Jumping right in for the second half of today’s review of Yuri Hime, Volume 8.

After “Creo the Crimson Crises” comes the latest from Takahashi Mako. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like the creepy kids in her stories, because her characters have now morphed into creepy teenagers instead. :-) The story begins with two girls meeting, seemingly by chance under a picturesque sakura tree. But there was less chance than originally appears. In fact, one of the girls is now going out with the boy that likes the other girl – and who she likes. This girl (we’ll call her “the blonde” and the other “the brunette”) starts to obsess about the girl her boyfriend liked, asking him questions about her. It seems that they two share some superficial similarities, which begins to bother the blonde. Using her boyfriend’s phone, she sets up another meeting with the brunette, who has no clue who the blonde is. The blonde reaches out and grabs the brunette’s breast and receives a hearty slap to the face. She only comments that, yeah, the other girl is bigger than she is. The final page is the blonde asking if she can sit by the brunette under the tree. The story reads a bit jerky and unconnected, but it’s decidedly less dysfunctional than most of Takahashi’s work, so no complaints from me.

Chi-Ran’s story “I won’t let myself love you” begins as Kako walks in on two girls engaged in a little play in the classroom. One of them introduces herself as Ageha and, shortly thereafter, announces to the whole school that she will take Kako as her next lover. Kako’s shocked and confused – this is a girl’s school! She’s informed by a helpfully expository classmate that Ageha is a notorious playgirl and has not yet failed to get a girl she set her sights upon. Kako’s determined to not fall. But Ageha’s cool, attractive, sexy, and more than that, kind and charming. As she woos Kako, Kako finds herself starting to slip, admitting that if Ageha were a guy, she would have indeed fallen already. The chapter ends with a conflicted Kako reminding herself of her vow to not fall for Ageha – but the next issue will tell us if she succeeds or not. Bets? :-)

Morishima Akiko’s Yuri Life column covers her adventures playing Yuri-themed games like Akaito and Katahane, complete with character descriptions and drooling. lol

“Ameiro Kouchakan Kandan,” by Fujieda Miyabi contains what passes for a gigantic conflict in this series – Sarasa is going away for three whole days on her school trip! She worries about how Seriho will manage without her. Seriho laughs at her, but will she, in fact, be okay for a full 72 hours without Sarasa? We’re not so sure. Meanwhile on the trip Sarasa’s moodiness is recognized right away by her classmates as the lovesickness that it is. This is followed by good-natured, but stressful “who is it?” third degree. The chapter ends with Seriho staring at the calendar in a lonely kind of way. Forget Sarasa, *I’m* worried about Seriho….

The next story in this volume has a long title about a house in a forest and is, by far and away, my least favorite. Two young girls one, an ojou-sama, one her servant are in a shady situation in which the rich girl appears to be being groomed for something grim, like high class prostitution or marriage, which is really the same thing depending on how you look at it. But this looks shadier than just marrying off the girl. It’s an unpleasant situation. The two girls are in love with one another, of course, and in a climactic moment, the rich girl pushes the other girl out the window to free her. Epilogue page shows us the servant, now an adult with a daughter of her own that she has named after her love.

This is followed by an interview with the voice actresses from Haru Natsu Aki Fuyu Drama CD. It contains all the usual questions like, “how was it to play girls in love?” but at this point all the VAs have voiced gay *so* often they’re answering “It’s a paycheck.” lol No, not really.

“Maple Love” by Hiyori Otsu, is probably my favorite story of the collection. Girl overhears boy confess to girl and be rejected. She wills them to go away, but is given away by her cel going off. Boy bails. Girl meets girl, says she likes girls and kisses girl – and gets slapped. Girl negotiates being friends with girl. Friendship ensues. It’s a nice, normal friendship, and girl gently pursues girl with no particular time frame or agenda. One night at an “ai-kon” (a group date sort of thing,) girl becomes feverish and girl, realizing something’s wrong takes her home and tucks her in to bed. Girl says she’s ready to consider a relationship with girl. The story ends with the lamest gag in the world about gee, what do women do in bed together? My response: “…” Please. It was so good until then. It’s still good, just not *as* good.

I’ve been pretty vociferous about my dislike of Hakamada Mera’s work and this story seals the deal. I loathed it. A cool, popular girl decides to rehabilitate a dirty, unpopular girl. With a mere change of clothes, a thorough bath and contacts, Eliza Doolitle is transformed and instantly eclipses her savior in popularity. Cue miserable sulking as Eliza goes off and leaves the girl who loved her when behind. I’m sorry but…bleah.

This issue’s column about key yuri series covers Yamaji Ebine’s Love My Life which I have written about here: Manga review; Movie Review.

Nanami and Misuzu continues to be about whatever it’s about. This time we get a new character who looks an awful lot like a kiddy Kouya from Loveless.

Wait, did I say “Maple Love” was my favorite? I take that back. I meant “The Paradise Incident” by Morishima Akiko, in which a freelance Sumi shows up at her friend with benefits’ house. Sari is thrilled to pieces to have Sumi there, and they pick up on their interrupted life together as if they had never been apart. Sari finds her feelings for Sumi becoming deeper and finally gives in and asks Sumi to live with her. Sumi respectfully declines – she’s off in the morning to foreign parts. But before Sari can be too sad, Sumi invites her along for the adventure – and she goes. I liked this story a lot. Adult women, with lives apart from just their couple-dom and a pleasant smile-inducing ending. Yay Akiko-san, my hero!

