This Week in Yuri

April 12th, 2008

I’m pleased to report that I was completely totally wrong about the Love My Life, live action movie. It is indeed coming here for a US release, courtesy of Wolfe Video. It’s always a pleasure to be wrong about such things. :-)

I kept meaning to mention this, but never did. In case you were having difficulty finding copies of My Otome/My Z-Hime, Volume 4 – I spoke with the folks from Bandai at Anime Boston. They tell me that the DVD had some problems, and that the new error-free disc was shipping just about then. So hang on and you should be able to find it soon.

Eagle-eyed Sean tells me that Morning 2 magazine, home of non-moe Yuri story Gunjou, is going monthly, so perhaps we’ll get chapters of this great story on a regular basis. However, the website still hasn’t updated, so who knows.

Coming up from Ichijinsha, look for the Yuri Hime manga of the popular game Aoi Shiro, and Yuri Hime 12. (For fans of Aoi Shiro, there’s actually another manga of the story, not from Yuri Hime, but from Jive. I’ll be reviewing it in day to come.) Also up from Ichijinsha, the third and final volume of Hatsukoi Shimai. All of these have a release date of April 18.

Last – and quite probably least – a quick clarification on the new Ikkitousen:GG series. Looks like Ryofu will be making a return, as will Ryomou, Hakufu and Kanu, so I think we can say that the sleazy Yuri fanservice will also me making a comeback. :-)

If you know any interesting news of interest to Yuri fans, feel free to email me at anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com, and I’ll be sure to add it to the next This Week in Yuri!

Posted in Yuri Network News | 6 Comments »


Mai HiME Destiny: Ryuu no Miko Drama CD, Volume 1

April 11th, 2008

This may well be the dumbest review I will ever write because, to be honest, I didn’t understand a bloody thing that went on in Mai HiME Destiny: Ryuu no Miko Drama CD, Volume 1. And it basically followed the book, so there’s really no excuse for me, is there? ^_^

If you’ve read the Light Novel, Mai HiME Destiny, you know that the focus of the story is Kagura Mayo, a girl who wanders onto the campus of distant Fuuka Academy, a school for young people with extraordinary powers, wearing a pair of unbreakable dragon handcuffs and bearing an uncontrolled and uncontrollable ability. The first novel was mostly expository, re-introducing for the umpteenth time the characters that inhabit Fuuka. Shizuru is cooler and more adult (and favors black,) Natsuki is a bit more sociopathic, Haruka and Yukino are as we remember them, Nao is a troublemaker (duh,) Chie and Aoi watch everything and comment like a Greek chorus on events, Nagi is annoying, etc, etc. The only other new item is another student with a mysterious past, Shion, who Mayo claims to know but who insists she’s never met Mayo before.

In between the random bits of pointless service, a story slowly develops: the clubs are battling it out for supremacy and Nagi, for reasons of his own, is trying to pull strings. Shizuru, the Principal and the Chairman (one of whom is Fumi and one Reito, but I can’t remember which is which) all seem to know that something else is afoot. Mayo’s mysterious powers, which she can never remember using, and her handcuffs, are never explained, although the author quite exhaustively speculates on how she gets dressed and goes to the bathroom and other important stuff, with those handcuffs on.

The Drama CD covers much of the same material as the LN, without most of the plot. That has been sacrificed, because it was obviously too complex for the audience, in favor of the panty battle between Mayo and Nao and the kissing scene between Shion and Mayo. There’s a lot of screaming too, and some sound effects that lead me to believe that there is fighting.

What makes this DCD so hard to follow (aside from the sneezing and coughing on my part) was that every other track is a *commercial* for something else. These inserted tracks are so jarring – and so full of screaming – that it made it almost completely impossible for me to figure out what anyone was saying. Threw me off every time. The other thing that made it hard to figure out what was going on was that there’s was an awful lot of silly voices being used. Natsuki was practically barking her words, and Chie – what on earth was going on with that voice? I have no idea what she said at all.

The Light Novel stopped just after all the players were introduced (or, I should say, all the players from the original Mai HiME anyway) and I kind of wondered where the story was going, if anywhere. Looks like the story continues in the Drama CDs. The end of this DCD covers a bit of Mayo and Shion’s back story – in a frameless memory kind of way. Looks like, if we want to know what’s going on in this universe’s Fuuka A., we’ll need to tune in once again.

Ratings:

Story – 6
Characters – 6
Yuri – 2 (1 point for Shizuru pursuing an especially passive-agressively closeted Natsuki, and 1 point for the faux Yuri Shion x Mayo thing)
Service – 4

Overall – 6

It’s nothing as traumatizing as the one Mai Otome DCD that I listened to, or as blatantly disgusting as any of the manga series. But other than a lot of screaming, I’m still not sure what actually *happened*.

