Maria-sama ga Miteru: Premium CD, Volume 2

August 3rd, 2010

Maria-sama ga Miteru Premium CD, Volume 2 jumps right into the drama. By which I mean the drama of Yoshino and Rei coming to terms with the fact that their relationship will have to change forever.

In “Kibara Panic,” a date with Nana becomes a race to see who Rei’s omiai partner is. Yoshino learns that Nana is disturbingly like a former Yellow Rose that she knows well….and is at least her equal in every way.

Yoshino is forced to come face to face with her feelings about Nana in “Kibara Shinken Shoubu.” Yoshino begs Rei not to let go her as she tries to ride a bicylce, but when Rei and Nana cross swords in the dojo, it’s Yoshino ends up casting the past aside to embrace the future.

Both of these were brilliant, funny, emotional dramas. Yoshino and Rei, the bickering couple of the Yamayurikai, cannot go on as they have. For Yoshino to grow, Rei has to let go, something she doesn’t really want to do. Yoshino also has to stop being grasping, but she knows she’s cheating by having someone else to lavish attention on. In the second drama, Yoshino has time to recognize that her love for Rei is obsessive and has been in many ways, suffocating to her beloved cousin.

Nana is a wonder. She’s Yoshino’s equal on every level, and has more than just vocal similarities to the former Rosa Foetida. She likes interesting things, is up for an adventure and no matter what Yoshino throws at her, she’s right there to stand by Yoshino’s side. Using Nabatome Hitomi was a stroke of genius, because it does give Nana more than a little of that slightly “hrm…this sounds familiar” feeling.

The final track is a bonus talk by Ueda Kana selling us all the current Marimite goods and reminding us to follow the Oshaka-sama mo Miteru series (about Yuuki and his life at Hanadera  and which I have been reading and may just review at some point, because the last book had a great ending.)

Ratings:

Overall – 9

A really lovely CD if you like the Yellow Rose family. Which I do.

Posted in Drama CD, Drama CDs & Audiobooks, Maria-sama ga Miteru | 2 Comments »


Morita-san ha Mukuchi Manga, Volume 2

August 2nd, 2010

In Volume 1 of Morita-san ha Mukuchi (森田さんは無口,) we met Morita Mayu, a girl who is, compared with other high school girls, very quiet. We also learn that it’s not because she can’t talk or doesn’t want to talk, she just never manages to spit it out fast enough.

In Volume 2, Mayu still doesn’t quite manage to get the words out, but that isn’t stopping her from having fun with her friends, making fun of her parents or bonding with her pet fish. In fact, because she keeps her mouth shut, doesn’t interrupt, always pays attention to the speaker and doesn’t do something else while they talk, we learn, she’s a favorite among her peers. There’s still one girl (unnamed so far) that has a crush on Mayu and a number of girls would rather be with Mayu than with one of the guys in the school.

In a sweet scene, Mayu’s best friend Hana is having boyfriend problems. They, and some other schoolfriends, go to a shrine for New Year’s Day. Mayu receives a fortune of “Half-luck,” which puzzles her. After helping cheer Hana up, Mayu and she eat some hot anpan. When Mayu loses her her grip and drops hers, Hana immediately breaks hers in half to share. Mayu thinks to herself that maybe this is what “half luck” meant.

In the main, this is a typical one-gag 4-koma, but there’s enough charm and reality in the characters that it doesn’t wear on the reader.

As with the first volume, the Yuri is scattered here and there throughout the story. Mayu’s unnamed admirer pops up from time to time to remind you that she exists, and there’s a general feeling that if Mayu should ever break her silence, the girls around her would swoon. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 6
Characters – 9
Yuri – 4
Service – 1

Overall – 8

In general, Morita-san ha Mukuchi is a silly, light-hearted comic strip that asks very little of the reader, except to accept that Mayu is not a big talker.

Posted in Miscellaneous | 1 Comment »


A Gathering of Guest Posts

August 1st, 2010

I’ve been out all day, but that doesn’t mean you have to go a day without me. ^_^

On David Welsh’s Manga Curmudgeon, I was honored to be allowed to review Book Girl and the Suicidal Mime. You can find my review here: http://precur.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/guest-review-book-girl-and-the-suicidal-mime/ Short version: I liked it a lot.

