Yuri Manga: Kawaii Anata (Japanese)

September 7th, 2007

While I gladly lined up for all of the first round of Yuri Hime Comics, the second round has been a little less delightful. Of the six or so releases, I’ve only purchased three: Hatsukoi Shimai, Volume 2, Haru Natsu Aki Fuyu and the subject of today’s review, Kawaii Anata (かわいいあなた) by Hiyori Otsu.

(If you are interested in any of the collections that I will not review, use these links to get yourself your own copy from Amazon Japan, and by all means, feel free to send me your review as a Guest reviewer! Apple Day Dream, Otome Cake, Sunset Prince and Dawn Princess, Nanami and Misuzu, Volume 1.)

It took me a while to realize that I consistently liked Otsu’s work. None of her stories are “Oh my god that’s brilliant!” They tend to be more on the order of, “That was pleasant.” So it wasn’t until we had had about 4 or 5 stories that I realized that I just liked the author, period.

Kawaii Anata is named after the story of the same name, about a boyish girl in an all-girl’s school who is given the role of the Prince to play for the school festival, as expected. The girl she likes volunteers to play the Princess, and in the course of their rehearsals together, it is the Princess who turns out to rescue the Prince, from her own self-loathing and the careless, not ill-meant, but still damaging teasing from the other girls.

The book begins with “Maple Love” which follows the meeting and wooing of Satonaka Kaede by Miyaji Erika. It’s probably the first story I really took note of, because the characters are in college and it’s not a typical “first crush” story. Erika calmly announces that she prefers girls, to which Kaede replies that she doesn’t care. Let’s test that, Erika says and kisses Kaede, who slaps her. Erika retreats laughingly to being a friend, but their relationship progresses anyway. The only down side to this story is the bad non-joke at the end. Rimshot, please.

“Love Letter” is slightly more bitter than sweet story about a girl realizing what her feelings are, and how much she will never get what she wants, no matter how much she tries to look and act like the guy her best friend likes. The redeeming quality of this story is that while yes, a heart breaks, it breaks quietly and in private and she moves on with no outrageous and useless drama.

“Hoshizora Cycling” was probably the first Otsu story to appear in Yuri Hime. Or, if it isn’t, it was one of the early ones. A transfer student who is not strong physically gets bicycle rides to school from another girl. They grow closer as time passes. One night, they find themselves wishing on a star, but when Mako confesses that her wish was for Momo to like her, Momo responds by bopping her on the head, because…duh, she already does.

Another love triangle leaves our protagonist in “Fuyu-iro omoi” out of the running, but this time, all three are women. Shizuka knows she’s lost before she’s started, but is still there for her sempai when *her* heart takes a beating. And in the final story, “Kokoro Bento,” Shizuka’s feeling for her classmate Izumi now strengthen, and this time, they may just be returned. We all know that the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach, after all. (Well, it is to mine, anyway.)

All of Otsu’s art is crisp, clean, easy to follow and simple. If you like Aoi Hana by Shimura Takako, you’ll probably like Kawaii Anata It has a similar art style (in a broad, general sense) and a similar lack of screaming hysterics, even when the story includes tears. Let’s call it “not shrill.” In any case…I like it.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Stories – variable, but they average at about 7
Characters – ditto, 7
Yuri – 7
Service – 1

Overall – 8

Nothing paradigm shifting, but there’s a few fine cut gems in the job lot, if you know what I mean.

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


Murder Princess OAV

September 5th, 2007

To the very end, Murder Princess remained a solid, classic old-fashioned action and drama anime.

(FYI:The picture to the left is the cover of 3rd Japanese DVD and is linked to that, but the title above is linked to the 1st Japanese DVD.)

It had a revenge motive, a magical catalyst, a possessed prince and an evil witch. There were castles and ogres and knights in armor complete with Black Knight to be the evil witch’s minion. There were good henchmen, bad henchmen, and hench-androids who were bad, but became good. There was an evil scientist, a doomsday weapon and a troupe of traveling players.

The doomsday weapon was stopped at the last second, as it always is, but not before the usual loss of dear friends.

And the evil witch was defeated in a time-honored method with the most utterly classic death scene possible. Watching it, I could name half a dozen baddies who had died in the same way – but instead of annoying me, it just worked. (Also, evil witch Cecelia got extra evil points for responding to Farith’s request for “why” she had destroyed young Farith’s village with, “No reason. It was there.” I gave that a round of applause.)

And then there was Farith and Alita. After they switched bodies, they exchanged an important vow, became close friends, and were set up in a variety of poses to ensure that people who cannot discriminate wanted to, could insist that they were a couple right off the bat based on screencaps.

Alita is the noble and beautiful princess, Farith the strong, lone wolf bounty hunter and if this had been a straight couple they would have definitely, positively kissed at the end. But they weren’t, so they didn’t.

All the elements were there and they were all put together in a way that worked.

Sure, we’d like to see more overt Yuri in our Yuri, but since the anime ends without Farith and Alita able to switch back to their own bodies, we can project a lengthy future in which they get time to get used to each other – and themselves – in this form. I predict a happily ever after, because, after all, that’s the classic ending.

