Oooh, I can see the clouds below. Yup, I'm writing this post on a plane to Fort Lauderdale. ^^ (Although it's not the city where I'm staying for spring break.) I'm quite excited about a new anime series being green-lit for Shimura Takako's Hourou Musuko manga, which is running monthly in Comic Beam, the same seinen magazine that serialized Mori Kaoru's Emma. It's a very good series (what I've read of it so far, at least), and I'm looking forward to seeing it when it airs. Hopefully whichever studio is producing it will put as much care into it as J.C. Staff put into my beloved Aoi Hana. (Maybe it'll be J.C. Staff? I wonder if Kasai Kenicihi will sign up for it...this seems like his type of series, also. Of course, it's pointless speculating now.) Hourou Musuko is a slice-of-life series about a feminine "boy" (really a closeted transgendered girl) named Nitori Shuuichi, who is starting 5th grade at a new school. She makes friends with Takatsuki Yoshino, a transgendered boy who most people assume is a tomboyish girl. In true Shimura fashion, there is a large, generally likeable supporting cast. (Although Shuuichi's big sister Maho makes me glad that I'm an only child... >___>; Aside from her, pretty much everyone is likeable.) Also- my yuri panel at Conbust is going to be at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 27. Directions to the con can be found here, and the schedule for all of the con events can be seen here. I hope to see plenty of people there! ^^ Plus, Takashima Rica's Rica'tte Kanji!? made a certain mainstream comic site's top gay comics list. ^_^ (I love seeing yuri- and manga in general- receive press from outlets that aren't normally into yuri/manga- hence my giddiness over Afterellen streaming yuri this past summer and autumn.) See Okazu's Yuri Network News tomorrow for more. Ack...battery running low. Anyway, major kudos to Takashima for getting more recognition and to Shimura for getting her second manga-to-anime adaptation! ^^
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- Hourou Musuko (or Wandering Son) anime confirmed. I talked about the rumor when I posted WORKING!! DVD news, and I guess it was real after all. Shimura Takako's Aoi Hana anime adaption was amazing but how about this one? I hope they at least tell us w..
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Some surprising (and not so surprising) news has been popping up recently- The new collaboration between Ikki Tousen Xtreme Xecutor and Shin Koihime Musou: Otome Tairan looks pretty interesting- and it really makes all the sense in the world. So far, it only seems to mean that the two series are sharing the same website (PVs for both series are up), but it'll be interesting to see if anything else comes out of it. (What if more titles tried cross promotions with other, similar titles? Aoi Hana season 2/Marimite? Octave/White Album- or any other music-related romance title about disaffected young adults? Kuroshitsuji/Hayate the Combat Butler?) Plus, a new character trailer for Working!! is up, focusing on Kyouko the manager. (Which means a blink-and-you'll-miss-it flash of crushiness from Yachiyo.) And thanks for voting in last week's polls, if you voted. ^^ Just to preserve the results after I remove the polls from the sidebar, I'm putting the results below. Question 1: Which yuri anime are we most likely to see green-lit next?Total number of votes: 66 The answer that I would choose: Girl Friends Question 2: Which yuri anime would you most like to see green-lit next? Total number of votes: 48 The answer that I would choose: Ugh, it's hard to pick... (Probably the reason why less people voted on this one.) I would choose Octave, though, because it's the choice least likely to be green-lit. (And it would probably have a really good soundtrack. An OP by Shes'n and an ED by *squee* Setsuko Fennel, anyone? :-) ) The total list (so far) for spring 2009 series of yuri interest is: Ikki Tousen XX K-ON! season 2 Shin Koihime Musou: Otome Tairan Working!! Out of those four, the one that I'm looking forward to the most is K-ON! (Even though, yes, it has virtually no the least amount of yuri.) BGM- "Soshite mou ichido" by Ueda Kana
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Dear ladies and gentlemen, I have something to announce. When I came to my senses not late ago I found myself deep in a heap of cogs, springs and screws, and the air was hot and wet from all the steam around. And here it is: I loved it. I have finally found something to [...]Related posts:Toradora, the endThe revealAoi Hana, (no) first impressions
