Kannazuki no Miko

Kannazuki no Miko by Kaishaku
Overall: Interesting
Smexy Times: Panty-less
Art: Shoujo-y/Special Mix




Today is my one-year anniversary of reviewing manga! I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who has supported me this year! And next year is going to be even better. Now onto the review!

So my big plan for today was to review one of the most famous yuri manga out there, so I had only a few choices. With my busy schedule until Christmas, this manga was all I could do. Unfortunately, I didn't like this manga as much as I thought I might, but we'll get into that.

Today's manga is about two priestesses, the Priestess of the Sun and the Priestess of the Moon. The whole mythos behind their origin is convoluted as fuck, so I won't get too much into that. But basically, the Priestess of the Moon is the super important one, and they find a Priestess of the Sun to be sacrificed in her place for who knows what reason. For some reason, there have been multiple reincarnations of these girls because they keep failing I guess.
This time, the Priestess of the Sun is named Himeko, and she's a cute thing, even though she's crying in pretty much every chapter. The Priestess of the Moon is named Chikane, a popular girl at school who everyone loves. In secret, these two are friends, even before they know about their priestessness (priestesshood?). But suddenly, GIANT MECHS come out of nowhere and reveal that a more sinister plot is going on, the likes of which are faaaar too detailed for me to explain or even understand. (Plus I think it's a worthy read, if only for it's status as a 'classic' yuri manga.)

As I read this manga, trying my best to like it, I wondered why it was such a yuri classic. I wondered if I just wasn't seeing the magic behind the series. I mean, I do understand that part of the appeal is the pure dynamicness of the manga. It's got yuri, shoujo, mechas, and Japanese mythology all mixed into one two-volume package. People who do not normally read yuri will be drawn to it for other reasons, and perhaps that is one of the reasons that it has attracted so much attention when most yuri manga just flop and fade out of existence before reaching popularity.
But then, why did I dislike this? Well, one thing that I have already alluded to is the overly complicated plot. As the chapters continued on, it just felt like they were adding on more cliches and complications to make the series longer and more dramatic (note: only one of those worked). At one point, a crucial moment in the series becomes completely overlooked for a bullshit, complicated reason.
The other thing about this manga that sits wrong with me is the relationship between the two girls. The relationship seemed very sweet and cute at the beginning, and I thought I just might enjoy these two, but then shit hit the fan. That crucial moment I was talking about? Yeah. Chikane deflowers Himeko. And Chikane just continues to be a total meanie face to Himeko throughout the rest of the series. But Himeko's reaction just makes me sad. Honestly, it reminds me of way too many hentai series. I can't stand watching these characters be raped and then fall in love with their rapists. THAT IS NOT HOW THINGS USUALLY WORK.

However, for all the gripes I have with this series, I account most of it to the fact that it's just not meant for my tastes. I do recommend that everyone try to read this series once in their lives if they like yuri, simply because it is a common yuri manga to be brought up in conversations about yuri. You can mention things like Strawberry Shake, and no one will understand you, but bring Kannazuki no Miko up, and they'll know what you're talking about. It's the same with Strawberry Panic.
Also, as I said before, the manga includes many elements of other genres that may attract viewers. The robots are very well designed, and each of the villains seems to have one, so there are lots of them if you like stuff like that. There's even a little bit of shoujo between Himeko and some guy I didn't care to remember the name of. And, of course, there's Japanese folklore up the wahzoo.
I will admit that the art can be very pretty as well. Mostly, this is in the romantic scenes between the two girls, but I think it's very admirable for the artist to be able to draw such sweet looking scenes one page, and the next, giant mecha battles. This artist definitely has diversity.

All-in-all, I do recommend this manga to an extent. If you have tastes like mine, you may not like this classic as much as you want to, but if you're at all interested in the other elements this series has to offer, you may just enjoy it.

Yeah... that's nice Chikane.

Baku Ai

Baku Ai by Anisaki Yuna
Overall: No Thank You
Smexy Times: Dry
Art: Shoujo-y








I apologize for the lateness of this review, but here it is, as promised on my Twitter!


The story of this manga is a little confusing, which could be the translation, but I think the plot just has a major hole anyway. But it could just be me. 
Anyway, the story starts off at a Catholic high school with two girls, Sara (the popular one) and Youko (the... other one). Sara and Youko used to be friends, but not anymore, for whatever reason. I don't really think that got explained. But for some reason or another, Sara decides she wants to be friends with Youko again. (Note that there is actually a reason, but... that's for later.)


One night, Sara comes to Youko's window (though I'm not sure how because it's on the second floor as far as I can tell) and wants to spend the night. She gives Youko a goodnight kiss, and for some reason, the taste of the kiss (cigarettes) is mentioned like five times after the kiss. Is the taste supposed to be important or something? The only thing it shows is that the little Catholic school girl isn't such a good girl, but I think we already knew that.
After that, Youko can't get Sara off her mind, so they start becoming "friends" again. I don't think friends tie each other's hands up while they kiss them though. Seriously, I don't get the hand tying thing. It makes no contextual sense! And then there's this scene with Sara and Youko's mom, and there's some sort of tension, but nobody cares. I'll explain that in a second anyway.


