Yuri Manga: Jormungand, Volume 3 (English)

June 8th, 2010

I think it’s reasonable to say that Volume 3 of Jormungand is as Yuri as this series is likely to get. Which is to say, not really all that much, but enough. ^_^

Volume 3 is more fragmented than the previous volumes, which is either the author’s way of letting us know he thinks we can handle it, or his way of saying “fuck it, I’m going to do whatever I want and if you can’t handle it, then don’t read it, see if I care.” ^_^

To begin we learn a little of Jonah’s background and why he hates arms and arms dealers, and we also see that he has a soft spot for other children, something that seems likely to bite him in the ass. This being Jormungand and not something else, when it *does* bite him in the ass, it’s actually kind of funny.

We then turn our attention, in a somewhat ADHD manner, to several sub-plots that will all undoubtedly come to a head in somewhere, Africa. If you like your tales neat and beginning-middle-end then this volume may pose a challenge, as characters, plot complications and, well, just about everything are thrown at us in a jumble. Works fine for me, but your mileage may vary.

In between the big plot points and obvious set-ups, we do meet a few new characters…and get to spend a little more time with our resident lesbian, Valmet. She has a real name, did you know? Sophie. I’ve always liked that name. I also quite like crazy, violent women who wear eyepatches, so if Valmet ever tires of Koko (and presuming I was a character in this manga,) I’d be glad to pick up the slack. ^_^

Along the way, we meet an unnamed female bodyguard, who will obviously be our next enemy….oh look, she is. We also meet “Dr. Miami” a researcher specializing in butterflies who appears to also have an unrequited thing for Koko. Understandably so.

Fights break out. Guns are shot. People we don’t care about die.

The thing about Jormungand that really makes it stand out from all the other crazy lunatic violent series I read is that it’s…erm…funny. Very little angst here in this world of people who sell guns that kill people for a living. Which is good, because if they were all moping around like they do in Dogs it would be a dire, non-linear pile of crap. But since they are having such a good time, it’s the least I can do to enjoy it. So I do.

And there’s some Yuri. Yay!

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 3
Service – 3

Overall – 8

If Valmet ever crossed series to work for Balalaika, I might die of fangirly joy.

Posted in English Manga, Yuri Manga | No Comments »


Yuri Manga: Kimi Koi Limit

June 7th, 2010

Kimi Koi Limit is one of the Yuri Hime cell-phone manga releases by Ichijinsha. Drawn and written by Momono Moto, it tells the story of Sono, one of the most selfish cretins to ever inhabit a manga.

We start the manga with a scene late in Sono’s high school life when she confesses her feelings to, and is rejected by Satomi, who is leaving after graduation to go to school in Tokyo.

Time flies and we see Sono, now also in Tokyo, with a lover Hiroko. Sono contributes nothing at all to the household – she’s a slob, a slacker and a jerk. Hiroko can tolerate all that but when, not for the first time, Sono says someone else’s name as they make love, Hiroko has had it – she throws Sono out.

Sono quickly becomes homeless, because she’s a slacker. And in a crazy, unbelievable, but nevertheless predictable, handwave she is found and rescued by none other than Satomi.

To her credit, Sono moves into Satomi’s life as if she has been given a chance to find happiness by the gods. She starts to clean, cook, she even gets a job at which she perseveres. She knows she can’t stay with Satomi forever, but she can at least get herself straightened out to be worthy of her. She still lusts after Satomi and this proximity isn’t lessening that one bit.

In yet another unbelievable yet predictable handwave, not only do Hiroko and Satomi attend the same university, they work together at the same library on the same shift. In a casual conversation about Hiroko looking unhappy, Hiroko spills that she just threw her lover out and is worried that she is homeless. Satomi mentions why, how odd, she just found a friend who had been homeless, thrown out by her lover! But it’s not until Satomi *sees* a picture of Hiroko and Sono toghether that they put it all together. Hiroko’s feckless lover and Satomi’s roommate are both Sono! zOMG!

