Forum - View topicJason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Rica Takashima and Yuri Monogatari
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Raneth
Posts: 271 |
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QFT. To add on to it, I somewhat resent the persistent opinion that women who enjoy yaoi or M/M romance novels do so because they are looking for an equal relationship that they can't find in reality, that it's all self insert-type fantasy. No one I have ever spoken with who enjoys these genres agrees with this theory, yet it's still held. Why? It is really so difficult to think that women, like men watching lesbian porn, enjoy a voyeuristic fling by watching two attractive men have sex? It's not about self insertion or about equality. Women like men, and for some two is better than one. It's that simple. Last edited by Raneth on Sat May 19, 2012 9:54 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Chrno2
 Posts: 6171 Location: USA |
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I forgot to add one more thing.
Has Rica Takashima done anymore stories to the first 'Rica 'tte Kanji'. I really wanted to read more. |
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wandering-dreamer
 Posts: 1733 |
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This sounds like something I would completely love and I am buying that omnibus edition as soon as it comes out (does it have a date or is it just planned?).
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agila61
 Posts: 3213 Location: NE Ohio |
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I've only got two of the Yuri Monogatari, but loved the work from Rica Takashima in one of them.
But as a science fiction fan and a yuri fan, the burning question is how to get more of what is protrayed in the article as a backlog of SF yuri work out in English. The problem of course is that while the best of yuri should be bought by tens of thousands, its being bought be twos of thousands at best, and when its subdivided further, there's no print run in it. |
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Quark
 Posts: 710 Location: British Columbia, Canada |
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Great article this week! The yuri genre really has gone unnoticed for so long, and it's good to see it get some recognition.
What got me into yuri back in the day was Sailor Moon and Utena, and I was wanting something that was devoted soley to depicting lesbian relationships. Unfortunately back then yuri was really difficult to find. It's been really great suddenly having all these different yuri anime and manga released in English. Although like the article says, it always seems like there's some weird fantasy element there to make the relationships 'okay' instead of depicting them happening in a real life scenario. The one trope in yuri that kind of bugs me is the 'guy in drag' or 'guy who turns into girl, so it's okay!' thing. The series can still be good, but at the same time, it no longer feels like real yuri. Rica 'tte Kanji looks awesome. Her dad's accusation about her 'doing lesbian' was hilarious. The omnibus is something to look forward to, especially if there are untranslated parts. |
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MorwenLaicoriel
 Posts: 1617 Location: Colorado |
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Oh, this looks great! I've often wondered if there was any realistic yuri or yaoi written by someone that was homosexual. I can't say "I'll get the omnibus" because I'm unemployed right now, but I'll keep it in mind if I find a job. I'll try to tell other friends about it, too.
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TheRoyalFamily
 Posts: 62 |
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I'm probably going to be the lone dissenting voice here, but the one volume of Yuri Monogatari that I bought is also the one volume of manga that I regret buying. I was expecting some Yuri S type stuff, which it isn't. At all. Which doesn't bother me.
No, what I didn't like was the OEM aspect. And the horrible art that filled most of it. I think there was one or two chapters that had acceptable artistry (and one was a schoolgirl one). Plus, the writing was just not for me, if not actually bad. I for one don't feel that just because there is a lack, it needs to be filled with whatever might possibly fit, no matter the quality. If this was the cream of the crop of contributions, I wouldn't bother at all. Maybe they used all the good ones in the beginning of the series for all I know (I don't recall which one I got, but for sure not the first one), but it seems they were running out of things to put in (and it's a rather thin book as it is). It now sits in my attic, a reminder to myself that just because something has X in its title (X being "yuri" in this case), it doesn't mean I should get it necessarily. |
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DoktorZetsubou
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Aah, I love this manga! My parents bought it for me when I was first coming out and I think it was a really good thing for me to read something about a healthy / mostly-realistic lesbian relationship so early on.
Glad to see it featured and recommended on here, and enjoyed reading the article. Probably I should look into buying volumes of Yuri Monogatari too, haha. |
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Levitz9
 Posts: 1022 Location: Puerto Rico |
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As much as I love the warm-and-fluffy (not to mention hilarious) Iono-Sama Fanatics, from Miyabi Fujieda, I do have to say that I've always wanted to see a more realistic portrayal of homosexuality in manga or anime. Simoun got quite close, indeed, but Rica 'tte Kanji really does seem to hit that sweet spot.
I'm getting this, for sure. Thanks, Jason! 
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vashfanatic
 Posts: 3490 Location: Back stateside |
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Just a thought on the level of angst and melodrama in some yuri... while watching a healthy relationship develop can be fun, especially when done with humor, I think it's also human nature for many people to love things with lots of struggle and heartache and even tragic endings. I'm glad we're past the days of every yuri series ending with one of the girls committing suicide, but if the drama level reaches the same as all the het romances out there, then I think that's fine. A nice solid mix is good.
Oh, and what I hate the most about the really old series isn't even the suicide but how often the love is explained away by the two girls being sisters without knowing it, so that their romance is just a misdirection of unconscious sisterly affection. Yeah... 
