Summer Reading Lesbian Novel: Maxie Mainwaring, Lesbian Dilettante

August 16th, 2013

MaxieMFrom Monica Nolan, the woman who brought you Bobbie Blanchard, Lesbian Gym Teacher and Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary, comes the eagerly-awaited Maxie Mainwaring, Lesbian Dilettante.

While I had visions of a spoof of The Fourth Sex in my head, Nolan has put together a fairly taught mystery novel which is wholly unfair of her. I didn’t expect to have to pay attention! But about the point where we learn that the Swedish Mafia runs the gay bars in the town and the milk trade, I finally caught up with the idea that I was actually going to have to be a little more invested in this story than I originally expected. ^_^

Maxie Mainwaring, debutante and playgirl in Bay City, daughter of the dairy company Mainwarings, is cut off by her mother after a…small indiscretion at a meeting of the Daughter of the American Pioneers Luncheon and for the first time in her life, has to actual work. In between her not-terribly-successful attempts at budgeting and finding a job, Maxie finds herself following mysterious women, falling for a gangster, dealing with police raids at the local gay watering hole and learning who was responsible for stealing the children’s milk at the local youth center. And if all this wasn’t enough, Maxie finds herself at odds with her on-again off-again girlfriend, Pamela, and the drama of her fellow residents of the Magdalena Arms.

If this sounds like at lot for one book – it was. And most of it ties in pretty neatly at the end. There were a few zingers though, which I won’t spoil.

Unlike Bobbie and Lois, Maxie isn’t naive about love, or lesbian life. Her naivete was firmly about the “get a job  to pay the bills” life most people have, and this is strung out pretty far, as Lois’ and Bobby’s naivete were. They don’t grow ’em very sharp in Bay City, apparently. ^_^ But for a summer read with action, adventure, thrills and a lot of girls kissing and having pulp-y sex, this was a really fun book. The book equivalent of a County Fair, with lots of colors, sound, flavors and fireworks at the end, ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

I’ve already asked Ms. Nolan about the possibility of a (vaguely alluded to) military story, but she commented that the next one in the series is probably going to be the secret life of the Bay City lesbian bartender. I can wait. These books are a blast.  And perfect for summer reading. ^_^

 

Posted in LGBTQ, Queer Fiction | 2 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime Wildrose, Volume 7 (百合姫 Wildrose)

August 15th, 2013

Does 2010 count as a “the past” yet? If so, Yuri Hime Wildrose, Volume 7 (百合姫 Wildrose) anthology is a blast from the past. The last original volume, Yuri Hime Wildrose 6, was released back in 2010,  and there was a selected re-release  of curated stories in 2011, Wildrose Re:Mix disk a and disk b. And, I thought, that was the last we’d hear of the Wildrose series. But…no.

Yuri Hime Wildrose, Volume 7 picks right up where 6 left off, with a stable of new creators, working on doujinshi-length “Plot, What Plot-style?” stories, where the setup exists merely to frame the sex. In most cases, the sex is accompanied by sincere affection, sometimes even love, which tempers the feeling one inevitably gets as one reads, of being cast by the story as “horny voyeur”.

Saburo Uta’s opening bid, “Partner” is a nice enough place to begin. Kusabe and Ogihara are paired in everything from tennis to academics, but it turns out that they actually like each other, as well. ^_^

“Encore!!!!” by Amano Syuninta was, by far, my favorite story as her art and storytelling hit all my sweet spots and avoided most of the sour ones. This cheerful tale of two pop idols in a girl group was silly and weird, with moments of sexy thrown in.

And Nanzaki Iku submits a new chapter of one of her Shizuru x Natsuki clone pairs in a story that wasn’t thrilling, but was ultimately – as her’s so often are – sweet.

If this is the kind of story that gets your heart pounding – and might just get you practicing your Japanese –  it’s a good bet you’ll enjoy this volume.

Ratings:

Variable – 6

A couple of the artists are just doing art that I can’t really enjoy, but I’m not running this through the shredder or anything. It’ll probably be part of my next Lucky Bag giveaway, though.  ^_^

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime, Yuri Anthology, Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »


Morita-san ha Mukuchi Manga, Volume 6 (森田さんは無口)

August 13th, 2013

Every once in a while, a series comes along that completely floors me when I suddenly really it’s an ongoing series.

Ohsawa Yayoi’s Black Yagi to Gekiyaku Madeline (and the sequel, Strange Babies) took me a while to cotton on to. Junsui Adolescence by Kowo Kazuma did the same thing.

For some strange reason, it is only marginally surprising to me that Morita-san ha Mukuchi Manga (森田さんは無口) by Sano Tae has made it to Volume 6.

On the surface, this series is a typical one-joke-per-character 4-panel comic. However, it has no prickly inside jokes or characters pretending to tolerate one another to fuel tension, no wacky character with bwawawa~~~ punchlines. Unlike so many of the breed, Sano-sensei has made this series feel…comfortable.

I’m perfectly okay seeing how many gags can be built around Mayu’s silence, Miki’s hair, Hana’s tumultuous homelife, Yukino’s drinking, Mayu’s parents up-and-down relationship, Yamamoto’s coolness. I’m not sure why, but even the stalker girl who stalks Mayu doesn’t bother me. Probably because she’s clearly annoying Sano-sensei, who barely included her this volume.

Yamamoto is amazingly cool and all the girls like her. This and Mayu’s stalker are the only Yuri and the thinnest of all possible reasons for me to mention Volume 5 (which I never reviewed for no specific reason I can think of, I probably read it on JManga and simply forgot to) and Volume 6. Yuri is not why you’d be reading this story anyway. You’d read it for the pleasantly realistic, non-creepy, non-fetishy, totally touching friendships between Mayu and her friends, which should be handed out to illustrate “Friendships Between Women 101”.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 6
Characters – 9
Yuri – 3
Service – 1

Overall – 8

What I said about Volume 4 still holds true, “Mayu’s a good friend, and her friends are good friends. Watching the four of them together has not yet ceased to fill me with warmth.”

