Yuri News this Week – May 17, 2008

May 17th, 2008

Yuri Anime

Top story this week is the news out of Right Stuf/Nozomi Entertainment that the DVD release of Maria-sama ga Miteru Season 1 will have have two subtitle tracks, one of which will include the honorifics. The original preview version has translated honorifics, so “Sachiko-sama” becomes “Lady Sachiko.” I know that I’m not the only one who cringed at that.

Interestingly, after Erin gave us the good news, I received an email from RS/N, informing me of the new track, and offer me a preview of episode one. Of course I’ll report back asap. In the meantime you can get a look at the Trailer on the Right Stuf page!

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Snatches of Yuri

Of course, now that I have given this section a title, everyone is shooting suggestions at me – regardless of the validity. lol

Of course flashes of Yuri are always welcome, but it doesn’t always make a series a Yuri series. :-)

Michelle suggests Koisuiren by Kakinouchi Narumi, creator of Vampire Princess Miyu. in her words “I would say that Shoubu x Suiren definintely smell of it more than Miyu x Himeko, Miyu x Yui, etc.”

While in no way a Yuri manga, Amuria in Star Ocean running in Dengeki Daioh has had some Yuri-service. Enough to be mentioned, anyway.

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Yuricon News

There’s been a ton of updates at Yuricon.

In our continuing quest to translate most of the site into Japanese, we now have Japanese language versions of the Yuriko Page and Shop Index. To assist navigation, on pages with both English and Japanese versions, on the one, you have the option of the other now.

There’s some new Links – including Rinu’s terrific Czech-language website.

Thanks to Kimberly Johnson for her fantastic new Essay on Yuri Anime!

New Yuri manga and light novels available on the Yuricon Shop:

Last Uniform, Volume 3

S.S. Astro, Volume 1

Strawberry Panic Light Novel, Volume 3

WORKS preorder

And, as always, more to come!

Posted in Yuri Network News | 4 Comments »


Eternal Alice Rondo Manga, Volume 4 (English)

May 15th, 2008

Having established that some of the characters are indeed gay-ish, and all of them broken, we arrive at the final volume of Key Princess Story: Eternal Alice Rondo, where everything that has been previously established will break down into complete chaos.

The sad truth is that Arisu is not real – she’s a construct created by Aruto, who apparently isn’t much for backstory. Suwa and Kirika find a something they can agree upon – that the other never be allowed to survive. And in the big climax Takion says a lot of things that mostly make no sense, and Aruto and Kiraha confess that they aren’t really related so its okay if they are in love. (Which begs the question why they were fighting so hard for so long against it?) In the end, Aruto becomes a “real” author by putting aside his fanfic and writing original work with Kiraha at his side.

I don’t know – ya think there’s a moral in that story? It might have been too subtle, I think Kaishaku needed to make it more obvious. (This is me rolling my eyes.) Although I did like the little touch of making the original author of the Alice stories completely *crazy* and unreliable.

I’ve read this series now twice, in English and Japanese, and really, it’s just not good. I don’t plan on reading it ever again. Dan – I give it all to you in an effort to assist you in grooming your inner LFB. And good riddance. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 4
Story – 4
Characters – 4
Yuri – 1
Service – 7

Overall – 4

Again, this is one of those books that I have lost the receipt for, so I don’t know who I am thanking. Please let me know, so I can credit the person who sponsored today’s review!

Posted in Miscellaneous | No Comments »


Belated Contest Congratulations

May 15th, 2008

I pretty much dropped the ball entirely in terms of promptly posting congratulations for the Millionth Visitor and 1000th post contests, simply because life got complicated. I apologize for that. However! I did not forget these fabulous people – their prizes have gone out and hopefully some have arrived and are being enjoyed even as I type. :-) (Kyle and Ariel, your prizes are going to go out shortly, with extra apologies for the delay.)

I’ve got a few seconds right now, so let me take a moment to congratulate all of our winners!

1000th Post Contest winners were: Kiarashi, Kyle, Yeo and Sheila!

There was no consensus on my best post. :-) It’s still up for grabs. lol

Millionth Visitor Contest winners: Michelle and Ariel, with a special thanks to Morina for sending a picture way back when Okazu turned 5 years old! Here are the winning pictures! (Click on the picture for the full size.)

Thanks Michelle for this fabulous picture! I always get a thrill when talented people send me art, because I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler. But especially so when it’s a couple this attractive. ^_^

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just love these punky girls by Ariel, don’t you? If one of them had those East Village uber-hip, thick-framed glasses, I think I might swoon. lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morina sent this to me back in August, when Okazu turned 5…only she left it to *me* to write something clever on it. Sorry morina, I never had a chance to do that. ^_^;

 

 

 

 

 

I hope everyone enjoys the pictures – I know I did. And my genuine appreciation for everyone who entered one of the contests!

