Okazu Yuri News Podcast November 3, 2018
On today’s podcast we discuss:
Our Days at Dusk: Shimanami Twilight, and the increase of not just Yuri, but queer content in mainstream manga and entertainment.
Our upcoming online Okazu Patron Holiday Party!
Yuri Anime
Don’t forget that Kase-san and Morning Glories will be screening at AnimeNYC on Saturday, November 17 in Panel Room 2 at 7:30PM in Javits Convention Center, New York, NY. I have every intention of being there.
Also screening at AnimeNYC is Sound! Euphonium The Movie I want to resonate with you…! Check the screening page on the AnimeNYC website for other special events, as well!
Funimation has added 300+ subtitled anime to their Funimation Now! service, and Crunchyroll has added 17 dubbed anime titles, according to ANN reports. Check out the lists for titles of interest.
Yagate Kimi ni Naru/Bloom Into You’s Touko and Yuu, Kotobuki Minako and Takada Yuuki will be hosting an event in May 2019. According to Comic Natalie, four main cast members will appear, and the two leads will sing the opening theme. There will be a contest and some other stuff.
Yuri Manga
The Yuri Fest at BOOK☆WALKER GLOBAL runs for 4 more days! Don’t miss your chance to pick up digital Yuri manga at discount prices and get reward coins so you can get even more Yuri manga!
Iwami Kiyoko’s Yuri manga collection, Toumeina Usui Mizu-iro ni ( 透明な薄い水色に) has been picked up by Seven Seas as Transparent Light Blue and is slated for a spring 2019 release.
Galette, No. 8 (ガレットNo.8) hits Japanese shelves at the end of this month. This issue marks the end of Galette‘s second year, so I’m betting Issue 9 will be special. Galette is also doing a special campaign to encourage folks in Japan to purchase the magazine with one of their expanded digital options.
LGBTQ Manga
On Quora, I passed the 10,000 answer mark with both a question and an answer: What are some manga with LGBTQ identity, not Boy’s Love or Yuri, but actually LGBTQ? (The rather bizarre question construction comes from a previous question that had been asked, not by me about anime. I wrote this one as a followup.)
In response to my post about that on Facebook, Tomo Hirai noted that Morning magazine had “just published a one-shot about a genderqueer couple. Debut work for a new author.” Check out Watashi no Kanojo ha Otoko no ko (私の彼女は男の子) on Morning Zero (in Japanese) by Akina Rutarou.
Other News
A new Cardcaptor Sakura museum asks “Why is CCS being rediscovered now?’ and the answers given include sexual and gender diversity. It’s worth taking a look at the ANN report.
Absolutely unrelated to anime or manga, it’s worth noting that Scotland has become the first country to mandate LGBTQ history, rights, homo- and transphobia be included in school curriculums.
In celebration of what would have been Osamu Tezuka’s 90th birthday, several locations in Japan are holding a Princess Knight “Dreamy Christmas” event with special themed gifts for folks who purchase the new edition of Ribon no Kishi. ANN has the details.
Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with your name and an email I can reply to! Our YNN podcast is now available, in which I take a look at some key news items this week..
Got questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Yuri Manga
Yen Press had a number of Yuri manga license announcements at AnimeNYC; Whenever Our Eyes Meet, (link goes to my review of the Japanese volume) an anthology of stories set in adult office life, Killing Me! by Akiyama, a love story between a vampire and vampire hunter. And the slice-of-life Yuri Life (again, the link goes to my review of the original,) by Kurukuruhime.
Tokyopop’s English edition of Yurikuma Arashi, Yuri Bear Storm, Volume 1 by Morishima Akiko, will be dropping in February. This may be the first of Morishima-sensei’s manga art to make it over here in English!
YuriNavi premiers Toile, a web-comic Yuri anthology, available on Pixiv and Fantia. Chapters can be read online for free (in Japanese) on Yuri Navi.
For Yagate Kimi ni Naru/ Bloom Into You fans, a series-related anthology is being planned, with many of the same contributors as the Éclair series: Nakatani-sensei heself, Canno, Fuyu Yutaka, tMnR and others! Check out the Yagate Kimi ni Naru Official Comics Anthology (やがて君になる 公式コミックアンソロジー), which is out now.
This month BeComics launched the next Yuri + Kanojo anthology, Yuri+ Kanojo Kossuri Kisu shite- (百合+カノジョ -こっそりキスして-).
In the “file this away for a day in Spring,” the next Galette collection is heading our way with Kitta Izumi and Momono Moto’s collaboration Liberty (リバティ), one of my favorite titles to run in the magazine.
Okazu News
There’s one week left to subscribe to Okazu and receive an invitation to our Okazu holiday party!
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast!
Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with your name and an email I can reply to! Our YNN podcast is now available, in which I take a look at some key news items this week..
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Yuri Manga
YuriNavi markes the second Toile Web Anthology (WEB百合アンソロジー トワールvol.2). You can read the short stories online in Japanese for free!
Atashi no Sempai (アタシのセンパイ) by Shaoya Teruko looks like a lovely Yuri school drama. Check out sample pages on Comic Natalie.
Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu! Volume 4 (私の百合はお仕事です! 4)and Shoujo2 (少女² 完全版), both by Miman, hit shelves in November.
According to manga artist Fly’s Twitter account, they are beginning a new Yuri manga in Ichijinsha’s Comic Rex magazine. Kyou, Koshiba Aoi ni Aetara. (今日、小柴葵に会えたら。) will begin in this month’s issue of the magazine, so something to look forward to! Yuri Navi has the magazine cover for you to use as ID.
LINE Webtoons has posted an animated trailer for Color-LES‘s Mage & Demon Queen comic. The trailer is kind of fun, if a little jerky, since it’s basically comic panels that have been animated. Take a look and then go read the comic!
Other News
You may recall the Love is Love comic, collaboration between IDW Publishing and DC Comics, which was created in 2016 to raise money for families of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shootings. Well, sales of the anthology have continued and so, this year the anthology donated $51,000 to The Trevor Project, a crisis intervention group for LGBTQ youth. The New York Times has an article on this that’s worth reading.
Crunchyroll News has the news that the pandering Yuri ecchi-comedy I Like Oppai Best in the World! (that I have never once mentioned because uggghhhhh) is getting a Drama CD. If breast-groping is something that falls under your definition of Yuri, enjoy! We won’t be reviewing it here. ^_^
If you’re looking for something different with which to celebrate the end of the year in Tokyo, take a look at the gaku-GAY-kai 2018 being held in Shinjuku. Festivities include a recitation of an original Yuri story by my friend, Yuri manga artist Mizuki Monica. ^_^ I’m so very excited and happy for her for so many reasons.
Hiiragi Hiyori put up an entry on their Youtube series (in Japanese) on the differences between “Yuri” and “Lesbian.” I don’t agree with his definitions, but it was interesting. His definition of “Lesbian” equials “sex.” Which is, for a lot of reasons as far from mine (i.e., stories with lesbian identity”) as possible, but it’s not surprising that he’s not intersted in/noticing/or caring about lesbian identity, for obvious reasons. It does clearly outline the problem we have with defining Yuri, when lesbians who create/read/watch Yuri are looking for one thing and other chunks of the audience are looking for others. Heterogeniety ahoy!
