Artbook: Higa Yukari’s Mahou Senki Lyrical Nanoha Force Collection (緋賀ゆかり 魔法戦記リリカルなのはForce画集)

August 6th, 2014

forceartbookThe most truly interesting thing about this book, Higa Yukari’s Mahou Senki Lyrical Nanoha Force Collection (緋賀ゆかり 魔法戦記リリカルなのはForce画集) is the paralyzing crisis of conscience it gave me. ^_^;

I’m in Japan in October 2013 and I see it on the shelf of Animate and I say “Ooh!” and reach for it. Then I pull my hand back, because I know the audience of the Nanoha franchise is not me and I’ve been reading Mahou Senki Lyrical Nanoha Force and I know what the art in Nyantype (the magazine in which Force runs) is like. This book is bound to be a disappointment, I know this.

And then we go to another bookstore and I see it on the shelf and I say “Ooh!” and reach for it. Then I pull my hand back, and I go through the whole conversation with myself again.

The fourth or fifth time I went through this charade my wife was giving me the old “Just BUY it already” but I’m shaking my head and explaining that I know the audience of the Nanoha franchise is not me and…

The last time I went through this process, I actually had the book in my hand and was on line to buy it, but talked myself out of it. I knew what would be in there…pictures that made me sad. Sigh. I put it back on the shelf and left Japan.  When I came home I put this artbook into my shopping cart on Amazon JP and there it has sat, for order after order after order, going  through the same monologue every time.

So, finally, I bought it. And, as expected, the audience of the Nanoha franchise is not me and it is all very Nyantype. Plenty of naked or nearly naked girls for thems as like that, and lots of group shots for the covers of Mahou Senki Lyrical Nanoha volumes.

In a nutshell, the big negative negative is that there just isn’t a great Fate/Nanoha shot in this book. There are a few side-by-sides and back-to-backs, some bath shots, but nothing that fills the gaping hole where one really fabulous Fate x Nanoha picture should live. (There’s been a few over the years, I don’t see why we shouldn’t get one from Force.)

On the positive side Higa Yukari’s art is **fantastic.** I mean, “wow, that’s an awesome picture” fantastic. Barrier jackets and weapons look better than they ever have before. The book is super thick, so if you like the group shots (and are interested in the specific composition of those pieces, and the devices, this has got a lot to look at. If you like drawings of fictitious naked girls, you’ll be well served, as well. Also some really service-y drawings of Toma, which struck me as more silly than sexy. The sexiest thing in this book is Raising Heart in her grazillion forms.

Ratings:

Overall – 7

I don’t regret it, but I stare at it wistfully, wishing it just had one really excellent NanoFate picture.

Posted in Nanoha | 3 Comments »


Rakuen Le Paradis (楽園Le Paradis) Magazine, Volume 14

August 4th, 2014

In the light of Hirari magazine folding, I’m even happier than usual to still have Rakuen Le Paradis(楽園Le Paradis). This magazine, which is sex- and fetish-friendly, has so far been pretty good to us Yuri fans, but I’m not taking anything for granted.

Volume 14 has a few ongoing series and a surprise or two.

“Collectors” traces Shinobu’s hunt for a specific edition of a specific book and is amusing in a way only book collectors will understand. ^_^

For once, Kurosaki Rendou allows the to girls in his story “Ren Lao” to not have nasty hideous sex. That’s was a surprise.. ^_^;

Aoki Ume has been added to the roster, but her story, while adorable, is straight as the day is long. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her work that isn’t a vaguely Yuri-ish story. It was actually refreshing. That makes, her, Kowo Kazuma snd Mziutani Fuuka all manga artists that I became aware of through Yuri, doing straight romance in this magazine.

Meanwhile Sengoku Hiroko, whom you may remember from the Mikazuki no Mitsu collection, has returned to Yuri with an uncomfortable student/teacher pairing in “Usuyamigari no Mune no Uchi.” (“Uncomfortable pairing” effectively covers about half the stories in this magazine and “hideously adorable pairing” covers the other half.)

Nishi Uko’s second offering this volume is “Roulette” which is quite possibly my favorite 4-page comic ever, as lovers kiss, they let the traffic light decide when they will finally part.

