#girlfriend review

[phantomrose96]

The realest part of the Barbie Movie was when Barbie was like "okay but what if this hurts his feelings? what if this makes him sad? :(" after Ken stole her house, stole her car, and stole her agency, because as a woman you still have to second guess everything you do on the assessment of whether it might hurt a man's feelings.

And then that apprehension was proven right one million times over by the entire Conservative Internet Manosphere pissing and shitting and screaming themselves hoarse over Barbie daring to hurt a man's feelings.

[poorlittlegreenie13]

You’re telling me Taissa was worried enough about Natalie to send her to rehab multiple times & say “who does Natalie have?” so sadly. But she didn’t check up on Van who was living alone, not paying her bills, not healthy, not happy ONCE… I DON’T BELIEVE IT. That kind of love doesn’t fade 😭.

[ladyloveandjustice]

My Favorite New Manga and Graphic Novels I Read in 2023

It's time to take a look at the comics and manga I read this year! I read  a whopping 78 manga and graphic novels in all. Here's a link to my Goodreads year in books (the manga is at the beginning, the novels start with Siren Queen) and my storygraph wrap up.

I also read 36 novels! If you want to see my favorites, check out my reviews here!

And finally, I've got the continuing manga series I've enjoyed this year here, so check that post out too!

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

This is a tale about a first-generation Vietnamese-American boy struggling with coming out to his mother. He connects with his mother through fairytales-- she uses them to express her journey as an immigrant, and he uses them to explore his queerness and identity as a Vietnamese kid growing up in America. It's an absolutely gorgeous book full of Trung Le Nguyen's signature stunning art. The fantastical, ethereal fairy tales are weaved beautifully into the lives of the characters. The book explores how fairy tales can form connection, can express culture, can tap deeply into something real and true, and can offer tragedy and catharsis. The protagonist uses fairy tales to write his own story, and the ending is lovely and moving.

Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles by Mark Russell and Mike Feehan

You may know Mark Russell from his darker, socially aware re-imagining of the Flintstones, which made quite a splash on Tumblr with this post. Well, I had pleasure of meeting him at a local convention, and I finally got his comic re-imagining of Snagglepuss, also of Hanna-Barbera. He re-imagines the titular pink puma as a closeted gay playwright in the 50's dealing with McCarthyism. It's as wild as it sounds,but also really digs into the politics of the time, the struggle of standing against oppression and how art fights through suppression and censorship. It's tragic, hopeful, poignant and full of historical references. I enjoyed it ! Definitely be cautious if you're deeply disturbed by homophobia and suicide.

The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren

A story about a teenage boy, Yoshiki, who realizes that his best friend and crush Hikaru has died and been replaced by a strange eldritch being who is imitating him. But, missing his loved one and desperate to cling to any piece of him, Yoshiki decides to keep on having a relationship with this mysterious entity. This book's horror is visceral and sublime, especially the bizarre, creepy, beautiful body horror involving the being who replaced Hikaru. It's an exploration of anxieties involving grief, relationships, and sexuality that hits just right, and the atmosphere layered with dread is top notch. I love me some messed up relationships and unknowable queer monsters, and this book delivers.

Chainsaw Man, Look Back and Goodbye Eri by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Chainsaw Man needs no introduction, but I did end up really enjoying the story of the doggy-devil boy hunting other devils. It got so tragic and intense at the end, with lots of great surreal horror imagery and darkly funny moments. I'm impressed it went so hard, though the random powers that kept piling up made what was happening hard to follow at times, especially in fights. I'm also enjoying the current weird arc starring a class-A disaster girl and the demon sharing her body.

Look Back

I really do enjoy how Fuijimoto writes messy pre-teen/teenage girls. They ring so true. The manga follows the fraught friendship between two girls as they create manga, exploring the struggle of art mixing with real relationships, and how someone keeps creating after tragedy. It's a little hard to follow at times (especially since I have to differentiate the leads based on hairstyle), but it's a good read.

Goodbye Eri

Probably my least favorite of the three, but it's a fun read- a weird ride that examines the thin line between fiction and reality in art and makes good use of Fujimoto's cinephile background and signature gaslight gatekeep girlboss characters.