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast!
Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with your name and an email I can reply to! Our YNN podcast is now available, in which I take a look at some key news items this week..
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
The new WordPress Gutenberg editor bites. My apologies if things look really messed up for a while as I try to wrestle this all into shape. (So much cursing…)
Okazu News
The invitations for the Okazu Patron Holiday Party have gone out! If you are an Okazu Patron and did not receive an invitation by email or Patreon post, please contact me and I’ll shoot you the invite!
I know I’ve been iffy about podcasting, but I plan on doing a big 2018 round up /2019 anticipatory podcast at the end of the year. Bear with me, we’ll have a lot to talk about!
I will be doing a humongous pile of Lucky Boxes for the New Year as well. I have so much cool stuff laying around this house. Clearfiles and postcards and Yuri manga and video box sets and artbooks and cels and stuff. So save a few bucks up to get yourself a box full of 100% pure stuff! Because they will be special. (And I’m going back to Japan in February, so there’ll be more 100% pure stuff for spring! ^_^)
Yuri Manga
Via YNN Correspondent Christian L, Comic Alive is reporting that volume 10 of Anoko no Kiss to Shirayuri wo (Kiss and White Lily For My Dearest Girl) will be the final volume. The final volume will be given a deluxe edition with a special booklet. I just want to take a moment to note that Canno-sensei now has two remarkable and successful series under her belt and I am very interested to see what she’s going to do next.)
I’m super excited to tell you about a special Éclair volume that’s being released this month! Éclair Special Sukinanoha Onna no ko ~ Kitao Taki Sakuhin Kessakusen (エクレアSpecial 好きなのは女の子 北尾タキ百合作品傑作選) is a collection by Kitao Taki, aka circle BQ, formerly of Sakuraike, an artist I have followed for almost twenty years. I’m very happy for Kitao-sensei and wish her great success!
Comic Natalie gives us something new online to read, Kujira’s Sekai no Owari to Majyou no Koi (世界の終わりと魔女の恋) is free (in Japanese) on Comic Walker.
Also from Comic Natalie, Kadokawa Webmanga Site Young Ace has another new digital comic (in Japanese) for us to try out, Akamaru’s Watashi-tachi ha Koi wo Kakenai (私たちは恋を描けない) about a high school girl who is interested in a female manga artist. The description called it a “pseudo-love affair” so YMMV.
Yuri Visual Novel
Little Viktoria wrote me on Twitter to tell me of the new Yuri VN, A Beautiful Ride to Carlisle. “Dana’s summer vacation has just started and she’s on her way to volunteer on an organic farm. But she’s not expecting something wonderful to happen on the train…” It looks sweet and pretty and apparently, I am more interested in road trip stories than school stories. ^_^
Sukera Sparo has a teaser up for a new Yuri VN called Kudano Folklore. The little text on the page reads Girl + Yuri + Urban Legend = Kudano Folklore. Coming Spring 2019, we’ll keep our eyes open for this.
Other News
Animate News has an interview (in Japanese) with Takada Yuuki and Kotobuki Minako who play, respectively, Yuu and Touko in Bloom Into You (streaming on HIDIVE.) They talk about what they think is the best scene in the first six episodes.
You know how sometimes the universe snorts with amusement in your general direction? Well here’s this week’s snort. There will be a Maria-sama ga Miteru 20th anniversary collaboration cafe in Ikebukuro at the Animate Cafe and it will end about a week before I arrive. Doesn’t it make you just want to scream? Thanks, universe. (-_-); I’m gonna just hope that some of the leftover goods make their way over to the store. But really, boo.
Anime Feminist launched a major crowdfunding effort this week and it sailed through the their first goal in mere days. They’ve got a very clear plan for where the money is going (mostly to pay people who work on/for the site) and I hope you’ll take a look!
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast!
Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with your name and an email I can reply to! Our YNN podcast is now available, in which I take a look at some key news items this week..
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Happy New Year to all of you in the Yuri Network! There’s a ton of news to get to today, so away we go…!
Yuri Manga
All of Nakamura Kiyo’s (aka Nakamura Ching’s) manga is available digitally on Bookwalker.jp! That makes all her work available to those of us both inside and outside Japan, including GUNJO, and her self-published work. This is great news, as Nakamura-sensei’s work is both openly gay and utterly unique.
Kumosuzume’s Shiori wo Sagasu Page-tachi (しおりを探すページたち) concludes in Volume 2.
Another Office Yuri story from Pixiv, Still Sick, Volume 1, tells the story of a closeted otaku and her coworker.
From Yuri Navi, we learn that After Hours creator Nishio Yuhta’s newest manga, Mizuno to Sayama, (水野と茶山) started in Comic Beam magazine. Read a sample (in Japanese) on Bookwalker.
From YNN Correspondent Verso S. “A German translation of [Shimanami Tasogare] will be added to the growing list of Western publications for this series…. Wer bist du zur blauen Stunde?, will be joining しまなみ誰そ彼; Oltre le Onde – Shimanami Tasogare; Sombras sobre Shimanami and Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare starting in July.” Check out the link to see the Carlsen edition. Great news for LGBTQ manga.
Yuri Anime
Via Chris Beveridge at Fandom Post, TC Entertainment is planning a 20th anniversary Blu-Ray edition of Go Nagai’s Devilman Lady. I cannot wait. This series is not nearly as well-known, even in Yuri circles, as it ought to be. It is so good and so very gay.
Yuri Visual Novel
Found through Twitter, Apple Cider’s free to download DoraKone, seems adorable. Here’s the description from the website: “Follow along with the adventures of Dulce as she finds new friends, new fun, and maybe even romance in the world of Dragon Connection, a hot new augmented reality mobile game.
A, short, sweet free all-ages GxG visual novel featuring cute girls, friendship, and romance!”
Other News
Recommended reading; Game Studies Special Issue: Queerness and Video Games
Recommended with reservations is Ryan Khosravi’s ‘Sailor Moon’ And The Queer History Of Anime Transformations. This article is a decent overview of anime transformation history, but a rather personal reading of the femininity and queerness of same. Unsurprisingly, my queer reading of anime transformations is rather different. ^_^
Submissions for The 2019 Prism Awards and the Prism Comic Queer Press Grant are open! Get your art and nominations in!
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast! Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Yoshiya Nobuko’s Yaneura no Nishojo was published in 1919-1920 which, by my reckoning, makes 2019-2020 the 100th anniversary of Yuri!
To celebrate I am going to get some of the Yuri essays I’m working on done and at the end of the month, I’ll be unveiling a really special anniversary celebration! Keep your eyes on this space. This is going to be amazing.
But let’s start with Happy 100th Anniversary, Yuri!
Yuri Manga
We’re going to start our week with two new licenses! From Seven Seas, Tsurezure Biyori has been licensed as Our Wonderful Days.
Via YNN Correspondent Sean G., we learn that Mayu, Matou has been licensed by Yen Press as Cocoon, Entwined. I haven’t read this yet, but I think it’s the next thing on the to-read pile, so stay tuned!
We’ve got Nari x Yuki Living, Volume 2 (なり×ゆきリビング ) on the Yuricon Store. Volume 1 was a goofy set up about coworkers cohabitating. Now there’s a Volume 2! Why?! We’ll have to read it to find out!
