Yuri Manga: Wabi-Sabi Hirao Auri Collected Works (わびさび 平尾アウリ作品集)

June 8th, 2017

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This quote is widely attributed to Albert Einstein who was obviously thinking about me and Hirao Auri at the time.

I keep reading work by Hirao Auri-sensei and expecting to not want to strangle him. Why? Why do I keep doing this to myself? Augh!

Wabi-Sabi Hirao Auri Collected Works (わびさび 平尾アウリ作品集) is a collection of all of Hirao-sensei’s interests and obsessions (school girls, idols, schoolgirls who are idols) with a frisson of Yuri and a handful of “STFU, there, it’s Yuri, okay? Now go away!” leaving one with a tidy little volume of no one particularly to care about, lots of hand holding, a kiss and a sad memory or two. I say “or two” because I am sad I won’t actually get to strangle the author. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall- 5

Not as full of nihilism and despair as Manga no Tsukurikata, but not as full of anyone I give a hoot about as Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu.

I really have to question my decision in regards to giving him so many chances to not make me crazy.

Posted in Hirao Auri, Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »


Yuri Manga: Onedarishitmite (おねだりしてみて)

June 7th, 2017

Tsukiko has been drawingYuri  for a while and for the last few years, she’s been drawing slightly Yuri-esque stories for Birz Comics. Her current hit is Futaribeya, (ふたりべや), which combines Yuri-ish-ness and comic-strip blandness into a pleasant, but non-compelling tale that I reviewed last year. Today we’ll look at her short story collection, Onedarishitemite (おねだりしてみて), which combines Yuri-ish-ness and comic-strip blandness into a pleasant, non-compelling, but entertaining enough read. 

Tsukiko’s characters tend towards being blandly pleasant; the emotions, when they are made overt are like or love and attraction. There’s almost no reason to worry, because in a Tsukiko story, there will be a girl who likes another girl who likes her back.

The one standout story in Onedarishitmite is the title story, in which a young woman thinks her neighbor is having loud sex all the time, but it turns out she’s just doing amateur voice-overs for adult Drama CDs. They become friends and, maybe, eventually, something more, but not yet.

The most memorable thing about the collection are the story titles, presented in both Japanese and English. These are tantalizing: “Why don’t you ask?” “I became what most witches want to become” and the winner of best recipe as a title, “Bean-starch vermicelli salad with bamboo shots and scallop with a hint of yuzu citrus pepper.” 

Ratings:

Art – 6 
Story – 5
Characters – 4
Service – 1 
Yuri – 5 

Overall – 6

This collection is not memorable, but it was also pleasant enough while reading it.  

 

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Yuri Manga: Anoko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo, Volume 6 (あの娘にキスと白百合を)

June 6th, 2017

If you enjoyed Volume 2 of Anoko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo (Or Volume 2 of Kiss & White Lily For My Dearest Girl) you will probably like Volume 6 of Anoko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo (あの娘にキスと白百合を).

Chiharu and Izumi have grown closer, but when a classmate gives Izumi a flower with a red ribbon (a newly forged class tradition, in which the color of the ribbon signals your emotional intention; friend, love, etc) Chiharu abandons her own desire for intimacy with Izumi. Izumi rejects Amane, who takes it well enough, and forces Chiharu to face up to her lingering attachment to Hoshino-sempai, before the two of them can be the couple we want them to be. 

Amane tries again, but her classmate Hiroma, while actually interested in her, is not a very extroverted…and is swayed from response by Amane’s bestie Nina, who turns out to have it bad for Amane. The ending for this threesome is clearly illustrated on the cover.

I’m glad the story has circled back on Chiharu and Izumi, as she has previously done for Yurine and Ayaka. It’s nice to know that we’re going to get a little bit more than just “I like you. The End” for some of the strongest characters. The art’s getting more detailed, too. I can’t help but wonder if Canno-sensei has picked up a bunch of extra assistants with her new fame. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 6 A bit pat, but okay
Characters – 7 New characters feel a bit thin at the moment, even as the older ones are getting more developed
Yuri – 5
Service – 1 on principle only

Overall – 7

The thing that keeps bringing me back to this series (aside from the fact that it’s ubiquitous and I can’t escape it ^_^) is the different forms the relationships take. They are far more complicated than the ones I remember from my high school, for sure. ^_^

Posted in Anoko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo, Canno, Yuri Manga | No Comments »


Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime June 2017 /コミック百合姫2017年6月号

June 5th, 2017

The June issue of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫2017年6月号) begins with a crisis on the cover. It might looks like two girls walking happily under an umbrella, but if one reads both the large green text and the 6-point type hidden at the bottom it’s apparent that the girl in the glasses really has to come clean soon or she’s a total jerk.

