Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Himitsu Shoujo

March 18th, 2008

Chi-Ran’s at it again, in this second collection of Yuri manga one-shots from Yuri Hime magazine, Himitsu Shoujo. (The title is a pun, using alternate kanji. Himitsu is usually translated as “secret,” but these kanji mean something like “hidden nectar” and the book itself offers up the translation of the title as Lovely Girls.)

Nothing connects these various one-shots, (unlike her first collection, Shoujo Bigaku,) other than that they are about girls in love with other girls, and that all the girls tend to be willowy and ethereal.

There’s Yuyu and Marika who get together on their own, regardless of the magical necklace thingy Yuyu has that, when she strokes it, makes Marika feel like she’s being stroked.

And there’s Maori who is down on love, until she is given a Yuri cage that contains a teeny little cute girl that she falls in love with, only to lose her, only to regain, maybe, the real thing in human size.

And Yuma who also gets a munchkin lover, this time an alien, who puts on an adult form to prove her love to Yuma that old-fashioned way, and try and convince her to marry her and have an alien baby with her.

Then there’s Kako, who isn’t looking for love in her new school, but school star Ageha has other plans. “You’re my next one,” she tells Kako, who resists, but by the end is weakening…

There’s Yui and Miki who are in love with each other, but don’t know it. Desperate, Miki accepts “dream drops” candy from yet another cute munchkin and enjoys her relationship with Yui as a fantasy, only to find that Yui has been dreaming the same dreams with the dream drops.

And finally, we meet a nameless girl who has fallen for her beautiful classmate. They become friends, then best friends, and eventually so close, that the subject of her desire confides that she is in love too – with a guy. Her heart breaks, but her friendship remains.

Like most of Chi-Ran’s stories, the art is pretty and nearly impossible to follow because of the crazy-paving panel structure she uses. The stories appear on the page and quickly disappear from one’s mind, leaving only a vague impression like bubbles. A fitting image, really, for Chi-Ran’s evanescent, ephemeral work.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Stories – 6
Characters – 5
Yuri – 9
Series – 5

Overall – 6

This is the last of the second wave of Yuri Hime Comics I’ll be reviewing. Apple Day Dream and Nanami to Misuzu are up for grabs if anyone else wants to review them. The next ones I review will be from the third wave, starting with Mermaid Line.





RSOM Voting and Yuri Monogatari Project Reminders

March 13th, 2008

Just two quick reminders today.

The People’s Choice vote for Tokyopop’s Rising Stars of Manga closes tomorrow. So if you haven’t already, pop over and support Yuri Monogatari 5 contributor Niki Smith, by voting for her Yuri-themed “Crabapple Crush”!

And *speaking* of Yuri Monogatari, the Yuri Monogatari Project will be taking submissions through Saturday, March 15, and then it is closed. We’ve got some fantastic new creators in the project and we’ll be welcoming back several of our previous artists, as well. If you’d like to be part of the 2008 Yuri Monogatari project, please read the Submission Guidelines first. We look forward to your submissions!





Yuri Manga: Gakuen Alice, Volume 1 (English)

March 11th, 2008

It’s always nice to return to one’s roots – if only for a good laugh. My Yuri fannishness began with Sailor Moon, I whetted it on Utena and honed it into a finely-edged obsession on Maria-sama ga Miteru. So it’s kind of nice, in between the loads and loads of stuff for guys I read and watch, to take a step back into the shoujo world from time to time.

My sincere thanks to today’s review sponsor, Brent, for allowing me to do so.

Gakuen Alice is the first manga I simply decided to wait and read in English, not for any particular reason, except that I expected it to be out much sooner than it was. (Based on nothing but common sense, I believe that the delay was a conscious decision by Tokyopop to set this up as their flagship shoujo title after Fruits Basket ended.) I reviewed the anime originally in November 2004, and updated my review, with a pronunciation of “Yep, it’s Yuri” in April 2005. I knew then that the manga was not as Yuri as the anime; that only the early chapters really have the Mikan x Hotaru love-loveness. That’s okay. Today I am reviewing those early chapters. ^_^ (The anime closely followed the manga at the beginning, so for the basic premise, hit up that 2004 review.)

