Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime, Volume 10

November 12th, 2007

Yuri Hime, Volume 10 comes in at a bulky 400 pages. Wow. Despite that, I’m going to try and review it in one post, because I have a gigantic backlog of things to review and only a week before I go away and don’t care for a while. So, let’s see if I can keep the story synopses short and sweet. (But not alliterative, because that would be annoying.)

To begin with, this volume comes with a lovely clear file with the cover picture of Seriho and Sarasa (in tie, notably designed by Alice Quartet. AQ is another Fujieda series about five clothing designers. Yes, five.) Very nice.

The volume starts out with “Clover” the beginning of a new series by Hiyori Otsu; a tale of four sisters, a transfer student, an embarrassing situation and whimsical desire to ride on the luggage rack of a subway car. Thumbs up as always from me for Otsu’s art and characters.

“Arcadia” is a story of love between Yui-chan, a typical schoolgirl and Nanako, a wandering spirit that loves her. There was nothing particularly stand out about this, nor was it in any way horrible. Sweet and forgettable.

Ash and Towa play out two parts of the same story in “Epitaph,” in which chance(?) encounters bring a mother and daughter together.

Miura Shion’s Yuri essay covered a story I had never heard of – “Honey Honey-Pie” from a collection called “So Long.” I’ve got it in my Amazon JP cart now.

“Apple Day Dream” continues as Kaoru attempts to find the guts she needs to tell Mayu how she feels, while Mayu takes the opportunity on their date to explain that she is neither tsundere or an ice queen – it’s just in her nature to be that way. I almost liked this chapter. The clothes were nice, at least. (This is meant to be ironic, as the story *is* about clothing designers.)

The newest chapter of “Cleo the Crimson Crises” (still a great title) follows Suo’s friend Momo as she’s approached, glomped and “befriended” by newcomer Kiki (whose name screams “watch out – bad thing lives here!) while Cleo hugs Suo in lots of interesting poses. I keep waiting for something to happen, but the art is such a train wreck, I’m not sure I’ll notice when it does. ^_^

I was surprised to find that Kazuma Kowo’s story was continued from last volume in “Tsumasamadachi October.” Nanao meets Mastumoto-sensei by chance and when the teacher’s friends make fun of them, implying a crush, Nanao is fast to deny it. But Mastumoto is just as fast to say that she’s damn sexy and she can prove it. Nanao is left with a drunken teacher sleeping it off on the sofa. Personally, I’d write on her face or something. lol I liked this story for reasons I can’t quantify. I just liked it.

Chi-Ran has a story in which two girls are in love and they kiss. Brilliant! “Himitsu Shoujo” is pretty much like everything else she does.

One of my top three stories in the book, “20 musume x 30 otome” (The 20 year old girl and the 30 year old virgin) by Morishima Akiko follows the trials and tribulations of 30-year old art teacher Keiko, when she agrees to go out with her 20-year old student Emi. Blinded by Emi’s shinyness and youth, Keiko comes to face with lots of issues she didn’t know she had. It’s cute, it’s about grownups and it’s got a sweet ending.

Takahashi Mako once again explores the world of neurotic Yuri in “Kumo no Ito”. It was yuck – creepy horrible kids doing creepy horrible things, but hey, it’s LOVE! Gah.

“Strawberry Shake” was brilliance. Best chapter yet. Hayashiya Shizuru’s art is really peaking. Love love love, is all about as Julia and Ran learn what Zlay band lead Ryou wanted with them after all. And once they clear the level of dealing with the clothes – which were great, btw – they run into the big boss. They are being asked to kiss on stage. This precipitates a major crisis and an even more major confession. It was a terrific chapter from beginning to end. It was worth getting the book just for this.

