The Conditions of Paradise : Our First Time
A collection of yuri stories about their first love.
Experiencing your first love can be a magical feeling, but sometimes it does bring up some more complicated emotions. In The Conditions of Paradise : Our First Time by Akiko Morishima we explore the concept of first love through the eyes of four lesbian couples with very different stories to tell. While some of the couples are more sure of their love for one another, others are struggling to figure out if their love is worth pursuing.
Genre: Yuri, romance, slice of life
Age Rating: Older teen
Publisher: Seven Seas
Status: Complete, one volume. If you want more then you can read The Conditions of Paradise and The Conditions of Paradise: Azure Dreams.
Synopsis:
The Conditions of Paradise Side A and B: We follow freelance writer Sumi and her friend and office lady, Sarasa. The two friends have always had an open relationship, where Sumi can travel the world and she always can come home to Japan to be with Sarasa. Although their no strings attached relationship has worked so far, at 26 years-old Sarasa wants more of a commitment from Sumi and is ready to take their relationship to the next level.
Aim for Our Love Side A and B: Lalah is a 29 year-old cosplayer who lives with her younger friend Shinobu who’s a 25 year-old editor. The two met when they were 17 and the other 13, back when Shinobu was a crybaby with an absentee dad and no mother. While they were growing up, Lalah got used to taking care of Shinobu but as she grew older and Shinobu found her place in school, Lalah became more insecure about her role in Shinobu’s life. All Lalah wants is to go back in time when she could hug and take care of a little Shinobu, although that girl is now a grown woman who’s enjoys taking care of the woman she loves.
A Lapis-Lazuli Blue Dream Side A: Sayaka is a 28 year-old office worker who has fallen for her coworker and dreams of being her girlfriend. One night after work the two ladies go back to Sayaka’s place where they have a few drinks which lead them to confess their desires in life. One things leads to another and the Sayaka’s dream starts looking more like a possible reality.
Honey & Mustard Side A and B: Kaori and Mitsuki are 31 year-old office workers who not only work together but are now exes. In side A, we see as this couple cope with their lingering feelings for one another but after Mitsuki sees one of her other exes, Kaori is faced to confront her real feelings for Mitsuki. In Side B, we go back in time to when Kaori and Mitsuki first met back in high school and how this unlikely duo developed feelings with one another.
Favorite Things:
Intimacy: The creator Akiko Morishima does such a beautiful job displaying both emotional and sexual intimacy. The few love making scenes were honestly some of the most beautiful panels. They really showcased not only how beautiful the female body is but how beautiful it can be to have that sort of connection with someone else.
Childhood friends to lovers: “Aim for Our Love” and “Honey and Mustard” both are short stories that follow women who met each other as young teens. Although the age gap for “Aim for Out Love” is the only one that is questionable, I did really enjoy seeing the women in “Honey and Mustard” go from teenage girls who didn’t know much about love, let alone being in a relationship to grown women trying to fight their feelings for one another.
Artwork: Akiko Morishima’s artwork is so soft and beautiful. I really loved how each woman was drawn. They all had very similar round features with big and expressive eyes, but her signature art style was so lovely.
Quality of short stories: When it comes to short story compilations, I feel like sometimes the stories inside can be hit or miss. I did personally enjoy all of the short stories, although “Aim for Our Love” was my least favorite of the stories.
Notable Things:
Ages: I really enjoyed seeing a good range of ages portrayed in the short stories. Many of the women were in their 20’s or early 30’s with a variety of professions, from office workers to a professional cosplayer.
This book is a collection of new stories that can be enjoyed by people who haven’t read any of Akiko Morishima’s work before. If you enjoyed any of the couples, then you can read the standalone works The Conditions For Paradise and Azure Dreams which are both published in English by Seven Seas.
Rating: ★★★★ / 5
I loved this! I now regret not picking up Akiko Morishima’s work sooner but I guess better late than never. This is making me want to read her other works published in English and even add them to my yuri manga collection.
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