Manga Review: Zenryaku, Yuri no Sono Yori volumes 1 and 2

Suga Atsushi's Zenryaku, Yuri no Sono Yori is one of the series that ran in the now defunct Tsubomi yuri magazine and wrapped up online. I like this series, but not as much as a lot of people do. It's cute, but I never found myself excitedly talking about it with someone, which I think is a pretty good yardstick for how much of a favorite something I'm reading is. This is a cute series. It just didn't particularly light my fire even though I can see why other people like it more.

Our protagonist is named Yuri. Because one of her grandparents is white, Yuri has blonde hair like her mom but otherwise looks Japanese. Other kids bullied her for it when she was little, so between dealing with that and standing up for another bullied girl named Shinobu, she developed a hard-edged persona that people find intimidating. Now in high school, her only friend is Shinobu. After school everyday, Yuri and Shinobu create BL manga. Shinobu writes it and Yuri draws it.

Yuri's love interest is Misono, a rich girl who is top student at their school and admired by everyone. Talented though she is, Misono knows most of that admiration is driven by how wealthy and powerful her family is. Although she is perfectly polite and helpful to her classmates, she's pretty snarky. That side comes out when she finds the notebook of Shinobu's writing Yuri accidentally left in her desk after leaving school one day.

After Misono helps Yuri get out of trouble with a teacher, Yuri begrudgingly allows Misono to read the notebook. The story in the notebook is about a rich young man and his butler, and they are similar enough, respectively, to Misono and Yuri, that Misono assumes Yuri wrote it as a gender-flipped version of her fantasies. She thus tries to tease Yuri by reading the story aloud.

By the end of Yuri and Misono's portion of volume 1, Misono makes it clear that she doesn't just like teasing Yuri for the sake of teasing- they're friends, with a whiff of something more. Their portion of volume 1 is pretty much set-up.

I say their portion because a chunk of volume 1 is taken up by a side story focusing on an unrelated couple- Yuki, a quiet girl with no friends who thinks the love letter she received from another girl is just a prank, since she has gotten a lot of prank love letters from asshole classmates, and Akane, the chipper, outgoing girl who sent the love letter.

I liked the extra focusing on Shinobu, in which we find out that she was once in love with Yuri but is over it and now has a girlfriend named Azusa who she is happy with.

Volume 2 is when the meat of Yuri and Misono's story happens. Misono helps her classmates see that they misjudged Yuri, and Yuri starts making other friends. Doing so, she realizes that her classmates find Misono intimidating because of her family, and wonder if she, with her middle class background, is good enough to be close to Misono.

Yuri's insecurity causes Misono to feel she's losing Yuri as the only person who doesn't care about her status, and she cuts her off. Yuri figures things out and makes it clear to Misono that she doesn't care. They end the portion of volume 2 that was serialized online both obviously having feelings for each other and closer to coupledom than they were before, but not quite there. Shinobu, who serves as the Greek chorus for this story, starts writing a yuri manga based on Yuri and Misono.

As a bonus, we see Shinobu help Azusa study and plan a post-exam trip with her.

Suga made great use of the remaining volume 2 extras by including how Yuri and Misono pretty much got together, Yuri and Shinobu introducing their girlfriends to each other (this was the funniest of the extras and my second favorite), and my favorite extra, a look at Misono as a college student and Yuri as a professional manga artist working from home, before Misono comes home to Yuri. You will be shocked to know that the extras are my favorite part of this volume.

Yuki and Akane's story is cute but forgettable. Based on what we see of them in volume 1 alone, I would say the same about Yuri and Misono's story, but it developed some meat and became good in volume 2. A lot of people have noted that, unusually for yuri couples, Yuri and Misono both have short hair. (And similar hairstyles to boot.) Given her discovery of Yuri's secret, Misono could have easily become a gender-flipped version of the rich asshole male love interest common in shoujo and BL (like I guess the rich character in Shinobu's manga), but she wasn't. She and Yuri are both likeable and complement each other well, although Misono is my favorite for her zippy comebacks, I think.

