Our Teachers are Dating, Volume 1

September 28th, 2020

When Hayama-sensei and Terano-sensei show up to school one day, everyone can see that something’s up between them. The shared looks, the blushes… Sure enough with nary a panel’s worth of prevarication, it turns out that Hayama Asuka, the gym teacher and Terano Saki, the science teacher, are dating. News gets around pretty quickly, but students, teachers and administration have no complaints, in fact, it is pretty universally agreed that they are darling together. It’s all good in Pikachi Ohi’s Our Teachers Are Dating!, Volume 1.

I’ve been raving about this series since it’s launch in Comic Yuri Hime in August 2018, for a number of key reasons. The most important part is that it is so incredibly adorable and charming, with oodles of sugary sweetness, your biggest problem is worrying about tooth decay. ^_^

But in small, yet significant ways, this series, as moe as it explicitly is for the characters and even, for once, this reader, Ours Teacher Are Dating! actually treads some new ground. First and foremost, both Terano-sensei and Hayama-sensei are wholly equals in both a personal and professional sense. They are eachers, of an age, of very similar personality and admirably suited to one another. We don’t *actually* get that all that often in any romance manga. Stories, even romances, are driven mostly by conflict, and opposite types make for good easy conflict. Here conflict is driven by communication issues. What conflicts we do have are exceptionally small and personal, relatable, if we work from the idea of two extremely shy adults have who never had to feel or deal with any of this.

Secondly – and this is a bit of a handwave, something we must accept without question – everyone around Hayama-sensei and Terano-sensei are absolutely fine with this and have overtly, publicly, accepted their relationship. This will continue as the story goes on. Small, personal miscommunications / world-changingly huge public acceptance. Friends, family, colleagues, even new encounters with queer folks. Hayama-sensei and Terano-sensei will change their world for being visible within it. I can testify to that from personal experience. ^_^

All that said, what we read this book and it’s following volumes for is the sheer joy Hayama-sensei and Terano-sensei take in one another’s company. There is a sex scene, but it is arguably not very service-y at all, as it presented as two adults learning about each other in a realistic and uncontrived scene.

Technically, this book is quite wonderful. Erika Teriquez’s lettering absolutely captures the fully goofiness of our lovestruck protagonists. Jennifer Ward’s translation, and Rebecca Scoble’s adaptation all give us the seamless feeling we look for in an English-language edition of a manga.

Emotionally and physically, Hayama-sensei and Terano-sensei give freely of themselves and we get to enjoy their enjoyment of these new feelings and experiences.

Ratings:

Art – 8 Super fluffy and adorable
Story – 8 Fluffy love story
Characters – 9 Fluffy lovers
Service – 3 Some nudity and underwear
Yuri – 10

Overall – 9

Another authentic manga reading experience, a great Yuri manga, Our Teacher’s Are Dating! by Pikachi Ohi is an absolute delight for anyone who loves love. ^_^ I look forward to you all telling me how squee-worthy they are. Okay-sauras!

Thanks very much to Seven Seas for the review copy!

Posted in Yuri Manga | 7 Comments »


Therese and Isabelle

September 27th, 2020

Radley Metzger’s 1968 movie Therese and Isabelle is …well, it’s a relic of both its time and place; the kind artist softcore that filled arthouse movie theaters, the kind of movie that passed for “European,” without being at all original in content or artistic, but also manages to not be bad enough to be amusing. Of all the old movies I have ever referenced here, Therese and Isabelle is one that I am constantly surprised I haven’t yet reviewed.  If you have interest in mid-20th century movies about lesbian relationships, this is available on the Internet Archive, so now would be a good time to watch it.

As an adult, Therese visits her old school, College du Lys (this is me grinning broadly), a boarding school for girls. While touring the grounds, she looks back on her experiences there, and how she and another student, Isabelle, fell in love.

The plot is just about as predictable and trite as imaginable. Therese’s mother had remarried, so the girl is half abandoned at this new, strange place. She and Isabelle become friends, then something more. Sublimating her growing desire for Isabel, Therese loses her virginity to a “suave” guy who clearly does all the young girls at the school and who today would be considered a predatory creep, but to the men who made this movie, is merely an inevitability.

Therese and Isabelle eventually admit their feelings and consummate the relationship, almost immediately after which Isabelle disappears from the school, transferred Therese is told. The final words of the movie are “I never saw Isabelle again.” As little as we know about Isabelle, we know nothing more about Therese.  She arrives, she experiences nostalgia, she leaves. Who she is, where she comes from, we’ll never know. Therese is an awkward, unhappy girl, but we’ll never really know what she becomes as an adult.

