My-Hime Manga, Volume 3 (English)

March 29th, 2009

Let’s talk positives and negatives, strengths and weaknesses.

The original Mai HiME anime was good. It has some clear areas of strength – shiny, colorful action and strong, likeable characters. The intense dramatic angst could be seen as either a positive or negative depending your particular interest, but for the moment I’ll reckon it as a positive, because it definitely worked. Significantly negative for me was the fact that the ending made all my (and the characters’) emotional strain irrelevant. And, again for me, the service got pretty tiring pretty fast. I’m sure there’s someone out there for whom the implication that Natsuki has no underwear on is utterly thrilling.

The plot of Mai HiME was not simple, but it was not hideously complex. in traditional battle manga style, when one enemy was neutralized, another, greater enemy was realized and, in typical fashion, the bad guys are always one step ahead of the good guys. The plot was a weakness, but not one I hold against it, since it’s typical of it’s kind.

In stark contrast, the My-HIME manga is full of an inexplicable, overcomplicated and insensible plot, unlikeable characters and overdrawn action. Above all, it’s greatest weakness is that the dialogue frequently makes no sense at all. Sure, with time and effort, you can kind of figure out what’s going on…but screw that. *You’re* the storyteller. You tell me what I need to know, don’t make me go hunting for key pieces of information hidden in the babble.

In fact, the impression I get from My-Hime, Volume 3 is this:

Person A: I will use my super power to do something amazing and stupid!

Person B: Yes, thanks, I will have the tuna salad for lunch.

Time after time, I stare at the pages and say, “Whah?”

And before you ask – no, it is not the translation. I read the original and it was just as bad. In fact, props to the translator and adaptor who probably were forced to drink heavily to get through the constipation that passes for dialogue in this series.

There is no Yuri in this volume. Shizuru appears on – maybe – two or three pages and Haruka and Yukino barely appear either. As they are the more Yuri couple in this series, a chapter without them is a sad and lonely chapter.

So. What exactly happens in this volume? Honestly…I’m not sure. A random hot springs nudity scene suddenly turns into a cave-in and everyone runs around screaming. This is folowed by the “Mai does too much” plot side-by-side with the “Tate’s birthday” plot. The end of the manga brings a shift of focus. Mai learns that if a Child is defeated, the Key is destroyed, so she tells Tate to leave. The Searrs Foundation (and thus Alyssa and Miyu) show up, as do Shiho, importuning Tate to leave with her. Natsuki’s mother mysteriously returns as a part cyborg HiME, from ten years long absence. The Searrs Foundation stop the Orphans, Nagi is beheaded (woo-hoo! best part of the volume.) All of this followed by a completey random bathing suit service page.

The End.

You wanna know what happened, really? You read it and tell me.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 5
Characters – 5
Yuri – 0
Service – 5

Overall – 5

Completely accidentally, today we must again thank Okazu Hero Elaine B for her contribution to our collective confusion. Thanks Elaine for sponsoring today’s review!

Posted in English Manga, Mai Hime | 9 Comments »


Yuri News This Week – March 28, 2009

March 28th, 2009

The Yuriscape is very anime-heavy this week.

Yuri Anime

Sean and Eric leapt to tell us that a Simoun box set will be shipping in June. I was asked recently why Media Blasters didn’t ship the first volume along with the box option, like companies used to. I thought I’d share my answer with you all.

For one thing, the business model of a higher priced first volume with a cardboard box was almost universally despised by the market. It added very little value, saved no room and was basically annoying, as it rarely came with incentive to buy the rest of the set, except to fill the box. Companies toyed with expanding the offering – providing t-shirts and other physical extras and, towards the end, offered coupons for purchase of the next DVD in the set. But let’s face it, the single DVD model is pretty much dead here in America. More and more anime is coming out as season or half-season sets, packaged smaller, with less physical stuff. Media Blasters typically does very nice “box” sets, with large jewel cases that contain all of the disks, with no physical extras at all.

The reasoning behind single disk sales followed by repackaged multi-disk sets is simple: cost. The most expensive disk to press is the first. (This is true for books, as well.) Let’s say it cost $4000 to press the first disk. (I’m making up numbers here, don’t quote me.) The second disk will not make the cost go up significantly, since the press is already set, as it were. So two disks still cost $4000, but now cost $2000/disk. If the company prints 1000 disks, the total cost has gone up, but the cost-per-disk has dropped to (again, making this up *completely*) $5/disk. Got that? Okay, so.

