Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Anthology Dolce (百合アンソロジーdolce)

June 26th, 2012

Now that Ichijinsha, Hobunsha and Shinsokan have steady Yuri anthologies with Comic Yuri Hime, Tsubomi and Hirari, Enterbrain has thrown its hat in the ring with Yuri Anthology Dolce (百合アンソロジーdolce), yet another moe Yuri collection.

Because of the preponderance of large heads, giant eyes and infantile stylings, there weren’t too many stories in this collection that appealed to me. The stories are set firmly in middle and high school with nary any respite.

Even so, there were a few stories I can remember off the top of my head – a girl who learns a secret about her recently deceased grandmother, and several with friends who actually feel the same way about each other. Nonetheless, nothing here really made me sit up and take notice. It wasn’t a terrible anthology, it’s just that if you asked me, I’d say we were full up with Story A now and really could use something new, thanks.

Ratings:

Overall – 7

Fans of Yuru Yuri and the like should definitely keep their eyes open for this collection – it’s for you more than it is for me. The cover by Namori-sensei ought to be a dead giveaway. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Kanojo to Camera to Kanojo no Kisetsu, Volume 1 (彼女とカメラと彼女の季節）

June 22nd, 2012

Even after all the many, many volumes of manga I have read, every once in a while, a manga really surprises me. Kanojo to Camera to Kanojo no Kisetsu (彼女とカメラと彼女の季節）helpfully shortened to “Kano Came” on the cover, is one of those manga.

Akari is a very typical high school girl. She and her friends trade puricula (photo booth photos) and talk about bands and the like.

Akari notices that a classmate of theirs, an aloof girl named Yuki, wanders off by herself quite often. One day, Akari decides to follow her. As a result she discovers a whole new world….

Yuki is an avid photographer, and an enthusiast of old, dual lens cameras. Following Yuki around, Akari learns about photography and realizes early on that Yuki is very talented. The more she learns about photography, and Yuki, the more Akari wants to know.

While all of this is happening, the most popular guy in the class, good looking, smart, star of the baseball team, is showing an interest in Akari. She mostly puts him off, but can’t quite bring herself to outright refuse him. When she’s with Yuki, she feels as if she’s falling for Yuki. When she’s with Fukuyama, she can’t help but be interested in him.

One night, when she stays overnight at Yuki’s, Yuki manages to snap a picture of the two of them kissing while Akari is in the bath.

Her friends have noticed that they are being blown off. They become suspicious of Akari’s relationship with Yuki and jealous of Fukuyama’s interest in her. One day, they tape a picture of her and a picture of Yuki together and surround it with a heart, to tease her (not in a nice way.) Akari’s put out, but Yuki pulls out the developed picture of the two in the bath and that shuts the girls dead silent. It’s so forward, so revealing, their little attempt at light bullying seems childish. More importantly, they realize that Yuki has some skill, and want her to photograph them, but she stomps that down with a nasty comment.

Yuki runs off laughing, daring Akari to chase her, but Yuki quite suddenly collapses. Fukuyama appears out of nowhere and offers to carry Yuki home – after all, he is a childhood friend of hers. Cut out of the loop, Akari can only watch as the two lope off without her. And we can only watch as she watches, and wait impatiently for Volume 2.

Why did this manga surprise me? On the face of it, it’s a pretty bland love triangle. Well, the devil’s in the details. Fukuyama being a “nice guy” helps, but it’s the trend of stomping down the bullies that really surprised me. I’m seeing that here and there nowadays, and every time, I’m pleased by it. But what really stood out this time was what shut the bullies up was being audacious and forward. The lesson there is something completely different than it might have been even a few years ago. In the same vein, the mangaka profile had something I’m not sure I’ve ever seen before…a photograph. It kind of blew me away. An actual photo of an actual person. Maybe this is the beginning of that changing a bit, too.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters  – 8
Yuri – 6
Service – 3

Overall – 8

I look forward to the day when manga artists feel comfortable enough putting their photos on their books.





Yuri Manga: GUNJO, Volume 3 (羣青下)

June 20th, 2012

The third and final volume of GUNJO (羣青 下) is no easier to read than the previous two volumes. In fact, there are several moments that still manage to shock and appall, even with all we’ve been through.

