Okazu

Okazu's "Top 10" of Yuri 2004

This year I have read, watched, bought, listened to, published and discussed more yuri than probably just about anyone else on this planet. LOL Today's entry is simply a celebration of yuri-related anything that I read/watched/got/enjoyed/developed, etc over 2004. This is my "Best of 2004" list.


10) ALC (Anilesbocon) Publishing
We managed two books in 2004, one translation, WORKS (which is very nearly sold out!) and one anthology. We're working on a 2nd edition of Rica 'tte Kanji!?, a new anthology - Yuri Monogatari 3 - and an illustrated novel, Shoujoai ni Bouken, Vol. 1. It may be self-aggrandizement, but at the moment, we're *still* the only yuri manga publisher in the western world. And you know, that makes me very, very proud. My thanks goes out to all the contributors to the Yuri Monogatari anthology, Ed. Ed, Kun, and especially to Rica Takashima and my wife - I quite literally could not do it without them. I think that, for all our hard work in spreading the yuri genre to the English-speaking world, we at least desrve 10th place on this "Best of" list. :-)


9) Lililicious
This scanlating and fansubbing group deserves recognition on my Top 10 of 2004 list, definitely. Not only are they a really fine group of women and men (although the women are finer - if you know what I mean... lol) and fun to hang with, they are also really dedicated to making decent, unlicensed yuri manga and anime accesible to online yuri fandom. I especially thank them for scanlating some of the truly obscure, but classic, yuri manga out there, like Claudine and the stories from Mist, because these are *so* out of print and so very worth knowing about.


8) ROD The TV on DVD
I've beaten this to death all year long, so suffice to say that, this series has been one of the best things I've gotten all year. The double sided pencil boards and covers have more to do with the fact that we get twice as many episodes per DVD than the Japanese do, than good marketing, but you know, you can see that Geneon is *trying*; trying to finds a happy medium with the translation, with the packaging, with the extras. I remember when an A.D.Vision VHS tape had one episode and nothing else - for the same price as a 4-episode DVD with double-sided cover, liner notes, mini-poster and a double-sided pencil board is now. Think about it. :-)


7) Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Live Action)
I wrote about this series alot too, but haven't yet done a wrap-up entry. I'll do that later. Let me just say that this was pretty much the perfect thing for this series' 10th anniversary. It got me all jazzed up again about the Senshi and all their lovely yuri potential...and reminded me just why I consider Haruka and Michiru to be the eternal Queens of Yuri. We now have several new additions to our terrifyingly large wand/locket collection in the house and, yesterday, *just* in time to sneak onto this list, I received in the mail the original toy of Haruka's communicator watch from Sailor Moon S! Yep - the thing is nearly 10 years old and looks perfect. Battery's dead, though. LOL In any case, here's hoping this series never dies. PGSM/BSSM and related toys make number 7 on the "best of the best" list.


6) Azumanga Daioh on DVD
Not only is this series gut-splittingly funny, the yuri is not at all subtle (even if it is ultimately just one more gag.) The DVDs have excellent episode count, REALLY good liner notes - best of the breed in fact - and fun toy surprises. This wins "best bang for your buck" award for licensed DVD releases this year from me. ADV deserves recognition for doing what almost approaches a perfect job. (Now, just leave the honorifics alone and you'd be golden!) ADV also deserves a real nod of gratitude for their continuing support of yuri-friendly anime in general and this series in specific, which is definitely one of the best of 2004.


5) Yuricon
I know, I know, another shameless plug moment...but no, not really. Four years ago, we had a goofy website, a tenuous premise and not much else. Now, entering our 5th year of existence, we have just announced an event *in Japan,* have almost 900 members on our Mailing Lists, have a line of "I love Yuri" gifts, and a presence at some of the largest and most influential anime cons in the country. Yuricon's efforts have spawned like-minded efforts in Japan, and I have been informed by several Japanese yuri fans that Yuricon pretty much created the idea of a genre of yuri whose birth we are witnessing right now. Who *knows* what the next five years will bring - but I'm betting that you'll see some pretty amazing changes in regards to yuri and shoujoai.

Let me take this opportunity to thank my staff at Yuricon, starting with Kun, my right hand and whipping girl, who does very nearly anything I ask of her, including neck rubs. Also Katie, May, Paulette, Trevor, Serge, Donna, Rica and everyone who has put time and money into Yuricon to help it further the cause of yuri and shoujoai in anime and manga. And of course, my wife. :-) But mostly, I want to thank all you fans of yuri and shoujoai who keep convincing me that there *is* a market out there, if only we can reach it. Yuricon will keep trying to do everything we can to increase our presence, and gain respect for the genre we love so much. So, for all that everyone has done, and all that we have accomplished - Yuricon makes the top 10 list for me this year.


