The one thing that can incontrovertibly be said about the Yuri Hime Wildrose anthology series is that they embody my definition of Yuri as “lesbian content without lesbian identity.” They are filled to the brim with “plot, what plot?” type stories that are constructed with minimal character development and maximum sexual activity. These volumes are Yuri porn and not much more.

What is sort of vaguely interesting about them, has been the contributors included in the collections. Some, like Saburota (Citrus) would be surprising to not see included. Others, like Amano Shuninta, (Phlosophia) ae a welcome sight. And non-Comic Yuri Hime contributor, Nanzaki Iku (Queen’s Blade), returns once again.

I had no particular expectations about Yuri Hime Wildrose, Volume 8 (百合姫 Wildrose) Of the various stories, I found the two most notable to be by relative “newcomer” Kuzushiro, who provides a multi-part series that opens the book. The story itself isn’t notable, but seeing a Kuzushiro story that had an actual sex scene was. I would like to commend him for having some sense of what sex between two women might be like, and the delicacy with which he portrays it. Not once did I want to cringe.

Ohzawa Yayoi’s story was also reasonable and about young adults, which is always a pleasure. Amano Shuninta pulled out the stops on her story, “Milky” for full-sexy time hijinks.

I actually enjoy Chisako’s work in Comic Yuri Hime, but her story,  which obsesses about underwear, did not push any of my buttons in a positive way.

I genuinely enjoyed “Singin’ in the Rain”, Nanzaki Iku’s contribution. She’s left her Shizuku/Natsuki clones behind and is given a little time to actually develop her characters here, which she does, deftly. It was good to see her work again, it’s been too long.

Art in this volume  is better than usual with a YHW. Even Kuzushiro puts his best foot forward.

I can never say I love the Yuri Hime Wildrose series, but I didn’t hate this volume either. The couples are mostly in mutual affection with one another, the sex is not icky making, and the artists seem to be having fun – and let me tell you how important that is.

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Ratings:

Variable, of course

Overall – 8

For once I think I’m actually keeping a volume of Yuri Hime Wildrose.

Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫), having been split into 2 magazines, reattached and made bimonthly, has now regained the bulk it previously had as a quarterly. At about 640 pages, surely there will be something for most Yuri fans at this point.

The March 2014 issue begins with Amano Shuninta’s new series, “Ayame 14” – a classic “coming of age” story. After many moths of dealing with college students, I wonder if this return to middle school life is a relief or a burden for her?

This issue is a veritable treasure box of tropes: sisters (real and half); dojikko; tsundere; and poor communicators of a dozen kinds, 4-koma, etc. Checklisters and moe-fans will be happy. For the rest of us there’s still some very interesting features.

Minamoto Hisanari has a story, and what a story. It could have been the most fabulous story ever, but fell short of the mark to make a point that didn’t need to be made.  “Sekai ha Yuri de Ochite iru” begins with “Yuri” marriage being made legal in Japan. Not “lesbian” marriage, not “same-sex”, not “gay”. “Yuri” marriage. In a cute scene, the newscaster immediately proposes to the weatherwoman (who says yes.) As women all over Japan are getting married, protagonist Aki proposes to her lover Shuko….who says no.

The point Shuko makes is that, of course she wants to get married to Aki, but not now that it is a fad. She wants to wait until Japanese collective faddishness passes and it’s just for people who really mean it.  Well, okay, but you broke Aki’s heart when you said no, and was making a point really more important than marrying your wife?

The final chapter of “game” by Takemiya Jin (collected volume is out next month) finds Morico unhappy at being forced to play pretend for Becky. Until, somewhat predictably, Becky realizes that it’s Morico she’s in love with after all. An end that, for all its predictability, left me feeling better than Minamoto’s story.

I am SOOOOOO conflicted about “Bousou Girlsteki Mousou Renaiteki Suteki Projec,t” but I console myself that Beniko feels the same way about being trapped in a story that appears to be trying to be all the stories ever all at once and is managing to handle them all unconvincingly. The best moment is Beniko breaking down over giving a hoot about Aoi and Aoi responding calmly – “I’m your partner, aren’t I?” with “aite” as partner, which means, like, the person one is best suited to be matched with. Aoi is right, Beniko and she are indeed suited to one another.

Morishima Akiko’s “Yurrip-chu” comes in with a second vignette about a girl who wants to be one thing and is required to be another. This time we follow the tall, “princely” group member, Sayaka. I’m not sure if their producer is a genius or an idiot, making everyone be something they’re not.

Tanaka Minoru’s “Rock It Girl” is quirky as always, but for a brief chapter, everyone is in a good mental place, well, except terminally low self-esteem Kaname, but Seira’s right on that, yelling at her ’til she snaps out of it.

Something weird happened in “Yuri Danshi.” Hanadera stopped being the lead for a bit. Fujigaya heads to a book shop and is imbued with Hanadera’s Yuri power when trying to convince the bookstore to create a dedicated Yuri section. For once, I actually liked the chapter. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 7

There were, as always, many other stories, some good, some bad, some…um, unmemorable. ^_^ But overall a decent volume with some conversation-starters, at the very least.

The May Volume is already on sale, so get your copy today!