Love Gene Double X Manga (恋愛遺伝子XX )

Please note that I do not call Love Gene Double X  (恋愛遺伝子XX ) a Yuri Manga. That's only because I'm not sure it is, yet. I'll reserve my judgement for future volumes.

In the future, all men have died and women, able to procreate without them, have recreated a similar dual-gender society, splitting into ADAMs and EVEs, with an almost-expected propensity for dressing in Rose of Versailles-style clothing. The story begins when transfer student Koshiro Aoi enters "Kingdom," one of the the most elite schools in society.

Aoi, an ADAM, is welcomed into the school with a typical mix of fascination and repulsion. She's good at her studies, and is athletically inclined as well. But she carries around a dirty wooden sword, straps her breasts down with sarashi (instead of the protectors used by the other ADAMs) and has declared that she is there take over the top position.

She is befriended by Sakura, one of the "stars" of the school. And, as she blunders around, she finds she has other allies in the school elite, as well.

Aoi needs allies too, as she inadvertently offends the top EVE, Erika-sama. In the middle of the EVE and ADAM mixer ball, Aoi finds herself having to duel Erika's fiancé, none other than Sakura...which is where the real trouble begins. It is absolutely forbidden for ADAMs to engage in relationships with other ADAMs and Aoi is starting to have some feelings for Sakura. Luckily, she's not so bright about such things and one of her other allies, Matsuri is able to refocus those feelings...for the moment...into desire for friendship.

Matsuri is also our greek chorus in this series. She is the one who discovers Aoi's secret and the source of her antagonism for the school elite. Aoi's mother was an ADAM, who became an outcast when she took the taboo route of becoming an EVE in order to marry the ADAM she loved. Matsuri tells Aoi that she is not alone in wanting to take this restrictive system down and councils Aoi not to bash around Kingdom making threats, but to work subtly from the inside.

In the meantime, Aoi challenges Sakura to a "duel" in grades and while she loses, makes herself one of the top  academic lights of the school. Sakura, Aoi, Matsuri and the last of the school stars, Mizuki, all become friends and comrades as the first volume main story comes to a close.

The extra chapter is a rather silly dream in which Aoi "learns" that the others are all really men, and she spends the next day checking their breasts to make sure they are really women.

To say that I have a lot of problems with this story is a vast understatement.

I'm super unhappy that the premise is that women, when left alone to create their own society, immediately force an extra-restrictive dual-gender society upon themselves. Same-gender role relationships are taboo, gender-role switching is even more taboo. This was really hard for me to take, but....

...on the other hand, Eiki and Zaou are immensely talented and I'm still trusting them to handle this scenario. We've got enough of a set-up that, given time, they *could* bring this to an amazing conclusion. But...will they be given that time? I'm not sure that Ichijinsha has given any creators more than 2 volumes so far. 5 or 6 more chapters is unlikely to bring this story to a satisfactory end.

I'm ambivalent about the potential for taboo fakey BL, the potential for a story half-assedly brought to conclusion, the potential for bad, bad lessons here and generally vexed at the whole thing. ^_^

Only the implication that the "real" story here is that Aoi and her friends might destroy these restrictions (given enough time and page count) is keeping me reading. And the fact that the story is being told with a good sense of humor helps, too.

Ratings:

Art - 8
Story - I'm totally bipolar about it. Sometimes I'm giving it an angry 5 and others a hopeful 8. Let's be vague and call it 7
Characters - The saving graces, definitely - 8
Yuri - 2 One kiss by Erika to a henchchick so far
Loser FanReader - 5 Breasts shots mostly

Overall - I'm going with a hesitant 8

Basically, Volume 2 is going to make or break this series for me, I think. If it goes to a Volume 2.

The picture and link above are for the deluxe edition, with Drama CD. There is also a regular manga-only edition available too, for those of you not as helpless before the siren call of Drama CDs as I am.

Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime July 2011 (コミック百合姫)

I hope you don't mind terribly, but I'm switching the nomenclature I use for Comic Yuri Hime. From now on, I'm using the cover date, rather than Volume number. I'll shift the back issues, so they match. Volume number was feeling pointless and forced. So, today we're looking at the July 2011 volume of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫).

The cover jumps right into Fukami Makoto's Justice for Girls with a bittersweet chapter about Yukimi, after her escape from Rapunzel's Tower and the brief happiness she shares with half-breed Tatsuki, until Chanel No. 5 tracks Yukimi down and whisks her away. This is the what, 4th chapter of this story and finally, it's starting to take some shape for me. Now I want to know if Tatsuki and Yukimi will be reunited and if Yukimi will ever see her sister Chiaki again.

There were a number of interesting stories this volume and, only a few I felt compelled to skip, which pretty much puts this firmly on the rising scale for me.

Outstanding among the many good was...are you ready? Takahashi Mako's story "Cha no Ma no Hana." Did you ever expect me to shower praise on a Takahashi Mako work? Me neither, but here I am, doing just that. I was warned that it was a pretty good story ahead of time (thank you Komatsu-san!) and I absolutely agree. Jitsuko comes out to her relatives and warns them she's not planning on changing her mind. Lurking behind concern for Jitsuko is the affection one aunt feels for the wife of her late brother, and a discussion of youthful impetuosity becomes quite complicated and adult.

"Yuri Danshi" explores the role of cross-dressing as a typical Yuri trope, with a nod to straight girls that enjoy the Otoko no ko type.

"Fu~Fu" provides us all with simply stellar advice when we decide we really like another woman, First, Hayase tells us, hold her close, then whisper "I love you" into her ear over and over. I've tried this out - it totally works. ^_^

Saida Nica's "Aoharu Runnings" was squee-worthy cute that, like "Fu~Fu" gives us all an awesome motivation technique to use. This time, the reward is a kiss.

The Ichijinsha Taikai is on and submissions of manga are being accepted. A few examples of winners are shown to keep us all positive.

"Nadeshiko Kimomo" is cute - it's pretty inevitable that you're gonna look at it and think "this began life as a Marimite parody." Cute, but really extra super thin on Yuri for the moment. It is notable for having an American student who is a chanbara otaku, who speaks an interesting Edo-patois-ish Japanese.

Amano Shuninta's story, "Watashi no Sekhai wo Kousei Suru Gomi no Youna Nanika" was a pretty frustrating story for me. Fue is a college student who has a girlfriend but, for a variety of reasons just finds the idea of sex sort of bleah. They live happily ever after, but I wasn't all that happy about it.

"Gozen 6-ji no Jouhou" by Futagawa Shunma tells of a little, fraught, illicit time between teacher and student.

In "Renai Joshikka," Ai realizes that she wants more of Hato than just to be co-workers. When Hato leaves her husband, Ai pushes the envelope.

The "Yuri Room" column this month talks to Takemiya Jin.

In "Sweet Temptation" by Takemiya Jin, a sweet scent and an even sweeter confession turns a "no thanks" into a "maybe.

The next pages are a preview of Aoi Hana's Twin Cake volume which tells the story of a failed idol-turned-manager who falls for her client.

