Showing posts with label Yamaji Ebine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yamaji Ebine. Show all posts

Thursday, October 11, 2012

5 More Great Coming Out Examples in Yuri Manga

In honor of National Coming Out Day, in no particular order, here are some more excellent examples of manga characters coming out as women who love women. My previous Coming Out Day posts are here and here. This post is also of interest.

1. Omoi no Kakera by Takemiya Jin:
The funniest example on this list.

When Mika leaves a lesbian bar in Shinjuku Nichoume ("I come here once a month. I'm not out of the closet, so it's like a paradise to me."), she sees her classmate Harada breaking up with his boyfriend. (The boyfriend decks Harada before running away, so good riddance.) Harada assumes Mika is one of his fans from school, and she's like "...Seriously? We're in a building full of gay and lesbian bars in the gay district. I'm here because I'm gay."

Now Mika has a friend she can be out to at school. ^_^ The bad news is that after Harada starts acting chummy towards Mika at school, his fans start bullying her. Thankfully, Mika doesn't let it get to her and Harada gets the bullies to stop asap.

Mika and Harada's mutual coming out isn't the only great example of coming out in this series, but it's the one that sets the series' gears in motion. Harada has a younger sister, who starts- to her chagrin- to develop feelings for Mika.

2. "Sweet Lovin' Baby" in Sweet Lovin' Baby by Yamaji Ebine:
Last year I praised Poor Poor Lips' Ren for being an out business owner, even though it meant having to put up with assholery from people like Furui and most of the job applicants who interviewed to work at her shop. "Sweet Lovin' Baby"'s protagonist Kyou is not an employer but an employee- an OL at a company who comes out to her co-worker Megu (who wouldn't shut up about getting Kyou a boyfriend before that) at the risk of, you know, Megu creating a Lonely Wolf, Lonely Sheep scenario and getting Kyou fired.

Given the risks of coming out at her job, I would completely understand if Kyou hadn't come out to any of her co-workers. But she did, and that's pretty badass.

3. Gunjo by Nakamura Ching:
In Gunjo, the ex-wife of one of the protagonists (let's call her "B", since she is nameless in the story) comes out to her mom, who responds wonderfully and brings some welcome levity to B's situation. (LISTEN TO HER, B.)

But B's dad's response to her being gay- specifically, to her feeling like she has disappointed her parents by not being able to have kids- is beautiful, and addresses an issue that I haven't seen dealt with in a satisfactory way before in manga. (Usually when the issue of gay couples not being able to have kids in Japan comes up in manga, it's in a "She's leaving me because she wants kids'" context.) He tells B that it's fine because he loves her more than he could love any grandchild.

4. "Ayumi & Aika" in Mermaid Line by Kindaichi Renjuuro:
After Aika comes out as a woman to her ex-girlfriend Ayumi, who she dated when she presented as a man, Ayumi assumes that Aika likes guys. Nope. Aika's gay, and makes it clear that she has always loved women as a woman. Aika only broke up with Ayumi because she figured Ayumi wouldn't want to be with her any longer. Ayumi realizes that she still loves Aika, and they get engaged. ^^ This series not only debunks the assumption that trans women's gender identities have anything to do with who they like, it's really sweet.

5. Kuchibiru Tameiki Sakurairo by Morinaga Milk:
In last year's Coming Out Day post, I hoped that Morinaga would finally write a "grand coming out" in this series. And she did.

Hitomi comes out to her friend Chie and deflates a stupid idea some would posit about her and Nana's relationship. Despite her good intentions, Chie is insensitive for using that idea to bait Hitomi into coming out (although on the plus side, Hitomi's counter against it is excellent), but she later feels bad and apologizes for it and is otherwise a great friend and ally to Hitomi after she comes out. Most of all, it's great to see Morinaga explore what it's like to come out and why it can be such a relief to do it.

