Yuri Manga: Yuri Monogatari 6 (English)

I wasn't able to get a larger cover picture than this... -_-;;

For my final Josei Week review (although certainly not the last josei review I will post here), I'm reviewing a brand spanking new English translated (well, partly translated and partly OEL) yuri manga, Yuri Monogatari 6.

Yuri Monogatari is a yuri anthology published annually containing manga one-shots by Japanese artists and OEL "world" artists. This is the first one I've read, so I can't compare it to previous volumes. Anthologies are always somewhat difficult to review because they're a mixed bag by nature, although my opinion on the various stories contained here varies dramatically. I'll briefly go over each story.

"Grass" and "Make a style" by Nishi UKO: This is a good way to begin the volume. "Grass" and "Make a style" are both slice-of life vignettes giving a peek into the lives of two female high school teachers who are in a committed relationship together. The art is clean and realistic (by manga standards), and the laid-back tone reminded me a little of Akiko Morishima's The Conditions for Paradise. Setting aside the fact that I really like seeing yuri teacher romances that don't involve students (which are all too rare, unfortunately... hell, I'm still in college and I wouldn't consider dating a high schooler, so I have a hard time empathizing with a teacher finding one appealing), my main caveat is that I wish that "Grass" and "Make a style" were longer, so that they could expand on the characters' personalities more.

"40 Minutes" by Maria Bieganska: This story stands out in this anthology for its delicately low-key fantasy plot. "40 Minutes" is about a woman searching for her lost love in what appears to be the afterlife, but the ending throws in a plot complication that I didn't expect. While the art is occasionally a little inconsistent, Bieganska does a good job of conveying the melancholy aesthetic that carries the story. When much of YM6 consists of uber-tough women doing uber-tough things, and/or happily-ever-after romance, this understated love story that evokes a feeling of mono no aware (an awareness of the transience of something, and a bittersweet sadness at its passing) provides a refreshing balance.

"Sakura Gun (London)" by J.D. Glass: Unfortunately, this was probably my least favorite of the stories in YM6. As someone who hasn't read American Goth, which this story is supposed to be tied to, I wasn't able to follow what was what. The storytelling wasn't terribly complex, but it was told in such a way that it seemed like the reader is expected to know who's who and why one should care about them. (At least the Matsukaze reference was a nice touch.) Plus, the art was terrible. Proportions were wonky, and as a whole, the character drawings looked like something that anybody could have drawn using a Microsoft art program.

"Cause x Play" by Hope Donovan: A decent but unremarkable story of cosplay and gender identity at a yuri convention. The premise sounds promising, but it gets muddled by a convoluted beginning and an overly preachy, saccharine ending.

"Miho-chan's Memories" by Rica Takashima: As usual from Takashima, this was a cute, funny, surprisingly self-contained one chapter spin-off from Rica'tte Kanji?! visiting Miho's childhood and an early (maybe her first?) crush. While I was a little concerned that the story might be overly-correlating Miho's tomboy personality with the fact that she is gay, this story is sweet and good-natured enough that it's easy to overlook. I'm looking forward to the next installment in Takashima's manga.

"Jaded" by Cheryl Ingro (Story) and Sirkrozz (Art): The idea for the story is pretty snazzy (two women involved in crime gang wars), but the execution doesn't really live up to it. The resolution towards the ending in particular came across as anti-climactic, and the art ranged from quite good to way overly sketchy. Movements, especially, could have been drawn better at key times. It isn't bad and the ending is cute, but it isn't very good, either.

"For the Girl Who Has Everything" by Althea Keaton: This story definitely wasn't what I expected based on the title. Even though it is well executed, I couldn't really get into it. The premise just doesn't do much for me (woman who frequents a sex shop gets together with a woman who works at the sex shop). The very end was cute, and I'm sure that plenty of people will get more out of it than I did, but... I didn't personally like it much. That happens.

"Sinful" by Houjou Koz: This was a charming music-centric story about a singer and her girlfriend, and the high school-aged groupie who crushes on the singer from a distance. It was short, sweet, and simple, with a cute ending. ^^ There isn't much more to say. The art is clean and simple, but not overly so.