Posted in Drama CDs & Audiobooks, Mai Hime | 1 Comment »


Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime S, Volume 4

April 10th, 2008

Last week, I briefly mentioned that I found this fourth volume of Yuri Hime S soulless. I wondered why that was, so I spent some time today, in between sneezing my head off, to re-read it and ponder what my problem was with it.

In short, my problem is that most of the stories end where they should begin. The endlessly rehashed tension of two barely pubescent girls who “like” one another is, well…boring. About half the stories in this volume are just that – girl likes girl. Girl confesses, other girl doesn’t push her away, the end. Let’s call it moe Yuri “Story A” for short. That will save me from having to keep typing it over and over.

Cherry Lips – “Story A” with cat-eared, kimono-wearing loli urchins. Three fetishes at once.

Cassiopeia Dolce – Alternate end to “Story A,” in which Anna’s confession to Elsa-sensei is met with “Great! I like you too! Let’s work hard together!”-type, wrong interpretation of “like.”

Kotohana Link – “Story A” setup in which girl fails at romantic scene in school play and the director confesses her feelings.

Flower Flower – Nina continues to abuse Shu physically and emotionally, while Shu continues to try and woo Nina. This is a comedy manga, FYI.

Peach-colored Sigh – “Story A.”

Secret Stream – “Story A” with a twist. They *both* are torturing themselves with their feelings about the other one.

The Two of Us Under the Sky – This iteration of “Story A” is a continuation of last issue’s “Himawari Saita,” as Nasuna tries to decide on a classmate to pursue. Her friend Ma-chan volunteers with a really sloppy (I mean gross sloppy) kiss.

Minus Literacy – Miharu has left. I have no idea why.

Honey Crush – takes a complete turn away from Kyouko and the ghost stressing about Madoka, and instead has the ghost stressing about the existence of the *other,* cuter spirit that lives, bathes and sleeps with Kyouko. Ghost tries to scare cute little Mitsu away, but fails and learns to play nice.

Otome-iro Stay Tune – Arise and drinking buddy Tomoe show up at Hinako’s place where, through drunken stupidity, Arise’s “Story A”-type concern is blurted out. Arise jumps Hinako, insisting that her interest is real.

Fragments – “Story A” between two sisters, one of which looks 8. So a double whammy of negativity for me.

The People Who Are Near Her – Continues from last volume’s “Kaichou and Fukukaichou,” this time from the Vice President’s point of view. Every time she wants to help the President out, or be near her, other people are already there. She manges to share her lunch and take care of Student Council business, and the President comments that she’d be nowhere without her. Happy, happy, joy. joy. Not yet at “Story A” point, but crawling slowly there.

Model Maiden Gretel – continues from last volume, as Yuu, Mariya and Nagi continue to bond as a team through sleeping, bathing and destroying beasties together, with the occasional sloppy kiss. Looks like Mariya is developing a “Story A” type crush for Yuu, while Yuu is completely gaga over Nagi, with her no personal boundaries and mean kissing skills. A second team of three girls tell them to get a grip and become a tighter team already, then show them up with sparkly Orb powers.

Nanami and Isuzu – Valentine’s Day and general “Story A” wackiness

Hime-chan is a Shy Girl – “Story A” buildup, with a side trip on the seven school mysteries and playing someone else’s recorder.

So, as I was saying, in all but a few of the stories, the formula is pretty static. Stories end when the two girls decided to be together, which is basically the same thing that annoyed me about fairy tales as a kid. All that sound and fury for not much pay off. Of the few continuing series, “Gretel” is the most original (which isn’t saying much, but at least it’s something!) and “Otome-iro Stay Tune” is the only one with adult women who like women.

Ratings:

Overall – 5

If you are a fan of moe Yuri, this book is made for *you.* I’m about 1/8th satisfied with it, myself.

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime, Yuri Manga | 8 Comments »


Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora Manga, Volume 3

April 9th, 2008

Short review today because 1) I’m sick (again!) and 2) there’s basically not much to say about Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora, Volume 3.

Kyoushiro’s big brother Kazuya has shown up and, surprise!, he’s as crazy as everyone kept saying he was. He admits to wanting to destroy the world and Kyoushiro in particular…and really, who can blame him? Kazuya beating the daylights out of Kyou is *still* my favorite part of the series. I could read/watch Kyou having his brother complex and spine shattered at the same time, a million times without it getting tired in the least. :-)

But of course, love and stuff win the day. There’s lots of exposition about the various Tenshi’s dreams and hopes, most of which is kind of abstract, and people pop in and out of existence in a way that really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense (as the wife would say, “Just go with it.”) Kuu and Kyou get to be reunited, only to be be torn apart as Kuu dissolves into pieces, which is followed by Kyou heading out on a quest to find Kuu again because, for some reason, even after she dissolved into a million shards, he think she still exists somewhere. Setsuna gets sympathy sex, until, miraculously, they find Kuu, who is even “emptier” than before.

Mika-sensei dies wondering why Himiko got the girl when she was so awesome, but Himiko does, in fact, get Kaon. They have a nice, non-servicey scene, so we can see them safely in each other’s arms happily ever after.

And Tarlotte and Soujiro return to doing whatever it was they did.

Poor Waltesia is left with a broken Kazuya.

The End.

I still maintain that it wasn’t bad. It isn’t anything as bad as Eikyuu Alice and in many ways I liked it better than Kannazuki. No, it is not *about* the lesbian couple, but the ending for Kaon and Himiko beats both anime and manga endings for Chikane and Himeko.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 6
Service – 7

Overall – 7

“Snuggling in a boat on the lake as a couple” trumps “probable repeat of horrible fate” or “being reborn as sisters” in this reviewer’s eyes.

Posted in Kannazuki no Miko | 3 Comments »


Maria-sama ga Miteru Manga, Volume 8 (マリア様がみてる)

April 8th, 2008

If you’re a serious (read: obsessed) fan of Maria-sama ga Miteru, you know what the biggest question torturing fans right now is – will the series end with Sachiko’s graduation…or with Yumi’s? I think it’s safe to say that there’s not a single rabid fan on this planet who would rather the series ended sooner than later. (Perhaps one or two, but clearly they aren’t *true* fans. ^_^)

Sachiko’s graduation is so traumatic and problematic, that there have been about a dozen novels between “New Year” and March – and still the third-years haven’t graduated. Time is slowing down, lots of short stories are being written. The newest novel, Margaret ni Ribon, even goes so far as to tell stories from the past of the former Rosas; Eriko, Youko and Sei. Anything to keep Sachiko from graduating!

And so, what better time is there to take a look at the latest – and I believe, last – of the manga volumes, Maria-sama ga Miteru: Itsushika Toshimo (マリア様がみてる), in which Eriko, Sei and Youko graduate and retire from the field at Lillian High School.

In the first story, “Will,” Youko ambushes a confused Yumi to ask her to please take of her uncute, hysterical, little sister that she loves very much. Yumi wonders if Rosa Gigantea has asked Shimako for a last favor, but as always, their relationship is not the same as other soeurs. Shimako takes advantage of the moment to thank Yumi for being willing to put up with Sei’s abuse, and Yumi, in turn begs Shimako to not leave the school – because suddenly, she’s overcome with fear that Shimako might. Yoshino relates her final meeting with Eriko as if it were Musashi’s epic duel at Ganryu Island. ^_^

Yumi’s moving farewell with Sei is handled beautifully, although I thought that the slow-motion imagery of the anime, and the internal dialogue of the novel, both lent themselves to making the scene richer than here in the manga. Nonetheless, it’s still a lovely scene, ruined beautifully by Sei’s joke on Yumi. Also, in the manga, Yumi kisses Sei firmly in the middle of the cheek – not just at the very corner of the mouth, as she does in the novel. This echoed the kiss Sei gave Shizuka, and I think it’s done very consciously to be the closest possible kiss to a kiss on the lips without actually being one. I’m sorry that was lost.

The following chapter covers the three Rosa’s’ memories of their meeting one another, and looking back at their past dealings before they became friends: Youko’s impact on Eriko’s drive for excellence, Sei and Eriko’s fight in kindergarten, Sei trying to freeze out Youko, only to find her standing right there when the cold wind finishes blowing.

Last, the graduation itself, with Sachiko’s unexpected breakdown, its unintended consequences, and Rei’s superb save. A fabulous scene, which I have to admit, I like best on the Drama CD of the same name.

Yuri here is slight: Sei x Yumi ‘shippers might be satisfied with the kiss scene. Otherwise, it’s mostly a long, overdue look into the women who were the stars of the school for the series to date – the graduating Rosas. Frankly, I can’t get enough of them. Obviously, neither can Konno-sensei – after all, she keeps bringing them back again and again into the series. She said flat out that Sei’s her favorite character. Well, duh. That’s ’cause the sky is blue. ^_^

The one downside is that the manga appears to have come to an end. Never a comfortable fit in the sex-riddled Margaret and The Margaret magazines, the end of this volume very much reads like the *end.* Imagine if the series *had* ended here. We’d have no Noriko x Shimako, no Yumi x Touko, no Sei x Kei, not Tsutako x Shouko…good heavens, three of those four are in my personal “favorite couples” list. Horrible to contemplate.

Speaking as a rabid fan – Konno-sensei, please let the series end when *Yumi* graduates! Even if you’re sick to death of the series, we don’t care…keep writing! ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Yuri – 1
Service – 1

Overall – 8

Oh, and total fanboy Sean tells me that next month marks the 10th anniversary of Maria-sama ga Miteru. Happy 10th, Yumi.

Posted in Manga, Maria-sama ga Miteru | 12 Comments »