More characters for Siren

More characters and profiles (in japanese) here

http://gamebiz.jp/?p=147830

But shiramine and Yurine are evolving, and so far, we've only got to see 3 volumes and 15-ish chapters. I was thinking more in the lines of, say, Vegeta's developement in Dragon Ball Z, or Kenshin's in Rurouni Kenshin, or even Tsuna's in Hitman Reborn. I saw 50 episodes of it and I just couldn't keep watching, nothing made any sense and felt like a cutout of a series, but I do know he (eventually) became more badass, I just wasn't willing to waste that much time of my life on that. Those examples are extended over seasons.

I'm not familiar with Hitman Reborn but to be fair with your other examples, neither Vegeta Goku were the protagonists of DBZ, those were their kids and with Kenshin we met him with his development already done and the focus is in how that development shapes his world.

For shonen with good examples of development you have Assasination Classroom, One Punch Man or Digimon V-Tamer (even Naruto and One Piece have good development for their protagonists)

And Yurine is evolving much more faster than Shiramine, even! I get the feeling sometimes that Yurine is the protagonist, and not Shiramine. But Yurine really had a lot to work on, compared to the hard-working, honest, responsable, reliable honor student. She does have her share of developement to go through, but making her realise being perfect or getting aproval isn't everything in life, is...basically the objective of the story. When she sorts that out, what other goals does the story have? There could be some external drama going on, like something at their school happens or some girl gets in-between them, or they have to go to college and "oh no! we'll be separated!", but this isn't that kinda story, methinks. 'sides, the story is pretty light-hearted overall, and something like that would be depressing. And for that kinda story, we have other manga...(like Citrus :B)

I'm not suggesting that they need to have their issues sorted out just like that, I'm suggestin that they need to have more focus before the story moving into other characters.

Well, that does bother me. In fact, volume 2 annoyed the hell outta me, except the Sumire episode (Even then, the way it was so easily settled irked me...). But again, this seems to be more of an "easy going" story, where the side couples and all serve as a "breather", and you can understand the story of one of the volumes even if you didn't pay much attention to the one before it.

That's why I think the series would be work better without designed protagonists, just have different stories set on the same place with the occasional cameo here and there.

There isn't much of inter-relationship dialogue for anyone, though. Yurine is the only one that ...has a life, independant from her lover or club. What do we know about Mizuki? she cut her hair short for moe, she runs for moe's sake, and she has a reputation as a "prince". What do we know of Towako? She likes pure, unmixed things, she knows Yukina since they were kids, and she dislikes change (almost like an unwithering rose..). Ai, Chiharu and their senpai were pretty fun...until like halfway of volume 2, when it became mostly Izumi and Chiharu...
So, yeah, most characters "live" for their lovers, which I don't think is a bad move (it's consistent with everything the manga has done until now), but you do wanna know more about how they mingle with each other, it makes their relationships much more meaningful...(For example, when there's a cameo or a crossover between SonoHana characters it gets pretty amusing, and even interesting! You get to know the main characters much more like that.)

Indeed is not a bad thing but I other than the stories happening on the same school there's little more connecting them into a bigger narrative (unti the gardening arc that is)

I still believe that the writing is well-done, even if it has its flaws (heck, even really respected authors have had them), and I like that it never takes itself too seriously nor becomes a nonsensical madness. Mainly, I think I like it because it stands out in many aspects. I've liked yuri for a while now, and while it's true there aren't that many yuri manga the true romantic kind, not the "breasts all over your face" kind (contrasting with, say, yaoi), this one caught my attention almost immediately.

The story is pretty good and is certainly one of the best mangas on the site right now, I was just detailing the flaws I see within it.

after trying to edit chp 16-17 of citrus and I see this thread 0.0; -Kari

We haven't had any official statement from the staff so I'd think the lack of updates here is due Yuri Project seemingly dropping the series rather the licensing.

I have quite a lot of problems with this. First off, the story is not finished, so you can't say whether or not the side couples actually affected the fictional universe or not, and a lot of them did have a purpose. Many couples teach yurine /something/, and their presence is very much needed; if not, the story would become way too dense and over-centered on the main couple. Besides, you judge the dynamics of a relationship by comparing to other relationships, so they work as a foil to Yurine and Shiramine.