Fu~fu no Hon by Minamoto Hisanari:
I'm cheating here. Fu~fu's creator, Minamoto Hisanari, drew Fu~fu no Hon as a doujinshi side story to Fu~fu. Here we see how Kina and Suu started out, as high school sweethearts. Suu confesses her feelings for Kina, scared as hell and expecting to be rejected, but nope. ^^ The entire thing is adorable, but the most adorable bit is Kina's flashback to how blatantly gay her older sister Kana has always been, causing her to think of liking girls as no big deal. I do love Fu~fu, and I have a soft spot for yuri stories in which a woman who likes women has an easier time being herself because she has a role model.

The picture at the top of this post comes from Rica'tte Kanji!?, in which Rica meets her soon-to-be girlfriend Miho. I've listed Rica in a Coming Out Day post before because of Rica's coming out to her family. I don't want to list the same title twice, but I'm mentioning it again (as I did with Aoi Hana and Hanjuku Joshi last year) because that moment- Rica's first time being out to another lesbian, after going off to college- is wonderful also.

Agree with the titles I've mentioned? Disagree? Other recommendations? Feel free to share!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Yuri Characters Who Are Out To Family Members in Manga

As you might know, I love good coming out stories. I thought a list with this theme would be fun to compile.

"A White White Dress" by Sengoku Hiroko in Hirari volume 6:
A sweet one-shot about a young woman who comes out to her mom about the fact that she likes women and is currently dating one. Thankfully, mom's cool with it and wants to meet the girlfriend to see if she's good enough for her daughter. :-)

Aoi Hana by Shimura Takako (6 volumes, ongoing):
In a display of stellar timing, Yasuko comes out to her mom and sisters about her relationship with Fumi when Fumi visits them- without forewarning Fumi about it. Amusingly, Yasuko's family not only doesn't care, they call Yasuko out for dating Fumi while having feelings for someone else. Yasuko's older sister Shinako's bisexuality doesn't seem to be a secret to her family either. Last but not least, Fumi's friend Haruka's gay older sister Orie comes out to her family about her relationship with Hinako.

Clover by Otsu Hiyori:
Clover is a short story collection about four sisters, two of whom (Fuuka and Midori) are interested in women. At one point the second oldest, Fuuka, vents to her older sister Ichige about losing the girl she likes to another girl. Ichige's reaction is perfect: "You got your heart broken, and you never even told her how you felt. If you tell me something that pathetic again, I won't let you in the house!" Coming out isn't an issue at all in this family.

Concerto by Hattori Mitsuru, chapter 5:
Chizu's mom catches Chizu kissing her girlfriend Yayoi at home. Chizu and Yayoi panic and run away, but they run out of money after a day. When they return, Chizu's mom tells them that she'll keep their relationship a secret and she understands what they're feeling since she dated some girls when she was younger.

Ebisu-san to Hotei-san by Kizuki Akira and Satou Nanki:
Ebisu and Hotei are two office workers who hate then like then eventually love each other. Ebisu has an older sister who instantly picks up on Ebisu and Hotei's feelings for each other and is cool with it. Later, Ebisu's niece not only figures out that Ebisu and Hotei are a couple, she likes a girl herself.

"Female x Female = Love" in Yuri Hime volume 13 + "The Mystery of the Yuri Cage" in Sayuri-hime volume 1 by Chi-Ran:
The lead in "Female x Female = Love" tells her girlfriend, who is self-conscious about their relationship, that she is used to the idea of girls dating other girls because her older sisters have girlfriends.

The protagonist of "The Mystery of the Yuri Cage" finds out about her older cousin (the protagonist of another Chi-Ran story, "The Yuri Cage") having a girlfriend before she starts falling for the girl who likes her.

Free Soul by Yamaji Ebine:
Keito comes out to her parents. Her dad isn't hostile about it, but he doesn't get it either- and his and Keito's relationship is strained by other issues. Keito's mom is more...vocal about her lack of understanding about Keito's sexual orientation, but her understanding of Keito improves over the course of the story. Keito, in turn, starts to understand her mom more. What we last see of Keito's relationship with her mom promises further positive change.

