Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri, Yaoi Manga and More: Rakuen Le Paradis Magazine

January 31st, 2010

In an industry that primarily determines genre by target audience, the rarest of publications is one for “anyone who wants to read this publication.”

There are a few of these kinds of magazines. Kodansha’s Morning 2 can fall into that category, as can F Comics’ Manga Erotics F magazine. Not surprisingly, I really like both of these magazines. The stories are really meant for adult readers, but the content is varied, kind of odd and offbeat. In Morning 2 you have a sincere, cleanly drawn story about a young man who is a rising star as a magician, right next to some really strange, supernatural, violent, non-linear crazyness. Neither Gunjo nor Peepoo Choo were at all out of place in what is an overall experimental magazine. Erotics F runs stories of adult relationships or gang warfare right next to something like Aoi Hana.

To me, what these magazine say is that there is a different manga reading audience. A niche audience. This audience is composed of adults who admire manga for more than just the heroic fighting or the romance aspects, adults who are looking for good stories, drawn interestingly.

I count Rakuen Le Paradis as one more of these rare magazines. This one particularly seems to be for whoever wants to read it, rather than a particular demographic niche. And it is the very first magazine that I have ever seen that carries stories with straight, lesbian and gay pairings under one cover. I can’t say I liked everything in the magazine, but damn if I wasn’t impressed with it as a whole.

The first story is by Kowo Kazuma, the creator of Junsui Adolescence. It’s a straight romance that I quite liked, with a decent bit of character building in a short space. Following that is what was possibly my least favorite story, also straight, about a guy and woman who were a terrible match and not at all likable, separately or together, by Kiko Urino.

This was followed by a story of an established lesbian couple by Nishi UKO. They are established, but not without conflict. One can’t stop buying books and the other spends all her money on clothes. They can’t stop fighting about it, but it doesn’t stop them from loving each other. I loved this one, I admit it. Their befuddled friends were a great touch. :-)

Mika Hisaka’s story left me a tad cold, but it wasn’t bad. After sleeping with the guy, she leaves him her key. I’m not really sure what the moral was there. :-)

The life of a salaryman is charted by Takeda Chu in a story that combines trains and koto playing. This was charming, but difficult for me to follow.

“Overpass Junction” by Asumiko Nakamura is a rather unique look at Yuri. A girl sees a woman having a screaming match with her phone on the train platform, and finds herself drawn into the other woman’s life…and into love with the woman herself. This was a totally different approach to girl meets girl than I’ve ever seen and I liked it quite a bit.

Unita Yumi’s “Know me now” was a lovely little ditty about a boy and the girl next door. He’s in like but cluesless. Lucky for them, she’s not clueless at all. I like this artist and I really liked this story.

Then came “On,” by Rendou Kurosaki, which was probably the ugliest art in the magazine, but somehow it fit the story. The entire thing is basically a guy having sex with someone, who you think is female until the end, when he turns out to be a guy. I was glad to see BL in the book, but didn’t really like this story.

Takemiya Jin’s “Omoi no Kakera kata” had something I don’t think I’ve ever *seen* before. A girl who knows she’s gay and is totally cool with it, a priori. She likes going to this woman’s cafe, because she gets to read, thinks the owner is attractive and basically likes being around women who are probably gay. When she sees a group of loud woman making another of their group miserable, she walks over and pours a glass over the head of the loudest. Ultimately she meets with the woman she saved, who is having issues about maybe preferring women. Our heroine offers to sleep with her to see what happens. Years later we see our protagonist working at the cafe and the woman she slept with walking by pushing a baby carriage happily. I didn’t love the story so much, but I hope we see more of the protagonist. I loved how straightforward and no-nonsense she was.

“Otome Loop” is some high school wackiness by Suruga Kiryuu that totally missed me.

“…Gokko” was a story that honestly flipped me right out. Hikaru Ninomiya’s story appears to be a brother/sister incest story. But. I really should have read the title. That’s all I’m saying.