The fact the story isn't finished is the problem. Yurine and Shiramine have become for the most part of the story supporting cast for the other stories, the other couples have a better dynamic and more well-rounded characterization than the heroines of our story. They have the same relevance to the story now than Akari has for Yuri Yuri but while there the protagonist role is being passed through all the characters, here is firmly set on Yurine and Shiramine, undermining a lot of the message on the stories

I agree that the supporting cast has to help the development of our protagonists but for that to work the protagonists have to be properly defined and had a commanding presence, something that is lacking here.

Talking about them, Shiramine is not just a tsundere. Tsundere is just a character archetype, a "structure" or "guide" that helps you write the character around it. That she has a lot of rivalry and love-hate dynamics with Yurine, is true. Does it means that's just what she is? Hell no. We get to see a lot of how Ayaka thinks. She is obsessed with perfection, and giving her all in every chance she has, and she is very competitive and doesn't give up easily, even when it's the "I memorized a book after reading it once in the summer" Kurosawa. And when her cousin asks why her love interest seems so keen on having Yurine on the track team, Shiramine flat-out tells her that it's because she isn't good enough, because that's how she thinks. Even when Mizuki and Moe's relationship is nothing like that, she doesn't picture the world any other way. I think she is quite a quirky and charming character. She may be a tsundere, but the tsundereness doesn't get in the way of the plot moving forward. It actually helps both of the characters develope.

Shiramine's development so far takes a step forward and two backwards. She's more willing to express her feelings but in return her tsundere act gets cranked to eleven every time. She also lacks any meaningful interaction or relationship with most of the characters making her a pretty shallow romantic interest. Her entire existence resolves around her relationship with Yurine

I can't stress this enough, that's how her character is supposed to look like/feel. Yurine herself is a master in convincing you that she is detached from the world. 80% of her daily routine is sleeping. And all the people around her have this fear of getting too close to her, because she is so exceptionally good at everything. But, it's not actually true she is detached from the world. Yurine wanted to get close to other people, she wanted to feel like "a normal girl", and you see this clearly when Shiramine says a few words of friendship to her, and she begins to act clingy towards the honor student. Subsequently, she begins to take more interest in hanging out with people from her class and going to the track team's field from time to time. She was detached, she didn't have anything she particularly cared about, not even a hobby or subject or club or person; but that changes on the very first chapter.

Yurine does has a character arc now but there have been stories where she doesn't has any meaningful impact on them, undermining her development.

Most shounen manga have terrible writing and character developement. And it's hard to figure out what "a third of their whole run" is, when those manga are usually endless. And they introduce characters all the time! usually enemies, but they do! And they are forgotten in a snap! And they are usually formulatic, their characters tend to be a bit shallow, and they are more filler than they are manga. Of course there are exceptions, but this is pretty much the tendency.

True, shonen stories tend to introduce a lot of characters through their run but most of them are one shot deals and the focus never leaves the main character.

And their idea of developing the main character is usually "he is deeply flawed in some way, or maybe he has no social skills, and at some point he may have dramatic events going on in his life but the only conclusion you'll ever see is a hot-headed fight or showdown or glorified dialogue in a tokusatsu-style, whose only purpose is to distract you from the fact that the main character never ever grows". Either that, or the character developes so slowly throughout the series that you just feel they're milking money away.

Isn't this what is happenning with Shiromine and Yurine?

Who knows, is just the standard for these kind of games I believe.

'scuse me, wat?

You mean the "lone guy" part?

Is just the self insert for the game, akin to IdolM@ster producer or Senran Kagura: New Wave instructor.

It seems this is the plot for the mobile game

“The girls’ feelings will become their most powerful weapon.”

