I can see Higashima skipping the 14 of Feb.
Maximum trolling overdrive!!!

lol, true. Next chapter could easily skip another month. Or a couple of days only ^_^' But...

putting the goggles on

What if we do get the Valentine's?! Who of the two will buy, who of the two will cook? Or will they cook together, as if for the co-workers? That might turn out kinda cliche. No, wait! I believe in the epicness of the mangaka, so it will be awesome for sure!

putting the goggles off

Sigh... I want to believe...

hahahahaha, I'm curious how this is going to be translated from Japanese. I'm sure there's a play on words: yuurei (ghost) vs yuri. And the word mame for "beans" might as well have a naughty meaning xDD
The possible indirect kiss via a juice bottle was nice! Although I don't quite get what's Ran exactly talking - it's as if she repeats the phrases from some juice commercial.
And it's now 3rd of February... 11 days till something awesome happens. Chapter 29? Or chapter 30?

I wonder to which extent the Japanese artists are actually ignorant about the fans outside the country? I mean, yeah of course it's in English.. not to mention they are less likely to pay... but this could still be valuable feedback, interesting ideas, etc. So what are the odds Akili reads this thread? Is it really that close to 0 as we think?

Serious prediction: ran and keiko literally had sex on Christmas night but keiko was so wasted she doesn't remember. This would explain Rans surprise at Keikos indifference at the prospect of her hooking up with someone else. As far as ran is concerned, they're dating now.

Yeah thats reaching/hoping for waaay too much, pretty sure its just tease/ran slowly attempting to get in keikos pants

Yeah, while I imagine on some level Ran wishes for sex, her more immediate desire is for a simple, honest kiss from Keiko.

hmm.. I wonder... I perceive her character as the one willing for way more than just a kiss. I think really, REALLY wants Keiko. A glomp, a kiss, and then eat her all. With the enthusiastic foxy smile of Ran's. While Keiko's like, "wth you're doing", trying to drop Ran off (as if Ran were a kitten attached with its claws to the Keiko's sweater), while actually falling for what's happening deep down in her heart, getting all red, wet and horny. And then she either totally freaks out and runs away under the blanket or gives in to her feelings.

it's foreshadowing Keiko's denial about her feeling for Ran, and of course she will end up accepting them... because Ran is so cute =D

I sure hope so too))) but seriously, Keiko must be self-conscious about her feelings right now as f*** - Ran should just push her a bit! And she has that in her character. C'mon Ran, you can do it! xD

work killed my time to reply to a previous conversation, but I hope I will do it this weekend..

meanwhile, the new chapter's awesome, although I can't help but feel scared that that Keiko's phrase is a possible foreshadowing >__<

For those with goggles: Keiko practically shared a bed with Ran in this chapter LOL. Yeah, I know it was thanks to the mobile technologies... but still.. that stretching of hers... I mean.. yeah... I want at least a big hug in the next chapter as Ran's reaction to Keiko's words!

last edited at Oct 30, 2014 7:42PM

Kanbaru is one of the few characters that doesn't get much of that treatment... (At least during season 1 cuz thats the only I've seen)

she does get full attention in hanamonogatari - basically the whole story evolves around her.

Good writing can make this possible to deliver, I rarely ever see it happen tho...

I want to believe :) I mean it really could work out if the story goes about the reactions of their families, other relatives, friends, co-workers. All the hardships. All the drama. Yes this certainly could work. But yes, it would require a talent to make it work maintaining the realism and having enough stretch exercises to draw, lol Let's hope Akili does have such a talent!

I kinda get what you mean - not many stories where romance is developing slowly among other things actually happening, especially yuri.

I think that a lot of yuri manga is still too doujinshi-like and doesn't even try to be a longer series. Unlike (prays) Stretch. I'm so in for another 50 chapters of teasing... and then, say, another 50-100 chapters of deeper relationship.

So, basically, we need to mix Octave with Kanamemo and YKK...and probably add a spoon of Working or Bonnouji to the mix. And maybe top it with Biscuit Hammer in case you like having plot.

sounds like a plan, haha! But really, this kind of balance would be so great...

Hello ciega,
First of all, please don't worry, you didn't hurt me in anyway, but rather I'm happy to answer your questions and I hope I won't accidentally hurt you or anyone else in the process too :)

takachi, your view is from the perspective of a straight person (male or female), correct?

