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A review by tamaraneans
Citrus, Vol. 1 by Saburouta
2.0
A slipshod, scattered and boring read.
I've heard good things about Citrus so when I saw it on sale at a convention I attended I snatched the chance to grab the first two volumes. Unfortunately, the story itself doesn't live up to the hype.
The first two volumes come jam-packed with new beginnings, misunderstandings and a whole heaping pile of "oh, we're doing THIS trope now?". It's your standard love story, with the two main characters, Yuzu and her new younger sister Mei, trying to figure out their new living situation and their unexpected growing attraction. Too bad there really isn't anything for them to be attracted to!
In the span of about ten pages Yuzu goes from wanting a boyfriend and habitually lying about having one, to being attracted to her new step-sister. Does she experience any sort of dilemma for the sudden 180 in perceived sexual orientation? The answer is: no, not at all. In fact, while she questions what her feelings for her new sister are, she never really tries to figure them out. Instead she spends most of her time trying to figure out what Mei is doing and what she can do to help.
This is where the books really start to flag. Mei has pretty much every stereotypical rich-kid problem in the book. Her mother died in an accident, her daddy has been traveling since she was young, her grandfather is stiflingly strict, she's somehow in charge of school management because her family owns the school and she's the Student Council President. All of this seems to have made her into a cold, distant person; one who needs some relaxation and a calming presence in her life to help her out. Instead she gets Yuzu, a girl determined to help but who is absolutely, blindingly determined to do so in the most obnoxious, unhelpful way possible. This is a consistent theme throughout the novels and on the one hand, I could see it being entertaining in its own way, but the two characters lack even the most basic of chemistry.
The story themselves seem to try to be one chapter stories. They're disconnected and lack cohesiveness yet insist on following every standard romantic trope the author can toss in. Plucky Rebellious teen? Check. Distant Ice Queen love interest? Check. Stereotypical Family Problems? Check. I could close my eyes, pick a trope and in the next chapter I'd probably see it. There's nothing unique about this story. There's nothing to make you sympathize with the characters because you've seen this story a thousand times in a thousand different settings, all with the same result. Even the novelty of it being two women is ruined by how patently stereotypical it is. There's nothing mysterious about where the story will go or what will happen. You have honestly seen it all before.
There also doesn't seem to be any really conflict-to-resolution development we can see on screen. A lot of the issues attempted to be brought up (jealousy/family relationships/etc) are almost entirely resolved by just...letting the issue go.
There is also almost zero romantic tension and the girls do NOTHING. Literally nothing. Yuzu has some vague thoughts about Mei but the most they do is kiss and half the time it's specifically meant as a scare-tactic, not romantic. There's more tension between me and a snack after my workout than there is between these two characters. I want to root for them and I want to wish them well, but it's...it's so utterly boring to watch I can't get through it.
All in all, this reads like an author's first attempt at a manga. For those who are familiar with manga and their various tropes, this one isn't worth your time. It offers nothing unique or especially entertaining and very often fails to deliver any emotional payout at the end of the chapters. It's boring and aggravating at turns because it lacks any sort of depth. It looks tantalizing because of the covers but the covers are literally as far as any character goes sexually and romantically. It's not worth paying more than perhaps $3 for, to be honest and I paid $5 each. You'll be better off looking elsewhere for your yuri fix.
I've heard good things about Citrus so when I saw it on sale at a convention I attended I snatched the chance to grab the first two volumes. Unfortunately, the story itself doesn't live up to the hype.
The first two volumes come jam-packed with new beginnings, misunderstandings and a whole heaping pile of "oh, we're doing THIS trope now?". It's your standard love story, with the two main characters, Yuzu and her new younger sister Mei, trying to figure out their new living situation and their unexpected growing attraction. Too bad there really isn't anything for them to be attracted to!
In the span of about ten pages Yuzu goes from wanting a boyfriend and habitually lying about having one, to being attracted to her new step-sister. Does she experience any sort of dilemma for the sudden 180 in perceived sexual orientation? The answer is: no, not at all. In fact, while she questions what her feelings for her new sister are, she never really tries to figure them out. Instead she spends most of her time trying to figure out what Mei is doing and what she can do to help.
This is where the books really start to flag. Mei has pretty much every stereotypical rich-kid problem in the book. Her mother died in an accident, her daddy has been traveling since she was young, her grandfather is stiflingly strict, she's somehow in charge of school management because her family owns the school and she's the Student Council President. All of this seems to have made her into a cold, distant person; one who needs some relaxation and a calming presence in her life to help her out. Instead she gets Yuzu, a girl determined to help but who is absolutely, blindingly determined to do so in the most obnoxious, unhelpful way possible. This is a consistent theme throughout the novels and on the one hand, I could see it being entertaining in its own way, but the two characters lack even the most basic of chemistry.
The story themselves seem to try to be one chapter stories. They're disconnected and lack cohesiveness yet insist on following every standard romantic trope the author can toss in. Plucky Rebellious teen? Check. Distant Ice Queen love interest? Check. Stereotypical Family Problems? Check. I could close my eyes, pick a trope and in the next chapter I'd probably see it. There's nothing unique about this story. There's nothing to make you sympathize with the characters because you've seen this story a thousand times in a thousand different settings, all with the same result. Even the novelty of it being two women is ruined by how patently stereotypical it is. There's nothing mysterious about where the story will go or what will happen. You have honestly seen it all before.
There also doesn't seem to be any really conflict-to-resolution development we can see on screen. A lot of the issues attempted to be brought up (jealousy/family relationships/etc) are almost entirely resolved by just...letting the issue go.
Spoiler
Mei's issues with her father are literally resolved in the last five pages--by Mei rushing to the airport and telling him to come home soon. Is there any discussion between father and daughter about all the pain they've gone through? The man has supposedly been gone for TEN YEARS and yet that's all we need to resolve things? Literally nothing happens. And then there's Mei's best friend; obviously a girl in love with Mei and just as obviously not impressed with her new sister. And yet any sort of rivalry has been tossed aside as a non-issue by the end of volume two. The best friend effectively gives up on her feelings despite there being no proof or confession of intent from Yuzu. She mutters something about making sure Yuzu takes care of Mei and that's it.There is also almost zero romantic tension and the girls do NOTHING. Literally nothing. Yuzu has some vague thoughts about Mei but the most they do is kiss and half the time it's specifically meant as a scare-tactic, not romantic. There's more tension between me and a snack after my workout than there is between these two characters. I want to root for them and I want to wish them well, but it's...it's so utterly boring to watch I can't get through it.
All in all, this reads like an author's first attempt at a manga. For those who are familiar with manga and their various tropes, this one isn't worth your time. It offers nothing unique or especially entertaining and very often fails to deliver any emotional payout at the end of the chapters. It's boring and aggravating at turns because it lacks any sort of depth. It looks tantalizing because of the covers but the covers are literally as far as any character goes sexually and romantically. It's not worth paying more than perhaps $3 for, to be honest and I paid $5 each. You'll be better off looking elsewhere for your yuri fix.