Story: Starts pleasant but forgettable, becomes good.
Art: Does what it's supposed to, but really not this series' strong suit. C
Overall: C+ for volume 1, a solid B for volume 2, plus a sparkly star for that last extra.

Manga Review: Candy volume 2

Volume 2 of Candy picks up right where volume 1 left off- with Chiaki meeting Tamaki after receiving her note. She handles the situation like a champ, and it seems like she and Kanan can finally just be happy.

But of course not. Chiaki and Kanan have to deal with something even more frightening than rumors and Tamaki's wrath...codependency, wooooooooooo~

Chiaki's graduation is coming up soon, and Kanan asks her if they can live together after she (Kanan) graduates. Kanan's seriousness about their relationship makes Chiaki happy...until she finds out that Kanan's grades and kyuudo performance have been slipping lately, because she's been focusing on their relationship at the expense of the other areas in her life ever since they first had sex. Kanan becomes afraid that Chiaki's feelings have cooled since she isn't spending as much time with Kanan as she used to because she's neck-deep in preparing for her college entrance exams.

Tamaki recommends that Kanan speak to the cool, young school nurse Eri-sensei about whatever's bothering her, since Eri-sensei gave Tamaki some good advice recently.

Unfortunately, Eri-sensei gives Kanan advice that just makes things worse.

This point is where the story took a detour into "Wtf is happening?" town. After Chiaki breaks up with Kanan for her own good (but without telling her why), she starts getting a lot of clingy texts from Kanan. Chiaki thinks that this isn't in Kanan's character, so there must be someone else manipulating her into doing it, but...really? Kanan acted codependent before Chiaki dumped her, and then, well, Chiaki dumped her without telling her why. But hey- Chiaki needs to follow that train of thought so she can relay her suspicions about Kanan being manipulated to Ichijou, so Ichijou can tell her that, hmmm, Kanan's been spending a lot of time in the school nurse's office, getting advice...

Things come to a head when Eri-sensei reveals her true colors to Kanan. This plot point wins the Most Ham-Fisted Means of Making a Character Realize What She Did Wrong in Her Relationship award. The other situations in this volume feel believable (or at least believable-ish), but I felt like I was reading something like Hot Gimmick when Eri-sensei started to reveal her true colors. On one hand, I'm very glad that the thing I was afraid was going to happen didn't happen; on the other, I was annoyed by how pat its resolution was, and the fact that Eri-sensei was, ultimately, just a lazy plot device.

But anyway, Kanan realizes that she needs to get it together.

She does so, but she and Chiaki remain estranged.

Graduation day arrives, and Kanan congratulates Chiaki on graduating. After some awkward conversation, Chiaki walks away, and it seems like this is it for them...but nope. Now well over her issues, Kanan asks Chiaki if she can fall in love with her again. Chiaki responds the same way she did when Kanan first asked if she could fall in love with her. ^_^

Hanging out at Chiaki's apartment later, Kanan gets the full story on why Eri-sensei had it out for them. I have mixed feelings about Kanan's reaction: on one hand, yes Kanan, way to finally come to the conclusion that Eri-sensei is messed up, on the other, Kanan's comment about not getting Chiaki's first kiss was really asinine, even if she was half-joking.

Then the ending becomes sweet again, and we get a pretty wonderful epilogue, showing what Ichijou and Tamaki end up doing as adults, before transitioning to Chiaki and Kanan's adult lives, in which they are both working and happily living together. ^_^

A short bonus chapter covers Eri-sensei's perspective, for the three people who care.

Another bonus chapter focuses on Tamaki getting closure for her feelings for Kanan.

