MUSHROOM GIRLS IN LOVE (Kinoko Ningen no Kekkon), by Kei Murayama. First published in 2013 and first published in North America in 2018.
PLOT:
In a world full of mushroom people, members generally stay within their own tribes. Herders marry herders; scribes marry scribes. Thus, when the herder Arralia marries the scribe Erriela, the marriage is the talk of both groups. Their wedded bliss is short-lived, thanks to royal machinations and the prejudice of both groups. When Erriela is kidnapped, Arralia lays her life on the line to rescue her wife and find a place where they can both live happy and free.
STORY:
If you're familiar with Murayama's other series A Centaur's Life, then you'll have some idea of what to expect here. You get the feeling that they put a lot of thought into the world in which Arralia and Erriela live in, be it the social structure, the biology, and even some of the culture. While there are plenty of notes on these points between chapters, a lot of it can be picked up by the reader through background details and conversation. It's certainly evidence of how much trust Murayama puts in their readers to pick these things up.
Yet for all the strangeness of this world, the story Murayama tells with it is an unusually action-driven and poignant story. Arralia and Erriela just want to be happy with one another, but almost as soon as the two are married their respective communities begin to drive them apart due to their own mutual distrust. When Erriela is injured and rendered sterile, their efforts only grow stronger. They try to dissolve the marriage right in front of them, even as Arralia yells outloud that she will not abandon her wife. That's not even taking into consideration the interference of spoiled princesses who treat Erriela either as a possession or a tool to use against their siblings. In the face of all this, Arralia stays strong and true. She uses all of her strength and cunning to rescue her wife, and the two of them never waiver in their loyalty and love for one another.
It's not too hard to view this as an allegory for the struggles that many gay couples still face. While they are increasingly allowed to get married, they still have to confront the prejudices of those who treat their union as less valid because it does not fit into archaic notions of marriage and family. Yet its message is ultimately a hopeful one. In spite of all the struggle and sacrifice that Arralia and Erriela must make, they do eventually find a a place in the world where they can be accepted on their own terms and love one another freely.
ART:
Murayama's art is much like their storytelling: kind of odd, but very thoughtful and more than a little frank. I like the way they adapt something as inhuman as mushrooms into humanoids. While they all basically look like lithe women, they use the structure of their caps, gills, and rings to suggest clothing and distinguish the different tribes. A lot of effort is put into the lush, miniature wilderness of their world, as well as the rare glimpses of non-mushroom creatures.
If there's one fault here, it's with the action. Murayama is largely known as a slice-of-life mangaka, and it shows in the straightforward paneling and sedate expressions. When Arralia is forced to fight, the poses are kind of stiff and the strikes are represented with comical, almost childish energy bursts. You half-expect to see something like POW or ZAP written within them.
RATING:
Mushroom Girls In Love uses its unusual and thoughtful premise to tell a love story that's far more universal than even seasoned yuri fans might expect, and it's one that easy to recommend to those looking for something more than just another tale of schoolgirls in love.
This book is published by Seven Seas. It is currently in print.
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