Nishi UKO has a second story, “Mio Post” about a woman who sees another woman on the train every day and wonders who she is and where she comes from or goes to. The end has the feeling of a “fateful meeting.”

Kaya Shigisawa’s “Anata sae Inakereba” was, IMHO, a lot of nothing. Very typical relationship drama. The art was nice, though.

Rendou Korosaki weighs in with another supremely ugly piece about a woman sexually harrassing a man. It looks totally consensual, but messy and blecch.

And finally another Kiko Urino “Nichiyoubi ni Jissatsu,” which starts with a guy getting ready to hang himself and his meeting with a young woman who had just killed herself in the afterlife. It was all right. The art was good, the ending a bit typical.

So, let’s see, finally tally was 6 out 15 stories I liked. Not bad for an anthology, really.

In general, it wasn’t that simple to know who this book was for, which I liked a lot. I’m a big fan of ambiguity in target audience. After all, why shouldn’t books be “for whoever might want to read it?”

Ratings:

Everything is variable, of course.

Art – 2-8
Stories 2-8

Overall – 7

My gut sense is that most of these artists have established followings individually, and the goal of the anthology was to utilize the collective buying power of these fans. I hope it worked! There is an ad in the back that mentions a second volume available in February. I will be very interested to see where this collection goes.





Yuri Manga: Kimochi no Katachi, Volume 2

January 28th, 2010

Kimochi no Katachi, Volume 2 (きもちのかたち), continues to follow the stories of Satsuki’s relationship with Kano, and Mako’s relationship with Rina. In both cases, the relationship become closer and matures past that “Story A” space.

Satsuki’s story really takes off in what is probably my favorite of all the chapters, which centers around a most common object – a cell phone.

Satsuki’s father is rather strict and old-fashioned and he doesn’t see a business case for his children getting cell phones. So Satsuki has to rely on the family phone, which makes talking to Kano awkward. Kano lends Satsuki her cell phone, but Satsuki’s father hears her talking in her room and throws a hissy fit, assuming she’s talking to a boy who’s up to no good. Scared half out of her mind, Satsuki decides to approach her father directly and ask for a phone. Unfortunately, he’s a shouter, and starts to overwhelm his daughter before she can get started. Like some kind of miracle, Kano shows up, apologizes to Dad for the fuss and woos him into being quiet long enough for Satsuki to make her request. He agrees that she can have one, which becomes their next Sunday date. But that isn’t the point. The point of the scene, as both Satsuki and Kano later comment on, is that Kano sits in seiza, with one hand lightly on Satsuki’s back as she petitions Dad to allow his daughter to have a phone. It’s a beautiful moment. That small gesture claims Satsuki as *hers* in a way that’s unmistakable, without saying a word. Later on, Kano admits that she was terrifyingly close to asking Dad for Satsuki’s hand in marriage. ^_^

Meanwhile, Mako is making herself ill because she really, really, really wants to kiss, touch and do other things with Rina. Unfortunately she’s still horribly gun shy and, even though no one is stopping her, Mako is just not ready to accept her own desire. (As I once wrote in a story, desire is a terrible thing, because you can never go back after giving in.)

Mako’s previous crush doesn’t make it easier by telling Mako that *she’s* ready to accept Mako’s feelings. Mako’s making herself and Rina miserable, but the only one who can release her from her prison is her. Eventually Rina helps Mako see the light, and Mako and she finally are able to move their relationship forward.

For a series titled, “Shape of Feelings,” both arcs really fit the bill. There’s a genuine and heartfelt exploration of feelings and situations that a young woman who finds herself in love (and lust) with another woman might be dealing with. More importantly, the stories deal with the fallout of these feelings into other, completely normal everyday experiences. Mako’s inability to cope with her fantasies about Rina, or even her enjoyment of looking at Rina’s body; Satsuki’s fear that Kano will be stolen from her, or that her feelings for Kano will be discovered by her family are not unusual to anyone who has ever fallen in love with the “wrong” person.

I can’t recommend this series enough. It’s got strong characters and completely real, completely accurate feelings. Something that I’m glad to say there’s more and more of these days. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 9
Service – 2

Overall – 9

Congratulations to Sakuraike and many thanks for their fantastic work over the years!





