Yoru To Umi, Volume 2 French Edition, Guest Review by Laurent Lignon

November 3rd, 2021

On this Guest Review Wednesday (the 8th such Wednesday in a row!) on Okazu, we welcome back Journaliste/Chroniqueur Laurent Lignon with the second volume of  the French translation of the second volume of Plongée dans la nuit, released in stores by Taifu Comics.)

“I think I’m jealous of their relationship”

It is the second school year for Tsukiko and Aya, whose relationship has taken a further step with Aya’s declaration in the previous volume. Yet, both girls seems hesitant to confess their feelings to each other.

Once again, the volume alternates between different points of view. In doing so, it fleshes out some of the secondary characters. The first chapter is dedicated to Hanano, who hides the teenage love she feels towards one of her teachers behind a long series of useless flirts with other boys. By comparing the emptiness she feels in her relationships with how she sees Tsukiko and Aya acting as non-officially declared couple, she realizes how deep her misunderstanding of love is.

Chapters 8 and 9 deals with the insecurity of Maihara (a girl seen in volume 1), who loves acting but fears being on stage, and her starting a rocky relationship with Shinonome, a girl so good at acting that she resents being the focus of attention when playing. Both girls acts as mirror images of Tsukiko and Aya respectively, with similar characters but not afraid to say what they think to each other.

Aya is the focus of two more chapters, and we see how her relationship with Tsukiko is evolving, as well as how her own state of mind. Aya still has trouble understanding Tsukiko, and wants to get closer to her (as seen in the superb splash page of Chapter 9, when she uses the image a mountain path to compare the expectation of her closeness to Tsukiko with the reality of it), but she starts to understand the concept of personal space.

This is, perhaps, the most interesting feature of the volume, as we discover how Aya defines her own personal space, compares it to Tsukiko’s own and understand her own limitations : the pool in which she spent most of her free time is then used as a metaphor of her teenage years (something with clear boundaries and a sense of safety) and the ocean to which she takes a trip at the end of the volume is representing a metaphor of adult life (vast, endless, unknown and insecure). Tsukiko dislikes the ocean not for what it is, but for what she feels it represents of her future. This is further enhanced by a scene in the pool in which the water surface is drawn as a window, both acting as a barrier between the two girls yet being the window through which both of them can watch endlessly the one she loves the most.

Tsukiko is the focus of a single chapter, but an important one that shows that she truly understands that what she feels for Aya could (and probably will, in her mind,) end when both girls will leave high school to go to different colleges. As she expects the relationship to end, she doesn’t know what to do with such information, or how she should react to it.

Ratings: 

ART – 9 : nothing more to add to what I’ve said about the first volume : this is just beautiful to behold, and full of great detailed panels

STORY – 8 : pretty much the poster for a well written Class S story

CHARACTERS – 8 : finally some characters starts to exist apart of the two girls

SERVICE – 0 : and Goumoto even plays with the expectations of a part of the fan base with some great gags (the rubber duck, the “bath” scene, …)

YURI – 7 : while you won’t find kisses and anguished declarations of love, this is still the story of a blooming relationship. As summed up by this wonderful thought from Aya : “Being in the water and beautiful things are what I like best.”

OVERALL – 8 : Volume 3 will mark the end of the story, and I’m impatient to see which path it will take. For such an unusual couple, I’m expecting the unexpected.

Erica here: Thank you so much Laurent! It’s terrific to get a glimpse of a Yuri manga we don’t have in the USA. We’ll wait with bated breath for your review of Volume 3 to learn how the series ends. ^_^
 
Posted in Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »


Yuri-Ota ni Yuri ha Gohattodesu!, Volume 1 (百合オタに百合はご法度です!)

