Vivit Gray is an artist mostly known for her(?) Touhou doujinshi, or more specifically, Mokou x Keine doujinshi.

For everyone who doesn’t know what Touhou is, I will write a complete blog entry about Touhou in general, but to explain it briefly, it’s a Japanese game developed by one man, ZUN.  This game is so popular in Japan that there are some conventions that only focus on Touhou. Furthermore, in these conventions, or even ones such as the Comiket Market, tons of fan-made products such as doujinshi, music CDs, games, and even anime are sold and all of these are based on this game. I hope you can now at least understand a little just how big this game is.

But back to the actual topic. Mokou and Keine are two of the characters of the aforementioned game, and Vivit Gray is the name of the doujin circle that produces doujinshi mostly revolving around the characters Mokou and Keine.

Fujiwara no Mokou is an immortal human girl that’s most likely more than 1,300 years old but is trapped in an unchanging body. She has the ability to resist and manipulate fire.

Keine Kamishirasawa is half-human, half-hakutaku (spiritual beast). She’s obligated to protect humans and has the ability to hide, change, and consume history.

Vivit Gray doesn’t change anything about the characters in general, other than pairing those two up.

Within the last few years Vivit Gray mostly produced Mokou x Keine doujinshi only (with a few exceptions). There are about 10 translated doujinshi of that kind, many short strips, and lots of gorgeous pictures.

Six out of the ten aforementioned doujinshi are collected in one book called Flower Bouquet and Prism. It contains the following titles: Flaxen Twilight, Acoustic Blue Hour, Evenly Split Down in the Middle, Blanket, Inarekiezoka, and Flower Bouquet and Prism.

All of these titles revolve around the daily life of Mokou and Keine, and even though they are stand-alone stories, they can be viewed as one coherent story. In these, Vivit Gray presents us, on many different occasions, with the growing relationship of two friends, how they manage do go through hardship together, and how they finally realize their true feelings for one another.

Personally, I have fallen in love with these doujinshi many times over again. The cuteness of the stories, the lovely art, and the perfectly matching characters make this work a must-read for every yuri fan. It doesn’t matter whether you already know Mokou and Keine or Touhou in general, these pieces deserve to be read by all yuri fans.

Gentle Pulse is another doujin by Vivit Gray, and so far, his/her only adult work. It can be seen as the continuation of the previously mentioned book, but this one presents us yet another aspect of a love relationship, the physical development. And with this I mean, we get to see their first time having sex together.

Now, I was a little wary before reading this one, mostly because I have made some pretty bad experiences with artists suddenly going into “hentai-mode”, and since Vivit Gray is my favorite artist, I was a little afraid to read something that I might not wanna read. Fortunately, my cautiousness turned into full enjoyment.

I’m not lying when I tell you that this is the most beautiful display of sex I have ever seen in manga and doujinshi. Somehow, there is nothing really perverted about it. And even though the depiction is quite explicit and the whole act is expanded onto many pages, when you finish reading this, it will leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

The three remaining doujinshi are Dandelion, Andante, and 365 End Roll. The first two involve the typical high school setting, while the last one revolves around the events of New Year’s. Just with Vivit Gray’s other works, these are very cute, funny, and so darn beautiful.

Somehow, this pair’s love story reminds me a little of Twilight. There is one character that is immortal—unable to die and bound to continue living forever—and one that, just like everyone else, ages and will surely die someday. It’s tragic, especially when you can basically feel their deep love and Mokou’s great fear of losing Keine someday. It’s just so very bittersweet, but you just can’t get enough of it.

Furthermore, there’s not only drama and hardship going on. Vivit Gray’s works are mainly very cute and romantic, and I’m like the biggest fan of great romance. I know, this might sound like I’m exaggerating quite a bit, but these doujinshi are so great when it comes to cuteness and heartwarming romance that they overshadow any other work in the same genre. I’m actually pretty sure anyone that has already read some of these titles will most likely agree with me.

I know, I’ve been praising Vivit Gray’s works quite a bit already, but let me go on for just a little longer. I think I have made it clear enough already that this is my absolute favorite artist right now, and I have a feeling that he/she will stay at the top for a very long time from now on as well.

So finally, everyone that is looking for a nice yuri romance, don’t hesitate. Just read some of Vivit Gray’s doujinshi. I promise you that you definitely won’t regret it.

---

---

If you don’t know this artist yet, please take your time and check him/her out. You can find Vivit Gray’s works under the name “Shinoasa” (シノアサ) as well.

Vivit Gray’s website and Pixiv account