Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Catch These Hands!, Volume 2

July 8th, 2022

Today Okazu hit a new benchmark – all the reviews this week have been of English-language translations of Yuri manga. Wow. That’s a first.

Today, we’re looking at a property that fills me with glee every time I read it, Catch These Hands!, Volume 2. In my review of Volume 2 in Japanese I summed it up as “Yes, they are an item, but their relationship is still a work in progress.” That’s a pretty fine summation, if I do say so myself. It’s also where we’re going to start.

In high school Takebe and Soramori were rivals in gang warfare. Takebe was never able to beat Soramori and, as a result, she sees everything as a challenge. Including dating. It’s very easy to blame the apparent dysfunction of their relationship on Takebe, as she’s not very good at communication. But, let’s be honest, Soramori is just as culpable – overthinking things, coming to conclusions on her own and not really explaining the process. Amazingly, while this brings them to the brink of a crisis…they keep on going on.

This has to be seen as a triumph. Even as Takebe insists she’s going along with everything because she lost their fight, surely at some point she could just insist that she’s an adult and isn’t interested?

So in this volume, Soramori struggles to find things that will keep Takebe entertained. She learns more than she bargained for about her ertswhile girlfriend. Takebe learns that there is a path out of gang life into adult life that can include a functional relationship. And slowly, Takebe and Soramori take a few steps to actually communicating.

This super goofy gang-girl dating sim manages to make it through puberty in one volume. Not bad for a gag.

murata’s art is solid as I’ve ever seen. Takebe’s expressions as a child make this volume. The story-telling really rides Takebe’s annoyance levels perfectly. A little more would be too much, a little less would ruin the tension.

At the end of this volume, I’m definitely rooting for Takebe and Soramori to make it work. ^_^

Also solid is the translation by Amanda Haley, which always gives Takebe an extra rough edge that Soramori has smoothed out. Bianca Pistillo’s lettering as as good as Yen Press’s house style allows for. Editing is solid and thank you Yen for giving us the staff credits. Bundling them that way makes some solid sense. Lastly, fantastic job on the cover by Wendy Chan, Haley and Pistillo. It’s always a challenge to letter stuff in the background. In this case, that popsicle stick is indeed a winner. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Service – 0
Yuri – 5 As I said, “Yes, they are an item, but their relationship is still a work in progress.”

Volume 3 of Catch These Hands! will be headed our way in autumn. Once again this week I say to you, it will be worth the wait. ^_^





Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, Volume 3

July 5th, 2022

Hinako is an adult woman who has spent her life trying to fit into boxes for the convenience of other people. Asahi is an adult woman who has spent her life living for her sister Subaru. In Volume 3 of Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, their relationship has caused them both to question those lives.

I’m not going to synopsize a single thing that happens here. You really must read this book on your own, without my prompts as to what is important. I will say that every page is important. Because this is a quiet, ever-so-gentle and tentative, slice-of-life story about emotional bonds and love, it’s easy to be fooled into thinking that nothing of consequence happens. But you’d be wrong. ^_^ What I see here is some of the most profound manga about re-evaluating one’s entire life that I have ever read. Now that I think about, that’s probably why I like Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru (君としらない夏になる), as well. The old ways of doing things are not working….well, they never worked, but previous generations didn’t have the wherewithal to get off the treadmill. Now that we’ve seen with our own eyes that nothing we were told was true about pretty much all of society is true, I hope everyone younger than I creates a completely different idea for themselves.

The art here is great, there’s a real sense that Usui-sensei is still developing as an artist. Body language and expression are on point for the characters. But it’s the dialogue where this volume shines. These are real conversations. The internal monologues are slow, repetitive, realistic. Terrific translation by Jenny McKeon and adaptation by C.A. Hawksmoor give each character their own voice. Fantastic work from everyone at Seven Seas.

The outcome is growth for two people who had never previously granted themselves the right to grow.

An outstanding volume of one of my favorite Yuri manga series of the past few years. If you want slight spoilers, take a look at my review of Volume 3 in Japanese…and rest assured that the end held up. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 6
Service – 0

Overall – 9

Volume 4 will be released in Japan this month, there is no releasd date as yet for the English volume. I will spoil this – it’s absolutely worth the wait. ^_^





Mizuno and Chayama

July 4th, 2022

CW: Abuse, bullying, violence.

