When Chimaka was younger, she had been a magical girl. But when it came down to saving the world, she didn’t have what it takes and failed to defeat evil, or realize her eternal fated love. Now she’s a bitter adult in a day job and is at loose ends.
In Mahou Josei Chimaka, (one of several Yuri works put out by Sparkler Monthly, the English-language josei magazine) the creative team KaiJu takes on the tropiest trope and decides to look at it from a completely different perspective: What if it doesn’t all work out? The cynic in me thrilled to the premise…and as I read, I found a lot to like in the treatment.
The art is competent and I like the inclusion of a WoC as the main character. More important to me than the art, always, is the story – and in this I think this book excels. Not only is it a unique rendering of a magical girl story it is, I dare say, a “magical” love story, between two characters who would be more than welcome to come over for lunch. ^_^
Chimaka is available in a Digital edition or in Print and I recommend it highly. Not only do you get the satisfaction of supporting Sparkler Monthly, which is fine thing to do, and domestic Yuri manga, which is equally dopamine-inducing, but also you get a very fun story, with a lovely ending for the money. All in all, I wouldn’t mind a sequel. Hint Hint. ^_^
Ratings:
Art – 7
Story – 8
Character – 8
Yuri – 7
Service – 1 on principle, because people are weird
Overall- 8
Congratulations to KaiJu and Sparkler Monthly for winning a DINK award this past weekend!
But to make it easy on you to watch this repeatedly, here is the first look at the Sailor Moon Crystal Third Season Ending theme, “eternal eternity”, sung by the voices of Sailors Uranus and Neptune, Minagawa Junko and Ohara Sayaka:
Two other notable things – in the extended trailer we see Sailor Venus with her sword, and I was immensely gratified at the final moments when the Senshi are arrayed very similarly to the way the are in the opening of ‘S’.
I have to say, I’m really very pleased with this. We deserve a little service. And Toei appears to not have forgotten the success they had with Sailor Moon S.
If you’re in Japan in this spring, consider hitting up Roppongi Hills for the Art of Sailor Moon exhibit! I’m gonna do my damnedest to get there. Because I will be in Japan in late April and my hope is that there will be a metric fuckton of Outers’ goods. ^_^ So, hey, please consider subscribing to Okazu! I need more stuff and to go to the Card Captor Sakura cafe for you. (Just kidding, all subscription money is used to buy stuff to review and to pay for massages. ^_^)
The Spring anime season is heating up and there’s all kinds of stuff happening.
Yuri!!! is an upcoming skating anime that, realistically is probably about a Russian skater named Yuri, but the odd font choice that is strongly reminiscent of Yuri Kuma Arashi, makes me wonder. It’s probably too much to ask, but it would be lovely if there was even a smidgen. A skater and her coach, or even better, two skaters…., please? ANN has the report.
ANN reports that creator of Aria, Amano Kozue’s series Amanchu!, about diving, is getting a 13-episode series. As with Aria, expect less plot and more scenery porn. It was a nice, not compelling manga. Check out the first key visuals on ANN.
YNN Correspondent Day has a news item of “somewhat dubious quality.” Day says “A website for a project of some sort currently under the name of Umamusumehas gone up. It’s from the game company Cygames, so I’m assuming it is a game, although it may be a mixed-media project as the PV currently posted depicts no gameplay and instead seems like it may be for an anime. From what little there is, the underlying story is of a group of horse-girls pursuing success on the racecourse, with a dash of idol nonsense thrown in. Yuri is in the form of an intense locking of eyes, and a liplock between a pair of figure-skating horse-girls in the PV. “
So I watched that PV. (O_O) I’m laughing hysterically, horrified. There is so much wrong with that anime I don’t even have words. A pop idol group of horse-eared girls, who also ice skate, eat a lot (think about it…) and race like horses. I…can’t… holy god that’s vile and amazing. Thanks, Day. Your punishment is that you’ll have to write the review. ^_^
Manga News
YNN Correspondent Katherine H wants you to know that Yen Press has licensed Kiniiro Mosaicwhich, at Sakuracon they described as Yuri-ish.
The 7th volume of Murcielago (ムルシエラゴ) has hit stands at last and if you buy it at various bookstores in Japan, Comic Natalie reports, it will include one of a series of special art pieces by the artist.