4)Yuri Doujinshi Circles
At Comiket 67, which took place last weekend, nearly 80 circles were selling yuri doujinshi and novels. These groups, made up of individuals who put their own time and money into these self-publishing efforts, rarely make back the money they put into the projects. But every year, they keep on doing it - because they love yuri. Some of these circles do fan art, but more and more of them are doing original work, and every year another group of women who draw and write yuri seem to join this incognito army. It is because of these people that Maria-sama ga Miteru gained enough popularity to become an anime, and it is these people from whom ALC will draw publishing projects. Because of their dedication and hard work and because for many yuri fans, doujinshi make up the bulk of their yuri-related reading, the folks who write for various yuri doujinshi circles get my thumbs up for 2004.


3)Yuri Shimai
As I said yesterday, it may not be perfect, but this quarterly manga magazine has created ripples in the manga word, spawining me-too anthologies and generally changing the landscape of yuri manga completely. In a mere five issues, it has improved dramatically and we can hope that we'll see even more improvements and growth for the next year. For having such a significant effect on the genre of "girls love" manga - Yuri Shimai makes third place in the Best of 2004.


2) Koi Shimai Drama CDs
For me, what makes a manga or anime come alive is the voices...hearing a character, even more than seeing him or her animated, makes a character real for me. It's well-known that I started my otaku career because of Ogata Megumi's voice, and I'm still captivated by excellent voice acting. Because of this - even more than the magazine from which it came, I feel that the Koi Shimai Drama CDs were the second best yuri-related thing I got this year. The story is simple, a little unsatisfying, but the idea that they managed to find women who were willing to put their voices into characters that specifically were in a "girls love" drama really makes them special. The second CD, which features Park Romi as hunky Touko-sensei is wearing thin as I listen to it over and over and over. It's SO sexy that it's inspired me to write a fanfic! LOL Again, kudos to Sun Publishing for the idea - and here's hoping that we see more of these!


Which leaves me with my number one get for 2004. If you know me, if you've read these entries, or my posts on the Yuricon Mailing List, you will probably not be surprised at all. :-)

My number one best of everything yuri of 2004 is....


1) Maria-sama ga Miteru Drama CD, 1,2, 3 and 4
These were, bar none, the absolute *best* things I got this year. These four CDs contain voice dramas of the first three Marimite novels, as voiced by the actresses from the anime. With more detail than the anime, or even the manga, the Drama CDs contain not only the story, but also the emotions of the story, as interpreted by some of the finest voice actors extant. As I wrote in my review of the Ibara no Mori/Shiroi Hanabira CD, there were moments when I was left breathless by the virtuosity of the actresses' work.

The packaging for the Drama CDs is lovely, with covers from the novels, extra art by novel artist Hibiki Reine, nice little inserts, and of course, those fantastic plastic dolls of the Yamayurikai which greet me every day on my desk at work. :-) The fourth Drama CD is now available and I'm just *dying* to see what extras they've put in it! LOL

To put it simply - these rock. If you can understand even a little Japanese, run out and get them for the best yuri-related experience you can have that doesn't actualy involve another person. :-)

Overall, as it has made my Top 10 in anime, manga and general Best Of, I think we really have to say that Maria-sama ga Miteru wins overall award as "Best Yuri of 2004".

When I first got into yuri, we had Haruka and Michiru as poster children. When I created Yuricon, we had Anthy, Utena and Juri...now, as a whole new era of yuri is being born, we welcome it in with Yumi and Sachiko, Sei and Youko (or Shiori or Kei!) Yoshino and Rei, Noriko and Shimako, and characters yet to come. :-) I think the future's looking bright, myself.

You all know that the calendar is arbitrary, right? Today is no more "the last day" of the year than it is the "first day of the rest of your life." Nonetheless, I wish you all a Happy New Year/Akemashite Omodetou. May 2005 be filled with yuri for us all!

posted by Erica Friedman @ 11:32 AM 0 comments links to this post   

The Okazu "Top Ten" Yuri Manga Countdown

As of today, Okazu has been written 165 times in 2004, with an average of 14 posts a month, bring you reviews and news about yuri anime, manga and events.

You're welcome. :-)

As with yesterday, I will do a quick countdown (and you know...I think maybe I might make this a annual thing, becuase it's more fun to do that I orginally thought it would be - and a lot harder than I thought, too) of 2004's best yuri manga. Expect to be surprised.

Without further ado, asides or digressions....

The Okazu Top 10 Yuri Manga Series of 2004

10) Yuri Tengoku, Eternal Sisters, et al.
These shoujoai anthologies, and the many, many other rip-offs spawned by Marimite and Yuri Shimai have got to at least get a mention in my top ten for the year. While individually none are really exceptional, as a whole they mark a positive new trend for shoujoai and yuri manga. While they are probably more popular with the guys, it's nice to know that there are folks, both men and women, out there, striving to get them published. I'll add an honorable mention here for ALC Publishing's Yuri Monogatari which is doing the same exact thing here in the west. It begins here, kids, with the individual circles, the small groups of dedicated people, where change happens. That's why I'm always encouraging you all to show your support with cash, not words, because that's the way we measure success in the real world. Buy these anthologies and show the publishers that there's a market. Scanlations are nice...but they don't pay the bills.

