Shiisaa yaibiimi?

Okay, but, listen. Virtual reality for seniors lacking mobility is a really good idea, actually. And hey, if they want to use that tech to pilot giant robots and fight biblical angels and/or eldritch beings and/or allegories of erectile dysfunction (listen, Evangelion is fucking confusing, alright?) then more power to them.

To add my cent to this discussion (I can't add two cents; I'm not that mentally wealthy): I've seen a few gender-bent stories where a male is transformed physically into a female, but the internal monologue of the character still presents as male. In English translations I can only assume we've lost some masculine pronouns (this is an assumption since I don't know Japanese and cannot confirm), but more specifically, this is shown in the artwork: internal thoughts will be associated with a rendering of the character as they were in their male form. To me, this ... kind of communicates that the character sees themself as a male, and if that is their identity, that is what they are, regardless of what they look like.

Though, I suppose one could also read it as... the way a character is introduced is meant to be a sort of identifier that will carry through the narrative; where that identifier appears, the story is communicating to the audience "this is that character". If that identifier ever changes, it could be confusing. For a gender-bent narrative especially, it could reinforce the trope that the character is gender-bent; if a male-to-female bent character ever switches their internal identity to female .... then ... they're not a gender-bent character anymore; they're ...... just a female .... who didn't start out that way. The story would stop being a "gender-bent" story and transition (hah) into a different type of story.

Is it still yuri if a male-to-female gender-bent character identifies as male? Is it still yuri if the artwork is female-female but the narrative relies on the identities of the characters being male-female? Are all labels ultimately arbitrary, malleable, and confusing when overanalyzed?!

I like it. I like the vibes, I like the energy, I appreciate that the situation the MC is in is extremely relatable.

I can see what folks are saying about the artwork, but for me, there was something very familiar about it; it took me a few pages before I was able to place it: Cowboy Bebop. There was one episode which featured a moon of only men, and so, naturally, there were male hookers in drag. They had a similar vibe: as if feminine colours were crudly painted over a masculine form, rather than a harmonious blend which comes naturally from experienced and genuine self-expression. The fact that it reminded me so vividly of some one-off characters from a 25-year-old anime makes me wonder if this is "just another Japan thing"; as if this is that culture's visual shorthand (a trope, essentially) for "drag queen". I've seen manga with more ... for lack of a better term, "natural-looking feminine males", but these were either stories about honest transgenderism, or, the characters were meant to be androgynous as part of the conceit.

Art aside, the set-up and pay-off of "set off the fire extinguishers so no one will know you're crying" is, to me, enough to feel confident that there is going to be a real and honest character drama here. I'll be looking forward to it.

She's not wrong; "this same place" probably means "this exact same spot relative to the center of the universe", meaning the Earth would be nowhere near there.

Today's comic made me realize how much we need a Deadpool crossover...

Well. That explains. ... things I now realize I didn't want explained.

We don't get a lot of yuri in this series (the joke "they're just roommates" actually seems to apply here) but then we get moments like this where an eldrich being who casually ignores the laws of physics makes a tiny mistake like "oversleeping" and the first thing she does is call out in desperation for her partner. They didn't need to add that; the punchline would have landed just fine without it. But they chose to put that in, and it adds so, so much.

I bet Vinyl proposed to Octavia at a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert.

Why is gyaru yuri so goooood

I think - and this is totally my two cents here - it's because gyaru is inherently about self-expression; an intentional counter to Japanese culture of demure stoicism. So, with that in mind, you know that when a gyaru does or says something, she means it whole-heartedly; there are no filters. It is the honest truth because, if it wasn't, it wouldn't be gyaru.

This is why "gyaru + X" relationships are always fun - such as in Citrus - because there's always going to be a driving force towards something; it may be clumsy and silly and difficult and even completely inconsequential, but there are no antagonists needed to drive the plot: the gyaru is already at the wheel.