There exists a man-made island floating in the sea called Siren. Girls that have been infected by a mysterious virus have been isolated there. There are two types of girls; those that have the ability to turn themselves into weapons, the “Exstar”, and girls that wield those weapons, called “Liberators.” The lives of those imprisoned girls are controlled by the powerful governors of Siren, the “Elizaveta.” In response to the Elizaveta’s tyranny, a small band of resistance has formed. However, against the extremely powerful Elizaveta, the upcoming battles will be full of strife and struggle. In the midst of the battle-ravaged Siren, a lone young man is found, with no records of him ever being teleported there. With only the prisoner girls at his side on Siren, that single young man begins to change the face of history…

Well...that was right in the feelings. ;_;

I guess people just don't want to have to keep an active brain while they read lol...this one isn't even entirely all too difficult which confuses me.

Ever read any longer shounen manga ever? Yeah same exact style of skeleton going on here just within the confines of a yuri niche.

Is not about having an active brain, is about the writing lacking a focus to drive all the plots forward. Characters suddenly appear and dissapear making nearly impossible to leave a strong impression on the reader (I've read the whole series TWICE I can't still recall the names of all the characters) and the pacing itself is all over the place.

If the stories where unconnected and every couple were just cameos to cement the universe of the story it would've worked wonderfully but instead we're suppossed to see all the characters through the eyes of the main couple when Shiromine is a one trick pony whom entire charactertization so far is being a tsundere, Yurine has a better characterization but aside of the Gardening club arc she feels completely detached from all the other characters.

You mention shounen manga, but those devote at least a third of their whole run to develop the main characters first and once they're perfectly defined, is when the author introduces new characters.

The profiles for many characters have started to being translated

"その方向に未来はないわ・・・"
"There's no future in that direction・・・"
—Mirei, Valkyrie Drive Mermaid
Mirei Shikishima is the protagonist of Valkyrie Drive Mermaid. She is a young girl who possesses an outstanding figure with dark brown skin and a blonde hair long enough that it touches the ground. Due to her extremely reserved appearance, people thinks that she's a scary person but in reality, Mirei is a pure-hearted innocent person. She is also a courageous and energetic person who doesn't avert her eyes from unreasonable things. As a matter of fact, she is fond of cute things. As a Liberator, her power is S-Class. Because of her reserved nature, only few people is aware of her past.

"処女でありません！処女です！"
"It's not Shojo (Virgin), it's Tokonome!"
—Mamori, Valkyrie Drive Mermaid
Mamori Tokonome is an obedient, gentle type and has a trait of speaking politely. Her chest is big, but her height resembles a middle schooler, making her complex. Despite her gentle personality who doesn't wish for conflicts, by meeting Mirei, her body was dragged into various incidents. Because of a Liberator, she possesses a power to transform her body into a weapon. Her hobby is reading and she is worried being called by her surname "処女 (Shojo/Virgin)" (Half of it, she gave up).

"というわけで、早速始めよか！まいどまいどー！"
"At any rate, let's start immediately! Hello, hello!"
—Meifon, Valkyrie Drive Mermaid
Before Mirei and Mamori, Meifon is the girl who was transferred to the "Mermaid". She is half taiwanese and half japanese, her quick-witted and agile movements makes the best use of her small figure. She talks in Osaka dialect and a cheapskate, who will do anything for the sake of money. She is a reckless type, characterized by her clear emotions. Despite living in a good life at her castle "Feste", she carries a merchant business and holds a gambling party every time she is sent into the island, earning money greedily.

"ぱーとなーがいないと、私たちは倒せないわ"
"Without my partner, we can't be beaten"
—Lady J, Valkyrie Drive Mermaid
Lady J is a girl who is full of mystery and and possess a bewitching appearance and rich body. Her appearance is cool and speaks very few words but she has a strong connection with her partner, Rein Hasami, tied with a deep mutual trust for each other. Along with Rein, they seem to be surveying the Mermaid island but those actions are wrapped with mystery.

From Valkyrie Drive Bhikkhuni

"りょーかい！絶対勝つ！意地でも勝つ！負けても勝つ！"
"Roooger that! Absolute victory! I’ll win no matter what! Even if I lose, I’ll win!"
—Ranka's quote, Valkyrie Drive Bhikkhuni
The younger of the Kagurazaka sisters. Determined and whimsy, she’s a hot-blooded girl who stands out thanks to her boyish behavior. She fights with her fists and goes head-first into battle. Both her and her sister are very sensitive when it comes to their bodies being touched.

