#black & white tough love at the office

[kaban-bang]

FINALLY YURI DEATH NOTE

[sweetbottletops]

"Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko!" #YuriDay Illustrations

"求め合う女たち💋" Sal Jiang [x]

"Black and White: Tough Love at the Office" #YuriDay Illustrations

[problematic-yuri-poll]

[gigantomachylesbian]

toxic yuri fans you NEED to get your hands on Black & White: Tough Love at the Office it is SO good and so bananas crazy

Some images because oh my god:

[copingwithcomics]

[saccharinescorpion]

that’s fucking right

[lgbtqmanga]

New Releases Oct. 11, 2022

Black and White: Tough Love at the Office vol. 1 by Sal Jiang

Sparks (and fists) fly in this violent yuri love story.

Shirakawa Junko is headed for the top of the corporate ladder in the Overseas Investor Department at the bank where she works–until Kuroda Kayo transfers over from Corporate Sales. Kayo is another all-star employee, and she has a foreign university degree to boot. When Kayo and Junko are assigned to work together, their heated rivalry reaches critical mass. Whether they’re banging each other’s heads or simply banging each other, these two office rivals are ready to go at it!

Black or White vol. 5 by Sachimo

Shige has decided to costar in a drama with Tatara, a veteran actor his boyfriend Shin adores. Tatara has made it known he thinks Shige is only going to drag Shin down as an actor. Wanting to prove him wrong, Shige puts on a performance to rival that of his far more experienced costar. Meanwhile, Shin’s best friend, idol Hanasaki, reveals to the public that the two are friends as a way to pursue his own agenda!

Hyperventilation by Bboung Bbang Kkyu 

Myongi and Sunho haven't seen each other since they were 18 years old. Now 27, they run into one another at a high school reunion, and the romantic feelings they had for one another come rushing to the surface. But are they the same people now that they were back then? This book contains sexual content and is intended for an audience aged 18 years and up.

I’m in Love with the Villainess vol. 5 (Light Novel) by Inori, Hanagata

THE LOVE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

Rae and Claire saved the world for each other. Now they must fight to keep it. As they lead the united forces of their kingdom and its neighbors against the demon threat, they begin to uncover strange and unsettling secrets. The hidden truth of the world has devastating implications not only for the lives of everyone they hold dear, but their very selves. The thrilling conclusion of the second arc!

FINAL VOLUME

Last Gender vol. 1 by Rei Taki

Welcome to BAR California, a place for you to reveal your true self.

People of different genders, propensities, and sexual orientations gather at a certain chic bar that’s hidden from the public eye. While some come in search of themselves, others step into the establishment looking for sex and love. There are as many sexualities as there are people, and the patrons’ stories intertwine as they struggle to find happiness. A bisexual trans woman who’s been hurt by the voices of others wishes she had a “normal” relationship; a married, middle-aged salaryman secretly expresses his female side; and a pansexual cis guy is on the lookout for true love.

Moon and Sun vol. 2 by Akane Abe

Masahiro, heir to a yakuza syndicate, has been skating through life without much purpose, but that all changers when he meets makeup artist Tsubaki. Attracted not only to Tsubaki's outer appearance but also his inner strength, Masahiro can’t help but be affected by the statuesque beauty’s influence. But he’s not the only one growing from their relationship—the seemingly put-together Tsubaki can’t help but learn a little something too!

Ore Miko vol. 1 by Sakira.

NEED AN EXCORCIST?

Could the random assaults happening around town be the work of a demon? On a dark, rainy night after finishing his part-time job as a bartender, college student Kyou Izakura is attacked by a demon who’s disguised himself as a older gentleman!!

Before being completely devoured, cool but pushy exorcist Shin Goudo intervenes and discovers that Kyou has the power to absorb spirits into his body. However, in order to release the spirit from his body, Kyou must consume semen and Shin offers his help.

Follow Kyou and Shin as their relationship deepens while they work together to stay alive in this all new supernatural erotic drama by SAKIRA!