Since it’s been three years since I last thought about Gakuen Alice there was a lot I’d forgotten. Mostly, I’d forgotten how really obnoxious the whole Alice school setup was, with institutional bullying and uncontrolled and uncontrollable children. I’d also forgotten how freakin’ violent and depressing this story is in the early parts! Good god – *this* is what we give little girls to read for entertainment? I especially resent the constant sexual harrassment “gag” about the color of Mikan’s underwear – that’s not a funny thing at all to most little girls.

I’d also forgotten how hyper and funny Mikan is – and how much she really, truly loves Hotaru. And yes, I realize that their love is that of true friends, close enough to be sisters, and that it is unreasonable to expect that they become a couple (anime not withstanding,) but tell that to the translators! lol

This book is translated in a way that constantly beats you over the head with language that expresses Mikan’s love for Hotaru in a “love” kind of way. Like she’s setting out to find her soulmate, not a BFF. I know that it’s pandering and meant to be funny, but if you really want to – and what Yuri fan doesn’t – you can just interpret it literally. At the end of Volume 1, at least, there’s no doubt that Mikan is besotted. (Unless you want to doubt that. Then go right ahead.) In fact, the language is so over the top that it often seems like Mikan is repeating things she heard on TV and doesn’t really understand herself. Hotaru is, as in the anime, cold and distant. But that’s how Hotaru is – pretend it’s tough love and it’ll fit just fine into your understanding of the series as a “Yuri” story.

Tokyopop did a nice job on the reproduction, with clear tones (so important in shoujo manga) and a very decent translation. Some of the sound effects – the minor ones in particular – aren’t translated. The adaptation of the script is quite good – the characters even have voices of their own, something I rarely see in translated manga – sometimes because the original creators didn’t bother with voice, sometimes because the translators don’t have a good grasp of it. It’s important to me and sets a story above others in its class when I encounter it.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 4
Service – 3

Overall – 7

It was really nice to spend some time back in the shoujo world again and remember what it’s like to be a girl.





Yuri Manga: Yozora no Ouji to Asayake no Hime

March 10th, 2008

 Yozora no Ouji to Asayake no Hime (The Prince Night Sky and the Princess of the Sunrise) isn’t bad at all. For what it is. Which is another collection of stories from Yuri Hime magazine. Almost every story takes place in school, with the exception of the one Lady and her loyal ninja story. There are a few kisses and even the implication of more once or twice.

It’s not like this collection is bad – it isn’t. And there’s a general cheerful tenor. Nothing particular connects the stories – they remain exactly what they always were – Yuri one-shots. I didn’t dislike this collection – in fact, preferred the collection to the individual stories, as I am wont to do – but nothing really stands out here as exceptional. There’s happy Yuri, sad Yuri, slightly disturbing Yuri, funny Yuri, but it’s all much of a muchness. (Like Otome Cake, I mostly picked this volume up while I was in Tokyo because I was in Tokyo and it was there.) Like Last Uniform I don’t hate Hakamada’s work, but I can’t quite like it, either.

If you love her art or stories, then definitely get this book – I think it’s a damn sight better than Last Uniform. If you’re on the fence, save your money for something better like Rakuen no Jouken.

Ratings:

Art – 5
Characters – 5
Stories – 5
Yuri – 7
Service – 2

Overall – 5

As I glance over the collection I’m struck by an alternate opening to this review – “There are eight million stories in the Yuri City. These are a few of them.” I know very, very few of my readers will get that reference. I apologize. But it did strike me that way. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Gunjou

March 6th, 2008

A few months ago, I mentioned that I created a page on the Japanese social networking site Mixi. It’s been a very good exercise so far. For one thing, I have to be semi-coherent in Japanese when I post there, so I’m forced to practice my appalling communication skills. Because I am a shameless American, I’ve been wandering around the Mixi communities, introducing myself and pimping Yuricon & ALC Publishing where it seems to fit.

Well, one day I got a message – always an occasion of entertainment, (I’m not afraid of rare hunters who just want me for my strangeness.) This message, however was a very polite comment from someone named Nakamura who thought that since I seem to like Yuri manga, I might be interested in their new manga series. The post they linked me to starts “A non-moe Yuri manga.” My cute little ears pricked up because, of course, I *long* for non-moe Yuri stories.