Yuri Manga: Otome Senshi Lovely 5!

January 22nd, 2010

Presented for your derision, the worst of the Yuri Hime cell phone manga and my first entry to the Yuri Hall of Shame, Japanese edition, Johnouchi Nene’s Otome Senshi Lovely 5!.

You may recognize Johnouchi Nene’s name from the Apple Day Dream series in Yuri Hime and Yuri Hime S, a series which I have never reviewed, or indeed, even purchased as a collected volume on account of the fact that I think it’s intolerably dull. I fought with myself over purchasing this title, and clearly the wrong side won that battle.

The basic plot of the story isn’t too hideous – cute Sweet Lolita wants to avoid wearing the boring school uniform (ironically, the *exact* same “plot” as the Tiara Bunko Light Novel I’m reading right now) and decides to create a sentai group to fight for cute things.

It’s not the plot that’s the problem – it’s everything else.

As you may know, I adore Fujieda Miyabi for his costume design skills as much as his characters. He has a real way with fashion, subtly highlighting a character’s feminity or masculinity without giant flashing arrows pointing to their secondary sexual characterisics. In just about every possible way Johnounchi Nene is the exact opposite. Her designs are ill-conceived; tortured, ugly even on their intended victims and not only have giant flashing arrows pointing at crotches and chests, but force us to look in those directions again and again, as if we might somehow not notice.

Her characters mix irresponsible, unrealistic BDSM – admittedly, the kind that’s most fun to read, but this falls short in that as well – with illegal relationships and uncomfortable situations, and then pounds us with gigantic breasts on top of all that, because there wasn’t *enough* fetishtry to keep our attention.

And to top it all off, the bad guy is a woman running around the school naked, trying to strip the Senshi of their frills to…are you sitting?…not drinking anything?…. SAVE THE PLANET. The moral of the story is that while Goth-Loli might not be ecologically sound, running around the school naked means a loser is you. Well, duh.

The only relationship in the entire series I didn’t want to see end in flames was the teacher and the pop singer who physically and emotionally abuses her. That one was okay.

In the end, the one big question was – which color would Momoka be? (Since, of course, each member of a sentai group has to be a color.) Given her name was Momoka, I could be forgiven for yawning and guessing she’s be in pink, but hah on me, because she’s Otome Senshi Lovely Rose.

Ratings:

Art – 4
Story – 2
Characters – 3
Yuri – 8
Service – 230,007

Overall – 3

I think I sprained my eyes rolling them, I really do.

This book was so good, that I’m giving it away. Here’s how to enter:

In the comments field, tell me what color and Loli style you would be as a Goth-Loli Senshi. Check back on the next Saturday YNN Report (not tomorrow, the one after that) for the winner, who can email me to  get this book out of my house get their prize! You must be 18 to enter.





Yuri Manga: Gokujou Drops, Volume 3

January 20th, 2010

In Volume 3 of Gokujou Drops (極上ドロップス) Komari is sexually harrassed by every human being she interacts with, and is suddenly parted from Yukio with no communication between them for the 437th time.

This time, it’s serious. Yukio’s mother is disgusted by the news that she’s living – and sleeping – with some nobody at school. She determined to force Yukio to transfer and marry her off as soon as possible. But Komari braves the labyrinth once again and saves Yukio – with the deus ex machina of an aunt that had been a former resident of the Haraizo Dorm and letter from Yukio’s off-scene father.

I am so done with this series. There’s nothing even remotely interesting in Volume 3, it’s a tired rehash of everything from the first two volumes. Komari being forcibly undressed by just about anyone who walks by was always tedious – now its plain old, old and tired. The art is the same, the sex (consensual and non-consensual) is the same; the crying, the non-secrets, the snuggling – its all the exact same.

