Failed Princess, Volume 2

September 27th, 2021

In  Volume 1, we met Fujishiro Nanaki, one of the cool and fashionable girls and Kurozawa Kaede, one of the fujoshi girls,  who meet and find their lives somehow interconnected. Here in Failed Princesses, Volume 2, a culture clash had set the two young women up for an all out war on reality.

Nanaki is frustrated at Kurokawa, but she’d be hard pressed to explain why. She just knows that Kurokawa’s new found popularity pisses her off…but her jealousy is not AT Kaede, but is definitely because of her. Kurozawa is just angry at a world that never rewards her for trying. The cool girls clique has become openly hostile, the teachers are punishing Nanaki and being rude about Kaede and if not for the decency of the nerdy girls, I probably would have given this series up.

Volume 2 felt exactly like what it is – a short series that was meant to wrap up, but was extended. So instead of Nanaki falling in love with her Galatea, Galatea has come to life and been treated like garbage and Nanaki punished for standing up for her and only Izumi apparently smart enough to see what is going on. Nonetheless, Nanaki does realize that she’s missed Kaede and Kaede realizes there’s no point to her beauty if her Pygmalion isn’t there to enjoy it with.

I’m up to Volume 4 in Japanese, and I’m struggling with the series. There just isn’t a lot holding this series together beyond two girls who run in different circles in high school fall in love, which is simply not very compelling for me. More critically, everything interesting in the story has come from one of the fujoshi group – Kaede’s “we live in different worlds” commentary, Izumi’s awareness of the cool girls’ jealousy and loneliness. The cool kids are, well, kinda as boring as they were in school.

What I hope from this series would be more insight into in-group vs out-group dynamics, but what we are getting is high school crushes and drama. This series is definitely great for folks who like Morinaga Milk’s GIRL FRIENDS but wanted more conflict. Ajiichi’s art is good, the characters are solid. And I’ll hope that the plot develops past “what is going on with me?”

Ratings:

Art โ€“ 8
Story โ€“ 7
Characters โ€“ 7
Service โ€“ 1
Yuri โ€“ 6

Overall โ€“ 7

Thanks very much to Seven Seas for the review copy!

Posted in English Manga | 1 Comment »


New Yuri Studio Video for Okazu Patrons!

September 26th, 2021

After last week’s flawed attempt at live recording, a new Yuri Studio is available to all Okazu Patrons! I took a few questions from patrons and answered them this time on Yuri Studio.

All Okazu Patrons get early access to videos and research – and all active Patrons will get a digital copy of By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga, when it publishes in summer 2022. Patrons also get to submit questions for Yuri Studio videos and an invitation to our end of year holiday party!

Most importantly, Okazu Patrons help support our writers, our research, our video and website staff and most importantly, Okazu Patrons make it possible for us to contribute directly to Yuri creators to support their work.  If you enjoy our news and reviews and videos, I hope you’ll become an Okazu Patron today.

Your support goes a long way to keeping the Yuri ecosystem alive and healthy. Thanks so much to our Okazu Patrons for making this new video possible. ^_^

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Yuri Network News โ€“ (็™พๅˆใƒใƒƒใƒˆใƒฏใƒผใ‚ฏใƒ‹ใƒฅใƒผใ‚น) โ€“ September 25, 2021

September 25th, 2021

We have an extraordinary amount of news this week. ^_^

Yuri Manga

Yen Press has licensed If You Could See Love, about a girl who can see who is in love with her…in a girls’ school. Alex Mateo has the details on ANN.

We’ve got a bunch of new Yuri on the Yuricon Store! I am almost caught up from the last month of being behind on this…until the next batch drops. ^_^

Mikan Uji’s Fuzoroi no Renri, Volume 5 (ไธๆƒใ„ใฎ้€ฃ็†”), which continues several odd couple Yuri tales that are fun and a little poignant. I just reviewed Volume 4 this week.

2DK, G Pen After Time Ohsawa Yayoi Short Story Collection (2DKใ€Gใƒšใƒณใ€ใ‚ขใƒ•ใ‚ฟใƒผใ‚ฟใ‚คใƒ ใ€‚ๅคงๆฒขใ‚„ใ‚ˆใ„ ็Ÿญ็ทจ้›†). I’m super looking forward to this. In part because Ohsawa-sensei’s art and story telling has matured since 2015 when this series debuted (and I dd not like the first volume at all. ^_^ Times and opinions change.)