(Un)Invited Guests by Jessie B: This is the most unequivocally non-manga emulating OEL story in the anthology. Assuming that one doesn't mind that, the art is pretty good, with few inconsistencies and a completely unsentimental, bold-lined style (no softly blushing cheeks or flower imagery here) that does a good job at conveying this non sequitur comedy about the birthday party from hell. (Hint: It's chock full of exes.) It isn't brilliant, but it's entertaining.

Simple by Sophia Kudo: Good characters, so-so story. The protagonist's Sei Satou-like best friend, especially, would have been an interesting character to create a story around, but the main plot (girl with low self-esteem discovers untapped superpower) was pretty "meh" to me. The art was fine, but it mostly didn't rise above mediocre.

Speak Love by Greyscaled: A mature, bittersweet story about a couple's therapist who discovers that her lover has been using her as the "other woman" when said lover and her original girlfriend come to her for help to save their relationship. Not quite. -_-;; The story is actually told from the point of view of the cheating a----le, who did not get the ending that I felt that she deserved. Setting that caveat aside, this was pretty good, especially considering that it evoked some strong sympathy from me for the two women who were two-timed. (The therapist got the better deal in the end, imo.)

"3oth Christmas" by Eriko Tadeno: Honestly, this is probably my favorite story in YM6. This O. Henry-like story follows an elderly couple celebrating their 30th anniversary on Christmas Eve, with one of them planning to buy her wife a ring (being in Japan, they can't legally marry, but I think that "partner" sounds a little weird... I associate the word with people who I work on school projects with... ^^;; the characters are basically married) to celebrate, using money that she's saved over the past ten years. Outside the jewelry shop where she wants to buy the ring, she gets robbed of her money and tries to get it back in time to buy the ring for the anniversary. The art is fairly typical josei style without being generic, and some of the facial expressions are adorable. ^^ This is just a super-cute story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, while still maintaining a sense of continuity in the character's lives.

Story: Variable from D to A.
Art: Variable from D- to B+
Overall: Variable from D- to A...I guess that for an all around grade, I'll go with B

Like a box of randomly assorted chocolates, there are a few stories that I really like, a few stories that are okay, and a few stories that I don't care for in YM6, as with virtually any manga anthology. Keeping that in mind, it's a solid pick for yuri fans, especially those who want something different from the norm.

Yayyy!! ^ ^ Sasameki Koto Anime Character Designs!!

Yes!! Finally!! ^___^ I've been dying to see the character designs for the upcoming Sasameki Koto anime! Like the Aoi Hana website, the Sasameki Koto website has been updated to include the anime character designs for Sumika and Ushio.
*compares anime and manga character designs* I approve! ^^

Unfortunately, the seiyuu cast hasn't been announced yet and the character designs for Tomoe, Miyako, Aoi, Kiyori, etc haven't been shown yet. What I would love to see is an animated trailer, and some sort of airing date. While I'm confident that Aoi Hana is in good hands, I'm a little apprehensive about Sasameki Koto's adaptation, since its director, Eiji Suganuma, has a pretty sparse history of directing. Hopefully he'll do a (very, very) good job of adapting the source material. If not, heads will roll. ^^ (I'm kidding, of course... ^^;;) I should really stop comparing the anime adaptations of Sasameki Koto and Aoi Hana, even though I'm doing it almost reflexively... -_-;; (Because I love both manga series equally.) Anyway, I'm massively looking forward to this!!

Yuri Manga: Moonlight Flowers

After watching the greatness of the latest shiny new Haruhi Suzumiya episode, I'm going to take a little blast to the past by discussing this gem: Moonlight Flowers by Mutsumi Tsukumo.

Serialized in the josei manga magazine Office You from 1989 to 1991, Moonlight Flowers is a very quintessentially old school, but very good take on a concept that has been done to death in lesbian-themed media - a married woman leaves her husband for a single, openly self-identified lesbian who she falls in love with, and the two face the hurdles of establishing their relationship.

