Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Hana to Hoshi / Flower and Star（花と星)

April 30th, 2012

One of the things we don’t quite yet have in Yuri manga is a full blown love-hate rivalry on the field of athletic competition. With Hana to Hoshi /Flower and Star (花と星), we’re a little closer than we were before.

Hanai Sawako was a prodigy in competitive table tennis as a child. Faced with her first major loss, it broke her and she fled the sport. Now, years have passed and she’s ready to enter high school as a normal girl. On her first day, however, she sees a spectre from her past, the one girl who destroyed her careeer, Hoshino Shiori. Completely freaked out, Hanai-san feels her ideal world crumbling when she finds herself sitting next to Hoshino in class.

To make matters inexpressibly worse, when Hanai-san attempts to wake a sleeping Hoshino up in class, Hoshino gives her a sleepy smile…and kisses her.

Hanai-san is so put out by this that she can’t reconcile her feelings of distaste for Hoshino with ever-increasing like for the girl. All she wants, she’s sure, is to just avoid her completely…until an upperclassman informs her that there is a table tennis club at school and she’s paralyzed with fear. Hoshino steps up and explains that they – neither of them – will be joining.

The story shifts at this point, away from Hanai-san’s internal struggle to reconcile her image of Hoshino past and present, to a surprising backstory between Hoshino and the upperclassman. As Hanai-san starts to understand that their relationship is far more intimate than she realized, she now has the deal with a third, competing, feeling. Jealousy.

For some reason, despite the fact that she’s pretty unrealistic, I really like Hoshino. Something about her un-real reactions to things appeals to me. Hanai-san was harder for me to like, but I came around after the first few chapters. Her incompetent bumbling is a little obnoxious, though.

What will become of the two of them? Will they manage to be friends or is it destined for more? We still don’t know, as the story continues in the pages of Tsubomi magazine. But of the stories in the magazine, this is one of my favorites.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 8
Service – 1

Overall – 8

It’s right on the edge of a sports story and I have the perfect ending in mind for it. We’ll see if the creator, Suzukin Kalio, has the same ending in mind. ^_^ I sure hope so.





Yuri Manga: Pie wo Agemasho, Anata ni Pai wo ne (パイをあげましょ、あなたにぱいをね)

April 20th, 2012

Sakamoto Mano’s collection of stories that ran in Comic Yuri Hime, Pie wo Agemassho, Anata ni Pie wo ne (パイをあげましょ、あなたにパイをね) has no unifying theme besides “Women who love women.” But, there is an essence in several of these stories about perspective; that is, women who have a unique perspective are often lovable, even if they annoy the hell out of you. ^_^

In “My Unique Day”, Sorako falls for the star of her acting troupe and is a little surprised, but not displeased, to find that Miki likes her too. But Miki feels like she’s pushed Sorako too fast and distances herself. Will they patch it up and get together? Of course they will. ^-^

In the title story, Midori thinks there’s no reason at all that one can’t have a millefeuille for a wedding cake, even when her best friend Yuki scoffs, “It’s called a wedding cake, not a wedding pie.” Midori’s wacky take annoys the heck out of Yuki, but there they are, sharing a millefeuille, together.

In “Suwako-san Uchyuu Ryouko” Mikage falls for and has an affair with married woman Suwako-san and would like to take her away on a trip to the stars.

And finally, a lovely little story about two teen idols and what becomes of them years later.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story  – Average 7
Characters – Average 8
Yuri – 10
Service – 1

Overall – 8

A solid Josei collection of Yuri stories about women, rather than school girls. I’d like to make a “pie” joke just about now, but there’s no way it isn’t going to come out filthy, so I’ll pass. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Sasamekikoto, (ささめきこと) Volume 9

April 16th, 2012

Just about a year ago, I reviewed Octave, Volume 6. It was the final volume and of it I said, “Octave is the story I have always wanted to read.”

I say this once again, this time about Sasamekikoto, Volume 9 (ささめきこと).

The series began as a comedy, a ramshackle combination of Yuri tropes, all played for laughs and a little bittersweet drama. Slowly, but surely, it became a real story, a story that hits right in the heart of what lesbian Yuri readers want to see. What we want to see is not always about “coming out,” it’s about “becoming whole.”

And here, in the final volume, Sumi and Ushio become whole. It was a remarkable, fantastic, magnificent ending. I did not expect an ending of this caliber – I never even hoped for it. I would have been content with a “happily ever after” where we see Ushio and Sumika walk off, without having yet faced their community, their friends and their family, and we all pretend it will be all right.

I didn’t get that ending at all. Instead, miraculously, I got an ending where Ushio and Sumi face their community, their friends and their family head on and tell them that they are lovers. Good heavens, really? And still – it was funny. It was still a comedy, less bittersweet than we ever could have imagined. This is the decade Yuri has changed, irrevocably. This is the decade where Yuri becomes “any manga, anime (or related media) that shows intense emotional connection, romantic love or physical desire between women.” Just like we wanted.

I am flabbergasted. I rejoice. I celebrate.

