Yuri Manga: Gunsmith Cats Burst, Volume 5 (English)

May 17th, 2010

Gunsmith Cats: Burst Volume 5Last year, I was so very pleased to review the final volume of Gunsmith Cats Burst. Now, just a little bit over a year later, it’s my double pleasure to read and review the final volume of Gunsmith Cats Burst in English!

My belief that this was the end that GSC deserved has not changed. The story has a little bit of everything that made GSC a classic series – one that actually stood the test of a few decades of time. Guns, car chases, sexy women…none of this goes out of style.

For this English-language version, Dark Horse provides the kind of work we expect from them – great reproduction, good quality pages, solid translation.

So what is there to say about the English edition that I did not about the Japanese? This. Sean Gaffney asked me to talk about the drug Goldie is selling. It enhances people’s susceptibility to “persuasion.” It’s not a brainwashing drug, just one that makes it easy to convince people to see your point of view, especially when it fits their already preconceived beliefs.

Some of you may not know this but I work in the pharmaceutical industry and I thought I’d tell you that there is *already* a pill like this. In fact, I smiled through the entire book knowing *exactly* what Goldie is pushing. You know what it’s called? It’s called…a placebo. No, seriously. If I give you a pill and tell you that it’s going to make you relaxed (or tense or hot or full or whatever) chances are, your brain (which is no doubt a finely honed instrument, capable of great feats of imagination) will immediately set you to feeling just that way.

Don’t believe me? Let’s do a little experiment.

Imagine that you are outside in the cold. It’s cold and dry and you enter your home and are greeted with a blast of cinnamon-flavored warmth. Someone is baking in the kitchen. Perhaps it’s cinnamon bread or muffins. You walk into the kitchen where the air is redolent with the smell. You open the oven door and a puff of warm air hits you in the face, and the room is once again filled with the scent of cinnamon.

Now…notice that you are salivating. You are, more than usual just sitting here. (Except for those of you who HATE cinnamon, hah on me.) I know you are, because your mind was imagining eating delicious cinnamon bread and when you do that, you start to salivate.

So, the power to persuade? Give a person a pill or a shot and tell them that it’s going to help them be convinced of your point of view and most people will be *thrilled* to give up their responsibility and let you make the choice for them.

In any case, with May married and in the role of a new mommy, Misty assuaging her desire for Rally with Goldie and Roy moving out to the suburbs, it’s no real shock that Rally decides it’s time to move on.

And now, so can we. With no lingering regrets, the book finally closes on a series that was one of the first to really make an impact here on Western shores.

Farewell Gunsmith Cats – it was loads of fun.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Characters – 9
Story – 9
Yuri – 6
Service – 5

Overall – 9

Today’s review was sponsored by the kindness and generosity of new Okazu Hero Ariella M! Thank you and welcome to the team, Ariella – email me to receive your Okazu Hero badge for proud display on websites and social media profiles. ^_^

Posted in English Manga, Gunsmith Cats, Yuri Manga | 5 Comments »


Interview with Yuri Manga Artist Fujieda Miyabi

May 16th, 2010

There’s not too much to say as an introduction. I have been enjoying Fujieda-sensei’s work since 2004 when I encountered it in Yuri Shimai. That story would eventually be published as Kotonoha no Miko to Kotodama no Majyo to. I liked how cute his stories were and was charmed by the goofy humor of Iono-sama Fantics and the gentle calm of Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan.

I also believe that Fujieda-sensei has the best costume design sense in the entire manga industry. So, when he agreed to answer a few questions, you can imagine how thrilled I was. ^_^

Continuing my series of interviews with Yuri Artists, it is my unbelievable pleasure to present a short interview with Fujieda Miyabi-sensei.

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Q1: Please tell us about yourself.

A: My name is Fujieda Miyabi.

Even though I draw mostly to make myself happy, I am glad that there are overseas fans who can enjoy my clumsy work.

Q2: How did you become a mangaka? Did you want to be one when you were a child?

A: When I was publishing original doujinshi (self-published works) I was scouted by an editor and became a pro. That original work was Twinkle Saber Nova. It’s not a Yuri work.

Q3: Which artists inspire you?

Although I am ignorant about Fine Art, the manga art that most inspires me is Nagano Mamoru’s Five Star Stories. After that, the CLAMP-sensei, Kouga Yun-sensei and others whose work I admired in my youth.

Q4: If you weren’t a mangaka, what would you be doing?

A: Before I set my sight on being a mangaka, I thought I might become a chef.
Even now, I like to keep my hand in and do design work.

Q5: What was your motivation to start creating Yuri Manga?

