Stray Little Devil Manga, Volume 4 (English)

November 11th, 2008

Stray Little Devil , Volume 4 continues the adventures of human girl Pam who was handwaved into a dimension occupied by devils and angels and forced to undergo trials and tribulations in order to be returned to the human world. In the meantime, power struggles both big and small fill the background of the angel and devil worlds, and Pam spreads her cheerful friendship across the befuddled characters who inhabit her new life.

Many adventures befall Pam as she rises to the challenge of becoming a full-fledged devil, many of which seem to require her ass being shoved in our face and or her clothes disappearing. Ah, MediaWorks, how much joy have you brought to the lives of lonely people…

The main attraction in this volume is Pam’s bonding with Lin-fa, the angel who looks exactly like her best friend forever back in the human world. The two make their way through a series of amusingly predictable scenes; Pam smiles gamely in order to cheer Lin-fa up and get her to work together and Lin-fa looks stricken a lot.

Today’s review is an exercise in the subjective nature of Yuri. I have been told by many people if only I would get to the fourth volume of Stray Little Devil I would see that it is undoubtedly Yuri. Well, I’ve gotten there, and I see what you’re all saying. But I still don’t agree.

That is to say – I am absolutely, perfectly aware that these two are being set up in a way that lends itself to being labeled Yuri by people who believe that girls have only one possible kind of friendship. Because I know that women have many more levels of friendship than just “sex-friend” and “not sex-friend,” I see this as a very intense friendship. Even if they should embrace, I will still continue to see it as an embrace between shinyuu, between close friends who find themselves with an incredibly strong bond.

So when Volume 5 comes and the inevitable climax of the plot arises, I am not likely to find their protestations of love and caring for one another to be anything more than protestations of love and caring between friends. I trust my gay-dar. I have never been wrong except for once (and I’m still convinced he was lying about his girlfriend.)

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 6
Characters – 6
Yuri – 1 for me, 4 for those who wish to see it
Service – 4

Overall – 6

As a tale of predictable crises, with predictable outcomes, Stray Little Devil is predictably entertaining.

Posted in English Manga | 7 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Choir!, Volume 1

November 10th, 2008

Choir! was one of the manga I picked up last month that, despite my best efforts, I found I did not hate.  ^_^;

The color art on the back cover and inside really pushed my ability to tolerate and, in fact, upon revisiting this manga, I find myself repusled all over again by them. However, the manga itself is nothing at all like the color art, for which I am immensely grateful. So, should you be looking for a loli/moe school girl story about cat-ear girls, you will be disappointed by Choir!.

Choir! is a 4-koma style comic that runs in Comic Ryuu – the same magazine that gave us Nemurubaka – and is not unlike the many other 4-koma series about school girls published in magazines for men. Like Rakka Ryuusui or Tori Koro or Hidamari Sketch, 4-koma comics focus on situations that allow for wacky misinterpretation, or one cracked character saying a thing that is funny. Insert trombone, penny whistle, clown horn or kooky noise of your choice. ^_^

The premise of Choir!, such as it is, is about “Fashionable otaku girl” Mawata (a reference that made me laugh) and her friends in their day-to-day fun school lives. Because Mawara is an otaku, she does spend some time wearing cat accoutrement, and we get the inevitable Comiket chapter, as well as other typical otaku and school interests. And, of course, maid outfits.

For the purpsoses of art, Mawata is not above kissing another girl. But she’s not really the Yuri character in the series. The cover characters, Mawata’s friends, Shousei and extra moe Mayuko are. Shousei’s interest in Mayuko is evident fairly early on, and it appears that Mayuko, for all her protestations of innocence and disinterest, is being more a tease than anything. Mayuko appears to find it amusing to string Shousei along, then push her away. (Run, Shousei, run! Don’t do it!) However, in a massive reversal of all that is manga, Mayuko *admits* to jerking Shousei around and at the end of the volume is absolutely, totally Shousei’s girlfriend. Not what I expected, certainly.

There is a fair helping of service in this story. Bathing, dress up, Yuri, cat ears, general otaku drooling at their particular fetish and the like. This is another 4-koma that, should an American publisher pick up, the average creepy guy in the corner would probably like. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 4 to *me*. If you like moe-ified high schoolers, then maybe a 7 to you.
Story – 6 It’s situation comedy.
Characters – 6 Like most 4-koma, the characters have the depth of one or two gags
Yuri – 7
Service – 7

Overall – 7

Not at all what I expected. I’m not displeased to have taken a chance on Choir!.

Posted in Yuri Manga | 4 Comments »


Hayate x Blade Contest!

November 8th, 2008

Good news, everyone! (Yes, yes, that was a Futurama reference)

By the kindness and generosity of sponsor Ted the Awesome, I am pleased to announce a special Hayate x Blade contest open only to members of the Yuricon Mailing List and readers of Okazu!