The straight sex scene is not explicit, but you know what is happening. The lesbian sex is given more time, more languid nudity, and voiceover to explain what Therese is feeling, in very symbolic language. We’re left with no doubt that her physical relationship with Isabelle was far more fulfilling than with Marcel or Claude or Jean-Pierre or whatever his name was. The cinematography isn’t even all that bad, and as a black and white film, I find myself seeing scenes surprising clearly for what is pretty obscured lighting in some cases. The only downside is that tiresome artifact of 30 year olds playing 15 year olds.

This movie tidily fits into so many of our Yuri tropes – even so far as the school name – to feel very comfortable and ever so slightly boring. It’s a slow movie and very of its time. It ticks off no new boxes for us now, but when looked at in the scale of 1968, I’m sure it was super progressive and artsy. In fact, when you take a look at Nakamura Asumiko’s upcoming A White Rose in Bloom, keep this movie in mind.

 

Ratings:

Cinematography – 8
Story – A
Characters – 8
Service – Yes. Some nudity, sexual situations
LGBTQ – Nope. One person snarkily suggests that the two are “awfully close” than there are giggles. That’s it.
Yuri – 9

Overall – 7

Ultimately Therese and Isabel is a short memoir story masquerading as a 2-hour movie. “Story A” is timeless because it’s so thin and superficial. I can totally see a reboot of this being made, doing everything exactly the same with no changes getting praised even now.

Posted in Live Action | No Comments »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – September 26, 2020

September 26th, 2020

Yuri Manga

The OASG reports that free previews for the 20th Anniversary Revolutionary Girl Utena manga, After the Revolution, is available on Viz.com. Here’s something to pay attention to…letterer Sara Linsley notes that she “did all the sound effects by hand, trying to recreate the original style as closely as possible.” Let her (and VIz!) know you appreciate her efforts!

Our Teachers are Dating, by Pikachi Ohi is out from Seven Seas! (Review to come shortly.) I hope you will find this version of Hayama-sensei to Terano-sensei ha Tsukiatteru, Volume 1 (羽山先生と寺野先生は付き合っている ) as delightful as I do.

Days of Love at Seagull Villa Vol. 1 by Naoko Kodama is now available for pre-order, as well.

 

Yuri Visual Novels

Studio Élan announced the release of Highway Blossoms: Next Exit, a new chapter for for the Highway Blossoms characters. Right now you can get it for 15% off on Steam or Itchi.io. Highway Blossoms had the honor of being only the second VN I’ve ever made it all the way through, and I hope to have a guest review of it, soonish. ^_^

I’m always open to pitches for reviews of VNs as I just don’t have the time or attention to commit to them. If you know of a good Yuri VN that you’d like to review, please check out our Submission Guidelines. Reviews are paid, with the help of our Okazu Patrons!

 

Become an Okazu Patron today – we’re only $31/month away from being able to give our reviewers a raise!

 

Yuri Anime

TBS offers up Adachi to Shimamura anime promotional videos from Shimamura’s point of view, voiced by Ito Miku and from Adachi’s point of view, voiced by Kito Akari.

 

 

Digital Queer Comics

Via YNN Senior Correspondent Louise, take a look at Open Mats, a comic about queers and Karate. ^_^

Lilyka is selling a limited number of signed original artworks by one of their creators, Ruri Hazuki, so if you’re a fan of her Shakaijin Yuri series, take a look. Some customization is available, but Hazuki-sensei will be choosing the characters she’ll draw.

Here’s a fun idea! Galette Online is offering up work by various creators for free, and making it possible for you to purchase an Amazon JP gift card to send them in thanks. It’s a pretty concrete way to show your support for your favorite artists!

I don’t know when I’ve ever going to get around to this, but I’m going to *have* to read Hoshjii Nanaoku’ Girls Love of the Dead  (ガールズラブ・オブ・ザ・デッド) “comic novel” series, with illustrations by Morishima Akiko. I mean, really. It’s available on Bookwalker Global and Amazon JP Kindle.

Free on BookWalker Global right now (in Japanese) is issue 1 of U-temo’s Yuri-ota ni Yuri ha Gohattou Desu!? {百合オタに百合はご法度です!? 分冊版) about a Yuri Otaku who finds herself at private girls’ school! Goofy fun.

Comic-Days has chapter one of  Tsujiichi’s  Dramatic Doll (ドラマティック・ドール) up online for free in Japanese.

 

Other News

Nicki “Yurimother” Bauman has written a fantastic opinion piece for ANN on How Bloom Into You Defies and Reinforces Yuri Tropes. It’s worth a read. I agree completely with her points, of course. ^_^ Since Volume 1, I’d been cautioning people from identifying Yuu as aromantic, when clearly this *was a Yuri romance.* And I also so strongly agree that its strength is in Sayaka’s story and the fact that a positive, established adult lesbian couple exists as a role model for not only Sayaka, but eventually Yuu and Touko. Take a look and giver her some support and feedback.