So they start hanging out and kissing a lot more. I'm surprised no one cares, to be honest. I mean, it's an all-girls Catholic school. They're not as ambiguous as they think they are. 
So one day, Youko forgets something at her house before going to school, so she hurries back and finds her mom and Sara's dad doing the deed. Sara enters the scene and says some pretty confusing dialogue, which I'm assuming means the whole relationship was a lie or something. See, this is the point at which nothing makes sense anymore. Now note that Anisaki Yuna tends to write a lot of smut, and this is the only yuri manga she appears to have. One-shot smut generally doesn't do plots very well (or at all), so this could be on the fault of the mangaka, or it could be a stupid translation. Because I honestly just have no clue. This is the whole problem with the manga. This one page! And suddenly the somewhat decent manga just falls apart completely. 


So to fix this problem, Youko decides to visit Sara while she's smoking at school (I honestly don't know how she hasn't been caught yet!), and Youko decides to prove her love to Sara by burning her leg with the cigarette. Somehow or another, this works, and they make out on the school stairwell.


Now obviously, this ending doesn't solve anything! Seriously, no conclusion about their parents, no real explanation for what the hell changed, nothing! This manga actually started out decently. It seemed like it could be a cute, fluffy story about forbidden girl's love. Cliché, yes, but not terrible for someone's first yuri manga. But then Anisaki decided to try to throw in some dumb plot line, and the whole thing just fell apart. The art is decent, certainly nothing special. And the biggest irony is that the only really sexy stuff is done by the straight couple. This manga could have been decent, but it's just stupid instead. 

Sweet Lovin' Baby

Sweet Lovin' Baby by Yamaji Ebine
Overall: No Thank You
Smexy Times: Dry
Art: Crap








I don't think I've ever reviewed a series of one-shots. How exciting. Of course, these one shots aren't very good, but, you know. The idea of reviewing something new is exciting by itself. 


So the first chapter is about a lesbian couple who have been going out for around five years. They make a new friend, sort of bringing her into their lives. The femme lesbian is always talking about threesomes and stuff. She's pretty interesting. Especially when she decides that she wants to go be straight and marry a man to procreate. The poor butch lesbian. But I guess it all works out in the end, when the third wheel and the butch get together. 
This one shot is probably the best of the three. Although I really wish the three of them could have been together without the complications. They had interesting dynamics with each other. (I'm not at all opposed to polygamy as long as all sides are equal and willing.)


The next chapter is pretty cute actually. Shorter than the first, but still pretty okay overall. It's just a short story about a girl who gets stuck in the rain and another girl who lets her stay in her apartment. They talk about problems, become close, and kiss, with the promise of a relationship for the future. I like the main girl's hair in this one. Actually, I like the designs for both of the girls. 


The third chapter is where the quality goes downhill fast. I wasn't paying much attention during this one, but what I did get was that a creepy looking girl liked a butch girl. But butch girl isn't actually a lesbian. She just looks like one because girl clothes don't look good on her or something. Honestly, I just wasn't interested. 


The last one was, by far, the worst. The art suddenly got horrible. I mean, I couldn't even focus on the story, it was so bad! I just tried to get through it as fast as I could. (Not like the story part was even that good or interesting.)


As you go through this series of one shots, they just keep getting worse. I can't recommend the last two at all, especially the last one. But the first two are interesting enough to bump up the rating. But the art in all of these is pretty terrible. I think the art in the second story was the best, but the first story's art wasn't bad either. Overall, this isn't really interesting, but you could try checking it out. 
(Though the first story just makes me want to go searching for a yuri polygamous relationship in a manga. I don't think I'll find one.)

Hidden Meaning

Hidden Meaning by Itou Chika
Overall: Lesicake
Smexy Times: Scissor Sisters
Art: Special








This manga is just about sex. It's super short. And it's basically all a sex scene. So forgive me for the review this week being short, but without any content, I can't write a long, fabulous review.


So here's how the "plot" of this manga goes. There's a writer and her manager (I think. Or maybe her publisher.) who have a relationship. In every story the writer writes, she always puts in a character like her girlfriend/manager/publisher. Her girlfriend remains unimpressed, thinking that everyone at work will find out they're dating because of this. Right, because she's the only person in the world who acts like that. Of course.
But the writer doesn't really care, saying she'll put this woman in all of her stories. Then they have sex. It's really terrible honestly. I mean, the way they have sex. I may not have any stories to tell, but I know that is not the way that works. (It was like watching The Kids Are All Right after hearing my English teacher say that the way the lesbians had sex was not how real lesbians have sex, and then that was all I could think about for the rest of the movie. But I digress.)


That's pretty much the entire story. I know it's lame, but what can you expect? The art has it's ups and downs, the up being this sexy face and the down being this hideous kiss. The plot is pretty much nonexistent, and the entire manga would only appeal to someone who likes close-ups of vaginas and two girls getting it on in an awkward manner. 

V Hunter

V Hunter by Hayashiya Shizuru
Overall: Interesting
Smexy Times: Dry
Art: Crap








I seem to have hit the goldmine. This, my friends, is another manga by the mangaka who did Strawberry Shake and Kiss Doll. Boy, I was excited to find that out too. 
Unfortunately, before you get your hopes up, this follows the standards of Kiss Doll rather than Strawberry Shake. But be happy, for it isn't as bad as Kiss Doll. 


