Yuri Manga: Sleeping Beauty Mita Yume (スリーピングビューティーの見た夢)

July 5th, 2010

Sleeping Beauty Mita Yume (スリーピングビューティーの見た夢) is a collection of shorts by Yotsuhara Furiko, originally published in Comic Yuri Hime.

In the first story, an upperclassman’s kiss brings about a violent reaction. But it’s not because Tsukasa doesn’t like Akira – it was because she does.

“Shirogami” tells the poignant story of a girl who has lost her memory, and the friend who turns out to have been more.

This is followed by a cute look at a shut-in and her younger, more outgoing girlfriend. This is a tad pat, but it was darn cute. I’d like to see more of these two.

Being touched by another person can be like a magic spell – I think we all know that. In the next story, Nasu realizes that she’s been bewitched by her friend Suszushiro for years.

In “20, 21” class ranking for suitability as a boyfriend/girlfriend gives way to love, and makes ranking meaningless, as our lover is always number 1 in our minds.

Finally, we see the story of “Shirogami” from Takako’s side, as she loses and regains her precious relationship with Minaho.

I felt through all of these stories, that there was a lot of talent and a lot of passion here. Something about Yotsuhara’s work really touched me, although I can’t tell you exactly what. There was just an “it” factor to it that made these stories – especially Shirogami and “6 1/2 Tatami” – stand out from the rest of the pack.

I’m hopeful that we’ll see more of Yostuhara’s work and keeping my fingers crossed that one day we’ll see something longer and really chunky from her.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 6-8
Characters – 6-9
Yuri – 8
Service – 1

Overall – 8

I think this collection is a good place to begin and look forward to more as her work develops.

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime | 3 Comments »


Yuri Network News addendum

July 4th, 2010

According to the Studio IG Panel at Anime Expo, going on right now, RightStuf also has the license to the Adolescence of Utena Movie.

That doesn’t mean they are releasing it, mind you – just that they have it.

Posted in Yuri Network News | 10 Comments »


Yuri Network News – July 3, 2010

July 3rd, 2010

Yuri Anime

The top news this week just came in last night, with the Nozomi/RightStuf panel at AnimeExpo. RightStuf is going to be releasing the digitally remastered Shoujo Kakumei Utena (Revolutionary Girl Utena) in 2011. According to prelim press releases on Twitter from their panel, the release will be in three box sets. No news whether a remastered movie (with a soundtrack that isn’t squashed) is in the works, so don’t ask. Or, don’t ask me, anyway. Feel free to drive RightStuf crazy with your questions. In the meantime, if you know a young Yuri fan, an anime fan who has never had the pleasure of enjoying the surrealistic exercise that is Utena, or just want to fuck with someone’s brains, this will make a great opportunity to get ’em, but good.

Nozomi/RightStuf also announced the licensed for Sora no Woto, which seems to draw interest from Yuri quarters, regardless of whether it actually has any. :-)

Not to be outdone in “moe with very little, if any Yuri, but fans like to see it there, anyway” Bandai Entertainment also announced that it has licensed the K-On! anime. (Also from Twitter, but here’s the ANN report.

Funimation weighed in with a few licenses of their own. Intersecting our interests here are the resurrection of Haibane Renmei and Serial Experiments Lain and a new license of To Aru Kagaku No Railgun.

And, although this is really no more than rumor and there is nothing, no proof at all, except wishful thinking and an ambiguously worded ad in Nyantype, there are persistent rumors of a Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Force anime. I usually don’t report rumors, but I’m kinda hoping this one is true. ^_^

***

Yuri Manga

My sincere apologies, I complete forgot to mention this last week – Candy Boy is now out as a manga from MF Comics. So if you loved your time with these two sisters that love each other more than anything, please consider supporting the creators and purchasing the manga.

I am once more going to mention that Rakuen Le Paradis, Volume 3 is out now. Why am I mentioning it again? Because I only recently learned that among the many artists contributing that I like, Hayashiya Shizuru-sensei is among them. Exhibit A:

That puts this magazine in strong contention for my favorite manga magazine I read right now, as it has three of my top artists in it.

I typically read about 5 manga magazines regularly, with supplemental others as the mood or opportunity strikes. In fact, just for fun, here’s what I’m reading right now: Ultra Jump, Ikki, Yuri Hime, Yuri Hime S, Ribon, Rakuen Le Paradis, with Comic Blade and Dengeki Daioh as my whimsy takes me, Comic Ryuu and CompAce when I can find them.

