Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Ninin ga Shinobuden, Volume 1

November 28th, 2006

At a rough guess, I figure I’ve reviewed about 150 yuri manga titles on Okazu. Of these, about a dozen have been in English, a number which includes the 100% Yuri manga titles from ALC Publishing. And of those, about half weren’t even reviewed by me, but by guest reviewer Sean Gaffney (who owes me a review, which is why I am mentioning him by name to shame him into action. ^_^)

So it still feels weird to me to do reviews of manga translated into English. ^_^

As you may remember, last week when I was able, at last, to see one of the books I slaved and sweated over on an actual bookstore bookshelf, I also picked up a copy of the first volume of the 2×2=Shinobuden manga.

It got points with me right off the bat for having the original cover. The Japanese title Ninin ga Shinobuden is featured prominently across the right half of the cover. The translation is in the upper left corner where it says in English 2×2=Shinobuden The Nonsense Kunoichi Fiction. I realize that I’m waaaaaaayyyyyyyyy in the minority on such things, but I really do prefer things to be changed as little as possible. I really am one of those old fogeys who remembers the day when you had to watch a nth generation VHS raw with a typed out translation. I’m not saying everyone should have to suffer for their art, but I like when the translators remain as transparent and non-intrusive as possible.

(I have just learned that some people are watching the newly released Marimite OVA with *my* notes in place of the typed out translation, which feels kind of weird, somehow… lol)

Here’s my obligatory honorific rant: Barring insanely popular series like Naruto, who, exactly, do the publishing companies think *buys* manga? Is some random 10-year old really likely to pick up Shinobuden, or Read or Dream?? I mean really. As far as I know, ALC Publishing is the only manga publisher out there that always-always-always keeps the honorifics intact. It’s true that there may be people buying our books who do not know what “-san,” “-chan,” and “-kun” mean, (in fact, more of a chance, I think than with most manga, since the larger G/L/B/T community is unlikely to know of these and other cultural relics) but I look at it as an opportunity to educate and entertain. And, dammit, the honorifics are so much more precise at placing people in relationship to one another! Please, Viz, Tokyopop, Seven Seas, Dark Horse, and everyone else – leave the honorifics in!! There just is no freaking reason to not call Shinobu “Shinobu-chan.” There just isn’t. There’s notes all over the book, and you’ve left the technique names in Japanese – why not just add one more thing?

Okay, rant over.

The first volume of the Shinobuden manga will be instantly familiar to anyone who has watched the anime,  Ninja Nonsense.) It begins with naive female ninja-in-training Shinobu on a important training mission to retreive underwear from high school girls. Her first target is Kaede Shiranui, who she immediately befriends, and quickly falls for. Shinobu’s sweet, kind of sad attempts at getting closer to Kaede are hampered by three things – 1) her own social dysfunction; 2) her master and fellow ninja’s intrusive perversion, and; 3)Kaede’s just not interested.

Kaede remains the only one in the book with three brain cells to rub together, and the main plot complication is “wackiness ensues”, but it was an amusing read for an otherwise unencumbered evening.

Technically, I think Infinity Studios did a pretty good job with the book. It’s an A4 size – the same size we use at ALC Publishing, with no color pages, but good overall reproduction. There are copious notes throughout, often crammed into teeny spaces which made them hard to read, as various cultural and series-specific things are explained/described. But, seriously – you’ll take space to define “shuriken” but not leave in and explain “-chan”? I’m just never going to understand that…sigh.

None of the sound effects were translated at all. This does not bother me in the least, as I never notice them. (I received a complaint about the untranslated s/fx in our first printing of WORKS, but honestly, I never figured anyone would care – I never, ever notice them. That was corrected for the second printing, so if you get a copy now, it has translated s/fx.)

One thing they really managed well, was the various “voices” of all the characters. It’s not that easy to do, and it comes across well here how different Shinobu and Kaede are, as well as how different they are from the other characters.

There are, at least as far as I can tell, no changes or edits from the original – this still remains a fairly pervtastic book, that mocks the FanBoy even as it caters to him. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 6 Cute in that Mediaworks kind of way. Not my taste, but not really bad.
Story – 6 Depends if you like physical comedy or not, mostly
Characters – 7 Somehow, despite her cluelessness, or maybe because of it, Shinobu is awfully cute
Yuri – 4- Shinobu is, undoutedly interested in Kaede, but for this volume at least, there’s no return on investment.
Service – 6 Not really high enough to be a turnoff, but still vaguely irritating

Overall – 6

If you like wacky ninja comedy, this is definitely worth a read. If you’re looking for something more on the romantic or serious side, give Shinobuden a miss.





Yuri Manga: WORKS in the Bookstore

November 20th, 2006

Sometimes, you get that one small victory that makes it all worthwhile.

This weekend, the wife and I went to a Borders bookstore to look for some books (well duh.) The manga section was labeled “Manga” and was reasonably extensive. A far cry from just two years ago when Manga, when you could find it at all, were lumped in with “Graphic Novels” and buried under an avalanche of DC and Marvel derivatives.

