Yuri Readathon Part 3
Senpai no Kohai by Hanakage Alt
MY HEART. This is a tale of the one who got away reuniting with her crush as co-workers. It’s based off of a true experience the mangaka had and its ambiance of wistfulness and yearning definitely reflects it. Of course, fortunately, this story does have a happily ever after, even if the two leads keep being so nervous about confessing to each other. They’re just sempai and kouhai…riiiight? 🤭
Hanakage’s art and paneling in particular shine through to express the extreme emotional highs of the story and steps in the two characters’ relationship. And even better, it’s in a style I’m both familiar with and love: 90s-00s shojo manga style (with some clear inspiration from Takeuchi Naoko-sensei.)
Lastly, the handling of Sayuri’s homophobic parents was so real and poignant, and explains why she’s so hesitant to tell the truth even to herself sometimes.
Now No One Lurks Beneath the Snow by Aneido
My last book from Aneido! This may indeed also be my favorite of all their works I’ve read. It’s an alternate history/fantasy story that takes place in Japan sometime in the 1800s I’m assuming? The main character serves as an unpaid laborer on her relatives’ farm and in their manor, and the one true light in her life is her relationship with one of the ladies (though by the end of the story this character realizes that they’re non-binary), Kay. Their assigned genders at birth and social classes are at odds with the existence of their relationship, but they do eventually have their happily ever after after much hardship.
Aneido deftly contrasts the unique difficulties the MC and Kay face due to their social classes along with some of the similarities they face as having both been born female. They both experience dehumanization at the hands of their family.
The MC does rigorous labor for free, and her family physically assaults her if she does something wrong. She internalizes the idea that she is nothing but a tool, something I feel Aneido emphasizes via the fact that we never discover the MC’s name. On the other hand, Kay has to deal with the policing of their more masculine gender expression and is forced to marry a man against their will.
Only in breaking free from their family can they both be together; they can finally exist as their authentic selves.
The Design and Creation Process booklet that came with the book was also super helpful in providing context of the world of the story. It was also fascinating to learn how Aneido creates their manga from early brainstorming to the final version. They’ve mentioned throughout these behind the scenes booklets that they’ve used one technique in particular to generate ideas for stories: they come up with three key words/concepts that the entire work will be based around. I’m looking forward to trying it myself!!