Shimura Takako’s Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 5 (ใŠใจใชใซใชใฃใฆใ‚‚) is another book I’m really looking forward to.

Erie and Wako’s story continues in Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji, Volume 3 (ใตใŸใ‚Šใฏใ ใ„ใŸใ„ใ“ใ‚“ใชใ‹ใ‚“ใ˜). Wako’s new anime role will be scripted by Erie!

The Japanese volumes for Kimi ni Tsumugu Bouhaku, (ๅ›ใซ็ดกใๅ‚็™ฝ) Volume 1 and Volume 2 are up on the Store. This series is being released in English as Monologue Woven For You, by Seven Seas. Volume 1 head your way this winter.

Last week we added Volume 3 of Usui Shio’s Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts ( ๆฌ ใ‘ใŸๆœˆใจใƒ‰ใƒผใƒŠใƒƒใƒ„)  and now Crystalynn Hodgkins on ANN reports that this series will wrap up with Volume 4. But don’t worry, Volume 2 of Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon has just come out in English, so we have some time to go with this lovely series. ^_^

 

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The funny thing about Yuri ni Hasamarete, ESPer! (็™พๅˆใซๆŒŸใพใ‚Œใฆใ€ใ‚จใ‚นใƒ‘ใƒผ!) is that, although I haven’t read more than a sample chapter of this, I feel like I know it, as it’s been on the to-put-on-the-Store list for a really long time. ^_^

It doesn’t look it, but, U-temo’s Kyou ha Mada Futsu ni Narenai (ไปŠๆ—ฅใฏใพใ ใƒ•ใƒ„ใƒผใซใชใ‚Œใชใ„) is about adult and whether everyone has to be involved in romance and sex to be “normal.”

Aisarete mo Iindayo, Volume 2 ( ๆ„›ใ•ใ‚Œใฆใ‚‚ใ„ใ„ใ‚“ใ ใ‚ˆ) Amano Shuninta’s fiction about being a lesbian sex worker is out now in Japan. I found Volume 1 interesting.

Via Comic Natalie,  Koi no Koukishin (ๆ‹ใฎๅฅฝๅฅ‡ๅฟƒ) is a story about two girls’ journey through all the most tedious tropes,like Pocky game and skirt flipping(?!) in the name of love and comedy. You can read a sample in Japanese on Comic Natalie and see if it’s for for you. Pro tip: Skirt flipping is not a sign of affection. It’s a form of sexual harassment.

Yuri Yuri creator namori and Mayu, Matou creator Hara Yuriko are contributing to a an upcoming Yuri issue of seasonal mook ES magazine (็™พๅˆ็‰น้›†ใฎๅญฃๅˆŠใ‚จใ‚น) reports Comic Natalie.

 

Yuri Interview

Yuri manga creator Inui Ayu is doing a live interview as I type this on Yuri Lovers Salon at the Asagaya Loft. Tickets to list to the interview are available through October 9.

 

Yuri Light Novel

Yen Press announced the license for The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, a manga I coincidentally started this week (or maybe it was my Yuri magic?) Alex Mateo’s ANN article has the specs on this item, too.

 

Yuri Games

XSEED Games has officially announced new same-sex marriage features for Rune Factory 5. Read their localization blog for the whole story. It makes for some really interesting reading. Rafael Antonio Pineda has the trailer and some more game details on ANN. I hope someone will review this for us when it becomes available, it looks cute.

 

Yuri Anime

ANN’s Alex Mateo made my day with news about the second cour of Aquatope of White Sand, with new characters and a new OP.

 

Other News

Oku Hiroya has sold some of his art from Yuri series HEN as an NFT. Kim Morrisy has the story at ANN.

 

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Posted in Yuri Network News | No Comments »


Superwomen in Love, Honey Trap & Rapid Rabbit, Volume 2

September 24th, 2021

In Volume 1, we meet Hayate who is a part-time performer and superhero, Rapid Rabbit. When Antinoid Army executive Honey Trap fights and defeats Rabbit, she pull off her helmet and falls head over heels for Hayate. Ditching the evil Antinoids for the side of good, Honey and Hayate now fight together.