In 2020, when I reviewed Mizuno to Chayama (水野と茶山), I called it “a modern Romeo and Juliet,” without the usual ending. I also said, “The art was pretty good – it fit the tone of the story, but I didn’t honestly enjoy reading it all that much. I wanted Chayama out of there, but really out of there, far away, safe, taken care of and never going back to that shitty town.”

So when Yen Press announced that they had licensed this manga, I felt ambivalent about it. The art and story aren’t bad, the ending isn’t terrible, but there was just something that did not sit right with me about this whole thing. Once again, looking backwards, I had noted “This series was a little heavy on lowest denominator service and was not at all respectful of the characters’ bodies,” and that the plot revolves around bullying and abuse. Those do bother me a great deal as plot drivers…and maybe this month is not the best time to read a book about girls being treated shittily.

I did my best to put my memories of the book aside and read this as if I had never read it before. It was still not a fun read, I wouldn’t call it entertaining, but it holds up as a modern Romeo and Juliet, with a better ending, for the right reason.

Mizuno and Chayama, by Yuhta Nishio, creator of After Hours, is a one-volume omnibus of the two volume manga that had been released simultaneously in Japan. It tells the story of two girls caught up in a pointless feud between their families. Chayama’s family makes tea and employs mostly everyone in town…and she is despised because of this. Bullied or ignored, her one goal is to get through high school. She is not entirely alone, however. Her only friend and secret lover is Mizuno, the daughter of the town’s mayor.

Separately, it initially seems that Mizuno is the stronger of the two, but in reality, she merely wields more social power. Chayama is clearly stronger, putting up with abuse from adults and peers. When Mizuno realizes that, it allows her to save her princess in a definitive way. In the end, we and they are rewarded for their perseverance.

Re-reading this book, I was able to put my finger on the specifics of what irritated me about this story the first time. I’m sorry to say that it was the reality of it. Every fictional narrative that shows adults treating children poorly enrages me. Fictional narratives that treat girls bodies like peep shows enrage me. I know these are things that the men who draw and publish and read manga think are okay and that enrages me, too. And, as I said, this is not the right season for this to be presented to me as entertainment. There is no right season, now. We are past that event horizon. 

And then, there’s the bully. She is extremely realistic, that is to say, she’s got a lot of problems and is choosing to take it out on someone else who can’t and won’t fight back.  Maybe 30 years later, she’ll have a kid and write an apologetic letter to Chayama asking for forgiveness. It won’t fix what she did…but I don’t think Chayama needs that. Because we see that she and Mizuno are happy. Romeo and Juliet are doing okay this time. Maybe that’s enough?

It is enough, because it is the protagonists who shape their destiny for themselves with each other’s help. The rest of the town may be shitty, but these two are strong enough to support one another.

Ratings:

Art – 6 (Good, but…)
Story – 5
Characters – 7 Well-realized and mostly awful
Service – 8
Yuri – 8

Overall – 6

Everything is well executed,  and while I did not enjoy reading it, I think I was not bothered by it as much this time.

With a story as emotionally charged and full of violence as this one, opinions about this manga are very much going to hinge on whether this feels real…or all too real…to you.





Haru Tsuzuru, Sakura Saku Kono Heya de (春綴る、桜咲くこの部屋で)

June 27th, 2022

Haru Tsuzuru, Sakura Saku Kono Heya de (春綴る、桜咲くこの部屋で) is a deeply poignant and touching manga by Tokuwotsumu, an author who does low-key Yuri that I absolutely love.

Haruki is despondent. It’s been 5 years since her lover Sakura died and she has not been able to move on. Looking at the sakura blooming outside their room, she catches a petal and wishes – no, begs –  the universe to give Sakura back.

And…the universe does. There in their apartment stands Sakura. Once again Haruki and Sakura are together, sharing meals and holding one another and being happy together.

What follows is a moving tale of grief and loss and processing that frequently had me near tears. That said, this book is full of love and acceptance and joy, family and friendship and, I feel, hope.