Hayashiya seems to be good at thinking of interesting ideas for manga, but her one shots never bring these ideas to full potential. (I have yet to read her other yuri manga though, but that is multi-chaptered.) Her idea this time is this: characters come out of old video tapes from rental stores, and there's a hero who rescues pretty girls from these characters when they want naughty things. 
Yes, the 'coming out of the TV' thing does sound like a bad fanfiction, but I think it's executed much better here than in something you'd find on fanfiction.net. 


So we meet up with a girl who I didn't catch the name of, but it's not really important. She rented Gone with the Wind, but the tape is all fuzzy and hard to watch. The silly girl insists on watching it all the way through because she spent her money on it, even though she could probably go to the rental place and tell them their tape is all messed up and get her money back. But I guess she's not bright enough to think of that. So, upon finishing the tape, who should pop out but Butt Rhetler. No, I swear I'm not fucking with you here.
For some reason or another, this dude wants to rape main girl. (I've never seen Gone with the Wind, but I'm pretty sure this part isn't based on Rhett Butler's character.) Just when things get nekkid, who should come to save the day but our hero, Meiko! It's her job to catch these baddies and save pretty ladies. So Meiko seals the... demon spawn away, but she still needs to get paid of course. And since our little school girl spent all her money on a tape that didn't even work, Meiko accepts her payment in another way. 


This story isn't special by any means, but it's worth a read and a giggle. I've always enjoyed Hayashiya's humor, and this is no exception. I mean c'mon, Butt Rhetler? That's pretty clever. But the art is cringe-worthy, though not as much so as Kiss Doll's art. And as I've said before, it could have been even more interesting with a few more chapters. However, I do enjoy it for it's concept, so I can recommend it on that alone. 

Blue Drop - Maiorita Tenshi

Blue Drop - Maiorita Tenshi by Yoshitomi Akihito
Overall: Interesting
Smexy Times: Dry
Art: Crap / Special Mix








Hey guys, guess who hasn't been doing anything this summer? That's me. Unfortunately, this means I haven't updated this blog either. But today, I'm back. (Although I won't be back next week because I'll be camping. But hopefully after that, this blog will pick up again.)


Now onto the review.
I'm going to start out by saying I use the term 'Interesting' lightly. This reminds me of a certain other manga I've reviewed that had an interesting idea, but was not used to its' full potential. This is another one of those.


The story starts out during a war in Japan where Aliens called Gosta are trying to invade the planet by dropping pretty women from the sky who EXPLODE and destroy shit. Our main character has been orphaned because one of these living time bombs exploded and killed her parents. The girl, Sachi, takes care of some of the younger children by feeding them in their living complex. And then one day, a girl with no memories, Ai, comes to the complex as well. As the girl has no idea of who she really is other than her name, it's Sachi's job to take care of her, and they become roomies. Ai's a rather paranoid thing, so Sachi ends up comforting her quite a bit, and so they sleep in the same bed.


The next day that Ai is there, she trips and reveals that her blood is white, which is an obvious sign of being an Alien! This obviously explains Ai's fear. She doesn't want to be taken away by the soliders because she's a bomb just waiting to explode. This creates a bit of tension, but Sachi is glad that Ai didn't blow up because, you know, then we wouldn't get any homoromantic tension between the two. (No, actually, there isn't any homoromantic tension, being as Sachi is nine years old.)


Well that's when Ai decides to pull out all the lesbian stops, since apparently all Aliens are homosexual women. (What, you didn't know that?) They can also produce children with other women. No, don't ask me either.
Anyway, the army begins their Gosta Hunt, and Sachi helps Ai escape, afraid she will never see the lesbian Alien again. But then she sees that there's been an explosion nearby, and she fears the worst; Ai blew herself up.


Well skip some years later, and I think you can figure out what happens. Ai didn't die, she was just hiding, blah blah blah. If you didn't see that ending from miles away, you need glasses my friend. (But can't she still explode? Did the military disable her explosion system? I don't understand how she's NOT DANGEROUS now.)


The story isn't necessarily anything special. As I said before, the idea was interesting, but to say that they put it to full use would probably be a lie. Also, nine year olds in love just makes me feel awkward, and it's not something I would voluntarily want to read about in a yuri novel. So I will reluctantly rate this manga the way I do. The art isn't very pretty, but it's certainly a different, non-shoujo style. If this sounds like something interesting to you, you should give it a shot. It isn't a masterpiece, but it's something.

Strawberry Panic!

Strawberry Panic! written by Sakura Kimino and illustrated by Namuchi Takumi
Overall: Amazing
Smexy Times: Dry
Art: Be-a-utiful






This is a manga I got for my birthday from a friend, so I had to do some research on where you can read this. You can buy the whole thing at most places you can buy manga or online somewhere. (I saw it on Monday at Borders in fact.) Also, the link I provided you does not contain the last two chapters, so if anyone finds a link that has all 14 chapters, please tell me. 


For most people who don't know, Strawberry Panic! is one of the most famous yuri anime there is. It's rather infamous for its characters and school uniforms. Even I, as a young thing, watched the entire thing before I knew my own sexuality. This was years ago of course, so my memory of the storyline is rather limited. But it's okay, because we're talking about the manga here, not the anime! Maybe some day I'll review the anime, but that day is not today. 


This manga is about three all-girl schools, St. Miator, St. Spica, and St. Lulim. Aoi Nagisa transfers to St. Miator and gets lost trying to find her school when she runs into the beautiful Hanazono Shizuma. And, as you can guess, Shizuma takes a sudden interest in Nagisa, and things continue from there. You can imagine of course. 