“What would you kill for?” The brunette, Megane-san, asks the blonde’s, Sensei’s, sister-in-law, and she in turn asks her husband. It is a question that is buried deep in the heart of this volume.

Things we thought we knew, turn out to be not true, and the depth of the despair of Megane-san’s life only becomes truly apparent when she’s all but shed her last layer of emotional armor. Still, it is in moments where kindness manages to be felt for a mere moment, that brutality is the most harsh, and in the middle of the most intense violence when gentleness can be felt most clearly.

One of the questions asked back when I reviewed the first or second volume was – how much time has passed? I can answer that now – it’s been about a week, going on two.

As I read this story, probably about halfway through what would become the second volume, I conceived a wish – a hope. It was an insane hope, because there was nothing at all in the story that lead me to think it could ever come true. I desired, most of all, to see the two characters – the beaten, abused, unloved woman, and the woman who killed for her – smile. It was a ridiculous wish that could never happen.

The final half of this final book is the literary equivalent of lancing an infected wound to get the infection out. There’s really no other way to describe it. Page after page of confession, admission, digression, discussion finally brings the two characters through the last of their despair to the inevitable end of their story.

GUNJO is over and I have nothing left to say about it. It’s been wonderful, it’s been painful, it’s been sublime.

In the end, there’s only one question left for you to ask – Did they ever smile? You’ll have to read it and find out.

Ratings:

Overall – 10

Once again, I want to thank Nakamura Ching-sensei for creating this extraordinary story. 

Without question, GUNJO is the best manga I have ever read, and it encroaches deeply on the “best book I have ever read” list.





Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime, May 2012 (コミック百合姫)

June 11th, 2012

The May 2012 issue of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫), has a decent amount of good. For once it doesn’t begin with Yuru Yuri, it drops directly in to some one-shots.

“Sotsugyou Kinshi” by Ohsawa Yayoi reminded me of the good old days of doujinshi Yuri where the threat of graduation is tempered by handing over an apartment key, so separation need not be experienced.

“Inukami-san and Nekoyama-san” continue with that same kind of goofy 4-panel nothing really we’ve become used to from Kuzushiro-sensei.

“Fu~Fu” was sweet and really hard to swallow. Komugi is supposed to be seen as tsundere, but as usually with that type, she’s rarely, if ever dere and is mostly just physically abusive. It’s really not that cute. But Hayase loves her anyway and manages to get the point across.

“Rock it Girl” brings the band right up to their debut night. Despite Kaname’s self-esteem issues, they do indeed rock it.

Morishima Akiko-sensei’s “Futari no Milky Way” was an exposition of de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince and why life with people doesn’t suck all that much, really. ^_^

The story with the incredibly long title that I can never be bothered actually reading by Amano Syuninta actually seems to be settling into a plot. Lost, Sa-chan and Ruki get very close to talking about Sa-chan’s awful boyfriend, and I’m betting next chapter brings a climax to that bit.

“Step Up” by Takemiya Jin has introduced the phrase “Oppai-o gozaimasu” to my house and I may never forgive her. ^_^;

“Kimono Nadesico” is more fun to read than to write about.

And…we’re gearing up for something big in “Love DNA XX” as Erika gets confirmation that Sakura and Aoi like each other…a lot. Too much. I really, really hope this story gets brave and confronts the horrible glaring problem with itself before it wraps up. If this goes all tidy wrap-up on me, I’ll scream.

As always, there are other stories, some of which I read. For a full variety of the styles and stories, get a copy of the magazine and enjoy it for yourself!

Ratings:

Overall – 8





Yuri Manga: Kimino Tamenara Shineru (English) now on JManga

May 24th, 2012

At last! Now you can enjoy the goofy gags of Heian period gag comic KiminoTamenara Shineru by Kuzushiro, translated and edited by ALC, lettered by Carl V. on JManga!

In addition, to help you better enjoy the comic, Erin and I wrote a short essay about the Heian period, Imperial life and some choices we made about translation and transliteration. You should be able to read the essay as long as you have have registered on Jmanga, regardless of your subscription. I sure hope you enjoy reading this book as much as we enjoyed working on it. ^_^