Before I go on, I have to say that, at this point, I absolutely loathed all three of them. There was no ending that was going to make me happy, unless it ended with Sono going the hell away. And what were the chances of that?

Through a series of even more handwaves, uncomfortable situations and cliches, Sono leaves Hiroko for Satomi who decides inexplicably that she’s suddenly in love with her. Honestly, getting Sono out of her life was probably the best thing for Hiroko.

In the end, we’re to believe that because she attained her dream, suddenly Sono found ambition, skills, a career, etc. We see her in typical careerwoman get-up, while Satomi plays the role of wife. And they live happily ever after.

Bleah….

While this manga is nicely drawn, extremely well-toned and really, really well-executed as compared with, say, Gokujou Drops, Kimi Koi Limit had so many things I had to just accept, so little plausibility, that *my* Koi Limit was stretched. And on top of that, Sono was just an unlikable little prat. If Sono had been a good lover to Hiroko, a kind friend to Satomi, I might have been able to hack it. But she wasn’t. She was a selfish, narcissistic jerk right to the very end.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 6
Characters – 4
Yuri/Lesbian – 10
Service – 4

Overall – 5

This is probably the best-looking of the YH cell-phone manga. I just wish I liked the story a bit more than I do.

And, in the way of such things – I have an extra copy to give away!　Yes, you too can be annoyed by Sono and her inability to appreciate what she has.

To enter you must be 18 and this time, I’m keeping it domestic – contiguous 48 states only. Not because I don’t love you overseas folks, I just want to cut back on shipping.

So – if you are from the US (not Alaska or Hawaii) and would like a copy of this beautiful, but emotionally unsatisfying manga, please tell me in the comments where *you* draw the line. Keep the comments non-pornographic please. I’m not asking for your least fave sex position, I just want to know what behavior stretches your love to breaking point.

Posted in Momono Moto, Yuri Manga | 19 Comments »


Aria the Origination Anime + Arietta OVA (English)

June 6th, 2010

Aria The Origination Dvd Collection (Tv Season 3 With The Ova Arietta)It’s not often that the final season of a series is better than the first. In the case of Aria The Origination (Season 3 + Arietta OVA) this is undoubtedly the case.

The animation hits level of sublime, rivaling Venice itself for breathtaking light effects. The colors are deep, vibrant, practically alive in their own right, and the little details are so lovingly depicted that, in some cases, they actually surpass the original.

And while such loving detail is paid to every brick, stone and tree, the story itself moves away from lingering glances at Neo-Venezia’s beauty and looks – for the first and last time – firmly at the Undines who roam it.

Aria has always been a story about people – about their dreams and fears, their motivations and joys. It’s always been a story that revels in the absolutely smallest things it can find to have fun with – the anime equivalent of the taste of chocolate melting on your tongue, the smile of a beautiful woman, the sound of music across a deserted plaza.

In this final season, we get to focus a bit, not where the Undines are looking, but on the Undines themselves and their friendship and love for one another. Each mentor is cast an in entirely new light, as we learn just how *much* they care for their protégés. At the same time, we watch each of the trainees struggling with the transition from student to peer.

This is simply a beautiful series, animated and voiced with the abject love of every single member of the team. If you weren’t absolutely sure that every single person who worked on it is in love with it, after you are done watching the extras, you will have no doubts whatsoever. Aria was a group effort, by the mangaka, the voice actresses, the animators and musicians. And, also by the folks at Right Stuf, who cared enough about Aria to bring all of it to us with the care it deserved. With lithographs and toys and papercraft and every other thing they could throw at us.

There is no Yuri, of course, there never has been. We’ve made it up in our heads since the beginning and nothing anyone is going to say is going to stop us now. :-)

Aria has always been beautiful and relaxing and gentle. With this final volume, it becomes timeless, as well.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 0
Service – 1

Overall – 9

I do have one criticism, but don’t want to ruin the mood. Let’s just drop it for now. ^_^

Many, many, many thanks go Okazu Superhero Dan P, who sponsored today’s review!

