of 白と黒~Black & White~ by Sal Jiang, both Kuroda and Shirakawa find themselves facing a new, unwelcome problem. They may not actually hate one another! Certainly, the people around them are sure that the two of them are close. And they are…physically, at any rate. HR has housed them in the company dorm as neighbors.  Shirakawa befriends Hashimoto, another lesbian in the ranks, who has just been surprise promoted in HR. It’s easy for Shirakawa to get Hashimoto as a confidant, but when Hashimoto asks her to say exactly what Kuroda is to her, Shirawkawa has no answer.

Kuroda is gung-ho when the entire sales department visits Singapore. So gung-ho, that she oversteps her authority and makes a deal she had no right to make. Kuroda, who had been taken under the wing of an established exec, Sakakibara, was feeling pretty chuffed, but now she’s in a tizzy. Reprimanded, she apologizes for making Sakakibara look bad.  Kuroda is also asked what Shirakawa is to her and she also has no answer.

Both women are driven and, now, jealous, and neither will give in. Where can Kuroda and Shirakawa even go from here?

There’s less overt violence in this volume, with one exception, but still, Shirakawa and Kuroda are a “yikes” couple in every way. Their loathing of each other is Shakespearean in scale…love would not help. But jealousy? That’s right in their wheelhouse. Two terrible people being terrible, but only to each other and only in a way that hurts no one else. This is perfection. I love this manga so much. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 10
Characters – 10
Service – 7 Not a lot of nudity, but a lot of sex and violence
Yuri – 7 Above, and now, jealousy!

Overall – 10

Best manga since GUNJO for best worst couple. I mean, just look at that cover! ^_^

You too will be able to enjoy this manga in English when Black & White Tough Love at the Office comes out in October from Seven Seas!





Whisper Me A Love Song, Volume 5

August 8th, 2022

One of the common unwritten rules in manga is that backstories are poignant. When we learn why our enemy is so driven we’re supposed to care. We’re supposed to feel for them.

Whisper Me A Love Song, Volume 5 takes that rule and tosses it in the bin. ^_^

The Battle of the Bands approaches and Himari is vexed by the fact that SS Girls and Lorelei members don’t get along. One day while out and about, Hima runs into Shiho, Lorelei’s aggressive front woman. And finally, we learn her back story.

It is, quite possibly the least sympathetic backstory we have ever heard. In fact, it’s so bad, that even Shiho realizes how appalling she comes off. Despite this, Himari becomes convinced that she can make the two bands friends again. She pulls strings and bakes cookies, in order to bring them together.

In any other series, surely we would have gotten at least a partial reconciliation. But no. Shiho doubles down on being the villain in this sweet, soft fluffy series about nothing at all. Dedicated to her role, Shiho comes up with a deal so devilish that no one could possibly have expected the Shiho Inquisition…..!

As summer dawns, and their time to make memories is upon them, Himari is to be separated from her beloved Yori-sempai and take over as the manager for Lorelei! Gasp!

I know, I know, but hear me out. This is a HUGE conflict for this series. Himari and Yori won’t get to spend as much time together! I mean, it’s high school, you only have so many summers. Man, that Shiho is a meanie. In the meantime, Yori and the rest of SS Girls are putting everything on the line, and writing new music to take Lorelei out. And this is done with so many bright smiles and cute expressions that it’s utterly impossible to not care.

Props to Kevin Steinbach for a translation that sounds like very serious-minded  young women who are hopelessly, adorably in love. Jennifer Skarupa’s lettering lets us have a smooth reading experience, although I will always prefer giving letterers time and money to do full retouch. Hats off to Tiff Joshua TJ Ferentini for seamless editing and Matt Akuginow’s lovely cover design. All of which means, when I sit down to enjoy Himari gushing over Yori and Yori melting into a puddle at her girlfriend’s smile, nothing gets in my way of goofy grinning!

I know you all know I like mean women, but sometimes, you just want an adorably sweet story about a cute young couple being absurdly happy in your general presence to make life on this planet seem like it’s worth it. When I need that, Whisper Me A Love Song is just the ticket.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 0 It’s such a delight
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8

SS Girls is working on a killer set, let me tell you…! ^_^





How Do We Relationship, Volume 6, Guest Review by Matt Marcus

August 3rd, 2022

Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, such as the anime watchalong podcast Boku No Stop, which is currently covering the yuri anime Flip Flappers.

