This isn’t your typical Yuri-ism release, but I enjoy seeing something different. Brought to you by the translating nut and Team Vanilla.
[pixiv] [YUI_7] A Room Without Shiori [English] =TV & Yuri-ism=
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Yuri-ism 
omg happened to shiori ><
W-what happened?
I don’t get it
thank you for the release.. 🙂
I think Shiori was using the other woman and then left when she wasn’t convenient anymore? Or maybe fell in love with someone else? She could have died I guess. I think it’s meant to be left up to us to interpret what happened to them.
MELANCHOLY LESBIANS
NOW I’VE SEEN EVERYTHING
I don’t understand. Is it supposed to be open ended, or is their some supplementary material we haven’t read? This is just such a sad way to end a yuri, and the lack of closure stings all the more. Still, I enjoyed it while it lasted…
I guess the author has a different understanding of Yuri than you and I do. Still, it does seem pretty cheap or rushed to simple cut it off right there, maybe one day we’ll know what happened to Shiori,..
I do have to ask, not to be contentious but simply out of curiosity, what is your understanding of yuri that you find the author has strayed from? My understanding was that yuri was simply a genre of stories pertaining to same sex relationships between women, wherein any type of story could be told. That is, isn’t any story yuri if it’s about lesbians? Or am I misunderstanding something about the genre? Or perhaps you are referring to a sort of spirit of the genre, like the sort of feelings the stories should have? I am curious to know.
Yeah you can certainly argue for that, that IS the definition of Yuri. But my understanding of Yuri, and this is complete opinion territory here, is that type of lesbian stories that convey emotional comfort and comedy. The kind of stories I (notice, still in opinion territory) read for to acquire a smile and that “awwwwh” feeling. A story we read to be charmed by the innocent and untainted nature of young love.
As soon as a story starts treading amongst the manipulation of others, forceful relationships, none-consensual affairs ground I begin to cringe and label that as something else.
Okay, I thought that might be what you meant. I can see why you would say that and appreciate your interpretation. Though I don’t know that this story involves manipulation, coercion or anything – besides what could be assumed about Shiori. But by your definition this wouldn’t really be that kind of fluffiness you’re looking for out of yuri, in that the emotions it evokes are negative.
Another question I would have is whether things like Aoi Hana – which I mentioned in another comment – would count as yuri to you? That is, stories that are consensual and romantic, but have a lot of angst and a lack of closure, as a means to discuss different aspects of lesbian relationships? That is, should an ideal yuri story be low on conflict?
Thanks for the response by the way.
Turns out, I can’t respond to a response that was a response in the first place…
Certainly, I will entertain you with this conversation:
Although I’ve yet to finish Aoi Hana (somewhat dropped it because the graphics weren’t appealing) I can see the same thing you’re talking about in Sasameki Koto.
I can definitely agree that there’s nothing we can assume about Shiori hence technically no negative feelings in “A meeting and a parting”.
Whether a Yuri ought to be low or high on conflict is definitely artistic freedom and there certainly is an audience for both sides of the coin. But I would argue the more successful and popular Yuri out there is the kind that IS low on conflict (see Yuru Yuri) and high on “fluffiness” (See Sakura Trick?). (For both conditions see Candy Boy)
Whether a writer chooses to take that into consideration or not is entirely up to them but I would very much vote for the fluffiness because (for me) Yuri is mostly and escape and a medium of entertainment, much more than it is a thorough study or investigation of lesbian realistic relationships.
A main point I want to make clear is that I’m not undermining the high conflict Yuri nor am I discouraging it. A story with a serious tone can grab the viewer’s attention much easier than one that starts and ends each page with a joke.
What’s the deal with the ending? There has to be more to this lol.
Well that was a less than enjoyable ending. I geuss the title gave it away.
What a sweet story, I’m just going to completely ignore the last page and pretend I never saw it 😀
Good idea, Kana. I’ll delete a couple pages and it will be good again
Technically speaking, Shiori is underaged in this. I’m not sure what to thing about this tho~.
Sorry for commenting again, but I just want to point out that this dojin doesn’t appear to be censored. So…keep up the good work, I guess xD
It’s not ilegal if nobody finds out.
that last page made me laughing and crying at the same time
I love the lewd stuff when it’s got lots of feelings involved. This one is great but I’m also at a loss over the ending. What the hell?
