This Week in Yuri – August 16, 2008

August 16th, 2008

Yuri Manga

At Otakon, no one was announcing any exciting licenses, but Media Blasters took some time at their Yuri and Yaoi panel to talk about their upcoming release of Maka-Maka. I spoke with Frank Pannone about it earlier, and he commented that they are reproducing it exactly, with the fold-out poster, the double cover…right down to the metallic inks used. He was very excited about how good it’s going to look and so am I. :-)

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Yuri Anime

mara reports some bad news for UK fans of Kurau Phantom Memory, as ADV has said that they are not going to be releasing the last two DVDs, volumes 5 and 6, to the UK. They suggest picking up the R1 versions instead. It’s another sign of how the anime market is crontracting pretty tightly. Personally, I wonder if they would have done better with Kurau had there not been such a huge time lag between its appearance on Japanese TV (and therefore bittorrents worldwide) and the time it finally came out on DVD about some years later.

I don’t remember ever mentioning this before, but my friend Komatsu-san reminded me recently that Futari ha PreCure (aka Pretty Cure) is being released by Toei as a directly downloadable anime. With much of the same staff as Sailor Moon, there’s a very similar Monster of the Day construction and a similar sense of Yuri subtext in pretty much every season so far. PreCure episodes are available for download at $1.99/ep, so no excuses about not having any money for that. lol

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Snatches of Yuri

I haven’t had a lot of time to scan my Japanese sources for the up and coming, but Jennifer D. wants me to tell you about an older comic called Stray Crayons about two women who hit rock bottom in their lives and find each other. Jennifer warns us that Volume 1 ends in a bad place and no Volume 2 has been printed. I’m just passing that warning on, so you don’t come running back to me screaming. lol

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Other News

Not Yuri, but relavant to our interests. Mari sent me this today and I wanted to pass it along to you, from Time Out magazine this week:

Time Out New York / Issue 672 : Aug 13-19, 2008
Tokyo redux
A new expo brings all things Japan to New York.

By Alyssa Pinsker

A new expo brings all things Japan to New York. By Alyssa Pinsker

Hot on the heels of the Brooklyn Museum’s enormously popular “© MURAKAMI” show and Haruki Murakami’s latest page-turner, Felissimo Design House [10 West 56th] is hosting an 11-week exhibition to celebrate Japan’s rich culture. The event will feature work by more than 70 of the country’s edgiest designers, but don’t show up in full cosplay attire-in other words, leave the Sailor Moon outfit at home.

“The cosplay, Lolita stuff makes me sick to my stomach,” says the normally reserved Haruko Smith, director of the Kobe-based lifestyle-products company, about the kawaii, Harajuku Girls image Westerners have of the Land of the Rising Sun. “Kawaii actually just means ‘nice’ or ‘cool.’” The exposition is named “Japan C,” as in “cool, cute, clever and creative,” and beginning Saturday 16, more than 1,000 everyday items will be on display and for purchase.

Each week will feature a new aspect, beginning with jiba (“tradition”) and then touching on home, fashion, food, stationery, beauty and pop culture in the following weeks. The featured products include skin creams made from fermented rice, collectible cell-phone straps, robots and the doughnut-shaped perfumed humidifiers of Naoto Fukasawa (whose work has inspired Apple’s design team). Other highlights include bubble packaging that emits both “sexy” and “fart” noises when popped; key-chain designers who make little robots from recycled computers; and a $200,000 Swarovski-crystal dress. “Now that Japan’s come more into its own, it can fuse with the West toward more of a synergy,” says Smith.

Other events include a breakfast hosted by Naomi Moriyama, the author of Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat (October 8); a “Sake 101” lecture (October 23); and a scholarly discussion on the concept of kawaii in pop culture (September 29). In addition, there will be family-day events, tours, receptions and screenings, and an auction to benefit the New York Restoration Project. With her penchant for alliteration, Smith adds, “You can touch, try and taste. We should have called it Japan T.”

http://www.felissimo.com/designhouse/

Japan ©

From Murakami to Hello Kitty, sushi to sake bars, and anime to video games, Japan’s influence has become more and more visible in arts, design, food, style, and popular culture. But there is so much more to discover-as Japan C, a groundbreaking showcase of all things Japanese, will prove. Beginning August 16 until November 1, this unprecedented 11-week festival of contemporary Japanese culture will take over the historic Felissimo Design House in midtown Manhattan. Spanning home and fashion accessories to gadgets, food, beauty and pop-culture products, Japan C will be part design exhibition, part bazaar, part trade fair, highlighting over 70 diverse Japanese firms who will be presenting and demonstrating their wares.