But really, the main focus of this manga is the Étoile Competition. Basically, it's a competition among the three schools and the students to determine the sort of 'royalty' of the schools. They have no power really, it's just two girls showing their determination and love for each other and becoming... Queen and Queen. Basically, lesbians.
So, as I'm sure you can tell, Shizuma and Nagisa enter as a couple. The other important couple of the manga is 'the Prince', Otori Amane, and her angel, Konohana Hikari, from St. Spica. I enjoy Hikari a lot actually. She's really cute, and reminds me a little of myself. 


The thing that I enjoy most about this manga is the characters. There are literally so many girls that you could have a chance of liking that I'm sure everyone could find someone to follow the storyline of. Of course, the most focused on storylines are Shizuma's, Nagisa's, and Amane's. Hikari's is kind of just included and touched on. It's mostly the other three. But all of the other characters get something, so you'll find a character that you enjoy reading about. I personally adore all the Lulim students. (I think that's the school I'd go to too.)


Unfortunately, the manga is left unfinished. This manga literally says 'The Complete Manga Collection', and this confused me when I was left with a cliffhanger conclusion. So I did a little research. Turns out the manga really is unfinished. Which is downright sad. From what I can remember, the manga is pretty different from the anime, so the more unique take the manga uses is never concluded. 
So upon this discovery, I must now recommend you watch the anime if you enjoy what the manga sets up. The anime is more sexy than the manga (especially seeing as the manga has no sex at all). The anime is a bit more serious and angsty as well, but, as anyone who knows me knows, I adore angst. So this isn't a problem. 
But all-in-all, I think the manga stands well alone. I also recommend the light novels (which came before the manga), though I have yet to read them myself. This manga was a welcomed edition to my collection, and I hope the anime will someday join my anime collection as well. 

Love Vibes

Love Vibes 
By Sakurazawa Erica


Overall: Interesting
Smexy Times: Dry
Art: Special / Crap mix




Sorry about totally blanking about last week's review. I had the first good day in a few days, so I wanted to celebrate. And then I just forgot. But there's a review this week of something that's not a one-shot, so you guys can't complain too much. 


I didn't expect to like this manga as much as I did. I mean, look at that art. Those lips. I really can't stand a style like that. I don't know why, it's just something about the lips. (I'm not really a lips kind of girl I suppose.)  And the summary on Manga Fox sounded kind of stupid. But I figured I might as well, and the manga managed to surprise me. 


This is another old manga from the late 90s, 96 this time, about a girl (Mako) who's in a relationship with a boy (Shouji). She knew this boy had a girlfriend, but she decided to be his sex friend anyway. I'll never understand girls who voluntarily enter a relationship like this. Anyway. One day Mako decides to go out to a CD store, and while she's there, a girl named Mika approaches her and says some rather obviously lesbian things before they decide to go to tea together. Luckily Mako's kind of an idiot. So more lesbian-esque words exchanged, but Mako doesn't think too much of it. I don't like Mako in case you can't tell, but that all comes later. 
So, long story short, Shouji's girlfriend is getting suspicious, so Mako suggests they should break up, because Mika's words helped her realize that she doesn't like where she's at right now. Finally, Mika. Knocked some sense into Mako. I like Mika a lot by the way. 


Mako and Mika begin hanging more, for like two months, but then Shouji calls and wants Mako back. Mako (being the idiot she is) doesn't realize that Mika telling her not to go back to Shouji is a sign that Mika has feelings for Mako. Mako decides not to get back together with Shouji for now, and things are back to normal. 
Notice the 'for now' in that sentence. Yeah, this is the main reason I don't like Mako. 
Because in the next chapter, Mako gets back together with Shouji. Yeah. What a ho. So when Mako tells Mika that she's seeing Shouji, Mika goes off on her, and they have a little tiff, which results in Mika revealing (much more clearly for our little idiot) that she loves Mako. After they fight, they're apart for a while. Mika gets a new lover, but ends up returning to Mako. 


I would continue to go on to describe the remaining three chapters, but it's pretty much the same things. Mako being an idiot and always doubting Mika, and the two girls struggling through their relationship more than they should. It kind of reminded me a little of Marmalade Boy, except Yuu never actually cheated on Miki, she was just always afraid he would. 
The manga doesn't have a good ending. Actually, it really doesn't have an ending. They get back together for, like... the fourth time in the series. So there's really nothing to say. 


As much as this manga seems boring and frustrating, I enjoyed it. The art grew on me a little, though I never truly got comfortable with those lips or how sketchy it would look sometimes. But what made this manga awesome for me was Mika. Oh my gosh this girl. She's so sweet and cute. And she can get really funny too. At one point, Shouji goes to ask Mako to be his again, at which point Mika lectures him. And after he starts calling Mako a dyke, Mika promptly kicks him in the nuts and runs away with Mako. See? See why I like this girl? So cute.


This manga doesn't have any graphic sex, and really, the only thing special about this is the characters. The 'plot line' is pretty blah. But if you like that kind of thing, I recommend this manga. And who knows? Maybe you'll like the lip style more than I do. 

