Karakuri Odette Manga, Volume 4

April 17th, 2008

It’s always a pleasure to find a new series to read. It’s especially a pleasure when both my wife and I find something in common to enjoy. So, when it turned out that the author of one of her pretty demon boy series turned out to also be doing a series about a robot girl, we agreed to try it.

Karakuri Odette by Suzuki Julietta, is indeed about a robot girl, Odette. (That’s Odette looking decidedly Utena-esque on the left of the cover.) Her guardian and inventor, Professor Yoshizawa, created her in the image of a high school girl and Odette is taking her role very seriously. In the beginning of the series, when she realizes that there are differences between her and the girls she saw going to school, she tells the Professor that she would also like to go to school. So, she does. And little by little, she closes the gap between her and the human girls around her.

Odette’s a good kid. She’s thoughtful and kind and wants to be a good human, so she throws herself into things like school and making friends and learning to eat with zeal, surprising, but not displeasing, the Professor. When a second robot, Chris, shows up to kill the Professor, Odette befriends him and ultimately, he’s adopted into the Yoshizawa household.

Crises in Odette can be just about *anything.* From wanting to understand “flavor,” to android assassins, to staying over a friend’s house for the night – the chapters run the gamut from sweet to freakish with nary a breath between.

In Volume 4, Odette is sent to the house of spoiled, creepy Ringosaka Shirayuki. And true to her name, Odette plays the prince to this Snow White, waking her from a lifetime sleep of loneliness and unhappiness. The entire volume follows Shirayuki as she is awakened by her prince (sadly not with a kiss) and as she changes her whole life to be closer to Odette. It’s not quite Yuri, but it’s sort of on the edgier side of akogare and friendship. Shirayuki has to learn to share Odette and play well with others. The end of the volume sees the two of them hand in hand as they walk off to face tomorrow.

There’s really nothing to dislike in Karakuri Odette. The character is charming in her sincerity; her relationship to the Professor never fails to make me smile. “Professor! I want to go to school.” “Whah? Okay.” “Professor! I want to be able to eat.” “Why? All right.” “Professor! I want a cell phone.” “No.” His reactions are very much those of a parent of a teenaged girl. ^_^

The human drama is spliced into silly android drama, so that any chapter might be about “what is love” or escaping from people trying to kidnap Chris, by shopping for sneakers. Because it is a “high-school romance” shoujo story, there are several rivals for Odette’s affection. Yukimura, the first-year boy who has no idea she’s a robot, Chris the other robot, who does, and Shirayuki, who also does. And then there’s Odette’s sempai Asao. He’s a “bad,” but sensitive type, who is blunt with her about important things, but is very protective of her. One of the best things about the story is that there isn’t that “He’s mean to me because he loves me” dynamic that rules so much of shoujo manga.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 2
Service – 1

Overall – 7

So, while mild on the Yuri side, I have to say that I’m quite enjoying having a new shoujo manga series to follow (the first one since Marimite!) and, as an added bonus, I can share it with the wife. ^_^

Posted in English Manga | 2 Comments »


Red Garden Anime, Volume 2 (English)

April 16th, 2008

In Volume 1 of Red Garden, Kate, Claire, Rachel and Rose, four high school students on New York City’s Roosevelt Island, learn that their typical teen feeling of being uncomfortable in their bodies can be directly attributed to the fact that they are not, actually, *in* their bodies. They are living in borrowed bodies while their real bodies lay elsewhere, dead.

In Volume 2, the four girls attempt to hold on to what is left of normality for them, while they try to figure out how to integrate their new situation. It doesn’t go well. Rose breaks and runs which, they learn, could put them all in danger. The stress of the violence that fills their lives pushes its way into their previous relationships, threatening to destroy everything that they thought they had.

While Rachel and Rose cling to denial, Kate and Claire find the mansion where they died. And later, all four return to see the brutal truth of their deaths. Having hit bottom, they band together to find some small happiness in the borrowed lives that they are now living. They find themselves sitting in Claire’s apartment, with no phone, no electricity, nothing but food out of a can, and each other. For the moment, it’s enough.

Yuri in this episode is more of Paula’s obvious, but unstated, feelings for Kate – and Jessica’s openly stated jealousy of Kate. It’s slight, but Paula always comes off with class and (no pun intended) grace. She’s a positive role model as lesbian Student Council presidents go ^_^

No extras except trailers and the like, but the riveting drama and excellent characterizations are plenty to make this DVD worth watching. Once again, it is my pleasure to thank Daniel P for giving me the opportunity to review this fabulous anime.