The final bonus chapter (titled "Oyasumi") gives us more of Kanan and Chiaki's lovey-dovey home life. ^__^

Story: So variable. I hated the Eri-sensei arc and the fact that Chiaki never spoke with Kanan about their problems when it was obvious that Kanan had no clue what she was worried about. But I liked the rest of the story and loved what the story showed of Kanan and Chiaki's adult lives. I want a Candy sequel.
Art: B
Overall: B

Manga Review: Candy volume 1

At two volumes, Suzuki Yufuko's Candy is a sweet, sincere look at a young couple in high school. High school romance has been covered loads of times in yuri- and in manga in general, although to a lesser proportion than in yuri manga specifically- but Candy's lead couple is charming enough to make this series one of the better examples of its premise.

Kanan is the tomboyish, popular ace of her school's kyuudo team. She attends an all-girls' school, so there's lots of "Kyaaa!"-ing over her among her schoolmates- you know how it goes with that set-up.

Kanan's popularity doesn't go to her head. Her poise when she's doing kyuudo aside, she's a bit of a space cadet, oblivious to the extent of how much her schoolmates like her.

Kanan is floored because Chiaki, the smartest student in her school, confessed to Kanan before the events of the first chapter.

Kanan and Chiaki get together by the end of chapter 1.

Having marked the beginning of their relationship with Chiaki publicly jumping for joy and wrapping her arms around Kanan's neck- not to mention Chiaki suddenly spending a lot of time with Kanan, when she'd never spent much time with anyone previously- they have to deal with some rumormongering, which they resolve more easily than expected.

Enter Tamaki, a classmate who has feelings for Kanan and tries to plant seeds of doubt about the validity of her feelings for Chiaki.

Later, Kanan's friend Sado is like "Herp derp, I don't care that you're dating a girl, but your relationship just exists 'cause you're in high school and going to an all-girls' school", but Kanan basically tells him he's full of it. Kanan and Chiaki have a good ally in Kanan's unsentimental childhood friend Ichijou.

Amusingly, the biggest threat to Chiaki and Kanan's relationship in this volume is their realizing how little they have in common when they go on their first date. But they (very sweetly and realistically) learn to adapt to each other's preferences and things end up going well. :-)

Finally, Tamaki tries to sabotage their relationship from Chiaki's end, but Chiaki responds by... Well, that's for volume 2.

A bonus chapter focuses on Ichijou's perspective of Kanan and Chiaki's relationship, complete with a cute flashback to her and Kanan as kids.

So...sweet story so far. ^^ Kanan and Chiaki are both warm, likeable people who deserve each other, and are easy to root for as they navigate the early steps and stumbles of their relationship. Despite the drama they deal with in this volume, they're still in their honeymoon period- the next volume's going to be a lot rockier (and weirder) for them, since someone from Chiaki's past shows up to screw over her current happiness.

Story: B+
Art: B
Overall: B+

A review of something I like: Hana to Hoshi volume 1

Hana to Hoshi (Flower and Star) is about Hanai Sawako, a former table tennis prodigy who quit the game in middle school. After she lost a tournament match to a girl named Hoshino Shiori, she lost her confidence and had a string of losses, finally tossing in the towel.

Hanai enters high school, ready to put her past in table tennis behind her. To her horror, Hoshino is attending the same school, in the same class, in the seat next to hers.

Hoshino is nothing like the looming, larger-than-life image Hanai built up of her after their game. Like Hanai, Hoshino is bad at reading people. But while Hanai is prone to overreacting and assuming the worst about people, Hoshino is easygoing and inclined to assume the best about people. Where Hanai thinks Hoshino secretly looks down on her,  Hoshino...well, when Hanai wakes Hoshino up after she falls asleep in class, a half-awake Hoshino smiles and kisses Hanai, thinking she's still dreaming about her. Hanai freaks out and falls backwards, hitting her head and passing out.

Improbably but refreshingly, Hoshino admits that she was dreaming about Hanai the next time she sees her. Hanai, queen of the inferiority complex, explains it away, finding it more plausible that Hoshino would be trying to mess with her than have feelings for her. (Hanai's issues started with her parents, who always made it obvious that Hanai's older sister was their favorite.)