Shonen Note: Boy Soprano vol. 1 by Yuhki Kamatani

Yutaka Aoi is sweet, sensitive, and loves singing...so much so that he can’t help but be brought to tears whenever he listens to beautiful music. He also has a talent few boys have: He can sing soprano. So when Yutaka overhears his middle school’s choir group perform, he can’t resist joining in. Inspired by the angelic sound of Yutaka’s voice, the choir eagerly accepts him into their ranks. But when Yutaka’s voice begins to change as he enters puberty, the journey ahead will be one of self-discovery and reflection for not only himself, but also for those around him.

SHWD vol. 1 by sono.N

A hardboiled yuri tale about two special agent women fighting supernatural horrors!

Special Hazardous Waste Disposal (or SHWD) has a mission to destroy mysterious biological weapons left behind after the last war. Though SHWD mostly hires men, their newest recruit, Koga, a buff female operative, is assigned to Sawada, the only other woman in the Tokyo branch. Before long, Koga finds herself falling for Sawada, whose powerful psyche compliments Koga’s big muscles. Together, the unlikely duo must confront monsters beyond their wildest nightmares. Office romance meets buddy cops meets yuri horror!

[yuripoll]

YURI POLL ROUND 3

NOTE: Run Away With Me, Girl contains explicit sexual content, and touches on sensitive themes such as homophobia, abuse, and dubiously consensual sex acts. Black & White contains nudity and violent sex scenes. Reader discretion is advised.

[carriagelamp]

I was doing quite a bit of travelling this month, so audiobooks were a blessing (thank you for my life, P.G. Wodehouse). I had a few physical books that I carted around with me, but mostly I really appreciated the bliss of being able to pop in headphones and listen to a story on the plane or to help me fall asleep in assorted inn/hostel/hotels…

A Bear Called Paddington

Speaking of travel, of my destinations this month was the UK! Had an excellent trip, got all around the country, including London. I was thrilled to see the Paddington Bear statue at Paddington Station, so I decided I needed to reread the first book of the series since it’s been years since I read any of them.

A Bear Called Paddington tells the story of how a young bear “from Darkest Peru” winds up in London. The Brown family find him in at Paddington Station with a tag that says “please look after this bear, thank you”. Not able to stand leaving him on his own, they bring him home and that is, as they say, history. The stories are all quaint little adventures about the well-meaning Paddington exploring every day London life and the inevitable mishaps and misadventures he gets drawn into.

Black and White: Tough Love at the Office

Ah, the Toxic Yuri everyone’s been talking about! I honestly don’t quite know what to say about this one… this author had a very specific fetish she was going for and succeeded! It’s all about an office rivalry and how out of hand it gets, very kinky. There is absolutely nothing of substance here but tbfh if you read that title and decided to pick it up substance proooobably isn’t what you’re looking for. The art is nice! I wouldn’t bother reading more, but I had fun reading this.

Heidi

Another childhood classic I hadn’t read in years. It felt like a good summery read so I decided to revisit it since the last time I read it was probably late elementary school and I remembered having vaguely warm feelings for it. The story is about a young orphaned girl named Heidi and how she is sent to live with her gruff grandfather up in the Alps. Despite people having doubts about her doing well in such a harsh environment or with such a harsh man, Heidi takes to the mountains immediately and her bitter grandfather is soon softened by having her around. Things get complicated though when Heidi is taken away from her uncle and forced to live with another family, far away from her mountains and the world she knows…

I enjoyed it well enough. It was sweet and endearing like children’s books from this era are, though the moralistic Christianity was a little heavy fucking handed for this particular atheist. Could have done without. Not sure I’d bother rereading it again now that I’ve been reintroduced to the story, but it is a nice one and obviously a classic for a reason.

Into the River Lands // Mammoths at the Gates (Singing Hills)

I seriously can’t sing my love for The Singing Hills Cycle loudly enough. Go read it! Go go go! I was iffy when I read the first book, it took me a little bit to really understand what the book was trying to do, but by the time I hit the second book I was sold. By Into the Riverlands I was in love. 

