I will continue to do what I started with last issue, and only address the stories I felt were worth reading. The rest do not appeal to me for one reason or another and I don't want to waste my time even so much as synopsizing them.So, for me, the first story in Yuri Hime S, Volume 12, is "Fufu." Let me be very clear - this story is *important.* Some people, after having read my glowing review of this story from the last volume were disappointed because nothing happens. The first chapter is just about two women who sit around talking. This is followed by this volume's chapter in which they go out shopping for a bed. That's it. But that's precisely why it's important. This story is about the little moments of domestic bliss that are the majority of time spent in a marriage. On 2chan, the response was, "why should I care?" and a lot of derision about lesbians and why they don't want lesbians in their Yuri. That's why this story is important. Because, no, Yuri fandom, especially the male half, are not more open-minded and accepting. If anything they are usually less - sexually immature sometimes, sexually conservative frequently. Otaku in Japan are rarely socially liberal. Social and political equality for gay couples is not even in the playbook, much less a priority.
So when "Fufu" covers this territory, gently, adorably forcing this audience to repeatedly confront the fact that lesbian couples are happy without a man, and would like to have words and laws that protect their status absolutely - it is important. I remain thrilled with Ichijinsha's decision to run this series in Yuri Hime S.
Above all...c'mon...the story is about getting a big pluffy bed! As a proud owner of one of those, I say without reservation that this is the greatest story ever! lol
In "Okkake x girls" Amami-sempai and Koyanagi-sempai had a smoking hot kiss in the last scene of the school play and it's inspired some of the other students to try it out. This series gets points for having Amami accepted into the "Sakarazuka" school where she'll become a real prince.
In "Kaichou to Fukukaichou" the Vice President is starting to come to terms with what she feels is a hopeless love for the President, only to encounter the President in tears over a difficult family situation. She offers comfort in the form on an embrace and lets the girl she loves cry in her arms.
"Marriage Black" tells the tale of two daughters of opposing crime families, mixed in with a little "The Graduate" and a little murder. I kind of wonder where this one is going.
Hiyori Otsu's "Orange and Yellow" covers the well-worn territory of a girl and the moron she loves. :-)
"Shinagami Alice" avoids explaining anything by adding a sadistic Loli who kidnaps the lead, so we don't notice there's no plot.
The plot takes a turn for the irrelevant when the male lead of the play disappears just before the school festival in "Konohana Link." I'm once again of the mind that this will all make more sense once I get all the chapters together, because right now, it's too scattered for me to follow.
The memes are flying thick and fast with no sign of an actual story in "Zettai Shoujo Astoria" No one's gonna complain that this story moves slow - it's on a treadmill to nowhere at full speed right now. Even the characters run around the campus a lot.
Anna's doll talks and she's still in love with Elza. Elza asks her to be her disciple, and kind of misses the fact that she's in love with Anna, too. It's okay, it's not like we expected genius from "Cassiopeia Dolce."
And while that's only about half the volume - that's the half I read. There's other stuff, both adequate and bad, and I'm sure some of you will like it very much, so let me remind you that only buy *buying* Yuri can you support it. Otherwise, you're just stealing from the artists and the publishers. If you follow a series regularly, consider purchasing the magazine to pay the bills of the hard-working men and women who create these stories for you!
Ratings:
Overall - 7