The goal is simple: to inspire visitors, including buyers, manufacturers, distributors and the general public, with the latest developments from Japan, while introducing the best of Japan to the American market. Discover the benefits of skin creams made from fermented rice by leading sake makers, or join the Japanese fad for collectible ‘keitai’ cell phone straps. Featuring robots of every shape, size and color, alongside all manner of zakka knickknacks, everything from kawaii anime characters, fine stationery and contemporary furniture to high-tech rice cookers promising the perfect bowl of rice, Japan C will represent all that Japan is today: Cool, Cute, Clever and Creative.

For more information visit www.japan-c.com

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I just loved how cosplay and Goth-Loli makes him “sick to his stomach.” lol

The bottom line is that the huge influx of Japanese art and culture that is filling the corners of New York City continues…..

Oh, and for those of you who like cosplay – today is cosplay day at the mid-town Kinokuniya in NYC. lol

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I’ll see if I can scan some of my Japanese sources and let you know what’s coming up for the next report!

Posted in Maka-Maka, Yuri Network News | 2 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Kannazuki no Miko, Volume 2 (English)

August 15th, 2008

In an epic display of overthinking things, it occurred to me that one could, if one was so inclined, consider Kannazuki no Miko Volume 1 as a story that stars Himeko, and concerns the bad choices she makes. In which case Volume 2 can equally be seen as an explication of Chikane’s story and her own series of bad choices.

I’m not saying that they *are* this, just that one *could,* if one was in the habit of sitting on a train and overthinking crappy manga, think that. ^_^

Tokyopop did a very superior job with this series. I want to say that right at the top of this review, because otherwise it might get lost in the middle of my damning with faint praise. ^_^

Volume 2 of Kannazuki starts with the morning after Chikane choses to protect Himeko by doing something unforgivable and making Himeko hate her, with Himeko forgiving her. Chikane pushes the envelope further and further, joining and destroying the Orochi, all to protect Himeko from having to chose an unhappy fate “for eternity.”

The best scene is when Sister Miyako uses her mirrors and illusions to seduce Chikane in the guise of Himeko. Faced with her heart’s (and other organ’s) desire, it takes everything Chikane has to refuse the illusion’s offer – and it’s the first honest glimpse of who she really is, behind the facade of cynical cruelty.

Once again Kaishaku show themselves as trendsetters, by bringing the series to a close with Chikane and Himeko reborn into a happy love affair as sisters.

Ratings:

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

Overall – 7

I can’t help but wonder – will this actually be the last Kannazuki no Miko post I ever make? Has this series’ time passed? A whole new generation of Yuri fans are being born even as we speak. What generic tropes and hideous fetishes will they be indoctrinated with…? Stay tuned to find out!

Posted in English Manga, Kannazuki no Miko | 12 Comments »


Maria Watches Over Us Anime, Volume 2 (English)

August 14th, 2008

From the perspective of having read so far into the novels that I have already “met” Nana, Yoshino’s prospective soeur, it was a huge step back to watch Volume 2 of Maria Watches Over Us, “meet” Yoshino once again, and watch her transform in front of Yumi from an apparently meek, mild and submissive soeur into the banshee we know and love.

There were so many things that interested me about the “Yellow Rose Revolution” arc the first time around and twice as many this time. But the one thing I want to point out is that where later, in Rainy Blue, Rei complains that Yoshino wields herself as a weapon against her, in Kibara Kakumei, Yoshino calmly points out that Rei uses herself as a shield. I was once again blown away by the detail and continuity in Konno’s writing.

One of the big complaints western fans have about about Marimite as a series is that is starts off very Yuri, but never has payoff – i.e., there’s no melodramatic protestations of love and/or snogging. But for my dollar, the end of “Rosa Canina” is about as sexy as hell. More so, when you remember that in the novels, that arc came after Ibara no Mori and we know that Sei is potentially gay. I say “potentially”, because after reading Ibara no Mori I allowed for some wiggle room, but after Rosa Canina was convinced that Sei is gay and knows it.