These stories continue to follow the cleric Chih as they travel the lands collecting story for their monastery which exists to keep detailed records of all sorts of stories, both historical and fictional. These books are fascinatingly meta, and tend to weave multiple stories together with the framing device of Chih in the present day and then whoever is telling them their stories. It means that things often aren’t said plainly and you have to pick apart these various stories and the biases they’re being told through in order to understand the overarching story of the novella. Into the Riverlands is about Chih trying to collect stories about legendary martial artists from the riverland region and the companions they joins up with to travel a dangerous river road. Mammoths at the Gates is about Chih returning to the monastery only to find that it’s been besieged by mammoths and that an important cleric has died. They get wrapped up in trying to help mediate both the siege, the death of the cleric, changing relationships, and how stories affect the way we feel about people.

Star Crossed

This one was… a comic. I’m not really sure what to say about it. My girlfriend bought it for the pretty art and lent it to me and it was… a fine read. The art was definitely pretty! But the pacing was brutal. There was some genuinely lovely ideas and the relationships that were set up seemed appealing, but everything happened at such a breakneck speed that there was really no chance to feel anything. I couldn’t tell you a damn thing about it anymore, honestly. A problem was no sooner introduced than it was resolved. This felt like it either needed to be a story with a much smaller scope, or it needed to extend over quite a few more books. Ultimately if you want a story about star people, and a king/body guard thing, and some nice art it wouldn’t hurt to read. But like… you aren’t getting much. Kinda just made me want to go and reread Dogsbody instead which did sentient star politics in a much more interesting way. 

Right Ho, Jeeves // Very Good, Jeeves! // Thank You, Jeeves // Code of the Woosters // Joy in the Morning // The Mating Season (Jeeves & Wooster novels)

So! I got a little into the Jeeves books! They made absolutely perfect falling-asleep-books since, much like Bertie, they don’t take a lot of brain power. They’re like eating a bowl of popcorn for my brain. They were fun, silly, with just enough scheming to keep things interesting. I adore Bertie Wooster with my entire heart, and it’s always very fun to see Jeeves swoop in to save the day. My one condemnation is that this is very much a “if you’ve read one, you’ve read them all” sort of series. Which clearly worked for me! I wanted more of the same and by god I got it! Could not for the life of me tell you what each book was about, but I had a blast listening to them and intend to listen to more too after I’ve had a break. Every time Aunt Dahlia turns up my heart sings. I am also delighted to have reached the books that feature Gussie because he's also an absolute delight!

[alexissara]

A collection of Short Yuri Manga reviews I Wrote Recently

5 Star SHWD is an exciting action yuri series which features something most manga and comics typically do not feature, women with actual muscles. There is a good diversity in the range of muscles on women but the story has so far only 4 women in it and like 0 men who matter at all. It's very focused on the characters who matter to the story it's telling.

The story it's telling it a world where eldrich horrors that were made during "the war" appear driving people into killing frenzys and consuming them. Our heroes work at SHWD a private company that disposes of these monsters. The monsters are like ugly slime things they at present exist as a thing for the people to kill and aren't like "villains" they are the nature of the world stained by war.

Politically I am not sure if I am connecting to the plot or theme but I am not totally sure what the story is trying to say other then wouldn't it be hot if a slammer buff woman and a big buff woman kissed on the lips on the battle field and to that end, I agree, whole heartedly and I want to see it. I look forward to future volumes, I am not totally sure if the series will be for me but I am super glad I Picked this up and supported this very original piece of art.

5 Stars Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games is one of the most beautifully drawn manga's I've read. There is fantastically stunning ugly moments for the girls and captivating panels aplenty.

The manga's story follows assimilation, desire, growing up, and more all in fun fighting game action, sparks of romance between the two lead girls and more. There is nothing explicitly, openly gay, yet in this volume but there is many many moments that do read as next and not subtext.

The setting gives them a reason to hide their shared passion for each other, well fighting each other at fighting games. Aya's deep dive into conforming hoping she'll feel the joy she felt as a kid again by becoming a proper young lady is sad, heart breaking and exciting to watch break as she falls for Shirayuri.

I need to read the other volumes stat.

