Yuri Manga: Yuta-san ha Mamanaranai! (ゆたさんはままならない!)

November 24th, 2016

yhmn-e1477085522679Ichijinsha is doing some interesting things these days. In an attempt to discover new (presumably cheaper) Yuri talent, the editors of Comic Yuri Hime have been looking at Pixiv, as well as doujinshi,  as a farm league for manga artists.  Mimoto is one of those artists.  And today we’re going to look at her manga, Yuta-san ha Mamanaranai! (ゆたさんはままならない!).

We meet Reki, a disaffected young lady, who is going through the motions of life and school with no particular joy and the changes in her life as her classmate Yuta-san just sort of worms her way in.

Usually, when we encounter a “my pace” character they tend to be a little loopy, kind of lazy and kind of hyper, like Yui in K-On!. But in this case, the “my pace” character is actually the grounded one, and the foil is the one who tends towards overreaction and hyperbole.

The Yuri is implication and goofy situation comedy, but by the end of the story, when Reki is looking at Yuta-san and finally sees her for the lovely, kind young woman she is, you can easily imagine that there’ll be more.

The final chapters are a short about a relationship built on lies and sexual coercion, which contrasted unpleasantly with the rest of the content.

Ratings:

Art – 6 Mostly simplistic, but when she ramps it up, it has an immediate effect
Story – 8 for the main story, 4 for the extra
Characters – Same as above
Yuri – 5 for “Yuta-san”, 7 for “Usotsuki”
Service – 2 for “Yuta-san”, 8 for “Usotsuki”

Overall – 7 for the main story, 4 for the extra

The main story is a kind of sweet little tale about a girl pulling a cynical and world-weary classmate out of her self-imposed shell. It’s a manga I had no expectations for and ended up enjoying immensely. For which I am extremely grateful.

Let me wrap this up today with my annual Thanksgiving note. It’s harder for me this year than this has been in 14 years – I’ve rewritten this paragraph 6 times. But I can and will say this, I am exceedingly grateful to every one of my Okazu readers and commenters, Guest Posters, Heroes and Superheroes. You are the greatest community any writer could ever ask for and not a day goes by that I am not sincerely, deeply thankful for you all.

Thank you – all of you – for being part of the Okazu family!

Posted in Yuri Manga | 4 Comments »


Otomodachi Kara Hajimemashou Manga, Volume 2 (お友達からはじめましょう。)

November 22nd, 2016

otghjms2Back in 2013, I took a look at the first volume of Otsu Hiyori’s new manga series because the obi has read “Girl Meets Girl” + “Boy Meets Boy.”. What I found was a group of likeable characters and a low-stress slice-of-life story. Pretty much exactly what one might expect from Otsu-sensei. ^_^

In Volume 2 of Otomodachi Kara Hajimemashou (お友達からはじめましょう。) we begin with the boys, Haru, Kou and Hayato in their quest to prove worthy of a cooking club at school. They put their time, effort, practice, heart and souls into cooking a really amazing meal for the teacher they want as an adviser. His response is to slap them down hard with a “It was good, but not amazing.” Disheartened, but determined, they turn away planning a second  try, when the teacher tells them that he was impressed by their devotion and he’ll do it – he’ll be their adviser. Success for the boys!

We then look at the girls. Akira is struggling to understand if she’s interested in the boy Chizu likes, or what? She watches him, but is it that she likes him or watches him on Chizu’s behalf? She doesn’t know. Meanwhile, Chizu drags Akira along to photography club, which Akira has no particular interest in. But, as she starts to take photos of people and things, and especially outgoing Chizu, something in her changes. All of a sudden, Akira finds that the world looks different and she really likes taking pictures! She decides to get a job to be able to buy herself a camera and throws herself into the idea of her being a cameraman.

Yuri is close to nonexistent, unless you really read into Akira and Chizu (which you totally can, but it’s all on you) and there’s no BL at all.

I’m fairly certain that any romance in this book will be straight, but it’s also kind of aside from the point. As the title says clearly, “Let’s start here as friends”. It distinctly feels more like the story is about both Akira and Haru building close friendships, than a school-life romance. 