Yuri Events
Y/Con is a Yaoi and Yuri vent in Paris on November 12th-13. If you’re going to be able to make this, do please consider writing up a report for us!
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!
In November I had a chance to look at the first volume of Asamiya Kia’s return to his classic sci-fi Tokyo of the future, threatened by hard-to-discern creatures from another dimension and the women of the Attacked Mystification Police who fight them.
In Silent Mobius QD, Volume 2, (サイレントメビウスQD) we spend a little time getting familiar with Yamigumo Nagi, the cousin of AMP’s former member Yamigumo Nami, and Irene Wong who, like AMP Chief Lebia Maverick, is a visionnaire.
The volume is non-stop action, with third attracion attacks all over the place and a rescue mission of a vessel called the Bell Liner. In the middle of the action, Aoi continues to be difficult, we grow to like and respect Tasha and Chris insists that she’s there for Aoi…and we’ll never learn why. Unfortunately for us, the series comes to an end here at two volumes. Who Chris is, how and why Aoi can use Grospoliner, will remain mysteries forever.
Ratings:
Art – 8
Story – 3 It bit off more than it could chew
Characters – 8 Wish we got to know them
Yuri – 2 Woulda coulda shoulda on Chris and Aoi. Chris’s emotion was way intense.
Service – 4 Tasteful (hahah) nudity, Irene’s got a nice back tattoo.
Overall – 7
I so wish we had gotten the rest of this. I really wanted to know what the deal with Chris was.
I am pleased and excited to announce that I will be participating in a discussion of Gay/Lesbian/Yuri/BL/Bara manga in Tokyo on May 3rd as part of Rainbow Pride Week events.
The discussion will be at the Aisotope Lounge (http://aliving.net/access.html) in Shinjuku Ni-choume on May 3rd, from 13:00 – 16:00, with guest manga artists Tagame Gengoroh and Nakamura Kiyo (who wrote GUNJO as Nakamura Ching) and Chairman Satou Yasuki.
I hope you’ll all join us and I’m confidant that I’ll create a whole new exciting set of verbal gaffes for this event. ^_^; I’ll be presenting a brief history of Yuri in the first half and acting as “commentator” in the second. It should be a blast! ^_^
Rose of Versailles, Volume 12 (ベルサイユのばら), is composed of two stories. One following the hapless Florian F Girodel (no one knows what the ‘F’ stand for,) as he watches, but does not participate fully, in Versailles life – and while Oscar pretty much robs him of everything he desires, without even trying. She’s got his job, isn’t becoming his wife as he intends, she gets all the attention and she even gets the girls, as he finds out when he meets Fersen’s sister, Sofia. We watch him suffering through Oscar’s resignation, and her death, and we learn of his fate after the war. Girodel’s life, as so many others, ends with a date with Madame Guillotine.
The second half of the book, follows a tempestuous affair between a young woman, betrothed to a well-borm man old enough to be her father, and a gorgeous young noble, whose love of Lorraine matches her own. Despite her betrothal, Georgette sleeps with Regnier, and later admits her crime tearfully to her mother. The engagement is called off, and her lover, with the new prince’s permission, accepts a commission in the Army, sweeping Georgette away to Versailles to become Mrs. Regnier de Jarjayes, and the mother of Oscar Francois (named after the new Prince of Lorraine) de Jarjayes.
Ratings:
Art – 8
Story – More sex, but still a lot of crying 8
Characters – 9
Service – 2
Yuri – 1, if only for Sofia’s obvious crush on Oscar.
Overall – 8
Oscar’s mother is actually one of my favorite characters, because you sort of assume she’s not even alive at first, then suddenly midway through the series you find that she’s perfectly fine and has been at Versailles all along. ^_^
Also included in this volume are the 2014 images of Oscar created for fashion magazine Spur.
Erica Friedman is the Founder of Yuricon, ALC Publishing Lesbian Icon. Speaker, Writer, Editor/Adapter, LGBTQ manga tastemaker, 百合人. Proud to be a MLS. Learn more >>
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When Chimaka was younger, she had been a magical girl. But when it came down to saving the world, she didn’t have what it takes and failed to defeat evil, or realize her eternal fated love. Now she’s a bitter adult in a day job and is at loose ends.