Is Love the Answer? by Uta Isaki

The story follows a teenage girl, Chika, who has always struggled with not being attracted to anyone. When Chika enters college, she meets queer people all across the spectrum of asexuality, and starts exploring her own identity. As an ace, this is the best story about asexuality that I've read. It was a nuanced look at asexuality and queerness and all the variations. Chika's journey and how she found her community was moving and poignant. It's a honest, moving look at relationships and identity, and how complicated and hard to define both of those things can be. I loved the moments of Chika imagining herself as an alien to explore and cope, and how she bonded with people through magical girl shows and other geekery. My favorite new manga of the year, it really connected with me!

The Girl that Can’t Get a Girlfriend by Mieri Hiranishi

Oh girl, I've been there. This is a fun autobiographical comic about a butch4butch lesbian's struggles finding a partner in a word that favors butch/femme, and it's just an honest look at the messiness of loneliness and relationships. I also appreciate that crushing on Haruka in Sailor Moon and becoming a HaruMichi stan was the beginning the author's queer awakening because uh...same! She has taste, and is truly relatable.

Qualia the Purple: The Complete Manga Collection by Hisamitsu Ueo and Shirou Tsunashima

See my review of the light novel here for my general thoughts on the story, since it's adapted pretty faithfully. I do think the manga is overall the best experience though, because the illustrations break up the detailed explanations of quantum mechanics a bit, and it includes a bit of extra content that fleshes things out, especially withthe ending.

The Single Life: 60 year old lesbian who is single and living alone by Akiko Morishima

Just like it says on the tin, this focuses on a 60-year-old single lesbian. And definitely the shortest thing on here, since only one 30 page chapter is out.  It's a grounded story about a woman looking back on her journey to finding her identity, touching on sexism in the workplace and other challenges. It paints a portrait of a proudly gay elder who's still perfectly content being single and feels fulfilled by the life she had rather than regretting past relationships. I definitely want to see more.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm by Hiromu Arakawa

Arakawa's latest, the story is about a boy who lives in a small village with his little sister is imprisoned and has to carry out a mysterious duty...but then the village is attacked, supernatural daemons awaken, and everything he knows might be wrong. I'm enjoying this fun romp so far! It delivers an really nice plot twist right out the gate (and an excellent subversion of the usual shonen "must-protect-my-saintly-sister" narratives). It boasts Arakawa's usual fun cast and interesting world (and cool ladies). There's some slight tone and pacing issues in the first part- there's so much time spent explaining mechanics the lead doesn't really get to react to his life turning upside down. But it starts smoothing out by the second volume. I'm excited to see what's next!

Superman: Space Age by Mark Russell and Michael Allred

This is a retelling of Superman set throughout the late fifties to early eighties that has Superman interact with the political and social upheaval of the time and question his own role in things. It explored the Superman mythos through a lot of cool new angles, and has a good Lois (why yes she would break Watergate) which is how I always measure a Superman adaptation. My one complaint is, while I liked some of the things it did with Batman, the ending with the Joker was pretty weak. The ending of the overall comic will also be bizarre for anyone not uses to how weird comics can get, but I think I dug it.

#DRCL by Shin'ichi Sakamoto

A manga retelling of Dracula that focuses on Mina as the protagonist and imagines the characters at an English prep school. It adds a lot of  diversity to the characters  and has exquisite, evocative art. I'm curious where it will go and what it  intends to do with all it's changes (especially Lucy), because right now it's mostly vibes and creepiness and the direction isn't clear.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

on the absolute highest of keys james mcavoy does pull off bald charles really well and i wish we got another movie with bald james mcavoy

[so-long-soldier28]

i finished the show 😭 (minor teen wolf spoilers)

it was way less a tragic ending than predicted, thank god. everyone and their mother showed up in the last thirty minutes and i loved it, coach, especially; you CANNOT tell me he didn't know something was up. man was johnny on the spot with that stick. minorly confused on alec, but i think i understand, the more i think about it? oh!, and mason and corey were so cute. scott without eyes is my sleep paralysis demon. they should've kissed in the elevator.