As always these are not all the stories in the volume, just the one I found notable. Buy this volume for yourself and find more to love.

In general, I consider this to be an excellent volume and as always, I'm looking forward to the next!

Ratings:

Overall - 8

Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫) May 2011

Another excellent volume of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫). At this point, the magazine is balanced pretty well for me, by which I mean there's about half stuff I like and half I don't. It's good that there's stories I don't much care for, because it gives people with different tastes than my own a chance to enjoy the magazine, as well.

"Justice For Girls" starts off on the cover once again. This time, we're back at the high school in which all students carry firearms and shoot at each other. A girl is in love with her class representative. Did I mention they carry guns? Well, they carry guns. My favorite line comes in the beginning, when the class representative, Kotono, describes Hisami's gun and mentions how annoying it is. Good writing, because I found her gun annoying too.

Of course the opening story in this volume is "Yuru Yuri" with a ton of info about the anime.

Among the most memorable series for me were:

Uso Kurata's "Yuri Danshi" adds a fourth girl to the fantasy Yuri team in Hanadera-kun's head, and offers a variety of new Yuri fantasy scenarios to his delusional brain. When he confronts Matsuoka and tells her he'll be her ally, she replies with a strong hook to the eye. I loved Matsuoka at that moment. ^_^ But...maybe Hanadera wasn't wrong after all?.... .... ....

"Start Line" by Nanzaki Iku is a nice look at tension between two girls who never spoke while they were in school together. Will this continue? I certain hope so.

Tanaka Minoru writes a vampire story with an ironic twist in "Vampire Girl."

Ah ha! I was right after all and I'm not that happy about it. "DNA Double XX" by Zaou Taishi and Eiki Eiki is doing exactly what I thought it was going to do and I'm vexed all over again. OTOH, I trust them to balance it, so it doesn't just become a fake-BL story. I really feel quite strongly about this, because BL has some tropes I find strongly unappealing and I really hope they'll avoid those. On the other hand, I very much liked Aoi's challenge to Sakura for being so utterly dumb that it was funny. I'm trusting them...I'm trusting them.

Minamoto Hisanari's "Fu~Fu" follows Kina's older sister Kana, as she deals with something she's not used to - failure with a girl.

"Renai Joshikka" was Morishima Akiko at her finest. This is a woman's perspective, looking back at the turn of the century, and youthful behavior, and  grimacing. ^_^ This chapter introduces some new characters in our all-lesbian Wedding Boutique. For the first time, the issue of...ready?...same-sex marriage...is broached in Comic Yuri Hime. Rah! Rah! Morishima-sensei!

The story that blew me away though, was a surprise. I didn't much much like Momono Moto's earlier works, but "Aru Shoujo no Gunjou" was fantastic. A high school girl finds herself drawn into the life of a female couple and witnesses their break-up, and becomes part of the solution to healing. Although there were some very typical plot points here, the story worked as a whole.

Kowo Kazuma offers a solid give and take between two girls in "3-Second Rule," which is a great title. The 3-second rule is simply -if you ask a girl to go out and she doesn't answer in 3 seconds, cut your losses and move on.

And last for me, if not for the magazine, was a side story from the "Itoshii Hito" series, about Nana's second chance to apologize to Youko for rejecting her years ago.

Overall, a strong volume with a lot to like. The more experienced creators are really coming up with characters we can care about, and there's less and less reliance on the tropes of "Story A." I think we can safely say that Comic Yuri Hime is growing up nicely. ^_^

Overall - 9

Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime, March 2011

Comic Yuri Hime Volume 2 gets off to a smart start with cover art from "Rapunzel," this issue's short story written by Fukami Makoto, illustrated by Kazuaki. The story is quite literally a tale about a girl trapped in a tower while an evil "witch" does experiments using her as a guinea pig - as a form of torture in order to get information on the whereabouts of the girl's sister. Ultimately, the fifth artificial human caretaker she's had, Chanel (number 5, yes, yes) helps her escape. This can only be described as a "really creepy story."

This volume's wacky column from the editors trains you in how to be a "Yuri Sommelier" and make suggestions of series based on people's tastes. As you may know, I have avoided doing this for many reasons, but here is the primary one: When people recommend things to me, 95% of the time I don't find them as wonderful as they did, and therefore assume that it will be the same for you if I recommend something for you. In fact, there are only two people I know who can recommend manga to me and only one who can recommend books.

"Wakka Hane-Hane" introduces us to aggressively clueless Yuka who shows up and moves in with Saka-chan and then is aggressively clueless until they both decide they like it that way. I never did come around to that way of thinking.

Hayase's employment is the topic of discussion in "Fu~Fu" and so is the dynamic between her and Komugi. This leads into a little furry play on Kina's part, and then a morning after hasty explanation in the hallway. A goofy interlude, with some serious implications about relationship dynamics, but again, presented in a way that slides the important stuff under otaku radar.

A woman falls for a married woman in "Suwako-san to Uchyuu Ryokou."

Arisu and Saki contemplate marriage and "playing house" together in "Renai Joshikka." This chapter was stellar. There's a bit of awkwardness and miscommunication, as there is in real-life, but these are the first steps toward *after* happily ever after and I'm beyond thrilled that Morishima-sensei is the one leading the way! Everyone - follow her!!

Skipping "Kokoro Renjou" because I've kind of had it with the Black Cat Mansion stories. Fans of twincest will like this chapter.

"Hime Cafe" this issue is a somewhat informal chat about...stuff...with Namori-sensei, creator of Yuru Yuri. This is followed by editor's recommendations and picks and comments, including the same kind of "everything old is new again" phenomenon we're experiencing here. No surprise, you gotta figure every generation needs to rediscover the classics for themselves. (And what sells well never dies, so they'll reissue things as long as people shell out for them!)

Rokuichi's "Kimi-Watashi" is a slightly melancholic story about two women who can't seem to let go of one another. This is followed by a sneak peek at the artist's collection, Kuchibiru ni Sakete Orange, which I have previously reviewed.

"Yuru Yuri" was short. But don't worry - it'll be back.

Otsu Hiyori plumbs the depths of the moment between confession and answer, from the perspective of the one confessed to. Of course we all know the feelings of the confessor and the many tortures we/they go through, but what does the confessee feel? I'm not sure this story really convinced me - it was a little too close to "sympathy love" for my taste.

"Utsutsu no Itoshii Hito" by Takemiya Jin continues the saga of two sisters with radically different approaches to love.

When I saw that Uso Kurata was going to be doing something called "Yuri Danshi" I was not filled with joy, but neither was I running off panicking. I trusted Kurata-sensei to not turn in something that sucked. And so, I read the first pages with reserve. We meet Hanadera Keisuke, a secret Yuri LFB, with a stash of Comic Yuri Hime magazines under his bed and an overactive imagination. And a grin-making name. Even my wife laughed at that. Keisuke has a little crush on the Yamato Nadesico of the class, Fujigatani Saori. But when new student Miyajima Akane transfers in and immediately glomps her childhood friend Saori, a new obsession is born. Keisuke is *absolutely positive* that they must be a Yuri couple! All excited to see a real one, Keisuke begins to follow them when he comes to the sudden, sobering conclusion that, if they are really a couple - they would not want him around. There it is folks. The THREAT. If they are lesbian couple he is unneeded, unwanted - an annoyance. What mental hoops will Keisuke create for himself and jump through next time? Tune in to find out!