As I mentioned, the cell phone manga collections from Ichijinshi weren’t great this time around. This wasn’t the worst of them, however – that’s still to come. ^_^

Rather than spend your money on Volume 3, you can just re-read Volume 1 and Volume 2 over and save your money for something better.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 5
Characters – 5
Yuri – 8
Service – 8

Overall – 5

Sexual harassment isn’t a particularly good plot complication, much less an entire *plot.*

But hey – here’s an opportunity for a enthusiastic fan, if Vol. 4 comes out, I won’t be getting it, so we’ll need a guest review!





Yuri Manga: Kimochi no Katachi, Volume 1

January 18th, 2010

You know the old stereotype of an old person crying tears of joy, saying something like, “I’m so glad to have lived to see this day”? I am that old person. ^_^

Almost all of my favorite original doujinshi artists have been discovered, their stories collected, their work recognized for its innate value.

Today’s review is a collection of a series I talked about five years ago. Sakuraike was one of the first original Yuri doujinshi circles I began collecting, and we had the incredible pleasure of being able to include some of their work in our Yuri Monogatari 5 anthology.

Kimochi no Katachi (きもちのかたち) is the collection of all the Tact doujinshi series in two volumes.

The first arc of the volume is by Kitao Taki and introduces us to Mako, a boyish, athletic, but sweet and kind and soft-hearted girl. Her best friend Takemi is protective of her, but not grasping. When another female student falls for Mako, Mako resists primarily because she’s already been burned for having feelings for another girl. But Rina is nothing if not persistent. Mako’s relationship with Takemi suffers because she can’t find it in herself to tell her best friend what’s obviously going on. Takemi knows – she’s not an idiot – but she needs Mako to be the one to say it. Takemi’s right, too. Mako needs to be able to be honest with herself.

Rina is fighting to get Mako to say her name, when Mako’s former love interest shows up to complicate things. Mako has to move past her old unrequited love, her fear of her own feelings and plain old embarrassment. But she does, and by the end of the arc captured in this volume, Makoto and Rina are finally able to be a couple.

The second arc, by Mitou Kana tells the story of Satsuki, who falls for her sempai in the Library club, Kano. Satsuki is very well aware of how people perceive women who love women, and she carefully draws an imaginary line between behaviors that are acceptable and those that are not. By accident, she meets a lizard who teaches her the meaning of “being gross” and “being different” and learns to accept her own feelings.

Satsuki is assisted in this by her friend Mana, who sees immediately what’s going on and – like Takemi in the first arc – demands that Satsuki be honest with herself. At the end of the first volume Satsuki admits to Mana that, yes, she does like Kano. Since the very first 4-koma of the arc shows the two of them as a couple, we can relax…a little bit. ^_^

When I first discovered Sakuraike, I was enchanted by their characters. They were doing what everyone else wasn’t. Their characters were talking about, thinking about and dealing with the reality of being in love with another girl – territory that’s *still* pretty rare in Yuri. Thanks to the leveling up of artists and circles like Sakuraike, UKOZ, Morinaga, Takashima, Tadeno and Morishima, we’re getting more and more realistic situations in our Yuri.

Artistically speaking, there’s some good and some less good in Kimochi no Katachi. Remember, Tact is pretty old now (I started collecting it in 2004 and it had already been a round for a while), so as artists, both Taki and Kana have improved since then. Taki’s art tends towards a loose playing-free-with-proportions style, and Kana’s style is more 4-koma cute.

For me, it’s the characters that rule here. Satsuki is instantly likeable, Kano is fun and you know, when Rina’s aching because Mako’s so cute…you feel it, you really do. The story lines might appear to be paths that have been well-trod, but they weren’t – not when these stories were first written. And they still hold up today, I think.

If I wanted to give a good Yuri manga to a young woman who was questioning her right to love another woman and worried that people might think she was weird, this is the manga I would give her.

Ratings:

Because this volume is a collection of doujinshi that were released over years, the ratings are amost all variable.

Art – From 3-7
Story – From 6-8
Characters – 8-9
Yuri – 9
Service – 1

Overall – 9

I am so glad to have lived to see this day. I mean that. Holding this book in my hand was like a gift from heaven. 18 days into it, 2010 is still the best year of my life (so far!)