[zincfingermotif]

trip to cheyenne

[redsamuraiii]

My Undead Yokai Girlfriend (2024)

A student in Kyoto struggles in life, as he falls behind in school and is unable to get a girlfriend like his peers. Out of desperation, he turns to a mysterious scroll he found which contains a love spell which he hope to grant his wish to get a girlfriend.

But he did not realize that it's actually a forbidden spell to break free a Yokai who was imprisoned in the past by Samurai. In the beginning, it was fun and games, as they get into a chaotic relationship until a Samurai from the past appears to hunt her.

It gets worse when the Yokai detects the presence of the descendants of the Samurai who killed her family and imprisoned her in the past that she began her quest of vengeance, not knowing that the leader of the Samurai himself has returned.

It's a surprisingly good series that I binged watch it over the weekend! It's one of those shows where you do not judge by its plot which I thought to be a cheesy romance comedy (although it is like that in the beginning) but it takes a serious turn along the way.

It's a good mix of comedy and seriousness, the comedy aspect is where the Yokai struggles to figure out everything modern as the student's friends and family got involved in their shenanigans. The serious aspect is when the killing starts and the police gets involved.

The vibes and action scenes reminds me of House of Ninjas, and the cinematography and sceneries are just beautiful to watch. Like House of Ninjas, there will definitely be a second season! If you like those "time travel" fantasy genre, this one is for you!

[starplanes]

A review of The No-Girlfriend Rule, by Christen Randall.

Was this book made specifically for me? It sure felt like it! Reading it healed part of my inner child. I wish I had a book like this to read when I was a geeky kid in high-school with anxiety. Even as an adult, I felt seen and validated through Hollis' experiences and the support of her new friends.

In The No-Girlfriend Rule, Hollis joins a new S&S (think: D&D) group in order to learn the game that's a big part of her boyfriend's life. Hollis is not allowed in Chris's game because of a house rule barring girlfriends from playing. If she can prove she knows the game, Hollis thinks she might convince Chis and his DM to break the rule. But Hollis gets more than she bargained for in the process as she slowly starts playing for herself instead of a seat at her boyfriend's game… and as her priorities change, Hollis has to reevaluate her goals.

I adored this book. The characters feel real and their struggles feel three dimensional. The contrast between Chris' gaming group and Hollis' gaming group is light and day. My heart broke for how left out Hollis feels at the start of the story -who among us nerds hasn't felt this ourselves- but it's beautiful to witness Hollis finding herself through TTRPG and the growing bonds of friendship. I loved watching this group grow together, and their gaming adventures added a dash of excitement.

The No-Girlfriend Rule is a story about leaving people who treat you like trash in the dumpster where they belong. It's about standing up for yourself, about breaking down the "not like other girls" anthem, and about the magic of found family. Queer Nerdy Women, Fat Anxious Women, Young Socially Awkward Women - you will all be seen in Hollis' story. I can't recommend it enough.

[james-stark-the-writer]

feel like pure shit, just want her back

[frostops]

nearly every case of “streamer is being harassed for playing hogwarts legacy” is easily provable as a lie

i checked the vods for the first girlfriend reviews hl streammyself, and the build up to the girlfriend “crying’ (she was at worst a little choked up” is the two of them complaining about how hard it is to know if they are doing the right thing when some people in chat are saying its bad to play the game and some people are saying its fine, and the boyfriend saying the “alt left” is as bad as the alt right. IN their next stream they both took issue with people framing it as trans people harassing, so i will give them some credit for that.

Silvervale’s narrative that it was just automod holding messages has already been disproven by clips of someone typing “trans rights are human rights” into chat and it being removed by a mod and them being timed out, which automod doesnt do. The claims that she has been doxxed over this have no reason to be believed, especially when she is already lying, and Froot, another vshojo vtuber , made a tweet saying she’ll donate to Mermaids for every like the tweet gets and got harassment from people over this from people “defending” silvervale, including people bringing up details about her life they can only know from doxxing her. I saw these tweets without looking for them, and i wont mention what was said, but if Silvervale was also doxxed, i’d expect to run into similar tweets. Its possible people who dont care about hl but dont like Silvervale used the controversy as an oppurtunity, which is the most likely explanation, but i dont know if it has even actually happened. She already lied about automod in the same stream with her fake tears over the image of her model’s tits, so im not offering the benefit of the doubt here.