The more Hoshino proves that she genuinely cares about Hanai, the more Hanai's assumptions about her crack.

Enter Chika, an upperclasswoman and childhood friend of Hoshino's who is very obviously interested in her, causing Hanai to feel- gasp!- jealousy. That jealousy is the kick in the pants Hanai needs to realize Hoshino has never done anything ill-intended towards her. Not everything you might hope she'd realize, but it works. There isn't anything keeping her and Hoshino apart at this point except her own obliviousness, and if she got together with Hoshino as she is now, it wouldn't feel earned. She needs to grow more first. She can be hard to like at points, especially early on, but remains sympathetic enough to stick with in the interest of seeing where she goes. And her tendency to overthink things can be amusing.

Hoshino isn't terribly realistic, but is still a fun character. She quit table tennis prior to high school, but hasn't revealed why, so I'm curious about that.

Anyway, Chika notices Hoshino's feelings for Hanai and is jealous of Hanai. Hanai sees Chika kiss Hoshino in an empty classroom, and...!

Well, you'll see in volume 2.

I'm probably making this series sound more dramatic than it is. lol This series has a lot of dramatic plot points, but more often than not, it punctuates its scenes with broad physical comedy.

This volume also includes a short about Hoshino playing with the neighborhood dog she likes visiting since she can't keep pets at home and another short about Hanai's interaction with her family's grumpy cat.

Story: B
Art: C+ Sketchier than I'd like. The biggest positive is Suzukin Kario's knack for funny facial expressions.
Overall: B

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!

Manga Review: Prism volume 1

Prism is a dark horse hit for me. Its initial premise is eye-rolling, but once its real story kicks, in it turns out to be a lovely, very realistic look at two girls in love.

As a kid, Prism's protagonist Megumi spent half a day at the beach with a boy named Hikaru. She developed a crush on him, but never had any contact with him after that. All the way through middle school, she never fell for anyone else because she remained head-over-heels for Hikaru. The eye-rolling notion for me is that someone would stay hung up for that long on someone they spent half a day with as a kid. It would be more believable if, say, they had been childhood friends and separated when one of them moved. I can easily see a little girl who presents as a boy having a crush on (and sharing a kiss with) a girl she likes. (Btw, the creator of the excellent Naissance des Pieuvres- released in English as Water Lilies- recently created a movie with a similar premise. I haven't seen it yet.) Moving on...

Now starting her first year of high school, Megumi swears that she's over Hikaru and is going to find new love. After she walks to school with her friend Erika, a girl who she doesn't know walks up to her and hugs her.

The girl introduces herself in class as Hikaru. ^_^ Hikaru and Megumi hit it off as friends, but Hikaru's gender reveal makes Megumi wonder about the kiss they shared as kids in a new light. When Megumi jokes to Hikaru that her crush was always hopeless since Hikaru's really a girl, Hikaru laughs it off, but it's obvious that she is hurt. She drops some hints that she is gay and interested in Megumi, but Megumi doesn't connect the dots until Hikaru kisses her when they are alone.

Hikaru passes the kiss off as a joke, but Megumi knows that Hikaru is lying and eventually figures out that she likes Hikaru the same way. I want to send Prism's author flowers for making Megumi and Hikaru become a couple by the end of chapter 2 without making the story feel rushed. I also love that the next two chapters focus on Megumi coming out to her friends, who support her and Hikaru. And! Megumi's friend Erika is only bothered by the idea of Megumi not telling her about her relationship. Adding icing to the cake, Megumi has the best teacher ever- laid-back, alcohol-swigging Ogachin, who gives Megumi some solid advice about coming out and her relationship with Hikaru, since Ogachin is bisexual and has dated women before. We also get a brief chapter focusing on Megumi's friends Erika and Hirose, following her coming out to them. Folks who are familiar with Japanese lesbian magazines will appreciate the appearance of an issue of Carmilla, which Hirose covertly buys. (Carmilla actually has terrible content. lol Hirose needs to look up Anise.)