Posted in Aria, English Anime | 5 Comments »


Yuri Network News – June 5, 2010

June 5th, 2010

Yuri Events


If you’re going to be in Japan in September, consider scheduling in a trip to the Girl’s Love Festival, the fourth such Yuri-only doujinshi event held in Tokyo.

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Yuri Manga

Not only is there going to be a second volume of the Shoujo Yuri anthology, the Yuri network is buzzing with the news that both members of Yuri doujinshi circle Sakuraike, Kitao Taki and Mitou Kana, will be participating.

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Snatches of Yuri

Machigatta Ra-Nobe no Tsukurikata is about, one has to presume from the title, a clumsy/awkward/mistake-prone girl who wants to write Light Novels. Yuri is the kind of “funny” sexual harassment substituted by people who can’t create for people who can’t discern.

The plot of Shoukoujo (Thanks to Ana for the translation!) fascinates me. Not for the reason you might think. Apparently, in the future, when humanity has reached for the stars and plies their way across the universe, Yuri stories *still* happen in Catholic private high schools. :-)

Yuri seems to be on the slight uptick in the shoujo manga magazines these days. Running in Ribon is “Blue Friends” and in Nakayosi, “Nobara no Mori Otome-tachi” sounds ridiculously promising. I haven’t had a chance to confirm/deny/anything these, so this remains hearsay until a YNN correspondent tells me it is true. :-)

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Other News

I’ve talked about Twitter before here on Okazu. I know that it’s not to everyone’s taste, of course. But I remain convinced that it is a stellar tool for bringing the world closer. I’ve discussed some of the many excellent manga bloggers on Twitter. This community is growing all the time – you can see many of them participating in the monthly Manga/Manhwa Movable Feast project (the last one was hosted by Katherine Dacy at Manga Critic). This community has fabulous, fascinating and often incredibly funny and thoughtful conversations about the manga industry in 140 characters or less practically every night. It’s a supportive community, with members sharing each other’s triumphs and providing solace for down moments – and we promote the hell out of each other, sharing links and commenting on each other’s blogs. It’s a really fabulous place to be. If you are on Twitter, or just joining it, you don’t have to go through the trouble of searching for these folks – I’ve created an Anime/Manga list of people I follow. You can simply follow my list.  You may notice that some of these people are posting in Japanese. That’s because the Twitter world is smaller than you’d think. Some of the folks I follow on that list are not just bloggers and reviewers, too….some of them are Yuri manga artists. You might be surprised to see some of the names.

If you do decide to join Twitter, don’t forget to say hello! You can always find me @Yuricon. :-)

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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 | 1 Comment »


Yuri Manga: Tsubomi, Volume 6

June 4th, 2010

I know, I know. When I reviewed Tsubomi (つぼみ), Volume 5, I said that that was it for me and this anthology. But I was weak, and thought that, for the sake of the collection, I’d keep trying to like it. Well…after Volume 6, I’m done with it. For real this time.

Here’s the problem. The word tsubomi means “blossom” or “bud”  – baby flowers that moeru – ie., to blossom or to bud. And I feel as if the editorial staff is taking their name very seriously. Really, really seriously. There are few adult romances, and a lot more May-December, where May is younger than I care to read. There’s also very little “love” in this anthology – Because the characters have feelings that are just blossoming. *Just* being the key word. This is an anthology of stories that are prologues to Story A.

It’s apparent that I am not the audience for Tsubomi. It’s a shame because I’d like to support new Yuri anthologies, but not at the cost of my self-esteem. This anthology makes me feel icky and it makes me feel even ickier that there are enough Yuri fans out there that like it, that it’s doing well. I’m glad for the artists. but, meh. I can easily see a forthcoming contest in which my entire collection of Tsubomi is sacrificed.

Ratings:

Overall – 3

So, for real this time, this will be my last volume. I’ll leave it to those people who prefer their flowers unbudded and I’ll stick with the beautifully opened lilies that I love.
Posted in Yuri Manga | 4 Comments »