So when i start hearing “Pikamee retired due to harassment over hogwarts legacy” i dont believe a single part after the word retired. She is retiring. I dont know why, nor do i know if it has to do with the pushback over hl, nor if that pushback was actually harassment. And i have no reason to assume any of that to be true.

[the-anime-void]

Here comes everybody's favorite gal! She really sends me, I can't even!

[anime-of-the-day]

Anime of the day: The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You

Alt title: Kimi no Koto ga Daidaidaidaidaisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo

Released: 2023

I normally really hate harem anime. There’s this formula they all seem to follow, but not this one. 100 Girlfriends is a beautiful comedic masterpiece. The way it parodies the tropic styles of traditional harem anime is just *Chefs Kiss*. Plus Rentarou, the main character, is actually a good person. He pays so much attention to every detail of his girlfriends, it actually makes me believe why they like him. Plus there’s a specific motive for why Rentarou has accumulated so many girlfriends: he is basically cursed.  

Rentarou goes to the matchmaking Shrine God “I’ve been rejected 100 times, please give me one girlfriend in high school.” 

Shrine God says, “Don’t worry about that after all when you were born I was watching this epic TV show and accidentally gave you 100 soulmates! Oh, and if you reject them, they will die.”

It is such a perfect set up for why he goes so above and beyond for each one of these girls. I can't wait for next season.

[godofthestupid]

I finished If We Were Villains!

the first two acts were kinda good,the characters were confusing,considering the larger cast(7characters) but as it kept going it became more of a 3 person cast with two chiming in from time to time and one of them could've not been there and it wouldn't have made much of a difference,which is a shame

Story wise I loved the idea,how it flowed and the unique way of incorporating theater and stage play in the book,which is kind of hard if you think about it. Though as the story progressed,especially towards the end,it became a bit boring and predictable,like the author was a bit in a rush and tried to check off boxes. As if the author had written out scenes but couldn't figure out how to put them together at the end

BUT it's still a good book. I enjoyed it! It's a good read for when you think you're about to hit a reading slump or when you want something quick and fun to read. Usually I go for more "deeper" books,or straight up classics,not because I'm pretentious,I just like to analyse and theorize the hell out of a book(which I can do with The Secret History,with works by Dostojewski,etc.) and to not think and scrutinize over every page was definetly different

So all in all,I recommend it :D

[american-dream-novel]

REVIEW: The Ex-Girlfriend of My Ex-Girlfriend Is My Girlfriend by Maddy Court

Whenever I delve into a new project, I make serious considerations about what research is necessary for it. What areas do I lack knowledge in? What is the project focused on, and can I answer to those themes intelligently? The next step is to start finding books I feel might answer those questions and get reading.

When it comes to American Dream, I knew I would have to delve into gender and sexuality. In particular, lesbian identities and experiences, especially those that dyke/butches, etc. experience. I identify as bisexual, but there is something within the dyke/butch/masc labels that, while I do not feel comfortable taking up as my own, appeal to me and my identity.

Because of this and the centrality of the characters' lesbianism — I knew I had to read up. I checked out The Ex-Girlfriend of My Ex-Girlfriend Is My Girlfriend without knowing it was actually dating advice for queer folk. Nevertheless, it proved to be informative!

I read all of Maddy Court's (and friends) advice in one sitting. I'm currently going through a weird phase in my own romantic life — breaking up with my partner of 3 years, exploring polyamory & generally what I want out of relationships, discovering I may not be as sex-apathetic as I’d thought — so on a personal level, Court's book was extremely helpful. If you're a queer person, the book covers everything from new love, getting over someone, finding your place in the community, coming out, etc. There's a little something for everyone. It was comforting, even though I've been out for 5ish years, to read something written for you in mind.