My viewpoint is that of a left-handed girl, if it helps, lol. Or rather, my viewpoint is dramatically tired of cliche tropes which yuri has put onto its readers as a genre. I understand there's a huge lack of gay relationships in stories outside yuri, so the existence of the genre has by far been inevitable. What I would however prefer to see instead is that yuri wouldn't limit itself into a special genre, but rather become yet another kind of relationship in your everyday genres.

Ah, it's really difficult to express my point, I'm afraid. You see, I have nothing against characters A and B forming a special bond despite character A's left-handedness. I mean go for it! But before you do, why not go further than that? The story could be way deeper. Let's take any strong shoujo. I don't know, say, Bokura ga Ita or Skip Beat. Wouldn't it be awesome to read a story like that with two girls? I understand that one goes through a particular set of yuri-related hardships such as accepting your sexuality, coming out, unrequited love, etc. But there's so much more to add to this list from a real world. There are many hardships that gay people have to fight not because they're gay, but because they're people. And I find it annoying that practically each and every story deals with gay hardships but ignores the rest as if they don't exist. I think they do, and I think they should be part of the story, because they also play important roles in character development.
I really don't like it when half (if not all) characters turn out to be gay just because this is a yuri manga. Or how male characters are completely non-existent. Just how realistic it that? I don't understand the rage when a chapter gets a Het tag either. It's life! People go and try out things because they are people. Or because of the circumstances they are in, or because of the personalities they have. And that's one of the reasons why I enjoy Stretch so much. It has so much more than plain yuri - fear of earthquakes, death of close relatives, issues with parents, etc. This is what makes it shine, while yuri is just a cherry on top.

now I might be missing the point you're trying to make, but what you are implying really isn't Yuri at that point, and yes I realize that I am associating Yuri with romantic relationships because that for the most part is how Yuri has always been portrayed. but this is just my humble opinion. by all means if I am wrong, please correct me and help me understand your point.

I think that you're correct, and this is why I'm patiently waiting for a good story writer to finally deconstruct yuri and give the genre a birth in a new light. :)

adult-themed SoL. always a nice idea. wouldn't mind reading more stories like that especially Yuri/lesbian focused. :-)

couldn't agree more :)

you remind me of someone who likes a puzzle for the sake of the challenge, and once you solve the puzzle, you lose all interest in it.

yes, because that's what the puzzles are for ;) don't mean I don't like the process of solving the puzzle, but once it's solved, there's nothing new you can learn out of it, and repeating the process soon becomes a boring routine. Unless one goes creative and makes something new out of it. Don't mind either thing actually :)

lemme phrase it this way, it sounds like you like theoretical romance (my words here), which includes everything up to, but not including the actual romance. and that's cool. just seems like a waste since a lot of people want the romance which includes the mental and the physical.

no-no, don't get me wrong! I wouldn't generalise here. I prefer to keep Stretch the way it is now till the end simply because this is what characterizes this particular story. The world of Stretch is that in which the two girls are very close and intimate but it still remains subtext. At least that's how I've perceived it up till now. And the author really tries hard to develop the relationship without breaking the set of rules he himself set, without destroying this world.

Of course, I really want to see them hug, and kiss, and have sex, but I'd rather read this at the end of the series, or even as a special. And as I said earlier I don't mind it going further than that as long as it stays as realistic as it is right now, although I'd then prefer it to be called Stretch 2, because to me, story-wise, that would be a new universe, with a new set of rules, where yuri is no longer averted with subtext. This is really for the sake of consistency and good story-telling, nothing else.

more hot Kureha on yurikuma.jp

last edited at Oct 19, 2014 11:04AM

Isn't the school setting for yuri a cultural thing? I remember I read somewhere that shoujo ai is normally accepted as part of the girl's adolescence, experimenting with their love, feelings, and deep friendship bonds. But it's expected that a girl eventually grows up and comes to terms with her sexuality. So a relationship between two girls at higher age becomes inappropriate and deviant, hence the taboo. So if the author wants the series to be animated, i.e. go toward the mainstream direction, it must involve adolescent girls. And this is where the school setting comes into play most of the time's. It's very unfortunate that character's age affects the target audience for the story, but that is how it works in the end. So unless there's a major cultural shift in Japan about homosexuality, I'm afraid we are stuck with the school setting.