9) Shin Hana no Asuka-gumi
How many series can come back eighteen years later and still be as whacked, as cool and as impenetrable as it was when it first appeared? Asuka is still 15, and although cellphones now exist in her world, and Hibari-sama now prefers her favorites dressed in Goth Lolita, as opposed to uniforms (sob!)...still the gangs of Tokyo fight, and Miko and Hime and Asuka move through the internecine politics and sexual tension of life in and out of the Zenchuu Ura with an aplomb that few teenagers are ever likely to experience. Asuka's story plays out slowly, but the combination of Asuka saving a damsel in distress every arc, combined with the inevitable confrontation between Asuka, her erstwhile body double and Hibari's current favorite, Mari, and the insane Hibari-sama herself, *still* makes for one wild ride. We might miss Yohko and Asuka's tragic love for her, but Asuka still reigns supreme in Shinjuku.

8) Himitsu no Anjerisu
I just reviewed it last week, and only read it a week before that, but this little series has enchanted me. The best of the derivative Marimite genre, flavored with a little Three Musketeers leaves me smiling - and wanting more. Although it's as new as Asuka is old, I had to add it to the top ten of the year.

7) Kaguya-hime
I've tried time and again to explain how cool this most shounen of shoujo series is, but, like Asuka, the story is simply too complex to be rendered simply. A combination of mythology, sci-fi, suspense, action and sexual thriller make this series a must-read for fans of yuri (and yaoi, incest, straight and just plain freaky stuff.) Every volume has all of the above, and I'm never bored - no matter how many people die. Kaguya-hime wins for a level of insane that keeps me coming back for more. It's eleven years old now and I expect to be reading it in my retirement. Long live the Princess of the Moon.

6) Air Master
The art is horrible, the story is ridiculous, the fanservice is...fanservice-y, but I love it. At least, in the 23 volumes of this series, the art has at least settled down into a particular style of awful. If you're not sure that Mina really *wants* Maki, read the manga. If you're not sure that Maki returns the feeling, read the manga. As with the anime, Sakiyama Kaori is the best psychotic ever, ever, ever. And she uses a sort-of whacked version of Taijiquan, so I'm doubly fond of her. (Her "sou-an" technique is real...really. It's not even an advanced technique. LOL) While there's nothing really socially redeemable about this manga, it wins for sheer entertainment.

5) Maria-sama ga Miteru
Like I said yesterday, any time spent in the company of these characters is time well-spent. The art in the beginning was a little rough, but the characters are all recognizable, and the expansion on the bits left out of the anime is always welcome. For folks who will never read the novels, the Marimite manga will make a great addition to the information they have about the characters. And the added splash pages, cover and silly side drawings really make the manga a worthy purchase. Where else will you see Sei dressed as a cowgirl? LOL

4) Yajikita Gakuen Dochuuki
Perhaps the goofiest shoujo manga series *ever*, Yaji and Kita returned to print after nearly 20 years this year...with a bang. Like Asuka the new series was created for old fans, so you were screwed if you didn't know who everyone is already. But oh my goodness, have they notched up the yuri! More Kita being harrassed by women...more, more! Stick her in a tux as often as you want, guys, you'll get no objection from me. Girls who fight, massive gang and Yakuza wars, some really dumb conspiracies, corporate espionage, yaoi, yuri, and nothing ever happens - YajiKita is pure gold. Did I mention that it's a manga for *girls*?

3) Maka-Maka
Purely service, but is it really? In many ways, this sex-filled manga is the most honest I've ever read. Jun and Nene seem more realistic to me than many, or most, manga characters out there. Quality-wise, this manga is tops - all color, beautifully rendered from the online monthly Flash issues, with color posters and a double cover, this may well have been the best "for your money" manga buy of the year. The fact that Jun and Nene have alot of sex is very nice, too. I sincerely hope a second volume is forthcoming.

2) Yuri Shimai
It started out a little weak, but by Issue 5 is now rolling along pretty well. I just reviewed it, so I won't beat it to death, but...looks like we got a winner. Here's hoping that Yuri Shimai goes monthly and lives a long, productive and healthy life, bringing us many excellent yuri manga series that go on to become collected volumes, become best sellers and spark a new wave of more quality yuri. Here, here. And kudos to Sun Publishing for having the money and belief that yuri as a genre can support itself. Now, let's all go out there and prove them right!

And for the number one yuri manga of 2004 - drumroll, please....


