Helen: Konatsu is about to start school in a new town and is completely on her own, so needless to say she’s a bit nervous about the situation. But her new classmates seem rather nice, like her neighbor Kaede and the lone member of the school’s aquarium club Koyuki. Perhaps adjusting to everything new in her life won’t be as bad as Konatsu fears.
While Viz Media doesn’t have a large number of yuri titles in their back catalog, the US manga market in general has a rather nice variety so it’s hard to resist comparing any new titles against ones that are already published. This is doubly true for a series like A Tropical Fish Yearns For Snow which has a few, inherent similarities to a lot of the yuri already published in the US like “high schoolers experiencing their first romances” and “setting where boys are so inconsequential that it may as well be a Class S story” and not enough differences in story, characters, or art to really set it apart from the rest (well, aside from the “high school aquarium club” aspect to it).
I’d describe this story as “fluff” or “inconsequential” for a lot of it; one thing that particularly struck me is how we are privy to scenes where both Konatsu and Koyuki are clearly smitten with the other but that’s as far as their thoughts go. When I read the Kase-san And series recently I was struck by how the series took the time to have Yamada, the other main character, think to herself “okay, I think I like this girl, LIKE like, so what does that mean about me and for me?” It felt like manga-ka Hiromi Takashima had thought about how two characters would go about having an atypical relationship (since gay marriage/partnerships still aren’t recognized in large parts of Japan) even though they were still in high school; Tropical Fish just has the characters blush at each other and get jealous of other friends (like Koyuki feeling a little threatened by Konatsu’s friendship with Kaeda) but that’s it.
I consider myself a fairly big yuri fan these days, but I do want something more substantial than “fluff” and I don’t think that’s what Tropical Fish is going to give me. There’s always a chance of course that the series will go deeper into their relationship, but also as someone who grew up reading manga from the 1990s and 2000s, I’ve been burned by so many stories that both want to have their characters in a “relationship” and yet never actually codify it (which was possibly due to a combination of queer-baiting and editorial pushback, not simply one or the other).
So, if Konatsu and Koyuki are going to “get serious” about their relationship then I want the manga to do the same, although I probably won’t be around to see it.
Helen’s rating: 3 out of 5
Rai: There are two kinds of stories I love above all others. Stories with well-developed yuri relationships and stories with themes and motifs. And while it may not be as metaphor heavy as something like Yuri Bear Storm, the new yuri manga A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow has enough of these two elements to make me really satisfied with the overall story.
This manga follows the budding relationship between Konatsu and Koyuki, two girls in high school. Konatsu is the new girl in town, and Koyuki is the unapproachable model student. It’s definitely not the most original starting point for a story, but it works in terms of the plot and character development. Plus, there are other elements that give the story a level of uniqueness – namely the aquarium theme! It’s true that yuri/cute girl series always seem to incorporate aquariums (Bloom Into You, Love Live!! Sunshine, Revue Starlight, etc.), but this is the first time, in my experience, that it’s one of the main focal points of a series. It’s a nice touch, but maybe I am biased since I really love sea creatures.
Anyway…the two girls become friends through the Aquarium Club at Konatsu’s new high school. After attending the club’s open house, Konatsu takes an interest not only in the sea creatures but also in Koyuki, the club’s sole member. At first, she doesn’t understand why she is so fascinated with Koyuki, but then she realizes it’s because they’re very similar… and they’re both lonely. So, Konatsu decides to connect more with her new friend and ends up joining the Aquarium Club.
Through their club activities, the two of them become closer. This is where the romantic yuri aspects come in. It’s subtle at first but gradually becomes more noticeable, especially on Koyuki’s side. She is crushing hard on Konatsu, and it shows. It’s adorable.
The pacing of the romance is very even. It doesn’t progress too quickly or too slowly. It’s just the right amount. There are no confessions or dating by the end of the first volume, but there’s enough between the two girls that I’m curious to see where their relationship goes.
You can feel the connection between them right away. Even though they just met, they help one another with their insecurities. The girls’ problems are very realistic and relatable. They aren’t just lonely; they are both dealing with other inner struggles that most people – especially teenagers – go through. For example, Konatsu tends to overthink things and make herself nervous (which is something I do constantly), but Koyuki helps calm her down. Their relationship feels very real in my opinion; it’s exactly what I want to see in shouji ai stories. Konatsu and Koyuki are both wonderful, AND they have great character designs. Did I mention that the manga’s art is excellent?
Finally, let’s briefly talk about the symbolism. I don’t want to give too much away, but the main metaphor is a salamander that shows up over the course of the manga. Sometimes the metaphor’s message is really obvious – if not borderline cheesy – but the fact the mangaka took the time to incorporate themes and symbolic imagery makes me happy as a writer. As I mentioned earlier, it’s not like something by Kunihiko Ikuhara where every millisecond is packed with some kind of symbol. But I think this is actually a good thing. It makes this manga more accessible because the reader won’t be confused and will be more likely to understand the underlying message.
Overall, this manga is a must for yuri fans. It has authentic, pure girls love without the problematic elements you see in some other yuri series. It’s cute, heartfelt, well-thought-out, and realistic. I’m very excited to see where this is headed.
Rai’s rating: 4 out of 5