The short story by Miyamoto Ayako wasn't all that good, IMHO.

"Juliet and Juliet" by Oimoro Jiroh was exactly what it sounds like.

Kurokiri Misao's "Kokoro no Pendant" was a misunderstanding wrapped around a pendant, but everything works out in the end.

"Reversal" by Imura Ei was unique for several reasons. The art was all scratchy and sketchy, which sort of fit the tone of the story, which followed a girl involved with, let's face it, it was prostitution. When she is hired by another girl for a little humiliation, she ends up turning the tables on just which of them is in control of the relationship.

Skipping a couple of stories which didn't make a mark on me, the volume wraps up with a sneak peek of Rikachi's Ibara no Namida. The sneak peek follows three female college students and the love triangle that has them orbiting around each other. It instantly caught my attention for the clean art and realistic behaviors. I've got the volume sitting here and I've bumped it up on the too-read pile.

So, overall, still loads to like for just about anyone, and maybe even getting better, bit by bit. I love the new wacky column in the beginning of the volume. Starting off with some goofball humor coming off the stress-y Fukami stories is a good way to get us all to relax and have a little fun while we read.


Ratings:

Overall - 8

Before I wrap up, I want to answer one more question that was asked at the UBC lecture the other day that I didn't have time to answer. The questions was, in short - whether men who like Yuri identify more with the seme or the uke (which only applies in *some* stories, but we'll use it for the moment, because neither is the answer anyway) in a Yuri couple. Of course I cannot answer for every man who is a Yuri fan (or every woman who is, for that matter) but here's what I've seen in the majority of the Yuri fans - we identify with the couple. In my many, many discussions with Yuri fans over the years the issue is not that we want to be Haruka, or date Haruka...we want Haruka to be with Michiru. Remember my interview with Fujieda Miyabi-sensei when he said that when he creates a couple together, that's when he's happiest. I have had so many people tell me that this goes for them, too. I also feel this way. When the couple is happy, so am I. Therefore, I will generalize and say that Yuri fans do not identify with either pursuer or pursued, but with an established, hopefully functional, couple. ^_^

Yuri Manga: Wildrose Re:Mix disk a and disk b

Yuri Hime Wildrose was a 6-volume anthology of Yuri manga by Ichijinsha, the publishers of Comic Yuri Hime. Those six volumes were extremely variable, and tended to focus more on "Plot, What Plot?"-type stories than those being serialized in the Yuri Hime magazines. Wildrose has been re-launched as Girls Love (and the missing apostrophe has been the subject of many a Japanese Yuri blog post, something I admit I find amusing.) I have reviewed all 6 of the Wildrose volumes:

Volume 1 - Volume 2 - Volume 3 - Volume 4 - Volume 5 - Volume 6

You'll note that I did not much like them, precisely because they focused on stories where the extremely thin plots were meant only to barely cover the sex scene. It's not that that kind of story can't be done well, it was just that mostly, these weren't. In the end, I gave away the entire set.

The two Wildrose Re:mix disc-a and disc-b volumes are exactly what they sound like - some of the (presumably most popular) stories from the earlier collections, focusing on artists that are working within the pages of Comic Yuri Hime. As with all collections, there is good, bad and ugly, and your opinion might differ strongly from mine, depending on what you like. I did not like most of these stories the first time, and was no more thrilled the second time. However, there were a few from each volume that I found enjoyable enough, even though I'll admit to finding explicit, bodily fluid-filled sex not all that appealing, really. I guess I'm just a romantic at heart. (I wrote that in hopes of getting you to spit-take. Did it work? ^_^)

If you're one of the crowd that prefers your Yuri manga to be short, uncomplicated and full of sex, this would be an excellent two-volume collection to purchase. There's even a few cute stories in it.

Ratings:

Overall - Everything varies widely, let's be generous and say...6

Probably the most interesting thing about these two volumes was the mystery of who bought them. Some anonymous Okazu Hero sent them to me and did not include a message, or a name. (Anonymous Porn would be the best band name, wouldn't it?)

26 Feb Note: Mystery solved! Today's review was sponsored by Okazu Superhero Dan P. Thank you very much Dan, for letting me relive some of the better Wildrose stories.

Yuri Artbook: Yuri Hime Color Artworks Chronicle

Yuri Hime Color Artworks Chronicle (百合姫カラーアートワークス CHRONICLE) is exactly what the title says it is. This is a collection of color illustrations from Comic Yuri Hime and Yuri Hime S magazines and several of the collections published under the Yuri Hime imprint, from 2005-2010. And it is therefore a chronicle of the magazine from its birth through its cytokinesis into two magazines.

The book is split into a number of sections - Cover Works, Pin-Up Works, Color Comic Works, Other Works and Comic Cover Works. Overall, they provide a really wide variety of styles, tone and Yuri. Noticeably absent are the covers and art created by Hibiki Reine from the first five issues of Yuri Hime. The collection begins with the cover of the sixth volume, by Eiki Eiki and Zaoh Taishi. From there, the covers are arranged chronologically.

As a historical artifact for Yuri history, this book is pretty remarkable. As an artbook, it's fantastic.  While I might not like every picture, there's still plenty to enjoy, with such a variety of talented artists. Nearly every page reminds me how many people have contributed to the making of this magazine.

A side effect of flipping through the pages of this book is to remind me how much I really didn't much enjoy a great deal of the color art for Yuri Hime S.  Kind of a no-brainer, I suppose. But it also reminded me in a very visceral fashion, just how relaxing I find Fujieda Miyabi's art. I'd be flipping past a series of moe-servicey things and get to a picture of Sarasa and Seriho and just...relax. ^_^

If you never did get a chance to read the early issues of Yuri Hime, or you just relish the idea of collecting all the color pictures, Yuri Hime Artworks Chronicle makes a great addition to your Yuri collection.

Ratings:

Art - Variable, obviously

It is my very, very genuine pleasure to thank Okazu Superhero George R for his sponsorship of this review and for the contribution of this piece of Yuri manga history to the world's largest collection of Yuri!

Yuri Hime Rebirth - Online

For a limited time, the first issue of the newly rebooted Comic Yuri Hime is available online. Ichijinsha has also mentioned, on their editorial blog, a few series will be continuing only online.

The second volume of Comic Yuri Hime is now available wherever fine Yuri Manga anthologies are sold.

Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime , (コミック百合姫) January 2011

And thus, the fourth era of Yuri has begun.

Ichijinsha has re-launched Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫), with an entirely new look, a slightly new feel and a new bimonthly publishing schedule.