5 Stars Princess Anisphia is a ridiculously charismatic protagonist able to lend emotion, humor and excitement into every scene of this manga. Euphyllia is immediately capturing but the depth they give to her makes her a compelling romantic lead and character for the plot. It feels far beyond the bog standard Isaki story where one's past life makes them uniquely equipped to deal with the world but instead Princess Anisphia is likely actively having her dreams hindered by realizing her past life in the modern world. I think the story has really interesting hooks for later conflicts and great romantic hooks for that building relationship between the two women. It's very good.

4 Stars Black and White: Tough Love at the Office is a wonderfully drawn manga, the tension between these two very fake women as they show their real sides to only each other is fantastic. There is a lot of chemistry in their heated just off screen violent sex scenes. They are the stars of the book but the story does focus on the stakes of their jobs or potential promotions or whatever else and I just can't get invested in that. Regardless, I Would read Volume 2 just for them but I would hope that we would zoom in even more on them, get to know them internally better to understand them. I am detached from office culture and for sure not attached to Japanese corporate culture, like the dorms sounds dystopian to me in a way that I doubt the reality of this fiction, even though it's probably a perfectly normal thing. Regardless, I enjoyed my read of the book and I think there is a particular flavor of sapphics that will have this be their favorite series.

------ That's it for this selection of reviews. If you liked this I wrote some twitter thread reviews I could make presentable for several other manga and a few GNs I read this year. I'll also be writing more of these over time, I decided I like doing little reviews on Good Reads after I finish something, helps with my bad memory.

[kaban-bang]

I think this manga was made for me, specifically.

[miragemirrors]

[problematic-yuri-poll]

[palabasa]

holy fucking SHIT i just found out that two of my favorite yuri manga got official releases, AND got a rec for a third manga with a hot butch???

ladies i am about to FEAST

[copingwithcomics]

[fantomcomics]

What’s Out This Week? 10/12

Anything can happen on Hal-lo-ween It’s better than a vi-de-o Gremlins going to mess up every cas-sette From Lon-don to I-da-ho

Chilling Adventures Of Salem one-shot -  Cullen Bunn & Dan Schoening

Salem the Cat has always been known as Sabrina's familiar, but what happens when Sabrina's not around to protect him (or, as is more the case, when he doesn't have to protect her)? This special one-shot explores a different side of Salem's life, one in which he acts as an anti-hero enacting vigilante justice on those who hurt others like him... animals, in a horror story that's equal parts Pet Sematary and Hereditary.

Black & White: Tough Love At The Office GN Vol 1 -  Sal Jiang

Sparks (and fists) fly in this violent yuri love story. Shirakawa Junko is an upstanding employee of a high-level bank. Her colleagues all respectfully admire her... except for Kuroda Kayo, a colleague who's transferred to her department. Shirakawa is supposed to train Kuroda, and it does not go well. These women have a bizarre love-hate relationship that results in either violent office attacks or angry lesbian sex. When a sinister conspiracy seems to be afoot at their bank, can these two stop having bruised hate-sex on piles of documents and work together to investigate? This provocative LGBT+ drama is ready to rumble.

Approach #1 (of 5) -  Jeremy Haun, Jason A. Hurley & Jesus Hervas 

When airport employees Mac and Abigail find themselves snowed in after a blizzard, they witness a terrible plane crash. After pulling a survivor from the wreckage, they realize a terrifying truth: this plane has been missing for 27 years!

The nightmare has only just begun though, as the people trapped in the airport soon find themselves confronted by what this plane actually brought back.... For those with a fear of flying... it's not the sky that deserves dread, but what lies beyond it...

DanDaDan GN Vol 1 -  Yukinobu Tatsu

Momo Ayase strikes up an unusual friendship with her school's UFO fanatic, whom she nicknames "Okarun" because he has a name that is not to be said aloud. While Momo strongly believes in spirits, she thinks aliens are nothing but nonsense. Her new friend, however, thinks quite the opposite. To settle matters, the two set out to prove each other wrong-Momo to a UFO hotspot and Okarun to a haunted tunnel! What unfolds next is a beautiful story of young love...and oddly horny aliens and spirits?