Out in the wider world of comics, my monthly column at Hooded Utilitarian, “Overthinking Things” this month is a Portrait of Compulsion (in 140 characters or less.) I love writing for HU, I get to really indulge my wankery pretentious side. ^_^

Of course I hope you enjoy reading these, as much as I enjoy writing them!

Posted in Miscellaneous | 5 Comments »


Yuri Network News – July 31, 2010

July 31st, 2010

Yuri Anime
Licensing announcements are starting to flow out of Otakon and already there are a few of interest to us.

Funimation announced the license for Strike Witches 2 (in which I am assuming there’s still the same level of implied Yuri as in the first season. If you are watching this and would like to review it, please send me an email.) And they are streaming the first episode of Girl’s Bravo, which had some Yuri service.

More interesting to me, Aniplex announced the Blu-Ray of Read or Die. Man, that’s really tempting. I didn’t actually expect this to get over here ever.

Keep your eyes out for an anime called Black Rock Shooter, which is out now, (thanks to everyone who wrote in about that.) More fightin’ schoolgirls for you, with accompanying angst and Yuri-ishness.


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Yuri Manga

More shoujo magazine Yuri. Ciao is running a story called Wazaarikkiwa Michan about which I still know absolutely nothing after having read the reviews. Some kids in school and two girls touch at some point, I suppose. But wow, is this all over Japanese forums and blogs, so I’ll keep my eye out for it.


The September issue of Cobalt Shuiesha will have a color Maria-sama ga Miteru picture and a drama CD! Still pushing that movie release.


And need I remind you that Summer Comiket is around the corner and all the Yuri doujinshi circles will undoubtedly have Heartcatch Precure doujinshi. ^_^


The second volume of Kaishaku’s new reworking of the same fetishes, Zettai Shoujo Seiiki Amnesium, is on sale. 


Yuri anthology Hirari, Volume 2 has a street date of August 25.

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Other News

Not Yuri, but you really need to read Matt Thorn’s write-up of being at Comic-Con with shoujo manga pioneer Moto Hagio. Aside from being adorable (and giving a shoutout to my friend, translator extraordinaire Mari Morimoto,) it was an interesting insight on the event from someone who is so influential, but not a traditional “Industry” rep.

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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 | 12 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Sweet Guilty Love Bites

July 30th, 2010

Sweet Guilty Love Bites, by Amano Shuninta, is currently a candidate for my top ten manga of the year list. It is so very, very close to the kind of thing I want out of Yuri. All it would need is *one* little thing to make it perfect.

The book follows the trials and tribulations of 4 hostesses at Club Lilac. In “Sweet Guilty,” Kirie has had a bad night and in a fit of pique kicks a pile of garbage only to learn that it was wrapped around a person. Myata settles into Kirie’s life so quickly she barely has time to get used to the feelings she’s having for her, when Myata suddenly leaves. But Myata isn’t really homeless, she’s actually the bassist for a popular band who was hiding from her manager. She and Kirie live…shall we all say it together? Happily Ever After.

“Guilty Love” starts with a one-night stand. Niina is a single mother and she leaves before the dawn. because she has a child who needs her at home. When she takes Runa to school the next day, Niina is mortified to learn that her erstwhile lover is her daughter’s kindergarten teacher. Mayu-sensei has to jump a number of hurdles to prove that she’s serious about Niina, and in the end, the three of them live together as a happy two-parent family.

Kokoro, another hostess at Club Liliac, is in love with the club headliner and cover model, Kurea. But as Kurea’s career takes off, Kokoro feels as if she’ll be left behind. She won’t, of course. “Love Bites” ends as happily ever after as the rest of the collection. ^_^

The afterword is disturbingly populated by a number of animals who were apparently instrumental in the making of this manga. Amano-sensei is an exceptionally well-trained seal, who knew?

So, what was the one teeny thing missing that would have made this book perfect? The word “lesbian.” Not one of the characters was a lesbian, none were women who loved women. In fact, when Niina asks Mayu-sensei if she’s in the habit of picking up women, Mayu says that a friend owns the bar and she just happened to be there. If there was one moment in which I would have liked to see a single character own up to being gay, that was it. “Yes,” Mayu could have said. “I’m a lesbian.” And the rest of the story would have been identical and this book would have gotten a 10, instead of a 9.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 9
Service – 3

Overall – 9

A book about women over the legal drinking age, all of whom find someone shiny and perfect and successful…if only one of them had been a lesbian. Still, this is good Yuri.

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime, Yuri Manga | 5 Comments »