Wedding Bells

Wedding Bells by Natsuko Asoh
Overall: Lesicake
Smexy Times: Panty-Less
Art: Crap








It seems I've found another older manga that seems to fall under the same category as the previous one I reviewed. To be honest, I wanted to do something that was interesting, since it is my birthday on Saturday (a little early birthday present perhaps?), but this manga didn't have a picture up on MangaFox, and it was about a wedding of some sort, so I was like "Oh, I love weddings! I'll read this!"
I need to be more careful. 


To be honest, I think this is slightly better than last time's review. But that being said, this one is more stupid. Yeah, it can get worse. 


So there's a girl named Misaki who decides to wander around the Red Light District while intoxicated. Rather heavily intoxicated. And of course, being the idiot she is, she really doesn't think about the consequences, so when some not very attractive guy comes up to her trying to buy her for the night (thinking she's a prostitute of course), she flips out. Um, hello woman? Where do you think you are? Anyway, she gets saved by this very effeminate man. But wait, guess what? It is a woman. Her name's Maya. 


So anyway, Misaki passes out drunk, and Maya takes her back to her apartment and doesn't do naughty things to her while she's asleep. Buuuut they do naughty things in the morning. And then, of course, the most ridiculous line I've heard in a long time comes around. "Sweet nectar is gushing out." I kid you not, that's a line in this manga. In a sex scene. This would totally kill the mood for me, to be honest.


Anyway, after the pages of sexing, we find out that Misaki has run away from home. Oh joy. (I'm not a big fan of this girl if you can't tell. At least Maya reminds me a little of Haruka, so I like her slightly more.) She was in the Red Light District intending on sleeping with someone being a slut for a night because her Daddy is making her get married without her consent. Darn those arranged marriages. (But again, WHY was Misaki scared when some dude came up to her if she intended to sleep with someone anyway? Ugh.)
Misaki is worried because her older brother was going to be the head of the household or some BS like that, but since he's gay, their Dad threw a hissy fit and gay older brother and his lover moved to America. I, again, question why, in 1998, America is the place for gays. Do I need to update my gay history? So that's her story. The dude she marries is going to be head of the household so she's gotta marry him no matter what. Or something. I was kind of already checked out of this manga by then. 


Maya feels bad for Misaki, so they have sex again, which draws about the fastest love confession I've seen in a long time. You can't love someone after one morning of sex with them! Love doesn't happen like that! And this coming from someone who believes in the whole 'love at first sight' concept. 


Anyway, I think they stay together for a while, make themselves officially girlfriends, more sexing occurs. But then Daddy's goons come for Misaki and she's all, "Kay, kay, I'll go. Bye Maya." She tries to be all cool about it, but I still dislike her. So then... sudden deus ex machina! Misaki's gay brother and his new lover show up right where Maya is! No, I have no clue how they knew about where Misaki and Maya had been. Or even about Maya in general. But this manga won't explain it, so I won't question it. Much. 
So Misaki's brother is all "She doesn't not love you anymore, she just wanted to protect you! Cause our Daddy's a jerk who did bad things to my boyfriend, and Misaki just doesn't want the same done to you!" ... I honestly don't want to know about these bad things. 


So Misaki's meeting with her future husband, and she hates him. She now doesn't even want to have sex with anyone but Maya, so she runs out. And Maya, Misaki's brother, and the lover dude are all there outside. Again, just not going to question this. And Misaki's brother comes up with a brilliant solution. 


They just marry each other. Misaki and Misaki's brother's lover (I don't think these guys even get names) and Maya and Misaki's brother. 
... I just... don't have any words. Except for: rush decision much?
Also, the 'honeymoon' portion? Don't even get me started.


I really hate this ending. It's just... so dumb. Why? Why do I do this to myself? Also, those are some hideous wedding dresses. 90's fashion for you I guess. 


All right, back to the point. I did not like this manga. The characters were uninteresting, and really? Main characters without names? I mean, c'mon now. That's bad. The plot was dumb too. The sex scenes were just... I don't know. Something about this 90's art with sex scenes just turns me off rather than on. Not to mention the god-awful dialogue. Overall, it's just not good. It's just not. If you can stand 90's art and want to read some smut, by all means my friends. But I, personally, just can't. 

Our Fake Relationship

Our Fake Relationship by Matsufuji Junko
Overall: Lesicake
Smexy Times: Panty-less
Art: Crap







This is my first time linking you guys to a new site, thanks to a commenter of mine. The site looks very nice, but I'll use MangaFox primarily for images still, as well as where I primarily read my manga. 
Anyway, onto the review. 


Yes, I am a little biased against the art style of this manga. It was released in 1998, so it's not the prettiest thing. It can get pretty sometimes, but the style makes the (many) sex scenes a little awkward. (I tend to prefer a little more of a shoujo-y style myself.)
This is also a manga that attempts to put some things in to hide its' Lesicake status. But the plot sets up the two women so they can just have sex. The plot doesn't even enthrall me in the least. 


So there's a student (Miyuki I think) and there's a college professor (Reiko, I only remember her name because she demanded Miyuki call her that during sex. Hint: Miyuki failed.). Miyuki will be able to graduate in one year if she... passes the class Reiko's teaching or something. Some kind of thesis? I doubt Miyuki is bright enough to go for a PHD, so I'm assuming it's some big English paper. But anyway, the point is, Miyuki needs to graduate that year for some reason, so she goes to the Professor for help, who says that she'll give Miyuki the credits she needs if Miyuki writes the thesis and agrees to date Reiko. 


