Okazu Letter to Santa

December 24th, 2011

Dear Santa,

I don’t believe in you as such, but I believe in other fictitious beings, so I thought I’d write a letter to you and see how it works out. I think I’ve been a pretty good girl all year long, and deserve a few special things.

You don’t have to give me these by tomorrow, I’d be happy enough with any of them announced in 2012. So, no pressure.

Here’s what I want for 2012:

Sailor Moon Anime Re-release – What I *want* is a full reboot of the series, with a rewrite that allows Haruka and Michiru to be more overtly together, but I’ll settle for a simple US re-release. One with proper sound, and the LD extras, including the interviews with the VAs and the Christmas special. Also, the movies and two specials.  You don’t need to give me physical extras, but if a company reallllly wanted to, I can tell you what the perfect extra would be. Each season box set should come with a piece of the Eternal Moon Rod. If you buy all 5 seasons, you have the most elusive of all the wands they sold for the series. Okay, okay, I just want that for the wife, since she has all the others. I want the Outers’ henshin wands. There, I said it.


Card Captor Sakura Anime Re-release – I’ll take just the anime, you can even keep the movies. Of course whoever picks it up will feel obliged to print another set of Clow Cards, but I already have 4 sets, so don’t worry too much about it.

It’s just that this was the best voice cast after Sailor Moon and it had great CLAMP visuals and a story that was fun, and totally bent and it looked pretty. Seriously, we need it back. Remastered.


Aoi Hana Anime Licensed – Please, Santa, please, please, please give us this series in 2012! We won’t fight with our siblings and we promise to do our homework! Pretty please?

I realize that this anime is never ever going to sell half as well as most of the crap that’s produced. In fact, it can’t sell as well as crap, just because of that pesky standard curve of deviation. But for the few of us who loved and adored it, it would be really swell if we could have it on DVD. I bet we’re all willing to shell out a few bucks more, to make up the loss. If I buy the Japanese DVDs, I’m looking at about $200, so let’s call it $100 for the set. Pricey, but worth it.

Aoi Hana Manga Licensed in English – Shimura is a great story teller. I’d really like to see this story in English. For about 70 reasons. Fantagraphics is in for a long haul on Wandering Son, and given that purchase rates drop off after Volume1, I hope we’re even alive long enough to see them consider Aoi Hana.

But, there are 15 year old girls out there who need Fumi. More than they need Santa. Europe always gets the nice things and we get Queen’s Blade. So, if you don’t mind terribly…

Rose of Versailles Anything – Speaking of Europe. Anime, manga, movie (I mean the movie actually being made, forget getting it licensed)…anything. It’s gotten to the point where this is the golden ring that no one can catch, the rarest and purest of all creatures. It isn’t really, I’d just like to see us finally get it and dispel all the myths.

While we’re at it, let’s get Oniisama E, anime too. I miss Sainte-Juste smoking and taking drugs. She made it look so sexy. Oh…yeah, I guess we’ll never be seeing that then, huh?

Yuri Anime from Ichijinsha That Doesn’t Suck – Santa, if they can make a lot of money with a series of a bunch of girls doing absolutely nothing at all, surely they can find a way to make money with a series in which nothing at all happens to adult woman.

I recommend the following series for consideration: Fu~Fu and Renai Joshika. Both are suitably moe, both have some sexiness, Fu~Fu is especially suited as it has the wacky humor and ridiculous gags so beloved by the last segment of Japan that buys overpriced DVDs.

A Pony – Just seeing if you’re paying attention. I’m glad to not get the pony if I can have the other things.

I will be happy with any one of these things (other than the pony, that’s really just a McGuffin) but if 2012 brings me more than one, Santa, I promise to believe in you.

Thanks sincerely,

Erica

Posted in Now This Is Only My Opinion | 13 Comments »


Yuri Drama CD: Ame-iro Kouchkan Kandan (あめ色紅茶館歓談) Blue Christmas

December 23rd, 2011

Christmas is coming and the Ame-iro Kouchakan is filled to the brim with cheerful, energetic young women. Not that anyone is complaining, but…where did they all come from? Sarasa really wants to know what the deal is, but in the meantime, she and Seriho are doing everything they can to keep up with demand.

More important than the mystery of why their tea house is so popular all of a sudden, is the much greater problem of Christmas. They did a special for Tanabata, and another for Halloween, and Sarasa is torturing herself trying to come up with a super-special special for Christmas.

But first, before all of this, we have yet another thing that must be dealt with! Sarasa’s college roommate, Saiyuki, is visited by an old friend, Shuuri. There’s some tension between them and it seems awfully likely to blossom into something more, if they can just get a push. EVERYONE in the series gives them the push they need.