What shocked me the most about reading TEGOMEGIMG (lol) is that I forgot straight people get all these resources about love, relationships, etc. and we don't have that same wealth of resources, which is especially frustrating as our love inherently exist outside of what our society deems "normal" or "acceptable" or the "status quo." This book did a phenomenal job of reminding me that I may be queer, but I'm human, too. In that way, I cannot recommend this book enough!

TAKEAWAYS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

On a I'm-researching-for-a-book level, I would not say that this does the job except in a very particular way. This isn't a problem! I'm the dumbass who didn't read the description before checking it out lol. For research purposes, though, these are the things I found most informative:

Transmisogyny is alive and well in the queer community! As a trans masc individual, I'm keenly aware that the experiences of trans femmes/trans women are different from my own, and given Judi is a trans woman (a particularly masc-presenting one at that), the book opened my eyes to some considerations I should have when writing her, what her experiences might be realistically, etc. Central to her character is her feelings of alienation and loneliness. What role would her experiences in queer, sapphic communities have in those feelings? I want things to be nuanced of course, and the question from Ex-Girlfriend that deals specifically with these experiences and frustrations (beautifully answered to by Mey Rude) points to some of those considerations in representation.

The difficulties in finding your queer community, even when you move to a new place or think you've found some great people. Each of the main characters face some level of alienation, both self-imposed but also as a result of their experiences. Eddie really struggles with finding his place, especially in rural Michigan, and I found Maddy's perspective as a midwestern queer illuminating — how her dating life has adapted to the fact that her pool of queer friends and acquaintances isn't terribly large, so she's accepted that LDRs are going to be common in her life.

Compulsive heterosexuality. While I wouldn't call it a central part of Birdie, I do want to explore that part of her. When the story starts, she's with a man — her best friend of 6-8 years, someone she grew to love over time and found attractive. She thinks of him as the one-off guy, even though she's had other partners in the past that were men. Overall, the q's regarding comp het and internalized homophobia were illuminating in this regard, especially as I struggle with both myself.

FINAL REVIEW:

9/10, but not very useful for the purposes of researching queer identities and representation. I would recommend the book to literally anyone — it's such a short read, and you'll walk away with a leveler-head. You'll feel like you're filled up with all this good advice, all this love for yourself, your friends, for the people you will meet. The book soothed a lot of my anxieties, some I hadn't even been able to recognize. For what it is, Maddy Court's The Ex-Girlfriend of My Ex-Girlfriend Is My Girlfriend does exactly what it set out to do. In that way, there's not much criticism to give.

[clonerightsagenda]

She remains remarkably composed for the most part but Holly Munro is really going through it tbh. Imagine: you are 18 and your boss is a 15 year old. You have a minor crush on one of your coworkers who hates you because she sees you as a threat to her crush. (He is a boy. You are a lesbian.) The two of you have such a bad fight it destroys a building and then she quits and everyone, including your boss, thinks it's because of you. Then she comes back and you try to bury the hatchet while sharing a hotel room and she reveals she's been enacting a horsegirl movie with an undead graverobbing cultist and fondly reminisces over how he'd encourage her to kill you with various kitchen implements. Over the span of a year you blow up a research facility, rob a grave, fight a crime ring, and take a day trip to hell. You were hired to be an admin assistant.

(Joking tone aside, she's vague about why she left her last job beyond that her boss was "disgusting" and "didn't treat his employees well", but given that she was a young woman who'd just turned 18 working as a secretary for a powerful older man, I wouldn't be surprised if he was acting inappropriately, which would make it even more galling for Lucy to immediately get her hackles up. The last thing Holly wants is special attention from her male boss. I hope she enjoyed blowing up Rotwell's laboratory.)

[kattahj]

More Asian QL reviews!

I have now watched another half dozen Asian QLs! This time, five of them are short to medium length, and only one is a full-length Thai drama (12 x 45 minutes). I have written down the lengths so you know how much time you'll be committing!

Choco Milk Shake (11 x 15ish minutes, plus one background 3 minute story)

What's it about? Jungwoo is feeling kind of down, when two handsome young men appear by his apartment. They declare that they're his childhood dog and cat, Choco and Milk, and that they have returned from the afterlife to make him happy.