Company A sells individual DVDs in nice boxes, with pretty pictures, etc, and the total thing costs (fictitiously speaking) $8/disk, not including cost of promotion, distribution, etc. So they sell it for, say $20, and make enough to cover the costs, plus a bit towards the next disk in the set. Still with me?

Now, after Company A has sold as many of the single-DVDs as possible, there are *plenty* of people who would still like the anime, but didn’t want to spend $120 for it. So they take the disks (which are now at a low cost-per-disk, because it’s the end of the run, not the beginning) and repackage them into a season set and charge, say $40. At this point, the cost-per-disk, even with packaging and distribution, etc, has fallen, so the company scrapes up more sales from something that costs them less. Same thing, one more time, with thinpaks. After an anime is past its shelf life it’ll go on discount – that’s a few more sales for the last, and thus cheapest, disks.

That having been said, American otaku are not like Japanese otaku. Japanese otaku express their devotion to a series through buying obsessively. The more DVDs, figurines, etc., one has, the more uber you are. Simon Jones of Icarus Publishing has a great summation of this that I strongly recommend for light reading. (Blog reasonably NSFW, but totally worth reading!) American otaku are not willing to part with $ as an expression of love, so most anime companies are moving to that season or half-season box set format. I approve, if only for the fact that I am now completely out of room on my lovely shelves.

Anyway – I hope that explains the “why” behind the repackaging and discounting thing. And why Volume 1 in a cardboard box is passe’.

Back to news:

Right Stuff has announced the release of a season set for Gakuen Alice. I know many people did not see it as a Yuri series. Many people did. I’ve just reviewed Volume 5 of the manga and see nothing as of yet to dissuade me of the notion. (Yes, I *know* later volumes, blah, blah, blah. My delusion is mine. So there, nyeh.)

Katherine is pleased to tell us that, after she ragged a bit at them, the Afterellen editors caved and announced the coming of Sasamikikoto and Aoi Hana animes. She promises to now rag at them about YM6. lol

In other anime news, Sean unenthusiastically reports that there will be a Venus Versus Virus season set coming out soon from Funimation, as well.

***

Yuri Manga

Anime News Network reports that both Strike Witches and Koihime Musou will be getting manga in the near future. So moe Yuri fans will have something else to read in scanlation, not buy, and then complain about. Phew.

Not in the least least, Yuri Monogatari 6 has been shipped to the distributor and will hit the stores and Amazon as soon as it’s processed. Yay! I still haven’t seen it myself, however and am waiting for the shipment to arrive here, where non-bookstore or Amazon pre-orders and direct orders will be processed as *soon* as I get the darn things! I cannot wait to see it.

Let me unashamedly plug YM6 for all of you Yuri fans who want to see more actual women in love with other actual women and less schoolgirls, first crushes and not-gay couples. It is the *only* Yuri publication that honestly and openly represents the GLBT world.

And please put our YM6 Launch Party on your calendar – April 18th, in Secaucus, NJ. Spend a night with the artists behind YM6 – get your copy autographed and have some good, clean, Yuri fun!

***

One last thing before I finish up today. Both the 4th season of Maria-sama ga Miteru and the Mariaholic anime finished up this week. I just watched the Marimite finale – it was exactly what I hoped for and handled beautifully. I am convinced that there will be no 5th season, but of course I still wish for 4 OVAs to cover 4 of the novels that got left out that I *really* would pay money for. However…one never knows. I will watch the end of Mariaholic as well and if time permits, write a compare and contrast, because…why not? :-)

Anyway, there’s your news for the week! See you next week with more great Yuri news!

Posted in Yuri Network News | 11 Comments »


Click Manhwa, Volume 1 (English)

March 27th, 2009

You may have noticed that almost all (if indeed, not all) of the gender-switch manga and manhwa that make into English are meant to be comedy. I have some theories about that, the chief of which is that for many, many people drag is, all by itself, utterly hilarious. Add to that the whole gender switch thing, and the joke is fall on the floor hysterical.

Not so much for me. I think I have yet to see a drag show that I thought was inherently funny. zOMG! Man in dress! is not enough for me to fall on the floor laughing. Even (especially) when it was Milton Berle. Monty Python did funny drag scenes, because the funny was in the writing, not just in the drag.

So, when I’m reading something like Your and My Secret, the story has to be funny for me to find it funny. The idea that Nanako and Akira switched bodies zOMG!, on it’s own, is just not enough.

Which brings me to today’s review.