Ratings:

Art – 6 (the noses get really distressing this volume)
Story – 8
Characters- 8
Yuri – 2
Service – 1

Overall – 8

As I watched the scene in the mansion, I couldn’t help but think how much *better* Red Garden would be, if Kate and Claire were an item. ^_^

Posted in English Anime | 2 Comments »


Yuri News: Shoujo Sect Anime

April 16th, 2008

Shoujo Sect, the ero Yuri manga by Kurogane Kenn, is being made into an ero anime OVA.

The first episode will be out on 7/25, according to this attractive advertisement.
^_^

Posted in Shoujo Sect, Yuri Network News | 6 Comments »


Interview with Yuri Translator Erin Subramanian

April 15th, 2008

Here’s the second entry in our industry interviews! This time, we’re talking to Erin Subramanian, a freelance translator and the much beloved Rosa Chinensis of Yuri scanlation group Lililicious. Erin also reviews Yuri manga, mostly stuff I don’t review here, at her Livejournal. I recommend it to you, if you don’t already have it bookmarked.

Anyway, welcome to Erin, and let’s get started with today’s interview!

1) So let’s start with the most obvious question – tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a yuri manga fan who translates for a yuri publisher (ALC Publishing) and translates and copyreads for a BL publisher. I also translate for free in my spare time. I have a B.A. in Japanese from the University of Rochester, and have been translating manga for around seven years now, though most of that work has not been for pay. I am a bisexual woman in a long-term relationship with a woman, and though yuri has a special place in my heart, I also love (male) gay and straight romance stories.

2) Are you a manga reader yourself? How did you get into manga? Did that lead you into working in the manga industry? Or do you just do it for the fame, glory and chicks? ;-)

Yes. I got into anime first–Sailor Moon–and then into manga from that. It was my enjoyment of manga that lead me to seek a job in the industry. Fame and glory don’t sound particularly appealing, and I think my partner would disapprove of the chicks (and dudes). :-/ However, when people ask me what I do, I get to tell them that I translate gay porn. It’s hard to top that.

3) Are you a fan of Yuri manga? Did you know it existed before you started working on a title? What were your thoughts upon seeing your first Yuri job?

Yes, yes, and “Cool, a yuri manga in a historical setting” (this was Morishima Akiko’s short one-shot “Ichigo-Hime,” from Yuri Monogatari 4).

4) Not every Yuri series is equal. Some are better than others. What, if any, thoughts do you have about the series you’ve worked on. Silly? Serious? Quality? Not?

I particularly like the works I translated for Yuri Monogatari 5–they’re a mix of silly and serious stories, and I’m glad that there is some sort of market for works like that here too. Not that I think they’re the only sort of works that should come over here, of course–there are a lot of great yuri titles of all kinds that I would love to see do well here.

5) Which Yuri titles would you like to see make it over here? Anything you’d like to get to work on?

Yamaji Ebine’s works. More titles from Yuri Hime, particularly “Kisses, Sighs, and Cherry-Blossom Pink,” “Strawberry Shake Sweet,” “Rakuen no Jouken,” and “The Miko’s Words and the Witch’s Incantations.” “Kaguyahime,” “Love Vibes,” “Maria-sama ga Miteru,” “Pieta,” “Plica” (and I’d love to see the “Plica” movie on something like Logo’s “Alien Boot Camp” series), “Shibuya District, Maruyama Neighborhood,” and “Sweet Blue Flowers.” More works from artists like Tadeno Eriko and UKOZ. No surprises there, I’m sure. As for the second question: All of them, I suppose. However, as long as the English edition is done well, it doesn’t particularly matter to me whether I personally get to work on it. There are always plenty of other titles out there that are in need of attention, and plenty of other things that I would enjoy translating.

6) What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about your job?

My favorite thing is getting to share something I enjoy with others. Those moments when the perfect translation of a line just comes to you are right up there too, though. My least favorite thing is agonizing over the best way to convey a line, particularly when I need to convince someone else to agree with me on it. Also, translating rape scenes.

7) Anything else you want to tell our audience?

I’m pleased to see more yuri coming over here, and hope it sells well. We’re fortunate that so much good yuri manga is being created; I try not to take its existence–or that of the artists and publishers who are taking a chance on it–for granted. That’s not to say that we should have lower standards when it comes to yuri, or praise yuri works when we think they’re mediocre or worse–I just think we’re lucky that there are enough of us to constitute a fanbase and that there are so many talented people out there who are creating yuri works. Let’s hope that state of affairs continues.

Thanks again!

It was my pleasure.