I’ll be reading Volume 7. And I won’t be a bit surprised if there’s a Volume 8.

Posted in Miscellaneous | 2 Comments »


Crowdfunding begins for Riyoko Ikeda’s ‘Dear Brother’ Anime on Animesols

August 12th, 2013

AnimeSols announced the beginning of Round 2 of crowdfunding for classic anime DVD sets yesterday, Japan time. With several sets already funded (Creamy Mami,  Black Jack) they started round 2 off with a bang that’s sure to please classic Yuri fans – Riyoko Ikeda’s  melodrama Oniisama E, Dear Brother.

AnimeSols is streaming the anime (which is also available legally on Viki.com), Episode 1 is up already (region limitations may apply.)

Crowdfunding is open until November and it’s off to a strong start already, with a very decent chance of being 1/4 funded by end of the first day. (Of course I have already pledged. I love this series for all its crazy. Here’s my first review of the series and my most review of it. I make no apologies about my feelings about Saint-Juste. ^_^

I feel completely confident that all the Yuri and Shoujo fans out there will make this happen. We already have Rose of Versailles. I can’t think of anything better than sitting Dear Brother right next to those. ^_^

Please share the news with your mailing lists, Tumblrs, Blogs, Groups and the like. This is one of the oldest classic Yuri anime we’ll ever get a chance to own. ^_^

Posted in English Anime, Riyoko Ikeda, Yuri Anime, Yuri Network News | 5 Comments »


Yuri Light Novel: Miniskirt Space Pirates, Volume 3 Cosplay Minarai Kaizoku (ミニスカ宇宙海賊 3 コスプレ見習海賊)

August 11th, 2013

MPV3The Light Novel Miniskirt Space Pirates, Volume 3 Cosplay Minarai Kaizoku  (ミニスカ宇宙海賊 3 コスプレ見習海賊) may have been even more enjoyable than the two arcs it covers in the anime. It’s a very close race, at the very least.

If you’re reading Okazu, then this was the novel you were waiting for. Are Jenny and Lynn as overtly a couple in the book as they were in the anime? I won’t keep you waiting. Yes, they are. ^_^ Having established this important fact, we can now look at the plot, which is once again similar to the anime.

The professional crew of the Bentenmaru have come down with an influenza-like disease carried by improperly shipped cat-monkeys. This would be merely an inconvenience, but the Bentenmaru’s Letter of Marque can only be maintained if the ship is properly hired to conduct piracy within a certain period of time. The crew is quarantined for a month, but the ship needs to do something within the next two weeks. Marika and Gruier take to the pirate’s hangouts to find a replacement crew (where they meet Chiaki’s dad, Captain of the Barbarossa*) only to find the perfect crew waiting for them at home in the form of the Hakuoh Academy Yacht Club. The girls jump right in and the adventure begins.

The first hurdle is the boarding and robbery of the cruise ship the Princess Apricot. This ship is a repeat customer, so things go relatively smoothly. And the cute girl pirates in cosplay goes over well – they are asked back almost immediately.

Having assured the Letter of Marque will be renewed, Lynn hires the Bentenmaru to rescue Jenny from an unwanted marriage. Jenny, of course, needs no rescuing, but arrives on her own, with a stolen vehicle. She and Lynn are reunited – with a kiss, in front of the crew. Jenny hires the Bentenmaru to safely escort her to Space University after negotiating a contract with the Bentenmaru’s agency.  Their agent Sho explains to the pro crew (as they reset settings altered, customized and hacked by the apprentice pirates) that the new crew acquitted themselves well on all three jobs.

Looking back, I’m really torn, now, to say which was better. Jenny and Lynn’s story gets more detail in the anime – all to the good, as we see them win the situation by making good decisions and using their brains. Also Jenny is set up as a business leader who will clearly own the universe soon enough. Also, I like the anime addition of Mami’s interest in clothing design as an excuse for the cosplay. (Mami was an important addition – she provides “Marika the school girl” with society, before she becomes “Captain Marika”. Mami remains her friend and supporter throughout.)

The novel has the cosplay scene pared down, but it sets up (and really, can only have existed to set up) Lynn wearing a knight’s costume to Jenny’s wedding dress. For once, there are extended scenes about the repair, navigation, piloting and equipment aboard the space ships – and I had to smile, because my Dad is an old-school sci-fi fan. Most of what I read as a kid was books that were 300 pages of that kind of ship fetishtry, with 20 pages of plot thrown in. ^_^

I also like that the novel presumes that Marika and the rest are going to figure things out.  Not that they are instantly competent, but that we’re not lingering over their incompetence as a fetish. They figure it out – and move on. On the other side of that, we’re not given quite as much time to watch Jenny negotiate the stuffing out of her Uncle, it’s all handled with minimum fuss.

I can’t honestly think of another series in which the female characters are allowed full agency so completely. They are fully, completely competent, self-empowered and present.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

Anime and manga, this series still impresses the heck out of me. It’s a really tough call which is better.

The next book is wholly original – I wonder if I’ll be able to make heads or tail of it. ^_^; I’m not going to even have a chance to start it for months, so don’t hold your breath. I hope to pick it up when I’m in Japan next fall.

* Yes, I know the ship name is transliterated as the Barbalusa. It should be the Barbarossa.  :-p

Posted in Bodacious Space Pirates, Light Novel | 10 Comments »