Archive for the Okazu News Category


Journey Through the First 100 Years of Yuri Manga with Erica Friedman By Your Side

February 18th, 2021

It’s official! I and Journey Press are pleased to announce By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Manga & Anime.

The term “Yuri” began life as a coded reference to lesbianism within manga and anime genres, but in the last two decades has been shaped by creators, publishers and fans into a genre of its own. Though Yuri as a genre is a modern development, it has a century of artistic and literary history behind it. In “By Your Side: The First 100 Year of Yuri,” we take a stroll through that history, from Yoshiya Nobuko’s pioneering works for young women in 1920s Japan, to current 21st century trends in webcomics, light novels, visual novels, events, manga and more.

Factual, funny and highly entertaining, By Your Side is a series of interlocking essays, articles and lectures from Friedman’s work on Yuri anime and manga. Meant to be approached as informal discussion in the manner of convivial conversation over multiple dinners, or panels at an anime convention, through these essays, readers will become familiar with the key creators, tropes, concepts, symbols and titles of the first 100 years of the Yuri genre. Walk by our side as we journey through the past, present and future of Yuri!

By Your Side is scheduled for a June 2022 release, in time for both Pride Month and the 20th anniversary of Okazu, the oldest and  most comprehensive site on Yuri in any language.

 

About Erica Friedman

Erica holds a Masters Degree in Library Science and a B.A. in Comparative Literature, and is a full-time researcher for a Fortune 100 company. She has lectured at dozens of conventions and presented at film festivals, notably the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Film Festival and the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. She has participated in an academic lecture series at MIT, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Harvard University, Kanagawa University, and others.

She has edited manga for JManga, Seven Seas and Udon Entertainent, most recently Riyoko Ikeda’s epic historical classic, The Rose of Versailles.

Erica has written about Yuri for Japanese literary journal Eureka,  Animerica magazine, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund,  Dark Horse, and contributed to Forbes, Slate, Huffington Post, Hooded Utilitarian, and The Mary Sue online. The founder of Yuricon, she has written news and event reports, interviews Yuri creators and reviews Yuri anime, manga and related media on her blog Okazu since 2002.

 

About Journey Press

Journey Press was born in 2019 with the goal of bringing unusual and diverse science fiction to the forefront of the publishing landscape. They are dedicated to supporting the women and queer people who have been erased from the history books and reprinting novels that fell by the wayside, in addition to publishing new novels by creators of all types.

For interviews, signings or appearances please contact Erica Friedman

https://www.yuricon.com/contact-yuricon/

For all other publicity, please contact Christine Sandquist at publicity@journeypress.com

Contact Us

 

 





New Tier on Patreon and a New Patron Benefit!

January 1st, 2021

Heading into 2021, we have some changes to announce on the Okazu Patreon! We have a brand new Patron level for folks who wish to support Yuri Studio specifically. The Okazu Producer level (and above) entitles you to all the benefits of previous levels, plus being thanked by name on our Yuri Studio videos! You can see Okazu Producer listed among our tiers: https://www.patreon.com/Okazu

We also have a brand new benefit for Patrons – a special Patron lounge on the Okazu Discord! Become a Patron and you’ll have access to a safe, welcoming space for chat about Yuri, food, and things that make you happy.

Thank you again for being my Okazu family and here’s to a great 2021!





Okazu Community Standards Have Been Updated

August 11th, 2020

I cannot believe that in 2020 I have to say this, but recently there have been a spate of really grotesque comments by supposed fans here on Okazu. I’m not talking about harassment, that’s always ridiculous and not at all worth worrying about. I’m talking about some new fans here on Okazu who have, in recent days, posted really not-okay things in the comments. As a result I have updated the Community Standards  & Commenting Guidelines for 2020. Please read them

Today I have added this passage to the guideline forbidding ad hominem attacks against other commenters or readers:

This guideline also bans comments with any expressions of prejudice, including, but not limited to: transphobia, homophobia, fatphobia, ableism, misogyny, misogynoir, racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, white supremacy, religious intolerance or bias against gender or sexual minorities. Pedophilia/pederasty are explicitly not included in this list and regards to those, apologist comments are unwelcome and will be removed.

But let me be VERY clear. At Okazu we love and adore our trans siblings. Transphobic comment are unwelcome and will never be allowed. Full stop. Fatphobic comments are equally unwelcome. So are all your purity tests, and anything else I disagree with. Okazu is my blog. Intolerance will not be tolerated. Everyone is welcome here…except bigots.

To the people who claim Okazu cannot be a real Yuri blog unless I fulfill some criteria they made up.  You like a genre called Yuri because I helped create it. There would be no “Yuri” without me, you dumb fucks.  ^_^





2020 Online Yuri Panel Schedule!

May 1st, 2020

I’ve been promising this for some time, but at last I have set up a tentative schedule for our 2020 Online Yuri Panel.

 
On May 27th, 2020 4:00 PM EST, we’ll be doing an Okazu Patron-only access for live test. This will include me doing the  setting up of my “film studio” and goofs, so Okazu Patrons will get back stage access and have a chance to see me flail around with lights and screens and moving my furniture, as well as think about questions for the panel.  ^_^
 

On May 31, 2020, Time TBA – we’ll be running a public access Yuri panel, open to all! Come with questions. I’ll be talking good stuff to read and watch, and industry commentary.

I hope to see you all there, of course and look forward to seeing all our Okazu patrons there!





100 Years of the Yuri Genre Anniversary Kickoff!

February 8th, 2019

 

The end of last month, we officially kicked off our 100th Anniversary of the Yuri Genre series with what I hope will be a saturation of articles, interviews and podcasts. 

Thanks to the folks at Proyecto Sugoi for the chance to talk about Yuri in the first of my 100th Anniversary of Yuri interviews!

Also many thanks to Anime Herald, for letting me write a post about this anniversary for them. Yuri-1919-2019, Then and Now.

Don’t miss our once-in-a-lifetime 100th Anniversary Japan Tour. Seriously, this is the coolest thing we have ever done. Okazu Patrons get a discounted deposit fee. 

Speaking of the perqs of patronage, Okazu Patrons have been given an exclusive sneak peak of a new chapter for the Big Book ‘o Yuri (still not its official name, but it makes me laugh). Become an Okazu Patron and get a look at Yuri Magazines and Anthologies, Part 1.

And check out our new headline banner here on Okazu. How spiffy is that? Thanks to our brilliant designer and web guru Lissa for this lovely anniversary rendition of our Okazu mascots. 

Help me celebrate this important anniversary – contact me if you’d like me to speak as part of your event, organization, school or podcast!