Which allows us all to deal with the issue of where the hell are all these girls coming from, anyway. Well…it turns out that word’s gotten around that Manaka-sensei (creator of the St. Lotecia series, surely you must be aware that Fujieda-sensei never ever throws away a character) hangs out here, and these girls – including Saiyuki and Shuuri – are fans. Mana-chan-sensei’s editor Shiko is “helping” by leaking the story that Mana-chan-sensei might, just, you know, be doing a signing here too.

And while all of this life-or-death stuff is going on, Sarasa’s exhausting herself trying to come up with the perfect Christmas special dessert. Which, she does. Did we ever, for even a second, doubt she would? For Christmas, the Ame-iro Kouchakan will be presenting a Cherries Jubilee, with flambe’, with their own special touch. The sakura scent fills the teahouse and the blue flower of flame delights everyone. Great, everything’s set, but…now they are really in a bind. With such a fantastic table-side show, they’ll need every hand on deck. Unfortunately, Hinoka is spending Christmas Eve with her girlfriend and Haru is getting together with some friends, leaving Sarasa and Seriho needing some backup staff. How about Letty and Tsumugi? They are going to visit Letty’s home in…wherever that was. Saiyuki and Shuuri offer to fill the gap and so, a fabulous Christmas event is had by all.

You remember what I said about a paragraph ago? About how Fujieda-sensei never throws away a character? He doesn’t. During two quiet, lovey-dovey scenes between Sarasa and Seriho, just when it’s getting really good…the phone rings. I felt this gag coming for a mile and even guessed who was on the other end of the phone both times. Can you guess?

Think about it for a bit.

The first time on the phone is one “Hachibe-sama” who is ordering cakes for the Queen and the second call is from “Aihara-sama” ordering cakes for the shop. Yep, there were your Iono-sama and Alice Quartet cameos. ^_^

Kotobuki Minako (Tsumugi in K-ON!) plays Saiyuki, so we’re bumping up that six degrees of Yuri even further than usual.

The bonus track was done in pairs and among the embarrassed giggling, they have a serious discussion of the next holiday they’ll have to do a Drama CD for. New Years? Nope, they all realize with a sense of fate, it’s gonna have to be Valentine’s Day. Dear Yuri gods, I so hope they are right.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

Squee. This companion Drama CD to the second volume of the Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan manga was a perfect companion to a train ride into NYC. I kept laughing out loud, which kept the seats around me clear. ^_^

I only wish we could have heard from Letty and Tsumugi.

Posted in Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan, Drama CDs & Audiobooks, Fujieda Miyabi | 1 Comment »


K-ON! Anime, Volume 4 (English)

December 23rd, 2011

My day started a little rough, so I thought that I more than deserved a moment to wallow in the pure fun of the K-ON! anime. Volume 4 was the perfect thing to put me in a good mood (although I think I’m a little tired of “Fuwa Fuwa Time” now…)

In Volume 4, the girls perform for the second time at the school festival, and we learn that Yui’s flakey-ness is a lifetime achievement. And we get two bonus episodes in which they spend some random winter days and perform their first show outside school.

I’ve said it before, if you don’t like K-ON!, there’s nothing I can say to change you to suddenly liking it. If you do like it, there’s nothing I can say that you haven’t already thought for yourself. “Gosh, Yui’s a flake,” “Azusa’s cute when she’s all blushy,” “Why has no one killed Ritsu yet?” “Why is Mugi not the Governor of Tokyo?”  I have no doubt that you’ve thought these things as well. Well…okay, maybe not the last thing. If you’ve thought anything about Mio and the word “waifu” you are not welcome over for lunch. Sorry, I have to draw the line somewhere, even on delusions. ^_^

Entertainment ought to be entertaining and this volume put me in a better mood than I had been in before I watched it. That’s a win in my book.

Oh, Yuri? Yui asks for a kiss when she’s reunited with Azusa, does that count? I don’t think so.

Ratings:

Art – Still  5
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 0
Service – 5

Overall – 8

Many, many thanks to Okazu Superhero Eric P. for sponsoring today’s review, and improving my mood significantly!

Posted in English Anime, K-ON | 2 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Rakuen Le Paradis (楽園 Le Paradis), Volume 7

December 21st, 2011

Hrm. So, if anyone asked me how to build a Josei magazine that men might also read, I’d say, get lots of top names to draw stories that are refreshingly different in that they are pretty much the same as everywhere else, except that the women are slightly more in control of their lives. Add in some Yuri, in the form of already-proven artists, and then mix in some stories about guys. I’m not saying that’s what Rakuen Le Paradis (楽園 Le Paradis) had in mind, but that’s what it’s doing.