Gone is the sweet snuggliness of Fujieda Miyabi or Hibiki Reine, gone is the stoic Eiki/Taishi look, gone is the moe-moe of Tsubaki Asu. Comic Yuri Hime Rebirth is heralded with violence and darkness...

...there is something so very, very wrong about this that I immediately loved it. ^_^

The whole experience begins immediately on the cover where, buried in the art, begins a short story by Fukami Makoto (writer of Vertigo, which I reviewed a few months ago), illustrated with slightly more blood than, maybe, strictly necessary, by Kazuaki - a tale of girls shooting each other with guns in sexy and pointless ways. It was great, but then, you know I love stories about homicidally violent women.

I laughed like a loon at the first page after the color art page, in which we are trained in the proper application of "Yuri Brain," similar to our "Yuri Goggles." Here we are taught how Yuri Brain shifts things to being Yuri, even when they are not, really. The example given is hilariously funny: In the real world, Junsui Adolescence *is* Yuri, and K-ON! and Grappler Baki are *not* Yuri. With Yuri brain, only Grappler Baki remains on the "not Yuri" side of the equation. With that kind of sense of humor upfront on this magazine - and the girls with gun fetishes wtf-ness in the cover story - I was primed and ready to read the new Comic Yuri Hime and hopeful that we can leave some, if not all, of the moe blob blandness behind us.

The volume gets off to a good start with Takemiya Jin's story of two sisters who have a radically different approach to love. Takemiya does great short series, and has really leveled up in the past year or two of working professionally.

Techno Samata's story of cool girl/uncool girl left me feeling lukewarm, but only because I've seen it done a lot recently and I clearly need a few chapters to warm up to any story.

Way back in the 90s, Mist magazine used to label all their stories - "Coming Out," "Second Love," etc, so you kind of knew what categories a story might fall into. Sakamoto Mano's "Pie wo Agemasho, anata ni pie o ne" is handily labeled "90% Bitter and about the same Sweet, Love." Even more interestingly, this label is in a creole of Japanese and English that totally works in either language. For the label alone I would have liked this story, but in addition, the story fascinated me right away as it took two typical characters, subverted the way they were handled, then threw them into the Yuri blender to see what happens. What happens is a very unlikely love.

Also new for the Rebirth, btw, there is contact info for all the creators - snail mail only, which I thought was kind of cute and old-school. Of course so many of them are on Twitter, it's easy enough to reach them. (Start by following my Yuri Mangaka list to get a head start on it.)

"Fu~Fu" takes Kina-chan and Su-chan on a whirlwind tour of their own feelings about their relationship when another female couple moves in next door. When Komugi and Hayase are so upfront about their relationship, it inspires Kina to level up the love-love talk as well. This series is a like a refreshing drink of water, even as it wallows in its own silliness. We need about a dozen more series like this.

Tanaka Minoru takes a few well-covered tropes - two women meeting at a group date, cell phone madness and emotional awkwardness and sews them together for "Mettesarete Kya-"

Uso Kurata takes a look at a different story in the RPG world of "Sore demo Yappari Koi o Suru." A young girl befriends a good looking guy in virtual reality, but is able to see right past superficial appearances to the jaded woman behind the character.

Takahashi Mako returns with a less drippy, and slightly less dark story in "Kobako no Tegami." This is followed by only about 30 pages of "Yuru Yuri" which contained one amusing gag relating to the use of color in some of the pages. At 30 pages, it was totally tolerable. Perhaps the cancer is at last in remission.

I have not had a chance to read the short story by Morita Kisetsu that follows, but the illustrations do not give me much hope. This is followed up with a chapter of "Para Yuri Hime," and an essay by Miura Shion on the volleyball manga Shoujo Fight, which I also have not had time to do more than just scan. I hope to have some time in the near future to actually read these....

"Yuki no Yosei" was another cool girl/uncool girl story. I feel like I've read too many of this in the recent past to really like them, but this one was sweet enough.

I'm sorry, I can't even remember "Lost Girl," the story that follows. Looking at it now, I don't remember a single thing about it.

Yeah, I'm still skipping "Mugen no Minami" and I don't expect that to change, ever.

Love on the school rooftop in "Twinkle Little Secret" was cute, but also kind of retread. "Onna no Karada" by Konno Kita was almost Mist-like in content, but much gentler in art style. This was a nice exploration of the mental hurdles of getting to "couplehood" for two women.

I would like to apologize sincerely to Zaou Taishi and Eiki Eiki for my presumption. They are doing *exactly* what I thought they were going to do, but they are totally not doing it the way I expected and, as a result, "Love DNA Double XX" is not nearly as excruciating as I had feared. Carry on ladies. I'll trust you to know what you're doing.

Morishima Akiko-sensei and her editor Poin have a chance to meander through a number of topics - some sillier than others - in a short column called "himecafe." This is followed by messages from the contributors to the magazine and some suggestions for good reads and watches from the editors of the magazine.

Another thrilling chapter of "Black Cat Mansion" brings two girls together and gives us a hint that the mistress of the mansion has a story of her own.

You know what? Hiyori Otsu could draw a story about absolutely nothing and I'd love it. Thank god she draws Yuri.

"Musou Honey" basically is much like everything Mikuni Hachime writes, with lots of flailing and hurty faces. This chapter has slightly less depantsing than usual, so I guess that's a win.

"Renai Joshika" turns back to the very first couple, Arisu and Saki, as they take their first steps together as a couple. Immediately an ex pops up to plague them, but it's not really a crisis at all. Ow, ow, my cheeks hurt from smiling. Ow.

Are we ready? I know I am. I know I am VERY, VERY ready for this chapter of "Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan," in which Seriho makes it VERY, VERY plain what the ring she gave to Sarasa means and what it means for Sarasa to accept it. Squeee! Ow, ow, my heart. Ow!

Which just about wraps up this exceedingly chock-filled to the brim with a bunch of different kinds of Yuri issue...but, wait, there's more! Just before we close the final pages, there's "Kimono Nadesico," a little 4-panel strip full of lovely classic cosplay, in the sense of kimono and archery uniforms and the like.

So - overall, there is something here for just about everybody. Action, romance, guns, girls, women, realism and fantasy. If you can't find something you like in the new Comic Yuri Hime - seriously, it's you.

Ratings -

Overall - 9

Great start to the new era. Let's go Yuri!

Yuri Manga: Sayonara Folklore

You know how it is - you join a club, start a new hobby or take lessons in something, and find that there's a whole freaking mythology attached to it. Rituals, jargon of course, and all these unwritten rules that no one tells you, but you gotta know.

In Sayonara Folklore, (さよならフォークロア) Hayase has gone to this school for years, so she knows that you do *not* touch anyone on Monday, and if you do, there's a little incantation that must be recited. But Mashiro has just transfered in, and does not know these things. Hayase explains that we do not touch on Monday, because not too long ago two girls did - and they fell in love, became lovers and tried to die together. Therefore, if you don't recite the charm, you might fall in love with whomever touched you...and that would be bad. Of course Hayase explains this after Mashiro has touched her...on a Monday.