You have three ways to win:

1) Write a fanfic (no more than 500 words) about Yuricon mascot Yuriko at Tenchi Gakuen

2) Draw a piece of fan art that shows any of the characters of Shoujoai ni Bouken or Saiyuu no Ryouko as students at Tenchi Gakuen

3) In no more than 100 words, tell me about your ideal shinyuu, with whom you would want to compete in the Hoshitori!

or

4) Entertain me in some other way. (Make an AMV of Marimite to Disney’s “Kiss the Girl” or draw Medusa and Alecto as shinyuu, or something else clever and fun. It’s up to you, but it has to entertain me! lol)

The most entertaining entries will win a copy of Hayate x Blade, Volume 1 for yourself or for a library near you. (Please get the library’s consent first!)

There are no other rules, except that entries must be sent to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com by November 30.

Good luck!

Posted in Contests | 4 Comments »


Yuri News this Week – November 8, 2008

November 8th, 2008

Yuri Anime

Forgot to mention this previously, but the Lyrical Nahoha A’s season boxset pre-order is available for an early 2009 release.

A new ero-fan book has been annouced for the series Ikkitousen. LFs of both genders can marvel at the fact that the female characters of Ikkitousen have genitalia and secondary sexual characteristics, creatively (not realistically) rendered by people who have never actually seen a woman naked. Go fans.

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Live Action

Osama Tezuka’s MW is being made into a live-action movie. It’s clear from the trailer that the creepy remains intact, but whether the relationship between the two male leads will be kept is yet to be revealed (based on the movie description, they’ve taken out the fact that the priest and the kid are lovers.) The chances of getting even a cameo for the one stable, normal, and completely emotionally healthy character in the book – the lesbian newspaper editor – is unlikely, but we can hope. Because her insertion in the story as everything is going to hell was not at all capricious, and sends a powerful message.

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Snatches of Yuri

In the interest of mentioning novels none of us will ever read, Kanjou Kyouiku seems to be more of the same high school love stuff, taking place in a slightly fantasy school setting. In fact, the synopsis made it sound just like the movie Teresa and Isabel (which, if you have not watched, you should. It’s quite nice.) The love is real, but not “real,” I’m betting.

And speaking of fantasy schools, Youkai Gakuenki is about – you guessed it. Girls at a fantasy school. Looks way too moe for me, but the Yuri blog boys in Japan give it top ratings for Yuri. So…expect service. Looks like you’ll like it if you like the whole animal-eared girl thing.

Sugar ha Otoshigoro – instead of moe animal ears, you’re back in the huge breast fetish world. Although I’m prepared to bet that it’s all still schoolgirls. Oh look at that, it is.

***

Okay, that’s enough today. I’m schoolgirled out. When I get home tonight, I’ll have the newest issue of Gunjou so I can stop thinking about “pure” and “innocent” (blecch) love during school years and think about horribly broken, violent adults instead. Phew.

Posted in Nanoha, Yuri Network News | 3 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Maka-Maka, Volume 1 (English)

November 6th, 2008

I’ve said it before and I’m saying it more these days – “Yuri” stories can be defined as having lesbian content without lesbian identity. Maka-Maka, Volume 1 is pretty much a perfect example of this. There is undoubtedly lesbian content, but it is also made very *very* clear that these two women are not lesbian in any way. Nor are they bi. They are two straight women who happen to enjoy sex with one another. That’s it. Just, “friends with benefits.”

I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed the first volume of this, since it’s been four years since I first reviewed it in Japanese. Each chapter is a simple “Plot, what plot?” type fanfic. “Nene and Jun get naked,” “Nene and Jun feel each other up in the CD store,” “Nene and Jun have sex for some other reason that really doesn’t matter much.” There’s a little character development, and it becomes increasingly clear that the two actually, honestly do care for one another, as the book goes on. But…no, they aren’t a couple. In fact, they are both seeing guys who, we are told repeatedly, pretty much suck as lovers. (I will refrain from making a snarky remark here. Insert one that satisfies your own levels of paranoia about your abilities as a lover.)

The reproduction is stellar. Kitty Media, the adult imprint of Media Blasters, did a fantastic job of bringing this book over here. There’s honestly nothing to complain about. The dual cover, the fold out two-sided poster, the undercover gags, all remain intact. The translation feels right. Nene and June aren’t made to sound “Omg! Rad!” as some feared. They sound like women in college, who have different personalities and issues.

While I’m praising Kitty – and in the interest of disclaimers that might point to bias and or open corruption ^_^ – let me once again thank Frank, who not only shepherded this book so beautifully into English, he gave me the first copies of both volumes off the press. They really do look lovely. Nice job, everyone.

Ratings:
Art – 8
Characters – 9
Story – 9
Yuri – 9
Service – 9

Overall – 9

As a tale of two adult women who find comfort in each other’s company, and pleasure in sex with each other, Maka-Maka is a realistic, entertaining “adult” manga.

This would make a great gift for someone looking for something with adult content that isn’t squicky, loli or fetishy.

Posted in English Manga, Maka-Maka | 13 Comments »