Volume 7 hits the Yuri fandom hard right at the front of the magazine, with Nishi UKO’s “Collectors,” which begins with a backstory about Takako in high school. The bridge between these two chapters made me extremely happy, with frames of Shinobu and Takako playing with each other’s hair in a beautifully intimate scene as they talk. This is exactly the kind of thing I’m looking for – adult intimacy, without it being porn. This series is pretty much the series I keep talking about wanting to read – after the happily ever after. When this series comes out in a collected Volume, it’s instantly Number 1 for the year.

Then we get the backhand with something many manga readers have long wanted – another overtly Yuri story by Hayashiya Shizuru-sensei. In “Heart Cooker” popular actress Nasu Renge is invited to be on a cooking show. The hosts of the show are Barahara Ruriko, an older, very Dame Edna-ish character and Shiohara Satsuki, a young, attractive host. Right from the first moment Renge walks on stage, Ruriko notices a certain…tension…between Renge and Satsuki. And, as they introduce Renge, it turns out that Satsuki and she attended the same school. Satuski was a year younger, but had always admired Kawakami-sempai (Renge’s real name) as she practiced for track and field. At first Renge doesn’t remember Satsuki, but then she recalls a day when she passed the ball back to an energetic underclassman in the softball team, who she was instantly attracted to…. The entire time this is going on, the production staff is frantically looking to get the cooking part of the show moving along, but Renge and Satsuki start to fade off into their own little world, so Ruriko steps in to save the day and make the dish, and let’s the two women have their moment. As Ruriko finishes the dish, Renge asks Satsuki out for a drink and Ruriko smiles in satisfaction at the results of both cooking and matchmaking.

And last, but definitely not least, for Yuri readers, Takemiya Jin’s “Omoi no Kakera” continues, as Mayu struggles desperately to get her feelings for Mika in order and to deal with her best friend’s snarky, but accurate assessment of those feelings.

So, lets just turn around for a moment and survey the landscape. Three Yuri series, two about adults, all by women, two of which have actual lesbians.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

Le Paradis, indeed. I think I’ve died and gone to Yuri heaven.

Posted in Rakuen Le Paradis, Yuri Manga | 6 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Poor Poor Lips (プアプアLIPS), Volume 3

December 20th, 2011

At the end of Poor Poor Lips, Volume 2, we left Nako and Ren living in poverty.

At the beginning of Poor Poor Lips (プアプアLIPS), Volume 3, nothing has changed. Except that with summer being so terribly hot, and them not owning a refrigerator or even a fan, much less an air conditioner, life is becoming intolerable. When they get a bonus from Fukui-san, they are at least able to buy a second futon for Ren…but immediately realize that they’ve grown comfortable sleeping together. The year passes with small victories and small losses, but that’s not what’s bothering Ren.

Yes, Ren is physically uncomfortable, but what’s really gnawing at her is the debt Nako seems to be eternally paying off. What could possibly be the reason? When she can’t take it any more, she finally asks…and is told a truly terrible story.

When Nako was a teen, her parents died, leaving her with nothing. A man approached her after their funeral to let her know that he paid for the funeral. When she got older, he told her, she could pay the cost of the loan off. As Ren instantly suspects, this loan is at usurious rates and Nako can never pay it off. In desperation to free Nako from this burden, Ren goes back to her mother and offers to return home and marry whomever her parents chose for her, if Mom will end this horrible loan.

Which, she does. Otsuka Nei, Ren’s mother, brings a camera crew with her, to ensure that not only will this man never bother Nako again, but he will never attempt another scam like that. With her debt removed, Nako goes to sleep that night unable to imagine what her life will be like….

…until she wakes up and finds that Ren is gone. Nako, who has smiled through years of grinding poverty, breaks down completely, wailing Ren’s name.

Upon waking the next day, Nako is visited by Wakatsuki, Ren’s family’s retainer and is given a chance to see Ren again…as a maid for the Otsuka family. And so, Nako leaves her life behind. Being a maid is hard work, but she’s there for Ren. Ren wakes up in her bed at home and is shocked to her core to see Nako there.

Both Nako and Ren internally acknowledge their affection for one another and also acknowledge to themselves that Ren will have to marry someone. The books ends at that supremely unsatisfying spot, with me unclenching my teeth through sheer force of will.

I have only this to say, if Nei does not give in in Volume 4, I am likelier than I have ever been to write a displeased letter to a mangaka. I mean okay, Nako’s debt is gone and they are together, sort of, and okay, Volume 4, but ggrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 7
Service – 4

Overall – 8

I didn’t like the way this volume played out at all, but I’m deeply engaged with the story, so I have to still call it “good.” I can’t but help be disappointed, I was hoping for a volume ending on a positive note. Now I have to hope Volume 4 makes it up to me and have to wait 10 months until it’s out to even know. Grrrrrrrr.

Posted in Yuri Manga | 5 Comments »