To celebrate the release of Tamufuru’s Tsukiatte Agetemo Iikana (付き合ってあげてもいいかな) the creator has been interviewed at Comic Natalie and over at Shogagakukan Comic;’s Creator Lounge! (Both interviews in Japanese….but stick a translation plugin on your browser and you can at least understand the basics.)
Available in part on Comic Walker, Risou to Koi ~ Otona Yuri Omnibus~ (理想と恋 ～大人百合オムニバス～) is another Yuri featuring adults collection! No, I am not yet sick of these, but I look forward to the day, ten years from now, when I am. ^_^
Yuri Anime
Via YNN Correspondent Mudakun, in the anime Himote House, Episode 7, the residents play “The Yuri Game” with predictable hijinks.
Other News
It might seem anachronistic or even a relief to today’s generation that gay bars and gay magazines aren’t the only way for queer folks to interact, but there was a certain intimacy about them. My generation was the last for whom that was the only real way to meet other folks. I can’t tell you how many newsletters and magazines I got when I was younger, just to see what other lesbians were doing. On ANN, out gay artist Gengoroh Tagame mourns the loss of the last of the gay print magazines in Japan and with it, an era.
Via Jacquelin Berndt, the papers for the conference, Manga, Comics and Japan (Stockholm University, September 2018) are available online for your reading and research.
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast! Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Yuri Visual Novel
We’ve got the details for the new fully-voiced edition of the blockbuster VN, Kindred Spirits on the Roof Full Chorus from Mangagamer. This is available as a first-time purchase for $44.95 on their website, or on Steam. Folks who have purchased the previous version will be able to download the full voiced version as an extension for $9.95. I liked this enough that I am actually going to download this and don’t think I’m not rolling my eyes at myself. ^_^;;
Yuri Manga
Enjoy Takemiya Jin-sensei’s Omoi no Kakera as a voiced comic on a-koe! Registration is needed. This is such an awesome idea. And her first Galette collection, Itoshi Koishi (いとしこいし), Volume 1, which will hit shelves in Japan this month!
Poland is getting My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness, Sabishisugite Lesbian Fuzoku Ni Ikimashita Report. Preorder link is on the Yatta.pl page.
YNN Correspondent Brunilde F tells us that this record-breaking book, as La Mia Prima Volta, will be out in Italy this month! (Changed the title a bit there, huh? ^_^)
We have a few new items on the Yuricon Store, including the Éclair Special Sukinano ha Onnonoko Kitao Taki Yuri Sakuhin Kessakusen (エクレアSpecial 好きなのは女の子 北尾タキ百合作品傑作選) about which I am very excited, as I love Kitao-sensei’s work. This is the first Éclair volume that takes a look at one author’s work.
We also have volume 2 of the sci-fi android Yuri manga ROID, by shiroshi.
Yuri Manga artist Chisako is posting pages of her new high school girl x OL Yuri romance manga, Ima doki Joshikousei wo Kangaeteruka Wakanakute Tsurai. on Twitter. Check out the hastag, #今どきの女子高生が何を考えてるかわからなくてつらい. ^_^
Manga Jam is premiering Inui Ayu’s adult life Yuri webcomic Teiji ni Agaretara (定時にあがれたら) for free online in Japanese.
Kickstarter Watch
You have just about a week left to back the collected volume of Yuri comic Before You Go by Denise Schroeder from Chromatic Press. I really hope this Kickstarter make its goal, I’d like to see it collected into one print volume!
Bedside Press is kickstarting a GN by Amanda Deibert and Selena Goulding adapted from Eve Zaremba’s ground-breaking lesbian detective novel Work for a Million.
In case you’ve ever wondered exactly what it might take to run a crowdfunding campaign for a graphic novel, Bedside Press’ Hope Nicholson has helpfully produced a guide to this with her Guide to Budgeting for a Graphic Novel Kickstarter.
Events
Via YNN Correspondent Jocelyne A, a Shimura Takako pop-up store and event will be held Valentine’s week in the Yurakucho Marui in Tokyo.
Also happening that week is Comitia, keep an eye out for me there!
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast! Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Live Action News
Yagate Kimi ni Naru/ Bloom Into You will be getting a stage play in May 2019, according to Comic Natalie! Further details TBD. (I’m kind of hoping they do a play within a play.)
Yuri Visual Novels
Studio Élan is hitting 2019 hard with the Heart of the Woods demo – the full game release is about a month away and I think you should definitely check this demo out. Josh Kaplan and his team have taken the interactivity of Visual Novels in some exciting new directions…we’ll be interviewing him here on Okazu shortly! Studio Élan is also offering the prelude to to their next VN, The Waters Above for your entertainment.
Other News
Kodansha Comics launched the English edition of Yuri is My Job with an interview with Comic Yuri Hime‘s Editor-in Chief, Umeko Kanazawa. It’s worth a read to see the decisions they are making with regards to Yuri.
Secret Projects
I’ve got a couple of secret projects that I’m working on and cannot yet tell you about….and, realistically, the ones that fall through you’ll never know about. ^_^ But I can tell you this. If you are an Okazu Patron, please visit this link and watch the very short video!
If you are not an Okazu Patron, consider joining us!
Events
Comitia – February 17, Tokyo Comitia hosts some of your favorite manga artists selling their original works, including the folks from Galette magazine, who are launching several new volumes, including Morita Miyuki’s Philia to Eros no Aida (ピリアーとエロスのあいだ) and Hakamada Mera’s Fuwafuwa・Futashika・ Yumemitai (ふわふわ・ふたしか・夢みたい). The Yuri section is getting larger every year and is well-worth a visit!
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast! Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
100th Anniversary of Yuri
This week we unveiled our 100th Anniversary event! In conjunction with PacSet travel, Yuricon and Okazu will be holding a Yuri-themed tour of Tokyo and the surrounding area. Read about the 100 Years of Yuri Tour and we hope you’ll join us for this once-in-a-lifetime event! ^_^
Yuri Manga
Watashi no Kobushi wo Uketomete, Volume 2 (私の拳をうけとめて) continues the yanki x yanki love(?) story by murata.
Bloom Into You, Volume 6 will be hitting bookstores in English at the end of March.
MURCIÉLAGO, Volume 13 (ムルシエラゴ) is available in Japanese. Whee!
The sequel to Kabi Nagata’s Hitori Koukan Nikki (一人交換日記) will be making it’s JP release this week, and so will the English edition, My Solo Exchange Diary, Volume 2!
And while we’re on the topic, don’t miss Mikan Uji’s one-shot about love at a game development company, Now Loading…! which is out now.
And Yuri Hime is releasing a collection of Twitter Comics by ED, as Lillium Terarium (リリウム・テラリウム)
Other News
ANN reports on the first-ever male PreCure’s voice actor’s feelings about becoming Cure Infini and I gotta say, it’s lovely. ^_^
Boo, Bandai Namco is dropping Sailor Moon Drops game on March 28. Doodyheads. Check out ANN for the details.
Via YNN Correspondent Michelangelo H., here’s a short video on the History of Homosexuality in Film from 2015.