Sensory: Life On The Spectrum GN -  Bex Ollerton

From artist and curator Bex Ollerton comes an anthology featuring comics from thirty autistic creators about their experiences of living in a world that doesn't always understand or accept them. Sensory: Life on the Spectrum contains illustrated explorations of everything from life pre-diagnosis to tips on how to explain autism to someone who doesn't have it, to suggestions for how to soothe yourself when you're feeling overstimulated. This book depicts these varied experiences with the kind of insight that only those who have lived them can have.

She Love To Cook, & She Loves To Eat GN Vol 1 -  Sakaomi Yuzaki

Cooking is how Nomoto de-stresses, but one day, she finds herself making way more than she can eat by herself. And so, she invites her neighbor Kasuga, who also lives alone. What will come out of this impromptu dinner invitation...?

Samurai 2.0 #1 (of 4) - Marcello Bondi & Mauro Gulma

The year is 21XX.  World War III has devastated the planet.  A foreigner arrives in the city of Neo-Tokyo. His name is Ketsuo, and he is the last remaining graffiti samurai, intent on clashing with the Emperor, who has prohibited any artform and persecutes anyone who dares to create.  In the year 2022, a series from Action Lab arrives at Antarctic Press, where we dare to create!

Legacy Of Violence #1 -  Cullen Bunn & Andrea Mutti

A Legacy of Violence, by masters of horror Cullen Bunn and Andrea Mutti, with letters by Rus Wooton, follows Dr. Nick Shaw; an honest doctor just trying to help people. But one day, when a patient gets out of control, Nick suddenly begins recalling past memories he had kept hidden away. That's when he decides to join Doctors Without Borders and heads straight for Central America. But his past still comes calling. With a serial killer on the loose in the small town of Disante, Honduras, Nick's flashbacks begin to intensify-and become clearer. Was Nick meant to go to Honduras? Is this all part of the killer's plan? Find out what Nick has been repressing all these years and why.

Hyperventilation GN - Bboung Bbang Kkyu

Myongi and Sunho haven't seen each other since they were 18 years old. Now 27, they run into one another at a high school reunion, and the romantic feelings they had for one another come rushing to the surface. But are they the same people now that they were back then?

Hitomi #1 (of 5) -  H.S. Tak, Isabella Mazzanti & Valentina Napolitano

In Feudal Era Japan, a drifter with no prospects begins training in secret under Yasuke, a once-famous, displaced, disgraced warrior, as she struggles to find her place in a society entrenched in discrimination and violence.

Combining the historical sweep and elegance of Kurosawa with the visceral action of Tarantino, this saga follows the trials and tribulations of a young female warrior who travels the countryside unendingly as she works to gain the rank of Samurai-a title no man, monster, or myth can give to her, but one that she will have to take for herself.

Slumber TP Vol 1 -  Tyler Burton Smith, Vanessa Cardinali, Simon Robins & Becky Cloonan

We all have nightmares. What if you could pay somebody to enter your dreams and shoot that nightmare in the goddamn face? That's where Stetson comes in. She's a nightmare hunter. A dream detective. She enters her clients' dreams through a door, investigates their dreamscapes, and kills their nightmares. But Stetson's past comes back to haunt her as she tracks down a nightmare serial killer responsible for the mysterious death of her daughter.

SHWD GN Vol 1 -  sono.N

A slick and action-packed yuri tale about two special agent women fighting supernatural horrors! The year is 20XX. Tough but idealistic Koga has just joined the Tokyo branch of SHWD, the Special Hazardous Waste Disposal unit responsible for eradicating mysterious biological weapons that were left behind after the great war. Her mentor is Sawada, a woman with a powerful psyche who complements Koga's physical prowess. Something is sizzling between the two of them, and it's more than just a shared mission. Together, these two badass women must team up to confront horrors beyond their wildest nightmares.

The Sword Of Hyperborea HC -  Mike Mignola, Rob Williams & Laurence Campbell

From the ancient warrior Gall Dennar, to Sir Edward Grey, to the B.P.R.D.'s Agent Howards, the iconic Hyperborean sword from the world of Hellboy has landed in many influential hands. And this has been no accident. Trace the sword's path through the adventures and encounters that finally brought it to Ragna Rok, at the end of the world, and witness the sword's journey through history.

Whatcha scooping up this week, Fantomites?