Thankfully, “2DK, GPen, Mezamashitokei”starts with Mahiro being really creepy AND jerky, and Nanami telling her politely, but firmly, to GTFA. Thank you Ohsawa-sensei. Thank you so much.

Nakamura Yukichi gives us what was a nice “Story A” in “Azuma-san to Itakura-sempai ha Koi o Suru.”

Hitoto’s “Shuumatsu Nanishi ni Ikou?” has hit a plot complication…but I’m not sure what the actual plot is, so the complication seems a little out of left filed.

A plot complication has also slapped Hime in the face in “Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto desu!” by Miman. As this was a series I never expected to have an actual plot, I’m both pleased and surprised. Hime comes face to face with how much of a jerk she’s been.

“Demi-Life” and “Roku + Ichi Sodarashi” continue to be fun, superficial reads, while “Itsuka Minoreba” insists on continuing, so I’m kind of wondering where it’s going to go, eventually. Is it *really* going to be about her training to play arcade games? Really?

Katakura Ako returns with another messy, smexy story, this time about adults in an office, so I’m happy. ^_^

As usual, there are many other stories in the magazine, all of whicha re good, bad and indifferent, according to your tastes ^_^

Ratings:

Overall  7

It is all I can do to read, much less review these monthly! What an excess of riches we have. I have a substantial pile here of things waiting to be reviewed and more  in my to-read pile. It’s pretty darn cool to have so much Yuri these days.

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime, Magazines | 2 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Revolutionary Girl Utena, Volume 2 (English)

June 4th, 2017

The second volume of the Revolutionary Girl Utena Manga Complete Deluxe Box Set remains complex and uncomfortable right until an ending that was much better than I remembered it being.

The primary conflict in the final arc of the Revolutionary Girl Utena anime, appears to be between Utena and Akio. In the manga version, the Student Council has been set to the side, neutralized by Anthy in order to set Utena up for Akio. 

But, like the anime, something happens just as Anthy is set to betray Utena. She begins to believe that Utena can set her free. And here in the manga, that changes everything. Freedom changes Anthy in a way that gives one hope. (And inspires one to write fanfic.)

The art here at the end of the manga arc is strong and hyper-romantic, very suitable for the magazine it ran in, Flowers, I believe it was. I wish there was a color version of Utena-Dios, because you just know she looked amazing in her white and lavender Council uniform. ^_^ 

The complete set includes Juri’s sidestory, which sadly focuses on Ruka, rather than Shiori. And the final section of the collection covers the manga version of the Revolutionary Girl Utena Movie: Adolescence of Utena. This manga volume was the precise moment when I started understanding the literary roots of Yuri Manga and for that, I have a lot of fondness for the thing. The story focuses on two not-really-real relationships, Utena’s adoration of Touga and Anthy’s adoration of (an even more horrible than in the TV manga) Akio. But it ends with the same relationship the TV manga does – Utena and Anthy, finding healing and friendship and love in one another. No wonder we all wrote so much damn fanfic. ^_^ 

 The art of the movie manga has already leveled up significantly from the earliest chapters of the television series manga, and still holds up well enough to satisfy an older audience. The deluxe set wraps up with two short notes by manga artist Chiho Saito and director Ikuhara Kinihiko.

Ratings:

Art- 8 Solid, stylish, with moments of brilliance 
Story – 8 A much better ending than I remembered 
Characters – 8 Touga and Juri end up better than expected, Miki and Saionji suffer and Akio gets extra helpings of awful. Anthy is even more complex and interesting.
Service – 5 Creepy non-con seductions and slapping so…mostly violence against women’s autonomy, with a side of bullshitty consent issues.
Yuri- 7 Anthy and Utena 4ever. <3

I love that between the two Utena manga, anime and movie there are four unique versions of this story and each one ends centered around a relationship built on friendship and hope and love.

One last note – I’m pretty sure I have all the Utena artbooks, but there is a color image in this set that I have never seen before. I refer to it as the “Takarazuka” image, as Utena is wearing a feather back piece and both her and Anthy’s outfits are unusually sparkly. I like it a lot. ^_^ It’s yet another good reason to get this complete manga deluxe set!

Posted in English Manga, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Saitou Chiho | 4 Comments »