Click, Volume 1 is, without rival, the least funny “comedy” gender-switch manga I have ever read. It beats out Yubisaki Milk Tea, which I found utterly without merit, for the position. Not because the gender switch itself is preposterous (it is, but it’s still miles better than being hit by an alien spaceship), but because the characters in this story are the most hideously unlikable, unsympathetic, cretinous characters it has ever been my experience to read.

The lead character, Joonha, is a medieval-minded sexist asshole. He believes that he is God’s gift to warthogs and acts accordingly. When it turns out that his family has a genetic predisposition to switching gender, he wakes suddenly female, but no less sexist, or one jot less an asshole.

Joonha continues to remain an asshole throughout, as she switches schools, deals with the important things like periods and skirt length (sigh) and other breath-robbingly comical situations.

The truth is, I so disliked Joonha that I found myself wishing her exceedingly painful cramps for her period. Stupid git deserves the worst nature can throw at her. Although mood swings would go completely unnoticed by the people around her.

Yuri is implied when we learn that Joonha’s father was once female and her mother fell in love with him then. If he had not switched, Dad and Mom laugh, they would have had to have been a lesbian couple. Ahahahah. And the girl that Joonha rejected with the most brutality and the least class possible, has vowed to track her down and be true to her – no matter what. zOMG. So, Yuri? Yeah, I guess. I’ll get back to you in Volume 2 to see if it gets any less miserable.

It dawned on me about 1/2way through the book that I will *never* understand straight women’s attraction to men who are loathsome and that no one ever smiles happily in a manhwa. I find it utterly depressing.

This is the first Netcomics book I’ve ever read. I have no quibbles about the reproduction, but I’m sure if I asked, I’d get straight-girl responses to the misery. (Last time I asked someone I know at a BL/Hetero publisher, I was told, “Isn’t it hysterical?” I looked at the respondant like an alien was bursting out of her head. No. It really isn’t hysterical.) I will give Click this – in comparison, Your and My Secret is much, much more entertaining.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 4
Characters – 5 Joonha – 2
Yuri – 1
Service- 1

Overall – 4

Welcome *another* brand new Okazu hero, Gabrielle S. for sponsoring today’s review! Gabrielle – to receive your Okazu Hero badge, email me!

Posted in English Manga | 12 Comments »


Your and My Secret Manga, Volume 3 (English)

March 26th, 2009

Akira and Nanako switch bodies with the help of a machine that then immediately breaks, leaving them stranded in each other. Akira likes Nanako and Nanako likes Nanako. Shiina is Nanako’s best friend and, now that Nanako is in Akira’s body, they are going out. Senbongi is Akira’s best friend and, now that Akira is in Nanako’s body – which Senbongi knows – he wants to go out with Akira. Because Shiina is cute and girly, Akira naturally likes her too, so all that’s left is Senbongi and Akira’s body liking each other to make a complete mess.

Which is exactly what we get in Volume 3 of Your and My Secret.

The bulk of the book is taken up by Akira (in Nanako’s body) playing Juliet to an extremely amorous Senbongi. Nanako (in Akira’s body) seems to be uncommonly jealous and rumors spring up about Akira and Senbongi as a result. When Senbongi attempts to actually kiss Akira (in Nanako’s body) at the climax of the play, Nanako (in Akira’s body) jumps in to break up the kiss, but ends up kissing Akira (in Nanako’s body)instead. Nanako (in Akira’s body) jumps up and, to cover her (his) behavior confesses his feelings for Senbongi. The girls of the school respond with doujinshi immediately.

While we all wallow in this crazy, wacky, unresolvable gender-bendy love quadrangle, there is one poor soul whose soul is not having any fun at all. Shiina, Nanako’s best friend now girlfriend, is confused, hurt and upset. In the very first sign of her thinking of someone other than herself, Nanako (in Akira’s body) apologizes to her (his) erstwhile girlfriend with a kiss. Whether you consider that Yuri or not is entirely personal.

The book ends with Senbongi once again trying to argue his case to Akira (in Nanako’s body.) He doesn’t care that the girl in front of him is really a boy, he likes Akira and thinks he’s cute as Nanako. End of story for him. But Akira states plainly that, despite everything, he likes Nanako. Senbongi apologizes for being difficult and leaves the room. Where can this possibly lead? I have no idea. I can see Akira (in Nanako’s body) competing with Shiina for his own body with Nanako inside. But I guess we’ll find out next time, won’t we? ^_^

So, Yuri is in the eye of the beholder once again. If a girl in a boy’s body kissing a girl is Yuri or if a boy in a girl’s body liking a girl is Yuri for you, then you will see this as Yuri. I’m more inclined to weight emotional intent higher than physical aspect, myself. And of course, there’s apparent – and amusing – BL too, for those of you who like that.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Characters – 6
Story – 6
Yuri – 3
Service – 5

Overall – 7

Today we welcome a brand new Okazu hero Elaine B. for sponsoring this review! Thank you very much, Elaine – email me at your convenience to receive your Okazu Hero badge!