"わたし、ドキドキ興奮してるかも。"
"I think I might be getting excited."
—Rinka's quote, Valkyrie Drive Bhikkhuni
The oldest of the Kaguzarazaka sisters. Though she’s one to be constantly smiling and has a gentle disposition at heart, her sheer rampaging prowess born from her pure heart strikes fear even in the heart of her younger sister Ranka. She fights with a Japanese sword and leaves a very nice scent in her tracks as she moves.

"大丈夫です。よく頑張りましたね。"
"“Don’t worry about it. I know you did your best out there."
—Mana's quote, Valkyrie Drive Bhikkhuni
A calm, loving girl, Mana serves as the group’s mediator. She can transform her hair into arrows one strand at a time, making her an especially dangerous opponent to face off against knowing her hair can slip through any crack in the enemy’s defenses. Her greatest weapon, however, may be her ability to make people around her crack a smile no matter whether she’s complimenting them or telling them off.

"斃す、全て斃す。"
"I’ll defeat you, I’ll defeat all of you."
—Momo's quote, Valkyrie Drive Bhikkhuni
A reserved girl with a low voice. She lost her memory and is fighting in hopes of finding out who she is. She repeatedly questions herself, and wields a spear in battle. Starved for knowledge, when she comes across a word that piques her interest, she’ll ask questions for hours on end until things finally make sense for her. She has a cat like figure, and is very cute.

Small story done to conmemorate Yuzu's birthday

REALLY ROUGH subs

Mei is the perfect troll <3

That was so cute

Ok so I searched all 81 pages of Danbooru for Both Reimu and Meiling and I found four images:

https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/1469820

https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/690650

https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/776624

https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/700715

Wow.

Link doesn't work anyway.

You need an account on g.e-hentai and install Sad Panda on your browser to login on ExHentai.

Uh, no thanks, I don't trust anything installation givin to me by a porn site.

Sad Panda is just a plugin for browsers so you don't need to worry about installing it, I don't know if you can download it on g.e-hentai but here is the Chrome version I use, you can easily find for other browsers on google, with the plugin installed you see a login screen with the Sad Panda picture, use your g.e-hentai login and it takes you to ExHentai.

You can access ExHentai with just a g.e-hentai account. Just log in g.e-hentai (making sure you enable your browser to remember you) and THEN access Exhentai. If you have visited ExHentai before and you're seeing the panda, just clear the page cookies and refresh.

I have conflicting feelings about this series.

The art is incredible and the characters are very expressive. The tone of the series is wonderfully fluffy and heartwarming but the writing itself feels like it lacks a focus, we go from set piece to set piece without a clear thread connecting them and our protagonists are awfully underdeveloped,

I take the series is still going on Japan? With the last arc the writing seemed to improve (even if it cranked the drama unecessarily)

This was an improvement over last chapter but it still feels a bit odd.

Son of a bitch

Sakaki you're a colossal asshole.

Looking for more yuri manga on google.

I mean, dont expect text but we have kissing confirmed and now a mechanic to raise the characters' affection for each other.

http://www.siliconera.com/2015/08/03/valkyrie-drive-bhikkhuni-will-release-in-japan-on-december-10th/

And some people thought it wouldn't be yuri

Geez Donut, you shouldn't have made P'mew mad.

But seriously, I so wasn't expecting Ratana to have a zombie story on her resume. Pretty awesome.

last edited at Aug 3, 2015 2:55AM

Anime PV

I love that shot where Mirei is crouching and her hair is flowing.

Wow, the author isn't pulling any punches here.

Poor Nico :(

Friends go from all gossipy, "don't get near her, she's a lesbian", to "Woohoo,when do you two have sex? lololol...".

Somehow, this is too easy.

Is likely they were just probing Mew at first. Giving how open they are at the idea, isn't hard to think they are at the least, experimented.

last edited at Aug 2, 2015 1:11AM

That was CUTE

P'mew is such a troll though.