Yuri Manga: Suzuran Techou (スズラン手帳)

December 26th, 2013

It’s been a good long time since we have had a Takahashi Mako collection from Comic Yuri Hime. The last one I reviewed was Otome Cake back in 2008. Things have changed since then and those changes are strongly reflected in Suzuran Techou (スズラン手帳), Takahashi-sensei’s newest collection.

This book contains a wider variety of personalities, ages and situations than previous collections. While school still tends to be the most common setting, there are less uncomfortably psychotic situations than in her earlier work.

Of the stories in this collection, the ones I found most notable were “Shikeidai no Elevator Girl” and “Chanoma no Hana” both of which have protagonists that come out on the first page. In the latter, a girl’s confession about her sexuality to her aunts by marriage, sparks another confession between them. In the former, the story begins with a girl explaining her “like” pattern to a friend – girl, girl, boy –  then ruining the pattern by falling for a girl out of order.

Several Japanese readers made sure I noticed that her work included a senior couple, in ‘Yuki Bara Beni Bara” but I felt that the fact that it was about sisters meant it really still didn’t fit my request for a story of older lesbians.

The story I enjoyed the most was downright whimsical. In “Mujintou e Motteiku Nara” a girl moves through her life feeling as though huge chunks of it are spent on a deserted island. When another girl invites herself onto the island, she’s initially put out, but starts to enjoy the company. ^_^

This collection has characters from elementary school to adult, which give Takahashi-sensei a chance to actually show off her art skills. She also embraces a much wider range of expression that in previous work, which allows us to actually like the characters, instead of just wondering if the blood will stain their clothes. But even more significantly, her characters have grown. They are not just girls in like, or girls in girl-only situations – some of them know themselves and embrace their own life choices. This is a huge step up for me, and I’m pleased as punch to see this self-acceptance infiltrate yet another body of work from Comic Yuri Hime. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – Averaging out at 8
Characters – Same
Yuri – 8
Service – 1

Overall – 8

I re-read it and found I enjoyed way more of the stories than I expected to. In fact, I’d argue that the weakest of the bunch were the first and last stories and would have reordered the collection completely.

Posted in Yuri Manga | No Comments »


Hayate x Blade 2 (Nyan) Manga はやて×ブレード2（ニャーン）

December 24th, 2013

HxBnyan It’s official, Hayate x Blade 2 (Nyan) はやて×ブレード2（ニャーン） is out of the starting blocks and gaining speed!

The students of Tenchi academy have made their choice to be part of the Tenkuu or Daichi dorms, representing the Amachi group and the Black Group, respectively. For a brief moment, we turn our eyes toward Nagi, Hayate’s sister, and we are kind of surprised to see how bitter she’s become. But, then, we have to recognize that her sister was supposed to take and hold her place at Tenchi and instead went and became a rising star. Okay…yeah…that makes sense. Because Nagi’s and Hayate’s father (adopted) is Hajime’s master, Hajime attempts to recruit Nagi to the Black Group side. Nagi, contrary about everything, refuses, but then is scooped up by her shinyuu Kanai and forced to be a Tenkuu. Where Hayate was boke enough to break Ayana down, Kanai will clearly play that role for Nagi.

We also learn how Nagare encountered Hayate and Nagi. Not surprisingly, it was both absurd and poignant. In a train station, high school student Nagare finds herself accosted by twin infants who have been left in a row of lockers.

In the first few chapters of the new series, everyone is settling in – even Yagyuu Makoto has a new follower. But now that we’re all moved in and everything is ready to go…the First Tenchi Academy Ultimate Hoshidori (a portmanteau of Hoshitori and Randori, I believe) is ON!

Students have been given new stars, this time worn around their wrists, which makes them much harder to protect and the format of the randori has shifted considerably. The first round will consist of several fight cycles. Survivors move to the second round, the rules of which have not been announced. There’s gonna be a lot of fighting coming up. And in the middle of it, I bet Nagi and Hayate are going to have to have it out once more. Nagi has a wound that only Hayate can lance.

Ratings will be forthcoming when the actual volume is released.

There is no other manga I read where I exclaim “cool!” so often as this one.

Why “Nyan”, you ask? Look at the image above. ^_^

Posted in Hayashiya Shizuru, Hayate x Blade | 2 Comments »


Why Japan is so Weird and Wacky!

December 23rd, 2013

I’m sorry for lack of reviews –  its not for want of trying, but 1) I’m at the DVD box/Light Novel portion of my piles, so it will be slower and 2) people celebrate various holidays at this time of year, you might have heard of this. I haven’t even begun to think about end of year lists, I really had better do that. /sheepish/

Instead, I wrote this article on Medium:
Why Japan (or China, India, The United States or, heck, Denmark) is So Weird and Wacky!

I hope you’ll enjoy it – and do let me know what you think. All recommendations on Medium and.or comments here are welcome!

 

Posted in Now This Is Only My Opinion | 2 Comments »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – December 21, 2013

December 21st, 2013

Yuri Manga

The beginning of the year will bring us a good handful of Comic Yuri Hime manga:

Dark Cherry to Shoujo A (ダークチェリーと少女A) by Chisato, Ohsawa Yayoi’s Okujou Pikapika Romance (屋上ぴかぴかロマンス), The second volume of Renai Idenshi XX (恋愛遺伝子) by Zaou Taishi and Eiki Eiki, The second volume of Koujo Yuriko’s Tsuki to Sekai to Etoile (月と世界とエトワール), the first volume of Bousou Girlsteki Mousou Renaiteki Suteki Project (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)) by Kawai Roh.