The story begins with Sahoko, a 25 year-old woman who is about marry a man named Kanou who she met through a miai (a meeting for a prospective arranged marriage). At her high school reunion, she meets her classmate and former best friend Kaoru, who she once acted in a school play with, Romeo and Juliet. (Kaoru was the Romeo to Sahoko's Juliet. ^^) After a besotted Kaoru kissed Sahoko in high school, however, Sahoko ran away and they became estranged. Sahoko learns that Kaoru is now successfully running a flower shop where she makes floral arrangements for hotels, restaurants, weddings (hah ^^), etc. Sahoko asks Kaoru to do the floral arrangements at the wedding, and Kaoru, who is still in love with Sahoko, reluctantly makes Sahoko a beautiful bouquet. (... ;__;) Sahoko nearly breaks down right before the ceremony because she doesn't want to go through with it but she does, after being comforted by Kaoru. (Damn it!! > <) As the months after the wedding go by, Sahoko simply can't enjoy sex with her husband. As she begins to spend more time with Kaoru, her husband takes a mistress, which Sahoko discovers before leaving her husband and staying at Kaoru's place. Sahoko and Kaoru officially become a couple, but when Sahoko returns to her husband's place to get her things, her husband stops her, rapes her (which isn't shown graphically, thank god), and keeps her confined in the house. Kaoru tries to help Sahoko from outside the apartment, but Kanou only relents after Sahoko talks him out of it. Sahoko and Kaoru can finally get together, and end up as a happy couple. But that's only the first half of the story. There's a second part, titled "Midnight Flowers" (the first part was titled "Moonlight Flowers"), that shows a young Kaoru in college coming to terms with her sexuality as she discovers that her boyfriend's young stepmother Kayoko is having an affair with an art gallery owner named Kyouko. And they look an awful lot like Sahoko and Kaoru. The affair ends in tragedy, but Kaoru learns from it and moves on believing that someday she can win over her high school love, Sahoko. And then there is a bonus chapter featuring an unrelated stand-alone story. There are a lot of very good things about this book: the dreamy, romantic atmosphere conveyed through Mutsumi Tsukumo's soft-lined artwork; the refreshingly mature feel of the story and characters; and the honest, yet eloquent and (sometimes embarrassingly) romantic way in which the characters articulate their feelings. There were many poignant moments that stuck in my mind after read this: Sahoko reflecting on how she needs to change as she becomes an adult ("Time that belonged only to me... It's time to bid farewell to all of those things."), Kaoru's struggle over making Sahoko's bouquet, and Kayoko and Kyouko's meeting on the beach at night, among others. This is simply a heart-tugging romantic melodrama done right. Mostly. There are a couple of significant negatives, however. While Mutsumi Tsukumo managed to pull off an overused plot while making it feel organic and fairly fresh, she slipped into cliche territory by occasionally turning Kaoru into a soapbox for why all men are oppressive slave masters, and they suck, and so on. The story is very well written, but affirming the women's relationships with each other by turning the men into the big bad scary "other" doesn't sit well with me (granted, I have the luxury of living in a more open-minded time and place). Given the context in which this manga was created, Kaoru's world view is somewhat understandable, while not being a viewpoint that I would endorse- although I still prefer the far more empathetic depictions of men found in yuri manga today like Girl Friends, Sasameki Koto, Aoi Hana, etc. Plus, given how Moonlight Flowers seems to be striving to be fairly realistic (by manga romance standards), it was a little disappointing how at the very end of "Midnight Flowers", Kaoru arrives at the conclusion that if she devotes her life to her ostensibly one-sided love for Sahoko, it will be requited. (And poof! Sahoko does return her love.) Kaoru's "Wish hard enough, and your love will be returned" platitude feels out of character, and makes the story, in retrospect, feel a little too much like a (very well done) exercise in vicarious wish fulfillment for the author and readers.

If it weren't for those two flaws, this manga would probably earn an A. Nevertheless, this is a very good, mature manga that every yuri fan who truly wants to consider themselves connoisseurs of the genre (Can yuri itself really be considered a genre?) should read, and a must-read for shoujo/josei yuri fans.

Story: B+
Art: B+
Overall: B+

Average Animators' Salaries in Japan o_o;;

Labor Group: Animators in Their 20s Earn US$11,600 a Year (Updated)

Wow. No wonder the average frame rate in anime productions is so low. If I earned only $11,600 freaking dollars a year, I wouldn't care about the frame rates either.