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7, holding steady
Characters – 8
Yuri – 0
Service – 0

Overall – 8

The story is comfortable and fun with Otsu’s typical low-key characterization and relaxed drama. If you’re already a fan, you’ll probably slip this series on like a comfortable slipper.

Posted in Miscellaneous | No Comments »


Sailor Moon 20th Anniversary Book (美少女戦士セーラームーン20周年記念BOOK)

November 21st, 2016

61y4xq55ktl-_sx368_bo1204203200_Last spring I was amazingly lucky and while in Tokyo for Rainbow Pride, I was also able to catch the Sailor Moon 20th Anniversary exhibit in Roppongi. Of course many of the coolest items, you couldn’t take pictures of – especially the original art from some of the series’ art books. That was my favorite part of the exhibit.

Well, if you are interested in seeing what exactly was on display at the exhibit, plus a fairly complete list of all the many items that have been released to celebrate the 2oth anniversary of the series, you are in luck! The Sailor Moon 20th Anniversary Book (美少女戦士セーラームーン20周年記念BOOK) has all that and more.

Character profiles, episodes,from the original series, albums, interviews, and info about Sailor Moon Crystal and the new musicals, and pages after pages of goods. (We indulged in a spot of “yup, got that, got that…how cool, we have that! Awww, that’s cute, don’t have that….” We’re only human after all. ^_^) A timeline of Sailor Moon‘s popularity and even a few pages on all the many versions of Sailor Moon around the world are included.

With all the interviews, I was a little surprised that there was nothing from Takeuchi Naoko herself. 

With the exception of that one thing, this book is about as complete as a fan could ask for. This fan was pretty pleased. 

Posted in Sailor Moon | No Comments »


Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime, November 2016 (コミック百合姫2016年11月号 )

November 20th, 2016

cyh1116-e1477085249711For the fourth time since 2005, we gather here to discuss the end of Comic Yuri Hime as we currently know it. ^_^

The first time was back in 2007, when we saw Yuri Hime and Yuri Hime S establish separate editions “for men” and “for women.” And again in 2011 when they once again joined to become Comic Yuri Hime, no longer a quarterly, but now as a bimonthy. In 2012, the magazine took a sharply moe turn, away from the more adult-oriented content.

Now, here we are in 2016, with the final edition of this iteration ofthe magazine, Comic Yuri Hime, November 2016 (コミック百合姫2016年11月号 ).

Nothing much has changed for us in the past 6 issues. There is a just slightly-unequal mix of stories that appeal to me and those that don’t. The stories I care most about are those I have been following for some time and will suprrise no one. Works by Takemiya Jin, Ohsawa Yayaoi, Kuzushiro, Minamoto Hisanari and Katakura Ako make the magazine worth buying for me, and there’s usually a few stories I have no opinion of either way that I’ll read, plus a handful of nope. ^_^

***

Enjoy today’s post? Subscribe to Okazu with Patreon!
Subcribe with Patreon

***

I do want to just touch base for a moment of Ohsawa Yayoi’s “2DK, G Pen, Alarm Clock / 2DK、Gペン、目覚まし時計。” It’s one of two series that features adults in the magazine right now and, as a result, I cling to it a bit. If there is a single criticism I have of it, per se, it is that it’s not really all that Yuri. I mean, sort of-kind of, if you squint, but not really. We’ve seen Nanami’s interactions with a coworker warm up, but nothing  more than something we can imagine.

In this issue, something shifts, when Kaede’s old roommate arrives…and tuns out to be an old friend of Naami’s, as well. How friendly we don’t know, but she is very flirtatious with Nanami. Does our resident career-woman have a history? We’re about to find out. I approve. This series is *finally* being allowed to develop. I hope they give it a few more volumes.

So, overall, as usual, some good, some bad and some okay. Which is fine for a magazine.

Onwards to the ground-breaking monthly version starting January 2017! Congratulations to the creators and staff of Comic Yuri Hime for becoming the first monthly Yuri manga magazine ever.