1) Free Soul
Yamaji Ebine's fantastic story of a woman with a life and another woman with a life, now collected into a single volume, proves several things all at once. 1) A really good yuri story does not have to be about children; 2) Manga art does not have to be flowery and over the top; 3) Typical conventions of butch/femme and seme/uke really have no meaning anymore and can be dropped without the story suffering one iota; 4) There *is* something between shoujoai melodrama and hentai yuri sex.

Free Soul is by far and away the best of this year's yuri. The fact that so few people here in the west have ever heard of it, or Yamaji Ebine, makes me a little sad. It's everything yuri can, and should, be. Along with Rica Takashima, Yamaji Ebine is one of the very few female manga artists out there drawing yuri manga for adult women that defies convention and ends up being better than all of the rest. I deeply, deeply hope that one day someone, if not ALC, then *someone*, will bring her work to the English-speaking manga audience. In the meantime, if you want to read some really decent, wonderful yuri manga, drop the kiddie stuff and the crappy hentai and reach out for Yamaji Ebine's work. You won't be disappointed.

And there you have it. Tomorrow, to end the year, I'm going to do one last list, one which basically is just my best of the best of the best of everything I saw/got/read/watched/listened to over the whole year.

And one last reminder for the year...if you've read these entries and enjoyed them, disagreed with them, have more information, want to chat about some of the series mentioned, please do come and join us on the Yuricon Mailing List, because that's what it's there for! :-) We love a good discussion of all things yuri and yuri-related. So, don't be shy, drop by and jump right in. :-)

Anyway - see you tomorrow with the last post of 2004!

posted by Erica Friedman @ 11:02 AM 0 comments links to this post   

The Stereotypical "Top 10" Yuri Anime Countdown

Yes, it's that time of year...when everyone runs out of new things to say and has to recap stuff from the year that was, in lieu of talking about what is.

I decided to do the last three days of this year as "Top 10" countdowns, mostly because there was SO much decent stuff this year (and so very, very much that wasn't) that I wanted to share my personal best of the best with you.

The criteria for the following choices are:

1) I liked it.

So, feel free to disagree, but you won't change my opinion. :-)

That having been said, here is the first of three Top 10 countdowns...

The Okazu Top 10 Yuri Anime (and Anime-related) Series of 2004

10) Ikkitousen
It's trash, I know. But I can't help but like it when it has so many of the things that I enjoy - really violent women, women in eyepatches, women who have sex with one another...and an utterly cool, complex, semi-mythological, semi-historical backstory that is mostly ignored and occasionally alluded to. With credentials like this, it has to make my top ten...but just barely.

9) Live Action Cutie Honey Movie
Grinned through the whole thing. It was delightful. The world needs more of this.

8) Kaleido Star
Alternately irritating as hell and really wonderful, I never really fell in love with the story, but the heat between Layla and Sora made it work. If you have a niece who is questionably a baby-dyke, this makes the PERFECT gift - and her parents will never suspect a thing. Added bonuses of Anna and Mia being a couple, and great, if rare, fanart.

7) Kannazuki no Miko
It made no sense, it was silly, it was plain stupid in many places. But the girl got the girl and it had decent music, so there you go, it makes the top ten. The official art is lovely, too - no need for a "Newtype Effect" here - the girls are perfectly willing to get sexy with one another for real.

6) Madlax
This story was the best of Bee Train. It made sense and was actually *resolved* in a way that was, while full of hand waves and assumptions, at least complete and internally consistent. One of the girls got one of the girls, and the potential for fanfiction in all the many cracks is enormous. Excellent characters, ridiculous action sequences, a fighting maid, Hisakawa Aya as Rimelda and a bad guy with the worst name EVER. I really enjoyed the hell out of Madlax and look forward to adding it to my collection of DVDs.

5) Live Action SailorMoon
What a wonderful opportunity to fall in love all over again. It was cheesy, it was for little kids, the ending was rushed and pat and we cried rivers. The music was great, the girls were perfect for their roles, Minako was breathtakingly gorgeous and the yuri subtext was everything a Sailor Moon fan could ever hope for. Now, if only they would do it again - this time with the Outers, too!

4) Air Master
By now you should know what I like, so this will come as no surprise. Here's a story with women who kick serious ass. Maki's got Park Romi's sexy voice, Sakiyama Kaori is my number one favorite psychotic *ever*, Mina's obsession/devotion is really quite cute and I still get all excited every time a new manga volume is out. This tale of an ex-gymnastics queen turned street fighter may not be for everyone, but writing for a series like this would be a dream job for me. I will be first on line to get Air Master when it comes out on DVD spring 2005.

3) Re Cutie Honey
The older Cutey Honey anime series had a little service and the "Flash" series had some yuri-ness, but this series rocked. I really hope we see more of Na-chan and Honey together. RCH is only a short OVA, but it packed a big yuri punch. Go Nagai is a god.