Fu~fu by Minamoto Hisanari (one volume, ongoing):
Kina is out to her gay older sister Kana about her relationship with Suu. In the Fu~fu doujinshi Minamoto Hisanari made, after agreeing to be Suu's girlfriend, Kina tells Suu that dating girls has always seemed normal to her because of Kana.
Annnd here's a cute pic of Suu and Kina I found at Minamoto Hisanari's blog:

Gokujou Drops by Mikuni Hajime (three volumes, completed):
Yukio's parents object to her relationship with Komari since they're rich and Komari isn't (and there's that niggling issue of same-sex marriage not being legal, which this story doesn't emphasize) and they want Yukio to marry someone who can contribute to the family fortune. Thankfully, Yukio and Komari are able to be together, with the support of Yukio's aunt and brother.

"Guilty Love" in Sweet Guilty Love Bites by Amano Shuninta:
Niina finds out that Mayu, the woman she had a drunken one night stand with, is her daughter Ryuna's kindergarten teacher. lol Mayu continues to pursue Niina and they fall in love, making Niina, Ryuna and Mayu a family of three by the end. :-)

Gunjo by Nakamura Ching (three volumes, completed):
In the final chapter of volume 1 of Gunjo, the ex-wife (because she is nameless, I will call her B) of one of the leads comes out to her mom as a lesbian- and her mom not only doesn't care, she cements her place as the most awesome mom on this list. Dad finds out from mom, and he is just as cool with it. B's fate is ultimately horrible and sad, but this chapter will forever remain one of the most heart-warming, achingly poignant things I have read.

Hanjuku Joshi (two volumes, completed) + "Soft-Boiled Fujoshi" in Ruriiro no Yume, both by Morishima Akiko:
Chitose and Yae are in love. Chitose comes out to her older sister Chie, a fujoshi who loves BL and yuri, when she asks if she can read Chie's yuri manga. In the one-shot "Soft-Boiled Fujoshi," Chie finds a girlfriend (who turns out to be a fan of Chie's work as a doujinshi creator) at Chitose's school.

"Living-Room Flower" by Takahashi Mako in Yuri Hime volume 25 (the July 2011 issue):
Jitsuko comes out to her mom Hanae and aunt Tsubomi. Hanae is accepting, but Tsubomi sputters in protest- because she has been repressing her feelings for her sister-in-law Hanae. Tsubomi confesses to Hanae after Jitsuko comes out, but Hanae seems oblivious. Because Tsubomi's confession is so freaking obvious- and feigned obliviousness is A) the easiest way to reject someone you don't want to hurt and B) less sad than the idea of Hanae willfully denying the nature of Tsubomi's feelings- I want to think Hanae feigned not getting it. It stretches credibility too much to think that she really didn't understand. Jitsuko, who doesn't witness Tsubomi's confession, stays pretty chill despite Tsubomi's behavior.

Love Flag Girls!! by Takahashi Itsumi:
In this silly historical fantasy, Princess Lucia boards the dreaded pirate Maria's ship to get the cross pendant that Maria stole from Queen Beatrice. Instead of Maria, Lucia finds the ship captained by Maria's daughter Eliana. Lucia and Eliana fall in love, and it turns out that Beatrice and Maria dated and Beatrice is just pissed that Maria dumped her. Maria returns and makes up with Beatrice, so Happily-Ever-After for everyone. ^_^

Love My Life by Yamaji Ebine:
Yamaji Ebine had a stroke of genius when she came up with Love My Life's premise. Ichiko comes out to her dad, who then tells her that he is gay, as was Ichiko's mother. Ichiko is obviously accepting, but her head reels a bit from learning that her parents' lives differed from what she had thought.

"Lover" in Himitsu by Ohtomo Megane:
After having a lovers' spat with Monayo, Mayu returns to her family's house and tells them what happened. Mayu's homophobic mom subsequently sets Mayu up on an omiai. Mayu tells the guy she meets at the omiai that she loves someone else and goes home with Monayo after her brother tells her that Monayo came for her.

"My Sister's Wedding" in Works by Tadeno Eriko:
Emi attends her younger sister Yuka's wedding, and she and her long-term girlfriend Takako get engaged during the reception. After the reception, Emi comes out to her mom. Emi's mom cries, but starts to improve when Yuka (who already knew) tells her that she doesn't have a problem with it.