Ratings: 

Overall – 7

We have exciting news from YNN Correspondent Emily – You can now get Comic Yuri Hime (monthly) digitally on Global Bookwalker! It’s still in Japanese, but now you can get all the content for a very low 700 yen/per issue (about $6.31 right now). That’s less than the print edition, without shipping and actually supports the artists and writers! What an exciting opportunity. You can even subscribe to the magazine, without the messiness of picking up your copy, or having to decide to subscribe for a year or not at all. You can cancel this subscription with a click.

Global Bookwalker is a great resource for Yuri manga, both current and out of print. If you’ve got a tablet, it’s a terrific way to catch up on tons of Yuri and, unlike all other online services, they have a Yuri category you can browse. It’s a perfect, low-cost way to practice your Japanese. ^_^

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime, Magazines | No Comments »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – November 19, 2016

November 19th, 2016

ynn_lissa“Yuri” Anime

Top story this week is Ichijinsha’s announcement of not one, but two, new anime.  Saburouta’s Citrus and Kodama Naoko’s NTR: Netsuzo Trap are both getting an anime in 2017. 

The problem for me is that neither of them are Yuri. Sure, they both have lesbian content, but calling these two series Yuri would be like labeling Basic Instinct a “bisexual” story. It’s not. It’s a movie that uses bisexuality as a sexual fetish for people who enjoy or don’t mind mental disease as a plot driver. 

***

Support Yuri News, Review and Interviews! 

Subcribe with Patreon

Support Okazu!

***

Citrus has a significant problem. Mei’s behavior makes sense only in two contexts. One, she suffered sexual abuse as a child.  Everything she does makes perfect sense if viewed in this context. And in this context, we can see that this is not a Yuri story, Yuzu is her victim as she replays the cycle. The story does not bear this out, claiming Mei was merely “neglected.” (But. In Strawberry Panic! Yaya was likewise a sexual predator and likewise the reason we are given was that she was “neglected.” I am beginning to think that “neglected” is the crappy-manga shorthand for “sexually abused.”)

In the second context, and the one I think makes the most sense, Mei has Borderline Personality Disorder. Manipulation and instability are the drivers for the entire scenario. (I’ve known people with BPD. Mei is spot on.) In either case, the Yuri is attached to mental instability, as it was back in the 1980s. 

In an interview on Comic Natalie, Saburouta discusses how Citrus does not use a seme/uke (or tachi/neko) dynamic. I posit that that is because it is not a Yuri narrative at all, but a story of sexual manipulation that happens to involve two female characters.

NTR is far more troubling as a story. It is quite literally one chapter after another of two horribly-undeveloped-as-characters girls having sex while their unwitting and even-less-developed-as-characters boyfriends are nearby. UGH, a million times over. This story makes my skin crawl.  None of the relationships are healthy. I understand that cuckolding is all the rage as a fetish, but I’m thoroughly repulsed by it in every possible way and this is yet another story of sexual manipulation that happens to involve two female characters.

I am not telling you to not enjoy these stories or to avoid these anime. I am telling you my opinions on them. These are not Yuri. They use lesbianism as a sexual fetish for people who enjoy or don’t mind mental disease as a plot driver. 

If you enjoy either or both these stories then I am very happy for you. I am not at all happy for those of us who hoped we’d see positive representation of lesbian romance and relationships in our Yuri.

 

Yuri Manga

While we’re talking negative portrayals of Yuri, creator of Anoko no Kiss to Shirayuri wo has done an illustration and blurb for a  collection of stories by an artist named Nega, Nega and Canno belong to the same circle, through which most (if not all) of the stories in the collection were originally published. Comic Natalie has the news. Thanks to J for the correction.

The first issue of the monthly Comic Yuri Hime (!!) is now on sale and the cover, while rooted firmly in schoolgirl stereotypes is refreshingly not grotesquely infantilized.

 

Live Action

A lesbian kiss has been inserted in the Ghost in the Shell live action movie which will certainly make some folks happy. 

 

Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime, Yuri Manga, Yuri Network News | 22 Comments »