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.