Haruki, with Sakura by her side once again, is at last able to start moving forward. Sakura tells Haruki right away that other people can’t see her. They agree she must be a ghost. When Haruki meets with people who knew Sakura, Sakura’s face is obscured by word balloons and partial views.  But even knowing that her lover is not really there, Haruki begins to finally process the loss she’s been living with. 

A visit to a teacher who cared about Sakura ends with the teacher getting a momentary glimpse of her her former student. Trying to test a theory, leads to the most moving scene. Haruki visits Sakura’s family, who welcome her back as family, despite the years they’ve not been in touch.

Haruki finally begins to clean up Sakura’s things, and ends up learning things about her lover she didn’t know while meeting a coworker of Sakura’s. As the volume comes to a close, Haruki has to face a second fact …this Sakura doesn’t know anything about herself that Haruki herself didn’t know.

The art is not particularly pretty, but the expressions here are outstanding. Tokuwotsumu’s strength is in telling stories of two women sharing their lives. I’ve liked pretty much every version of their work that I’ve read. But this story is so emotionally powerful that it really stands out.  Excellent work all around.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 0
Yuri – 10
LGBTQ+ – Yes, kind of.

The story is ongoing as I type this, you can read sample chapters at Gangan Online in Japanese….and now I am torn whether to stay current, or just wait for another collected volume. (Although, based on chapters, Volume 2 ought to be announced soon. Maybe I’ll just wait, but…argh!)

I would love to see this licensed. It’s beautiful.





Comic Yuri Hime, July 2022 (コミック百合姫2022年7月号)

June 26th, 2022

For a magazine with a big ending, Comic Yuri Hime July 2022 (コミック百合姫2022年7月号) left me feeling very hopeful.

The cover sets the mood. Instead of nightscapes and urban decay, our two travelers find themselves in a flat plain, accompanied by a horse who is calmly grazing. Colorful prairie flowers and a colorful sunrise greet them, as they search for love and themselves. As an issue that came out after the Summer Solstice in this hemisphere, it’s pretty spot on for mood.

We get a three-page spread on the upcoming anime, followed by a powerful and potentially heartbreaking chapter of “Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto desu!” by Miman. Having been given character designs for the anime, Sumika is now blonde…and hopelessly in love with Kanako. We know it’s hopeless – or, at least, we know it ought to be hopeless. There’s some rough times ahead for these two. I’m more invested in them than I was in Hime and Mitsuki, too, which means this is a little torturous. ^_^; Sumika’s a dumbass, but I like her. I’m still holding out for a concerted revenge plot against Youko.

Tsuama’s “Kimi to Tsuzuru Utakata” is moving in an unexpected direction, as Shizuku is taking her new understanding of Kaori’s situation and actually trying to be a better person.

I’m really enjoying “Natsu to Lemon to Overlay” by Ru, purely for it’s unusual setup, but I’m hoping the story goes somewhere interesting, as well.

And then we come to the final chapter of “Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts” by Usui Shio. On the one hand, I would have been content to just pass time with Hinako and Asahi for longer, but the story had come to a natural conclusion. Hinako had worked out the nature of the weight she was carrying and, in doing so, has shed it. Asahi has determined to try living for herself for a change.  Usui-sensei nails the ending. That’s all I’m going to say for now. When the final volume comes out in English, we’ll talk more. ^_^

In “Onna Tomodachi to Kekkonshitemita” also by Usui-sensei, Kurumi gets to see the stresses inside someone else’s marriage, as her sister-in-law calls for some tea and sympathy.

Keiyang’s “Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru” settles down for a quiet chapter with Haru and Hi-chan settling into their new beachside town life.

Inui Ayu takes a look at her and Kon-san’s different comfort levels with public displays of affection in “Kyou mo Hitotsu Yane no Shita.”

As always there are many other manga in the magazine, some of which I read and some of which I did not.  There are two 18+ manga, Citrus+ is still running (and characters are still smiling) and many other new and continuing series.

Ratings:

Overall – 9, for Usui-sensei sticking the landing.

The August issue is already on Japanese shelves, and hopefully will be on mine shortly, because “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou.” is moving into my favorite arc – “Love Scales.” ^_^