Another ANN report today, as anime voice actors are enjoying the Strong Woman Maker app. That was a few minutes of fun. ^_^
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast! Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Yuri Manga
There’s a ton of new stuff on the Yuricon Store this week!
Nagashiro Rouge’s Eve x Eve, a dystopian “sexy” Yuri manga, with English edition from the new new new Tokyopop. ^_^;
Miman’s Yuri is my Job!, Volume 2 will hit shelves in English in March.
March also sees the English-language release of Bloom Into You, Volume 6 and finally – the play!
In Japan, Kadokawa is launching yet another series of Yuri anthologies, the first one of which is the Yuri wedding-themed White Lilies in Love BRIDE’s 新婚百合アンソロジ.
YNN correspondent Maca Acuña wrote in to let us know that a bunch of Yuri manga is being licensed in Spanish, including Octave, Bloom Into You, GIRL FRIENDS and Watashi Sekai o Kouseisuru Chiri no You na Nani ka as THE FEELINGS WE ALL MUST ENDURE.
MURCIÉLAGO, Volume 13 (ムルシエラゴ) is out in Japan.
So is Watashi no Kobushi wo Uketomete, Volume 2 ( 私の拳をうけとめて). This volume has been cheered along with illustrations by fellow Yuri manga artists Canno and Tanikawa Nico, according to Comic Natalie.
girlsxgarden works Short Stories is a series of webcomics for you to enjoy. (In Japanese)
From Yuri Navi, we get news of Kajiuu-iro Shima (かいじゅう色の島) by Hattori Mitsuru on Comic Walker (in Japanese.)
100th Anniversary of Yuri
We kicked off the 100th Anniversary of the Yuri Genre yesterday with an article, and interview and our fabulous Yuri tour of Japan.
Other News
I don’t know if you caught this but Gail Simone and Stjepan Šejić joked about a Wonder Woman x Lara Croft crossover on twitter, so Šejić went ahead and drew some panels for fun on his Tumblr. They will make you smile. ^_^
The British Museum is launching one of the largest manga exhibits ever. I’m told tickets are selling out quickly, so if you want to see it, get in early…and let us know how it is.
ANN has news that I’ve actually been waiting on for about ten years. Ogata Megumi, voice of Tenoh Haruka in Sailor Moon and Evangelion‘s Shinji, among many others is establishing her own agency for voice talent. She’s been talkking about doing this since the early 2000s, so I wish her the best of luck.
Alex, aka The Aficianodo, wrote about “Bloom Into You, what it says about LGBTQIA+ representation in fiction, and why that resonated with me” on her blog. It’s worth a read!
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast! Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Yuri Events
The Yuriten returns! Yuriten 2019, with main illustration visual by Nakatani Nio, main photo visual by Takahashi Minori, is holding their Yuri exhibition and popup shop in 5 cities: Tokyo from March 16-24, Osaka from March 30- April 7, Sendai from April 13- April 21, Nagoya from April 27-May 6 and Fukuoka, details TBD. 31 creators have committed so far. I won’t be able to make it this time (unless the world conspires for me to be there,) so if you have a chance to attend, please do let me know. We’d love a report.
The first event on my calendar is Toronto Comic Arts Festival where, fingers crossed, I will be doing a talk on 100 years of Yuri! Details TBD for this, also.
Yuri Manga
We have a bunch of new stuff on the Yuricon Store including two Galette items, Fuwafuwa・Futshika・Yumemitai, Volume 1 (ふわふわ・ふたしか・夢みたい) by Hakamada Mera and Ame to Kimi no Mukou (雨と君の向こう) by Momono Moto.
Tamafuru’s Tsukiatte Agetemo Iikana, Volume 1 (付き合ってあげてもいいかな) was popular enough that it sold out on Amazon almost immediately and had to be reordered. I made sure to pick it up while in Japan and expect to see a licensing announcement for it soon, because it’s a dead center hit for the current zeitgeist of adult women Yuri romance.
Dekisokonai no Hime-tachi (できそこないの姫君たち) is Ajiichi’s not-typical school life romance story about two classmates who don’t like each other particularly.
The Lillium Yuri Anthology is in planning stages and has announced the first set of contributors on their Twitter account. The anthology will include a contribution by the Kase-san series creator Takahashi Hiromi.
LGBTQ Comics
Lion Forge’s Summit, Volume 1 stars Valentina “Val” Resnick-Baker, the sole survivor of The Event space mission, who is now haunted by the loss of her teammates and her girlfriend Kay. Advertisted as STEMinist book, it is on shelves now. (Dear writers, not all adult lesbians have lost their lovers before the book begins. Try to find a new plot. Tx. Sincerely, adult lesbians without a dead lover. ^_^)
Yuri Anime
YNN Corespondent Mudakun has written in with two items of note. Despite its problematic nature, Mudakun writes that in ENDRO, “what at first looked like random Yuri teasing (the un-named colleague repeatedly trying to get the diminutive demon lord – retired, now a teacher – drunk) becomes the core of a new arc in ep5 when the princess of the realm makes her appearance and decides that even if Hero is a pink-haired bubbleheaded girl, she is going to marry her Hero.”
And, as a second season has been announced, Mudakun is making a plea in support of Miss Kobyashi’s Dragon Maid.
Yuri Game
Jinrui no Minasama is a survival game that Comic Natalie had filed under their Yuri category. One of the characters, Isana certainly seems to hang on another, Erina in many scenes. ANN has some specifics.
Live-Action News
Another Comic Natalie item that ANN has a report on, Kimi to, Tzuredure is a live-action 3-part Yuri anthology following relationships between women at three different ages. This will get a theatrical release in March in Japan.
Here’s the trailer from Pony Canyon.
In every single store I visited with a Yuri section, was a Yuri photo collection called Yuri Sekai Hikareau Futari wo Kakutame no Pose Shuu (百合世界 惹かれ合うふたりを描くためのポーズ集 ), which is meant to be used as a reference guide for people drawing Yuri. People might use it for that, too. ^_^; The funny thing was that I learned about this because the models followed me on Twitter, then I followed them and found the link to this book. It was in every Yuribu and Yuri corner in Tokyo. The cover illustration is by Fly, who also has an artbook, Maguerite, in the stores that I decided could be shipped to me rather than lugging it home.
Other News
Via YNN Correspondent Christian LeBlanc, we have news of the Canno Avatar generator, on which you can render yourself as a student at Seiran Academy. I can never use these, since gray hair is never an option. ^_^ (That’s why my avatar on Twitter is through the Boulet image generator, Le Bouletmaton. He was thoughtful enough to include both gray hair and cyncism.)
YNN Correspondent Ben W writes in to let us know about ANN’s report of an upcoming Rose of Versailles-inspired game for Nintendo Switch, Shiritsu Verbara Gakuen. One of you with a Switch will have to report back, I’m not buying a Switch just to try this out. ^_^;
ANN reports that 50 top Japanese voice actors have worked on a compilation of advice for prospective seiyuu, The Way of the Voice Actor. It’s in Japanese, but I might pick it ups just to see what everyone has to say after decades in what is not a forgiving or kind industry.
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast! Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Yuri Manga
Yuri Anthology ・LiLium (百合アンソロジー・LiLium has opened a crowdfunding campaign and with 17 days left, is at 81%. Good for them!