Whoa now, hold the phone. That's just wrong. You can't go around doing that! See why I dislike this plot? Oh don't worry, it only gets worse. 


So, to keep the story going, Miyuki says yes. So they agree to go have sex. And then, they spend most of the rest of the manga having sex. 
And I'm sure you're probably thinking at this point, "Wait. This is Lesicake and most of the manga is sex. Why isn't this rated higher in the 'Smexy Times' section?"
Well, to answer your question young sprout, they attempted to censor the sex. It's actually kind of hilarious, cause they do a piss poor job at it. 


So they we come to the end of the story, a whole two page end. So apparently the professor gets found out because a magazine with the picture of the two women kissing is printed in it (though I'm not sure how the photographer was able to take the picture because she lives in an apartment building), and Reiko decides to just up and quit. So she and Miyuki go to America together. 


Ugh, this ending is so stupid... I don't even. First, Reiko isn't even broken up about this? She was the one who said earlier in the manga that jobs were scarce. Isn't she scared of what's going to happen to her now? She's a professor, she can't be that rich. Also, this is 1998. America isn't fond of the gays either. Reiko and Miyuki wouldn't be able to live a happy life there either. And third, Miyuki just quits college to go with Reiko, claiming she'd just be "relying on others for everything anyway" if she worked at a top-notch company in Japan. This is when this woman pissed me off. First off, you're going to be relying on Reiko because you now don't have a college degree, and you probably lost the credits you've been working on that semester. So you're going to be relying on Reiko for all the money and taking care of everything. How is it so easy for these women? It shouldn't be such a snap decision.


Anyway, I'm done ranting on the manga ending. This isn't very good. It's cheesy and filled with badly censored smut. Plus the art is old, definitely not as pretty as today's more modern yuri manga. If you're looking for just plain old sex, go for this. Because it will give you that. But no happiness or character development or even character depth. 


However, I do credit this manga for one thing. This is the first time I've ever seen the word dyke in a yuri manga.

Strawberry Shake

Strawberry Shake

By Hayashiya Shizuru

Overall: Gem

Smexy Times: Dry

Art: Be-a-utiful

This is a manga that has been passed around among my friends like an STD. Wait, that's probably a bad example. Let's rephrase. 

This is a manga a friend recommended to me. And it has since been recommended to all of my friends, by one person or another. We have all enjoyed this manga thoroughly. And so it has finally come down to me to try to condense the beauty into a review. 

I actually just finished this manga recently. Yes, I enjoyed it before I had even finished it. There's something about this manga that is very enjoyable. I think part of it has to do with the cute style and plot. Also, remember throughout this review that this was the author of Kiss Doll. 

The story begins with Julia, who is a talent in Japan. Basically, she does modeling, acting, things like that. Saeki, her manager, tells Julia that she'll be having someone shadow her. This person is Ran, who Julia instantly begins to crush on. But this isn't the typical girly-girly shy crush. Julia is absolutely hilarious. Ran does anything cute, and Julia's suddenly got a gushing nose bleed. And of course, cute oblivious Ran doesn't notice for quite a while. 

So the story goes pretty slow for the first half. Basically, it's just Julia crushing on Ran, Ran becoming a better and better talent, and the manga-ka introducing us to a wide variety of characters, including an all female band Z-LAY. They're hilarious by the way. They give secret, special concerts to women only. Men aren't allowed. That sounds like something I could get into. 

So then the second half of the manga comes along, and Ran has the sudden realization that she's been falling for Julia the whole time she's been shadowing Julia. More hilarity ensues when both Julia and Ran are crushing on each other without realizing that the other person harbors the same feelings. 

They don't even realize what they have is the same until Z-LAY sort of sets them up. I think the main Z-LAY member can tell what's going down. So when they FINALLY tell each other about their feelings, things seem hunky-dory. Well, only for a chapter. And then suddenly, boom, last chapter, and we get a time skip. 

Seems our lovely Ran disappeared, but Julia doesn't give up on her. Well, of course, there's a long explanation of why Ran just up and left Julia, but I won't get into that, because you should READ THIS MANGA. 

Can I emphasize that enough? This manga is amazing. I love it. I want to own this. I don't even own any shoujo-ai manga. I know, crazy right? But this I would be willing to own. It's only two volumes too. A lot of chapters, but you don't see me complaining about that. The story is adorable, and there's absolutely no focus on the sexy times, cause, well, they can't even get that far! That gets revealed in a little bonus story which is adorable. It's just fluff mixed with story!

Not only that, but there are so many side characters! If you don't really like the main characters (though I don't know why you wouldn't), you'll find someone to like. The managers, the hair stylist and her little fangirl, the band members. There are so many characters. Pretty much all women too. (I can think of only one male character, and I don't think he had a name.)

And again, I remind you that this awesome art is from the same mangaka who did this ugly crap I reviewed earlier in the year. Gotta love how much people can improve their art. 

Halloween Rhapsody

Halloween Rhapsody
By Hiiragi Kei

Overall: Awful
Smexy Times: Dry
Art: Special





Maybe I've set my standards a little too high, but it's hard to find anything I enjoy these days. Well, at least any one shots I enjoy. But then again, one shots are pretty simplistic, and I like complicated. When I have a bit more time, I will, I promise, review something that doesn't end in one or a few chapters. (I had planned something special for a few weeks ago, but school decided to rob me of my happiness and free time.)