In Superwomen in Love, Honey Trap & Rapid Rabbit, Volume 2, the cast grows larger. We meet Cool Down another Antinoid executive, who has a Yuri fetish and X, the mastermind behind the evil army attacking humanity.  On the side of good, we meet Orb Owl, a young woman motivated to protect her older sister.

What story we get in this volume is more of a series of questions, than an actual story. Why is X leaving dimension tools around and why does she want to turn humans into monsters? At the moment, we don’t know, but let’s set that aside for a sec. I’ll get back to this in a moment.

Yuri here is implicit, but not, explicit. Honey Trap is very in love with Hayate, two of the Antinoid execs, Suigetsu Kyouka and Melt Out appear to be a couple, Hina seems kind of obsessed with her sister and X seems very obsessed with Hayate. And, again Cool Down is obsessed with Yuri as a whole.

But…what is this story about? I was super excited at the idea of sentai-style Yuri story about adults, but at least here in Volume 2, there’s no story, really. And while there are adults, there’s nothing about it that feels like it is written for an adult audience. I’m not talking about sex, that’s just the trappings of adulthood, the kind of thing that children think makes something “adult.” I’m talking about solid, nuanced, writing with humor and content. This feels more like a series of gags and costume designs strung together than a story.  Probably, I’m asking too much of the series, but you can’t fault a reviewer for trying. ^_^;

That said, if you love sentai series, and the thought that goes into every costume and superpower, with a dollop of goofy. monster of the day style roboto-enemies, slathered with a Yuri icing, then you’ll definitely enjoy this series. Yuri love will save the day in Superwomen in Love.. ^_^

Ratings:

Art โ€“ 8
Story โ€“ 7
Characters โ€“ 7
Service โ€“ 2 Costumes and some of the angles
Yuri โ€“ 4

Overall โ€“ 7

Shout outs to the entire team at Seven Seas from bringing us this niche-y fun series. I look forward to reading the third volume which will be out in winter 2021!

 

Posted in English Manga, Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »


Fuzoroi no Renri, Volume 4 (ไธๆƒใ„ใฎ้€ฃ็†)

September 23rd, 2021

Fuzoroi no Renri, Volume 4 (ไธๆƒใ„ใฎ้€ฃ็†) by Mikan Uji, is both a whimsical look at several Yuri odd couples and a profouns story about about found family and making a space for one’s self. In this volume, the whimsy is set aside a little more than usual so we can talk about what happens with young people who are rejected by their families.

To do this, we spend a little extra time with Minami, which is finding herself becoming introspective about her relationship with Iori, and her fellow orphan Shizuka, who is being asked by Saori to admit her feelings for her defacto sister.  There’s some really emotional scenes here, as both Minami and Shizuka have to take stock of what they were to one another and what they fear giving up if they give themselves wholly to another. I am pulling for Minami and Iori, well Minami, really. Iori needs to stop drinking so much. Shizuka and Saori face a couple of high hurdles, not least of which that that they are both very young and forever is a long time.

Accompanying this is a few melancholy pages with the gym teacher who ends up confiding in a student who work in a maid cafe, next to the lesbian bar she doesn’t have the confidence to step into.

All of this makes for an unusually serious volume of this mostly-light-hearted manga. It does leave little room for the manga artist and her editor who are falling for each other online, if only because in comparison, their story seems dopey. But the other effect is that I am more invested in these characters than I was when they were just gags as they were in the previous three volumes.

Ratings:

Art โ€“ 8
Story โ€“ 8
Characters โ€“ 9
Service โ€“ 4 A little bit more than usual
Yuri โ€“ 10

Overall โ€“ 9

Mikan Uji-sensei’s author notes are one more in a long series that reference how lonely manga artists are in lockdown. A study could be done on how manga artists, specifically, are doing working alone, or almost alone, in their rooms these days. It might be a coincidence, but an awful lot of the comedy manga I read has become more serious in recent months. I wonder if there is a correlation.

 

Posted in Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »