Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Yuri Manga: Negima! Volume 9

March 10th, 2006

I was so not going to publish an entry today, and then Sean Gaffney, god among men, sent me this! So here you go – a new review by our beloved semi-regular guest reviewer Sean.

Negima! 9, at first glance, appears to be a rather uneventful volume. We get introductions to four girls (well, three and a half), a couple of others are developed a bit, there’s lots of wacky comedy of errors, gratuitous nudity, and people getting punched for being perverts. All very typical.

Of course, this is probably one of the most important volumes, for several reasons.

First of all, this volume sets up the School Festival. As of March 2006, Negima is about to finish Volume 14 in Japan, and we’re still only in Day 2 of 3 of this Festival. It’s a HUGE arc, and this volume starts it up.

Secondly, we meet Chao Lingshen, even if we don’t find out much about her (she’s the one-half). She’s brilliant and mysterious, and also wanted by most of the school for various crimes. I suspect her plot will end up being one of the ‘end games’ in the entire manga. Plus, she’s Chinese and wears her hair in odangos, but has a small bust and an IQ in the 200s, which makes a nice change from the Shampoo stereotype. :)

In terms of yuri, we continue to have some amusing bits with our favorite canonical half-couple, Konoka and Setsuna. Setsuna is blushing and stammering, Konoka is oblivious. Setsuna sees Konoka in underwear, she gets very embarrassed. We’re
sort of in a comedy holding pattern here.

Of interest, though, is another ‘non-canon’ couple. We meet the class’s resident ghost, Sayo, a cute yet klutzy girl who was murdered in the 1940s but who still haunts the classroom. After being ‘outed’ by the class, she finds that she can actually be seen by reporter girl Kazumi, possibly as they sit next to each other. The interaction between the two is cute, and naturally since Kazumi’s the one who can see her, Sayo rarely leaves her side after this. Many fans like these two as a yuri couple, despite the obvious problems (such as one partner being non-corporeal), but it’s pure fan speculation.

This is a good if not great volume of Negima, but it does set up the Festival, and there are some very good stories coming up in that. Recommended.

Thanks Sean! The way you describe this almost makes me want to read it – which is quite a feat, let me tell you! :-)





Yuri Manga: Plica-chan

February 28th, 2006

Time for a review of a 100% Yuri manga that is almost unknown here in the West.

Plica-chan, written and drawn by Amamiya Sae, is the bittersweet, realistic story of Plica, a young lesbian looking for love in modern Japan. Emphasis on the bitter, rather than the sweet – not because Plica doesn’t find love, don’t get me wrong! Bitter ’cause she’s just a bitter kind of gal.

The manga, which is written in 4-panel strip style, originally ran in Anise magazine, and now runs in the LOUD News, the newsletter for the LOUD organization. Youcan find the comic archive here. Plica’s comments are often on the nature of sexuality, the relationships between men and women, and between women and women. Erin S. has a section of her Yurizuki site dedicated to synopsizing some of the Plica strips, so you can get an idea of what’s going on.

The whole strip starts on a low note, as Plica returns from an ex-lover’s wedding. But not too long into it, Plica meets Mari, for whom she starts to have feelings pretty soon. But, like most butches, Plica is too unsure to try anything. (I have a theory about most butch women actually being really neko/uke…which begs for an essay on the perception and reality of butch/femme, neko/tachi and uke/seme. But I digress.) Thank goodness femme Mari is, like so many femmes, perfectly willing to go after what she wants. She and Plica have been together since. As I said, it’s a bittersweet comic – rather more real than fanciful, so don’t expect roses and lillies. ^_^

There was one collected volume of Plica-chan, with a section translated into English by none other than internationally known BL scholar Mizoguchi Akiko (a lesbian herself, and one of our guests at Yuricon in Tokyo.)

The art takes some getting used to if you’re used to the more traditional manga style but it’s good to take a break from the usual now and then. :-)

I particularly liked the comic posted on Feb. 21, 2006, where Plica comments that she finds Mari very sexy in a suit, but doesn’t want to tell her, yet, because it sounds so dirty old man that she’s afraid Mari will stop wearing them. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 6 (minimalist, but not unpleasant)
Story – 7 (more bitter than sweet)
Characters – 7 (like real people, they are sometimes very annoying)
Yuri – 10
Service – 1

Overall – 7

Plica-chan is the almost exact opposite of yesterday’s Shoujo Sect – substance over style. If you’re looking for a more realistic look at lesbian life, take a look at Plica-chan.





Yuri Manga: Shoujo Sect, Volume 1

February 28th, 2006

I don’t have a lot of time today, so I thought I’d review something superficial. Shoujo Sect is about as superficial as they come.

The basic premise is…well, there really isn’t a premise. It’s a series of near-plotless sexual encounters between young women who attend a private school and in most cases, room together in a dorm. The common denominator is Naitou, a blond who moves through the other girls’ stories as a kind of ghost – and so is clearly the real protagonist.

In the first chapter Naitou bets Benio an iPod over which one can get the better kiss from Ayame. Benio gets full-blown sex but forgets to get a picture as proof. When, the next morning, Ayame gives her a big ole good morning kiss in front of Naitou, Benio wins.

Enjyoji Maya steals a kiss from Honda Shinobu – unbeknowst to Maya, Shinobu has a cult of personality at this school, a veritable Hugh Hefner. In not too much time, Shinobu has Maya naked and in thrall. Naitou interrupts.

Chizuru convinced her sempai Shigure that she really REALLY likes her. Naitou plays the voyeur

Tomoe runs into Suu-sempai one day as the older girl lays outside with another girl asleep in her lap. The next time they run into each other, Suu takes Tomoe into the art supply room for a little personal attention. Naitou and Shinobu have a little unrelated conversation about the school uniform and hamburgers.

Asafuki is crushing badly on housemate Naitou, who hasn’t noticed. Setsuka has, but she really has it bad for Asafuki. Setsuka takes things into her own hands and has her way with Asafuki, who screams Naitou’s name at the key moment. At dinner that night, Setsuka asks Naitou what her type is…a conversation which opens Asafuki’s eyes to the fact that Setsuka is a better option all around.

In what has to be the oddest chapter, we start with color pages of lovers Chikae and Utano. Utano does not speak, apparently. At school two of their classmates call them lesbians and insult them. They defend each other – but don’t deny they are lovers. One girl who was slapped runs off to get a teacher. Utano makes love to Chikae right there in the classroom, not stopping when students arrive. The girls leave, and after they finish, Utano thanks Chikae…and disappears because of a magic spell. When Naitou arrives, Chikae is on the floor huddled up, crying. Utano is gone. I pretty much liked these two the best, so it was a little depressing…

Naitou arrives at the clubroom, aka Shinobu’s personal playroom, with some copies. She finds a wide assortment of Shinobu’s girls, all dressed up in a variety of fetish outfits. (Naitou, on seeing Maya in low-cut leotard, stockings, heels and dog ears: “That’s some outfit, Enjyoji-san.”) In a small room on the side Kirin and Matsuri have sex, quietly, so Shinobu doesn’t hear them. Shinobu and Naitou go outside for a chat, and Shinobu confesses that she likes Naitou.

Omake chapter – a bunch of the girls have sex for spurious reasons.

Drawn by by Kurogane Kenn, the art is cute, but a little too moe/loli for me to really like. The sex is most definitely sex-like. Like Maka-Maka, this is pretty much Yuri porn by a guy. Decent porn. Not ugly, not gross, just “Plot, what plot?” porn.

Ratings:
Art – 7
Character – 4 (we don’t really get to know any of them)
Story – 2 (there isn’t any)
Yuri – 9
Service – 7
Overall – 6

Depending on your mood and tastes, this could be just the ticket. It’s definitely good, filthy Yuri fun.





Events: Yuri Manga Lecture at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

February 23rd, 2006

I’m just using the press release on this, because I don’t have the energy to rewrite it. But the point is, it’ll be fun – you should join us!

Erica Friedman, president of Yuricon and ALC Publishing, will be speaking about Yuri Manga and Lesbian Japan on March 3 at 3PM as part of the Asia Pacific Queer Lecture Series sponsored by the East Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The lecture will take place at Lucy Ellis, 1st Floor, FLB Building and is open to the public.