At first Mashiro is amused, then annoyed and finally, frightened by this stupid ritual that forces Hayase to continually reject her touch.

By the time the rumors have traveled through the school and the teachers find out, it's too late for Hayase and Mashiro - they have indeed fallen in love. The "Monday curse" has come to pass. When Hayase refuses to deny the relationship, they are separated. Hayase is left in an attic room to reflect on her behavior. In that room, she find letters from one girl to another...  Mashiro, never one to play by the rules, climbs to the dormer room to be reunited with Hayase, who has now learned the truth about the two girls who originated the Monday curse.

This story and a short omake about a woman and her animal-eared loli maid, are by Kowo Kazuma, one of my current favorite artists. Kowo-sensei just manages to reach into my chest and squeeze my heart. I never really understand why, but her work always touches  me. Something about the art makes me *care* about the characters in a way that few other artist's work does, and this feeling extends to the non-Yuri work, as well. I love Kowo-sensei's story in Rakuen le Paradis.

More objectively, this is a nice little Story A with a silly setup that manages to remain sustainable through the volume (unlike, say, Zettai Shoujo Astoria, in which the zOMG thing just gets left behind, then picked up again later and explained away badly.) This is not a major work of literature, but it is a good solid read, especially if you like stories of schoolgirls in love, with a teeny "human tribes create ritual and taboo" driver.

Ratings:

Art - 7, but I like it 9
Story - 7
Characters - 7, but I like them 9
Yuri - 8
Loser FanBoy - 1

Overall - 9 for me, but your mileage may vary, depending on how you feel about Kowo's work.

Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime S, Volume 14

Yuri Hime S, Volume 14 is the final volume of Yuri Hime S (百合姫 S). Around for almost 4 full years, it has now been merged into Comic Yuri Hime. A listing of the stories that will be carried over from both magazines can be found on the Comic Yuri Hime website, along with the new works debuting.

This final volume doesn't particularly feel final, though. Most of the stories continue on just as they always have. It starts off with "Shinagami Alice," a story that has always felt to me as if it's limping along waiting to develop a plot or be killed. Having survived a first collected volume, it appears to be trying to develop a plot. The introduction of a new character, Masaki's relative, brings a teeny little thread of normality into what has been a free-floating "where? when? what?" kind of story. Then the Goth-Loli bad Shinigami comes back and that's all completely blown.

Color news pages cover mobile visual novels and games that are pure LFB material, a "Girls Festival" hosted by Animate and Tamayura which I have been watching and still don't see anything even remotely, slightly, sort of  Girls' Love-ish about. It's sweet. I like it. But Girls' Love? Not so far.

Naoe Marimo's "Hime to Mahou-tsukai" is a cute little confection about a Princess and a Witch, obviously.

"My Steady" by Yamura Marika follows a young woman and the older woman she loves.

Then comes "Fu-Fu" by Minamoto Hisanari. I was thinking about the spelling of "Fu-Fu" the other day. Although the first chapter discusses the kanji of phrase "fufu," the title itself is spelled using Hiragana. ふ~ふ. And I wondered about that, because the blowing of wind is rendered that way. You may recall my review of the first Strawberry Panic Light Novel in Japanese, in which I commented on the excessive winds at Miator. (fuu~ fuu~) So, it occurred to me that, perhaps, we were meant to be reminded of the sound of wind blowing with the name rendered in Hiragana as it is. It certainly has become a breath of fresh air blowing through Yuri Hime S for many of us.

This chapter follows Kina and Su-chan on a trip (designed by Kana, Kina's older sister) that is their de facto honeymoon. Meanwhile, we see a new couple moving in next door and learn that they too are a "Yuri couple!" I predict "noises heard through the walls" jokes in future chapters.

Skipping "Mugen no Minamo" as I always do, which leads to "Marriage Black" which continues to be fraught, violent and full of unresolved tension of about twenty kinds. Lu-Chie becomes Lilicia's guardian angel by swearing that she, and none other, shall be the one to take Lilicia's life.

In "Flower Flower" Shuu *finally* makes it plain that when she says she likes Nina, she means in a "want to kiss you" way.

I skip a second chapter of "Mugen no Minamo" and move on to the next chapter of "Cassiopeia Dolce" in which Ana goes through crisis number 870 in between getting dressed and undressed. I did very much like the handful of eyeballs, though.

"Zettai Shoujo Astoria" comes to an end with one of the very lamest endings I've ever read. It really made all the screaming and running around seem pretty silly and pointless. But that's over, so we can move on to...

"Okkake Girls" has developed a sort of plot, as Marin has decided to devote herself to becoming an Otokoyaku.

And finally, *100* pages of Namori's "Yuru Yuri," which I have felt is utterly without interest since the very beginning. It's obvious that the editors at Ichijinsha love this series, since the page count has been steadily growing every volume, but 100 pages????? That's a whole 25% of the book! Can you say the word "excessive?" And worse, it's going to be in the new magazine. I can't wait until the day all the other stories are just jettisoned for 400 pages of this totally nothing story with barely any Yuri. BLEAH. Two thumbs down for this waste of ink.

And so, Yuri Hime S comes to a close with a really big yawn. Which it totally did not have to do.

Ratings:

Overall - 7, with two points off for 100 pages of zzzz, I mean "Yuru Yuri."

Yuri Manga: Tokimeki Mononoke Gakuen, Volume 2

Ah, young love. It's all drama all the time. Especially when you're a human who has accidentally found their way to the youkai world and fallen in love with a two-tailed cat-girl spirit.

Tokimeki Mononoke Gakuen, Volume 2 picks up just at the end of Volume 1. Arare and Kiri are in love, that much is obvious, but they've got something important standing between them and consummation of that love - the fact that if they have sex Arare will cease to be human and will become a youkai herself! Her situation isn't made easier when she meets Akina, a youkai who tells her that she herself made that choice.

As much as they desire one another, this simple fact keeps them apart. And, it is this simple fact that causes them to fight and causes Arare to run off, unaware that Pero has followed her. When Arare ends up back in the human world Pero is somehow dragged along. Awkward, but not unbearable...until the human world starts to make Pero sick. Now Arare has a more pressing problem - if she doesn't get back to the world of the youkai, Pero may die!

I have had a strong belief that I knew what the end of this series was going to be from waayyyyy back in the story. As soon as we heard, in fact, that Arare would become a youkai if she made love to a youkai, I pretty much assumed I knew what the ending was going to be. It seemed so *obvious!* I'm not going to spoil the ending, but I will say this - I could not have been wronger. ^_^;

The ending was cute, the ending was happy...it just didn't do anything like I expected it to. So kudos to creator Nangoku Banana for finding a unique, creative way out of that well. (That phrase has a story behind it. My Dad was telling me a story of a serial he read when he was a kid - one of those adventure things, you know. The hero was bound, at the bottom of a well, no one around for miles, no tools to rescue himself with, etc, etc. End of chapter. Next chapter began, "Once out of the well..." We use that phrase around my house to signify cheating your way out of corners you've written yourself into.)

