Some years ago, Maya and Michiru were lovers. They lived together for about 5 years until one day, Maya woke up to a note from Michiru saying that she was leaving.

Years passed and the next time they met, Michiru was pregnant. After the baby’s father died, Maya moved in with Michiru to take care of Yuuta – under the strict rule that there would be nothing between them except friendship. Michiru, her son Yuuta who appears to be about 2 or 3, and Maya live in apartment together. It’s probably not terribly surprising that Maya is the more responsible of the two. Almost right away, when Michiru is feeling sulky and lonely, she asks for a kiss, violating her own rule.

Acting as a surrogate father figure is the guy who lives below them, Niko. He’s a goof, but he truly adores Yuuta and the two women trust him. At one point he’s heading off on a trip and encounters Maya and Yuuta on the street. He takes Yuuta, puts him on top of his luggage and starts to wheel him away. After about three steps, he whirls on Maya yelling at her to stop him already! He’s cute.

And then there’s Yuuta. let’s say 2 1/2, he’s a kid. That means sniveling, snotty noses, tears when a favorite cup breaks, etc. But he’s a good kid, smart for his age and he tries hard to be strong for his mother. He loves pudding, and he likes shiny stones which he collects and keeps in a box.

This is Ohana Holoholo（オハナホロホロ）.

In the most touching and best-written chapter, Niko and Yuuta are out shopping. Niko tells Yuuta to never let go of his hand. But when Yuuta sees a shiny gold-paper filled box of candy, it’s Niko that lets go to pay for it. Yuuta and he are separated. Niko is devastated. He calls Maya and they talk to the department store staff. When they can’t find Yuuta, Niko breaks down in tears. Maya knew that Niko and Yuuta’s father had been friends – he tells her that, in fact, they had been lovers. He’s treasured the memory of his dead lover through his son. At which an announcement over the PA tells them that Yuuta’s been found – asleep in a bed in the bedding department. They all go home, where Maya asks if Michiru knew that Niko and Yuuta’s father had been together.Michiru replies that she knew he had a lover, and when she met Niko she wondered if he might be the one. At home Yuuta recived the shiny candy box with joy, then hands out all the candy in it to the three adults, and carefully displays his rock collection in the pretty gold paper, his face glowing with utter contentment. (^_^)

After that, you’d be a right bastard if you didn’t like the kid.

The real problem in the series is Michiru. She’s childish, selfish, and annoying. She left Maya once and really hurt her. We can see that Maya still has abandonment issues.

When Maya encounters an old school friend who does a kindness for Yuuta, Michiru sees them hugging, gets jealous and runs back to her mother’s house with Yuuta. Yes, she does it *again*. Maya is devastated.

When Niko arrives home that night, there’s Yuuta and Michiru in his apartment. Michiru admits that when she arrived at her mother’s place, she finally realized it was probably a hug between friends, but now she’s frightened of going back upstairs, because Maya will be angry. The problem is solved when Maya comes down with pudding to share with Niko and Yuuta tackles her. Maya mildly welcomes Michiru home. In the next chapter, they have it out. Michiru admits she was afraid she’d be thrown away for the guy and Maya sensibly points out that leaving people is Michiru’s behavior, not hers. Michiru apologizes and is forgiven.

The last chapter is about pudding.

This series ran in Feel Comics and I wish I had known about it when it was running. (Update: It’s still running – I just got the most recent issue of Feel Young and there it is!) Shodensha is quietly pretty LGBT friendly. They run Yamaji Ebine works and although those are less and less LGBT-themed, any lesbian or gay characters tend to be very sympathetic, competent and likable. I find I’m a big fan of alternative family stories, although I have no idea why. It’s just nice to see that it can all work.

Maya’s serious, but not a prig, Niko’s a goof, but not an ass, Michiru’s a jerk, but not to the point of endangering Yuuta and Yuuta’s a good kid. The story is touching in places, but not soppy.

It all works.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 9
Characters – 8
Yuri – Nothing in the story proper, but it is part of the history – let’s call it a 4
Service – A resounding 0

Overall – 8

I am so in the mood for pudding now….

In Have His Carcass, Dorothy L. Sayers has Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane discussing Harriet’s popular mystery series. She’s come to realize that there’s a point at which even the most superficial character has to either develop some depth or go away. The crisis was that, as a writer of popular novels, it was tempting to just let her character string along 2-dimensionally until everyone got tired of him. But if you’re any kind of real writer, you know that that’s just not really sustainable for either you – or the character.

It’s easy to write a “Story A” – girl meets girl, they fall in love, the end. Or Girl Confesses to Girl. Or something equally thin and non-committal. But now you’re trying to tell that same story for the third time and frankly, it’s getting harder. You either add some character to your characters and succeed…or you don’t and you fail hard. This is what I’m seeing in Volume 3 of Comic Lily (Comic リリィ). Creators are pushing a bit and making it work – or they are so not.

As with previous volumes, the first story is the strongest. Arare used to really admire Tsubasa – for her feminine figure, long hair, popularity – but these days, she thinks Tsubasa’s become a total dork. After she confessed to Arare and was rejected, Tsubasa cut her hair, started taking shop in high school and generally isn’t the woman Arare admired. But she’s still there all the time by Arare’s side and it’s pissing Arare off. When Arare’s birthday comes around, Tsubasa begins to avoid her, and Arare starts to realize what Tsubasa really means to her. When it turns out that Tsubasa was making her a ring in shop, Arare says she’ll think about accepting Tsubasa’s feelings at last.

The continuing series are starting to develop some personality (with the exception of the story that obsesses about bloomers. That one’s just bad from beginning to end) and I find myself actually wondering if/when/what something might happen.

Again, as with the rest of these volumes – and indeed with most anthologies – there is a wide range of art and story-telling skill, but for whatever reason, Volume 3 felt stronger than the previous two to me. So, not quite as forgettable as the first two volumes, with a moment or two of something approaching quite decent. Not world shaking, no, but I don’t feel bad about getting the next one.

Ratings:

Overall – 7

Unlike Tsubomi, which got progressively less good as I read it, I will happily give this series another volume or two, because it’s starting to grow on me.

I’ve mentioned in the past that my brain has a neat little habit of wiping out anything that I read that is either excessively boring or emotionally harmful. (For instance, I remember that I once read a book that I afterwards described as making me feel as if I had been outside on the street when a bank robbery was in process – not actually involved, but still traumatized. I can no longer remember what the book was or what made me feel that way and for that, I am extremely grateful.)

The downside to that is that every time I read something like Comic Lily, Volume 2 (comicリリィ) I completely forget all of the contents almost immediately . Even after reading it twice, it’s all I can do to remember that the first story was okay and there was one or two other stories that were bearable and the rest is a complete blank.

The first story is a rather typical story about Tamaki who is angry at Mitsuki for being herself, which is to say, a bit of a doofus and prone to falling in love with guys. Tamaki is herself pissy-faced and annoyed because she is actually jealous of those guys and in love with Mitsuki. There is some drama, but the ending is happy.

There’s a few continuing series that aren’t too bad – and are better when you read them in sequence so they provide their own context.

Most of the rest of the stories are angry confessions or sad confessions or bittersweet confessions or frustrated confessions with the occasional kiss.

Anyway.

If the moment of confession is the thing you like, then Comic Lily is a good bet for you. If you, like me, are looking more for the bits after “happily-ever-after” then it’s safe to pass on this anthology.

Ratings:

Overall – 6

This is not an anthology that is pushing any boundaries or changing the world. It is an anthology that scratches an itch that has been scratched many times before and by – in many cases – people with longer nails. (Wow, did that analogy get weird fast. lol)