Friedman founded Yuricon, a celebration of yuri in anime and manga in 2000, and ALC
Publishing, North America’s only of 100% yuri publisher in 2003. In 2005, she co-chaired Yuricon in Tokyo, and Onna! which took place in October in Newark, NJ. In 2004, ALC Publishing printed the fi st volume of “Shoujoai ni Bouken: The Adventures of Yuriko”, an illustrated novel, penned by Friedman and illustrated by Kelli Nicely. Friedman will be discussing geek culture with the UIUC Introduction to Japanese Culture class, and her novel with the CQS reading group, on March 2.

To learn more about Yuricon or ALC Publishing, please visit http://www.yuricon.org or
email [email protected]

For more information on East Asia Pacific Studies at UIUC, please visit http://eaps.uiuc.edu or contact EAPS at [email protected] or 217-333-7273





Yuri Manga: Transistor ni Venus, Volume 7

February 16th, 2006

This last volume of Transistor ni Venus is certainly full of kisses for our intrepid heroine Enus, but dammit!, I wanted to have a big Yuri bang for an ending. No go – and Takemoto Izumi knows it, so there’s a luv luv omake to make up for it.  ^_^ But I get ahead of myself.

Enus is contracted to accompany Princess Asatsuyu and her companion Pera – and their guardian Sena, across a snowy country to somewhere. Asatsuyu and Pera are maybe 12 and Sena is most definitely all grown up. All three greet Enus with, “Your reputation precedes you.” Enus is like, “what?”

The girls want very much to experience some of Enus’ goddess power, but Sena menaces Enus anytime she catches them in any even remotely suggestive position. Of course Enus has no interest in the girls, but they are definitely interested in her, and are constantly working out ways to be close to her in intimate situations.

Everytime the girls steal a kiss, Sena pops up and reminds Enus that she knows about the rumors (what rumors are those?, Enus always replies,) and Sena kisses her, as if she’s throwing herself as a sacrifice instead of the the princess.

After baths, and sharing beds, and falling into a snowy crevasse forcing us to huddle together semi-clothed, and after foiling an attempt by the enemy to something by Enus dressing up as a barmaid, she finally gets the girls to their destination, where she learns that they are not who they aid they are. The real Asayuki was masquerading as Pera and vice versa. Ahahahah.

Enus discovers, at last!, the markings on Asayuki’s back that she’s been undressing girls to find since the beginning of the series. I have no idea why, sorry. These are not easy books to translate. But I’m sure its important. :-D

In the end, Enus manages to get Sena back for all the kisses by REALLY kissing her, but good.

Enus’ last mission involves adorable little Miss Yabumusu, who has to go to a desert-type area to find some guy. Enus gets her kisses from Miss Y, but Miss Y ends up wandering off with Winslow, the cat. Enus goes to find the guy and find him she does, surrounded by two attractive women. Ririn finds herself unable to control herself and gives in to Enus’ charms, but Rinirinia finds it all a bit distasteful.

Meanwhile Miss Y finds the capsule we’re all looking for, still with Winslow. She returns, is kissed by Enus (much to her annoyance, because she’s hot and exhausted) and throws Ririn into a tizzy, because now she’s kinda embarrassed by it all. Miss Y leads them all to the capsule where tey are attacked by enemy lizards and Enus gets to be cool and spy-y. They all get to the capsule, find the aliens inside and help them get back to space. Yay us.

Enus and Ririn go to a dinner party – where “Miss Contro” (who had been mentioned by Ririn earlier in the story) approaches them, induces Enus to kiss her. You know – she stands in front of her. Miss C bites Enus on the lip in response. In the meantime, Miss Y snags Ririn and leads her off, leaving our poor overworked Enus alone. Boo hoo. End of story? Enus goes home and snags herself some Mariaana time.

This was not a bang-up ending, as I said, so to soothe us frazzled readers, the artists adds a “Omake Love Love Mariaana” picture, so our last image of Enus is of her and her honey kissing. Yay. :-)

I still would have preferred a big bad bed scene, and pages and pages of Yuri love, but without fail, Transistor ni Venus always makes me smile.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 8
Service – 5

Overall – 7

Not the strongest volume in the series, but good, clean, Yuri fun.