Slice-of-life Comic Yuri Hime manga Tsurezure Biyori ( 徒然日和 ) got a Volume 2 in February.
Comic Natalie reports that “Meijrobana Saku,” Nakamura Asumiko’s Yuri story in Rakuen Le Paradis is getting a “real start” in Volume 28 I have no idea what that means, but the volume is sitting here waiting to be read, so hopefully, I’ll find out. ^_^ Denpa Books has released Nakamura-sensei’s book Maiden Railways, which includes a Yuri story, this week in English.
Rental Shop no Oneesan wo Rental Suru Hanashi (レンタルショップでお姉さんをレンタルする話) looks interesting, but Mochi Au Lait has disappointed me before.
Comic Natalie notes that the final chapter of Anoko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo hit Japanese shelves in Comic Alive this week. The story of slacker genius Kurozawa Yurine and over achiever Shiramine Ayaka wraps up after 5 years.
Finally! Kitta Izumi and Momono Moto’s Liberty (リバティ), from Galette will be released at the end of April. I cannot wait. It’s been one of my favorite stories.
Aoi Hana/Sweet Blue Flowers creator Shimura Takako will have a new Yuri series beginning this month in Kiss magazine according to Yuri Navi. ANN has details.
Legend of Korra: Ruins of the Empire Part One is slated for a May release. And Legend of Korra: Turf Wars has now been collected into a Library Edition.
Yuri Events/Goods
Yuriten goods are now up for you to browse. There’s no shop yet, but at least you’ll get a good idea of what will be for sale at the event! The Yuriten Event will be hitting 5 cities from March to May, check the event details for the one nearest you.
Comic Cune magazine has announced that February 27 is the beginning of their Yuri Meguri Fair, with special items at various store’s Yuribu. The Animate in Osaka has an announcement of their own about the Yuri Meguri.
Fans of Ikuhara Kunihiko’s work will want to be in Tokyo in late April for Kunihiko Ikuhara Exhibition: The Desire to Connect Us and The Survival Strategy of the Revolution” at Space 634 in the Tokyo Solamachi shopping mall. Check out ANN for details.
Yuri Drama CD
Mangagamer announces the license of the Yuri Drama CD series Lily Cycle Rainbow Stage. This series follows 15 girls in various relationships. Lilycle Rainbow Stage!!! also features voice actresses you may know. From the press release:
Juri Kimura (Miyamori in Shirobako), MAO (Flip Flappers, Keijo), Haruka Terui (Yuki Yuna is a Hero, Brave Witches), Shiori Mikami (Attack on Titan, Yuru Yuri), Azumi Asakura (iDOLM@STER, High School DxD), Maaya Uchida (iDOLM@STER, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Love Chunibyou & Other Delusions), Aya Uchida (Love Live!, Danganronpa 2, Kemono Friends), Rumi Okubo (Astolfo in Fate/Apocrypha, Chinatsu in Yuru Yuri), Aya Suzaki (Kill la Kill, Tamako Market).
To be honest, I have not followed this series at all. Everything about them is geared towards a segment of the audience I do not inhabit. After listening to a few samples at Animate over the years, I’ve just given them a pass. But we’ll see if an English-language release can convince me to give them a try. ^_^
Other News
I received a press release last week that was so spectacular in and of itself, I want to share it with you. That aside, the news it announces is exciting, as well. ComiXology has launched a new Originals line comic, Delver by Spike Trotman, M.K. Reed and Clive Hawken. Here is the opener for this press release. I actually tweeted to Chip to let him know how fabulous I thought this was.
“Special Note: Many of you know Spike Trotman as the woman who raised $1 million dollars for comic book projects on Kickstarter, though sadly her prodigious business skills have overshadowed her prodigious artistic talent. We’re excited to release Delver #1 today to help alleviate that problem. Spike is a “once-in-a-generation” talent, be it on the business side or on the creative side. She’s joined here by the also immensely talented MK Reed and Clive Hawken, delivering a very unique fantasy book that is nothing like what you’ve read before. As always, I’m excited to see how fans react… and excited to have another creator-owned comic series debut from comiXology Originals.
– Chip Mosher, Head of Content, comiXology Originals.”
Global BOOKWALKER has launched new simulpub storefront and adds simulpubs from Kodansha Comics to their lineup.
Leah Holmes posted this fantastic look back at Anime Babes, an early UK women’s anime fan group that had a lasting impact: Artefacts of Geek Days Past: Anime Babes.
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast! Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Yuri Anime
From Senior YNN Correspondent Verso S, we have the news that Japanese subscription satellite channel Wowow will be broadcasting the TV debut of Asagao to Kase-san at 11:45 on March 29! Another great piece of news for this series that has accomplished so much.
Sailor Moon Super S The Movie is now out, with its moments of Haruka and Michiru wonderfulness as the Senshi battle a threat from outer space. The music isn’t as epic as “Moon Revenge,” but any moment we can intrude on Haruka and Michiru on a date is a good moment. ^_^
YNN Correspondent Eric P wants to let you know that ANN’s Mitch and Steven covered an under-the-radar Yuri anime called Mysteria Friends. High production value and tits, so if that’s your boom, you ought to like it. ^_^
Speaking of high production value, I watched Liz and the Blue Bird yesterday thanks to Verso, (I plan on watching it again today before I review it tomorrow) and you could argue that it is a Yuri story, if you were so inclined. It certainly was an interesting and thought-provoking story. The US release is out from Eleven Arts and I think its worth a watch.
Yuri Manga
Couple of new items on the Yuricon Store, where we are rapidly approaching 1000 Yuri items!
Mochi Au Lait’s Rental Shop Onee-san wo Rental no Suru Hanashi (レンタルショップでお姉さんをレンタルする話) looks fun. I sincerely hope it actually is.
Yuino Chiri’s werewolf feudal fantasy Scarlet, Volume 1, (スカーレット) is violent and bloody, but hey, Yuri werewolves and vampires, oh my.
Itoshi Koishi, Volume 1 (いとしこいし) by Takemiya Jin is sweet as cream. ^_^
I have no idea yet what to make of Watagiri Saya’s Sunami Yuko to Yurina Hitobito (須波優子と百合な人びと). I presume its a comedy, but that’s always a questionable premise for me. ^_^;
And here’s today’s important thing of note: You may recall that My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness‘ Japanese title is Sabishi-sugi Rezu Fuzoku ni Ikimashita Report (さびしすぎてレズ風俗に行きましたレポ). Well, this week I see that Ichijinsha, publisher of Comic Yuri Hime in an all out race to put out as many Yuri anthologies as Kadokawa, has listed Lesbian Fuzoku Anthology (レズ風俗アンソロジー) No contributors listed yet, but one Pixiv creator is talking about being part of it. Based on that one creator’s comics, it appears to be a collection of stories about not-queer women having a “lesbian experience,” with a sex worker not about the lesbian experience of life. I’ll let you know as I get more info.
Speaking of things happening in Yuri – the pre-order for Yen Press’ English edition of Kurukuruhime’s Yuri Life – about the daily life of a cute happily coupled couple – is up for pre-order!
