Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji, Volume 3 (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ)

December 2nd, 2021

One of the defining characteristics of an adult life is facing setbacks. You can work really hard, gambare with all you have and still not achieve the goal. Sometimes it’s hard and sometimes it’s just life. In Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji, Volume 3 (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ), its both.

Sakuma and Wako work very hard to achieve goals and sometimes is just doesn’t work out. But that is not the point of Volume 3. Of course, it is part of the plot, but what makes this, like the previous two volumes, work is not what Sakuma and Wako do…but how they do it. And how they very much do it together. This is not a happily-ever-after type story. This is a two people who love each other very much, live lives and eat meals and sometimes life is a step forward and sometimes it’s a step back.

I would gladly read this series for decades and watch these two look at each other like that and be there for one another. ^_^ This series is not about Yuri tropes, like Ikeda’s Whispered Words, it is not about office romance, or relationship melodrama…it’s a wonderfully told and drawn story about two decent people making their way through the world and us rooting for them rooting for each other. ^_^

Oh, and their friend gets some sex, finally.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Characters – 9
Story – 8
Service – 5 Light nudity
Lesbian – 10

You’ll get to read this series in April 2022, when Seven Seas releases Volume 1 of The Two Of Them Pretty Much Like This, which is already available for pre-order through this convenient Amazon affiliate link.

In the meantime, get yourself someone who looks at you the way Sakuma looks at Wako.  ^_^

Posted in Ikeda Takashi, Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »


Otherside Picnic, Volume 6, Guest Review by Sandy F.

December 1st, 2021

Welcome back to Guest Review Wednesday on Okazu. We’ve had 17 guest Reviews this year, 10 of them since September. Thank you so much to our Okazu Patrons for making this increase possible! I’m super excited to have more voices on Okazu and different perspectives for work I like (and works I don’t! Hint, hint: tune in next week. ^_^)

In the meantime, welcome back Sandy F. with a look at the most recent release in one of my favorite scifi-horror series. Take it away, Sandy!

Otherside Picnic Volume 6, out now from J-Novel Club, starts with Sorawo and it quickly becomes clear that something has happened to her. We discover she has lost her memory and her connection with the Otherside and the people she knows through that connection. Though she hasn’t lost her appreciation of Toriko’s beauty.

So begins what is a change from Iori Miyazawa’s usual approach for Otherside Picnic. Instead of a collection of Files, we have one narrative. And much of the actions happens in our world, with a number of trips into Interstitial Space, a phenomena we have encountered before. And Hah! there is a new player, T, for Templeborn, who pursues Sorawo and others involved in the exploration of the Otherside.

In this File of Otherside Picnic we follow various encounters between T for Templeborn, Sorawo, Toriko and others as they confront T’s agenda, with chase scenes and quite a bit of action including a trip to the DS Facility. The glimpses of Interstitial Space are fascinating and mysterious. But I felt that Interstitial Space is more of a distorted reflection of our world, and I missed the Otherside and its glimpses of mysteries beyond human understanding.

There is only one substantial scene in the Otherside and to me it was like a tweet from the Yuri Manga Bot, a twitter account that suggests Yuri plot ideas. In this scene we witness Sorawo and Toriko sharing in the joy of construction. A delightful scene and a reminder that as well as its terrors, the Otherside is a haven and a place of connection for Toriko and Sorawo.

In this File we continue to follow Sorawo and her tentative progress of confronting her own personal terror, personal relationships. There were a few Sorawo and Toriko scenes when I squeed just a little bit. They are definitely making some progress, with Sorawo surprising Toriko, and me, with her willingness to be more open about how much Toriko means to her.

I also appreciated watching Sorawo deepen her relationships with other people. For example, in a conversation between Sorawo and Akari ‘Karateka’ Seto, Sorawo confronts the disturbing reality that despite what she may think of herself, people might want to get to know her and like her.

And we are also given some glimpses of Toriko’s childhood that I believe gives us insights to why she enjoys exploring the Otherside with Sorawo.

One quibble I had was I thought this File was a bit busy with other characters such as the reintroduction of Runa Urumi as well as the girl from File 19. Sometimes I wondered if their role was to fill some space in the story, rather than contribute to the narrative itself.

The art was an interesting mix of action shots and characters, with more evocative images thrown into the mix. One with Akari I found particularly haunting.

I enjoyed the translation, especially the odd British word or phrase a feature that I associate with this series.
All in all, a great read, as always worth the wait. And now after the recent release of the album cover for Volume 7, the wait begins for the next great read!

Ratings:

Story – 8
Character – 9
Service – 4
Yuri – 7

Overall – 9

Erica here: Thank you Sandy! For me, the most impactful part of the series is that stunning opening, which really calls everything into question.

