is a Japanese ''

yuri Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. *Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Jap ...

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

written and illustrated by

Akiko Morishima is a Japanese ''yuri'' and '' shōjo'' manga writer and artist. Her work focuses on relationships between lesbian women on various stages of life. Some themes of her manga are first love and first relationships, facing being lesbian, discover ...

. It was first serialized in

Ichijinsha is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the name Studio DNA whose main purpose was to edit shōnen manga. ...

's ''

Comic Yuri Hime is a manga anthology magazine published in Japan by Ichijinsha. It began as a quarterly publication in July 2005, but was issued bimonthly on odd months from January 2011 to December 2016, when it became monthly. Kanako Umezawa has served as ''Co ...

'' in 2007 as a series of one-shots before being collecting into a single

tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

volume. Morishima went on to revisit similar themes and characters that first appeared in ''The Conditions of Paradise'' in later one-shots that were also collected into single tankōbon volumes as ''Ruriiro no Yume'' and '' Hajimete, Kanojo to.''

Seven Seas Entertainment Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as we ...

licensed all three volumes for English-language release and titled them collectively as ''The Conditions of Paradise''.

Synopsis

Sarina and Sumi are best friends and total opposites. Sarina is an organized office worker, while Sumi is a carefree travelling freelance writer. Despite their different lifestyles the two have remained close, with Sarina always offering Sumi a place to crash between travelling. However, their relationship is tested as they navigate between being friends with benefits and having genuine feelings for each other.

Media

Manga

Reception

''The Conditions of Paradise'' received relatively positive reviews, with Reuben Baron of

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

surmising that "While The Conditions of Paradise isn't aiming hard on heavy realism, there's an authenticity to the perspective behind its light escapism."

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...

gave the first volume an overall B rating, noting that while the series isn't quite as captivating as Morishima's full-length stories, it is "a very nice read nonetheless"

Comics Beat Heidi MacDonald (born November 15) is a writer and editor in the field of comic books based in New York City. She runs the comics industry news blog '' The Beat''. Career MacDonald is a former editor for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint and '' Disney ...

also felt the stories were genuinely enjoyable, however they noted that they lacked any kind of edge which might possibly disappoint readers; "those who were hoping that an adult-focused collection would offer a little more than the usual feel-good yuri fare, this is likely not going to satisfy that craving."

References

External links

Official English website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conditions of Paradise, The 2007 manga LGBT in anime and manga Seven Seas Entertainment titles Yuri (genre) anime and manga 2000s LGBT literature