LGBT Shorties: "ROADQUEEN," "Yuri Life," and "I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up"

ROADQUEEN, by Mira Ong Chua

From the Publisher: “Leo’s the hottest senior at Princess Andromeda Academy, and her adoring fangirls have one goal: beat her in a road race and win the chance to date her! Unfortunately for them, the only thing Leo loves more than breaking hearts is her faithful motorcycle, Bethany. But when a mysterious girl named Vega takes Bethany away, Leo finds her heart may have been stolen, too.“

Pros:

LGBT representation in media
Premise so ridiculous it bordered on parody (but that works for me). If you want something other than goofy fun, you should look elsewhere
Lots of cute moments

Cons:

Main character Leo is such a “gay fuckboy,” it really stretches the credulity of Vega’s motivation (which isn’t revealed until 80% of the book has already passed)
The art is competently executed, but it never blew me away; I couldn’t help but think of mid-2000s “how to draw manga” books and styles
The plot is predictable, and unlikely to surprise
I wish the story would have dug deeper into Leo’s internalized homophobia; I think it would’ve helped flesh out her character

Overall, the book is silly and cute. If you go in with the right expectations, you’re likely to have a good time.

Check it out here.

Yuri Life by Kurukuruhime

From the publisher: “Follow the everyday romances of women living together! From clashing personalities to May-December relationships, it’s a sweet cornucopia of love and affection.“

I would describe this more as “yuri character sketches,” than a fleshed out narrative, even if the art is cute. This made it harder for me to get invested in any of the characters. Also, a few of the stories are worthy of serious side-eye (namely the student and teacher, and the yandare). It’s fine for an easy read, but you’ve got to set your expectations accordingly.

Check it out here.

I Married My Best Friends to Shut My Parents Up by Naoko Kodama

From the publisher: “Morimoto, a young professional woman in Japan, wishes her parents would stop trying to get her to marry a man and settle down. In an unexpected move, her friend from high school offers to be her wife in a sham marriage, to make Morimoto’s parents back off. But this “fake” marriage could unearth something very real!“

I found this work to be cute and easily digestible. My only complaint is that one of the middle chapters, “anaerobic love,” reads like a completely separate story. Also, for anyone expecting something hot and heavy, you will likely be disappointed. Ultimately, I’m not sure this is worth the $10 price of admission with so much other manga competing for my attention.

Check it out here.