At the risk of making myself look like an idiot, OEM = ? |
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LordRedhand
 Posts: 1472 Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana |
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@ littlegreenwolf
Projecting oneself into a work is going to happen, especially in a depicted image but it's not necessary (See Twilight) So yes it's a reasonable expectation to assume that there are a group of yaoi fans that do the same thing (gender doesn't come into it yet) it just depends on how strong each member of the relationship is , and how well defined they are (i.e. if a character is weak and generic in looks they are easier to project onto than a character who is strong and unique/special.) As to the taboo portion it plays into our cultures etiquette, which there are three things you never bring into a conversation (unless all parties agree to have those discussions in terms of threads and debates but never in "polite" company or while someone is eating, or you know every day interactions.) They are politics, religion, and sex. So there is a kind of taboo/forbidden aspect to it. My friends who happen to ahem "swing" that way apparently weren't as graphic as your friends are. Mainly because it's not something I am supposed to bring up, nor is it something I should pry into. So if my good friend announces getting married, I'd congratulate him. (As I don't see him doing something wrong.) @Vashfanatic Original English Manga =OEM But I don't have problems with someone emulating a style of sequential art storytelling... as long as they actually bring something to the table. (I mean they should grow, you can't if all you do is emulate.) So basically TheRoyalFamily was complaining about the fact that it came from an English source. I'd recommend to TheRoyalFamily to read Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics it probably be very helpful. |
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agila61
Posts: 3213 Location: NE Ohio |
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OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. ... oh, wait, no, ... in this context ... huh, you're right. One-Eyed Monster? No, that would be yaoi ... ... Original English Manga? (aka OEL?) Ah, yes, that's it. Yuri Monogatari is a potpourri of work. Some is translated manga, some is OEL comics. I loved the mix, since I like variety, but someone who finds that monotony is the spice of life might find it off-putting. |
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littlegreenwolf
 Posts: 4796 Location: Seattle, WA |
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Like you said, it doesn't have to happen, so saying it is after saying it's It doesn't HAVE to happen. You can read a book about someone just fine, and sympathize with them without ever thinking you're like that person. Twilight is a book designed for such a thing since it's all written in first person. As soon as someone reads "I...." in their head, there's going to be the possibility. Comic-wise? It depends on how well developed a characters personality is. If you have a plain, bland, vapid character similar to Bella Swan that's designed as what people now call a Mary Sue, sure, you might have projection. Do I picture myself as Yorick Brown while reading Y: The Last Man, or Morpheus from Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, or Hannibal Lector while reading something from the Silence of the Lambs series, or Yuki or Suichi from Gravitation? Nope. All their characters are so foreign to me, I don't even know how to even begin thinking like a guy (or in some cases, a god). On a female level, it doesn't happen in a lot of cases either. Yuuko from XXXholic? Can't even imagine how her brain works. Hatusmi from Hot Gimmick? Thank the gods I can't even get into that mind set. I just like seeing that poor idiotic girl suffer. Do I accept that other people can project themselves into these characters? Sure. It however doesn't mean everyone does, nor does it mean I can't enjoy the story if I don't project myself into it. Assuming that all yaoi fans project themselves into one of the male characters is just making a general assumption about a group of people which will probably come back to slap you in the face, especially if your suggesting they have relationship problems. |
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LordRedhand
Posts: 1472 Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana |
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No... but it is something unhealthy to do a lot of, falling for some "thing" that is incapable of loving you back.. but that's a different discussion.
What I'm saying is that it is easy to imagine whole works of yaoi that it sole purpose of existence is to be to project yourself in that world. It's not a leap of imagination to see that... or to believe that a lot of yaoi fans will not say that is the reason why they say they like it (Customer observed answers differently, by measuring them, they change. Perhaps not being honest... for example asking the Twilight fans around me they will say "Character Development" is the reason why they like that series... that is also a load.) So with yaoi/yuri I'm sure there are great stories that exist within, I'd also be fairly confident the majority are "projection" type works.. and that those who answer have at some level, a level of projection reading those works. I can not say for every person what level of projection occurs but I do know that there are a few (a vocal few) that loose themselves within those works. In addition to the fact that every person project themselves into the work in some level. Thank their forms and our empathy for that one. As to you other little point, I was just explaining where the thinking comes from, and that perhaps the feeling that it's some forbidden taboo is where a source of the pleasure is coming from, when reading these types of works. That kind of factor. |
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beks
Posts: 1 |
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Thank you Jason for the great article, it's nice to see ANN bringing the issue of the poor quality of the yuri genre, and the low-involvement of the gay community in gay manga. :<
Personally, as a lesbian and manga fan, as well as an artist, I feel like finding "teh gay" in manga and seeing it portrayed well is virtually impossible in the current manga scene. Rica 'tte Kanji!? is one of my favorite titles and while I don't always agree with Erica Friedman, I'm always glad to hear how she's trying to expand yuri into a better quality genre. Also if I never see another Catholic All Girls High School as a setting in a yuri (How many of those are there actually in Japan? 1? 2?), my brain may just explode out of shear joy. (Apologies if this post is strange, speaking to one's roommate while trying to type coherently is seemingly quite difficult.) |
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