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 Whispered words. The Sasameki Koto anime isn't a perfect, or even a "great" series. One could never mistake it as such. It doesn't have the same level of comic "snap" as the original manga (indeed, it made me appreciate Ikeda Takashi-sensei's knack for threading together laugh-out-loud-worthy comedy and romantic drama as seamlessly as he does all the more), sunsets abound to the point of almost seeming comedic (mostly in the early episodes, though; it isn't a negative, just a weird little quirk that makes me think "goodness, aren't there a lot of sunsets in that town...is it supposed to be symbolic?"), a few other artistic decisions left me scratching my head (like the crowds of people who weren't colored or otherwise filled in- it's okay in the manga, but it looks cheap in animation), and, as with the Aoi Hana anime, we never see the two leads actually get together, even though we know that they will eventually. (Admittedly, Aoi Hana's ending isn't as obvious- especially for those who aren't following the manga or haven't seen the Aoi Hana fanbook cover. :) ) But. It was a good series and I really enjoyed it. Some of the middle episodes lagged a bit (as in the manga, the "Akemiya date" story was the weakest link, albeit largely because I don't like Manaka), but the overall package was satisfying and heartfelt. I loved the ending, and how it evoked the series' title ("whispered words") while reinforcing the general theme of the series- communication and the opportunities and connections that one can gain (or miss) via communication (or a lack thereof). The anime adapted the first two volumes of the manga, ending with the story in which Sumi visits her extended family and isn't able to call Ushio, as she had promised. Ushio grows increasingly anxious, to the point of worrying that Sumi might have gotten in an accident. The series ends just on the cusp of Ushio realizing how much her besotted best friend Sumika means to her. There were a few other things that I especially liked: While I pretty much liked all of the characters (gosh, I hope poor Akemiya gets a crush on a girl who does like him back at some point in the manga ^^;), I love Sumi as the lead character. Sasameki Koto could be a series about wood-whittling, and if Sumi were involved, I would probably still watch it. Some of my favorite bits were her fangirling moments over Kazama. (Ushio's awfully dense. Can't recognize her own squealing, crushy behavior when somebody else is doing it.) The yuri-otaku humor, mostly courtesy of Aoi. Unlike a fair amount of SK fans, I like her quite a bit- because she's a geek. (Solidarity!) Seeing Utopia Yuri-Fes animated was fun, too. In the interest of transparency, I'll admit that wink-wink-nudge-nudge self-referential otaku humor (a la Genshiken or Ouran) is to me what catnip is to cats. The random Engrish. (Most noteably in episodes 5 and 11.) The one episode not based on the original manga was enjoyable as well- the characters remained in-character and it felt like a nice final hurrah for seeing the entire cast together before the end of the show. The final episode had a largely introspective, somewhat melancholic feel (like much of SK), but in the end it was sweet. A good end for a lovely little series. (Although a second season would still be quite nice.) Story: B Art: B- Overall: B+ After wondering earlier today about when we'll see another yuri manga green-lit, I decided to create two polls on the top-right area of this blog. I hope you vote. ^^ I'm interested in seeing what you all think.
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 The Manga Taishou Awards, one of Japan's younger but quite prestigious awards, has just announced their nominees for 2010-- the third annual awards.   These lists are often places to look for possible upcoming licenses, so let's take a look. I Am a Hero, by Kengo Hanazawa (Shogakukan)A seinen psych horror revolving around an offbeat young man who believes he's a hero, even as he suffers from hallucinations and other psychological horrors. Sounds kinda like MPD Psycho. Aoi Honoo, by Kazuhiko Shimamoto (Shogakukan)In Osaka in the 1980s, our protagonist Moyuru Honoo is studying to be a mangaka at an arts university. An overconfident sort, Honoo is shocked as time goes by and the likes of Mitsuru Adachi and Rumiko Takahashi hit it big-- but he still hopes to become a mangaka! Don't get this one confused with girls' love series Aoi Hana. Uchuu Kyoudai, by Chuuya Koyama (Kodansha)Two pals want to become astronauts together in this buddy comedy, which was also nominated for the Manga Taishou award in 2009. Apparently Sheryl Nome released a single called Uchuu Kyoudai, too, but they're not related. Otoko no Isshou, by Keiko Nishi (Shogakukan)Tsugumi Douzono works for a giant electronics maker in Tokyo, but after a long period away goes to spend a holiday at her grandmother's rural home. While there, the grandmother passes away, and Tsugumi begins telecommuting