Seven Seas weighs in with Naoko Kodama’s I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up which is slated for a July release and the preorders for all four volumes of Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare! (Volume 1 May 2019 | Volume 2 July 2019 | Volume 3 September 2019 | Volume 4 December 2019).
These two rivalries (Ichijinsha/Kadokawa and their English localizers Seven Seas/Yen Press) are going to be something to watch…and also the market reaction to this veritable flood of Yuri manga. I take a look at this major moment in Yuri’s development as a genre – and the trend in Japan that spawned it – on this week’s Okazu YNN Podcast!
LGBTQ Comics
Sparkler Monthly ran a successful kickstarter for Yuri comic Before You Go and now they are releasing the ebook for LGBTQ comic For Peace by Alexis Cooke about Bebe and Lillian, who meet on a forum for truckers.
Kickstarter Watch
The third Dates! An Anthology of Queer Historical Fiction kickstarter from Margins Publishing is live. If you enjoyed the first two volumes (which I totally did: Volume 1 and Volume 2 reviews here) this third one looks to be just as much fun.
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Yuri Manga
Viz announced the license for A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow, with a projected Autumn 2019 release. I’ve reviewed the first four volumes in Japanese. This is good news as it is the first Yuri Viz has picked up since Sweet Blue Flowers and I’m glad to see them still in the game.
From Comic Natalie, YuriSkebu (百合スケブ) is about a young woman who draws her fantasy Yuri pair-ups in a sketchbook, running in Comic Ryu magazine. You can read a sample here (in Japanese.) It looks cute.
Akili, who you may remember from Stretch, has a new manga called Vampires. Read a sample (in Japanese) on Sunday GX online.
Hannah Blumereich’s Full Court Crush, about “Gentle high school dingdongs find love” is available as a PDF for what you want to pay.
We have a couple of new items on the Yuricon Store:
Hero-san to Moto Onna Kanbu-san (ヒーローさんと元女幹部さん) about a superhero and the evil mastermind she loves.
Ikemen sugi desu Shiki-sempai! (イケメンすぎです紫葵先パイ!) which is a fun little school romance from Comic Yuri Hime, about a girl i love with her too-cool-for-her-shirt sempai.
Hisakawa Haru’s Yurikon, Volume 2 (ゆりこん) was cute, but I wish it hadn’t had to end. ^_^
Maid Yuri and possibly creepy faux-historical Sayonara Rose Garden (さよならローズガーデン) which is on my to-read pile.
And Ichayarafushikanai Yuri Anthology Comic (いちゃらぶしかない百合アンソロジーコミック) which centers on stories in which the characters talk things over. ^_^ I think they finally found *my* fetish.
Also from Comic Natalie, Yoshitomi Akihito is promoting his new book Lilystem (リリィシステム) at the Yuriten event.
Yuri Events
Speaking of the Yuriten, the Tokyo show is wrapping up on the 24th, and the exhibition will re-open on the 30th in Osaka!
I’ll be updating my speaking schedule shortly, but do not miss me at Toronto Comic Arts Festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for May 11 &12 for a 100 years of Yuri celebration! TCAF is always an excellent event and this year will be Yuriful!
I once again invite you all to join us for the 100th anniversary of Yuri Tour of Tokyo. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
If you are in or near Michigan State University on Friday March 29, they are hosting two interesting talk events! Jennifer Robertson on Gendering Robots: Robo-Sexism & Retro-Tech in Japan and Roundtable on Pedagogical Approaches to Sexual Minorities in Curriculum Development. If you do go, let us know how it was!
Yuri Anime
YNN has the news that bottom-feeder magazine Champion Trap manga Fragtime is gettting an anime and I am once again angry at the unfairness of the anime gods. Women don’t upskirt each other. It’s sexual assault, not sexy.
Other News
Check out the new 100th anniversary banner we have on the top of Okazu! Thanks to our endlessly talented webmistress Lissa! I’ve decided that they are named Natsuki and Kaoru, which will make perfect sense if you’ve been reading Okazu long enough. ^_^
Komatsu-san has the news that in celebration of Yuru Yuri‘s 10th anniversary, fans can get a special series art T-card from entertainment retail chain Tsutaya with other extras.
HBO is going to show the BBC series about cross-dressing 18th century lesbian Anne Lister, Gentleman Jack. You will want to watch the trailer. ^_^
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Yuri Manga
Taifu Comics has announced that the Kase-san series will getting a French release in May with Kase-san & les belles-du-jour! Check that link for a few sample pages in French. ^_^
From Yuri Navi, we have news of Shimura Takako-sensei’s newest series, a Yuri series running in Kiss magazine called “Otona ni Nattemo” (おとなになっても). I’m more surprised that is running Kiss than anything else.
Uzu’s Leonhart is a Yuri webcomic that tells the story of a young woman who wants to meet the player behind the dashing paladin who always saves her in an online game, and finds that her prince is a woman! Sample pages can be found on Yuri Navi, or you can read the current chapter on Takeshobo’s MangaLife Storia site. (In Japanese.)
After it celebrated a successful Kickstarter, Seven Seas has licensed Mira Ong Chua’s Yuri Graphic Novel, ROADQUEEN: Eternal Roadtrip to Love! That’s pretty fabulous.
New on the Yuricon Store:
Doku Yuri Otome Douwa (毒百合乙女童話) is a “little pervy poison Yuri maiden story.”
The popularity of My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness did not teach the publishers the lesson we has hoped and instead of more authentic stories about lesbians dealing with life, we’re seeing more stories about lesbian sex workers. BariKyari to Shinsou (バリキャリと新卒) is about a lesbian sex worker who finds a client of hers is her boss, when she takes up an office job.
In Teiji ni Ageretara (定時にあがれたら), Mizuki becomes acquainted with Yukawa while eating lunch. One day she finds a sticky note in her coat pocket.
Fuzoroi Renri (不揃いの連理) is about a broken-hearted office lady and a younger woman who find each other, despite the many things that ought to keep them apart.
And Satsumaage’s Douseiseikatsu Watashi o Sukittekoto Desho (同棲生活 わたしを好きってことでしょ) has a sequel, Douseiseikatsu 2 Watashi dake ga Tokubetsunara ii no ni (同棲生活2 わたしだけが特別ならいいのに).
Shigoto no ato ha Koishiyou (仕事の後は恋しよう) is another office romance, this one from East Press, so I hope for some actual lesbian identity. Fingers crossed.
The Lilies Anthology is once again open for submissions. You have until June 15th to get those stories in.
Looking for a comic with queer witches and contemporary social commentary? Listen to Kirsten Thompson talk about Hexed!
Yuri Events
Barcuch College in NYC is running a special event on Prewar manga and LGBTQ manga on April 18th with speakers Andrea Horbinski and Anne Ishii.
Kase-san series creator Takashima Hiromi-sensei will be a featured guest at Toronto Comic Arts Festival on May 11-12 at the Toronto Public Reference Library. I’ll be interviewing her (!) and doing a presentation on 100 Years of Yuri. I will also be curating an exhibit of items from my personal collection. It’s going to be a fantastic event and just a little even queerer than usual. ^_^(And it’s always a little queer. ^_^)
I also hope you’ll consider spending a week with me in Tokyo on the 100 Years of Yuri Tour! Okazu Patrons get $100 off the deposit, everyone who signs up will get a specially-designed Tour t-shirt (I just saw the final image this week. it looks brilliant!) We’ll be visiting locations of Yuri importance, great Yuri shopping and loads of fun stuff!