But, since we *have* the book already, we also ought to enjoy “Ameiro Kouchkan Kandan” by Fujieda Miyabi. Sarasa barely notes the fun of the school trip, so focused is she on things at home. The other girls aren’t stupid – they recognize love when they see it, but Sarasa is still mortified when Haru fills them in on the fact that it’s someone older. Meanwhile, at the tea shop, two customers ask Seriho if she misses Sarasa, ’cause she seems out of it. Seriho agrees that when Sarasa’s not around, she let’s things slide, but the two women, who admit to having been together for 15 years ,say they they weren’t talking about the shop. When Sarasa returns, Seriho has a suprising (and happy-making) question for her. Wonderful chapter. Wonderful story. I love Fujieda’s ability to do Yuri with high moe content that is neither fetishy, nor shallow.

Ryounosuke tells us a bit about himself, and his life, before he considered becoming a woman in “Mermaid Line.” He tells Mayumi that he’s considering beginning hormone therapy, but has some issues – and obviously, so does Mayumi. Will this bring them closer or break them up? You’ll have to read the chapter to find out.^_^ I like how this story is dealing with deeper feelings, and confusions and worldviews, without being strident.

“Nanami to Isuzu” remains wacky without being funny. I’ll be honest, I barely skimmed this one. If you want to tell everyone how it went, feel free to do so in the comments field. ^_^

Plot complications fall thick and fast, as we get a load of tragic Yuri backstory for Sawacchi in “Aoi Shiro.” Luckily, as quickly as she burdens us with her past, she sheds it in the face of Momo’s cheerfulness, until…gasp! A relic of the past comes back! Shock! Confusion! I found this to be a realllly long chapter for some reason. It wasn’t bad, but it dragged. Maybe half a dozen plot complications at once was a bit too much.

“Tokimeki Mononoke Gakuen” reaches a new level of bizarre as Arare is confronted by her classmates who are distressed at the idea of running a marathon. “If you’re a rain fairy, make it rain,” they say. Sadly, her advice turns them into a room full of teruterubozu, thus practically guaranteeing a beautiful day and a weird-ass end to the chapter. Pun intended.

Morishima Akiko weighs in again, this time with the next droolly-faced entry of “Yuri x Yuri Mimasen.” This time she and her editor take a break from creating Yuri, to attend (and throw lots of cash at) the all-Yuri doujinshi event, “Maiden’s Garden.” Jealous? Who, me? Grrrrrr.

Drama scatters like falling leaves in “Hatsukoi Shimai,” where Miyu and Kirika share memories of themselves as children and face a crisis in which Miyu, who has been given the role of the Princess for the school play (again) runs away form the Drama Club. She is sick to death of playing princesses and wants to do something else, but when she expressed this, she seen as being too big for her britches. She resolves her angst by deciding to play a very tomboyish princess. Akiko learns that Touko-sensei’s time at the school is coming to an end (nooooooo!) and Teshigawara gets extra grumpy to drive of the cute younger girl who’s been hanging around her. Haruna and Chika plan an afternoon of relaxation in their secret place; Chika runs off to get drinks when out of her past comes Haruna’s evil plot complication, erm, sempai. As always, I really like this. But if Touko-sensei and Akiho don’t get together soon, I may be forced to pout.

Hakamada Mera’s “Ame to Hatsukoi” follows the usual progression of rain=angst, sharing umbrella=love, to a first kiss that threatens to become a lot of kisses. Yukari-chan runs away into the rain, terrified of her desire, but Ebi-chan follows with an umbrella of love and more kisses.

Good volume? Yes. Absolutely. Percentage-wise, there was significantly more I loved than any other volume previously. I figure if there’s three stories I really like, then a magazine’s doing good – this one had 7. And the clear file. Yay.

I really wish this magazine would go monthly, but I don’t know how they’d do it. The artists already have brutal schedules.

Overall – 8

If you’re not getting this magazine, then you *are* missing some of the best Yuri out there. Sure, scanlations are nice for you, but I want the artists to be able to pay their bills. Buy it.





Yuri Manga: Applause, Volume 3 (Japanese)

October 10th, 2007

For previously published summaries and reviews of Volume 1 and Volume 2, click the respective links. Now here we are, at Applause, Volume 3.