What I however do find annoying is that so many stories are so relationship-driven, putting too much focus on it. I really would like to read more manga where a bond is formed between the main characters but is not directly relevant to the plot. Take the latest monogatari, which is focused on Kanbaru, for example. Her sexuality is certainly part of the story, but the story itself is focused on different matters. Or take Utena, where yuri is cannon, but again not really the point of the drama.

As for relationship-oriented stories, Stretch certainly is a breathe of fresh air. The setting is not school, and the yuri is though heavily implied not really a cannon, yet. What I like the most about it is that the characters are on the verge of accepting themselves of who they really are. It's extremely realistic in portraying how two girls are discovering a deep bond between them. It is a story where a hug means more than a kiss. To me, once they confess to each other, once they reach the sexual relationship stage, the beauty of the story dies, because there's no more accepting yourself as gay drama in it. Yes, they might break up, go het, make up again etc, but to me that would be another story. Although I have to admit it would probably be still a better story than many others simply because the author is so good. I'm impressed with every chapter, how many details he puts on every page, leaving hints small details here and there - so much subtext for a careful reader. And of course the realism is simply unbeatable. All these factors together really make me empathise with the story and its characters.
And the stretches of course, stretches are awesome, hehe

but saying she doesn't want to be popular among guys (in particular) really begs the question (so you want to be popular with girls, then?).

The thing is, the Japanese bubble doesn't say a thing about boys or girls. Literally she's talking about being popular but doesn't specify if it's among boys or girls. Boys are of course heavily implied by the context, but it's not there in the original wording. So we're dealing with the translator's interpretation here, which is quite inevitable due-to Japanese being such a context-dependent language.
It's similar to the cherry popping from the previous chapter, where Ran literally said that she was happy she took one of senpai's firsts. Yes, cherry popping can mean that too, but it also has a sexual subtext, which seemingly is not present or is not that obvious at least in the original Japanese phrase. On the other hand, I'm so far from fluency in Japanese that I can only rely on common dictionaries, while in slang this subtext might actually also be present.
So maybe it's the translator being too optimistic for the sake of a more natural English or due-to yuri coggles, or maybe it's just me lacking in the Japanese department (which is probably more realistic).

And I wonder how Keiko will react now. The author made an amazing job: in the last chapters, they practically confessed to each other, indirectly, but still. First, Ran on Christmas apparently overheard Keiko on the balcony. And now it's Keiko overhearing Ran.

last edited at Oct 16, 2014 12:57PM

nhahahahahahahahaha... Oh my... I'm laughing as hard as Ran here.
That new chapter... THAT DAMN NEW CHAPTER...
Damn, Akili! You're such a troll! SUCH A TROLL!!!
It's like he practically confirms (still in subtext), that Ran's totally gay over Keiko, but a Het series of chapters with Ran is approaching.
Nice one. Like. Like really! I'm so... SO trolled... to pieces.

...still hope my amateurish Japanese failed me...

UPD:
so the proper translation made me slightly more optimistic... but let's see - next chapter's in two weeks, haha xD

last edited at Oct 15, 2014 9:24PM

Grrr! Grrr!!!

last edited at Oct 19, 2014 11:05AM

So it seems ikuhara seems pretty excited at what he can do with yuri, it's weird, i feel both really excited and really scared for some reason. Someone please tell i'm right to feel that way.

I'm just a tiny bit sceptic about those panties in chara design, but knowing Ikuhara... I still have very high hopes ^__^

Even if they're not girlfriends (yet!), in some small way they're family.

This. And I think that's what Saki's actually jealous of - to find oneself a family, people with whom one feels happy to live together. There's a good reason why the word "family" in Japanese has a character "house, home" in it after all.

Ok, bait's eaten, fan girling mode's gradually turning off. Time for some thoughts about the chapter.
It seems Ran has to work on the 1st of January? Yuck... Or is she going to visit her family? It's also so cute how she called Keiko "Paisen" instead of "Senpai".
And I think Keiko thanked her for everything quite literally: for this family atmosphere they have when living together. You know, things like eating soba and going to the new year bell ringing fest together.

I wonder how much of this is Morishima's actual experience. Somehow this story felt way more dramatic than her other works, so it must have been brought to light out of her for a reason.

And more subtext in the coming chapter, awwww! They are such a cute couple! And akili is such a teaser...