Other News
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood has been envisioned as a graphic novel, by Renee Nault from Bedside Press. You can read some sample pages on The Mary Sue.
On the good news side, YNN correspondent Roberto R. points us to Republica, where there is an article about a female couple, one Italian Navy Lt. Commander, and the other a marshal who have been bonded in a civil union in Italy. Do check out those smiling faces. ^_^
Check our the Twitter hashtag “Koito Yuu Matsuri” (#小糸侑生誕祭2019) for fun pictures of of Touko and Yuu from Bloom Into You.
We’ll wrap up today’s report with this Atlas Obscura article on Yoshiya Nobuko which manages to discuss her work and life without mentioning Yuri once. ^_^
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Yuri Manga
We’ve got a bunch of new manga on the Yuricon Store!
White Lilies in Love Kaoru Toki, Anata ha. Shakaijin Yuri Anthology (White Lilies in Love 花香るとき、貴方は。 社会人百合アンソロジー) is yet another adult life Yuri anthology from Kadokawa. I am not complaining. ^_^
I have been waiting for this book for literally a couple of years now – Liberty (リバティ), Volume 1 by actress Kitta Izumi and manga artist Momono Momo is finally getting a collected volume!
End of the world Yuri fantasy Sekai no Owari to Majyou no Koi 世界の終わりと魔女の恋 by KUJIRA looks interesting.
Haru meets Midori, her best friend’s daughter at the funeral. She’s not great with human relationships, but she’s got to take care of Midori in Haru to Midori (春とみどり).
Iwami Kyoko’s short story collection Transparent Light Blue is out in English this month, and her vastly superior ongoing Comic Yuri Hime serial Luminous= Blue, Volume 1 (ルミナス=ブルー ) was released in March. Hopefully we’ll get that series, as well.
It’s Vampire x Vampire Hunter in Akiyama’s Killing Me! hitting shelves this summer in English from Yen Press.
Here’s an online illustrated novel (in Japanese) I’ve got on my to-read list: Sheets no Shita ni Juu Futatsu (シーツの下に銃ふたつ) with art by Kitao Taki and story by Hoshii Nanase, about a criminal and a cop who fall for one another.
Lastly, for fans of Otome no Teikoku by Kishi Tojiroo, a digital-only Otome no Teikoku / Ah-Chie Special (オトメの帝国／あーちえスペシャル) is available on JP Kindle inside Japan and Book Walker outside Japan. Follow the extra adventures of couple Ai and Chie including special color illustrations!
Yuri Anime
YNN Correspondent Super lets us know that ANN has the scoop on Anime Fans Pick the Most Heart-pounding Yuri Anime! The list has a surprising few series.
Yuri Game
So I popped on to HIDIVE to watch something and found that there was a huge banner announcing pre-registration for the Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight game in English. According to the Lilycat, pre-reg has reached 300,000 as of this past week. I’m still smarting from the loss of Sailor Moon Drops, and need a new game, so I’ll give it a try.
Yuri Nurse fetish game Nurse Love Syndrome is getting a new game and an English release, says Joseph Luster over at Crunchyroll News. The PC game with English subtitles will be followed by a PS Vita iteration.
Other News
Check out Wild Nights with Emily, a new movie based on poet Emily Dickinson’s passionate love letters to Susan Ziegler.
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Yuri Events
It is my very great pleasure to announce that I will be presenting 100 Years of Yuri at Toronto Comic Arts Festival at 10AM on Saturday, May 11, 2019 in the Toronto Public Library Learning Centre. This will be followed by a Creator spotlight with Kase-san series creator Takashima Hiromi at 12 noon (location TBD)! This is very exciting and I hope to see you all there. Admission to TCAF is free and open to the public.
Kara Dennison has the scoop on the Kunihiko Ikuhara Exhibition -The Survival Strategy of Desire and Revolution That Connects Us at Crunchyroll News which opens April 27 in Tokyo.
If you’re going to be in or near New York City on May 18 and 19, definitely make time for Queers & Comics at NYU! It’s all LBTQQ comics for two sold days. I’ll be moderating a panel on Queer Manga on Saturday. It will be really educational and fun! Admission is only $20 for both days. There will be a shop full of queer comics, with proceeds split between Prism Comics, the event and creators.
Yuri Manga
Tokuwotsumu’s Tsuki to Koi wa Michireba Kakeru (月と恋は満ちれば欠ける) follows two childhood friends who meet again as adults.
Salad Bowl, Volume 1 ( サラダボウル) by Kiyan is a rollicking fantasy about four women who live and travel together in a trailer, serialized in Comic Yuri Hime.
Seven Seas announced the license for Yuino Chiri’s Yuri not-a-vampire series Scarlet, this week.
Yuri Light Novel
Super exciting news. There will be a second Yagate Kimi ni Naru: Saeki Sayaka ni Tsuite (やがて君になる 佐伯沙弥香について 2) light novel. Again authored by Iruma Hitoma and illustrated by series creator Nakatani Nio-sensei.
Takashima Hiromi-sensei has illustrated the online light novel on Yomuco, by Nanbu Kumako LOVELY！～ Aishi Mamecchi (LOVELY！～愛しのまめっち)。It’s pretty a straightforward Yuri school romance, and good for reading practice. ^_^
Also on Yomuco is a Yuri romance between a cop and a criminal, Sheets no Shita ni Jun Futatsu (シーツの下に銃ふたつ) written by Hoshii Nanao and illustrated by Kitao Taki!
Yuri Visual Novel
I recommend taking a look at Yurimother’s review of Lingua Fleur: Lily for a non-romance LGBTQ VN!
Yuri Live Action
Fuji TV’s on Demand service is premiering Yuridano Kandano (百合だのかんだの) in late May. The story follows Ebara Yuri, who is forced out of her house by a stalker. When she finds a new place to live, she is recognized as a former idol, “Yuri-chan.” The story is meant to focus on forms of communication and affection between women. Check out a few pictures on Yuri Navi. Interestingly, Fuji was the network which showed Transit Girls a few years ago.
Other News
If you’ve been wondering what Morinaga Milk-sensei has been up to, Comic Natalie has your answer. She’s been working on a Comic Essay about fostering cats that a friend had to give up because of allergies, Neko Borabu no Milk-san (ねこボラ部のみるくさん).
Get 3 James Tiptree, Jr. Award (for female science fiction authors) novels on Kindle for only $9.99. Liz Hand’s Waking the Moon, Eleanor Arnason’s A Woman of the Iron People, and Nancy Springer’s Larque on the Wing.
Natasha H. takes an in-depth look at her exploration of asexuality with Bloom Into You at Crunchyroll.
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Yuri Manga
The English-language Yuri Anthology Lilies v7: Lily Bulb is live & V8 is open for submissions! Get your copy of Volume 7 as a download on Gumroad or buy a print copy on Lulu.. To submit your work to Lilies, Volume 8, which will have the theme “Dreams” check out the Anthology team’s Twitter or Tumblr for more guidelines.