This particular bookstore happened to not have any of the four titles I was looking to get, but that was besides the point. Nor were there any 100% Yuri Manga titles from ALC. I looked at the shelves and thought, “You know what I’d like to see, just once? I’d like to come into a Borders and see WORKS right there on the shelf.”

The wife realized that she had picked up a book she already had, so the very next day we were back at the bookstore – our local Borders, this time.

I walked over to the Manga section. Still no Torikoro 2, or Ichigo Mashimaro 1 or Read or Dream 1, but there was Ninin ga Shinobuden Volume 1, so I picked that up – review to come. Then I did my walk around the whole section, just to see what they had.

I saw it from about 10 feet away, because of the color. I took a crappy picture with my phone, because…well, because. And I walked over to the wife with a strange look, because yeah, I was getting all choked up.

I *almost* bought the book, just to ensure it got sold. Instead I put it, as you see above, hoping that someone would be intrigued and buy it.

I imagine that I’m preaching to the choir here when I tell you this, but – if you don’t see 100% Yuri from ALC on *your* bookstore shelves, tell them to order some! It’s not like every bookstore in America automatically orders 10 of every title. And especially in the case of something like Yuri – there needs to be a demand before there will be a supply.

Yuri Monogatari 4 will be out in the bookstores in the spring. If you prefer to buy in person, not online, ask your local comic book, G/L/B/T or chain bookstore to order some. Or *they won’t know anyone wants them*.

In any case, I wanted to share my little victory with you, because considering what we’ve gone through to get Yuri recognized as a legitimate genre, it’s not a small victory at all. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Maria-sama ga Miteru, Volume 6

November 16th, 2006

Maria-sama ga Miteru, Volume 6, Valentine’s Gift, Last Part, is simply chock-full of Yuri love-love, as it covers the second half of the Valentine’s Day arc. This includes all three of the half day dates with the bouton, and the creepy, yet pity-worthy Sachiko stalker, Mafuyu’s, story. The manga much more closely follows the novels which means, thankfully, no stupid fake cliffhanger as Yumi loses sight of Sachiko for a millisecond, and much more lovey-dovey ends to all the dates.

The manga begin with a replay of the “Surprise Chocolate” scene from the end of the first half of the arc, at the end of which Yumi and Sachiko agree to go on a half day date. Having agreed to that, Yumi is now completely at loose ends on where to go and what to do. Once that’s settled, we turn to the trials and tribulations of ace cameraman Tsutako and newspaper club president Minako, as they try to snag a good story and photo.

Yumi and Sachiko have a painfully cute date. We get to watch them wooja-wooja at each other as Sachiko talks about not ever fitting in, and enjoy Yumi raging at how unfair it is that Onee-sama is richer, taller, skinnier and more beautiful than she is. Most enjoyably, we can watch Yumi overheat at the thought of Sachiko undressing on the other side of that changing room curtain. ^_^ Yumi hangs on Sachiko romantically as Yoshino shouts “go go!” from behind, as she did in the novel. (Big grin from me on that.)

Next up, we follow Yoshino, as she stalks Rei and Chisato on their date. I am rapidly coming to find Yoshino so adorable that I’m in danger of exploding when she pouts. ^_^ When Chisato pays her a visit and admits that she’s insanely jealous of Yoshino and acknowledges that Rei called her “Yoshino” 5 times, Yoshino really shows how decent a person she is.

Shimako’s date begins at the end of Valentine’s Day, as she and Sei walk out of Lillian together, and Sei thanks her for the cake. Shimako is unaccountably shy about it; Sei takes her hand. Shizuka, at the beginning of the date seems a little cool and far off, but when she gazes at Shimako intimately and says she wants to get to know more about her, Shimako, and this reader’s, heart pounds just a bit. ^_^ Their date is, of all of them, I think the most interesting. But that could be because I find Shizuka a fascinating character. The day ends as Shimako breaks down, for the last time, in Sei’s arms and we get to see her be “big sister like.” Because of the way the characters were portrayed in the anime, this relationship is the hardest to get a bead on, but looking back now, its easy to see that of all the soeur relationships we see in the Rose Mansion, Sei and Shimako are very much like real sisters.

The last story covers Mafuyu, the girl who has admired Sachiko since kindergarten and follows her as she hides the red card for the Valentine’s Day treasure hunt. Mafuyu is much less a creepy stalker in the manga than she is in the anime and WAY less creepy than in the novel, where she was downright creepy. ^_^ The whole story reads more like a tragic love from afar than anything else.

I just started reading the 17th novel of the series last night, so stepping this far back to the 6th novel was well…novel. Watching how unsure Yumi is “back then,” knowing how much more confident she is “now,” is interesting. And kind of charming. Yoshino is da bomb, and Shimako remains the most mysterious character – and a fitting companion for both Sei and Shizuka, in this volume.

Of the Maria-sama ga Miteru manga volumes, this one has most closely followed the novels. And, as a result, I’ve liked it best. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 6 (Everyone is drawn cute in a downward aged way and I honestly don’t like Sachiko’s character design at all)
Story – 8
Character – 8
Yuri – 5
Service – 1

Overall – 7





Yuri Manga: Himitsu no Kaidan, Volume 1

November 10th, 2006

Of the very many Yuri anime and manga series from which the Strawberry Panic anime series “borrowed,” Himitsu no Kaidan, (The Secret Staircase), is the one least likely to be familar to western Yuri fans. So, I thought I’d introduce you to the series. (And my thanks to Erin for originally pointing out the stolen meme!)

