Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Volume 8 (やがて君になる)

December 12th, 2019

Since I cracked open the fantastic Bloom Into You Premium Box Set earlier this week, and plan on finishing it up tomorrow (except for the cheesecake, which will have to wait a few weeks) I figured I had better just bite the bullet and wrap it all up in one go. So here we are with Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Volume 8 (やがて君になる) in our hands, ready to say farewell to this series in Japanese.

Volume 7 (which will be available in English in April 2020) left us on the cusp of a major change for Yuu and Touko. A major change that had been telegraphed for many volumes, so surely no one will be surprised. After this massive change in their relationship, the narrative shifts entirely from a story about young people struggling with who they might be to one about learning to be comfortable with who they are. To do this, some of you will have to let go of who you thought they were. This bring us to the creation of a relationship in which both Yuu and Touko had to figure out what they wanted for themselves.

Time marches on and the story skips two years into the future to end in what is an extended final chapter. Yuu visits her school once again, this time to watch her successors in the Student Council perform their play. And to catch up with everyone for a brief moment. Sayaka, Yuu and Touko have one last moment together in which the punchline of the yet-to-be-released third Sayaka novel is spoiled…and I’m perfectly okay with it. ^_^ It’s not like that was any less obvious than the end of this series. In a Yuri story, it doesn’t matter how many obstacles exist, we kind of have to realize that we’re headed to an inevitable conclusion.

The conclusion to this story may have been inevitable and, if we’re honest, a bit predictable, but it is nonetheless a nice ending and one that gives fans of the series plenty of room into which they can write their own desires. What conversations did Yuu and Touko have about identity and gender and sexuality and sex in those two years? We’ll never know, so feel free to tell the story you need to tell to make it work for you.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters  – 10
Service – There is a sex scene. Whether you consider that service or not is entirely up to you.
Yuri – 10

Overall – 9

In the end, I am once again staring at the title, wondering if we’ve all been played for fools. Maybe  every single character had someone they thought they had to become in order for things to work. Or, maybe Yuu was never the protagonist and we’ve been watching her in a supporting role all along to Touko’s journey to become, then surpass, then let go of her, sister. Or maybe the title had no specific connection at all and we were left, like the characters themselves, to struggle to find meaning.

We already know there will be a few “curtain call” projects for this series. Artbook, stage play reprise, the third Sayaka novel, and a series of LINE stamps have been planned. The first novel, Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka is available for pre-order from Seven Seas, so we’ll be  talking about this series still for some time to come. But, in the meantime, we’ll tip our hat in thanks to Nakatani-sensei and wait to see if there’s something next.





Yuri Manga: Yuri Bear Storm, Volume 2 (English)

December 9th, 2019

We met Kureha, a human surrounded by bears, and Gingko, the bear princess with whom she falls in love in Volume 1.

In Volume 2 of Yuri Bear Storm, what is already a confusing story, takes on extra layers of obfuscation as Lulu, another bear in love with Gingko, shows up. The three of them end up living together, and we begin to learn that Gingko and Kureha are linked by a long list of connections, not the least of which is that their mothers, and Yurika, the school principal, were apparently lovers in the past.

While every piece of the plot is presented as a “Once upon a time” fairytale, none of those pieces seem to fit together, quite, although they clearly belong to the same puzzle. By the end of volume 2, we can see that Gingko and Kureha are bound by fate, but how, exactly and what that fate is, are seen from two sides of a one-way mirror. Each girl knows the other is there, but they can’t quite see….

And added to the equation is the appearance of Bear Witch Sumika, (Kureha’s lover from the anime.) She appears to know something about Kureha that the girl doesn’t know about herself. What that is, we might learn, but equally, we might not, in this Ikuhara Kunihiko story, stamped all over with the seal of a lily, but frequently without plot threads that connect.

I really love this manga for Morishima Akiko’s art, and the cognitive dissonance between her cherubic characters and the significant psychological (and, occasionally, physical) violence of the story. These are the cutest bears disemboweling humans you’ll ever see.

Translator Katie McLendon does heroic work making this story make as sense as it possibly can, while the entire Tokyopop team does a fine job of giving this book the feel and finish it deserves.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 8 We get more Yurika!
Yuri – 8
Service – 5

Overall – 8

For an adorable fairytale about multiple three-person relationships, death, destruction loss and love, Yuri Bear Storm is a pretty amazing (if not “good”) story.





Yuri Manga: A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow, Volume 1 (English)

December 6th, 2019

Konatsu’s father has been transfered overseas, so she is now living with a relative in a small seaside town in Ehime. Although she is from Tokyo, Konatsu is a little reserved, afraid to assume and careful about making friends. Even when the girl who sits next to her in class is outgoing and friendly, she’s worried about seeming too forward. But compared to the school star Koyuki, Konatsu is downright outgoing. A chance encounter bring the two girls together and almost immediately they feel something much more than mere friendship. In order to be near Koyuki, Konatsu joins the aquarium club. They help each other out in club, but also out of their social shells. When they both find themselves able to express anything, it seems to be more than they expected.

When I reviewed Nettaigyo ha Yuki ni Kogareru, Volume 1 (熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる ) I called this “a charming little love story about two girls and a cute salamander.”  A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow, Volume 1 is still charming and the salamander is still cute.  Both Koyuki and Konatasu live very much in their own heads, are a little fearful of expressing intimacy. Unusually, this puts them in the position of falling for one another before actually being friends (or frenemies, even,) something we don’t see all that much right now in Yuri romance.

