Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri to Koe to Kaze Matoi, Volume 3 (百合と声と風纏い)

October 21st, 2020

In Volume 1, we met Matoi, a high school senior with a talent for music and vocals. Surrounded by people her age who are in an out of love, she’s never felt “in love” before and has no idea what it’s like. We also meet Yuriko, a few years older, who has come home to help her family by working at their gas station. In Volume 2, both Yuriko and Matoi find they sincerely enjoy each other’s company. But with graduation around the corner, Matoi is planning on going to the city, and both of them aren’t at all sure what they want. Matoi leaves to go to a trade school.

Yuri to Koe to Kaze Matoi, Volume 3 (百合と声と風纏い) begins with Matoi in Tokyo for school, she’s made some friends…and met a lesbian couple, for real. Yuriko plans a trip to see Matoi, but becomes ill and ends up needing Matoi to take care of her – which is mortifying, but more importantly, Matoi sees the burn scars on Yuriko’s body. Nonetheless, Matoi is really starting to think that how she feels might well be “love” after all. Yuriko, full of self-loathing and fear is really not ready to be “in love” but may have no say in the matter as she’s really starting to like Matoi.

I love this series. Honestly, I really just like everything about it. Mei Ren’s art is not perfect, which I find humanizes the characters and the story. The story itself is sincere, rather than brilliant. But the characters are relatable and human, and even side characters get to be more than just a supporting role. We’re watching them change, even if we’re mostly paying attention to Matoi.  I even love that this from a Lilie comics, the relatively new Yuri imprint from Dogenzaka Shobo. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 5 Naked Yuriko
LGBTQ – 7

Overall – 8

It’s a charming and fun read, with enough emotional impact that I really want Matoi and Yuriko to figure it out.

I hope there’s someone else out there who is reading this series , so we can roll our eyes at Chiba-kun and be like, “poor Rio-san, how annoying for her….” ^_^

 





A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow, Volume 4

October 19th, 2020

In my review of Nettaigyo ha Yuki ni Kogareru, Volume 4 (熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる ), I lightly commented that “this series has moved slowly, and almost haphazardly, like the tropical fish of the title, lazily moving between plot points.” But Konatsu chooses another form of symbolism completely, befuddling both Koyuki and us, in A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow, Volume 4 – the symbolism of a childhood tale of a shy salamander and it’s frog friend.

The festival has arrived and the day Konatsu and Koyuki have practiced for is here. Only, Koyuki is home sick. Worried for her friend and worried about the show, Koyuki tries to sneak out, but is stymied. She’s thrilled to find that Konatsu has done the fish show, but worried that her outgoing new friend will leave her behind.

At this point it has to be obvious to us, that Koyuki’s problems are deeper than just being treated like she’s perfect. She’s developed some seriously deep wounds. Her concerns are not alleviated by the fact that she’s barely gotten better when the second-year’s class trip pops up, separating them again. Koyuki starts to finally realize how important Konatsu has become to her.

Once again faced with her emotions, Koyuki snaps, and yet again, Konatsu is there to pick up the pieces and accept her. And we learn who the salamander and the frog are to one another.

This is not a romance in the more usual sense. Koyuki is far too fragile to be in love or like. In that sense, it’s a bit more like Konatsu building a ladder, one rung at a time, to help Koyuki climb out of a hole she’s dug for herself. Because this story is positioned as a Yuri romance, we can kind of expect what the end will be, but I sincerely hope we see Koyuki coming out of that hole before it happens. Otherwise, she’ll just be adding new baggage before the old stuff is dealt with.

The team at Viz is handling this story well. John Werry’s translation and Eve Grandt’s lettering is light-handed, so we’re left to feel for Koyuki on our own, without heavy-handed tactics. The design work by Yukiko Whitely and editing by Pancha Diaz, contribute to another authentic manga reading experience.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Service – 1 on principle only, there really isn’t any
Yuri – 4

Overall – 7

As I said in my review of the Japanese volume, “This series has always been, in large part, about Koyuki’s journey to find herself. It would be nice if she finds some self-confidence and we can see their relationship develop from here.”

Volume 5 in English will hit shelves here in November, and Volume 7 has been out since summer in Japan, we should probably expect Volume 8 before the end of the year.





Hello, Melancholic!, Volume 2 (ハロー、メランコリック!)

October 16th, 2020

Volume 1 introduced us to Minato, a girl who loves playing music, but has been hurt by schoolmates. She is discovered by Hibiki, a sempai who runs a casual band/club who encourages Minato to have confidence in her skills.

In Hello, Melancholic!, Volume 2 (ハロー、メランコリック!), the band is about to perform live for the first time, but there are no ends of problems and setbacks. For one, Hibiki’s wrist is injured and she’s had to refrain from playing drums. Secondly, Minato is near paralyzed at the idea of performing in front of people. But both these things are resolved by Minato. She suggests making plastic bottle maracas to get the crowd to be part of the show…and even though she spots classmates from her previous school in the audience, Minato find some strength in herself, leading the audience and rocking out on trombone. It is a massive success.