Also in the new year, we’ll get the third volume  of Amano Syuninta’s Watashi no Sekai o Kousei Suru Chiri no You na Nanika (私の世界を構成する塵のような何か) This is significant, not too many series have been allowed a third volume from Comic Yuri Hime. Even some of our favorite series were cut off at two volumes. I’m glad the honor is going to an actual lesbian drama, rather than a “Story A” type of story. And one that has been so well crafted, too. It’s been a real pleasure following this series.

From a Polaris Comics, Kujira has a Yuri manga called Yasashi Hari, according to Comic Natalie.

I keep meaning to mention this to you as well. There is a novel on Amazon Japan called Yuri no Real (百合のリアル) which claims to tell a real-life story about a lesbian. I have no idea how it is, or what it is, but I guess we’ll find out. ^_^ Update: Via Matt Thorn, I find that the author, Makimura Asako, has Posted a Facebook status about this. So that seals it. This is, in fact, Real Yuri. I’m so glad. And now I look forward to reading it that much more. ^_^

***

Yuri Anime

Funimation has announced March 2014 releases among which are Ikkitousen: Xtreme Executor. I didn’t actually think we’d ever see that. I remember it as being better than most of the preceding seasons. I wonder if I made that up in my head. ^_^

The Bodacious Space Pirates Movie trailer is up for our viewing pleasure. I’m really looking forward to this.
***

Other News

The Sailor Moon  Official website has been given a very spiffy new look. The goods, manga and world sections are live. It has areas for the 90s animation, the live action and the upcoming animation, but these areas are, as of yet, blanked.  It’s a pretty site, though. ^_^

Women make up 45% of gamers. 2/3rds of gamers are over 18. The prevailing wisdom of “the gaming  audience is horny boys is a myth, like a hydra. Like a hydra, it’s time for it to die. Women’s images in gaming are sexualized and their roles are diminished  because it is easier to believe in the myth than to think critically and buck the trend. Just like TV execs all wanted a voyeuristic reality show when one such show became popular, we cannot expect gaming execs to suddenly become enlightened. Gamers, it is on you to actually tell gaming companies that you want better female character options. Not  blog about it, not just Tweet to friends, actually write an email or letter and let them know.

***

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 | 8 Comments »


Attack on Titan Manga, Volume 10 (English)

December 20th, 2013

I know. You’re looking up at the URL and checking the date just to make sure you clicked on Okazu, and not, say, A Case Suitable for Treatment. Nope, you’ve come to the right place. It just happens that, quite unusually, I am reviewing a manga  that is 1) available in English and 2) massively popular. This happens so rarely here that it is worth noting.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time discussing the plot of Attack on Titan, it’s structure, art, characters, strengths and weaknesses. I have done that in detail elsewhere. I intend to only discuss two things in today’s review.

As set up I will say that, if you have not yet read any of Attack on Titan, without spoilers, I can tell you there is excellent reason why it is so popular. It hits a pop culture critical Zeitgeist,  is suitable for older teens and adults who are the main audience for that kind of thing and it is not bad for what it is. Although I feel there are more flaws than, perhaps, many of the fans of the series do. This is a tale of the twilight of humanity, and not a gentle twilight, as we saw in Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. In Shingeki no Kyoujin, humanity’s flickering out quickly and under extremely brutal circumstances.

Today, instead, we discuss Volume 10 and 2 specific characters. Ymir, a member of the Survey Corps who is introduced to us as having a secret and Christa, a member of the Survey Corps who is revealed as having a secret. Realistically, by Volume 10, we should all be very comfortable with the idea that most, if not all, of the Survey Corps members carry a burden they believe is secret. Why else would they sign up for what must by any rational person be seen as certain, horrifying death?

In Volume 9, we encounter Ymir, unliked and unlikable and Christa, who appears adorable and honorable and who Ymir sees right through. And yet, they have a connection. It first appears to be only on Ymir’s side. She’s poking and prodding at Christa, apparently to unearth her sore point. When she uncovers it, she does something unexpected – Ymir opens her own self up to Christa. Now they share each other’s burden.

In Volume 10, their bond ramps up in intensity. I don’t know that I’d call this love, in any meaningful way,  but they need each other, that is obvious. By the end of the volume, they’ve made a pact to both live more honestly…a pact that becomes part of the main plot with Volume 11 (which I read on Crunchyroll’s manga platform.)

It’s not a “Yuri” storyline and I do not trust the creator to not kill both Ymir and Christa horribly, so don’t get your hopes up for a happy ending for them. ^_^ But it’s there, if you want it.

Also, there is a character who Japanese readers seem to have identified as gender non-specific. Hanji is referred to in the English translate as “Ms.,”but the author has stated that Hanji has no specific gender. (By author request, the ‘Ms.’ has been removed from later volumes)

Ratings:

Art –  I’m not a fan. I think the art at best is a 6
Story – I’ll leave this as an ambiguous 5 for the moment, pending my more detailed review.
Characters – Same as above
Yuri – 4-ish if you squint a bit in a dark room
Service – 8 all Guro. Because of the violence, I won’t watch the anime, specifically because of sound effects.

Overall – A qualified 8.

My fuller review – and more detail on Hanji – is up on Hooded Utilitarian.

Posted in English Manga | 4 Comments »