2) ROD The TV
One of the most talked about series this year on the Yuricon Mailing List, ROD The TV was, and is, brilliant. Writing, music, characters, yuri subtext (and overt text) action sequences, even individual flashes of stunning art - this series is amazing all over again as I watch it on DVD. The entire ROD franchise has really managed to capture some of the best qualities of shounen yuri, and this particular series has the best writing of the year. The pencil boards are a bit yucky, though. LOL

And now, for the number one anime series of 2004.....


1) Maria-sama ga Miteru and Maria-sama ga Miteru ~ Haru
No surprise here, I'm sure. At the beginning of the year I wasn't sure this would be all that, but I'm hooked. Completely, totally gaga over these girls. Now that the anime is over, I'm happily reading the manga and listening to Drama CDs and even reading the novels, because anytime spent in the company of these wonderful characters is time well-spent.

My hat is off to Konna Oyuki for creating such a vibrant world at Lillian, characters that seems incredibly three-dimensional and plots that actually make sense, are well-written and never take themselves too seriously. Melodramatic and overwrought without being cloying, and with a potential for many years of fan art and fan fiction, may the francise never cease.

Maria-sama ga Miteru - 2004's hands-down winner of Okazu's Best Yuri Anime Series of 2004

Tomorrow...Best Yuri Manga Series Top Ten Countdown!

posted by Erica Friedman @ 9:18 AM 1 comments links to this post   

Yuri Shimai 5

Part 2


More first love, more yuri drama and even a little more than that.

I left you hanging last week halfway through the latest and greatest issue of Yuri Shimai. Well, your wait is ovah!

We left off, just after the most recent installment of Morinaga Milk's saga. Which brings us to a color insert story, "Uka: Aufbl�hen", by Chi-Ran. This color insert ran for about 6 pages or so, 4 of which were sealed off as a special "present." Of course, when you open the sealed section, this undeveloped and trite story of a kohai and her beloved sempai becomes an undeveloped romp in the hay. Unfortunately, all of Chi-Ran's stories read exactly the same - two girls, no development, kiss. Because of the short page count, it ends up reading like a typical "Plot, what Plot?" sex-fic. I thought it fascinating that they chose to include sex in this issue...but desperately wished it had been part of a better story.

The rest of the sealed insert contains reviews of things that made me laugh. First and foremost was a review of the Marimite parody JAV (something made more amusing by the fact that Carmilla just reviewed it, too.) Following this, were a few popular computer games that have explicit yuri. Some of these games had been reviewed before in previous issues of Yuri Shimai, but this time more explicit pictures were included.

After this amusing interlude comes a really lovely story called "The Whisper Under the Rose," (but I think if I were translating it for real, I'd call it "Sub Rosa," since that's what the story implies.) "Sub Rosa" is the story of Suzu, a student of a traditional girls' school (and based on the clothes, I'm thinking that this is meant to be set in the early part of the 20th century, Meiji period. Everyone looks like Sakura from Sakura Taisen....) Suzu has returned to the school (after holidays? Graduation? I'm not sure) in part to make sure she sees a particular teacher whom she calls Inori-sama. There's a plot based around Inori buying a bow for Suzu's hair. Suzu confesses that she's always admired Inori, and Inori tells Suzu that she once had a lover, someone Suzu reminds her of...alot...hint hint. The story ends with them having a moment...and the implication that they'll have a lifetime. It was really quite sweet.

"Strange Umbrella, White Umbrella" was this issue's story by Takahashi Mako, which I have universally found distasteful. For one thing, her characters look six - something that makes my eyes glaze over with disinterest. Also, her characters appear to be terminally insane, another turn-off for me. And her plots revolve around unbelievably boring non-conflicts - in this case a girl who doesn't have an umbrella. I'm sorry, but...blecch. This story was this issue's only real stinker.

The next 4 pages are color reviews of anime. I have to laugh again, because it looks like they've been eaves-dropping on the Yuricon Mailing List again, and have reviewed the exact same series we've been talking about, all of which I've reviewed here, too. :-)

Another yurified re-telling of a fairy tale (all of which I've really not liked terribly) text story with silly art is followed by a two-page review of Akaiito a popular new vampires-with-yuri-implication game.

32 whole pages have been given to the second installment of "Koi Shimai" which tells the story of the two characters on the cover of the first Yuri Shimai, Chika and Haruna. This is essentially a re-telling of the story as it was on the Drama CD, with a little embellishment. Haruna is even *more* uptight than she is on the CD, and there's a new, inconsequential, side character, Chika's and Akiho's class president. The art for this story is quite decent - the story itself is okay...but I await with anticipation the manga for the second Drama CD and the arrival of Hiiragi Touko! Yum. :-) In any case, Koi Shimai is really pretty decent, even if Haruna's got a major stick up her butt.

Koi Shimai manga is followed by a short text story, which simply seems to fill in some of the characters throughts, but doesn't move the plot along at all.