I know you will be absolutely *shocked* to learn that Himitsu no Kaidan takes place in a private girls’ school. Where the girls all live in dormitories. I know, I know, revolutionary, isn’t it? But, as with so many other things new fans don’t realize, this *particular* meme began, not with Strawberry Panic (Maria-sama ga Miteru doesn’t count here, btw, the girls there mostly live at home) nor did it begin with say, Revolutionary Girl Utena, which for most Yuri fans is stretching back into ancient history. The history of this meme goes even earlier than Shiroi Heya no Futari, the manga that is one of the earliest example of the Yuri. No, this meme goes back at least as far as Yoshiya Nobuko’s Yaneura no Nishojo, a novel that established so many of the tropes of not only later yuri works, but the entire shoujo genre that it’s quite remarkable. The novel takes place in a girl’s school dorm. I don’t know that it was the first one to ever do that, but for our Yuri genealogy, it’s fairly significant.

In any case, Himitsu no Kaidan are random tales of life, friendship, jealousy, joy and ghosts in a really old dorm. The title is not symbolic – there is an actual ghost stairway that occasionally pops up in the dorm hallway, tumbling students down itself. Ghost students then help the current students out, disappearing when they reach a certain part of the hallway.

The first volume introduces us to several denizens of the dormitories, all of whom appear to be fun-loving pleasant young ladies. The dorms all appears to be “no high drama” zones, because the stories contain little conflict.

One notable exception is Marie, a student who had transferred because her aunt wanted her to – and she hates it. She rudely rebuffs all attempts to include her in activities, meals, study, – you know, “school life” – and writes her aunt about how nasty and unfriendly the other girls are. Her isolation continues until one day she enters her classroom to find it *completely* empty. This goes on for days. She goes back to grump in her room only to find it occupied by a cheerful group of girls having a tea party. This wouldn’t be so odd, but she had just closed the door on the empty room a second ago. The ghosts invite her in for tea. A magic fairy helps Marie find happiness…but the fairy turns out to be a future dorm-mate dressed for a play. Eerie.

(Oh and by the way – they are not really ghosts, we learn, they are the memories of “dorm life” left behind by the residents. Yeah…but that doesn’t explain the stairway, does it? )

More eerie – possibly the freakiest moment of the book to me, was when Na-chan (if there’s a protagonist of the series as a whole, it is Na-chan) and some other students see themselves walking down a hallway. Clearly the hallway enjoyed the happy moment, and was replaying it for its own hallway enjoyment.

Despite all this otherworldliness, the story is really quite light-hearted, fun and tension-free. Well, the there *is* the moment Na-chan and her friends are grounded because Na-chan climbs out of the window to sneak in some fried chicken, falls out of the tree and gets caught…but that’s about how tense it gets.

In a story towards the end, we see some mild bullying, as well, but in general, it’s nothing like the physical, verbal and emotional abuse of say, Oniisama E.

So…Yuri. Not much, but enough that with good Yuri goggles you can see it. The president of the “Mystery” club, (of which Na-chan is a…maybe the only…member) Maki definitely has a soft spot for Na-chan. (I’ve seen some fan art of them by UKOZ which is one of the first things that ever interested me in the series, in fact.) Also our beautiful, yet initially morose Marie, reads Yuri in a way I can only define as “wishful thinking.” And a sempai named Hanano is a boyish girl who is, to her great annoyance, often the subject of underclassman adoration. (One of the best lines of the book, as students compete to give Hanano lunches and things is a student guiding a new transfer around the dorm. She points out the interaction, labeling that kind of thing the “Takarazuka-world” part of dorm life.)

The *only* and I mean *only* problem I have with this series is that I have a hard time telling all the characters apart, even after reading it twice through. However, I have just found a nice page with the character names and info, like which dorm they are in, what clubs, grade, etc. This ought to set me (and you) straight.

In every other way, Himitsu no Kaidan, with its eerie dorms, ghosts of happy memories and midnight tea parties is a very pleasant read.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 3 (enough to ping, enough to base fan work on, but nothing really real)
Service – 1 (Girls! Dorms! Uniforms! They must all be lesbian…)

Overall – 7

As a Yuri fan, it is clearly your duty to become familiar with the source of every single stolen meme from Strawberry Panic. Add this to the list soon.





Yuri Manga: Last Chance to Pre-Order Yuri Monogatari 4

November 5th, 2006

Yuri Monogatari 4, ALC Publishing’s newest 100% Yuri anthology is coming!

Get over to the Yuricon Shop to get your copy for the discounted pre-order price. This won’t be released to bookstores for some months, so if you want great Yuri manga for the holidays – this is your chance!

For a sneak peek at some of the art and a description of the stories, take a look at my previous YM4 post.

This is, by far and away, the best anthology from ALC so far. Get yours today!