Congratulations Sumi and Ushio – we love you.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

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Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Characters – 10
Yuri – 10
Service – 1

Overall – 10

I can already see that 2012’s #1 slot for Yuri Manga is going to be a tough race. Awesome. ^_^

What a great ending.





Yuri Manga: Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari, Volume 7 (ピュア百合アンソロジー ひらり)

April 12th, 2012

Almost despite itself, Pure Yuri Anthology, Hirari, Volume 7 (ピュア百合アンソロジー ひらり), actually includes some Yuri.

Yes, most of the stories still skate on the thin edge of thinking/feeling and acting, but a few stories make the jump to actually expressing the emotions and desire out loud.

Yostsuhara Furiko’s “Ai o Kakujin” is not one of these, but it was sweet in its own way. A girl can’t stop herself from writing her object of desire into a novel as a romantic lead, despite the friend’s discombobulation.

“Suhin Behin” was a strangely taught little story about the importance of makeup and clothes to a woman, but also about how makeup and clothes are a form of lying about how one “really” looks.

In Hakamada Mera’s “Salomelic” Salome’s flaky mother is not helping her settle in at all, but at least she’s decided to make up with her boyfriend, and stay in town. To celebrate the fact that she won’t be moving again, Salome officially switches into the school uniform. Oh, and she confesses to Hikari that she likes her. But Hikari has a secret she isn’t sharing…^_^

The cover story wins this time. “Harukaze to Kase-san” went in a completely unpredictable direction. Yamada has been training with Kase-san to run the school marathon and for the first time ever, should be able to complete the course. Due to a freak accident however, Yamada is injured right at the start, and while Kase-san wins (not just for the girls, but overall, beating all the guys, as well) she immediately runs to the infirmary. Once she’s made sure Yamada is okay, she takes her prize for winning 1st place – a kiss.

This issue of Hirari actually had a few kisses. Like I said, despite itself it’s actually leaking out of the characters’ heads into action. Let’s not tell anyone, or they may put a stop to it. ^_^

As always there are loads of other stories, but these were the most notable IMHO. Your mileage will surely vary.

Ratings:

Overall – 7





Yuri Manga: Kanojyo no Sekai (彼女の世界)

March 29th, 2012

Well this book was kind of a surprise. You know how I’m always ragging on Hakamada Mera-sensei for writing the same old Story A and never really getting past that? Well, in Kanojyo no Sekai (彼女の世界) she does and, um, I kinda wish she hadn’t. (OMG, Erica, you are never satisfied!) ^_^;

Konno Natsuki has a run-in with Hikawa Hidari on the roof – that is, they actually collide with one another. They untangle notebooks and knees and return to their classroom, where Natsuki realizes she has one of Hidari’s notebooks. No big thing, really, except that the notebook contains an erotic novel. Natsuki can’t stop reading the novel so, when the teacher calls on her to stop reading and takes the notebook away, she’s worried that the teacher will read it…and Hidari is worried that Natsuki will throw her under the bus. Natsuki retrieves the notebook, never mentioning Hidari and waits on the roof to return it to the other girl. She won’t say anything, Natsuki promises, on the condition that Hidari continues to write the novel. And so they meet most days, up on the roof.

Hidari is not a well-liked girl. Her name is weird (who names their kid “Left”?) and she’s not personable or outgoing. Natsuki has friends, but she begins to blow them off to go to the roof and read Hidari’s work. She find the story stimulating, but also wants to know a bit more about the author. To make matters worse, Natsuki starts to have sexual fantasies about Hidari, but when she finally acts on one of them and kisses the other girl, she is rebuffed.

The novel changes, too. Now, not only is the protagonist thrown into a variety of sexual situations, a second character has appeared. Hidari confirms that it’s love between the two.

The class trip arrives, just in time to make things awkward for Natsuki and Hidari. Natsuki invites Hidari to join her group, but her friends nix the idea. Hidari goes off with another group and Natsuki can’t even manage to sit with the other girl for the trip. Natsuki sees Hidari from afar on the trip, having fun with her group, she’s overcome with jealousy and starts to cry. When she looks up to see Hidari sitting there, she confesses that she likes her. Hidari says nothing but, quite unusually, she smiles. That night, when all the other girls have gone  to another room to have pillow fights and hang out, Hidari and Natsuki make love.

Although, Natsuki confides in us at the end, Hidari has never said she loves her back, she’s content to join the other girl in their world up on the roof.

It’s a strange, but not insane story, made uncomfortable only really by the fact that it’s set in high school and that it’s by Hakamada-sensei, whose art is not really well suited to more explicit scenes in my head. There’s nothing super explicit, and the characters are not drawn in a way that is inconsistent with her art or with their age or anything that might otherwise make one cringe.  In every other way, it’s a pretty good doujinshi-like story.

Ratings:

Art – 6 on general appeal, but for Hakamada’s art 8
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 10
Service – 7

Overall – 7

The heads aren’t even huge anymore. It’s just that…it’s Hakamada-sensei’s art and the idea of sex in her work seems so…odd.  ^_^