A: When two women are happy together as a couple, I can say that that is the time I am at my happiest. In my middle school years, I became acquainted with the idea of drawing same-sex couples through CLAMP-sensei’s and Kouga Yun-sensei’s work, and I began to think about doing stories with female couples. Once I passed through technical school for drawing manga, I began to draw Yuri manga.

Q6: Can you tell us a little bit about your process?

On average I draw about 16 pages every two weeks, but my production schedule is pretty unsteady. Faster if I’m running out of time.

Q7: How were Iono-sama Fanatics and Ame-iro Kouchkan Kandan received by the Japanese audience?

A: Iono-sama Fanatics was not a romantic love story between two women, but was drawn to be a story about a loving Queen with a harem. Those people who prefer mainly comical series seemed to like it. Ame-iro is about only two women, the ones who like it are those who take time and read it slowly and gently.

As an author, these both make me happy. I think Ame-iro is more popular and has gained more readers, though.

Q8: It is not unusual for a man to draw Yuri however, your work has a gentle, feminine atmosphere. What are your thoughts on drawing women’s emotions and thoughts?

Of course, because I am a man, women’s feelings are difficult.

But, I think it’s the same as when it’s a woman and a man, that sense of wanting to be kind to one another. That’s my first thought. How much of that emotion, of feelings of kindness or happiness is just in my imagination depending on the scene that I’m drawing.

Q9:　Is there something you’d like to ask your overseas fans?

A: To the fans who anticipate my next work, what kind of story would you like to see?
I’d like to hear from you.

(This is Erica: You can visit his website, Moonphase or follow him on Twitter and contact him directly!)

Q10:　Do you have a message for your overseas fans?

A: I am still inexperienced, but from here on, I will to the best of my abilities, continue to work as a Yuri manga artist. From far away, I will work hard to confer upon you happy hours.
Should you encounter my next work, I will be happy.

See you again.

***

Thank you Fujieda-sensei for taking time from your busy schedule and answering our questions – and thank you everyone for reading this interview.

Posted in Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan, Fujieda Miyabi, Interview, Iono-sama Fanatics | 40 Comments »


Yuri Network News – May 15, 2010

May 15th, 2010

Shortish report today. I’m feeling kinda crappy and got stuff to do. But I promise you something extra good tomorrow in return! An interview with Fujieda Miyabi, creator of Iono-sama Fanatics and Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan! Now on to the report:

Yuri Anime

Via @giapet on Twitter, our friends at Media Blasters have relaunched their website with streaming for Ikkitousen and Queen’s Blade. For you old-school anime fans, Media Blasters sort of forgot to mention to anyone that they also have released the entirety of Magic Knight Rayearth – season 1 and 2 as a set. I’m watching Season 1 right now for the first time all the way through. I’ll let you know what I think when I’m done.

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Yuri Manga

Shoujo Hakumei~ Nekomedou Kokoro-tan collects a bunch of the Black Cat Mansion tales from Yuri Hime and is out this week from Ichijinsha.

Also out this week from Yuri Hime is Shoujo-Holic and Yuri Hime Selection, Volume 2. If you recall, the “Selection” books are collections of the random one- and two-shots that appear in earlier issues of the magazine.

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Yuri Artbook

Speaking of Ichijinsha, you gotta love how they are wringing every drop of money they can from their IP. Along with a pile of manga, they are also putting out Yuri Hime Artworks – CHRONICLE, an artbook of the color illustrations from the magazine (and, I’d presume from YHS, as well.) This is slated for July, so plan yourself a summer gift. :-)

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Snatches of Yuri

Comic Lo has a series which may or may not have Yuri, but the Japanese bloggers seem to think so, anyway. Probably because the title is Hajimete no Yuri. :-)

This piece of news is for Bruce, really. God help us, but there’s a 5th volume of Mikarun X. Can you believe it?

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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 | 6 Comments »


Light Novel: R.O.D., Volume 4

May 14th, 2010

There are some inevitable things in the universe. If a conversation covers used books, then one of these inevitable things must surely be the town of Hay-on-Wye. It’s a lovely town, by the way. (Yes, of *course* I’ve been. Do you not know anything about me yet? I’ve been a bibliophile for many years more than I’ve been an otaku)

And indeed, the inevitable happens at the beginning of the fourth Read or Die Light Novel. Yomiko is let loose by her caretaker Wendy for two hours in Hay-on-Wye. And of all the books Yomiko wants most, the only copy is in the hands of someone else. He’s a nice-looking Chinese man, perhaps a little older than Yomiko. He genially suggests that they play rock-paper-scissors for it…and they do. Minutes pass into hours as they keep tying on “paper.” When Yomiko wins by suddenly switching to “scissors” he asks her flat out if she is a Paper User. They discuss her love of books, but she doesn’t tell him why she wants this particular book – one especially beloved by her mentor and lover, Donny.