Creative team CLAMP is doing a collaboration and lottery to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Choo Sum Lee has the details on ANN.

From our friends at Unseen Japan, “The Takarazuka Music School is working to abolish a set of unwritten and abusive “traditions” after discovering several years ago that juniors were losing sleep b/c seniors were forcing them to keep voluminous notes on cleaning & other school activities.” This comes after decades of harsh hazing-like behavior towards junior students, as reported in pretty much everything ever written about the school.

 

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to – thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network! Special thanks to Okazu Patrons for being an important part of the Okazu family. I couldn’t do it without you!

Posted in Yuri Network News | 4 Comments »


Yuritora Jump ~ Ultra Jump Yuri Digital Anthology~, Volume 3 (ユリトラジャンプ～ウルトラジャンプ百合アンソロジー～ Vol.3)

September 25th, 2020

Ultra Jump magazine has put out two different Yuri anthologies, featuring work by creators from their ranks. Both Volume 1 and Volume 2 happened to also include work by my favorite artist. Yuritora Jump ~ Ultra Jump Yuri Digital Anthology~, Volume 3 (ユリトラジャンプ～ウルトラジャンプ百合アンソロジー～ Vol.3)sadly, for me at least,  did not include her work.

More damningly, it featured one too many “clever” stories in which a character was being lead on for some unpleasant reason…revenge, or the other character was a compulsive liar, or or something. The details are all now fuzzy, although I real the issue recently, nothing was memorable enough for me to do more than say, “Oh, at least this one isn’t horrible.”

Anthologies are always hit or miss and every collection will always appeal to different people differently. For fans of Yuri artists, there are a few names which might be recognizable. Most probably American readers will be happy to see work from Dr. Pepperco, creator of Goodbye, My Rose Garden. If you follow the same anthologies I do, you’ll also recognize Miura Kozumi’s name, a creator whose work is often featured in Galette meets collections, and possibly Tsutsui‘s.

Because this is a digital only release, I picked it up on Global Bookwalker. It is also available on JP Kindle.

Ratings:

Overall – 6

As an anthology, it wasn’t terrible, but this is probably a volume I won’t go back to. Needs more Hayashiya-sensei.

Posted in Yuri Anthology, Yuri Manga | 3 Comments »


Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 2 (おとなになっても)

September 23rd, 2020

In Volume 1 of Shimura Takako’s adult life drama, we met Ayano, a grade school teacher, and sever Akari, who meet and sleep together. It’s only later Akari finds out that Ayano is married to a man. Despite this, neither of them can stop thinking about the other.

It is on this precarious footing that Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 2 (おとなになっても) begins I spent the entire volume angry for Akari, as everyone in Ayano’s life seems to make a point of going to her restaurant in order to size her up. While Akari is trying to figure out what she wants from her own life, Ayano and her husband are unable to process their own problems in private, as family issues pop up and take their time and attention. At the beginning, Ayano’s husband announces suddenly that they’ll be divorcing, but by the end of this volume it’s harder to know what they will actually be doing.

The fact that I felt so vexed is probably a good sign, as it meant that I was engaging with the drama, something that Shimura’s work rarely does for me. I had to laugh, because my reaction to this volume is exactly the same as my reaction to the ending of Sweet Blue Flowers; that is to say, I want desperately to pluck the lesbian out of this story and find her a decent girlfriend! Yes, yes, maybe Ayano will become a decent girlfriend. I remain skeptical. ^_^

We get a long look at an episode from Ayano’s youth, in which she was a tall, boyish girl whose friend clearly wanted more than friendship from her.

As I wrote this review, I considered the art. It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to say. Shimura-sensei has been at this a long time and I was thinking her art has changed a lot. Her fine art, the water color-style paintings that usually grace her covers and fill her art books are really quite excellent. Even rendered in black and white, her “watercolor” work has improved. I don’t think her drafting has gotten worse, but it hasn’t really made the same strides as her “fine” art. I’m too lazy to scan in the images I’m looking at here, but two chapter pages; one in ink and one painted, really make my point. (Fine, I’ll scan them in. Pardon my shitty, quickly done scans. The pages are the same size, but the first one has a white border, fyi.)

There’s nothing wrong with the first image. Nothing at all. It just lacks some quality that the second picture has, a depth of emotion, even in black and white. All of this is of course, in my opinion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Ratings:

Art – When it’s good, it is so very good, I just wish that were more often.
Story – ARGH
Characters – In a holding pattern
Service – Nope
Yuri – Yes

Overall – 7

So once again, I find myself in a holding pattern with a Shimura series, waiting to see what is in store for our characters, and hoping, despite myself, that she will write them a good story and not just handwave the end, as she has in the past.

Posted in Shimura Takako, Yuri Manga | 4 Comments »