Posted in English Manga | No Comments »


V-Hunter Manga

March 25th, 2009

I’m pleased as punch and mad as a porridge knife to offer you a Guest Review today by Okazu Hero Katherine! Katherine thank you so, so much for this review because it means I didn’t have to write anything for today! Yay! :-) I would like to take this opportunity to flog an old horse. This review is about a scanlation. You may have noticed that I do not do reviews of scanlations. I either buy the book in English or Japanese, or one of the Okazu heroes buys it for me. I know that some scanlation groups simply desire to share obscure and out-of-print things with fans. However, I strongly object to fans who read scanlations and watch fansubs but do not support the genre in any meaningful way. I know that my readers are huge purchasers of Yuri, and for that I am immensely proud and thankful, so I am not accusing you, dear reader. Just making a point for people who should stumble upon this review randomly, or who have never considered the issue before. Thank you for your patience, the dead horse flogging is done, the review will now commence.

When I found Shizuru Hayashiya’s debut work, a modest one-shot titled V-Hunter, my heart went aflutter and my eyes lit up with childlike glee at the thought of seeing the starting point for Hayashiya-sensei’s professional manga career, which would later include the excellent action-comedy Hayate x Blade and the delightfully goofy rom-com Strawberry Shake Sweet. After reading V-Hunter, all that I could think was, “Hayashiya’s come a long way since then….”

Don’t get me wrong. The story features Hayashiya’s trademark energy, screwball humor, and of course, Yuri. (Yay!) But like any incipient mangaka, her story is marked with the telltale signals of inexperience. First, the artwork. The character designs are very 90s shoujo. Hayashiya was clearly still defining her own unique style when she drew this. While full of dynamic facial expressions and expressive body gestures (a signature of her later manga), the art lacks the confident, solid line work and more appealing, refined character designs that she would hone in her later works. (Although her take on Rhett Butler is hilarious.)

The story itself is fairly unique. A high school-aged girl (come to think of it, she never gets a name…) rents an old VHS copy of Gone with the Wind (E here…OLD? That’s all we *had* in the 90s! Sheesh.) from a local video store. But since she’s playing the video for the 666th time (*insert evil laughter*), out pops a demonic version of Rhett Butler who, being a demon, needs the blood of a virgin after arriving to earth. That does mean what you think it means, but before Rhett can sully our virtuous heroine, a mysterious woman conveniently shows up (the V-hunter or “video stream manipulator,” who does get a name) and, upon the girl’s request, banishes Rhett back into the video (I’m laughing as I type this) using another video demon from a well-known horror flick. After the V-hunter’s task is complete, the girl asks her how she can repay her. But since she can’t pay the monetary fee (3,000,000 yen), she agrees to “pay” the V-Hunter using her body. (Which again, does mean what you think it means, but Hayashiya doesn’t show anything more than strictly necessary. Sorry. :) ) The V-Hunter then leaves, and the omniscient narrator sagely reveals that the V-Hunter only saves pretty girls. How noble. :)

So, despite the threat of non-con, this comes through as a fluffy, fun one-shot (more fun than it really should be @_@;;) that will satisfy those looking for some goofy humor and a weird story, if not the storytelling chops and broadly appealing characterization that appears in Hayashiya’s later works. (But hey, it’s a one-shot.) Anybody who’s a fan of Shizuru Hayashiya’s manga should check it out, if only for the fun of seeing how far she’s progressed and which elements have been present in her work since the beginning of her career.

Ratings:

Art: 6 (Fun, but kinda sketchy.)
Story: 7
Characters: 6 (Nobody I would want to meet, but still entertaining.)
Yuri: 7
FanBoy: 3
FanGirl: 4
Hayashiya Fan: 8

Overall: 7

Thanks again Katherine and Lililicious, for bringing us a look at another screwball Yuri comedy from the screwball mind of Hayashiya-sensei. I’ll be back tomorrow, but no clue if I’ll care about you all enough to post. See you soon!

Posted in Hayashiya Shizuru, Yuri Manga | 3 Comments »