Just kidding. I know that there are numerous other factors at play in how the final production looks: budget restrictions, very limited time constraints, and probably other factors that I'm unaware of. At that salary, anime is clearly a labor of (very, very) deep love for those who decide to pursue a career in it. Especially when one watches a series or movie that clearly received unusually fastidious care in the animation department- like Kyoto Animation's productions, Kamichu, Seirei no Moribito, and so on. Hopefully this article will make some of the parasite fans (anime "fans" who don't support the series they enjoyed watching via fansubs when said series become available legally) feel some modicum of remorse. But I doubt it.

Yuri Manga: Honey & Honey

It’s kind of a weird quirk, but I love seeing manga, anime, book, and movie titles named after food. ^^;; Strawberry Shake Sweet, Antique Bakery, Tokyo Marble Chocolate, Honey and Clover, and so on. Added to the list is Sachiko Takeuchi’s autobiographical comic essay Honey & Honey. (Yum! ^^)

Unlike Rica Takashima's Rica'tte Kanji!?, Honey & Honey is a full-color manga that was written primarily to explain lesbian life to straight female readers using short, humorous slice-of-life vignettes.

The story is about Sachiko, an openly self-identified "neko" (more of less the Japanese equivalent of "femme") lesbian who attends a mixer and meets Masako, a "tachi" (equivalent of "butch") bisexual woman who becomes Sachiko's girlfriend. Sachiko and Masako go through life- going to the movies, shopping, hanging out with friends, and other day-to-day activities, while Sachiko occasionally pauses to explain various lgbt terms (sort of an "LGBT 101") to the reader.

Most of Sachiko's exposition may seem obvious to lgbt people, but in fact, it's pretty enlightening to many non-lgbt people, especially people who don't personally know any gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender individuals. For example, one time this past year I explained what the term "out" means to my best friend who didn't know what it meant when I used it in a conversation. I was surprised that she didn't know, but only because I'm used to knowing that sort of thing. (Actually, today we debated about whether lilies or roses are more representative of the yuri genre. I argued for lilies, but she argued for roses because most of the yuri she's seen- like Utena, Marimite, and the Haruka/Michiru scenes in Sailor Moon- is chock full of rose imagery instead. But I digress. ^^)

When read after Rica'tte Kanji!?, which was made in the mid-90's, Honey & Honey provides a sort of barometer of how attitudes towards lgbt people have improved in Japan since the 90's, however incrementally, for those interested in that subject. Despite Sachiko's joie de vivre, Honey & Honey directly addresses the issues faced by sexual minorities in Japan (and many other places, really) without getting on a soapbox.

The art isn't anything to write home about. The backgrounds are sparse and the character designs are pretty basic, and very different from the usual "manga" style. Nothing special, but Sachiko Takeuchi makes good use of facial expressions, especially in comedy moments, giving each character his/her own signature "looks."

For some reason, I like Sachiko quite a lot, especially her dry humor. The other characters are nearly all likeable as well, aside from the odd sexist comment to pop out of Masako's mouth. ("I play the tachi role, so you should join my family and take my name!" What the hell? ^^) And, despite the positive portrayal of FtM people, I don't like the use of "Gender Identity Disorder" to refer to transgendered people, but that's a nearly unavoidable reflection of the context in which Honey & Honey was created, unfortunately.

For what it is, Honey & Honey is very good: a friendly tour through lgbt life in Japan with a group of pleasant characters.

Story: B
Art: B-
Overall: B

Girl Friends chapter 22!!! ^ ^ *convulses with fan glee*

Kyahh!! XD *flails* I just read Girl Friends chapter 22!!!!! All hail Milk Morinaga-sensei!!!! Yes, scanlated... I am lying in wait for volume 3, which should pop up soon, I would think.... After chapter 22 though, I can't wait for volume 4!! @_@ And it'll be at least 7 months, probably, until that volume comes out. ^^ lol I normally would not link to a scanlation site, but... Girl Friends is that darn good. (Edit on 02/03/2009: I've removed the link to the scanlation site.) I did not expect Mari to react that way to what Akko did in chapter 21!! o__o;; *simultaneously screams in frustration and giggles over the greatness of this chapter* If you haven't read Girl Friends yet, or dropped it early on when it seemed like it might stay all doom and gloom, it is so worth it. Hop on the Girl Friends bandwagon, and keep up with the monthly installments of one of the top yuri dramas that everyone in the fandom is keeping an eye on. *prays for an anime adaptation of Girl Friends- hey, it's happening for Aoi Hana and Sasameki Koto, right?*

