SHWD (シュード), Volume 2

November 2nd, 2022

In Volume 1, we met Kouga, a new recruit to the Fukuoka branch of the Special Hazardous Waste Disposal team – an elite force that fights Dynamis, inhuman beings that poison human minds and drive people mad. Kouga is taken under the wing of Sawada, a jaded veteran with a mysterious (to us) past. SHWD (シュード), Volume 2 begins with our two large, muscular women, training…hard. When they take a break, we can see the beginnings of something building between them.

But the bulk of the book follows our cover couple – team leader Nonaka and the American transfer, Leone. Leo and Nonaka have worked together before and understand each other’s weaknesses and strengths. When Leo breaks down, Nonaka is there to stop her from causing herself a harm, and when Nonaka allows the Dynamis influence in her to get too strong, Leo offers her her body to consume while she’s taken into custody. We get Nonaka’s tragic backstory. The two of them have a deep relationship that, by the end of the volume, they tentatively allow to become something more.  They obviously understand one another.

The volume then turns back to Kouga and Sawada. Sawada mentions that different levels of access are given different colors in SHWD. But Kouga notices that Sawada is given a security clearance color that isn’t on the list. When Sawada returns from a disposal, Kouga is sure that she sees a Dynamis draped over Sawada’s head…but a second later, it’s gone and Sawada looks the same as usual. Who…or what…is Sawada?

This a solid action series, with powerful backstories and a pretty thin plot so far. One hopes that it will be given time to develop, so we get a current timeline story along with the puzzle pieces of the backstories. I just hope it doesn’t devolve into break up the team/get the team back together/the end. Here’s hoping this series gets the time it needs to work itself through.

As I said in Volume 1, “this series is a love letter to huge, muscular woman. ” Kouga, Sawada and Leo are massive, muscular body types and Nonaka is – for story reasons, of course – an adult in a child’s body.  There is some very mild nudity, but the service is muscled arms, torsos and legs. Not to everyone’s taste, but I find it a refreshing change of pace from willowy women.

Ratings:

Art – 8 Honestly great, despite kind of being exaggerated in a bunch of different ways.
Story – 7 Solid action story storytelling
Characters – 8 Tragic backstories ahoy!
Service – 5 Anatomy is fun
Yuri – Both couples are taking tentative steps forward, one more tentative than the other

Overall – 8

Volume 1 is available in English from Seven Seas!

Posted in Yuri Manga | 2 Comments »


The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Volume 2

October 31st, 2022

In Volume 1, of the manga we met Princess Anisphia, a princess with no magic, but the memory of a scientific world who studies magic as if it were a science. We also met Euphyllia, blessed by the spirits with great magic, born and raised to be a Queen, but cast off and spurned by her fiance’…and no one truly understands why.

In The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Volume 2  Anisphia is thrilled to have a powerful assistant, but volume 2 is really about repairing Euphyllia’s sense of self-worth. This is not an easy job, as everything she has trained for is in ruins and she is wholly reliant on the kindness of strangers. Thankfully for her, they don’t come any stranger or kinder than Anisphia.

And, so, as the news of a monster stampede arrives at the royal palace, Anisphia sees her chance to prove her theories, use her magic tools, gain materiel and money for experiments and sort out Euphyllia’s reputation all at once.

This is a very good volume of this series, covering the middle part of the first volume of the light novel. The fanservice which marred the first volume of the manga has been jettisoned. (I have long wondered if there is any real value in that kind of thing. Do the few people whose attention were captured, rather than repulsed by, an extremely close up-skirt panel make up enough of a paying audience to keep doing that, when it doesn’t serve the story well and is dropped almost immediately? I wish someone would do real market research on this.)

What is left is Anisphia’s sincerity, Euphyllia’s new commitment, and a rollicking fantasy adventure worth your time.  The story picks up speed as the Reincarnated Princess and The Magical Genius rush off to fight a dragon and save the kingdom.

I look forward to this arc finishing up in Volume 3 (which came out in February of this year in Japan), because it was a very strong ending for the arc. I’m not sure Volume 2 of the Light Novel (which I have read, but apparently, not reviewed) would make a good manga, as it consists mostly of people talking to one another. I enjoyed it, but does it have the hysteria needed to carry a manga? I guess we’ll see, as Volume 4 of the manga clearly jumps right into the new arc.

Ratings:

Art – 7 The sword just gets better and better
Story – 7 Solid
Characters – 8 Euphyllia comes in to her own here
Service – Thankfully, none
Yuri – 1 The door is open

Overall – 8

I’m a little surprised at myself not being done with Isekai yet, but I was reading fantasy from the early 70s, so perhaps this has just forced me to go back to my roots. ^_^ In any case, this story is less about Isekai and more about kindness and consideration being tremendously powerful – a magical tool we can all use.

Posted in English Manga, Yuri Manga | 3 Comments »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – October 29, 2022

October 29th, 2022

Yuri Visual Novels & Games

Via Audrey on Twitter, who subbed the game, Square Enix is releasing Towatsugai, a Yuri VN about a couple finding each other over and over after death. This will be released on iOS and Android. Check out the trailer on YouTube!

Via YNN Correspondent Cryssoberyl, here’s a video featuring the seiyuu’s reactions to Yuri scenes in D4DJ’s first canon lesbian couple is so cute, subbed by ruolan.

Via Yuri Navi, Watashi-tachi no Marriage 2 (私たちマリアージュ) is being worked on.

On Twitter, Niina Shinjou announced some new Yuri voice work, including Prussian Blue and Meruya no Shujin.These are available at DLSite.

Again via Yuri Navi, we have the OP for the upcoming game Samurai Maiden, in which kisses will occur.