One more character design pic
Ginko wearing heeled boots - that's a change... seems Ikuhara again has more planned for the anime than there's in the manga.

last edited at Sep 29, 2014 9:04PM

just in case you missed it, the character designs, key visual, and voice cast are out. Read more at ANN.
Arakawa Miho (Himari in Penguindrum) for Ginko sounds a little strange to my ears - most certainly I expected a different voice here, but let's see.
The character designs lost some of Morishima's original fluffiness and cuteness and became more edgy. But based on the pics, they sure are more dynamic.

Oh, and Ikuni posted earlier on twitter today that the genre is still quite underdeveloped in his opinion, and there's a lot to add, which he plans to do. This might hint to YKA being a yuri deconstruction show, giving birth to yuri 2.0 or something like that, haha. Let's see what he has in store for us. I'm sure, he finds it exciting for a good reason ^__^

last edited at Sep 29, 2014 8:44PM

ugh, no chapter tomorrow - the new release date is 10/02/2014

last edited at Sep 24, 2014 3:08PM

Wonder if this:
http://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/yuri_kuma_arashi_ch02#12

originates from this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardens_by_the_Bay#mediaviewer/File:Supertree_Grove,_Gardens_by_the_Bay,_Singapore_-_20120712-02.jpg

Ahh that makes things a little clearer, say when near the end of CH.02 where Kureha and Yurishiro are snuggled up against each other, dream prez mentions the storm is "far away", perhaps it means in that particular moment Kureha was comfortable with herself? with her....public indecency as you put it (lol).

Haha, whoever put it as a tag to the chapter certainly nailed it!
And yes, I think Kureha does feel safe and secure around Yurishiro and the prez, hence they appear as bear-cosplaying humans, not the bears who are willing to eat her. She sees that they're originating from bears (i.e. those who sort of only see her as a sex object), but have a human form (i.e. they see her as a person in the first case and are there to protect her). Basically, Kureha trusts both, because each protected her from the exhibitionist, but boy is it turning into a love triangle drama, as was heavily foreshadowed in the 2nd chapter. And the love bullet + plus hunting, that you mentioned above, certainly is a part of it!
Ah, can't wait to read the next chapter. It looks so awesome in Chinese yet has so much important text there, that I'd like to properly understand...

sorry if i don't really seem to make much sense sometimes, but obsessive study over works by more "out there" creators can make some people go a little....y'know?

LOL, I know, I think after the study I did for Penguindrum, I'm not even, as you say, a little xD Besides, everything you've written up till now makes total sense, at least to me ;)

On a side note, I'm really.. really curious about the voice cast for the show... I can perfectly hear both Kureha and Ginko in my head, so I really hope it will match to Ikuhara's preferences...

Kureha = Hunter
Yurishiro = bear
Storm = faceless masses
Hunter -> Love bullet -> Bear amidst the faceless masses.

I think there's more to the storm than faceless masses. A storm occurs AMONG the crowd, but what causes it, the epicenter of the storm itself is no less important. Ikuhara is very smart to notice how the flasher is perceived by the girls - they are scared, they find the guy disgusting. But this is how in fact the faceless crowds perceive all kinds of deviations, including the homosexuality. Both Kureha and the flasher guy are bear storms. What makes a difference between the two is that Kureha's trying to hide her public indecency, trying to ignore it, trying to become as transparent to the society as possible. Yet Yurishiro claims that she's going to find Kureha, even in the transparent storm that Kureha's causing. This is what Ikuhara meant in his twitter soon after the announcement of the YKA anime: https://twitter.com/ikuni_noise/status/508253483070660608
He and Morishima are in the centre of everyone's attention (because of the announcement), they are very popular - they are in the centre of the storm.

i'm afraid that the characters will have really stale facial expressions, Morishima doesn't have much variety at all when it comes to faces and it would be more jarring on a animated work

I think I know what you mean. But I also think this works quite well for Ikuhara's directing. He's considered to be Dezaki's (and hence Tezuka follower) after all, which is like "more impact with less animation" or something along these lines. Besides, I'm pretty sure he's got enough faces from Morishima to deliver the animated characters he's comfortable with. I also have a wild guess, that the following work of hers might have actually been the "ability trial test":
http://goddamnit-ikuhara.tumblr.com/post/87986414049/akiko-morishima-childrens-dreams-re-upload
Unfortunately, I don't know the password - it didn't have one back then in June :(