So Runa and Mio go to an all girl's school (bet you didn't see that one coming), and there's this festival going on. I'm assuming it's a cultural fair, but it's not super clear. Since it's called HALLOWEEN Rhapsody.
Runa is dressed as a witch and Mio as a cat girl maid, yet they run the same booth/classroom activity together. Hm. Well Runa has a crush on Mio, but apparently, people at this school don't like lesbians. What prudes. So anyway, this causes Runa to be especially fearful of telling her best friend about her feelings.
But Mio takes it all pretty well, of course. Because, this is a one shot, things have to get confirmed. Otherwise that just blows. And this isn't a yaoi manga. There will be no blowing here.

This isn't the worst manga in the world, obviously, but it really has nothing redeeming going for it. It's just… boring. Kinda dumb. With characters you just can't get into. And I didn't necessarily enjoy the style much. It wasn't ugly, just not my thing. This just kind of rubbed me the wrong way I guess.
For the good news, I'm on spring break in two weeks? I'll work on reading some long manga series and reviewing those during that time.

Kiss Doll

Kiss Doll
By Hayashiya Shizuru

Overall: No Thank You
Smexy Times: Dry
Art: Crap





Here is one review, since this week took it out of me. It's a short one, so don't get too happy. (But it's better than nothing, right?)

So Kiss Doll is a short little manga that's really nothing special. There's a woman who reforms orphans into beautiful doll-like girls and sells them to people. Yeeeah. I'm sure there's a yaoi manga on this that's like a billion chapters long. But nope, we get a short little crappy thing.

There is ONE nude scene, but it can hardly be counted as sex (even though I have NO clue what's going on at that point). But really, this isn't anything special, or even remotely good. The only time the art even gets good is when they show the girl looking like a doll.

This could have been really interesting. Unfortunately, it was just really boring instead.

Yearning For Macaron

Yearning for Macaron
(Author Unknown)

Overall: Interesting
Smexy Times: Dry
Art: Shoujo-y





All right, so I wasn't able to review the manga I wanted to because of school work. So here's a simple one shot instead. Quick reads aren't usually too bad, and they're quick to review, so…

This was another 'girl is leaving and other girl needs to confess' sort of story. It's told a little better than others I've read, and I did enjoy it for its simplistic-ness. The art was also pretty cute. Especially the kiss scene actually. I'm not sure why that makes me especially happy art wise. But it just looks nice to me.

Anyway, the story is about Sara, who is a sort of scary girl that doesn't talk much, who learns that she likes another girl, Matsuri, after hearing that Matsuri is going to France. Matsuri's the type of girl that's loved by everybody, partially because she bakes awesome sweets and then shares them with everyone. Sara is the only one who says no to these sweets (trying to keep her figure), but Matsuri keeps trying to get her to eat some sweets. So you know she eventually will. And then they share a kiss. And the story ends with Sara visiting France I think. Might be moving there? I really don't know. It wasn't super clear.

But like I said before, this isn't too bad of a one shot. The characters are cute. Especially Matsuri. She just won't give up. And when Sara figures out she loves Matsuri, that's really cute too. It's a nice one shot, simple and sweet. If you're looking for a quick, cute read, I would definitely go for this one. Predictable story, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I Fell in Love for the First Time

I Fell In Love For the First Time
By Asagi Ryu

Overall: Lesicake
Smexy Times: Scissor Sisters
Art: Shoujo-y/Special mix





I think how many times the main characters had sex influenced the overall rating of this. They had sex at least twice in every chapter. And there were only three chapters.

So the basic story is about Yui, the type of girl who dates boys, but really doesn't care that much. Are there women like this? … Probably. And she always watches an older woman on a train (a little bit stalker-ish for sure). But one day they actually get to interact, and Yui kind of over reacts and kisses this woman (Hitomi). And so starts their sexcapades- I mean, relationship.
I do enjoy the two characters, though I like Hitomi a little more, because she goes against the stereotype. She's the taller, older, more endowed one, and yet she's the uke. They're both inexperienced, but Hitomi is the innocent one, and, in the end, is the one who offers her virginity to Yui.
Which I'm assuming means breaking the hymen, since they're had sex PLENTY of times before she offers up her oh-so-precious virginity.

Despite this being Lesicake, I actually sort of enjoyed it. It was just… all the SEX. There didn't need to be that much sex. (It also probably didn't help that my Dad was sitting next to me, and I was trying to get past the sex quickly, thinking to myself "Does there HAVE to be this much sex?")
So I would recommend this for smexings. But no other reasons really. The story isn't anything special, as you can probably tell with how little time I spent on it. The characters are kind of cute though, especially Hitomi. Maybe because she reminds me a bit of myself. Only she has bigger boobs.

Passionate Electric Waves

Passionate Electric Waves
By Morinaga Milk

Overall: No Thank You
Smexy Times: Scissor Sisters
Art: Shoujo-y





Next time I'm definitely taking the extra time to read something I like.

I swear I've read this before. Maybe that's why it was so uninteresting. Or maybe it's just plain uninteresting.
The basic plot is that there are these two girls who are in some sort of relationship, but it's not clearly defined. Glasses Girl encounters a penis alien (I kid you not), who offers her special glasses that lets her see how people are really feeling. So she's all, "Sure, why not! I'll see how my sorta-girlfriend really feels about me!" And you know Sorta-Girlfriend actually likes Glasses Girl, so it's just an excuse for them to have sex.
The story could have ended there. But it's a two-shot. So what's the second story about? Well obviously Sorta-Girlfriend encountering penis alien. The best part of this rather uninteresting story is when she tries to stick the penis alien in her panties like a strap-on.

