Synopsis
Akari wants to spend her high school years flying under the radar, but those dreams go out the window when she receives a surprise marriage proposal from Runa, the most enigmatic and beautiful girl in her class. Between entanglements with an eccentric student council and an encounter with an alien, Akari’s school life is going to be anything but ordinary!
The Good (Weird) Parts
Are you looking to add something a bit odd to your yuri collection? If so, you might enjoy Yuri Yuri Panic. From Runa’s strange antics to the introduction of supernatural elements, this series seems to pride itself on its quirky chaos. Poor ordinary, introverted Akari plays “straight man” to all this comedy weirdness, the kind of awkward and avoidant protagonist who grumbles, “This stuff only happens in manga!” while her life spirals out of control. You best start believing in zany rom-coms, Akari-chan—you’re in one!
Forgive me some mild spoilers, but I think the best illustration of the series’ tone and sense of humor is the alien. None of the marketing copy mentions the alien, instead focusing on how Runa leaves a marriage registration form in Akari’s locker despite them basically being strangers (which is, to be fair, a bonkers thing for her to do, and a very attention-grabbing thing to put in your plot summary). The reveal of the alien happens a few chapters in and is, I believe, meant to be a shocking early-story twist. It certainly surprised me! If you want to preserve that surprise, skip on ahead; if not, I really must take this opportunity to talk about Mochi, and how they capture the essence of this series.
Mochi is introduced as Akari’s imaginary friend, a toy bird she chats with when she wants to get things off her chest. Mochi is also a yuri fan and acts as a sort of audience stand-in, gushing about how cute girls’ love is and commentating on Akari and Runa’s budding romance. However, Runa can also hear Mochi speak, indicating that Mochi’s dialogue is diegetic and not just in Akari’s mind. Mochi takes this opportunity to reveal that they are not a toy but a shapeshifting formless alien from the heart-shaped planet Emoshun. Taking the form of a plushie, Mochi fled to Earth after Emoshun was destroyed during the fandom backlash that ensued when a male character was suddenly introduced to a popular yuri TV show.
Now, if we categorize Yuri Yuri Panic as a wacky but otherwise realistic school comedy, it’s objectively bananas to toss in this kind of cosmic worldbuilding. However, I think what this indicates is that Yuri Yuri Panic is not a realistic school comedy but a work of oddball sci-fi. Now that there’s a genre-savvy yuri-obsessed alien hanging around, anything is on the table. Now that we know the author is willing to nuke an entire planet in service of a joke about fandom discourse, anything goes. Honestly, while the sudden introduction of aliens and the unserious approach to planet-scale destruction may throw some readers for a loop, I find this the most appealing part of the series.
The Not-So-Good Parts
That said, there are other aspects of the series’ comedy that I find less charming and infinitely less creative than Mochi’s backstory. Unfortunately, the biggest sticking point is Runa. This kind of pushy love interest is never my cup of tea. There’s some neat visual comedy in her unusual body language and the fact that she has a constant poker face, but the central running joke is that she’s planning her marriage to Akari whether Akari agrees to her proposal or not. Akari doesn’t have a lot of agency in the story and largely just reacts, baffled and annoyed, to Runa’s shenanigans.
It’s uncomfortable, but it’s also just plain ol’ weak writing. Instead of setting up chemistry between the two leads, most of this volume is devoted to jokes about Runa being obsessed with Akari and Akari being awkward about it, all while Mochi cheers them on from the sidelines. So far, I’m not rooting for Akari and Runa—at least, not if their dynamic is just, “Runa is strange, Akari hates it.” Throw in fan service and a running joke about how the school nurse is a pervert, and Yuri Yuri Panic starts to seriously lose me despite its endearing weirdness.
The Verdict
While I appreciate this series’ commitment to Getting Weird With It, the actual romance in this rom-com is a much harder sell. The subtitle informs me that A Case of Extreme Cuteness Has Occurred! and the little yuri-obsessed alien who’s meant to be a stand-in for the audience keeps talking about how precious the main couple is, but… I can’t say I agree. If you don’t mind things like stalking and obsession played for comedy, or a dynamic that relies on the protagonist being confused and awkward while the love interest intrudes on her life, you might have an easier time buying into Yuri Yuri Panic’s brand of chaos.
You can buy Yuri Yuri Panic: A Case of Extreme Cuteness Has Occurred! Volume 1 from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org, and your local comic store.
Credits
Art and Story: Kanko Nakamura
Translation: Megan Turner
Adaptation: Jennifer Geisbrecht
Lettering: Fuki Yagami
Cover Design: H. Qi
Proofreader: Alyssa Honsowetz
Production Designer: Melina
Senior Editor: Shannon Fay
Published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment
Thank you to Seven Seas Entertainment for providing a review copy. Receiving this copy had no effect on the reviewer’s opinions as expressed here.
Article edited by: Cynthia Caraturo
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