I reviewed (and enjoyed) Volume 1, and now Volume 2 of Morita-san no Mukuchi is coming out. I bet Morita still doesn’t talk much.
:-)

While I’m pimping 4- koma manga with a little Yuri, Hinagiku Junshin Jogakuen, Volume 3 is also on the way.

Also soon to be hitting the shelves are Yuri Hime comics Shinigami Alice and Sakura Buntsu and Yuri Hime S Comic, HONEY CRUSH, Volume 2.

And if I’m reading this right, a number of the artists from Yuri Hime have gotten together some of their original Yuri doujinshi for a new Yuri Hime doujinshi, Yuri Hime Collection, Volume 1. Which is freaking genius on the part of Ichijinsha if that’s true and I didn’t just totally misunderstand the press release, which is also possible.

YNN correspondent Katherine H. wants to let you know that the second volume of CANAAN manga is up for pre-order, “bad art and all.”

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Drama CD News

The news has been sounded – Hayate x Blade Volume 13, which will be out in October, will be available in a deluxe format, with a Drama CD. I am so there.

***

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 Revolutionary Girl Utena, Yuri Network News | 14 Comments »


Maria Watches Over Us Anime , Season 4 Disk 2 (English)

July 2nd, 2010

You know you think a story is good when you know perfectly well that everything will work out, and you *still* get tense watching it all crumble.

On Disk 2 of Maria Watches Over Us, Season 4, we’re in a carefully suspended moment before several things start to crumble.

And with some deft writing by Konno Oyuki-sensei, not only are we allowed to enjoy that precariously suspended moment, we’re given an opportunity to laugh until our stomachs hurt – even knowing that soon our stomachs will hurt for an entirely different reason.

I am, of course, talking about the Kendo shiai, and the introduction of Arima Nana. After the Souer Audition tea party, Yoshino has to fess up to her rash promise made to Eriko. And now the chips are down and she doesn’t have a soeur to introduce to her! So, Yoshino does what anyone might in that situation- she lies bravely and tries to make a run for it. :-)

But after the laughter, we’re set up for tears. The series turns – rather reluctantly, it feels like – to the issue of Touko and Yumi. Because there is *so* much between them and because so much of it cannot be expressed by either of them, those of you who hate Touko will see only what is on the surface and will continue to hate her. There’s nothing I can say to make you look beyond that. So – hate away, my friends, because it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

Here’s to clenching our fists and watching over them, until the logjam breaks. And break it will. But for now…we have to watch it all crumble before it can be built up again.

Art – 7
Characters – 10
Story – 10
Yuri – 2
Loser Marimite Fan – slightly more than a million, and climbing
Overall – 9

More Sei, Youko and Eriko. More, more!

Posted in Anime, English Anime, Maria-sama ga Miteru | 6 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Mizu-iro Cinema

July 1st, 2010

It’s a two-fer week this week on Okazu. Today’s review is another Hiyori Otsu collection! Where Orange Yellow was a collection of short stories, today’s book, Mizu-iro Cinema (水色シネマ) is a one-volume story in full.

In a seashore town, Tae runs into famous actress Yui…and accidentally loses Yui’s favorite necklace for her. To make up the cost of the necklace, Yui offers Tae a chance to work it off as her assistant. Tae, attracted by Yui – and by Yuri’s glamorous life – agrees.

Yui struggles to find her place in Yui’s life, both at home and at work. She tries too hard, but never feels like she’s tying hard enough. At home, she really doesn’t understand what Yui wants from her. She feels as if her feelings for Yui are not returned and she doesn’t want to be a burden. Laying bed next to Tae, Yui also feels alone – she wonders if she’s the only one feeling her heart pounding at the idea of them sharing a bed. At work, Yui doesn’t need Tae to *do* anything, really, she just wants her to be there for her.

When Yui’s former lover, Mizuki, arrives under the pretext of returning something to Yui, it seems obvious to Tae that the two of them will get back together. So, when Mizuki suggests that Tae really has no reason to stay here, she leaves.

Yui tracks Tae down at her seaside home and explains that 1) she lied about the cost of the necklace (duh!) and 2) she told Mizuki to go packing because she likes Tae (double duh!) And so, they agree to like each other simultaneously. The End.

This is not the strongest story Otsu has every written, neither is it the weakest. It has all the bells and whistles of a nice “Story A” with a warm side of “You can’t go home again.”

Ratings:

Art – 8 I found the art to be more expressive than Otsu’s usual mix of “unflappable” and “unreadable”
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 8
Service – 0

Overall – 8

From goofy to serious, Mizu-iro Cinema is a nice story, told nicely. I’d love to see a coda, where we seem them actually “together.”

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime, Yuri Manga | No Comments »