Upon returning to London, a thin plot about a piece of the original paper that the Guttenberg bible was printed on is wrapped thinly around three things: 1) The guy Yomiko met in Hay-on-Wye is a member of the nefarious “Dokusensha,” an evil organization that is trying to do the exact same things the British Library is trying to do – but for the bad guys, which is to say, not us. 2) Dokusensha has a Paper User too, and this allows us to have wonking great battles on the North Sea and then over London (in which references were made to H.G. Wells) and 3) Nenene.

Oh, yes, although this entire novel takes place in the UK, Nenene decides to arrive just as Dokusensha invades the British Library and take her hostage. This gives Yomiko the opportunity to not just have a wonking cool battle over London – she on her paper airplane, Dokusensha with their paper dragon that comes up the Thames – but to rescue Nenene and be her hero. Nenene’s hero. With hugs, and tears, and protestations of “don’t scare me like that” and “I don’t ever want to be apart from you,” and “I want to be with you forever.”

A new character is introduced by the way…and no, it’s not Nancy. Not yet, hold your horses. She comes in the next novel. This time it’s Faust. Like Mr. Gentleman (a name that makes me think of Lewis Carroll every time I read it,) Faust is very old. 400 years of very old. Unlike Mr. Gentleman, he’s lived every one of those years in a 10-year old boy’s body. He looks, honestly, like Junior with his hair cut short and a “I know something you don’t” smile. He was a nice addition to the team, because while his abilities are strictly in the not-dying capacity, he’s a good strategist and a fast thinker. That leaves Yomiko and Drake to carry out the tactics, which works well.

I definitely like it best when Nenene and Yomiko are together and I’m very much hoping that that will be pretty much the rest of the series.They make a very cute couple, whatever they think they think about one another.

Ratings:

Art – 5
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 4
Service – 2

Overall – 7

Nenene and Yomiko are together for less than 10 pages and every last one of them filled me to satisfaction.

Posted in Light Novel, R.O.D. | 1 Comment »


Aria Manga, Volume 5 (English)

May 12th, 2010

Aria Volume 5 (Aria (Tokyopop))In Aria, Volume 5, we stop pretending that there is any Yuri and just look at this wonderful world of Neo-Venezia for the simple joys it represents.

For two chapters.

Then Athena shows up and all the Fanboys are at it again, pairing her and Alice because they can’t stop themselves.(On this topic but as an aside, I am watching an anime on Crunchyroll right now that has no romantic pairings at all, but you’d never know that from the comments which are singularly obsessive on that topic. It’s like a broken wire in the collective fandom. One I share, obviously ^_^)

So, Aika, who was our slight delusion of Yuri, has turned her gaze away from Alicia towards Al – and it is good. Except for Al’s bad puns, which are execrable in any language.

Akari has eyes for no one and nothing but the grandeur and artistry of the town she has adopted as her home. In Volume 5, the town officially adopts her in return. I am told, by the way, that Venice really does this – people either love it with all their love, or dislike it. My parents feel deeply and passionately in love with Venice at first sight. They, like Akari, have spent an afternoon on San Marco Square following the sun and drinking coffee and accounted it the best afternoon ever spent anywhere.

For me, the most interesting and best chapter is a chapter in which Alice learns that left hands and sempai may seem clumsy or awkward, but when left to do what they are best at, excel. This chapter has some personal resonance for me, as well as just being a fun, sweet chapter.

I’d like to comment on the translation, as well. I think it is actually very in keeping with Akari’s personality to have her say things like, “What’s shakin’ bacon?” or “Holy guacamole!” Nonetheless, I loathe the choice. It jars with the overall tone and pace of Neo-Venezia, which is old world elegant and sedate. Translators, adaptors and editors ought to keep the big picture in mind, as well as the specific scene or character. There is nothing wrong with these idioms, I just find them irking.

There is no Yuri, as I have said from the beginning, in Aria. There is only delusion and wishful thinking. But, with the winter sun shining on the canals of Neo-Venezia, what better is there to do but sit, drink coffee and engage in some wishful thinking.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 0
Service – 1

Overall – 8

It is my sincere pleasure to thank Okazu Superhero Amanda M for her sponsorship of today’s review! It’s always a good afternoon when spent in Neo-Venezia.

Posted in Aria, English Manga | 3 Comments »