Applause began its life as a very shoujo manga, but once it hit New York grew up into something thoroughly josei. Both Shara and Shelle, aka Junaque, have left their childhood behind them and so has the artist. Art, story and sensibility have all moved on from the world of the ridiculously privileged atmosphere of a European girl’s school into a still somewhat enchanted, but more realistic look at show business in New York City. (Back to that “practicing ’til you puke” thing. I don’t mind watching people becoming the best of the best – as long as they work for it. No idiot savants with magically appearing mad skillz need apply.)

Shara, having decided to never again wait for Shelle, moves in with a gay couple, Jon and Chris, and their dog Oscar. She returns to the dance studio at which she previously studied and her life, which had been a storm of emotional upheaval, calms down again into something she can live with and in. To add to her happiness, she meets a man, Shalat, who is perfectly compatible with her as a dancer, as a friend and eventually, as a lover. Shalat is part Asian Indian, and he loves his heritage. His apartment is decorated to reflect this, and Shara loves how he is an amalgam of places, times and dreams. The two of them are extremely happy together.

When an open audition announcement goes out for brand new Broadway show, Shalat and Shara vow to train and audition together, which they do. And together they make the final round. As the final auditions begin, it is announced that, yes, the auditions are partly to fill background dancers, but one role will be a lead role. To judge who is most suitable for the role, the show’s other lead actress is brought in. As Shalat watches, Shara goes pale, and seems to become completely paralyzed. The lead actress, of course, is to be Shelle Bejart.

When Shara’s name is called, Shalat calls her name too, trying to keep her by his side. Shara completely breaks down, as Shalat tries to coax her into telling him what is wrong. With tears streaming down her face she apologizes and leaves him, to follow Shelle after all, hating her own weakness the whole time.

Shortly thereafter, it is announced that Shelle and Shara will be starring in the most anticipated new Broadway show, “Modern Dancer.”

The story of “Modern Dancer” is about a former dancer Maria, played by Shelle, who has become crippled (emotionally and physically). Another dancer, Tracy, tries to convince Maria that she can still dance. In the climactic scene, Tracy takes Maria into her arms and they dance, even though Maria cannot stand. It’s pretty great melodrama and the art for this scene is awesome and over-the-top every time we see it (and we’ll see this scene *a lot.*)

At first, it’s a terrible fit. Shara and Shelle aren’t speaking and they don’t gel well at all. The media starts to report how they think Shara is a bad choice for the role of Tracy. Whether to provoke Shelle or Shara or just to cover his ass, Georges brings in a young male dancer, Fred – who is instantly irritating – to potentially take over the part of Tracy, if Shara can’t get it together.

Shara takes some time to visit Alphie and Gerald and the gang and get her head on straight.

The media uncovers the fact that Shelle and Shara went to school together. Shelle says that Shara was just another underclassman, that they had no special relationship. Shara, on the other hand, when questioned about Shelle, comments on camera that she never knew anyone with the name “Shelle Bejart” at school.

The two of them continue to breakdown in pieces and the show starts to fall apart too. One day, just as in the last volume, Georges takes Shara out on his yacht. This time, she’s also accompanied by Oscar the dog and when he jumps into the water, so does she. Georges also dives in and again, kisses her, but this time, she doesn’t seem to be affected by it at all. When they arrive back at the marina, soaked to the skin, Shelle is there. She gives them both the cold shoulder.

Georges continues the losing battle of wooing an increasingly frigid Shelle. He holds a big birthday party for her, which Shara attends, but can’t stand to watch the circus that Shelle’s life has become. She leaves, but Shelle follows her in her car.

Shelle confronts Shara and they lose it completely at one another. Shara runs off in anger. Shelle, trying to catch up to her, gets into an accident, which Shara witnesses. Forgetting her anger at Shelle, she goes running over, screaming Junaque’s name, and drags a semi-conscious Junaque from the car. Junaque/Shelle and she cry together. That night they end up back in Shelle’s shore house and once again, they have a few days of bliss together.