And, of course, since that amazing cover to Volume 7 was released, we’re all looking forward to the next book. ^_^ It hits Japanese shelves in a few weeks and I expect we’ll be hearing more about that soon from J-Novel Club. ^_^

Posted in Guest Review, Light Novel, Otherside Picnic | 8 Comments »


Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 4

November 30th, 2021

When we left Himari and Yori-sempai at the end of Volume 3, they had finally, officially begun to date. I don’t know why this series was graced with continuation after the conclusion of Story A, but I am deeply thankful.

So here we are, in Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 4, in which Yori and Himari negotiate the shape of their relationship, and we get a whole new plot! How exciting! Seriously.

First, though, Himari and Yori need to figure out how they want to be with one another and for one another. There are a few missteps, but they work it out pretty clearly by, wait for it, talking with one another. Crazy, right? Like that ever happens in a manga. When that happened and we were only halfway through the volume, I figured something was up. Any other manga, them not talking would have been the whole story.

So, when Yori admits to trying to be a “cool” date partner and Himari belly laughs and thinks that’s adorable, I knew we could sit back and relax. And, so the story heads into the tension filled Battle of the Bands arc that is still developing in monthly issues of Comic Yuri Hime, the January issue of which is waiting for me in the bookstore.

The first thing Takeshima-sensei does for this arc is give SSGirls a rival band. Woooo~~~ It’s great, too, because as the story plays out, there are a LOT of complicated personal relationships involved that criss-cross these two group and make for a fun story. Except for one thing. One person. Shiho. We finally meet Shiho and the more I spend time with her, the more I want to sit that girl down and give her a stern talking to. However, so far Takeshima-sensei hasn’t let me down and I trust that the story is going in the right direction.

The art has firmed up into an absurdly cute and wholesome style that really works for this series. Kodansha’s team continues to provide me with translation and character voice that sounds so real, I can *hear* the characters as I read. Terrific work, especially by Jennifer Skarupa for doing excellent retouch and lettering (I see you working on those word balloons behind the characters heads) and Kevin Steinbach for an approachable translation.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8

Whisper Me a Love Song continues to charm and delight…and now the Battle of the Bands is heading our way. Is there anything more high school than that? (Well, yeah, there’s the school musical and prom, and finals and whatever, but you know what I mean. ^_^)

Posted in English Manga, Yuri Manga | 2 Comments »


Sex Education 120%, Volume 2

November 28th, 2021

Last summer, I reviewed Sex Ed. 120%, Volume 1 by Kikiki Tataki. I summed it up as “The characters were likable, the lesbian couple is cute and Tsuji’s enthusiasm is just exactly ridiculous enough to keep you rooting for her and this was an incredibly fast and fun read.” Today I wanted to talk about Sex Education 120%, Volume 2, and again, not for the sex ed itself. ^_^

I actually do recommend this series if you have a tween or teen who is into manga and you want to have a lead-in to the various “your body is changing” talks. The information on sexual education is pretty solid, if unevenly presented. More importantly, this series discusses things that would be really cool to have discussed in sex ed, that weren’t in my day, like sexual harassment and the toxicity of pick-up artist culture. Safe sex is always the message and so is understanding your body. This volume has a chapter on menstruation with a focus on menstrual cups.

But why I wanted to review his today was not just the lesbian couple’s origin story, (which we also get – with different perspectives,)  but the end of the book, where one of the lesbian couple is freaked out by her lover’s interest in BL. In the years I have been reading and viewing Yuri, of course I have met many lesbians who like BL. I was very interested in how the book was going to discuss this issue, as the character most interested in BL is largely incoherent about why. Not everyone can explain things. But as with every discussion in this book, it took a turn into a pretty brilliant scene. The lesbian couple and the BL fan visit a BL comic event. The BL doujinshi creator whose booth they are arguing in front of. turns out to be in a relationship with a woman, and she ends up going out with the students to talk with them openly about what does and does not work for them in regards to BL. I found the whole scene really impressive. I know that BL will never be for me, because I’m simply more interested in women than I am in men, but I really liked how the conversation made some interesting points.

Yen does a fine job with the content in this book. The characters have their own voices and stories throughout. I can completely recommend Volume 2, not just for the sex ed, but for the stories of the teachers and students as well.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 10
Service – Almost never except to make a point
Queer – 10

Overall – 9

Volume 2 is available now on Amazon, Bookwalker Global and RightStuf. Volume 3 will ship in February (RightStuf  and Amazon.)