 

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Yuri Manga

I know I’m hopelessly behind on getting items on the Yuricon Store, life has been unremittingly complicated recently. I’m hoping to make some time this month to play catch up.

Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu!, Volume 11 (私の百合はお仕事です！) will be hitting shelves in Japan next month.

Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou, Volume 5 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。) of the manga, will be out in Japan in December.

 

Yuri Webtoon & Doujinshi

I’m very late on this piece of news, but Ari North, creator of Always Human, has a new webtoon, Seven Days in Silverglen.  Ari’s work is always lovely, so definitely give this a read!

Lilyka is running a 20% off all items Halloween sale.

 

Yuri Anime

The second season of Birdie Wing has been delayed until April according to the official Twitter account.

This Week in Anime on ANN takes on Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury and ask, Could Gundam: The Witch From Mercury Be The Best Alternative Universe Gundam Yet?

Realistically not Yuri, but Aim for the Ace was license by Diskotek and it does have some solid intense relationships on the court between female rivals.

 

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Yuri Light Novel

Sean Gaffney has reviewed J-Novel’s Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel to Trifecta on his A Case Suitable For Treatment blog, so you can decide for yourself whether it’s your style. It sounds like it is not mine, so thank you Sean!

 

Other News

Autostraddle’s Lily Alvarado offers up this seasonal thriller of 40 Female Horror Protagonists, Ranked by Lesbianism

Galette magazine is revamping their crowdfunding benefits. You can check out their page on Fantia to see what the new levels are!

Seven Seas has opened their own public-facing manga store. There’s some limited time deals available!

 

 

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Posted in Yuri Network News | No Comments »


The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Volume 5: The Promised Land

October 26th, 2022

In Volume 4, we left everyone in this series rushing towards “The Holy Land,” about which we have been told very little. In The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Volume 5: The Promised Land, we are convinced that this is because there is very little to say about it.  It is small, white, has no hotels or restaurants, just some churches that may house pilgrims and is, in every sense of the word…a complete flim flam. The Holy Land is a distraction to hide the two secrets of this world.

Nonetheless, everyone in this story has arrived at the Holy Land. And, dull as it is, it is playing host to the prelude to the climax of this series. A climax that has not so much as been hinted as as, well, basically the narrative has giant pointing fingers, in case you didn’t pick up on things.

Menou has a first round against her master, Flare. More than one Human Error is involved in this volume and by the end, and in the middle of the hurley and burley, Momo’s scenes were the most interesting. Because this volume was mostly focused on reveals of things that were fairly obvious, the only thing I demanded of the story was that one of the priestesses, Hooseyard, be alive by the end. Killing her off would have been been like killing a dog – unacceptable collateral damage. The only spoiler I will give you is that Hooseyard lives. At least this time.

There are no more secrets now. The next volume will have to wrap this arc up, or it will be annoying. ^_^

As with previous volumes, Mato Sato spends a lot of time re-describing things already described and, as previously mentioned, the Holy Land is very dull, so details tend to sort of fade into the word count. I did very much like the extended scene in which Flare lit and smoked a cigarette merely to irritate herself. That’s some dedication to purgatorial description.

nilitsu’s art is much less mannerist in this volume, which is kind of nice. Jenny McKeon does her absolute best with the translation, props to her wading through a lot of simplistic declarative phrases.

Ratings:

Art – 5
Story – 5
Characters – 7
Service – Implied more than actual, but lingering on the edges
Yuri – Akari loves Menou, Momo loves Menou…

Overall – 7

All the pieces are on the board, all of us know who is where, and what they can do. It remains to be seen what the author envisions as the grand finale. I know what *I* envision it as, we’ll see if there is any overlap. ^_^ And whether, in the end, this is indeed, Yuri.

 

Posted in Light Novel | 1 Comment »


Erica’s Schedule for November and December 2022

October 25th, 2022

This week will be accompanied by a slow-down of reviews as I rev up my end-of year speaking schedule.  I was honored to address students at Hunter College, in NYC yesterday. Thank you all for your great questions! If I can post that lecture on Yuri Studio, I will do that at the end of the year!

Now to get ready for AnimeNYC, November 18-20 in NYC. The first 20 people to buy a copy of By Your Side: The First 100  Years of Yuri Anime and Manga at the event will get a mini-button of one of the cover couples! I also have a few postcards to give away to folks after that. Supplies are very limited, because I am literally dragging my boxes in myself by train and I have a severely limited supply of arms. ^_^

Also available will be some of our ALC Publishing manga books: WORKS, by Eriko Tadeno, Shoujoai ni Bouken, Volume 1 (the only volume of this goofily-named series that was printed, but its on my 2023 schedule to finish the third part and collect the whole set as one volume,) and remaining volumes of Yuri Mongatari. These will all be going for reduced prices, as I need the space. ^_^

While at AnimeNYC, I’ll be on two panels. Catch me on Sunday at Defending Manga, with the Manga in Libraries (11:00 am–11:45 on Community Stage (River Pavilion)) folks and  Writing About Japan, (1:30 PM )with Abby Denson and Zack Davisson! (1:30 – 2:15 in Panel Room 3)

For those of you who won’t be able to make it, I’ll also be speaking with the folks at Kinokuniya NYC, for an interview that should go up on their social media next month.

December 16-18 will see the return of Casa Con to a Discord near you. ^_^ This year James Welker and I will be interviewing each other about our respective work in BL and Yuri!

Folks looking at 2023 will be able to catch me on a podcast near you and at the Michigan State University Translation Workshop once again.

If you’d like me to speak at your organization, podcast, university or event, do drop me a line via our Yuricon Contact form. I’d love to chat with you.

Posted in Events | No Comments »