"Voice" is, by far and away, the BEST manga so far by Nawoko, who has contributed to every issue. Music and singing seem to be a strong theme in her work, but as stories go, this one is really much better than the prevoius examples. Kana-chan is a classic otaku. She tends to stay at home and live vicariously through her computer. Unusually, she decides to go outside and take a walk. With her earphones on, she listens to her favorite artist, Hina (whom she calls her "goddess,") as she gets a new haircut and buys some sweets, all the time musing on how sad and lonely Hina sounds as she sings. Thinking about Hina, Kana looks up, only to see Hina herself walk by. Kana freaks, and ends up handing her box of sweets over to Hina, saying only, "Please, be happy!"

Hina goes home and has a crisis of conscience. Moved to tears over Kana's simple words, she eats the girls' sweets and runs off to place an entry on her online diary (something she's typically uncomfortable with.) Hina thanks the "daifuku girl" for the sweets, and hopes to see her again. The story ends with Hina and Kana meeting up, and the line, "It's like a dream, isn't it? To become friends with a goddess." Really - not yuri, per se, (although we can certainly project potential if we want,) but I thought it was a truly excellent story and the best so far from this artist.

The last manga, "Testify" is a short, tiresome and IMHO, trite vampire story. I guess its a kind of love to let your best friend suck your blood, but, whatever, its been done about a gazillion times. I'm over it.

The remainder of volume 5 is doujinshi reviews and the usual mail bag and assorted fan art, which I always like to look at.

All in all, 260 pages of exceptional work, with few nose-holders. Yuri Shimai 5 gives me hope for future issues and yuri in general. Definitely a end-of-year thumbs up from me.

One last plug for this - if you're thinking of buying any Yuri Shimai, let me recommend you go through the Yuricon Shop, and support Yuricon and ALC by doing so.

Next time on Okazu - the stereotypical end-of-the-year-countdown! :-)

posted by Erica Friedman @ 9:31 AM 0 comments links to this post   

Yuri Shimai 5

Part 1


One of the best yuri-related gets of the year, Yuri Shimai 5 was awfully close to being perfect.

I've reviewed Yuri Shimai volumes 1 and 2,3 and 4 and it is pretty clear that they have been getting better. It's not a monthly magazine, yet, and there's no way to tell whether it's even doing well financially, but based solely on the quality of the stories, and the increasing size of the book (260 pages for Vol. 5) Yuri Shimai is looking good from this reader's perspective.

My biggest complaints about Yuri Shimai have always been the schoolgirl obsession and the trend towards a confession and *maybe* a kiss as the climax of the story. Well, Yuri Shimai 5 seems to have taken a few steps past those limitations and, as a result is a much more interesting read.

The first story of this volume, First Kiss? is drawn and written by a team that are better known for their yaoi work, Zaoh Taishi and Eiki Eiki. A surprising continuation (well, surprising to me, anyway) of Volume 4's Onna Ookami (Female Wolf), this story starts with Fuyuka speaking to the school counselor as she tries to determine her changing feelings for Natsuki (the female wolf of the last volume.) Fuyuka leaves before the counselor can answer, but the conversation sets the doctor off on reminiscences of her own about her first love, her best friend...who happens to be a teacher at the same school. The story is uncomfortable and awkward and for once, about the grown-ups. I am SO hoping we get more of this story - I really liked it. As an added bonus, we get some very nice color pages of Reiko, the counselor, and Ayano, the teacher 10 years earlier. This was a great story and my teeny synopsis does not do it justice, trust me!

Next comes the 5th installment of Strawberry Shake, and once again, Julia and Ran's antics are adorable. It's pretty clear that Saeki-san, their manager, has little hope anymore of keeping them apart. Of course there's yet another complication, this time, a male actor that asks Julia out, but in the end, Julia and Ran are one step closer to becoming an item. At this point, I am simply hoping that we get enough page count on this one to make it work Sun taking it to a tankubon format, and maybe even get a happily-ever-after ending, too. I want everything. :-)

The third story is also surprising - a continuation of the witch and miko story with the long title I never bothered to translate, from Vol. 4. Now out in the real world, Letty the witch is guiding Sai, the naive ex-priestess, around her native country. To keep them connected Letty creates a magic red thread that binds them - but is mortified to learn what that means to Sai. (You all know about the red thread of love, right?) Sai asks Letty about the kiss from the last chapter, but Letty quickly passes that off as magic-related, nothing to do with love. Sai's a little bummed, but she is having fun being with Letty so, she confesses her feelings for Letty. Long, fun, story short, it looks like Letty's lying, because she's obviously falling in love. The end the story hand in hand. To Be Continued - cool.

Fourth comes a really amusing one-shot called Kaikan Spiral - billed as a "hentai love comedy" it's a farcical story of a foul-mouthed transfer student, Midori, and Ayaka, a girl who falls for her crude nastiness. Since I also think nasty women are sexy, I was kind of with Ayaka on this one. LOL It was goofy and made me laugh.