Pairing two gyaru up as we see here is, to me, like a breath of fresh air. How often do you see the story where two people are in a will-they-won't-they relationship that is constantly hampered by a lack of communication? If those two idiots would just open their gab-holes and TALK TO EACH OTHER they could skip 30 chapters straight to their happily-ever-after. In '#Gal and Gal Yuri', it feels like... that's what we did: we skipped right to the end, and we get to see two people in love gushing over each other, and basking in the honest, honey-sweet feelings they have for each other.

Yes, it's nice to have character growth and dynamic narratives and action and tension that rises and falls... a slice-of-life fluffy cute-fest may not be "interesting" in the classical sense. But if you do it right, you can avoid the sickly-sweet over-saturation and instead create a heartwarming indulgence.

And maybe there will be tension to come; maybe this story will take the well-trodden path of "oh no, they're not going to the same college together" or "oh no, they're entering Japanese society and now they have to dedicate the rest of their lives to a company rather than to each other". I wouldn't be surprised if it does, but I would be disappointed; I'd like to see a win for the gyaru movement. I'd like to see them make it work on their terms, to find both happiness and success without abandoning their non-conformity.

I would have been slightly more jazzed if it was an "Innerspace" reference...

^ Being red-green colorblind, I always have an app on hand for this... and apparently her hair has an RGB value of 156, 174, 161. Which is pretty close to grey (for various shades of grey, all values would be equal), but it's also slightly greenish.

Now, if I was to speculate as to why... I couldn't. Art is far too subjective. Best guess is the artist thought it looked good.

Now I'm imagining Phoenix Wright, but instead of yelling "OBJECTION!" he yells that...

last edited at Oct 28, 2025 10:54AM

^ That only works for Abbott and Costello. The rest of us have to put in the work.

Night-time excursions, easy access to snuggling, an excellent view (as promised!), sweet whispers in the ear, and best of all, a heart-pounding experience? Sounds like the a wonderfully romantic evening to me!

I appreciate that both of them are at a loss. Normally you have the boke and tsukkomi personalities at the punchline, but this time both of them are like, "... well, shit..."

Beautiful birds, those African Greys. Lovely plumage.

Experience is vital for any kind of creative work, but that doesn't just mean your own experience: standing on the shoulders of giants is also valid. The more you embrace, the better you become at embracing it.

The off-the-wall cartoonishly zany character going full sexy Dommy Mommy gave ME whiplash.

I'm so glad this is her first introduction to Joe; the man has so many facets that it's probably very easy to see him as a undesirable rebel, particularly when it comes to the homogeneity of Japanese culture. To see him, instead, as the weepy guardian who misplaced his tissues means her first impression of the man is one who loves deeply, and well... that's where Joe does his best work.

"Something strange", you say? I know who I'm gonna call...

Alan Shepard, eat your heart out.

I remember those assholes from the later stages of Dragon Quest II... they were a pain in the ass... but! When it came time to leveling up for the final boss, they were indespensible chunks of XP.

... man, I haven't thought of these guys since ... well, I grabbed the Game Boy port of "Dragon Warrior I and II" and that came out in 2000, so, 25 years... feels like a lot longer.

I'm probably going to get hated for this, but...

As much as I appreciate Mitsuki's character growth to becoming assertive and confident (and as much as Aya clearly appreciated that little move as well), Mitsuki is still showing facets of jealousy, control, and lack of trust. In real life, these things are huge red flags.

If someone had come up to Mitsuki and asked her about Western music, she would have gone into full "geek mode" and chatted them up non-stop; if said person had done that under the pretense of flirting with her, Mitsuki would not have noticed; she would have been ass-deep in gushing about Eric Clapton and George Harrison 0.38 seconds upon hearing the song playing on his phone. So, for her assume Aya couldn't deal with this shows a rather meaningful lack of trust, and maybe even a bit of projection.

And, considering the meaning of the song... Patti Boyd made her choice, and George Harrison respected it. Mitsuki would know that.

So yeah... I love this comic, I've loved it since the moment I first laid eyes on it, but I can't say I like this particular entry, and I hope it isn't the start of a dark path for Mitsuki.

Playstation: "So, are you a top or a bottom?"
Switch: "..."