November 2nd, 2021

In U-temo’s Yuri fantasy, Yuri-Ota ni Yuri ha Gohattodesu!, Volume 1 (百合オタに百合はご法度です!), Yuri is the law by which Yuri otaku Watanabe Fuyu lives. When she transfers to a private girl’s school, she is primed for a school life saturated with Yuri. So, why, Watanabe wants to know, is she sitting behind the only gal in this dang school? Yoshioka Ririka, is a rusty nail of a gal in this garden of beautiful lilies…according to Watanabe, who resents everything about Yoshioka, from her curled hair to her selfies to her offers to get tapioca drinks. Instead, Watanabe follows the stars of the school to see them enact Yuri tropes in real life.

In case you haven’t grasped the idea, this is a comedy. Watanabe gets her otaku on by watching rosaries being presented, love umbrellas being shared and has “humorous” reactions to Yoshioka’s simple overtures of friendship.

Despite this goofy-yet-annoying premise, this volume was kind of fun. Yoshioka being a fish out of water, who doesn’t know she’s in a pond at all is not played for laughs. Watanabe’s reactions are, as one might expect, completely off the page, but even she starts to see how decent Yoshioka is.

The climax of the book comes as the best sœur couple is thrown – and throws the school into – chaos over the school play. Yoshioka is there to step into cool upperclassman Akira’s role, as a kindness. She asks Watanabe to practice dancing with her and whose heart could remain unmelted after that? Watanabe manages to patch up the rift between Akira and her little sister, Nagomi and in doing so violates her own rule of being in the shadows, as just another Yuri otaku. Now, she’s famous.

This kind of book is always amusing to fans of the genre who recognize the tropes of ‘S’ aesthetic Yuri, but even if you don’t, Watanabe gives you the rundown on them enough to know “this” is a trope. In every case, the narrative shies away from making the characters or situations too annoying or cringe-y. Watanabe comes the closest to being unlikable, but by the end of the volume, is just one of us. ^_^

U-temo’s art is goofy, which fits the tone of the story.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Service – 100% pure school girl Yuri tropes is a kind of service
Yuri – Kinda? It’s tropey as heck, but there aren’t any actual couples….yet.

Overall – 8

If this one gets licensed, I’ll be glad to recommend it as a primer on Yuri tropes and as a goofy comedy. ^_^ You can read sample chapters right now in Japanese on Web Action.

Posted in Yuri Manga | No Comments »


Castlevania on Netflix

October 31st, 2021

Happy Halloween! For tricks this year, I found myself watching Castlevania, streaming on Netflix, because we all know how much I love vampire stories. ^_^

The descendants of vampire hunters, the descendants of vampires, humans (almost all of whom deserved an ugly death) and magic users all become involved in two grand plans that will essentially destroy humanity. It…wasn’t bad.

Castlevania has decent enough animation, lots of blood, sex, some creative magical nonsensery and enough cursing to satisfy even this Jersey Girl. In fact, I have added Carmilla’s frustrated and exhausted “What the FUCK is going on?” to my store of mottos. ^_^

Okazu readers are smart enough to know that I am not reviewing this animation because I think vampires are a nifty Halloween tie-in. Clearly there must be some reason I felt it’s appropriate for Okazu? Indeed there is.

In the later half of the story, as our attention turns from Dracula’s decrepit legacy toward Carmilla’s scheme for a new age of vampire supremacy, we are introduced to Carmilla’s vampire sisters, Lenore, Striga and Morana. When we meet them, Striga and Morana are and have been, a couple. Striga is also highly amusing, voiced with brutal sarcasm by Ivana Miličević, which balances beautifully with Yasmine Al Massri’s highly ironic, and only slightly idealistic, Morana.  The two of them are delightful and their fate is a high point of the what is objectively a very, messy, if slightly dewily romantic plot. (I mean romantic in both senses here. The plot tends toward romanticism and Romanticism, if you take my meaning.)

The voice cast was quite good, with the exception of the heavy mumbling by Richard Armitage as Trevor Belmont, and James Callis as Alucard. I kept shouting “What? Speak up!” at the TV, despite the fact that I watch everything with captions now. It’s not that I’m losing my hearing, I just read faster than people talk and I have no patience. ^_^ Nonetheless, mumbling is not a personality.