As she looks around after the performance, Minato spies Chika and Sakiko kissing, which throws her into a tizzy. Chika drags the hapless trombone player off to a family restaurant and regales her with the tale of how she and Sakiko met, fell in love and became a couple. More importantly, though, Chika makes Minato confront the idea that she might be falling for Hibiki. A “date” with Hibiki does not help clear that off the table.

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. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 9 Humanizing Chika is surprisingly effective
Service – 2
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8.5 we’re climbing, slowly

Nonetheless, we’ll watch and wait, and listen to pleasant ensemble music featuring flute, drum, piano, and trombone as we do. (Couldn’t also find one with a guitar, but this was close…)





Dekisokonai no Hime-tachi, Volume 3 (できそこないの姫君たち)

October 6th, 2020

In Volume 1, otaku and class loner Kurokawa Kaede is thrown together with school princess, Fujishiro Nanaki. In time-honored fashion, Fujishiro gives a radical makeover to the girl with glasses, and they both find that they are willing to sacrifice their judgemental former circles for each other’s company, in Volume 2.

As Dekisokonai no Hime-tachi, Volume 3 began, I found myself actively reluctant to read this next volume of Ajiichi’s school-life drama. And it’s taken me a couple of readthroughs to figure out why. By the time I finished out the volume, I was right, but for the wrong reason.

As Volume 3  begins, Kaede and Nanaki are joined by two new friends, Izumi and Iroha. And the school trip is coming up – Nara and Kyoto. Iroha, who is from Kansai is not at all pleased, but everyone else is looking forward to getting away. Nanaki and Kaede privately each imagine time together,but…

…when the rooms and schedules are arranged, suddenly Nanaki is with Izumi and Kaeda with Iroha. Neither wants to be the one to pop the bubble, so they just go along with it. No one meant anything by it, surely.  From that point on, the trip is bittersweet for them both, as neither has the nerve to say what ought to be said. And in the end, it might not have been accidental at all…

Here’s my concern. In the same way that Bloom Into You was *always* meant to be a Yuri romance, Dekisokonai no Hime-tachi is, as well. Despite the absurdly enormous amount of romance series I read and review for Okazu, I don’t really care for the romance genre all that much. The ending is preordained, so all the “tension,” the “will they, won’t they” is… well, I think it’s tiresome. Obviously, they will. Otherwise what is this book even for?

I assumed the whole separation of Kaede and Nanaki was a big farce and it just annoyed me, but when it turns out to be a plot complication I was only partly mollified. Because they will obviously end up together and this becomes merely delaying tactics.

I love Ajiichi’s art. I’m not fond of gratuitous nudity in the bath. I’d be perfectly okay without seeing nipples in a bath scene ever again.

I like Kaede and Nanaki. I don’t even dislike Izumi…although Iroha grates on my nerves. But I’m not sure how I feel about this story, other than reluctant. I kind of want the story to go back to plumbing the depths of the way their relationship puts them at odds with their own people, which I found deeply compelling in Volume 2. I’m not at all sure what Volume 4 could bring other than handwaves of “here’s a reason for them to not get together” that will stall the main relationship further….but I do like the cover, so I’m willing to give it a chance. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Service – 6
Yuri – 6

Overall – 7

 

Volume 2 of Failed Princesses is available now – a very strong volume and well worth reading. Volume 3 is available for pre-order, but not yet up on the Yuricon Store, with a February release date.





Still Sick, Volume 3 (スティルシック)

October 2nd, 2020

In Volume 1, we met Shimizu Makoto, a fairly successful team leader at a company, who has a secret life as a Yuri doujinshi artist. When her co-worker, office lady Maekawa Akane discovers her secret, she’s sure the jig is up. Only it turns out that Maekawa has a secret of her own, she’s a former manga artist. In Volume 2, as Shimizu encourages Maekawa to return to the world of manga, they both struggle with their relationship; Shimizu with accepting that she is a woman who loves women and Maekawa with human relationships at all.

In this final volume of the series, Still Sick, Volume 3 (スティルシック), by Akashi, Maekawa and Shimizu’s gavotte around one another is not yet over. Shimizu will be more honest about her feelings, and so will Maekawa, but love isn’t the only thing Maekawa has to deal with. She’s got a LOT of issues on her plate. We, and Makoto, watch over her as she deals with each layer of the walls she’s built around herself. Only when all that has been addressed, will they be able to just…be together.

It seems a lot of plot for one volume to cover, but in all honestly, I think this volume really does the job. At no point did I feel that this end was rushed, or aborted. Sure, I’d like to have seen them more after this story ended, but when it ends, there’s no dangling plotlines or handwaves needed to fill in a gaping hole. As a narrative effort, I give it top marks. I think to do so much character development, the art suffers here and there, but as this series has never been about the art, it’s a small, acceptable sacrifice.

For an office romance Yuri based on a really silly plot, Still Sick has turned out to be a pretty satisfying meal in three volumes.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Characters – 9
Story – 9
Yuri – 9, LGBTQ – 7
Service – 3 some noodling around, underwear, bed

Overall – 9

 

I look forward to Tokyopop’s Volume 3 in English, which should be headed our way in February 2021!