This volume also includes two chapters highlighting Hikaru and Megumi's families. Megumi meets Hikaru's three brothers when she visits Hikaru's house for dinner and a sleepover. (Hikaru's parents are usually away on business trips.) Hikaru isn't out to her family yet, but the way that her brothers are written, it's clear we are meant to believe that they would be cool with her sexual orientation. When Hikaru visits Megumi's house for a sleepover, Megumi's little sister figures out who the "Hikaru" who she keeps hearing Megumi having lovey-dovey phone conversations with is. Her reaction is great- she wonders what Hikaru sees in her sister. She doesn't tell Megumi that she knows, but she still hopes they stay happy together.

So yeah, I'm loving this series. It especially takes off for me after Hikaru and Megumi become a couple. They have great chemistry, and their interaction together- whether they're kissing or talking or whatever- feels real. As I've already mentioned, I really like that they reveal their feelings to each other early on and that they come out to some of the people they know shortly after that. So far, everyone in this series is likeable and pretty realistic. Megumi and her friends act like...well, a believable group of friends, light snarkiness and all. Megumi and Hikaru's interaction with their siblings also rings true- as nearly as I can tell as an only child. lol I especially like how Hikaru's brothers rib poor Hikaru in front of Megumi. But of course, the real reason we're reading is Hikaru and Megumi, who go together like cookies and cream.

If you're looking for realistic yuri, yuri that doesn't shy from bringing up sexual identity, or yuri series starring leads who become a couple early on, I highly recommend Prism.

And I'm really looking forward to seeing volume 2 published, since it will be 100% composed of Megumi and Hikaru as a couple. ^_^

Story: B+
Art: Starts at a B+, moves into A- territory. The characters' facial expressions and hair are especially well-rendered.
Overall: A-

Something much more obscure than most of what I've reviewed lately: Kyoumei Suru Echo

Kigi Tatsumi's Kyoumei Suru Echo ("Resounding Echo") is another one-shot collection, from Tsubomi magazine. Half of this collection is pleasant but forgettable, while the other half is excellent.

In "Runner's High," Yuki stopped participating in track because she accidentally pushed Touko, the girl she likes, down a flight of stairs, causing Touko to injure her knee and drop out of track. Yuki runs into Touko, who tells her that she never blamed her and she's getting her knee fixed so she can compete again. Yuki decides to compete again also.

"Unbalance" is about the cool track team captain Asami, her secretly crushy friend Sato, who is the student council president, and Hibiki, the curmudgeonly student council member who unexpectedly melts at seeing Asami with long hair.

"Asymmetry," shows a typical evening at home for Hibiki, her twin sister, her mom, and her older sister Ritsuko.

The three part story titled "Lonesome Echo" is about Ritsuko. Ritsuko is a music teacher who has just started working at a new high school. She hems and haws when asked why she left the school she used to teach at, but no one pries too much. In the room that's meant to be her new office, she finds a student named Youko who's used to cutting class there. (Correction: Youko isn't exactly a student. See the comments for this post for more details.) Ritsuko and Youko become friends over their shared love of music. Ritsuko plays the piano and Youko plays the violin.

One day when they're chatting outside the school, a well put together but obviously sketchy woman appears and tells Ritsuko that she's "found" her, and to get into her car. Despite Youko's protests, Ritsuko leaves with the woman. Ritsuko doesn't show up at school for a few days, and returns saying that she was out sick, and oh, that creepy woman was just her former music teacher. The woman keeps picking Ritsuko up when she's done working. You can guess what's happening, right?