And if you like this fabulous manga, you can buy the volumes here on the Yuricon shop, which is affiliated with Amazon Japan. Here's one unusual analogy I use for people who don't understand the value of purchasing the media that they profess to love: If I were to get hit by a truck and die, Milk Morinaga would lose a small portion of the income that she uses to pay her bills/make more manga. If a random scanlation reader who doesn't buy the manga gets hit by a truck, it's really no loss at all to Morinaga, because that person never supported her work. So don't be a lamprey of the manga world, and support the manga/mangaka that you're a fan of.

*coughs* Anyway, back to Josei Week. ^^;;

BGM- "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" by Utada Hikaru

Yuri Manga: Rica'tte Kanji!? (English)

This week is Josei Week on Yuri no Boke! For those unaware, josei manga is manga aimed at women 18-30- although people outside of that age and gender range obviously enjoy it, as with any genre of entertainment. Like shoujo, josei tends to focus on relationships, but unlike shoujo, josei bills itself as having more ostensibly realistic and mature stories starring adult women (although there are high school aged protagonists) who tend to be more competent and pragmatic than their shoujo counterparts (from what I've read)- so, less heroines sans two brain cells to rub together who find themselves surrounded by lovestruck vampire bishonen, bishonen who transform into cute SD animals, Celestial Warrior bishonen, bishonen hosts, etc. I've just really been in a josei-reading mood lately, so I decided to dedicate this week to one of the rarest of manga breeds- josei yuri manga, beginning with Rica'tte Kanji!?

Rica'tte Kanji!? by Rica Takashima is a cute, feel-good romp through the Tokyo lesbian scene, as filtered through the eyes of a newcomer, a bubbly college student named Rica. Rica is attending a women's college to study early children's education. She has never met another out lesbian before (ah, nostalgia...) and visits Shinjuku's Nichoume district (Tokyo's lgbt neighborhood). On her first night there, she makes several new friends, including Miho, the down-to-earth fine arts college student who eventually becomes Rica's girlfriend. Each chapter presents a slice of Rica's life, whether it's her first "date" with a woman who isn't exactly what she seems, Christmastime, or Rica's plans after college.

It's a really cute story, frequently punctuated by gentle humor that, like the humor in Aoi Hana, is mostly the kind that makes one thoughtfully chuckle instead of laugh out loud. Rica is a cute, likeable (argh, must stop using "cute" > <) protagonist whose gung-ho enthusiasm and mild naïvete, surprisingly, never becomes irritating or cloying. Her interactions with the pragmatic former playgirl Miho and the other characters (my favorite among them probably being the glamorous Kaoru) are nearly all pleasant and laid-back. I especially like how Rica'tte Kanji!? occasionally touches on social issues in a lighthearted manner without making light of them, like how Rica's classmates forgo the careers they trained for in college in favor of a job that they would be more typically encouraged to do.

Rica'tte Kanji?! was remarkable in the context in which it was first published in Japan. It ran in two Japanese lesbian women's magazines, Phryne and Anise, from 1995 to 1996, when the only other happy, professionally published non-pornographic yuri manga (as far as I know) was in the relationship between two side characters in Sailor Moon. Even after the excellence and positive portrayals found in numerous later yuri manga, this still provides a good, mature, realistic josei yuri manga read- starring an openly self-identified lesbian, to boot.

My only two caveats are that the characters' exposition is sometimes too blatant (the opposite of most manga ^^;;), and I'm caught between finding the art too simplistic, or a cute (gahh...) stylized alternative to "typical" manga style.

Story: A-
Art: B
Overall: B+ before a year at college, A after a year at college

A solid title, especially for fans of josei or yuri or anybody curious about lgbt life in Japan.