Take miya Jin’s “Omoi no Kakera” is drawing to a close, you can tell, because Mayu finally approaches Mika about what she overheard between the upperclassman and Saki. And, for the first time, Mika acts as an upperclassman and sempai, offering Mayu some common sense about her best friend. The next chapter will probably be the climax of this series, which made it three volumes, so that’s something!

Ratings:

Overall – 7

Volume 15 is already sitting here, I’d better get reading. ^_^

Posted in Rakuen Le Paradis | No Comments »


Yuri Network News (百合ネットワークニュース) – August 2, 2014

August 2nd, 2014

YNN_Lissa

Yuri Manga

Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari is ceasing publication immediately, with the shipment of  Volume 14. My copy arrived a few days after the announcement broke. :-(

est em has announced that she’ll be wrapping Golondrina up with Volume 6, now that Ikki magazine is closing shop, ANN reports.  This tale of a young lesbian training to be a matador has thrilled and fascinated me. I can’t wait to see what will happen. There’s always a chance it’ll come out in English. Viz has the Ikki licenses, but there’s other possibilities as well.

Amano Shuninta’s philosophia doujinshi series, has been collected into a single volume and, along with, Mani’s Girl @ Girl, Bousou Girlsteki Mousou Renaiteki Suteki Project, Volume 2 (ボウソウガールズテキモウソウレンアイテキステキプロジェクト(B・G・M・R・S・P)), and Tsuki to Sekai to Etoile, Volume 3,  (月と世界とエトワール) will get a release this month from Yuri Hime Comics

Kämpfer Vol. 2 is now available from DMP on their emanga platform or Kindle.

UDON Entertainment has announced the license for the Kill la Kill manga. I’m reading the first volume in Japanese right now and with the 20 pages I’ve read it seems pretty exactly like the anime.

Takemiya Jin tweeted a link to her new doujinshi titles on Comic Zin. She’s got 5 new ones this year.
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Yuri Novel

Mori Natsuko has a new lesbian novel and this time, it’s illustrated by none other than Morishima Akiko. You can bet I’ll be getting Atashi no Kanojo (あたしの彼女).

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Other News

YNN Correspondent Grisznak spotted these Riddle Story of a Devil goods and wanted to share the news with you.

Japanese publishers are finally announcing a more global push to stop anime and manga piracy.  Manga-Anime Here is a visual site that helps fans find legit sources for the anime and manga they love. It’s not organized well, but the idea is a good one, I think.  Getting a  librarian to organize it would be a great idea.

Folks interested in LGBTQ life in Japan, might want to take a look at Coming Out Letters (カミングアウト・レターズ),  which is a collection of letters from students who are coming out and their parents and teachers to whom they are confiding.

The transcript of the Making A Living in Manga in Japan panel at SDCC, moderated by Deb Aoki, with panelists Lilian Diaz-Pryzybl, Felipe Smith and Jamie Lynn Lano is up on ANN. If you have any interest in becoming a manga artist, or in the industry in general, this is well worth reading.

Bleeding Cool has coverage of the first SDCC panel on Trans issues in media.

Did I post this yet? Well, if I did, I’m posting it again: Check out this magnificent “ninja techniques” video with two high school girls that is really a C.C. Lemon commercial. It’s a hoot.

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That’s a wrap for this week! 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 Yuri Network News | 2 Comments »


Summer Reading: Hilda and The Midnight Giant (English)

August 1st, 2014

hamgIt’s about midsummer here, and the weather has been unnaturally pleasant, so I’ve been outside playing, rather than curling up in the A/C. As a result I’m hugely behind on my reading, but…no regrets. Getting to take long walks in the Northeast woodlands of the USA is as good for my soul as reading comics. ^_^

But, when I get a chance to read a really unique, fun, kid-friendly,  girl-friendly comic, you just know I have to share it with you!  Thanks to the fantastic Tucker Stone at Nobrow Press, I had the chance to read the delightful Hilda and the Midnight Giant.

Hilda and her Mom live outside the town. They seem to have a comfortable relationship, and Hilda is studious and dedicated. When it turns out that she and her mother are living in the middle of a civilization of small, invisible people, Hilda has to figure out how to make peace between her and and entire race of beings that consider her their enemy.