Let me side-step a second. The day before I received this message I was trawling the Yuri board at 2chan and saw a picture which interested me greatly. I didn’t read the post, because I was in a rush. But the art really stuck out because it was two adult women, looking decidedly grim and I liked it instantly.

So, when I popped onto Nakamura-san’s page and find myself staring at the same exact picture, I think my heart rate increased a little. Probably got a little color in my sallow cheeks as well. After reading the description of the series, I fearlessly added Morning 2 magazine to my last order from Amazon JP.

Friends, I just want to say this, Gunjou is awesome and Nakamura Ching is da BOMB. Thank you, thank you, Nakamura-san for pointing out your new series to me!

As I reported in my Yuri News report a few weeks ago, Gunjou by Nakamura Ching is the story of a woman who asks the lesbian who is in love with her to kill her husband, and their life on the road after the deed is done.

The woman, whom I will refer to as “BN” for “brunette,” because she as yet has no name, is not a nice person. If I was her husband, I’d probably be abusive too. She’s manipulative, self-absorbed and nasty. Her friend, who is also nameless, so will be referred to as “BL” for “blonde,” is a lesbian who has been in love with BN for some time. She identifies as a lesbian and she’s prone to fits of violence. Needless to say, as I read Gunjou I practically shuddered with ecstasy. A nasty woman and the EPL who loves her. Sounds like my household. LOL

In chapter 4, which is where I picked the story up, they are casually discussing how they would want to kill themselves. BL suggest self-immolation with gasoline – and buys some just in case they want to try it. They return to BN’s childhood home, since her parents are safely dead. She tells BL how much they and her husband trapped her for her entire life. She heads off to have a cigarette and take a walk – we later see her at the public phone. BL finds some ero-magazines and picks one up, only to find that the girl in the story being schtupped looks scarily like BN. They find a game of LIFE and start to play, but in a fit of nasty, BN trash talks BL, then tells BL that she called the police on her. BL beats the bejeebus out of BN, then threatens her life with a broken bottle. BN begs for her life, they drink, they eat some sushi and go outside for a walk. Whereupon BL douses herself in the gasoline. But then worries when BN takes out a cigarette. The chapter ends with them both sitting on the ground outside the car, BN’s hand on BL’s thigh and BL carefully holding BN’s lighter.

Chapter 5 starts with some color pages, and BL with wounds that look like knife marks on her chest. No hospital, she says, in her near dementia. BN has no clue what to do, but she remembers BL talking about an older cousin she used to visit in the area where they went to school, so BN heads there. They park, BL saying she doesn’t want to go to a hospital, and BN saying that she isn’t – they are at her cousin’s place. “I don’t have a cousin,” BL says, just as her (obviously) ex-lover walks up. Woops. LOL

BN is laying on a futon on the floor when BL starts to gag and vomit. The lover comes in and comforts her, and in case we were very stupid, she holds her close, they have a lover’s reunion right there, while BN eats her own liver out. The whole thing is massively awkward. As BL recovers, the lover takes BN out to dinner, blames her for the failure of their (BL x lover’s) relationship, and the current state of things. After gently tipping her dinner over BN’s head, the lover proceeds to try to strangle her to death, saying she won’t give BL back now that she has her again.

BN drops the car keys into the car and starts to walk away, but BL leaves her lover with an apology. As the chapter ends, the two of them walk off arm in arm.

The art is a bit unusual, josei meets action drama – but don’t get me wrong, this is NOT a josei manga. Morning is a guy’s magazine and this is a manga for an adult, male, audience. The characters aren’t attractive, but that’s more because their expressions are often distorted by rage, frustration and bile, than anything else. Every once in a while they soften and you instantly begin to like them.

While I’ve focused on the major drama in the synopsis, there’s actually quite a bit of softer character development going on. And despite the dysfunction and manipulation, the relationship between BN and BL has some moments that are really quite tender. Since Nakamura-san describes this series as a Yuri series, I’m very interested to see how their relationship develops. I don’t see a *happy* end in the future, but I bet it’s interesting. I’ll definitely be following the series as it comes out in Morning – hopefully a tankoubon will be out soon.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 6 for anyone sane, 9 for me
Yuri – 4
Loser FanErica – 10

I cannot *wait* until the next chapter. I might just die from anticipation!