Back at rehearsal, no one can figure out why, but suddenly, they work perfectly together. The climax of the play is climactic and breathtaking. Fred is defeated – Shara owns the role of Tracy – sadly, he sticks around anyway.

Meanwhile, back at home, Chris has collapsed. No one knows why, but he is in the hospital.

Then the media attacks again – this time with a call to Shelle. Is it true, she’s asked, that you are Shara were lovers in school? Poor, fragile, confused and weak Shelle, lies. Then tells Shara to stay away – she doesn’t want the media to know about them. Rejected for the third time, Shara falls apart. Again. (It’s true – she was the first to reject Junaque, but I think she’s paid the price, really…)

But the show must go on – and it does. In the last chapter we see the whole of “Modern Dancer,” but it’s almost a reflection of Junaque and Shara’s lives so far. And together they dance their feelings out in a beautiful final scene. “Modern Dancer” will obviously be a success.

End of Volume

So, yes, heaps of melodrama. I feel bad for Shalat, personally, because he was a nice guy and didn’t deserve the drama. Shelle and Shara clearly do deserve one another. Oh, and don’t feel *too* bad for Georges – there’s a sense I get that he and Fred were very close. ^_^

Technically, the artist clearly hit her peak here. There’s none of the crowded panels and confusion of the first volume here. The only thing – and this is me being picky – is that the dance moves look dorky a lot of the time. OTOH, modern dance looks dorky a lot of the time. So there you go.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 8
Service – 3
Overall – 7

Volume 4 – anyone want to place bets on the ending? I bet you’ll never guess what happens. Seriously – go ahead and guess in the comments. (No cheating if you know. Only if you’re guessing!)





Yuri Manga: Mist Magazine

September 20th, 2007

I really don’t have time to review anything today, since there’s only ten days to go to our “Yurisai” event. Days right now are long, with tasks for Yurisai, then updates on the Yuricon website (Yuri Hime S, Iono-sama Fanatics and Hayate x Blade Drama CD – all 2nd volumes – up on the Shop now!), then getting copies of Yuri Monogatari 5 out in the mail. So I busted my hump today to get everything done early, so I could sit down and relax with a “new” issue of Mist magazine. Then I thought, hey, why not tell you all about it?

Mist was a “Ladies Comics” manga magazine that ran in the mid-to-late 90s. “Ladies Comics” are often adult in nature, with a target audience of adult women. Mist was, basically, lesbian porn drawn by women, for an audience of (presumably straight) women.

The covers, as you can see above, almost inevitably featured Caucasian women who, to me at least, often look Russian. I’m guessing that these are just stock photos that were bought because they look exotic. And the “best friends” poses and early 80s clothing cracks me up.

The stories almost always star an apparently straight woman who is (even if she doesn’t realize it yet) not satisfied with her life. If she’s in a relationship or married to a man, she’s usually just unhappy. Not always, but often. A lesbian love affair usually makes her realize what she’s missing. Sometimes it ends in a happy threesome, but more often, she goes off to live a happy lesbian life.

The lesbian character is more ultrafemme than butch, but sometimes there’s a genuine butch lesbian. The lesbians are *usually* pretty normal and not pulp fiction melodramatic, but there’s a few classic exceptions. (But only one knife fight that I’ve ever read.)

Sometimes the lesbian couple marries a gay couple to shut the families up.

Sometimes, they fly off “to America.”

But sometimes, every once in a while, there’s a story that just about two women who love one another. And who have sex. (They all have sex. It’s a porn mag. Duh.) Not surprisingly, I like those stories best. Second best are the women who aren’t in relationships, but just are swept away by their new-found love.

In almost all cases, the story begins with a sex scene. Then we get the set-up for the story, or the flashback of how the couple met. Then the DRAMA, plus crisis dujour, then more sex. Then they make up and sex. It’s formulaic, but it works for me. ^_^

In an effort to let people enjoy this fine crap, my entire Mist collection, including the one I just got in the mail today, will be part of the Yuri Manga and Doujinshi Library at, you guessed it, our Yurisai event. This is pretty much the only time I plan on ever letting these books out of the house, so don’t miss your chance! (You’re only other option is to get a lunch invitation, and you know how picky I am about those.)

