Publisher: Seven Seas
Volumes: 1/1 (Complete), In Print
Yuri
Genre: Fantasy, Scifi, Romance
Summary: The Mushroom Folk are an all female tribe of Mushroom/Human hybrids who live simply and mostly peacefully in the forests of giant mushrooms. They herd docile fungi they call Cattle, and are ruled in small kingdoms where only the elites know how to read and write. In this fantastical setting, a simple herder mushroom girl Arriala falls in love and marries an elite scribe mushroom girl Erriela, the first marriage in the village in 10 years. Most ordinary mushroom folk reproduce by budding, but the two of them want to try the other way of making children. Unfortunately, they discover their mushroom genes are not compatible leaving Erriela unable to walk. Meanwhile the 3rd Princess has fallen for Erriela and orders her kidnapping. Can Arriala rescue her wife?
Review: This is kind of an unusual series, a curious one volume work from the mangaka of A Centaur’s Life. On the plus side, the artwork is amazingly imaginative and impressively detailed, in a look that kind of reminds me of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind with its detailed, nature inspired fantasy look. The mushroom folk are kind of fairy-like creatures, looking like miniature people living in a primitive society in the middle of a giant mushroom forest.
The setting is rich and interestingly based on a combination of mushroom biology and in a fungi based ecosystem and a primitive caste-based society and a monarchy. The mangaka put in a lot of thought and research into this comic about mushroom folk society, and there is a wealth of interesting details, mostly in optional paragraphs of text between the comic chapters. If you are the kind of person who is interested in imaginative fictional worlds, then honestly I thought these were interesting, but I know a lot of readers are just here for the Yuri.
Unfortunately, I’m sorry to say the central Yuri story is not really particularly good. The characters are not very fleshed out and the story is really lacking in romance, even though it is supposed to be one. The early beginning of the domestic life between the two main characters is sweet, but we don’t get much of it before Erriela is attacked and then kidnapped. The rest of the story is about her rescue.
Recommended: TLDR; All in all, this short one volume work may be of interest to those looking for unusual nature inspired artwork and the interesting fungi based primitive society of fairy-like mushroom girls. But as a story it lacks interesting characters and is not very romantic.
Age Rating: PG13: lots of boobs and cleavage but they look like they’re wearing bikini tops and skirts most of the time. Some very mild violence. Arachnophobia warning: this manga features a huge hairy tarantula-like spider in it.
LGBT Friendly: 3/10: A bunch of readers disliked the whole division of Mushroom Girls into "Mommies and Daddies" although this is based on mushroom sexual reproduction and isn't intended to be societal commentary. Also, their society encourages divorce for couples unable to have children.
Other Works from this Mangaka in English: A Centaur's Life (Seinen/Yuri)
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