The translation for these episodes was generally good, with one notable gaffe, in which the “Lillian Kawaraban” is translated as the “Lillian Ledger” in dialogue, but the “Lillian Gazette” in text. Woops. ^_^

The extra with the recap of Yoshino returning Rei’s rosary still makes both myself and the wife giggle until we hurt. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Yuri – 4 (Rei and Yoshino love each other more than anyone else in the world, and Sei kisses Shizuka. Nice.)
Service – 0

Marimite Fan – 100

Overall – 9

I know Sean disagrees with me on this but for me Shizuka x Sei is the hottest pairing in the series. ^_^

Posted in Anime, English Anime, Maria-sama ga Miteru | 9 Comments »


Yuri Manga: S.S. Astro, Volume 1

August 13th, 2008

Of the three 4-koma manga with Yuri put out by Yen Press, by far and away my favorite is the subject of today’s review, S.S. Astro, Volume 1. This should come as no surprise to anyone, since the characters are adults and there is at least one openly Yuri character. (For those of you who truly understand my tastes, you’ll also understand why she is not my favorite character.  ^_^)

So, for those of you who have not read it, S.S. Astro is a 4-panel comic strip series about 4 teachers in a generic high school. Izumi Maki is the usual slightly doofus-y lead character, this time a terrible homeroom and P.E. teacher who can’t remember her students’ names, and who is basically coasting through work. She is accompanied by Karasuma Kaname, who instantly falls hard for Maki and who spends the entire volume swooning and nose bleeding. Nagumo Yuko, the Japanese language teacher who looks ultra-refined, absurdly so, in fact, but at heart is a total BL fangirl. And my favorite character, Arai Setsuna, the school doctor who is evil incarnate and spends her days hoping someone will come into the infirmary really messed up and bloody. I like her.  ^_^

The comics are typical of the breed – situation setup with pun/punch to the head/nosebleed/hands over mouth -type endings. But unlike many “gag” 4-koma I actually laughed at more than a few of these! Crazy, huh? ^_^

As much as I approve of Karasuma’s suit, glasses, hypercompetence and crushiness for Maki, I find the fact that every time Arai pretends to hit on Maki, Maki forgets to protest, far more appealing. In general, Maki is the clearly Yuri fodder – not only does Karasuma lust after her, and Arai (who went out and broke up with Maki’s brother, so you can be sure that fanfic writers are all *over* that relationship) can’t stop herself from making inappropriate comments, Maki’s an all-around pere who happily plays bishoujo games and sets herself up in very Yuri-service situations.

The best bits are the character profiles, which are not only hysterical, but label Karasuma’s “gender” as “Yuri.”

With a *teeny* little rewrite, this manga would be perfect. If only Maki, Arai and Karasuma were all lesbians and Yuko the straight fangirl. Perfect, right? Only, it’s not, so we’ll just have to accept this not-quite-so-perfect-but-still-very-good actuality.

Ratings:

Art – 5 – sort of generic and hard to follow until you get used to everyone
Story – 7
Characters – 8 they grow on you as the volume goes along
Yuri – 4, with extra helpings of pointless service for laughs
Service – 2

Overall – 8

Kudos to Yen Press for the exceptionally not-jerky translation notes on both Yaoi and Yuri-related items. You win.

And let me thank Jo W. for sponsoring today’s review! A fun manga and a lovely gesture. Thanks Jo!

Posted in English Manga, Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »


Red Garden Manga, Volume 3

August 12th, 2008

As I’ve discussed in my reviews of the Red Garden manga, Volume 1 and Volume 2, the story in the manga is mostly similar to that in the anime, with a slight emphasis on the grotesque and gothic. This trend continues in Volume 3.

Herve’ woos Kate while hating her, and Kate struggles with her position in “Grace” at the school, while Rachel fights a battle on all fronts. We watch Herve’ flail against his sister’s fate and we watch Kate, Clare, Rachel and Rose try to understand the truth without giving in to it.

As in the anime, all of this is punctuated by moments of complete normality, and moments of violent battle again men who have turned into slavering beasts.

On the Yuri side, Paula is stepping up her campaign of touchiness in regards to Kate. Unlike the anime, where her love comes across as genuine, touching and admirable, her behavior here is inappropriate and makes Kate very uncomfortable. When it appears that Paula is stalking Kate, Kate flat-out tells her to leave her alone.

So, when the four are walking through the woods where Lise’s body was found, in order to maybe learn *something* about what is going on, they are all horrified at finding yet another body – even more so to realize that the corpse is Paula’s. The implications hit hard and we leave the volume with the four of them in complete shock.

It looks like the Yuri is headed towards the unbalanced, pervy side, but now that we know that Paula is “one of us,” i.e. dead, I wonder if Kate will find patience with the perpetrator. :-)

I’m too tired to really give this manga the praise it deserves. This story is compelling, the characters and their wardrobes are charming, the craziness is utterly appealing and the violence is…violent.

And my goodness, Clare is so hot on the cover.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 5
Service – 3

Overall – 7

EPL Paula works for me, too. ^_^

Posted in Miscellaneous | 1 Comment »