Holiday Review #10: CATCH THESE HANDS!

 But if we're talking about adult ladies in manga, we have to talk about yuri.  It continued to thrive and grow as a category here, so much so that it hard to settle on just one to talk about.  Ultimately I had to go with the best yuri title (in the most literal sense of that phrase) to come out in 2022.

CATCH THESE HANDS! (Watashi no Kobushi wo Uketomete!), by murata.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2022.

PLOT:

Takabe was once the most fearless delinquent at her school, but years later all her old friends have settled down and Takabe is tired of bouncing from job to job and feeling left behind.  When she tries to get some new clothes, she runs into her formal rival Soramori.  Soramori couldn't be happier to be reunited with the girl she never saw as a rival but instead a crush.  Eventually Soramori issues her own challenge: if she can beat Takabe in a fight, Takabe has to go out with her!  She wins, but now they both have to figure out how this whole dating thing works...

STORY:

With so many yuri manga out there, it's hard for any series to stand out.  This one manages it in a few ways.  The first is with that fantastic adapted title.  It's not quite as punchy (heh) as...say, Dick Fight Island, but it's a good one.  The second is that it focuses on delinquent girls (aka sukeban).  In that sense, it reminds me of The Delinquent Housewife.  Like Komugi, Takabe didn't have the most stable home life and thus doesn't really know how to act like a functional adult, especially when confronted with the ways that her high school friends have moved on with their own lives.  It's a very millennial sentiment and as such very relatable.

The third is that this might be the most entertainingly awkward yuri manga I've read.  It turns out Soramori is both completely unexperienced at dating and socially awkward in general, so even after she wins their bet she has no idea how dating works.  I guess this could be frustrating for those who like their lesbian romances to be a little more fast-moving, but mostly I was amused by the way it captured that elusive "they were both bottoms" energy.

ART:

murata's approach to faces is about as simple as can be.  Eyes are defined only by the irises and eyebrows.  Noses are just a dot somewhere in the middle.  The mouths are squiggles.  Most of the effort goes into the cute casual clothing and the cozy neighborhood backgrounds.  Despite that, it's all so charming.  Most of the comedy here comes from Takabe and Soramori's reactions, and those minimalist faces let murata do so much with them.

PRESENTATION:

I have to shout out Amanda Haley's translation for really nailing Takabe and Soramori's unique character voices.  There's a lot of dropped letters and a general bluntness to Takabe's dialogue that really sells her rough nature.  In comparison, Soramori's dialogue not only betrays her more upper-class origins but also her nervous awkwardness.  More than anything else in this manga, it's what makes these two feels so real.

RATING:

Catch These Hands! is a charming slow-burn yuri story.  It's more com than rom at this point, but it's just the thing for someone seeing a lighthearted lesbian romance with a bit of a rough edge.

This series is published by Yen Press.  This series is complete in Japan with 4 volumes available.  3 volumes have been released and are currently in print.

There's only two weeks left in our Holiday Review Giveaway! Let us know what your favorite manga of 2022 was and you might win a $25 RightStuf gift certificate!  Find out more at this link!