Posted in Interview, Yuri Manga | 2 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Mars no Kiss (マルスのキス)

April 14th, 2008

Many Yuri fans are already familiar with Maka-Maka, the two-volume full-color manga by Kishi Torajirou. (Here are my reviews of Volume 1 and Volume 2 for thems as are interested.) The synopsis of Mars no Kiss (マルスのキス), Kishi’s newest manga, didn’t fill me with glee; it’s basically a “Story A” type story – that is, girl falls for girl, nothing happens. But, Mars no Kiss is well constructed, nicely drawn and surprisingly sweet, so the execution more than makes up for the fact that the plot is the same old thing all over again. The fact that the obi advertises this as a “Girl’s Love Comic” was kind of interesting, but what really pleased me was that synopsis on the obi described this as a first “real” love story.

Yukari is a “bad girl.” She rebels against her controlling mother by dyeing her hair, polishing her nails and having an older boyfriend, with whom she has an intimate relationship. In fact, as she notes, that’s kind of all they have right now. He never takes her anywhere; they just go to a karaoke box, sing a bit, and have sex.

Miki is a “good girl.” She’s tall, and has classic Japanese beauty. She’s quiet and bookish and smart. And a bit aloof.

The two are forced to share a double desk at the beginning of the term which annoys Yukari no end. Like most bad girls, her initial reaction is disdain and derision for the good girl’s behavior. But, one day, after school, she sees Miki in the Art Room, gently kissing a statue of Mars and her heart starts to race. When someone comes up from behind, both Miki and Yukari know that they’ve been seen, and everything changes between them.

Yukari and Miki talk in the library, and Yukari promises to never tell anyone what she saw – and she means it. She’s more worried about her own reaction – why did her heart start to pound at the sight? Miki admits that her reason for doing it was to see if her glasses would get in the way when she kissed someone. Yukari thinks this is hysterical. ^_^

A friendship quickly develops between the two. Miki also has controlling parents – being bookish is her way of escaping. The two start to walk home together, and meet in the library for heart to heart talks. More and more, Miki is in Yukari’s mind…even when she’s with her boyfriend.

When Miki excitedly tells Yukari that she’s got herself a boyfriend, Yukari has to stop herself from being unkind. The boy is a nerdy-looking kid Miki knew in middle school, so Yukari unkindly jokes that if they both are wearing glasses when they kiss, the glasses might get tangled up. She leaves Miki, not wanting to be spiteful, but totally unhappy about her friend’s good fortune. Eventually, she realizes that her feelings for Miki are well past that of “friend” and she recognizes that she’s jealous, plain and simple. In a moment of shock she realizes that what’s she’s feeling, is love.

Here’s what makes this story work. In most cases, we’d expect that the bad girl would tease the good girl at this point, trying to seduce her – or worse, toying with her. Instead, Yukari finds that her feelings for, and friendship with, Miki start to rekindle her own sense of youthful innocence. She cuts her nails, takes off the polish, dumps her boyfriend and softens the hard, cynical edge of her personality. Even Yukari’s expression changes, as she looks on Miki with a whole new perspective.

One day, Yukari brings Miki to the library again, where they talk about Miki’s kiss with Mars. Yukari reminds Miki of their earlier conversation about glasses getting tangled. She shyly pulls out a pair of glasses that she bought, she says, the day before, special for this purpose. She offers to kiss Miki to see if it’s really a problem. The next few panels are especially great, as we see Yukari’s view of Miki through the frames of the glasses, which sit unevenly on her face.

They kiss. The glasses don’t get tangled. Accidentally, Yukari confesses that she likes Miki. Miki’s reaction is to reply that she likes Yukari too, but it’s clearly a different use of “like.” As she removes the glasses from her face, Yukari confesses to herself that she loves Miki.

The story ends there, with the two of them moving to new desk partners the next semester. But they see each other in class and wave. On the last page, Yukari thinks that this love will always be her precious memory. It has a decidedly sweet, rather than bitter, flavor and it leaves one with a good feeling.

In a lot of ways, this story reminded me of the main plot of Hen. It has the same set up – girl in relationship with a guy falls for another girl. But where Hen played everything for high over-the-top-ness, Mars no Kiss is a more realistic look at a similar situation. The lack of seductive pervyness and/or emotional manipulation that we’ve come to expect from “girl loves girl” stories is very refreshing.

The splash art between the chapters is also quite sweet, as it tells a shortened version of the story. In the first chapter, Yukari and Miki sit, openly sulking, next to one another, not looking at one another. By the end, they walk hand in hand.

For fans who want a little more, the novelization of this story appears in the short story anthology Confession, along with, presumably, other stories of love confessions. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8 (particularly those last few pages)
Characters – 7
Story – 7
Yuri – 4
Series – 4

Overall – 8

Yukari likes Miki. The End.

Posted in Maka-Maka, Yuri Manga | 4 Comments »