This Viz edition looks lovely. The cover is made to look very much like an aquarium, but more importantly, the binding is lovely. I have no idea why I am enamored of the binding, but I picked this book up and the first words out of my mouth were, “wow, what beautiful binding.” ^_^ All in all, it just looks great. Other than marine life jargon, the dialogue here is not complicated, nonetheless translator John Werry, Eve Grandt’s lettering and touch-up (a fantastically difficult job that does not get enough attention!), Yukiko Whitely’s design work and Pancha Diaz’ editorial touch made this a relaxing read. I was able to just settle in to the narrative and let both Konatsu and Koyuki do the worrying for me.

Ratings:

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

Overall – 8

I know what’s coming and I’ll just warn you all to be patient. There will be no rushing this story, I assure you.

Volume 2 will be released in February.

Thanks very much to Viz Media for the review copy!





Yuri Manga: Sayonara Rose Garden, Volume 2 (さよならローズガーデン)

November 27th, 2019

Volume 1 introduced us to Hanako, a Japanese woman who has traveled to England from far-off Japan to meet her favorite author, during Victoria’s reign. To support herself, Hanako has taken up being a maid, and she is hired to be the personal maid for the daughter of a Duke, Alice. Alice is not sickly at all, but there is something melancholy about her. Alice promises to introduce Hanako to Victor Franks, Hanako’s favorite author.  We learn that Alice has previously fallen in love with her governess. As Volume 1 closes, it is apparent to Alice’s fiance, Edward, that Alice’s feelings for Hanako are heading in the same direction.

In Volume 2 of Sayonara Rose Garden (さよならローズガーデン), Alice is struggling to keep it together and Hanako is struggling to understand her. When she learns of Alice’s love affair with her old governess, Hanako is completely accepting…only now she has a secret she is keeping from Alice! When Hanako takes ill, Alice discovers her secret and is, frankly, shocked, They have something unexpected in common, but what does it mean for them? Alice, moved to try and figure out what they are to one another gives up her last secret, and introduces Hanako to Victor Franks, at last.

As I said, in Volume 1, this book feels at times like it was originally intended to be a penny dreadful or horror set in Victorian England. It’s not. It is a bit melodramatic, several of the “secrets” were either hinted at broadly or plainly given away to us, so only Alice or Hanako who feel surprise. That aside, there’s any number of times where the conversations around Hanako and Alice feel as if they might become darker…they certainly could do…but they don’t. Instead we’re allowed to focus entirely on the drama between Alice and Hanako and the even more dramatic struggles Alice is having with herself.

Dr. Pepperco’s art is solid, a little lightly melodramatic or over-decorated as needed to give this “Victorian England” color. Clothing is carefully rendered, faces are less so. But the story is solid and I’m still enjoying it.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Service – 3
Yuri – 6

Overall – 7

Luckily you too will be able to enjoy this series very soon, as Seven Seas has licensed it! Goodbye, My Rose Garden Volume1 is heading our way in spring. I’ll look forward to your reactions.





Yuri Manga: Strawberry Fields wo Mou Ichido, Volume 3 ( ストロベリー・フィールズをもう一度)

November 26th, 2019

In Volume 1, we met Akira, a high school student who tended to avoid other people and Pure the transfer student who calmly informs Akira that in 7 years, they will be lovers. In Volume 2, we watch Akira warm up to the other girl. The book ends as Pure confesses her feeling (once again) in front of the whole school. Akira, finally ready to reciprocate Pure’s  feelings, runs after her, only to find her…gone.

In Strawberry Fields wo Mou Ichido, Volume 3 ( ストロベリー・フィールズをもう一度), we find out that we’ve been reading a book about time-travel all along. Pure wasn’t making it up – she came from a future in which they had been lovers. So, why was she traveling backwards at all? Because Akira’s brother Ruri had caused the timeline to diverge from its original path.

Ruri meets a woman, Sumire, with the ability to reverse time and hopes that, by using her power, he can save his mother from dying in an accident and keep his family together. But the more they meddle, the further away they get from his desired outcome. And, Sumire realizes that if he brings his mother back, he and Akira will never be born. So they decide to try to re-establish the right timeline. Pure discovers their time machine and reverses time to find Akira again.

We see alternate timelines with Pure and Akira missing each other over and over, then further alternate timelines where one or the other of them is hurt in an accident, but they stick together and eventually they manage to find their original timeline…or one that is functionally the same. They do indeed become lovers and while Mom remains deceased. Ruri and Akira are never going to be friends with their Dad’s new wife, but they do like their younger half-sister. Pure and Akira are married and they live happily every after, as we see in a short epilogue.

Because I hadn’t really taken the time-travel thing seriously at the beginning, this book took me three readthroughs to make it make sense. And then I double checked myself against the author’s note, where the correct order is laid out. The alternate timelines in the middle of volume three confused me the first time around and I almost gave it up as a series that was just messy…until it all clicked. Then I re-read it to make sure I caught everything that was said. I don’t think I’ve given too many books that kind of time, honestly. And I’m not entirely sure this series was worth it.  The plot felt like it had been run through a blender a bit with a lot of exposition at the end. The author’s note felt exactly like a waiter “explaining” food that was pointlessly overcomplicated. ^_^;

But the girls get each other and it does end with a big old wedding (which makes no sense, but why would we insist on sense now?) which was kind of nice so I let it go and just enjoyed the whole mess for what it was. The art was nice enough.

Ratings: 

Art – 7
Story – 7
Character – 7
Service – 2
Yuri – 6

Overall – 7

Not super memorable except for the whole time-travel thing, but it was a pleasant diversion.