No doubt Kiri and Arare will live happily ever after.

Ratings:

Art - 7
Story - 8
Characters - 8
Yuri - 9
Loser FanBoy - 7

Overall - 8

This series is still not for the prudish. It's more serious than Volume 1, and slightly less outrageous, but still pretty over-the-top.

On another note, if you are interested in the youkai portrayed in this story and don't want to wade through a lot of tedious academic research or historical stuff, I recommend Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt's Yokai Attack!, a fun "field guide" to youkai you might encounter and how to deal with them if you do.

Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime Wildrose, Volume 6

I know, I know. I said I was done with this series. I say that sometimes. But then I need another item or two to make an order on Amazon JP worth it, so...

Anyway, here we are in Yuri Hime Wildrose, Volume 6 and while I am not dancing a joyful "this is it!" dance, I'm not gritting my teeth or anything, either. And perhaps the folks at Yuri Hime are getting comments that echo my own, because in it's own PWP way, this volume of Wildrose steps up its game by a notch.

This is most apparent in the first story of the volume, "Yume no Hanashi," in which Naho is moved to tears when she realizes that she is not alone in her school as a girl who loves other girls. Given that recently the US is dealing with reports of young gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth struggling against  prejudice and abuse from not just the people around them but from the leaders of their communities, who don't seem to care that their casual homophobia is inciting acts of hate and intolerance...this message is an incredibly powerful one. And, given that Wildrose does tend to be rather more superficial than sensitive, and almost all Yuri avoids complications of awareness and identity, this simple acknowledgement of how alone a LGBTQ young person can feel and how important just knowing that you are not alone, is an amazingly powerful statement. It was a strong opening for the volume.

Again, in "Moment Like Fireworks," the continuation of Nanzaki Iku's ShizNat-esque couple, Sayo and Ritsuko's story, Sayo first introduces Ri-chan as a friend to an old classmate , then corrects it to a "good friend," and then backtracks, explaining that she and her girlfriend would like some alone time to engage in some love talk. Sayo later apologizes for not making the point right away, but Ritsuko expresses understanding and gratitude.

There were a few stories where younger women had to work a little harder at getting their point across to their older lover, and one story in which a Devil tries to ruin an Angel, only to be thwarted by her purity and love (a very cute story, I thought. It seems obvious to me that the real danger is that the Devil will start to feel "Love" and go good.)

There are a few stories which are not "good" in the big picture - one in which a not-very-veiled threat of suicide brings two lovers back together did not, to me, seem to be a good ending to a relationship that just needed to end. Relationships do that sometimes.  But then there's something like "Houkago Berry Girl" which was just...silly. It made no statements, had nothing deep to impart, but was cute.

My major complaints about the Wildrose stories are that they have basically been retreads of "Story A" and left me feeling empty at best and quite often icky. This time I felt like they had actually stepped up their game, with more established couples and even some "lesbian identity" in a few of those stories.

Ratings:

Overall - 7

I'm back on the wagon for Wildrose 7.

Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime, Volume 21 (Part 2)

The second half of Volume 21 of Yuri Hime, begins with a chronological "Timeline of Yuri" which they begin in 1902 with the creation of the first magazine for girls to be published in Japan, "Shoujokai." (少女界）

This is followed by interviews with and "Top 5" lists from the editors. I pretty much don't agree with their choices in the top 5s, especially as many of them are Yuri by association or implication, rather than actually having Yuri content, and therefore, not very helpful to anyone looking for suggestions of what to read or watch. But they are an interesting glimpse into the editor's collective minds.

Color pages highlight some notable Yuri kisses in anime, follwed by coverage pf topics of interest to the Yuri Network, such as the surge in Yuri manga in shoujo magazines and the Live Action Maria-sama ga Miteru movie.

Kazuma Kowo's "Sayonara Folklore" come to a close in which the original premise of the "Monday curse" is addressed, neutralized and set aside, so that Mashiro and Nanase can live a well-deserved happily every after.

"Sore ga Kimi ni Naru" hits an expected lag, as You realizes how painful her existence must be to Amane and how much she wants to see Amane anyway, while Amane realizes pretty much the same thing about You. Sadly for them and us, they just miss each other and have to keep on wanting for another chapter.

Miura Shion's essay is once again about a story with which I am unfamiliar, "Nami no Ue no Tsuki." Time to do some shopping, I think. ^_^ This story has been reviewed by Erin S. on her blog, if you'd like a western perspective. (Thanks for the link!)

"Moso Honey" continues to be a love triangle comedy in which Nonoka, because her eyes are fixed on Nozomu-sempai, fails to see how Kanade looks at her.

The penultimate chapter of "Tokimeki Mononoke Gakuen" in which it becomes apparent to us, Arare and Kiri that poor Pero needs to be returned to the world of the yokai. Will they make it in time? And what will become of Kiri and Arare? The series' second volume is already out, so you don't have to wait to find out!

"Lunch Box," by Mitsue Aoki delves a little deeper into Yukari's feelings for the woman who makes her her lunches with such care and devotion, with a little side-track into leopard-patterned underwear. :-)

A love letter treated with cavalier unconcern is a matter for contention between a third-year and the second-year school prince in what is quite accurately titled "Kobun Miman."

The final letters section is a farewell from the avatars that have shepherded us through so many letters section. The book ends with a two page ad heralding the next phase of the magazine.

And so, hopefully, we set aside our childish things and look forward to the new iteration, the post-adolescence (we hope) of Yuri Hime magazine!

Ratings:

Overall- 8

Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime, Volume 21 (Part 1)

We're right on the cusp of the big merge now. Here were are at Volume 21 of Yuri Hime. One more volume of Yuri Hime S and then they will combine like two galaxies, which I'm sure could be a really funky extended metaphor if I had an ounce of energy to do it. ^_^;

This volume begins with a interview with Shimura Takako, creator of hit Yuri series Aoi Hana. Questions about drawing Yuri, love between girls and the BL and Yuri audiences are asked and answered.  It's very much a public figure interview, so don't expect massive personal revelations or spoilers for Akira and Fumi, but as interviews go - it was a good one. Most interesting to me was the use of the word "Yuri" to describe the work and the audience. It might not seem like a big thing to you, but it's been a decade's worth of work for me. ^_^

"Renai Joshika" starts to tie up loose ends, as Himeno and Shiraha shed some baggage in order to be able to move forward together.

In "Watashi to Kanoujo" two girls are together, while in "Hoshitotsu  Bokuro" two girls are separated.

Shio's hair is really pretty and Kanako loves to play with it, but when classmates are unkind about their friendship, Shio puts some distance between them, in "Yuri Yuri." After a short, tense time apart, they decide that they'd actually like to become closer and the other girls can suck it up.

Takemiya Jin's "Love Aroma" follows a student who can't get the scent of the new teacher out of her mind.

The Black Cat Mansion series tries something totally different - two adult women! Kumi and Nozomu are a great couple and ought to be very happy together...but aren't, until a visit to the Black Cat Mansion forces them to have the conversation they weren't having, but needed to.

