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Kashimashi

Kashimashi Reviews

Kashimashi V. 1 David Rasmussen, 23rd Dec 06

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Kashimashi coverimage

Publisher
Seven Seas
Writer
Satoru Akahori
Artist
Yukimaru Katsura
Country of origin
Japan
Year
2004

Kashimashi V. 1

By David Rasmussen
23rd Dec 06

David Rasmussen avatar

A title filled with possibilities, hope, and� a lesbian romance story?
Adam Arnold may not know this, but he has either just handed to me Seven Seas first 5 out of 5 or Seven Seas doom� well, not DOOM perse as I still love Aoi House, Destiny�s Hand, Captain Nemo (just not as much as Destiny�s Hand) and have my eye on a few more titles like Amazing Agent Luna, Last Hope, Chugworth Academy and more for reviews but� well, let�s just say it won�t be good.
Not that I�m holding hope out for this one (actually I�m holding out so much hope it hurts how much I�m hoping this doesn�t disappoint me) but it seems that the stars might have finally aligned just right to create what could be an ideal series. This OT for Older Teen 16+ title shows the ills of overtly responsible aliens, confusing lessons in womanhood, the media and a lesbian love triangle.

Let�s face it. There�s a good reason why Adam Arnold created Aoi (Yaoi) House and not Uri (Yuri) House, and that�s because book by book and DVD by DVD you�ll have an easier time finding gay male on male love (romance or hentai) as opposed to lesbian female on female love (and sometimes I wonder if you can call it 100% lesbian if one of the girls is armed �Parade Parade� slash �Stainless Nights� style)� (and that�s all my Editors will allow me to say on that so, well, read between the lines).

That sucks, by the way, because I am most known (in fiction writing) for lesbian erotica writing, yes I am. Add to that I like reviewing the subject, but find little to review on a yearly basis, and we have ourselves something that might actually be� promising� except for the fact that this volume is only a promise that has YET to be fulfilled.

Guy can�t get much worst as he finds out the woman he has the hots for would rather he become a woman before she has any feelings for him. Lucky him, as music heralds him to the pearly gates and proclaim �Hazumu Was Run Over By A Spaceship� (Mulder would be so jealous right now) he�s about to get his wish and become the woman of his love interest�s dreams� only he isn�t getting it right away.

Being a woman, it seems, sucks, especially since the aliens that promptly ran Hazumu over and changed in into a woman in order to save �his� life (and to avoid the long laundry list of charges the Sentient Life Rights Commission and Law Enforcement would have the minute they returned to their homesystem) just had to broadcast the �condition� of his sex change� to the entire planet� over all commsystems� nice. Ever heard of privacy? Oh, and then they move in to live with him (the main alien who seems to dress like Arthur from The Tick only without the huge moth wings, and a female �Sidekick� who is more than she seems)� I mean her� so they can study him� her. That�s not bad, considering mommy has gone nuts and is starting to treat Hazumu like a living Barbie doll slash pet project while daddy�s inner pervert has come out and the thought of bathing with his son now curvy hot female babe sounds all too appealing� sicko.

So now he� I mean she� has the media chasing her down. She has to learn from scratch how to live again, and by that I mean live as a woman instead of as a man. She also has to deal with two friends who are in love with her (both women) and one gimpy guy who is the comic relief who I wish would go away because I only see him as a crowbar in the lesbian romance part that may keep it from getting any momentum.

That, by the way, is my problem with the title. There�s supposed to be a love triangle but the title seems allergic to the idea of a lesbian romance! Despite the fact that the back of the book proclaims that there is supposed to be a lesbian love triangle here Hazumu, our new female, has two hot females vying for him and he is very adamant about NOT going there� until the very end of the first volume when FINALLY (finally) the book kickstarts what should be the catalyst for a great lesbian romantic love story� only I�m not holding my breath until Volume 2 comes out and Hazumu starts to finally get her �house� in order (as opposed to Hazumu getting her real house in order with all the psychos in it) and starts to play the romance field with her two potential lifemates. Yeah. Not holding my breath because Volume 2 could just be another copout and drag out a love story into a �comedy� that is so not romantic.

Oh, and it doesn�t help the romance angle one bit that his first choice, childhood friend Tomari, didn�t get hot for Hazumu until the sex change. Is she really hot for Hazumu or does she just dig the female package.

Regardless I am looking forward to Volume 2 because I, hope springs eternal, hope that this is the lesbian romance I have been waiting for for a very long time. Breakdown will merit that out.

Kashimashi Breakdown the 1st
Comedy it may be, yes, but I�m here for the lesbian romance. Get on with it already.
Otherwise the title is nice and I liked it�s pacing overall, though the humor wasn�t as important (again) as the potential of a great lesbian romance book (romantic comedy maybe but romance nevertheless).
Potential for this great love may be shortchanged, however, as it took most of this first volume just to get to the point I can hope that the sparks of lesbian romance have finally started to kick on� just, please, title don�t kill it off so quickly.

Perfect it is not, yet, but hope spring eternal for perfection. So for now I�m going to be cautious and give Kashimashi a hopeful 4 out of 5. For the future.
Now from here it can go either way with Volume 2.
If Hazumu embraces his destiny and romance starts to thrive between the three women it�s going to soar up towards a 5 out of 5, because the perfection I sought has finally come to pass.
If somebody (I have my eye on one particular) throws too many monkey wrenches into the romance and continues to bring the lesbian romance part to a screeching halt too many times in Volume 2 I�m going to penalize the title by slamming it down to a 2 out of 5 (because I don�t like the title toying with me!)
Which way will the winds blow? Only time will tell� stay tuned.

-- David Rasmussen 23rd Dec 06