But anyway thanks! I really enjoyed it!
Been following this site for a while, but this one pushed me to make my first comment.
I thought this was pretty great. I agree wholeheartedly with what the author had to say in the afterword. To me, this was a cohesive vignette that captures an intense and subtle feeling: the intermingling of joyful nostalgia and bitter loneliness at the dissolution of a relationship. I think that feeling is kept purer without the context of
knowing how or why the relationship ended. We can’t lay blame to put the feeling in a certain box, all we have is the moments they were together and the idea that she’s gone. That lack of closure to me is a lot more meaningful than tying it all up neatly with a bow.
My personal feeling is that the older woman fell in love, and that meant something different to her than it did to her younger, more frivolous and “in the moment” lover. I’m sure Shiori meant everything she did and said, and was genuine in moving in with her, but probably fell out of love, maybe by falling in love with someone else? Maybe because she was stifled by the emotional expectations of an older woman? Who knows. But at any rate, there definitely should be more yuri with well-developed characters and conflicts like this, not to mention the subtlety. Good show, would love to see more form this artist, or more like this in general.
On a side note this kind of thing reminds me a lot of Takako Shimura’s work, particularly the complicated implications of Aoi Hana’s ending. This is a good thing.
Agreed.
Being blunt and specific with how the relationship ended would rob the focus from the important point and interest would instead be placed on the fact rather than the consequences, everyone would just talk about Shiori dying/being a bitch/being a victim/being pityful rather than the melancholy left behind.
What’s funny is your comment is making me post my first comment here.
I agree completely with everything you said.
Taking it a step or two further.. Shiori was 17.. she hadn’t even gone to college yet, and there’s almost no chance of her being able to decide her future right there and then in that moment.. no matter how much she was infatuated with Touko.
At first I thought Shiori passed away, and a part of me still contemplates that, but there is strong merit for Shiori being pulled away for some reason and Touko is still grieving.
As someone who has dealt with a loss of someone important, that lived in close proximity every day, the home becomes a pretty large void for a while.
Anyways, as much as they suck, I prefer endings like these because you discuss them a heck of a lot more than were you to know the ending was happy (or even a bad one).
First of all, thanks for the translation. It’s not often that you come across a yuri story like this. As for the ending, I am pretty sure that Shiori broke up with Touko. In the last panel, it mentions how Touko is going over everything Shiori ever said. I think that means she is trying to figure out if there were any “warning signs” that Shiori was going to leave. Also, the fact that the author wonders on the last page what the readers will think of Shiori, with one of the options being “a devilish nymph seducing adults” in my opinion confirms it.
And the other option being a “cute little bunny” that couldn’t do no wrong, so it doesn’t really confirm anything.
And as I see it, if she was going over every word it’s because she treasures them a lot. She can’t move on, so she’s reliving those moments.
that’s how it works, suddenly everything ends.
I think the author do really want to tell the most realistic end of yuri.
especially in relationship that doesnt has end to it even though its sweet, parting always taste bitter..
Hmm, maybe that final cut where shiori said she was bringing over the 27lady to her parents house for meeting ended badly since many older age groups archaically view homosexuality as a bad thing? (tho they do so many immoral things themselves) and that perhaps led to a seperation from Shiori hm?….
If we use the last sort of ‘cover’ page as a clue — where they’re both looking away from each other — I have a feeling it was more of a ‘short fling’ kind of thing. Shiori probably didn’t want to lead a lesbian love life. She probably went on to marry some guy and have kids… Kind of like when she mentioned how she drinks coffee when she doesn’t really like it. She may of just done it all because she enjoyed being with the main character, and when it came time for that to be something more than a small fling (the time where she graduates from high school or college and goes out into the work-place) she ended up breaking it off.
Which then goes back to the author’s end note of her being either ‘a cute little bunny’ or a ‘devilish nymph’ — because then she can be both of those things. She seduced the main character like a nymph, broke her heart, but in the end left because she wanted the children being in a relationship with another woman couldn’t provide.
Now that I’ve read more of YUI_7’s works, and get the running themes they seem to like, I’m 99% convinced that Shiori did not die.
YUI_7 seems to go for frustratingly sad, and not tragically sad. If that makes sense.