Lastly for today's review/synopses is the latest from Morinaga Milk, which takes alot of the conventions of love confessions and screws with 'em a bit. On the first page of Honto no Kimochi, (Real Feelings,) Michiru confesses her love to her sempai and asks her out. For her part, Nojo is flattered, but squicked by the usual - what will people think, is she interested in loving another girl, etc, etc. Michiru has no doubts, however, and takes Nojo out on a date and generally makes herself incredibly desirable, to melt Nojo's concerns. One night, while studying, Michiru tries to kiss Nojo who, startled and scared, slaps her. For the next few days, she hears nothing from Michiru, but while walking with a classmate, runs into her on the street. Nojo is shocked to see Michiru's shorn locks and is filled with guilt, but Michiru laughs and tells her not to blame herself - she had this haircut appointment from a long time ago. In front of Nojo's classmate, she reaffirms her love for her sempai. Classmate is surprised, but accepting and the story ends with Michiru having devoted herself publicly to Nojo's well-being and happiness, and sitting with her at lunch (with Nojo's friends) planning Nojo's future love affairs. Another fun entry from Morinaga Milk.

And that takes us to about 1/2 way through this monster magazine! Next time I post, we'll finish it up - and trust me, there's some really good stuff coming up. :-)

In the meantime, if you're thinking of getting Yuri Shimai 5, think to get it through the Yuricon Shop. Using this link will support Yuricon, ALC Publishing and Okazu, and earn our undying appreciation and gratitude!

posted by Erica Friedman @ 11:59 AM 0 comments links to this post   

Eve no Ringo/ Eve's Apple Manga Volume 1

It's utter crap, but it's fun crap.

Sawai Kirika wants, more than anything else in the whole wide world, to be a manga artist. Her dream consumes her, drives her - she is *determined* to become a pro. So, when every shoujo manga company she visits rejects her work for being to adult, she takes a risk and goes to a shounen company. To her shock, they accept her...but on one condition. The magazine she's working for is an S&M manga magazine. The editor, an evil tick of a guy (who will probably end up being good, because you know, he pushed her to be the best she could be) requires her to study up on BDSM and submit a story.

Okay...let me repeat - Eve no Ringo: Evasapfel (Eve's Apple in English) is utter crap. LOL

The next few chapters follow Kirika as she studies up on, and participates in, BDSM in ways that are actually quite sweet and silly. In one chapter, she explores what being a typical S&M Oujou-sama might be like, by tying up her best friend in the manga club - Matsuda-kun, who also happens to have a crush on her. She proceeds to whip the daylights out of him, then complain to him that her feet hurt from wearing stiletto-heeled boots. Jokingly, she orders him to lick her feet...but they both learn pretty quickly that they kind of like that.

There's some more mutual discovery, and ultimately Kirika is drawn deeper and deeper (but with no lessening of her naivete and shock) into the world of S&M comics. A rival author, Miyamae, turns out to be pretty hardcore (she walks around naked and bound to be able to "experience the feeling") and manages to finagle Kirika into a little light "research," with some small yuri-esque service.

Although she's barely had a page or two published by Editor Evil, Kirika is put in charge of an even newer talent, Yumiko, who promptly blows the last of Kirika's personal boundaries away, by asking her to play the part of a man and have sex with her (for research, of course.) This is followed by a remarkably silly chapter dealing with vibrators.

It's all so goofy and cute that it's not offensive, even while it's all fanservice. I like it enough that if I encounter another volume, I'll get it.

Ratings:
Story - 7
Characters - 7
Art - 7
Yuri - 7

Overall - 7

If you're easily offended, probably not the best choice. But if you can read a chapter about a boy dressed like a nun paddling a girl in school uniform in front of a crazy older manga artist who is laughing like a hyena and demanding that her assistants capture the feeling in ink and laugh, then you'll probably enjoy Eve's Apple. :-)

posted by Erica Friedman @ 1:42 PM 1 comments links to this post   

Yuri Manga: Himitsu no Anjerisu, Secret Angelis

Himitsu no Anjiriesu, i.e., Secret Angelis is a perfect example of a story with akogare that works. A cute, funny and fresh totally derivative manga that takes the basic rich-girl's-school with heavy crushiness formula and manages to be fun and delightful at the same time.

Himitsu no Anjiriesu is the story of Sumire, who has transferred into a monstrously elite and restrictive Catholic girl's school. Sumire is a free spirit, who finds herself butting heads with the uber-disciplinarian Sister Agnes over and over again. So, she goes about her day being yelled at for infractions like running, or speaking too loudly, or laughing, or breathing, and its wearing on her. In the meantime, Sumire is developing a serious crush on one of the school stars, who everyone calls "Hime."