Octave by Akiyama Haru (6 volumes, completed):
Yukino comes out to her mom about her relationship with Setsuko via email. From Yukino's follow-up email, we can tell that her mom is accepting. After Yukino comes out to her, Yukino's mom asks Yukino to visit home again with Setsuko. :-)

Poor Poor Lips (three volumes, ongoing):
Ren has been out since high school, but her mom, Nei, still wants her to get married. Homophobia aside, the fact that the "ideal" spouse for Ren would boost the enormous family fortune gives Nei a strong incentive to marry Ren off. When Ren confronts Nei about her trying to bribe the girl Ren loves, Nako, to stay away from Ren, Nei cuts Ren off. Ren only agrees to return home and do what Nei wants on the condition that Nei will erase Nako's never-ending debt. Ren's father, Akio, can't change Ren's situation, but he does support Ren and helps Nako get a job as a maid at Nei's house so Nako can reunite with Ren. What will happen!? Dun dun dun.

Pure Marionation by Takagi Nobuyuki (three volumes, completed):
Anon is in love with Miamo, but coming out about that isn't an issue. Her main worry is coming out as an android. :-) Like everyone else in this series, Anon's mother/creator and little sister Minon (another android created by Anon's mother) root for Anon and Miamo to be happy together. Minon opposes Anon's feelings for Miamo at one point, but only because of her short-lived crush on Miamo.

"A Yuri Double Suicide" in Renai Higan Nekomedou Kokoro Tan by Shinonome Mizuo:
Shiho's mom finds out about Shiho's relationship with her classmate Hiyori, and she is furious. Shiho and Hiyori's classmates find out also, and react with bullying. Shiho and Hiyori decide to commit suicide, but when they search for a place to die together, each is separately spirited to a place called the Cat's Eye Hall. The Cat's Eye Hall is where people go "when their hearts are lost," and its owner helps Shiho and Hiyori realize that they want to live when they reunite.

Rica'tte Kanji!? by Takashima Rica (omnibus volume coming out soon):
The "More Rica'tte Kanji!?" chapter in Yuri Monogatari 4 shows its protagonist Rica coming out to her parents and little brother during her high school years. Rica's dad is a lot more accepting than he first appears to be, Rica's mom has no problem with Rica's sexual orientation because she's bisexual (she even goes starry-eyed remembering her first time with a female sempai in high school) and, best of all, Rica's gay little brother feels like he can come out sooner because of her. Awww. ^_^

Sasameki Koto by Ikeda Takashi (9 volumes, completed):
Our protagonist Sumi comes out to her dad in volume 9, but I won't spoil how that goes. Sumi's love interest Ushio is out to her older brother and grandmother from the beginning of the story. (Her parents died years earlier.) Her brother is understanding, at least. ^_^; Good thing she's able to live with him. Her grandma does comes around by the end, though. Additionally, our side couple Tomoe and Miyako are out to their families throughout the story.

"Spicy Sweets" in Butterfly 69 by Natsuneko:
Coming out to one's parents is nerve-wracking enough. But coming out to your mom when she's the leader of a yakuza syndicate? That's what Yuu does, and her mom isn't pleased. Despite everything, this story ends happily.

"That's Why I Sigh" in Yuukan Club volume 14 + Maya no Souretsu by Ichijou Yukari:
Reina, the protagonist of Ichijou Yukari's Maya no Souretsu, comes out to her mom about her relationship with another girl, with...less than happy results. Btw, I like Maya no Souretsu. It's tragic, but in a stylishly over-the-top Gothic/film noir way, and I could see the story playing out just as tragically (given the skeletons in Reina's family's closet, Maya's revenge plot and...uh, certain hidden family ties) if Maya had been a guy.

Decades later, Ichijou Yukari re-visited coming out in the humorous, upbeat "That's Why I Sigh," which features a teenaged lesbian who is in love with her best friend. Mako serves drinks at the okama bar where her "dad" works as the Mama. ("Mama" = the term given as a nickname to the head okama at okama bars.) Mama is weirdly gung-ho about the idea of Mako getting a boyfriend, but is on the same level of pushiness as that ineffective great auntie type who lightheartedly ribs you about when you'll finally get a boyfriend even though you express no interest in it rather than, say, someone like Ren's mom in Poor Poor Lips. Even with Mama's not-exactly-ideal response to Mako's lack of interest in men, "That's Why I Sigh" is a sweet coming out story.