I particular loved Alejandra Reynoso’s voice work for magic using Speaker Sypha.  She was a delight. Jaime Murray’s Carmilla was also brilliant – angry, imperious, violent. Kind of my perfect woman, except for her being a vampire, which I would find just so tiresome. And last, but not least, everything about Lenore, from her cute blushy cheeks to Jessica Brown Findlay’s masterful voice work, was fantastic.

For the rest of the story, expect lots of body parts, blood, and copious amounts of heavy cursing written in a way that kind of almost sounds like I wouldn’t mind being around these people, except for the stench and the threat of death and undeath. Other than that, they seem kind of fun.

Ratings:

Animation – As good as 8, as bad as 5
Story – It was three or four messes worth of mess, but does it matter? 7
Characters – 9 The main reason I kept watching, honestly
Service – 10 I did mention, the blood and violence and sex, yes?
Yuri – 9  It’s only one little piece of the story, but a nice one

Overall – 8

Alucard was all out of luck
Human lives were all in the muck
Magic and mayhem
Meant monsters and brain stems
And all anyone really wanted was a good…roast duck.

And maybe a beer. And a shower. And fewer undead monsters trying to kill them.

Posted in Western Cartoons | 1 Comment »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – October 30, 2021

October 30th, 2021

Yuri Video

In case you missed it, we have a new video up on Yuri Studio – this time a paean to Shakaijin Yuri!

 

Yuri Manga

If You Could See Love, by Teren Mikami and Yuuki Nanaji, is now out digitally from Yen Press. It’s available on Amazon and Comixology, as you can see if you click this affiliate link. Mei has always had the ability to see who is in love with whom, but upon entering a girl’s school, she finds two arrows pointing at her. Hijinks undoubtedly ensue. ^_

Kuzushiro’s Uyanotsuki,Volume 1(雨夜の月) is a story of two girls, a musician and a deaf girl, who change each other’s lives. You can check out sample chapters on Comic Days.

Chisako has a story, now running on Takeshobo’s Storia Dash, Minna Watashi no Hara no Naka (みんな私のはらのなか), about a woman who likes to eat! I’m really happy with this food + Yuri trend.^_^

Via Comic Natalie, the November issue of Square Enix’s Big GanGan is starting a new Yuri series, “Shimekiri mae ni wa Yuri ga Hakadoru (〆切前には百合が捗る) by Haganai creator Hirasaka Yomi. That follows a woman who, after coming out to her parents ends up falling for her difficult cousin. It is described as a story about “people who find it difficult to live normally.”

 

Become an Okazu Patron today and help us to support Yuri creators! $5/mo makes a huge impact.

Yuri Games & VNs

Via YNN Correspondent Aurakin, Steam is runnng a Halloween Sale through Nov. 1, and many of their Yuri titles are currently heavily discounted. Linghua and Hanako are offering Yuri bundles that end up being a few bucks a title.

From YNN Correspondent Michaelangelo H. and also on Steam, Winterwolves has released a new Yuri dating sim, Summer In Trigue. This is a dating sim set on a Caribbean island, presumably for multiple bikini scenes. ^_^ But it looks kinda cute and has no fetuses in frilly dresses. If someone wants to review this, let me know!

Via Yuri Navi, Stromatosoft is releasing a Yuri board game in November called Yuri Ranbo, a “high-speed battle Yuri Harem formation card game that aims to become one girl and acquire more girls.” For 3 players, each round takes ten minutes and it can be played by ages 9 and up. I am completely speechless at the idea and am sorely tempted to get it, despite my general disinterest in games. ^_^

After the completion of a short intro manga in Comic Yuri Hime magazine the “adventure game” Kochira, Haha naru Hoshi yori has been released. This post-apocalyptic story follow the last 6 people in Ikebukuro after a virus has decimated the planet. These six women discover new life and sometimes eat it, all while enjoying being alive. It’s a hopeful look at survival in a post-pandemic world.