Some of the art in Mist is awesome, some of it is not. Most of the stories are silly, but you know, I like them anyway. They are silly in a sincere and appealing way. And let’s face it, bed talk is absurd, no matter what the language.

Now, I’m going to go read the story of the unhappy housewife and her completely unethical affair with her gynecologist (and her sudden discovery that she’s had a post-miscarriage memory loss, zOMG!)

Ratings:

Art – as bad as 4 and as good as 9, averaging at about 7 or 8, depending on the issue
Story – Silly, formulaic porn – 8
Characters – Naive straight women, worldly hypercompetent lesbians – 8
Yuri – 10, because most stories end with love.
Service – porn, duh – 10

Overall – 8

Other than the few really manipulative or unhappy stories, this is happy lesbian porn. I really like it.





Yuri Manga: Hayate x Blade, Volume 7

September 10th, 2007

I know that when I call Hayate x Blade Volume 7 a “Yuri” manga, I’m stretching the boundaries a bit on the word. There is, as I have mentioned previously, one lesbian character (Jun, who behaves in that typically shounen series pervtastic way) and there’s a whopping load of relationships which lie just on the border between shinyuu and Yuri between the shinyuu. (That sentence contained a pun, but it failed utterly in English. Bah.)

Volume 7 deals primarily with the endlessly fascinating Mikado Akira – she of the 80-member “A-Team” fan club. (Akira is a popular character with fan artists as well, I have quite a few doujinshi that deal with Akira’s apparently cool, but actually fraught, relationship with Hitsugi. And of course her relationship with her shinyuu/ sister-in-arms, Sae.) In this volume, Akira and Sae challenge Hitsugi to a duel, but the council president denies them the request. Instead, she insists that they will fight two other members on the Council, Sid and Nancy, in an exhibition match.

Much of the volume delves into Sae and Akira’s relationship and how, as a child, having been rejected for being a girl, Akira decided that she would become a boy. Sae met her when they were very young, but in typical boy fashion, Akira doesn’t remember that at all. ^_^ The flashbacks are an interesting look into Akira’s history, but an even more interesting perspective on Sae’s relationship with Akira. Upon remembering little Akira’s vow to become a boy, high school Sae pokes Akira in her breast and laughs, saying, “You lied.”

Sid and Nancy are appropriately dysfunctional, as befits their names. Sid, who is a pathetic, yet amusing freak  insists that she is an anarchist punk (again appropriately,) but she’s really a wuss. Nancy manipulates her very easily – should I mention how appropriate that is, again? Sid also curses in English rendered in Katakana. It’s always so rewarding to spend ten minutes staring at a conglomeration of characters, only to realize that it’s something brilliant like, “Holy Shit” or “Goddamn Bitch!” ^_^ Because it takes me so long to read Sid’s tirades, they are just that much funnier to me when I realize how utterly banal she is. (There’s a scene in the middle of their fight when Sid basically accuses Akira, who wears studded belt, collar at the throat and multiple earrings, of being a Hot Topics punk, while she says how she is a REAL punk – Anarchy! Fuck! – which completely cracked me up.)

Because of the nature of their natures, we barely pay attention to Sae fighting Nancy. Even they are sort of half-hearted about their side of the match, knowing that it’s their butches partners who are the real show here.

Hayate offers Akira good luck in the form of two cat mascots for her and Sae’s swords…does that make an even dozen cats now? I think so. Maybe more. During the battle, the cat mascots turn out to be a huge clue. Because. In order to ensure that their idol Akira is the hero of the day, the A-team has helpfully sabotaged her partner Sae’s weapon. But because they are as dumb as a sack of doorknobs, they got it and wrong and…you guessed, it, it is Akira’s weapon that falls apart, just as Sid launches a powerful attack. It’s a case of the immovable object being attacked by an irresistible force as the book comes to an abrupt, if not unexpected, end.