"The Female Body" by Konno Kita in Yuri Hime volume 22 (the January 2011 issue):
Sumi has been in love with Kaori, her philandering brother Ryou's wife, since they met. After things fall apart between Kaori and Ryou, Sumi admits her feelings to Kaori and they get together. Sumi is afraid that Kaori isn't as serious about their relationship as she is, but Kaori tells Sumi she's in love with her and accepts Sumi's marriage proposal in a public park. They tell Kaori's son Takkun that they're getting cake on the way home to celebrate the birth of their new family. ^_^ Squee! I wish Konno Kita would draw more stories for Yuri Hime.

Takeuchi Sachiko's Honey & Honey and Chi-Ran's "Her Temptation" one-shot in Shoujo Bigaku technically don't count because their protagonists do not come out to family, but I still highly recommend them for their explorations of what it means to think about coming out to family.

Know any examples that I've missed? Let me know!

Friday, February 24, 2012

You know that you watch and read too much yuri if you...



  • hear "anise" and think of the lesbian magazine, not the plant.
 
  • try to recreate the teas blended at the Amber Teahouse. (Even black seaweed and strawberry cream.) Bonus points if you make scones and tea for you and your girlfriend right before accepting her marriage proposal.
  •  compare you and your significant other to a teapot and tea cozy.
 
  • read every single literary work you haven't read that Shimura Takako references.
  • schedule a trip to a city or town around the sights referenced in a series you love. (Like, say, Aoi Hana and Kamakura.)
 
  • try every music artist name-dropped by Yamaji Ebine.
 
  • get beauty tips from Girl Friends.
  • visit Mister Donut because Akko is obsessed with it.
  • drink Kahlúa milk because it's Mari and Akko's alcoholic beverage of choice.
 
  • order a grasshopper every time you get drinks with someone you like.
 
  • seduce someone by inviting them to eat mapo tofu.
  • convinced some older guy to let you treat him like a surrogate brother and send him letters about how much high school sucks before you entered your freshman year. Poor bastard.
  • sing the Amigo Tacos song every time you have a taco.
 
  • are enraged by the lack of lesbians in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
  • are similarly disappointed by the Pillow Book. 
  • take it as a challenge if someone offers to befriend you.
  • name your daughter Vivio.
  • decide that even though you're not a ten year old girl, no one will be creeped out if you convince the person you like to cosplay dresses you made while you gleefully film them with a video camera.
 
  • watch Battle Athletes to get in the mood to exercise.
 
  • are still willing to try whichever new title Kaishaku produces that's tenuously connected to Kannazuki no Miko. (Kaishaku have turned themselves into the herpes of the yuri genre. They won't ever quite go away.)
  • are a man who acts fanboyish over real women- not fictional characters, but flesh and blood people in front of you- who you perceive as a couple. If this applies to you, know that no real lesbian will ever like you and you aren't as progressive as you think you are.
 
  • refer to butchy women as "princes" or "princely."
 
  • get all of the references in Strawberry Panic!
  • substitute Lonely Planet (or your travel guide of choice) with Rica'tte Kanji!? and Honey & Honey when you visit Shinjuku Ni-Choume.
 
  •  when listening to a completely unrelated band (say... The Chieftains) you begin imagining what an AMV of the music would look like, results naturally involve yuri anime. (Contributed by Steven.)
  • say "Gokigenyo" when greeting someone, even if they don't understand you.
  • buy an orange lipstick that reminds you of sunset.
  • check almost every day if there are new yuri releases.
  • have read "Wuthering Heights" right after Aoi Hana and not because of some boring vampire book.
  • if a significant part of the music you've got is from yuri anime. (This one + the above four are contributed by Gata de los canales.)
 
  • ....See white lillies as more than just a symbol of death. (Contributed by P.S.)

Have any more suggestions? Share them in the comments, and I shall add them. :-)