and trying to live in the family home. Kuragehime, by Akiko Higashimura (Kodansha)This manga revolves around an apartment building full of nothing but fujoshi (yaoi fangirls) and female NEETs...except for one tenant, who is a boy who wears women's clothing in order to avoid being his father's business successor. THIS sounds fun! Koukou Kyuuji Zawa-san, by Eriko Mishima (Shogakukan)One of the top-ranked men's manga among women, this series takes place in a high school baseball club with a lone female team member: the protagonist, Risa Miyakozawa. Thermae Romae, by Mari Yamazaki (Enterbrain)"The people who love bathhouses the most are the Japanese and the Romans!!" Apparently in this bizarre-sounding manga, a special bathhouse operates as a portal between modern-day Japan and ancient Rome-- at least for our hero, Lucius. Bakuman., by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata (Shueisha)This manga, by the writer and artist of Death Note, needs no introduction for some of you. For the rest: Bakuman revolves around two boys who want to realize their dream of becoming mangaka. Mushi to Uta, by Haruko Ichikawa (Kodansha)Not to be confused with the anime Mushi-Uta, this debut manga by Haruko Ichikawa is actually a collection of light short stories. Moteki, by Mitsurou Kubo (Kodansha)A girlfriendless temp worker suddenly is hit by a blast of calls and e-mails from all of the women in his past. He decides to meet each one of them one at a time.Well, Bakuman. is already licensed here (it'll start in Shonen Jump's May issue), and I'd be surprised if we didn't get Kuragehime-- josei doesn't always do well out here, but series about otaku can usually carry their weight, as far as I can tell.Also interesting is that only one title, Thermae Romae, came from a publisher that wasn't one of the big three (Kodansha, Shueisha, Shogakukan). A little more variety would be nice, but on the other hand, it's not surprising that the people who put out the biggest volume of manga have some of the best creators and therefore the best odds.  What do you guys think? Do these sound like manga you'd want to pick up, should they be released in your language of choice?
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OMG…it’s been so long since my last post! First I lost my internet THEN my laptop!!! It’s barely working right now so I’m going to get as many posts out as I can!!!! ENGINES at FULL BLAST!!! So episode 12 was a very quiet one if not a bit boring. *sigh* I’m seriously liking Aoi Hana [...]
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I now see that it’s not exactly right to call Maria-Sama ga Miteru a shoujo ai series. If you want lesbians, there’s Aoi Hana, Sasameki Koto, Blue Drop or Candy Boy. Instead, it’s more like a relation-focused drama series that just hardly has any male characters in it. The second season continues pretty much where [...]
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As I did last year, here is the list of what I thought the top 10 anime OPs of 2009 were. Enjoy! 10. “Aoi Hana” by Kukikodan - Sweet Blue Flowers OP This is a nice little song to start off the countdown. 9. “Super Driver” by Aya Hirano – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya OP2 While the ED was [...]
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Yay, it's 2010! ^^ Whether you kicked off the new year with a jump-start on one of your resolutions, a hangover, a hatsumode, or all three, I hope everybody's having a good start to the new year/decade. Here's a list of my top 10 yuri anime of 2009, followed by a list of my top 10 yuri anime of the past decade. My Top 10 of 2009: 10) A tie between Ikki Tousen (Funi's re-release of the first season and Media Blasters' release of Dragon Destiny) and Nanoha (Funi's release)- Once I gave Ikki Tousen a shot, it turned out to be stupid fun (with yuri!). Nanoha season 1 (that's all that I've watched up to this point) deserves mention for how much it improved by the end, with some cute subtext to boot. 9) Saki (streaming on Crunchyroll)- What began as a boring high school comedy/drama quickly developed into a fun tournament-style title with a likeable, yuri-riffic cast of characters. My top couples are still Momo x Yumi, Nodoka x Saki, and Hisa x...uhh, Mako or Mihoko (whichever ^^;;). 8) Maria-sama ga Miteru Season 3 (RightStuf's release): I absolutely love Marimite. And RightStuf, for licensing it. :-) 7) Blue Drop- A very good, low-key sci-fi romantic drama that I didn't expect to see released in English on DVD. Go, go Sentai! 6) CANAAN: I know, I know. Besides Liang, the only yuri in this series is subtext/wishful thinking. But what yummy subtext it is. Plus, yay for having another good seinen action series revolving around an primarily female, non-school aged cast that doesn't moe-fy or "Queen's Blade"-out its characters. 