Rica 'tte Kanji!?

Rica 'tte Kanji!? (リカって感じ!?) is a Japanese yuri manga series written and illustrated by Rica Takashima. The series was first serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Phryne in 1995, and then moved to Anise in 1996. The manga was later licensed by ALC Publishing for release in English with the first volume being released on June 19, 2003. Addictional Rica 'tte Kanji! stories have been published in ALC Publishing's annual anthology Yuri Monogatari. Rica Takashima has started in interviews that one of the reasons she created Rica 'tte Kanji!? was to have a yuri manga that was happy and about everyday, unlike most yuri of the time which typical ended in tragedy. In 2006 Rica 'tte Kanji!? was chosen by Professor Kerridwen Luis of Brandeis University, as course material for her Anthropology 166B course.

Plot
Rica 'tte Kanji!? story revolves around the main character Rica, a new student at a Women's Junior College in Tokyo. Having never met another out lesbian before Rica visits Shinjuku ni-chōme, Tokyo's gay and lesbian district. On her first night there she makes several new friends, including Miho, a fine arts college student who eventually becomes Rica's girlfriend. Each chapter presents a slice of Rica's life, such as going on dates, preparing for Chirstmas or doing college work.

Characters

 * Rica Takashima
 * The main character of Rica 'tte Kanji!? Rica is a cheeful girl who moved to Tokyo to attend a Women's College to study early child development. Rica can be a little naïve at times, but her sunny enthusiasm is infectious. Though she was first viewed as fresh meat on the dating scene, her new Ni-chōme friends are quickly won over by her sweetness and innocence.


 * Miho
 * Miho is a fine arts student who is studying textiles, she is one of the first friends Rica makes in Tokyo and Rica turns to Miho for dating advice and platonic companionship. However Miho’s feelings for Rica deepen beyond friendship and they later start dating.

Reception
Rica 'tte Kanji!? was given positive reviews from such sources as Animerica, a popular anime and manga magazine. The review praises Takashima's art style for matching the type of story she is telling and notes it's happy outlook makes it worth reading. In a review at Comic World News, David Welsh commented that "Her work is like a less accomplished version of Bryan Lee O’Malley's (Lost At Sea, Scott Pilgrim)." Adding that "it’s an admirable and endearing attempt to put some fun into yuri manga." While Dillon Font from Anime Fringe did compliment Rica 'tte Kanji!? for being "fun and enjoyable" Font noted that "This comic work is beautiful, but lacks any real meat or troubles that would give the reader a more complete and fulfilling story."