As Hilda wrestles with the politics of her neighbors, she also discovers a giant occupying the same valley. Her inquiries take her from the mayor of the local town through which she and her mother have been walking to the king of the civilization, while she tracks down the giant who comes by at night.

The adventure is, in a word, strange.

You could make a case for it being an allegory about people sharing space on the planet, but that’s not really what it’s about at all. ^_^ Hilda learns about bureaucracy and how being in the right place at the right time is as good as dedicated effort. It’s a life lesson that would serve many a young person well and for that reason alone, I’m inclined to recommend this book. But more importantly, it’s a rollicking, rattingly tale of little people and giants and has a wholly unexpected end. Really unexpected.

Luke Pearson’s writing is great. Hilda is a smart kid, she asks a lot of questions, but mostly the right questions…and she really processes the answers, to  come up with well thought out solutions. Mom speaks to Hilda like she’s a smart kid, so there’s none of that creepy condescending tone with which adults so often address kids. The art is, for lack of a better word “cartoony.” The giant is a tall, hairy column, the little people are small capsule-shaped creatures.  There’s no complex artistic rendering here, just straightforward, simple comic art. It’s the story that carries you along.

If you know a young comics reader, or a a child that you’d like to turn into a comics reader – especially if they love fairy-tale-like stories – this would be a great place to start them. Hilda isn’t a superhero, but she sure saves the day.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 9
Character – 8

Overall – A solid 8 and I hope to be able to read some of the other Hilda books in the future.

Posted in Queer Fiction | 1 Comment »


Marine Corps Yumi Manga, Volume 2 (まりんこゆみ)

July 31st, 2014

Volume 2 of Marine Corps Yumi, (まりんこゆみ) written by our dear friend Ana Moreno, with art by Nogami Takeshi, picks up where Volume 1 left off, with Nipponian high school grad Yumi deep in the middle of boot camp to become a Marine in her quest to become President of the United States of Amerigo.

Boot camp is a series of painful, exhausting, mind-fucking, embarrassing and demeaning tasks. Sounds like loads of fun, doesn’t it? ^_^

The first half of the volume details the hundred different ways recruits have their minds and bodies beaten and bruised, but it’s in the second part of the volume that we see who stands tall at the end.

The final part of the manga details the three-day “crucible”, the world’s toughest final exam that no “tough mudder” race can ever truly approach in intensity. Everything the recruits have learned in the last three months is tested, while they themselves are pushed to breaking.

Rita Fernandez is, of course, born to be a Marine. Donna King turns out to pretty smart, despite all her best effort at hiding it, Linda Crawford is a solid team player. Yumi isn’t the brightest bulb in the box, but she’s got “gambare” and persists though everything. And, in the end, as the sun rises on our team and they pass the final trial, there must have been something in the ink, or maybe my allergies were acting up, because my eyes just kept on being kind of teary.

Ana has been all over media recently. Nico Nico Douga did a broadcast with her and Nogami-sensei and it was awesome to hear her talking about her experiences as a comic artist, Marine and author on the Deconstructing Comics podcast. I really recommend listening to this, to get an idea of her process and what to expect in Volume 3. And, of course, you can read this comic for free online in Japanese or English. (Catch up now in English and get those hankies ready for the end of the crucible!)

For those of us here, who love stories of women teaming up, getting stronger and succeeding against great odds, this is probably the most realistic story we’re going to read that actually has those qualities that we love so much in our fiction. I want to take one last moment to note again that Marine Corp Yumi is the most racially diverse manga (without scrunchy-making stereotypes) I’ve ever read. And there’s plenty of stupid physical gags to keep us laughing. (And, if you ask her nicely, maybe Ana’ll add in a lesbian Yuri-lover to counter Donna’s scrunchy-making stereotypical BL fujoshi-ness. ^_^)

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8 How about the dust in here, my eyes just won’t stop weeping
Characters – 8
Yuri – 0 (so far)
Service – 4 There’s definitely some service in those hills

Overall – 8

I’m reading the Japanese comic online, so I know what’s coming, but I can’t wait for Volume 3! I’m definitely one of the military otaku this comic targets and that makes me a little uncomfortable. ^_^; Next life, I’m going to be a Marine, dammit.

Many, many, many thanks to Ana for this review copies and extras that went out to some lucky folks with the last contest!

Posted in Miscellaneous | 1 Comment »