 

Yuri Doujinshi

Lilyka is running a Haloweeen [sic] Sale through Tuesday. Use the Code HAL21 for 22% off Yuri tricks and treats. Some exclusions apply, they say.

 

Other News

Yurimother reports on a Yuri novelist, Saturnalia Blackrose, who has found her work plagiarized and up for sale on Amazon.  Amazon does not make it possible anymore for people other than the author to ask for the content to be removed, but please be aware that the listing is not legit. Check out Yurimother’s report for more details.

 

Thanks to our Okazu Patrons who make the YNN weekly report possible! Support us on Patreon to help us give Guest Reviewers a raise and to help us support Yuri creators!

Become a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share and be part of the Yuri Network. ^_^

Posted in Yuri Network News | 2 Comments »


I’m in Love With the Villainess, Volume 1…again!

October 29th, 2021

It’s not unheard of that we sometimes review the same book more than once here on Okazu. Books that were published by one company, then again by another are the most common culprits – like Azumanga Daioh by ADV Manga and again by Yen Press or Aria by ADV, then again by Tokyopop. We’ve definitely had more than one reviewer taking a look at the same material such as various perspectives on the Citrus anime. Today marks  – as far as I can remember – the very first time I am reviewing the same book that I have previously reviewed. And let me tell you, I’m really happy to be doing it!

In March, I took a look at the first volume of the manga for I’m in Love With The Villainess, which I had previously read in Japanese, but not reviewed because of delayed shipping.  This was followed by a review of Volume 2 in Japanese.

In the end, there were some problems with the first volume in English that I felt were impossible to ignore. I wrote a polite, detailed email to Seven Seas. I, like you, love this series, and wanted – needed – it to be perfect.  Imagine my surprise and delight to hear back from them recently, with an offer of a new edition!

So, today, for the first time ever on Okazu, I am reviewing the exact same book for the second time. Today I am looking at I’m in Love With the Villainess, Volume 1, written by inori, art by Aonishimo, character design by hanagata.

The story follows a Japanese office worker, Oohashi Rei, as she finds herself transported to the world of her favorite otome game, Revolution. Freed(?) from her previous life as a wage slave and given the chance to be the game’s protagonist, Rae Taylor as she is now known, pursues her favorite character – the game’s villain, Claire François.

The beginning of the story is goofy, as Rae plays the fool to Claire’s stereotypical high school rich girl villainess. But, as the story goes along, Rae’s behavior seems to have a different meaning and Claire begins to wonder what makes this odd and annoying commoner tick. We are also introduced to the rest of the players from the first novel of the series.

My sincere concerns about the word choices have been wholly alleviated. Claire remains high-handed and imperious, but now lacks any signs of vulgarity or uncouthness. She is the high-born noble daughter that Rae, and we, fell for. ^_^  I thank everyone on the Seven Seas team for going back over this translation and smoothing the rough patches out of the book. My especial thanks to translator Joshua Hardy, and editors Dawn Davis and Peter Adrian Behravesh, Also, some recognition to Courtney Williams who was given time to letter and retouch, which gives the story a smoother feel than just jotting in translated sound effects. (I know how hard that is and why it’s not possible for the artiest of s/fx, but I always appreciate the effort.) And once again, Nicky Lim’s cover design is lovely, with the embossed title.

As an added bonus, I genuinely think the illustrations by Aonoshimo-sensei actually enhance the story. This volume is of course, early days on this collaboration, but I know from later chapters, the art is good and will become fantastic.

This is the edition we wanted. Now I can recommend the manga as highly as I do the light novels. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Characters – 9
Story – 8 It will improve over time. ^_^
Service – 5 Nudity and bathing
Yuri – 9

Overall – 8

Volume 2 is heading our way in English in winter 2022 and I look forward to it with as much enthusiasm as I do Volume 3 in Japanese. Thank you Seven Seas for this review copy, and for taking our concerns and desires so seriously. It is very much appreciated.

Posted in English Manga, I'm in Love With the Villainess, inori, LGBTQ, Manga, Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »