Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Twin Cake (ツインケイク)

July 29th, 2011

Holy Cow! This is my 2000th post here on Okazu!

Kaede knew, from the moment she set her eyes on that poster, that she wanted to be an idol. After her debut and failure, she knew she wanted to stay in the industry so she got a job at Twinkle Production company to be near the idol of her dreams…Suzuran.

When a stroke of luck allows Kaede to take care of Suzuran, she is sure that it’s her dream come true…until she meets Suzuran in person and realizes that her dream might well be a living hell.

Twin Cake (ツインケイク) is the story of a manager with a desire to ascend and an idol who works really hard to be as base as possible and how they fall in love.

Not a fan of the selfish “wagamama” type of character, I might have found this story as intolerable as Kimi Koi Limit, but for one thing. Suzuran changes. This simple fact, shown to us as a process throughout the story – rather than in a throwaway panel or two at the end, when we’re just supposed to accept that change has happened – made a huge difference in turning this story from a yawn to a keeper. When, at the end, Suzuran reaches for Kaede I was able to be happy for both of them.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – Start 6, end 8
Yuri – 9
Service – 4

Overall – 7

I’m not a huge fan of Aoi Hana’s art, but this story managed to find an unclaimed heart string and give it a tug or two.





Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime July 2011 (コミック百合姫)

July 27th, 2011

I hope you don’t mind terribly, but I’m switching the nomenclature I use for Comic Yuri Hime. From now on, I’m using the cover date, rather than Volume number. I’ll shift the back issues, so they match. Volume number was feeling pointless and forced. So, today we’re looking at the July 2011 volume of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫).

The cover jumps right into Fukami Makoto’s Justice for Girls with a bittersweet chapter about Yukimi, after her escape from Rapunzel’s Tower and the brief happiness she shares with half-breed Tatsuki, until Chanel No. 5 tracks Yukimi down and whisks her away. This is the what, 4th chapter of this story and finally, it’s starting to take some shape for me. Now I want to know if Tatsuki and Yukimi will be reunited and if Yukimi will ever see her sister Chiaki again.

There were a number of interesting stories this volume and, only a few I felt compelled to skip, which pretty much puts this firmly on the rising scale for me.

Outstanding among the many good was…are you ready? Takahashi Mako’s story “Cha no Ma no Hana.” Did you ever expect me to shower praise on a Takahashi Mako work? Me neither, but here I am, doing just that. I was warned that it was a pretty good story ahead of time (thank you Komatsu-san!) and I absolutely agree. Jitsuko comes out to her relatives and warns them she’s not planning on changing her mind. Lurking behind concern for Jitsuko is the affection one aunt feels for the wife of her late brother, and a discussion of youthful impetuosity becomes quite complicated and adult.

“Yuri Danshi” explores the role of cross-dressing as a typical Yuri trope, with a nod to straight girls that enjoy the Otoko no ko type.

“Fu~Fu” provides us all with simply stellar advice when we decide we really like another woman, First, Hayase tells us, hold her close, then whisper “I love you” into her ear over and over. I’ve tried this out – it totally works. ^_^

Saida Nica’s “Aoharu Runnings” was squee-worthy cute that, like “Fu~Fu” gives us all an awesome motivation technique to use. This time, the reward is a kiss.

The Ichijinsha Taikai is on and submissions of manga are being accepted. A few examples of winners are shown to keep us all positive.

“Nadeshiko Kimomo” is cute – it’s pretty inevitable that you’re gonna look at it and think “this began life as a Marimite parody.” Cute, but really extra super thin on Yuri for the moment. It is notable for having an American student who is a chanbara otaku, who speaks an interesting Edo-patois-ish Japanese.

Amano Shuninta’s story, “Watashi no Sekhai wo Kousei Suru Gomi no Youna Nanika” was a pretty frustrating story for me. Fue is a college student who has a girlfriend but, for a variety of reasons just finds the idea of sex sort of bleah. They live happily ever after, but I wasn’t all that happy about it.

“Gozen 6-ji no Jouhou” by Futagawa Shunma tells of a little, fraught, illicit time between teacher and student.

In “Renai Joshikka,” Ai realizes that she wants more of Hato than just to be co-workers. When Hato leaves her husband, Ai pushes the envelope.

The “Yuri Room” column this month talks to Takemiya Jin.

In “Sweet Temptation” by Takemiya Jin, a sweet scent and an even sweeter confession turns a “no thanks” into a “maybe.

The next pages are a preview of Aoi Hana’s Twin Cake volume which tells the story of a failed idol-turned-manager who falls for her client.

As always these are not all the stories in the volume, just the one I found notable. Buy this volume for yourself and find more to love.

In general, I consider this to be an excellent volume and as always, I’m looking forward to the next!

Ratings:

Overall – 8





Yuri Manga: Candy, Volume 1 (キャンディ）

July 25th, 2011

Suzuki Yuuko’s Candy (キャンディ), Volume 1, is a realistic and pleasantly executed “Story A” collected from stories that ran in Tsubomi magazine.

Kanan is an athletic, somewhat goofy girl, who finds herself strongly attracted to Chiaki, the model “good girl.” Kanan is admired by many of the students for her cool performance in archery, but her best friend, Ichijou, knows that really, she’s just a big goof.

Goofy as she is, Kanan approaches Chiaki and almost unbelievably, it turns out that the honor student is just as interested in her. Their relationship develops quite normally, as they figure out how to deal with their own feelings, each other’s feelings and the inevitable rumors that spread through their school. Luckily for both of them, they are in socially stable, perhaps even powerful, positions in the school hierarchy and the rumors leave them relatively untouched – except, as Kanan discusses her relationship with an underclassman admirer, she notes that if this is weird, her mind is just full of weird these days.

Their biggest crisis comes in the form of a date, when they realize that their different personalities go way deeper than just life of the mind vs life of the body. But, after what could have been a killer crisis, they each leave their own comfort zone a bit and find a common ground. This chapter was outstanding to me, simply because both made an effort not just to cope, but to adapt.

The main story ends with our happy couple happy. Perhaps happily-ever-after awaits them, perhaps not, but for *this* moment, all is well.

There is a short extra chapter about Kanan’s friend Ichijou and her struggle accepting Kanan and Chiaki but, that too, resolves with a smile.

It’s true that this story breaks no new ground; given how many times this same path has been walked, this book was still a delightful companion for that stroll.

Ratings:

Art – 8 Clean, lots of white space, easy to follow, easy to enjoy
Story – 8 Same as above
Characters – The same as always, and yet, very pleasant and likable
Yuri – 7
Service – 1 on principle only

Overall – 8

If you’re looking for a book to practice Japanese reading with, and want something approachable, easy on the eyes and feel good, Candy is your book. Ultimately, Candy is a truly sweet look at first love.





Yuri Manga: Sweet Little Devil

July 22nd, 2011

Manga artist Nanzaki Iku developed a fairly significant audience as a creator of doujinshi under the circle name Doropanda TOURS where she became best known for her stories about Shizuru and Natsuki from the Mai Hime/Mai Otome universes. These lovingly, and often explictly, rendered stories added the “after happily every after” chapters that fans craved in which their ShizNat were the item that they always knew they were.

In Sweet Little Devil, Iku takes her character types and crafts some original stories with them. This is her first full collection from Yuri Hime, but not the first time her work has appeared in a Yuri Hime anthology – her stories have been fixtures in all the Wildrose collections.

The first couple, Sayo and Ri-chan are most like ShizNat, but their personalities are not analogous. Ri-chan (the Natuski type) is older and Sayo (Shizuru type) is an admiring underclassman. They’ve been together for some time, so we’re spared the “girl A likes girl B” trope of Story A.

Their arc comes to a climax when, during summer on a night of fireworks, Sayo is forced to out herself and Ritsuko to an old school friend. Luckily, they both feel it was fine, before they have sex.

Have I mentioned the sex? This book is a series of well-endowed characters having sex, with some small plots woven between the sex scenes. Just so you’re not surprised.

The rest of the one-shots are either tiresome or pleasant depending on what you like. For me, the major positive of Iku’s work is that the characters really *like* one another. There’s no doubt that this is love, not just sex. It’s a small point, but an important one for me.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – Variable, but all pretty decent, so 8
Characters – Same
Yuri – 9
Service – 8

Overall – 8

If you’re looking for, or don’t mind, explicit stories about women who really like one another, (and one Story A story), I can definitely recommend Sweet Little Devil.





Yuri Manga: Kimi no Tame Nara Shineru (姫のためなら死ねる)

July 20th, 2011

When you think of Heian period literature, two names come instantly to mind, Murasaki Shikibu, creator of the Tale of Genji and Sei Shonagon, writer of the Pillow Book.

What may not come to mind is the image of Shonagon as a 27-year old NEET, blogger, Twitterer and…well, perv.

That is, it may not come to mind, until after you’ve finished reading Kimi no Tame Nara Shineru (姫のためなら死ねる). After that, you’re just about guaranteed to think of her that way. ^_^

This book is a series of exceptionally silly 4-koma gags set in the Chuugushiki, the residence of 13-year old Empress Teishi. A mutual friend, sick of Shonagon’s shut-in, slacking ways, suggests she apply for the position of Teishi-sama’s lady-in-waiting. Teishi is moved by Shonagon’s handwriting and Shonagon, in turn, falls head over heels for the Empress.

Nothing happens in this volume, really. Yuri is limited to heavily overplayed service, in which nearly every woman is nearly in some Yuri-ish position with nearly every other, but it’s all gags, no substance. Nonetheless, Shonagon is pervy about Teishi-sama, and Teishi-sama seems to return the feeling, in her own, immature way.

Of course Murasaki Shikibu is a character, as is her charge, the Second Empress Shoushi.

Honestly, I should probably have hated this book. It’s got all the annoying qualities of 4-koma gag comics. But, I didn’t. The story turns historical luminaries into jokes, and relates behaviors of the past to unlikely, but accurate analogies of the present with historically inaccurate, but nevertheless amusing, conviction. Shonagon as a blogger rings pretty true to me, anyway.

I’m reminded by my wife of a passage by Sei Shonagon, about the annoyance she felt when the snow slipped from the roofs of the buildings and covered the paths, making it difficult to walk. The Shonagon of this book is not that woman, but I think I might prefer this silly Shonagon to the real one. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 4
Service – 4, for the gags about Murasaki’s breasts and all the almost-Yuri

Overall – 8

Remember how I always say that no research is necessary to form an opinion of a manga? Well, in this case, I’m wrong. I actually had to do a fair bit of research. ^_^