5) Maria-sama ga Miteru Season 4- The fourth, possibly (imo, probably) final season for one of my all-time favorite shows. More wonderful subtext (and friendships) between wonderful characters in a wonderful story. 4) To Aru Kagaku no Railgun: For simply being a fun sci-fi action title with a canon yuri lead. (Although Saten's skirt-flipping ways and Uiharu's fascination with Tokiwadai have both pinged my gaydar as well.) 3) El Cazador de la Bruja (Funi's English DVD release): The final, most yuriful series in Bee Train's "girls-with-guns" trilogy, finally available in English! XD Yay, Nadie x Ellis! 2) Sasameki Koto (streaming on Crunchyroll): It didn't have the budget or, frankly, the same level of direction as Aoi Hana's adaptation, but it was a joy to see Sumi, Ushio, and the rest of the Joshibu finally animated, and it was simply a fun show. Plus, it was cool to not only see this series stream on AE, but also get picked up by other lesbian media sites. 1) Aoi Hana (streaming on Crunchyroll): Surprise. ^^; From the opening episode, I loved this series. The characters, the story, the art, the music, everything, pulled together by Kenichi Kasai's brilliant direction, with Ikuhara Kunihiko's beautiful OP as the cherry on top. I couldn't have been happier with this adaptation- aside from the fact that it needs a second season (like so many other shows on this list). Plus, it was very cool to see a yuri anime streamed on Afterellen for the first time. Honorable mention goes to Shin Koihime Musou (for the sheer number of yuri characters) and Kanamemo (for Yume and Yuuki, even if Haruka...well, everybody who reads this blog already knows how I feel about Haruka). My Top 10 of the Past Decade: 10) Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito: This is a crappy title with a crappy, tear-your-heart-out-and-stomp-on-it ending (although I've heard that the manga and game both have yuri-friendly endings). But it was the earliest yuri-centric title to air during the past decade. For helping to get the yuri ball rolling, Yamibou deserves a spot here. (Plus, I like Hazuki. She deserves a better series.) 9) Magical Girl Lyrical  Nanoha- I've only seen the first season, but since I know that StrikerS features Nanoha and Fate living together as adults, sharing a bed (when they could easily sleep in separate beds), and raising a kid who calls them both "mama", I'm listing it. 8) Mai-Hime- For being a popular action title that gave rise to a popular yuri couple, among numerous other potential pairs. It spawned even more yuri in its spin-off, Mai-Otome, and in the two OVAs that branched from Mai-Otome. Not to mention Mai-Hime Destiny, Mao-Hime (I think that's what it's called...I haven't really bothered with reading it), and the upcoming Mai-Hime EXA. (I'm trying to forget the first Mai-Hime manga.) 7) Strawberry Panic- For further cementing Marimite's influence and the pervasive "all-girls' school" trope in yuri, for better or for worse. Plus, it's a fun show. 6) Simoun: An absolutely excellent fantasy title from beginning to end that any anime fan would do well to try. Plus, the plot is wrapped up very satisfyingly (but not too neatly or happily) within its 26(!) episode span. 5) Noir: Subtext only but worth listing for its influence on the subtext-rich "girl-with-guns" subgenre, including Madlax, El Cazador, and (probably) CANAAN, among other titles. 5) Sasameki Koto- Just an enjoyable yuri-centric title that gently pokes fun at (and at times, subverts) yuri tropes and stars a likeable cast. Mega-points for not taking place at an all-girls' school (and for pointing out that Ushio tried her darndest to get into one), and continuing the trend of featuring characters who aren't simply "in love with this particular, exceptional person who happens to be a girl." 3) Kannazuki no Miko- First anime title centered around a canon yuri couple with a happy ending. (At least, I see it as a happy ending.) I'll admit my bias- even though I'm not fond of the angsty moping that makes up a sizeable chunk of this series anymore, this was the first title that I recognized as "yuri", and I was head-over-heels in love with it for quite a while. Plus, thanks to the enduring popularity of Chimeko (and Kaishaku's perennial fondness for them), we can likely expect a new yuri action anime- an adaptation of Kaishaku's Zettai Shoujo Seiiki Amnesian- within the next few years. :-) 2) Aoi Hana- Simultaneously the best and most realistic title centered around a canon yuri protagonist in the past decade. 1) Maria-sama ga Miteru: Because no other yuri title that aired from 2000 through 2009 has been as influential or as heavily-referenced as Marimite. And that's it. ^^
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