Well, here we are: How Do We Relationship, Volume 6. Miwa had her heart crushed, Saeko is trying to move on past their previous relationship, but the two are entangled yet again in a physical relationship but in an even more messy guise.

In the role reversal of the century, Saeko immediately apologizes to Miwa for treating her like a piece of meat–but much to her chagrin, Miwa is happy to be used because it means that she is still wanted. This time, it is Miwa who is using sex to escape how terrible she feels about herself, and the two end up in an ambiguous relationship. Over time though, Saeko helps bring Miwa back out of her depressive slump and back to school life. Eventually, Saeko shuts down their arrangement because for her, the love is gone.

Meanwhile, Saeko continues to slowly show more of her vulnerability to Yuria. In fact, she’s come to the realization that she is way more transparent about her feelings than she realized. When the inevitable happens and the two start dating, Saeko treats her with true kindness and consideration. It’s an incredible turnaround from the end of the previous volume, yet it feels completely earned. It seems bizarre to say, but, perhaps for the first time in the series, there are moments that are truly heartwarming.

Miwa is now forced to move on, and this is where things get a little…odd. With Shiho’s words still lingering in her head, she wonders if it would be easier to just date men instead. Weirdly, Saeko encourages this, which leads to a plot thread involving a handsome manager of a cafe where Miwa works. Now, sexuality is a fluid thing, but to my mind it would be very strange for the story, and for Miwa as a character in particular, if she fully explored this direction, even if only to reject it later. (Remember her turning down Tsurata in Volume 3?) Miwa admits to herself that she has some kind of abstract attraction to the “kind of guy” the manager is, but she isn’t convinced that she is really attracted to him.

This thought experiment doesn’t leave the hypothesis phase when she meets a new first year named Tamaki who bears a striking resemblance to Shiho. I would say this is another strange twist. In a way, it feels like falling back on old habits, especially when Miwa–before detecting any interest from the painfully blunt first year–states to Saeko that she might end up getting a girlfriend again after all. The volume ends hinting that the two may become closer very shortly.

Really, Saeko steals the show here. She shows an amazing amount of growth as a character. That said, I would have liked to see her at least take some responsibility for shutting out Miwa when her past came up. In fact, even after Miwa finally gave her the whole story on her Okinawa trip, Saeko did not fully reciprocate with Miwa by telling her about her middle school. I am hoping that her relationship with Yuria will give her the comfort she needs to address those issues head-on because they still feel unresolved. Nevertheless, this is the best version of her we see so far and it feels fantastic to see it on the page.

Miwa, on the other hand, acts really terribly in the early chapters by pushing on Saeko’s boundaries in a way that is quite uncomfortable to read in a couple of instances. Even after her recovery, she feels a bit unmoored in the second half of the volume. I trust that Tamifull will pull off her arc, but the path towards it is not entirely clear. Oh, and Shiho doesn’t make an appearance in this volume at all, which was disappointing to me.

I mentioned back in my review of Volume 4 that this manga captures the tumultuousness of college. Part of what contributes to that feeling is how the story tends to slip forward in large chunks of time. That becomes the most jarring in this volume, because Miwa’s rapport with Saeko changes seemingly on a dime. One chapter, she’s crying her eyes out realizing that any chance of dating Saeko again is truly gone, and the very next scene opens with her beaming to hear about Saeko’s first date with Yuria. It is nice to see that they are still friends and can openly discuss such things without hurt feelings simmering underneath like in the past, but it just feels too soon for the reader.

All in all, this volume felt a little more uneven than past volumes but improved greatly on later rereads. Its biggest flaw is lacking some narrative connective tissue that would have made certain plot turns feel more natural. Perhaps Tamifull felt that we had wallowed enough in the Bad Feels Zone and that it was time to kickstart the next phase. At any rate, with a new school term starting, there are still plenty of credits to earn.

Art – 8 Continues to carry the story well
Story – 7 More of a mixed bag than previous volumes, but with really high highs
Characters – 8 Finally, some serious growth for Saeko and some forward momentum for Miwa
Service – 2 The sex is the least “appealing” that it’s been so far
Yuri – 8 / LGBTQ – 7 docking it one yuri point for Mr. Cafe Man

Overall – 8

Tamifull loves a good callback, and this time he “swung” for the fences. See if you can spot it.