A tapestry of "Angelis," an angel that will, if you whisper a prayer to him, help maidens in distress hangs in the hall in front of the auditorium. But the evil Sister Agnes (who spends the entire volume armed with a bokken and tortures the girls by closing off the TV room or the copy machine without warning or reason, and indulges in light corporal punishment for fun) tells all the girls that Angelis is an angel of Darkness and forbids them to pray to him.

One night, after specifically being warned by Sister Agnes not to be on the school grounds after 8PM, Sumire has to sneak back into the school to retrieve a notebook and is immediately caught. Sister Agnes starts to take a stick to her, when down from the trees swoops a hunky young musketeer-type person, who saves Sumire. But in the meantime, Sumire's rescuer is put in harm's way, so Sumire returns to rescue *her*. They escape with the help of two more musketeer-types and a widly implausible vehicle, and the four run off.

The next day, Sumire is called into the Executive Council's room, only to discover that: 1) the Executive Council, including her beloved "Hime" are actually barking mad, and 2) They are also part of a secret organization that helps the downtrodden students knows as the "Musketeers"... No, I'm kidding - thay are known as ..."Angelis". Ta-da. And, of course, the "Angelis" Sumire saved was her Hime. Her crush goes through the roof.

Sumire and Hime continue to grow very close and save each other's ass in incredibly daring and dashing and dare I say it, romantic, ways. In the end Sumire even tells the others in the group that they've confessed their love to one another. It was meant as a joke, of course...but it's very close to the truth. I don't hold much hope that it will go anywhere, but as we know, yuri fandom's hope springs eternal. :-)

Ratings:
Art - 7
Story - 8
Character -9
Yuri - 6

Overall - 7

Anyway, think Maria-sama ga Miteru meets Three Musketeers and you've got Himitsu no Anjiriesu. It's absolutely hysterical, full of akogare fun and generally the most delightful Marimite clone yet.

posted by Erica Friedman @ 3:45 PM 0 comments links to this post   

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (Yokohama Shopping Log) Volume 12

Reading a volume of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is like watching a breathtakingly beautiful sunset - gorgeous, and unsharable with anyone who wasn't there.

I did an overview of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, aka Yokohama Shopping Log back on February 27th. In it, I sang paens of praise about the breathless beauty and quiet pleasure of this series, and I hoped fervently that it might continue.

Well, it has.

Volume 12 takes place a few years after the first 11 volumes. Time has passed, Takahiro is grown and moved away to find work, and little Makki is now 15 or so. In this volume, as is all the others, nothing happens. We simply see snippets of life in Alpha's corner of the world.

Oji-san talks with his old sempai, the doctor, and they sit in quiet companionship. (Although for those of us who like to pair people up might just see something happening betwqeen these two. They have a prolognged conversation about living alone and how it's kind of nice to have someone else around.) I adore stories that have late-life relationships...so I kind of want them to get together. Plus, the doctor is really a cool old lady! :-)

Makki asks Alpha if she can get a job at the shop, but Alpha has nothing for her to do. While watching Makki, Alpha finally feels exactly what the passage of time *means.* I think she gets a little more human, too, because of it. Although her appearance hasn't changed, this is a different Alpha than we met at the beginning of the series. She is most definitely more mature. A flashback to when her owner left really heightens the change in our lovely protagonist.

Meanwhile, back in the big city, Kokone has also grwon up a little. She's made friends with a human and she has begun to develop her own quirks. We spend a chapter watching her watch a sea of grass from an abandoned building. (Again, sunset stuff - you have to see it to appreciate it.)

No friends are left out of this volume - Alpha meets Maruko (the third female android in the series,) suddenly, and learns - to Maruko's mortifcation - that the artist is, by day, a waitress. Maruko and Alpha have a conversation about Kokone which makes it clear that Alpha knows perfectly well what Kokone feels for her...and Maruko knows too. (I like to think that Maruko gives up on Kokone right about this point. LOL)

This volume definitely feels more mature, more stately, than the first 11. There's even *more* of a twilight feel to the stories and a little of that beautiful melancholy that the Japanese treasure so much. It brought tears to my eyes several times, to be honest, and I think we can safely say that the series is winding down slowly. But I admit to harboring a secret desire that the artist never, ever stop writing this. It is the *best* series, bar none, ever made. For my money, YKK completely transcends the medium and is art at its purest.

While Alpha and Kokone never meet in this volume the conversation with Maruko, IMHO, places the period on their relationship. It is apparent to *everybody* that Kokone is in love with Alpha. And for her part, Alpha cares deeply for Kokone. I think that's as far as we'll ever see it go...but, you never know!. Anyway, it's not our imagination. Either that, or Maruko is imagining it, too. LOL

Ratings:
Art - 10
Story - 10
Characters - 10
Yuri - 7

Overall - 10

If you're not in love with Alpha, you're not paying attention....


Tags: Yuri, Tags: Yuri Manga, Tags: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, Yokohama Shopping Log, Tags: Alpha and Kokone

posted by Erica Friedman @ 2:11 PM 0 comments links to this post