Volume 9 of Kiss & White Lily for My Dearest Girl is getting a May release in English. Only one volume left in the series!
ANN has the news that Yagate Kimi ni Naru will be ending with Volume 8 in November 2019. In the meantime, Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Volume 7 was released this week in Japan! While we’re on the topic, Comic Natalie reminds us that the Yagate Kimi ni Naru live-action play is running May 3-12 in Tokyo and offers us some visuals of the main characters.
Wahhh! The Yuritora Jump ~ Ultra Jump Yuri Digital Anthology~ (ユリトラジャンプ～ウルトラジャンプ百合アンソロジー～ vol.2) from Shueisha is back with a volume 2! This is digital only, so if you’re in Japan, it’s available on Amazon JP Kindle and for the rest of us, from Bookwalker Global.
Ichijinsha’s Chocolat 2 Shakaijin Yuri Anthology ( ショコラ2 社会人百合アンソロジー) and Rezu Fuuzoku Anthology (レズ風俗アンソロジー) are up on the Yuricon Store!
Rakuen le Paradis magazine is publishing yet another Yuri story, this time on their web version, Shigisawa Kaya’s Stay Gold. Click the link to read a sample in Japanese.
ANN Reports that DMP is launching a new Yuri doujinshi imprint Lilyka. The online store will go live on May 1st. One of their two initial titles is a Momono Moto book reviewed here as Ame to Kimi no Mukou (雨と君の向こう), The Rain and the Other Side of You. The second, Lily Fairy Tale -Little Mermaid met Hansel and Gretel– by mintaro, I saw at Comitia, but declined to pick up. Another publisher in the Yuri space is always a good thing, but I have reservations about DMP. Their business model is a mess and they start a lot of projects, but rarely follow through with consistency. I hope this works for all of us!
Yuri Light Novel
Via YNN Correspondent Sean Gaffney, ANN reports that J-Novel Club has licensed two Yuri light novels. Side-by-Side Dreamers by Iori Miyazawa, translated by Sean MCann (follow the link to a free sample in English) and Seriously Seeking Sister! Ultimate Vampire Princess Just Wants Little Sister – Plenty of Service Will Be Provided which was published online on Shousetsu ni Narou, where you can read it in Japanese. Written by HiironoAme, it is listed as “coming soon” at J-Novel Club.
Other News
Pride.com offer up a list of 7 LGBT Comic Anthologies Every Queer Nerd Should Have on Their Shelves. We have reviewed 5 here on Okazu. . ^_^
The Loyola Phoenix reports that First-year Latin Student Wins Foreign Language Graphic Novel Contest. How fun!
Kayla Cobb looks at She-Ra, Season 2 and finds it funnier and queerer than ever on The Decider. (I’m watching it now.)
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to adreordress them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
Tons of news this week as we get ready for TCAF festivities! (So, no YNN report next week.)
Yuri Events
Galette Yuri Matsuri – May 6 in Tokyo at Culture Culture in Shibuya. The folks from Yuri manga magazine Galette are running a Yuri event of their very own! Artists Momono Moto, Hakamada Mera, Hamano Ringo, Morinaga Milk and Morita Miyuki will be there.
Yuriten 2019 wraps up its time in Nagoya this weekend with a lot of signings! It will move to Fukuoka from May 18-26 for its final week.
Toronto Comic Arts Festival – May 11,12 at the Toronto Reference Library with events in the surrounding area. Check out a 100 Years of Yuri exhibit at the Toronto Reference Library, listen to me talk about 100 Years of Yuri and speak with Kase-san creator Hiromi Takashima and lesbian horror comic artist Emily Caroll! The schedule is jam-packed with great stuff and its free!
Comitia is returning to Tokyo Big Sight on May 12! There’s always tons of good stuff to be had. Galette No. 10 will be available among other Yuri circles.
Queers & Comics – May 17, 18 at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Over 140 LGBTQ cartoonists, scholars, publishers, and librarians will participate on panel discussions. Prism Comics will be running a shop full of amazing queer comics. Don’t miss this biannual event. We’ll be talking about the History of Queer Manga on Saturday evening!
Phew, May is a heck of a month for us. Help us to get to these events and pay our writers! If you enjoy our work here – Okazu needs your support. $5/month will make a huge difference for us.
Yuri Manga
Yen Press announced the license for the remainder of the ÉCLAIR: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates In Your Heart series – BLEUE, BLANCHE, and ROUGE by ASCII Media Works. Following anthology Éclair: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart, the series features artists like Reine Hibiki, Miman, Canno, Nakatani Nio. BLEUE comes to stores everywhere November 2019, BLANCHE in January 2020, and ROUGE in April 2020.
Via YNN Correspondent zestuboshi, Rakuen le Paradis magazine has a chunky sample of Takemiya Jin’s Fujyourina Atashi-tachi( 不条理なあたし達) on their web comics page – click the white bunny on the left, then click April 5th. On April 20th, you can also read Shigasawa Kaya’s Stay Gold, which is a Yuri short, as well. Site and manga are in Japanese.
Chapter 1 of Seta Seta’s funny/weird series Yuri Wall is available in English on Amazon Kindle.
And we’ve got yet another “sweet” Yuri anthology, Syrup Shakaijin Yuri Anthology (シロップ 社会人百合アンソロジー) featuring stories by Morinaga Milk, Kodama Naoko, Yoshimurakana and more, on the Yuricon Store. The important thing to nore here is that this anthology is from Futabasha, which means we’ve got yet another publisher throwing their hat in the already full Yuri anthology ring.
YNN Correspondent Catherine C. wants you to know that the English language version of Renta, “an online digital manga site targeting primarily women,” recently started publishing Yuri. One of their titles is Want to Sell Me Your Body? which I’ve reviewed here on Okazu (in Japanese).
Yuri Anime
YNN Correspondent Super writes in to say that “in the fourth episode of Carole and Tuesday, it was shown that the former wife of one of the side characters is in a happy lesbian relationship and is going to marry with her partner soon.” Thanks Super, something to check out!
Yuri Podcasts
Check out the Manga Mavericks Podcast on May 5th where I answer some seriously good, thoughtful questions about Yuri!
Date TBD, but later this month I’ll be going over some important Yuri history with the Tomochoco Yuri Podcast.
Okazu News
We have hit our 4000th post here on Okazu. Wow. I take a look at an anthology of Yuri brides (that actually includes lesbians and everything!) for that milestone.
LGBTQ Manga
Wahh! OUR DREAMS AT DUSK: Shimanami Tasogare is hitting shelves this week! Do not miss this terrific LGBTQ manga, in English from Seven Seas.
Other News
From Carmen Philips at Autostraddle, “Saving Face” Director Alice Wu Is Bringing a Lesbian Teen Rom-Com to Netflix! Also Wahh! Everything about this news sparks joy. ^_^
Japan Times’ Kris Kosaka takes a look at Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon: Two pioneering women in Japanese literature.
DaVinci magazine takes a look at Shimura Takako’s series about a performing arts school which is not-Takarazuka-at-all, Awajima Hyakkei. I am, somewhat to my own surprise, still reading this series. ^_^
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!
Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!
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