Ratings:

Art – 8 (not “art” but crisp and clean and good for what it is)
Story – 8 (all around classic)
Characters – 8
Music – 7
Yuri – 4
Service – 4

Overall – 8

If this gets licensed, and I think it will, I hope they release it as two 3-episode disks. 6 1-episode disks, the way it was released in Japan, will be a hard sell over here.

Posted in Miscellaneous | 5 Comments »


Yuri Anime: Aria OAV Arietta

September 4th, 2007

Even as I watched Arietta, the Aria OAV, I boggled at the sharp upswing in Alicia x Akari coupledom it provided. By the end, one can’t call it subtext at all.

As I am a diehard Alicia x Akira fan, I was less thrilled than some, I imagine.

Nonetheless.

The OAV begins as Akari dreams of herself as the Prima of Aria Company. She should be happy, but then she remembers that Alicia is gone and won’t be coming back. She wakes to find that Alicia is safely still there and she’s a lot more relieved than she expected. When Akari asks Alicia about when she became Prima, Alicia bares her soul to Akari just long enough to express how sad and lonely she was when Grandma left Aria Company.

We learn a little more about Alicia’s past, and get to spend some time with the three fairies of the water as young trainees, as they bond and plan for the future. My favorite scene of the anime, as Akira drags Alicia out on an obvious date, even if it ends up with the three of them together at the end. Young Athena was especially adorable, I thought. To recreate that moment of joy with Akari and bond a little closer with her trainee, Alicia leads the girl up to the tower above St. Mark’s Square to view the city at night. It’s an undeniably romantic scene – and Akari reacts as one might expect, charmed and attracted by her charming and attractive senior. When she expresses a wish that her time with this woman, her important person and the person she loves, will continue for some time, we’re all nodding. Of course.

Several times through this OAV, we get full-on “scenery porn” as Sean Gaffney puts it so accurately. The entire OAV has excellent animation, with a softer, more gentle focus that fits the general tone of the story perfectly.

Yuri aside, this is a lovely example of why I enjoy this anime. Every episode is a slow ride along the canals of Neo-Venezia, with no destination in mind. It really doesn’t matter whether we’ve been past this same square ten times, we’re just glad to see it again in this light, in this season, as opposed to some other. (I’m reading a book right now that basically says that that’s what Venice does to some people – just captivates them and makes them obsess, in a relaxed way, about the quality of the light and the view. So it all works for me.)

As for the Yuri, well, I’m happy for the Akari x Alica fans, but I’m sulking here in the corner for my own fave couple, thanks. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8 (I like when we get glimpses of the Primas as youth.)
Character – 8
Yuri – 7
Service – 1

Overall – 8

Aria is still not Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, but it edged just a little closer during this OAV.

Posted in Aria, Yuri Anime | 16 Comments »


Ichigo Mashimaro Anime OVA 3

September 3rd, 2007

See, here’s the thing.

We all know that, in Ichigo Mashimaro. Miu has a crush on Nobue. It’s also obvious that it’ll never happen. (And not just ’cause Nobue is more interested in Ana and Matsuri. It just isn’t ever going to happen. Nobue and Miu are way too similar to work as a couple, even if everything else managed to work out.)

But recently, I have become convinced that – should everything else work out – Miu and Chika might, possibly work as a couple. But that really has nothing at all to do with Ichigo Mashmaro OVA 3. I just thought I’d mention it.

It’s spring. It’s an extended holiday and Chika really, really wants to go somewhere or do something special. Despite her protests, Nobue has just the thing – a free trip to a B&B in Izu. She’s not willing to help Chika or Miu, but when Ana and Matsuri say that they would go, off they go.

Of course, it’s not that easy. They get lost, they arrive, they take a bath, Nobue pervs, they forget ingredients with which to make dinner, they pillow fight and they stave off Miu’s particular brand of insanity throughout. The above picture takes place when, in the middle of the night, in a fight over Nobue’s favoritism towards Matsuri, Miu steals a kiss from Chika and attempts to take one from Ana to prove some kind of point to Nobue that no one really cares about.

In the end, the five girls have a nice holiday in Izu, and in a moment of unusual sensitivity, Nobue waxes nostalgic and a little poetic; which sends little sister Chika into hysterics, of course.

Then they get lost on the way home.

And we would watch this kind of nothing for hours if they let us.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 4
Service – 4 (bath, kissing….)

Overall – 8

Sean, you owe me a Miu x Chika story. I am fully prepared to follow you in the afterlife whining about it for all eternity if you do not finish it.

Posted in Ichigo Mashimaro | 4 Comments »


Last Few Days to Pre-Order and Pre-Reg!

September 2nd, 2007

Just some quickie reminders:

Pre-registration for Yuricon’s 2007 “Yurisai” event closes on September 7.

And Pre-Orders for Yuri Monogatari 5 on the Yuricon Shop will close on September 8. You can still pre-order YM5 on Amazon and Amazon JP through September.

Posted in Events, Yuri Monogatari, Yuricon | No Comments »