Iono the Fanatics

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

One day, a young girl named Eto Hachibe finds herself pursued by a strange woman in a kimono who asks her to become her "Sobame" (basically, a traditional concubine). Eto is reluctant at first; but eventually, she finds herself swept off her feet by this woman, who turns out to be the queen of a small European nation.

Eto then meets the rest of the sobames, and a series of wacky hijinks ensue.

Iono the Fanatics is a short, two-volume Girls Love manga by Miyabi Fujieda, who is also known for The Mikos Words and The Witches Incantations. The author made clear that he was going for a lighthearted yuri romp with this story, and it very much is. The first volume has been published by Infinity Studios, but the second volume is currently[when?] in limbo (since Infinity Studios doesn't have an active website anymore, however, it can be assumed volume 2 will never see daylight, no official, that is).

Tropes used in Iono the Fanatics include:
  • Badass in a Nice Suit: Fletch and the rest of Iono's bodyguards.
  • Black Comedy Rape: Iono with Eto, after Vizen kicks Kurausoras out of the building. Yes, Eto agreed first ("Please, have your way with me"), but she desperately tries to refuse after knowing that Vizen was in their room all the time. That doesn't stop Iono, and the next page we're treated to an image of Iono sleeping soundly in her bed and Eto sniffing besides her.
  • Bodyguard Crush: Fletch and Arata, reciprocated.
  • Bunny Ears Lawyer: Iono, very much so. The author stated in the notes for volume 1 that he wanted to make sure people realized she was actually cool and collected when needed, but he worries it didn't quite come across...
  • But Not Too Foreign: Iono's father was European while her mother was Japanese.
  • Cameo: If you look at closely at the part where Iono first meets Eto and accidentally burns her hand, you can see Seriho from Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan.
  • Covert Pervert: Subverted -- nay, annihilated -- by Iono, who is very public when stalking girls she finds cute. It's a miracle she hasn't been arrested.
    • Given that she is the head of state of a foreign nation she would be covered by diplomatic immunity.
    • Being a subversion of this trope in addition to being obviously quite devoted to her sobame (Eto notes that she's not the kind of person who ever forgets promises) qualifies her as something of an Ethical Slut.
  • Dirty Old Woman: Iono, though not old by any stretch of the imagination, actually calls herself a "skirt chaser".
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: A non-sexual example is Iono's hollyhock crest, which is pretty clearly a stylized version of the Tokugawa Shogunate's symbol.
  • Dojikko: Pretty much Eto's defining character trait, lampshaded to hell and back.
  • Dropped A Bridget On Her: Inverted. Iono not only isn't uncomfortable with Tomo Sonoo when she finds out the cute girl she was crushing on is a he, she's actually impressed.

Iono:Who would have thought even a dedicated skirt chaser like me could have been fooled.

  • For Happiness: Early on, Aru references Iono's wish to "rid the world of sadness."
  • Gayngst: Not only averted, but blown up sky-high. All the ladies seem to be perfectly happy with their feelings for other women.
  • The Glomp: Iono uses this frequently on Eto.
  • God Save Us From the Queen: Iono pretty much ignores her country, spending all her time collecting sobames. It's implied that this isn't working out so well.
  • Harem Seeker
  • Harem Series
  • Has Two Mommies: Fletch and Arata have a child together at the end.
  • Hitman with a Heart: Kurausoras serves as a Worthy Opponent in the first two volumes and she eventually joins Iono's team at the end.
  • Homosexual Reproduction: Fletch and Arata's biological child, born at the end thanks to "ground breaking SCIENCE".
  • Hot Springs Episode: Along with Godiva Hair.
  • Fundamentally Female Cast: Only two men appear prominently in the cast, and that's only in one scene. It's implied that Iono's homeland (or at least her palace) has so many sobames that the men have no women to choose from, and so the economy is collapsing. There's also Senou Tomo, who turns out to be a Crossdresser.
  • King Incognito: Iono likes to run around looking for girls on her own, which naturally drives her staff and bodyguards nuts.
  • Kissing Discretion Shot
  • A Lady on Each Arm: Iono, in Chapter 00.
  • Little Miss Badass: Aru.
  • Little Miss Snarker: Ar. "Pedophilia is a crime, you know..."
  • Lolicon: Subverted, as Iono specifically rejected one girl due to her age and won't do anything with Aru until she's of age. Iono is many things, but a lolicon is not one of them.
  • Lovable Sex Maniac: Iono is a Rare Female Example who has multiple lovers in unlimited numbers, but it's always portrayed positively.
    • One wonders where she finds the time, since the number of her Sobames runs in the thousands--and they are prone to become restless when she doesn't give them enough attention. Some end up having relationships with each other, but later in the manga it's implied that her absence has been causing serious problems.
  • Meganekko: The author seems to have a thing for meganekko, considering how many appear.
  • Noblewoman's Laugh: Iono, combined with Say It with Hearts.
  • No Export for You: Infinity Studios licensed and released the first volume of the manga. Now that they've gone out of business, it's safe to assume the second one will never be seen in the U.S.
  • Oedipus Rex: A rare female version, since Iono's love of black hair was because of her mother.
  • Office Lady: Ouie Ruiko, whose name is actually an Incredibly Lame Pun (say it out loud in Japanese and it's "OL-ko", or "office lady girl").
  • Painting the Fourth Wall: The front and back of volume 1 shows a scene of Iono trying to seduce Eto (again) and Kyas trying to break them up, so Iono goes over to the back cover.
  • Punny Name: Several, along with several references to classic Japanese show Mito Komon.
  • Psycho Lesbian: Kurau Sorasu and Yama-Novera Varantianoz though both go through a Heel Face Turn after Defeat Means Friendship.
    • Although given the light-hearted nature of the series, neither of them is that psycho - and certainly not because they're lesbians.
  • Ruritania: Iono's homeland. It's implied that the economy is in danger of collapsing because of the sheer number of Iono's sobames.
  • Sarcasm Mode: Iono is 'just an average queen, like one you can find anywhere'.
  • Schoolgirl Lesbians: Eto used to be one, but the object of her affections lost interest in her, and Eto's been afraid of romance ever since. Until Iono comes along, that is... An Omake chapter also imagines the story as a schoolgirl romance before the idea is shot down by the editor.
  • Tsundere: Kyas, most obviously
  • Unlucky Childhood Friend: Kyas feels she has become one of these since Iono spends so much time chasing new women and pays almost no attention to her.
  • Where the Hell Is Springfield?: The country Iono is from.
  • Woman Scorned: Yama felt she was jilted by Iono, when the true reason is a bit more complicated...
  • The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask: Iono is apparently like this in her official post... but it's more of an Informed Ability since we only once see her in that capacity.
  • Yamato Nadeshiko: Iono not only loves black-haired girls, but she's actually compared to a Yamato Nadeshiko at one point by two officials. If only they knew...
  • Yuri Genre: You need to ask? Amazingly enough, it never actually gets explicit, and if it is we cut away before we see anything.