Genre: dramedy

Watch if you enjoy: Actors who are very good at showing animal traits while gradually becoming more and more human. Cute and fluffy. No villains. Melancholy discussions of death. Happy-for-now ending.

Gayer version of: Minoes

Recommended? Yes! This show is like a warm hug, just so kind and compassionate. Of course you have to accept that the premise includes these former animals in (low heat) romance with humans. It helps that everyone is gorgeous. :-)

Watched on: Mostly YouTube, occasionally an episode gave me trouble and I turned to Dailymotion.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3-fUBzCQuY

Rookie (94 minute film)

What's it about? Since there's no basketball team in Ace's new school, she joins the volleyball team instead. Star player Jana isn't too happy about the new recruit... at least at first.

Genre: coming of age

Watch if you enjoy: Character-focused stories. Volleyball. Enemies to lovers. Criticism of religious hypocrisy. Girls supporting each other (eventually).

Gayer version of: My So-Called Life

Recommended? Mildly yes. It's sympathetic and well-acted, and the story is at heart an interesting one. At the same time, it takes on a lot for its short runtime – it's a coming of age story, a romance, a sports film, and also tackles issues like sexual assault and parental bereavement. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite know how to pace all of it; some things drag on, while others get resolved much too quickly. Still, I would say that on average, I liked it!

Watched on: Bilibili

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSTcOkT72J0

Out of Breath (3x15 min)

What's it about? Ha Eun's girlfriend has just broken up with her, and with the encouragement of her friend Yu Bin, Ha Eun dares to try a dating app. But meeting someone this way is awkward, and is she even ready to move on?

Genre: Slice of life

Watch if you enjoy: Realistic lesbian love troubles. Mellow and empathetic. Same director as She Makes My Heart Flutter. (There's even a character called Yu Bin in both, played by the same actress! The Soo Not Sue universe, perhaps?)

Gayer version of: a Nora Ephron movie (with fewer one-liners).

Recommended? Yes! It was a nice little miniseries. Sure, it's nothing new, and the short runtime means the love connection is a bit underdeveloped, but the story still works well.

Watched on: YouTube

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN1V3Lh4AHc

Love from Outta Space (22 min film)

What's it about? An alien lands in Off's garden and wants to know more about life on earth.

Genre: scifi

Watch if you enjoy: More OffGun after shows like Not Me and Theory of Love. Short and cute. Fish out of water. Deadpan vs. comedic. What is love?

Gayer version of: My Stepmother is an Alien

Recommended? Not unless you're really into OffGun. But at least it's short!

Watched on: YouTube

Whole thing (instead of trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JfxlGewx1s

Girlfriend Project, Day 1 (4 x 5-8 min)

What's it about? Two students get paired up for an assignment where they have to pretend to date.

Genre: university drama

Watch if you enjoy: 24 hour romance, opposites attract, bickering to lovers, fake dating turned real, amorous while drunk

Gayer version of: a John Hughes movie

Recommended? The short runtime isn't quite enough to convince me that these two would be good with each other, but if you just want to watch two messy lesbians try to sort out their feelings, then yes. I will be tuning in for season 2 if/when we get it!

Watched on: YouTube

Whole thing: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_wBhmJHUwXRco0J2M4DNNq9M-gE31Ya1&si=M5QM_n59aR5azTtn

23.5 (12 x 45-60 min)

What's it about? Clumsy and nervous Ongsa starts a new school and is immediately taken in by the lovely Sun, but can't admit her feelings. Instead, she starts chatting to Sun anonymously.

Genre: highschool romcom

Watch if you enjoy: More MilkLove after Bad Buddy and Zero Photography. Light and fluffy. Awkward situations. Dorky humour. Big happy friend groups. Implied autistic side character. Several side couples, including one with (trans!) teachers.

Gayer version of: Saved by the Bell

Recommended? It's cute, and I got attached to the characters, though more the side characters than the main ones. It has some unfortunate romcom tropes (like stalking played for laughs), and it's very loosely plotted. As in, classic children's literature loosely.

In general, I would say yes, you could have a good time with this, just don't have your expectations too high.

Watched on: YouTube

Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdOlxH11WnQ