 

Posted in Okazu News | 2 Comments »


Yuri Anime: Noir, Volume 7 (English)

May 14th, 2008

What a really fabulous series Noir is. It’s been years – practically lifetimes in fandom years – since I first watched this series as it came out on Japanese TV. I enjoyed it just as much, maybe even a little more, this time as I did lo those many years ago when I first set eyes on Kirika and Mirielle.

In Volume 7 of Noir, everything comes to a head. Kirika has left Mirielle behind and given herself over to the dark side of the Force. She’s entered the alternative universe of Altena’s Manor and, to Chloe’s genuine joy and delight, has dedicated herself to being Noir.

Chloe really blossoms in this volume and it still creeps me out.  ^_^

When Mirielle arrives, the sense that she’s come to free Kirika from a spell is not as strong as the sense that she’s arrived to allow Kirika to free herself. And then the battle become two on one and there’s no question, really, who the true Noir is. It’s the “End of the Matter” as the volume title states.

In the final episodes, as Mirielle takes on the members of Altena’s household, hearing Shinohara Emi as one of them was like a little easter egg for me.

There’s a lot of wonderful moments in the final volume of Noir, most of which would be spoilers, so I don’t want to point them out. If you have never watched Noir to completion, do – there’s gold in them there hills. If you have and can’t remember Altena’s final scene, then watch it again. It confirms what I have been saying since the beginning – she was a refugee from a completely different anime series. ^_^

We were treated to a bump up in Yuri for the final episodes, with Chloe fawning over Kirika, but for me, not being a huge Chloe fan, it was Mirielle’s decisions that spoke volumes about her feelings for Kirika.

The final production notes read more like a discussion guide than anything else. They propose questions for us, the audience, to answer, and end them all with “What was Noir to you?” I’ll tell you what it was to me – a story of love and redemption, a story of action and violence, a story of growth and diminishing, a story of two women whose lives change are irrevocably changed when they meet after many years. And the beginning of a fantastic triptych of girls with guns on the run.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Character – 9
Story – 8
Yuri – 6
Service – 4 Hawt ritual bathing action

Overall – 9

Still want to do a Noir, Madlax, El Cazador marathon. If they are each good by themselves, how much better will they be when we run them together until our eyes bleed? Everything’s better in excess! ^_^

Posted in Bee Train, Noir, Yuri Anime | 9 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Strawberry Panic, Volume 2 (English)

May 13th, 2008

Have you visited translator Anastasia Moreno’s fabulously wonderful blog, Manga Gunkan yet? Go. It’s not often you’re going to get such a unique mix of fun tidbits about translating, manga, military adventures and cute dachsund pictures – all written up in both Japanese and English, for your reading pleasure. Check it every day.

And speaking of Ana’s mad translation skills, today we’re talking about Strawberry Panic, Volume 2, translated skillfully by mad Ana. (For a summation of both my frustration with the SP fandom and the plot, please check my review of the Japanese edition from December 2006.)

Today, I’m just talking about the reproduction into English. I’ll never get tired of telling you that Seven Seas does a very, very good job. Ana’s translation captures the soap opera-like, over the top-ness, and the adaptation, by Lorelei Laird, allows the dialogue to speak for itself. Considering how absurdly melodramatic everything is, I think it would make a pretty great J-drama. In fact, I’m already giggling at the idea. (And, OMG, since Marimite spawned a parody porn movie, why hasn’t anyone made a SP parody porn? It’s just *begging* for one. ^_^ And with that thought, there goes the last shred of soul I had….)

The technical reproduction seems very clean, with some moire in the backgrounds that, to be honest, I had to go looking for, because it never seems like a problem to me. Some sound effects have been translated and replaced, others have had a English equivalent placed nearby and in at least one case, it was left untranslated. As I always say, it’s not an issue for me. But, surely you can figure out that the crowd is saying “Waaahhh” at the apearrance of the newly crowned Hikari and Amane.

I only have one complaint. It’s not totally Sevens Seas’ fault, but I object strongly. On the back, someone at the now-defunct Newtype, apparently decided that he was clever by describing this series as “Girl-Crushes Gone Wild!” which is not only insulting, but inaccurate. The characters – repteadedly – express feelings of love and devotion towards one another. These are not crushes. (Duh) The implication that this is a manga equivalent to straight girls with no pride who do lesbian-looking things for straight guys to get off on is actually pretty correct, but I found it annoying anyway.

On the last page of the story, as Nagisa and Shizuma kiss, there is a puzzling allusion to a third volume of the manga. Let me assure that there is no third volume to the manga in Japanese. The puzzling allusion to the third volume is there in the Japanese edition too. It never happened for a number of reasons.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 6
Characters – 6, +1 for Kaname
Yuri – 9
Service – 6

Overall – 7

You may notice that my scores are different this time than when I read it originally. That happens. ^_^

And, my deepest, sincerest (and somewhat belated) thanks to Daniel P. for being the sponsor of today’s review!

Posted in English Manga, Strawberry Panic, Yuri Manga | 15 Comments »