In any case…

Ratings:

Everything is variable according to taste, but overall – 8

In general, a good volume, with much less meh, except that one nasty Hakamada story. And while it’s still heavy on the schoolgirls, there’s a definite attempt at variety. However, I also feel like the magazine is shifting the focus away from stories for women to stories for guys. I really, really hope I’m wrong. Probably I just want more Hayashiya Shizuru and Morishima Akiko type stuff and less loli.

And look – reviewed the whole magazine in only two parts! yay!

Urk. I have like no time at all to review stuff today. So, please bear with me while I review Yuri Hime, Volume 8 in a zillion parts. :-) (Today’s review – Page 6!) Seriously, though, I should be a little more settled by next week, so if I’m erratic this week, just hold on. I’ll be back.

Yuri Hime, Volume 8 starts off with the first cover *not* done by Hibiki Reine. Instead, the cover was designed and illustrated by Eiki Eiki and Zaou Taishi. It looks pretty much like everything else they’ve ever done. (I know that they are incredibly popular, and I’m very glad that they are making money drawing Yuri, but I’m afraid that I am not their biggest fan.)

The color poster inside is a nice grown-up looking mistress/maid picture by Mizushiro Setona. It’s no more unique than anything else, but I like the color use and the story the picture tells is more to my taste than most of the color pages so far.

The first story, “Epitaph”, looks like every loli game ever. Two gothloli girls of unidentifiable age , but clearly in the range of pubescence, one in white, one in black, vow to one another: Eternity, Life, Death, Love. You know, the usual. Then the story starts. These two girls function as messengers between life and death, bringing letters from the dead to their living loved ones. It’s a snazzy premise and I’m fairly certain that had the characters not been twelve I would have really liked it. As it was, I thought it was a snazzy premise. I’ll reserve judgment until I get a few chapters in me.

Following on “Epitaph”s coolly distant story, we hop right into the new and always frenetic “Strawberry Shake Sweet” where Ran, having realized her feelings for Julia, now fears coming within twenty feet of her, certain she’ll be labeled a freak. Julia is concerned that Ran’s behavior means that she has discovered Julia’s feelings about her. Ran runs away only to find the photographer Sera, so they can once again discuss their mutual non-relationships. Ran’s candor gives rise to several funny spit-takes and similar gags on Sera’s part. I very much like how these two women are set against one another as foils. As the chapter ends, we see Yuriko looking out on the scene, making dire pronouncements about the future. No – it’s not actually Yuriko, but that’s basically how I see her, yeah. lol If it turns out to be an older pop idol, I’m calling her Yuriko anyway. :-)

“Mermaid Line” returns to the first chapter and the story of Megumi and Aoi, and the relationship that builds between them as they share the mermaid picture book. Only this time, when Aoi is teased about her “lesbian” relationship, she insists that *she* isn’t a lesbian, which causes a bout of gay-bashing against Megumi that drives a wedge between them. Megumi is moved to seek out one of the boys who likes her, and ask him out to prove that she also is not a lesbian. What will happen? Tune in next issue to find out.

Love is in the air in “Hatsukoi Shimai.” We get some serious quality time between Haruna and Chika, with some moments of downright sexy. All of their love-love serves to leave Akiho feeling disenfranchised – but not enough to run into the arms of Touko-sensei, dammit. Not that Touko-sensei doesn’t try. I’ll give her that. Akiho’s feelings are welcomed and mirrored by Teshigawara (Akiho,you clod, don’t tell her how lonely you are when she feels the same way because of you!) who runs into a mysterious younger girl on campus. Back in the main plot, Haruna invites Chika over for an overnight. Over tea and sweets, Chika finds a picture of Akiho and Haruna as little children and asks to see their photo album. Responding as if from a great distance, Haruna tells Chika no can do. The chapter ends with a cold feeling of mystery.

“Apple Day Dream” continues to be a series of 4-koma (4-panel) gags about two employees at a high-end GothLoli dress store. Kaoru still likes large breasts and Mayu still has large breasts and is totally passive-aggressive about Kaoru. (Tsundere is really just passive aggressive behavior. Not really cute in my book, appealing blush on the cheeks or not.)

Which brings us to “Creo the Crimson Crises”. Suou is an average high school girl, yadda yadda, complete with a best friend who appears to want her (aka “manga lesbian stereotype 1.”) She feels out of sorts for reasons she can’t explain, nor can she explain the clearly supernatural woman who keeps appearing and trying to possess her. Suou puts her life on the line to protect her friend from this creature, when she is scooped up by the woman in an embrace, with a somewhat shady explanation of their bond. Suou passes out and when she awakens, finds her “bond” to now be material, as the woman has clamped a collar around her neck. Joke’s on Suou now. ;-) I love the title of this story and the alliterative transliteration issue (say that three times fast!) just makes it that much better.

That takes us to halfway, so I’ll stop for today. Upon reflection, if I appear to sound dismissive of the stories in the volume, it was unintentional. I actually thought that the first half of the volume was pretty strong. :-)

To Be Continued in Part 2