After finding out about Ritsuko's bruises, Youko confronts her and Ritsuko admits that she's in an abusive relationship with her former music teacher, who tracked her down after she tried to get away by switching schools. It's obvious that her fear of an "Ewww, lesbian! You shouldn't be a teacher!" reaction hasn't exactly helped her come forward to anyone about it. Because of her connection to the school chairman and general bad assery, Youko protects Ritsuko and helps her get her abusive lover arrested. The ending was kind of pat, but in this case, I really didn't mind.

First thing I liked about "Lonesome Echo": Youko. Great character, has more presence than anyone else in this book, and I quite like the interaction between her and Ritsuko. Second: I can count the stories I have consumed that deal with domestic violence well on one mangled hand. (Last Friends, you botched it. "Oh Michiru, I will selflessly kill myself, but my presence will continue to haunt this show because you can't stop romanticizing me even though I raped and beat you and terrorized your friends when they tried to protect you." Argh.) Not a whiff of exploitation or gratuitous lingering over the abuse, but no sugarcoating of what it does to the assaultee either. And Ritsuko's emotions felt real. Youko was a little superhuman, but likeable enough that it didn't bother me.

Like most people, I don't look for stories like "Lonesome Echo." (However well-done, I wouldn't want to read too many stories focusing on "Lonesome Echo"'s theme.) But it was still good.

Story: B+ for "Lonesome Echo," B- for "Runner's High," C+ for "Unbalance" and "Asymmetry."

Art: B

Overall: B

Manga Review: Ebisu-san to Hotei-san

Ebisu-san to Hotei-san, which fits the "hate ---> respect/like ---> love" romantic comedy pattern to a T, isn't mindblowing, but it's an okay, good-natured re-tread of well-worn territory.

Hotei works at the backwater branch of a large, famous company. A new worker transfers in from the main office, the über-cool, competent Ebisu Mayo (who Hotei secretly nicknames "Ebi Mayo", or "Shrimp Mayo") who does her work more efficiently than anybody else but never works overtime, prompting the women at the office to act like bratty, bullying middle school kids. (Dumping coffee on her work when she's at a meeting, telling her that another meeting is scheduled a week later than it actually is, ignoring her at lunch, etc.) One day Ebisu follows Mayo and sees her picking up her niece Hana from daycare. She suddenly feels bad about being such a jackass and starts helping Ebisu take care of Hana. Of course, the little munchkin brings them closer together and Hotei eventually realizes that she loves her Shrimp Mayo. Hana's deadbeat mother (Ebisu's older sister) comes back and we learn the utterly stupid reason why she seduced all of Ebisu's past boyfriends, which is what first caused the rift between them.

Hotei more or less repairs their relationship and realizes that Ebisu returns her feelings when Ebisu asks her to ignore her sister if she comes onto Hotei. Hotei asks if she can move in with Ebisu and Ebisu agrees. Frustratingly, Ebisu and Hotei don't actually say "I love you" or anything to that effect. In a bonus chapter taking place a few years later, Hana invites a classmate to her home and explains that she has three moms- her mother, her aunt, and her aunt's "friend." This ending reminded me of something in real life- I have an older, closeted relative (who doesn't know that I know that she's closeted...I think) who lived with another woman for a long time before that woman died (when I was a kid), without anyone in the family acknowledging her as more than my relative's "friend." The "my aunt and her friend" bit reminded me of that, which gave it kind of a depressing tinge for me. (I know, not the series' fault, but there you go.) The joke at the end about Hana and her aunt liking similar types of people was cute, anyway.

The manga's afterword reveals that much of the ambiguity in this series can be attributed to Kizuki Akira and Satou Nanki receiving advice from a crappy editor on what a good yuri story should be like. If I were their editor, my Yuri 101 tutorial for them would be "It's romance between two women or girls," and I would give them a short list of recommended yuri mangaka/titles to check out.

Ebisu-san to Hotei-san has some cute moments, but there are meatier titles out there covering similar ground.

Story: C+
Art: C+
Overall: C+