Next up is a "commercial message" from Furutsuji Kikka, the creator of Knife-Edge Girl on the critical topic of her characters' bust sizes. Oh, and don't forget to buy the book!

"Hime Koi" and "Para Yuri Hime" are both short and forgettable, and the pages that follow outline manga that won the most recent contest held by Ichijinsha. We can expect to see some of the newcomers in the upcoming issues.

Which brings us to "Love DNA Double XX" which is steadfastly not going where I thought it would, for which I am very, very thankful. Aoi and Sakura begin a duel over competing ideas of honorable behavior and do not conclude it quickly at all. In fact, I think I really actually began to like this story, when 20 minutes later they are still fighting - and their audience is getting tired and bored. ^_^  Does the end come in the shining flash of a sword - tune in next issue to find out!

Which brings us halfway and to the "Petit Yuri Hime" 5-year anniversary pamphlet. 5 years. That makes Yuri Hime the longest-running Yuri/lesbian-focused magazine in Japan. Something to be proud of, for sure!

In ten more years, when Yuri Hime turns 15 and Yuricon 20, I wonder what the Yuri landscape will look like?

Short overview today, because it's been a really long day today. I'll finish it up tomorrow!

Yuri Manga: Love Flicker

Once upon a time, I found myself staring at my empty living room coffee table, wondering what I was going to review that day, as there was nothing really Yuri out. That was a while back and today, it occurred to me that I haven't actually *seen* my table in a while. I'm not complaining. ^_^

You regulars here know that I very much like Takemiya Jin's work. It's not that the art is so incredible or the stories are amazing, it's just that together, they are fun to read - which is my number one criteria for anything I read. I like fun things, because "fun" is better than a lot of the other options when I read.

The stories in this collection of Takemiya-sensei's work, Love Flicker, (ラブフリッカー) is fun. And, much like Hiyori Otsu's Clover, a chunk of it turns out to be an interconnected series and not just the one-shots we thought they were. Hah on us!

In the first story, Chika asks her sempai out because she likes her but, because of rumors, innuendos, a guy and other plot complications, sempai breaks up with her. Chika hits the guy on the head with an artist's palette and they resolve the rest of the issues by ignoring them.

In the second story, a woman who works at her family's bakery falls for a student who always buys one mini-croissant. After she tracks the girl, Sakura, down at the school festival, she learns that Sakura's family is in the rice business. Rice bread is born and we all live happily ever after, except...

Ichi-sempai recruits tall, athletic Miharu to the volleyball team. Miharu finds her self attracted to Ichi, but Ichi breaks down and admits that the sempai (bakery woman above) she likes has a girlfriend. Double lez gross out, huh? Miharu says that she's not grossed out by sempai's sempai, or by Ichi's feelings because she feels that way about Ichi!

At the new student ceremony, Kimura passed out. She's caught by Kado, but it's Rinko-sempai who carries her to the infirmary. Kado and Kimura decide to become love rivals for Rinko's attention, but when Kado comes right out and asks Rinko, Kimura realizies that it wasn't Rinko she was in love with. Luckily, Rinko realizes it too, and Kimura and Kado are able to get together.

Now that Rinko's free, the Student Council President is able to realize her dream and capture Rinko for her own. When she and Rinko graduate they express their "close friendship" to Kado and Kimura in the form of a passionate kiss.

The book closes with Ichi-sempai realizing that her feelings for Miharu are...well..love. She and Miharu come out to her sempai and her mini-croissant girl. Ichi's sempai responds to this with "You too?"

This wraps up what was an entertaining collection of "Story A" stories by one of my fave doujinshi to professional Yuri artists.

Ratings:

Art - 7
Story - 8
Characters - 8
Yuri - 8
Loser FanBoy - 1

Overall - 8

Want a fun collection of Yuri stories? Get this book.

Yuri Manga: Kuchibiru ni Saketa Orange

Once upon a time, a friend of mine told me a story about a guy she went on a lunch date with. When she inquired about the possibility of a second date, the guy said that he couldn't. She asked why not, because she thought they had gotten on well. His reply was that they had and he really liked her and he could see himself falling for her and then they'd get serious about one another and maybe think about marrying and kids and he just wasn't ready for that. She stared at him seriously for a moment, shook her head and said, "I was asking about lunch." She walked away and never regretted it.

I have met many people like that man, people who construct elaborate fantasies in their heads about small things blowing into huge things, but the bulk of us can tell when we're making it all up in our heads. I mean, we've all done it, haven't we? Fantasized about "what we'd do if" somethingsomethingsomething.

In Kuchibiru ni Saketa Orange, Chizuru is busy making up stuff about Kae in her head. In reality, she's got Kae on a really high pedestal, and doesn't even consider herself worthy of dusting the base. Chizuru is a child-faced incoherent who never quite manages to answer a simple question simply, but blushes and stutters and always lags behind.

Kae is perfect, according to Chizuru. She's beautiful and smart and stylish. Chizuru's goal is not as high as to be noticed by Kae - she just wants to have something in common with her object of desire. Her wish is granted in the form of an orange-colored lipstick.

Chizuru gets together with Kae, was there any doubt that she would? How, why...I'm not quite sure. They just do, because they have to. And they live happily ever after wearing gaudy lipstick, one supposes.

In the second story Miwako and Anzu are cousins and lovers. A misunderstanding about a boy threatens to break them up, but it was only a misunderstanding.

And in a final "Plot, What Plot," best friends Rio and Yui have sex, because.

Now that I think about it, I think I read all of these same stories in Mist magazine, only with adults instead of young woman. I liked them better that way.

The title is translated as "A transparent orange in the lip," so the book wins as the strangest title I've read in a while in both Japanese and English.

Ratings:

Art - 5
Characters - 5
Story - 5
Yuri - 8
Loser FanBoy - 10

Overall - 5

I'd love for this book to go to someone else's home. Here's how to win:

Come up with a short story that incorporates the phrase "A transparent orange in the lip." No more than 100 words. Extra points for making it Yuri. Winner will be announced in a future Yuri Network News report. I have a bunch of things to get rid of, so I can see this contest having second and third place winners.

Yuri Manga: Rose Meets Rose

I am feeling like crap tonight on account of food poisoning last night and yet, here I am writing you a review. Aren't you moved by my dedication and focus? Don't you want to shower me with praise (and if you're my wife, kisses?) I thought you might. Thank you.

Today we have Rose Meets Rose, a collection of several Yuri Hime phone comics, by Shinn Yui. (Quick aside, is it of interest to you for me to link author's names to their webpages/blogs or Twitter accounts?)

I was reading this book before bed every night and quickly realized that it might not be the best choice for that, as the stories are the opposite of relaxing.

The first story is particularly uncomfortable, as it follows the anger, denial and ultimately, love, between two girls who may well have been responsible for the death of a pedophile who kidnapped them when they were children. It turns out that they were not, in fact, killers, but somehow it didn't sit well with me that they suddenly found comfort in each other, when five seconds before they loathed one another for the secret they had been keeping.