Ratings:

Art – 8 (I think it’s getting a little better in fact, but I can’t tell you why until I review Volume 8)
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 4
Service – 3

Overall – 9

This is good stuff. For a drama it’s funny; for a comedy, it’s deep and thoughtful. The action is over the top and interesting. The personal relationships are still the main focus. Hayashiya Shizuru really has the chops. She’s got something for just about everyone in this series. And she has just about everything I like under the sun in it. Hayate x Blade is total, purest win. And once again, in case you missed the announcement, Seven Seas has licensed the series. The first volume is slated to ship in Q2 2008. I’ll look forward to reviewing it. ;-)





Yuri Manga: Kawaii Anata (Japanese)

September 7th, 2007

While I gladly lined up for all of the first round of Yuri Hime Comics, the second round has been a little less delightful. Of the six or so releases, I’ve only purchased three: Hatsukoi Shimai, Volume 2, Haru Natsu Aki Fuyu and the subject of today’s review, Kawaii Anata (かわいいあなた) by Hiyori Otsu.

(If you are interested in any of the collections that I will not review, use these links to get yourself your own copy from Amazon Japan, and by all means, feel free to send me your review as a Guest reviewer! Apple Day Dream, Otome Cake, Sunset Prince and Dawn Princess, Nanami and Misuzu, Volume 1.)

It took me a while to realize that I consistently liked Otsu’s work. None of her stories are “Oh my god that’s brilliant!” They tend to be more on the order of, “That was pleasant.” So it wasn’t until we had had about 4 or 5 stories that I realized that I just liked the author, period.

Kawaii Anata is named after the story of the same name, about a boyish girl in an all-girl’s school who is given the role of the Prince to play for the school festival, as expected. The girl she likes volunteers to play the Princess, and in the course of their rehearsals together, it is the Princess who turns out to rescue the Prince, from her own self-loathing and the careless, not ill-meant, but still damaging teasing from the other girls.

The book begins with “Maple Love” which follows the meeting and wooing of Satonaka Kaede by Miyaji Erika. It’s probably the first story I really took note of, because the characters are in college and it’s not a typical “first crush” story. Erika calmly announces that she prefers girls, to which Kaede replies that she doesn’t care. Let’s test that, Erika says and kisses Kaede, who slaps her. Erika retreats laughingly to being a friend, but their relationship progresses anyway. The only down side to this story is the bad non-joke at the end. Rimshot, please.

“Love Letter” is slightly more bitter than sweet story about a girl realizing what her feelings are, and how much she will never get what she wants, no matter how much she tries to look and act like the guy her best friend likes. The redeeming quality of this story is that while yes, a heart breaks, it breaks quietly and in private and she moves on with no outrageous and useless drama.

“Hoshizora Cycling” was probably the first Otsu story to appear in Yuri Hime. Or, if it isn’t, it was one of the early ones. A transfer student who is not strong physically gets bicycle rides to school from another girl. They grow closer as time passes. One night, they find themselves wishing on a star, but when Mako confesses that her wish was for Momo to like her, Momo responds by bopping her on the head, because…duh, she already does.

Another love triangle leaves our protagonist in “Fuyu-iro omoi” out of the running, but this time, all three are women. Shizuka knows she’s lost before she’s started, but is still there for her sempai when *her* heart takes a beating. And in the final story, “Kokoro Bento,” Shizuka’s feeling for her classmate Izumi now strengthen, and this time, they may just be returned. We all know that the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach, after all. (Well, it is to mine, anyway.)

All of Otsu’s art is crisp, clean, easy to follow and simple. If you like Aoi Hana by Shimura Takako, you’ll probably like Kawaii Anata It has a similar art style (in a broad, general sense) and a similar lack of screaming hysterics, even when the story includes tears. Let’s call it “not shrill.” In any case…I like it.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Stories – variable, but they average at about 7
Characters – ditto, 7
Yuri – 7
Service – 1

Overall – 8

Nothing paradigm shifting, but there’s a few fine cut gems in the job lot, if you know what I mean.