Erica here: Thank you so much Matt! I’ve got Volume 8 on my plate in Japanese and I have to say, I’m actually really interested in where this is going. ^_^





Hello, Melancholic!, Volume 2

July 29th, 2022

Hello, Melancholic!, Volume 2 is, quite possibly, my favorite single volume of a school life Yuri story ever. ^_^

Minato faces her greatest challenge – performing with the band in public. We understood that she was traumatized by her former bandmates. But here, she is in the unenviable position of facing them down once again. Not only does she rise to the occasion, she excels! Minato, bolstered by Hibiki, Chika, Sachiko and Emma, faces down the fears of her previous self and moves past them.

For that alone, I loved this book. It’s not enough to know what’s held us back – we also have to keep moving forward. Minato takes a whopping huge step forward when she takes control of the audience. It won’t fix all her self-esteem issues, but it puts her in a much better place from which to address the rest.

From there on, this becomes a much more conventional Yuri romance story, but now, here, we’re open to it. The Minato that was terrified of standing out could never have been a partner to anyone, but the Minato that can confidently stand on the stage, can. And so we turn our attention to Chika and Sachiko and find out that there’s a whole lot we don’t know about them.

There’s still a lot for Minato and Hibiki to work through. As I said of this volume in Japanese, “I cannot tell you why, exactly, I want Minato to be happy – although there are a lot of superficially obvious reasons that I might feel that way – but I really want Minato to be happy. If Hibiki can make her happy, I’m all in for them. But I also know that there’s a lot standing between them before they get there…among them Minato herself. She’s a walking bundle of insecurity and hesitation. Ohsawa Yayoi’s come so far in the last few years – Minato’s expressions are really something. ^_^” 

That said, as we get ready for Volume 3 to come out in November, we are right there with them, ready to lend our good wishes. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 9 More conflict in this volume is a good thing, as Minato becomes less passive
Characters – 9
Service – 1
Yuri – 9

Overall – 9

Another fantastic effort from Margaret Ngo, Marykate Jasper, Mo Harrison, H. Qi, Leighhanna DeRouen, B.Lillian Martin, Jenn Grunigen, and everyone on the Seven Seas team! This manga makes me cheer, every time. ^_^





Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts, Volume 4 (欠けた月とドーナッツ)

July 28th, 2022

Let’s start with the most important thing in Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts, Volume 4 (欠けた月とドーナッツ) – this was the perfect, most exactly correct ending to this series that we could have hoped for. ^_^  I don’t want to spoil this in the least, but I have to say that some of the aro/ace representation that other series teased (and disappointed all of us in the process) is solidly presented here. It’s all handled with a lovely human warmth that suited the characters and the tone of the story.

How we get to the this perfect ending gives us the first few bits of real conflict we’ve had in the series. These, too, are wholly within the main theme of “being human is difficult, and communication is scary, but it’s better for everyone than not communicating.” Fuuka laid out her feelings for Asahi in Volume 3 now, she tells, Hinako, it’s your turn. Easily said, but both Hinako and Asahi have some hurdles they need to get past before they are free to address their feelings. 

Hinako’s mother comes to visit, and Hinako finally tells her something of importance. They have what may have been the only real conversation they’d had to that point. It lifts the burden Hinako has been carrying all these years of being the kind of person her mother wants her to be. This scene held a lot of resonance for me. As I typed this, it dawned on me that I was about the same age as Hinako, too, when I finally shed the last of my parents’ expectations.

Asahi’s burden is a different one, as she’s assumed it for Subaru…who has been clear that she’s ready to carry her own life now. Subaru and Fuuka team up to give Asahi the space to work through her own issues on her own without them to lean on. I’ll leave the catalyst for her revelation a mystery for now, because it was utterly cute and…us. ^_^

And then we get the exactly right ending for this series. ^_^

Watching the art and storytelling develop during this series has been a pleasure. Watching Shio-sensei stick the landing…priceless.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Character – 10
Service – 0
Yuri – 10

Overall – 10

I can’t wait for you all to read this! We’ll be getting Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon, Volume 4 in February of 2023.

This makes 4 volumes in one week of women building found families and I am just over the moon. With or without doughnuts. ^_^