And then the story continues like you think it should. Sorta-Girlfriend uses the glasses, but not on Glasses Girl. Cause she knows Glasses Girl already loves her. And then they have sex. With a strawberry vibrator.
On a side note, that seems sort of large. Can that really be comfortable? I mean, the odd shape alone seems like it would be kind of annoying. But I've heard of Hello Kitty vibrators, so I guess I shouldn't dwell on this too much. (I know a lot about sex toys. Don't ask.)

For me, this story was definitely nothing special. I didn't feel the love between the two characters. It was borderline Lesicake, honestly. Since the plot was mostly set up to get the girls closer together. In bed.
So honestly, this isn't something I would come back to read (except in this instance, to review it). And I wouldn't really recommend it. I guess if you want to see some smexings, read it. But otherwise, pass it by.

On another side note, geez. What's with that title?

Female x Female = Love

Female x Female = Love
By Chi-ran

Overall: Interesting
Smexy Times: Dry
Art: Shoujo-y





Another simple, cutesy one shot. No complaints, right? It's cute and there's no sex!
Plus the uniforms the girls wear are super cute.

So there's this popular girl, Mayu, and this shy girl from another school, Madoka. Madoka likes Mayu, so she asks the popular girl out. And Mayu accepts. In shock, Madoka runs away.
Yes, that's the start of this. If you can't tell by now, it's really just a fluffy one shot, but the characters are very cute. Madoka is always worrying about herself and her image to others at her school. And Mayu, who seems totally open about everything. They're very opposite, which always makes for an interesting couple. Couples that mesh too well can get very boring, but these two aren't like that. I mean, it IS only a one shot, so this element isn't very played into, but it's still a cute example.

The story does give a little, slightly cliché twist in the end, which gives an explanation to some of the questions posed in the story. And the end DOES leave you wanting more, but you know how these one shots go. Just the bare minimum. But, as this story shows, it doesn't have to be an uninteresting little story. It can be cute and fluffy, even with the generic shoujo-esque art style. It's a cute little love story, nothing special, but a little read if you're bored.

I Love You

I Love You
By Hanatsu Yaya

Overall: Interesting
Smexy Times: Dry
Art: Special





Is it sad to say I almost cried while I was reading this? Oh my God, I'm such a girl. I probably would have fully cried if I'd been alone.

To most people, I don't think this thing would really make them cry, but I did find it quite sad. Especially when I'm the type of person to get so attached to the characters. I mean, Megumi reminded me a lot of myself. Teased at school, longing for the affection of someone close to her.

So anyway, this manga is all about two people. Megumi and Kyou-chan. Cute little couple, yeah? But Kyou is a demon, and she turns into a big monster sometimes. Like when she's super angry. Which is kind of how Megumi and Kyou ended up living together, since Megumi knows about Kyou's secret. And Kyou is basically Megumi's only friend. A lot of people at school tease Megumi a lot, the poor thing. So what does Kyou do? Goes around protecting Megumi of course!

Of course… you see where I'm going with this? I won't spoil the ending, but oh man is it sad. I don't usually get teary over manga. But this one got me…

I really enjoyed this. I wish I could give it more than an 'Interesting' rating, but there simply wasn't enough story. Just a little more and it would be Amazing. I do recommend you read this manga, because it's really good. Not much yuri action, but then again, there was no 'mature' rating for this. Most yuri gets some even if it doesn't have smexy times in it. (And I was reading this in the living room of a friend's house with her parents nearby, so…)

Otome Senshi Lovely 5!

Otome Senshi Lovely 5!
By Jounouchi Nene

Overall: No Thank You

Smexy Times: Scissor Sisters

Art: Shoujo-y

I planned on reviewing something I enjoyed first. But so be it, this is my first review.

So basically, this manga is about sex. No, I'm kidding, but there is at least some little smutty scene every chapter. And almost everyone has ginormous boobs that seem to fluctuate in size. Sometimes they're extra huge, but sometimes they're just sort of big. I suppose that can happen to the best of us artists, but does it have to be two pages apart?

After the first sex scene (which his how this thing starts by the way), we're formally introduced to Halra and Sumire, the adorable couple, who are starting their own club to protect cute things. Halra's outfits definitely are cute, which is always a plus. It's very nice to look at when the artist isn't shoving boobs or vaginas in your face. There are a lot of couples. Everyone in the little club has their special someone. And then there's this villain trying to stop the club. Why? Hell if I know. Since the 'plot' is just sort of "yeah," I figured they were doing the same with the eternally naked villain. Seriously, put some clothes on! Aren't those huge knockers cold?

And of course, everyone lives happily. And my favorite character, Momoca, finally finds her style, which she struggled to find throughout the manga. I like to focus on characters.

The more you know.

So this manga, mostly, just confused me. Who was this supposed to be aimed at? The boys like the boobs and the smex, but the girls like the fashion. I assume. Who reads yuri anyway? (I should find this target audience and aim reviews at them.)

It's certainly interesting, but it wasn't my cup of tea. If you like fashion and lots of smexy times, then you may enjoy this. Just don't expect a good plot or very well thought out characters.