Posted in English Manga, LGBTQ | 1 Comment »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – November 27, 2021

November 27th, 2021

Yuri Goods

The Gee! Store, with locations in Tokyo, Osaka, Sendai, Kokura and Nagoya, is running a series of Comic Yuri Hime pop up shops. You can buy goods from a number of popular series that run in Comic Yuri Hime.

Unsolicited plug: I use Tenso as a shipping service. They are very nice. Tenso is free to make an account with and only charges when they actually ship. Overseas shipping is and always will be expensive, but that’s not Tenso’s fault.

 

I’m In Love With the Villainess News

One of the items from the pop-up is a very fetching I’m in Love With the Villianess acrylic standee, that I have ordered. ^_^ Why am I telling you that? Because…….if you order the  Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou, manga Volume 3 on Melonbooks, you get this fetching acrylic standee! So, yeah, I ordered that, too. Because it won’t ship to me, until the stand is available, I might not get this volume for months, so…I’ll have to get it on Global Bookwalker, too.

Which leads me to another issue, you may notice that very little is going up on the Yuricon Store these das. This is because I cannot get appropriate links (or even cover art!)  for many of the items I want to put there.  I can find an Amazon link OR a Bookwalker link OR a RightStuf OR a CD Japan, but can’t get all the links for all the items. It’s becoming increasingly awkward and I have piles of titles that I want to put up, but really can’t. (Also, I have no time, but that’s a different issue.) This is, again, due to problems in publishing. I’ll spend some time this next couple of weeks catching up as best I can for holiday shopping.

To that end, if you’d like Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou, manga, Volume 3, here are affiliate links for pre-order on Amazon JP, and CD Japan, but I don’t have it yet on Bookwalker.

Also available on Amazon JP for pre-order, but not the other platforms, yet, is Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou – Revolution-, Volume 1, the newest novelization in the series. (私の推しは悪役令嬢。-Revolution-). 

One more series announcement, via YNN Correspondent Sean G, the light novel I’m in Love With the Villainess, Volume 4 will be released in February, from Seven Seas. This link is to Amazon, or you can pre-order on RightStuf. (Nothing yet on Bookwalker.) You are *totally* going to want to get Volume 4 and 5. Trust me on this. ^_^

Nope, one more (!), from Inori-sensei herself, the series is now available in Vietnamese. Tôi Yêu Nữ Phản Diện will be out from Amak Books.

 

Yuri Manga

Last weekend at Anime NYC, Kodansha announced a license for Battan’s Run Away With Me Girl. ANN’s Adrian Hazra has details.

Here’s a title that actually made it onto the Yuricon Store with all links: Yuriko Hara’s Cocoon, Entwined, Volume 4, in which both hair and plot thicken.

Global Bookwalker is doing all sorts of Coin Up and discounts. It’s worth it to take a look at their scrolling bar, for massive sales and their continuing commitment to carrying books Amazon has dropped. Their Black Friday deals are 80% coin back on eligible Volume 1s, and 40% on the next couple of volumes. Use the coins you get to try out a new title! (I checked out Laid-Back Camp and liked it a lot, last time I had a free volume coming.)

Ichijinsha has carefully crafted another anthology designed to keep me away, with the Nakigao Yuri Anthology (泣き顔百合アンソロジー) for those readers who like women to look absolutely miserable when they have sex, presumably. ^_^;

 

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Yuri Anime

Via YNN Corespondent Evren, Canaan is being released on Blu-Ray in the New Year from Sentai Filmworks.

The chances of this being Yuri are decreasingly likely, but Crystalyn Hodgkins has the news about the Shin Ikkitousen anime.

I mentioned this last week, but the trailer for the Executioner and Her Way of Life anime is up on Youtube. It is my honest opinion that this trailer has significantly better animation than the world-building in the novels deserve. ^_^

 

Yuri Visual Novels

Via YuriMother, I Became Gay From Translating My New Roommate’s Short Story is “the first major project by the Prof. Lily visual novel collective, who aim to tell stories that face our harsh subcultural reality head-on.”

Studio Élan is holding all sorts of sales on their Yuri VNs, from 30% off Heart of the Woods on Nintendo Switch, to significant discounts on Steam.

 

Yuri Doujinshi

Lilyka is holding a Black Friday deal for Yuri doujinshi , use checkout code BK21 for a discount and a video, and BK500 for significantly higher discount and a “video worth $500.” I have no idea what that means, so if you get it, let us know. ^_^

 

LGBTQ Graphic Novel

Our friend Niki Smith has a new work out, The Golden Hour, they say, “is about being young and gay and anxious in the midwest… and it’s about ptsd, and vulnerability, and taking one day at a time. And beyond all that, it’s about three close friends and one tiny baby cow.”

 

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Posted in Yuri Network News | 4 Comments »