In the second story, Sen falls in love with a girl in a painting. When that girl, Mai, transfers to her school, she asks Mai to pose nude for her. Mai has a reputation for having had an affair with the man - her teacher- who had painted her, and Sen knows it, but can't stop herself from obsessing about Mai. The rumors fly about Mai, while Sen tries to protect her from the fallout...and tries to get her to open up a bit. When Mai gets a call from the teacher, all of a sudden Sen sees what a transformation love can make. Taciturn Mai blossoms into a beautiful woman. Mai will be leaving to join her lover in Europe, but Sen never stops loving the girl in the painting. This was my favorite story of the collection.

The third story was sci-fi-ish. Two girls break out in "love" with a rose-colored and -shaped rash. The more intense the love they have for one another, the more of their bodies are covered. After a late-night swim in the pool they are completely covered, of course.

And, finally, a girl with the nickname Dorothy is brought back from wanting to die by a "cowardly lion." This story was too reminscent of those bad-old lesbianism=mental disease days for me to really like it, even though it had a sweet ending.

In keeping with the rest of the Ichijinsha phone manga, I found this all to be not *quite* satisfying. None of it is bad, the art style is pretty classic - reminiscent of Kakinouchi Narumi (Vampire Princess Miyu, Uta-hime) and now that I think about it, the stories are a little reminiscent of her's too. But the tragic heroines were too melodramatically tragic for me to ever truly enjoy it.

Ratings:

Art - 8
Stories - 5-8
Characters - 6
Yuri - 7
Loser FanBoy - 4

Overall - 7

So, not stellar, but not bad either. Definitely not relax-y bedtime reading though. ^_^

Yuri Manga: Knife-Edge Girl

Knife-Edge Girl (ナイフエッジガール)by Furutsuji Kikka, is a collection of several graphic novellas that had previously run in Comic Yuri Hime.

The book begins with the titular "Knife-Edge Girl" a story about two friends with completely different approaches to life.

The second story is a personal favorite of mine, "Graffiti," in which two women who use the same desk at different times of the day communicate in drawings on the desk top. When they finally meet in real life - purely by accident - the attraction is instant on Kana's side...and maybe not on Rise's. Or maybe, it is.

In "Torte Fromage" Miwa's boring OL life is suddenly thrown into glamour and excitement when she meets avant garde actress Nakae-san.

And as an omake, we get Rise's point of view on her relationship with Kana and how she saw it develop.

Of all of these stories, the closest to actually having a lesbian in it was "Torte Fromage," in which Miwa is asked if she is Nakae's new girlfriend in a way that implies that that would not be unusual.

This collection breaks no new ground, but with good art and new spins on "Story A," I found the book to be enjoyable in every way.

Ratings:

Art - 8
Story - 8
Characters - 8
Yuri - 7
Loser FanBoy - 1

Overall - 8

Because of the difficulty in bringing adult books over here, if Seven Seas wanted to restart their Strawberry Line with more Ichijinsha works, I'd recommend this and Otsu's Clover to begin with.

Yuri Manga: Sweet Guilty Love Bites

Sweet Guilty Love Bites, by Amano Shuninta is currently a candidate for my top ten manga of the year list. It is so very, very close to the kind of thing I want out of Yuri. All it would need is *one* little thing to make it perfect.

The book follows the trials and tribulations of 4 hostesses at Club Lilac. In "Sweet Guilty," Kirie has had a bad night and in a fit of pique kicks a pile of garbage only to learn that it was wrapped around a person. Myata settles into Kirie's life so quickly she barely has time to get used to the feelings she's having for her, when Myata suddenly leaves. But Myata isn't really homeless, she's actually the bassist for a popular band who was hiding from her manager. She and Kirie live...shall we all say it together? Happily Ever After.

"Guilty Love" starts with a one-night stand. Niina is a single mother and she leaves before the dawn. because she has a child who needs her at home. When she takes Runa to school the next day, Niina is mortified to learn that her erstwhile lover is her daughter's kindergarten teacher. Mayu-sensei has to jump a number of hurdles to prove that she's serious about Niina, and in the end, the three of them live together as a happy two-parent family.

Kokoro, another hostess at Club Liliac, is in love with the club headliner and cover model, Kurea. But as Kurea's career takes off, Kokoro feels as if she'll be left behind. She won't, of course. "Love Bites" ends as happily ever after as the rest of the collection. ^_^

The afterword is disturbingly populated by a number of animals who were apparently instrumental in the making of this manga. Amano-sensei is an exceptionally well-trained seal, who knew?

So, what was the one teeny thing missing that would have made this book perfect? The word "lesbian." Not one of the characters was a lesbian, none were women who loved women. In fact, when Niina asks Mayu-sensei if she's in the habit of picking up women, Mayu says that a friend owns the bar and she just happened to be there. If there was one moment in which I would have liked to see a single character own up to being gay, that was it. "Yes," Mayu could have said. "I'm a lesbian." And the rest of the story would have been identical and this book would have gotten a 10, instead of a 9.

Ratings:

Art - 8
Story - 9
Characters - 9
Yuri - 9
Loser FanBoy - 3

Overall - 9

A book about women over the legal drinking age, all of whom find someone shiny and perfect and successful...if only one of them had been a lesbian. Still, this is good Yuri.

Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime Selection, Volume 3

Yuri Hime Selection, Volume 3, like it's predecessors Volume 1 and Volume 2, is a collection of one-shot stories. A number of them are by participants in Ichijinsha's manga contests which haven't made it into the quarterly magazines and the others appear to have run in Yuri Hime S.

Of these, my favorite was "Hasunetsu" by Shin Yui, which had both plot and art that reminded me very much of Mist magazine. In this story, "Bon" (so nicknamed for her bouncy, curly hair) finds herself falling in love and lust with model and upperclassman Kyouko. This story is pure female fantasy and it works. The happily-ever-after ending helps. :-)

Immediately after this was a not-quite-Yuricest story that wasn't bad, and that was followed by a lovely little morality play in which a girl who is a prostitute because she can be, lets go of her attachment to money and finds true happiness in the love of another woman.

These three were my favorites, but there were certainly other stories of interest. Unlike Volume 2, I mostly had not read or did not remember the other stories in this collection, so for that reason alone it was fun. There's a number of one-shots by more popular writers such as Akihito Yoshitomi, Uso Kurata, Mizuno Tokho and others.

I've been generally pleased at the Selection collections. I was a little concerned that I'd feel used, buying the same stories I already had purchased in the magazines, but other than the first (which wrapped up the old Yuri Shimai one-shots) I haven't felt that way at all about Volume 2 or 3.

This collection has enough new material to make it worth buying, and enough interesting material that you won't feel ripped off.

Ratings:

Overall - 8

Once more, my sincere thanks to Okazu Superhero Dan P. - and my sincere apology that the items he's sponsored off my Amazon JP Yuri Wishlist haven't been crappier. I may have to thank him for something else, just to ensure that he maintains his inner LFB. ;-)