What Does The Fox Say?, Volume 1

June 29th, 2026

A woman partially draped in a white blouse, shows her tattooed shoulder and back, as she smokes in bed.When What Does The Fox Say? hit Lezhin, it was an instant hit. (Which made it just that much weirder that the service terminated it in a purge of LGBTQ+ works.)  In some ways, I credit this series for the “toxic Yuri” phenomenon of the last few years. 

After many series set in schools, with apparently saccharine, immature romances, it makes sense that a generation of Yuri fandom, itself having graduated school and moved into the workplace, was looking for something more “adult.”

And where there are adults, there is “adult” content. Fans want their terrible people having sex. Every generation wants this. ^_^ Team Gaji had their finger on the pulse at the right time and place. 

In What Does The Fox Say?, Volume 1, Sungji, a young and attractive new worker at a company, is caught up in a very pointy three-way relationship. More accurately, Sunji’s boss, Sumin, has her eyes on Sunji, while also being the plaything of Seju, the company president. 

 The problem here for me is that everyone is passively just letting the situation become intolerable. Sungji is attracted to Sumin, who absolutely should not be encouraging that, but is, as an escape tor her own miserable relationship with Seju. No one’s particularly happy and absolutely nothing good can come out of anything as long as the pecking order stays intact. The other issue is that I prefer evil women over toxic. All that passive misery was setting my teeth on edge. Like, lean into it, do bad things with gusto! 

In terms of the technicals, the pages are a bit hard to read as they were transferred to a book format from online without adapting the layout. That leaves a number of pages with slow-paced empty panels, or the visual equivalent of mumbling, as words are squished on to a too-small page. 

All of this would have been fine if I could find interest in any of the characters. They may all be adults, but none of them were grown up enough to keep my attention. 

Ratings: 

Art – At the time it debuted, a beacon of adult women in a sea of children
Story – Pure 1970s soap opera
Characters – A bit flat
Service – There is sex. Some of it is quite uncomfortable-making
Yuri – 10

Overall – 7

This isn’t a bad manhwa, it’s just not the kind of adult content I’m looking for. Whether it wears well over time, will be very interesting to see. 

Thanks to Yen Press for the review copy, via ANN, where I am also reviewing this for the Summer manga guide.

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Yoshiya Nobuko 130th Anniversary Exhibit at the Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature

June 28th, 2026

Poster of Yoshiya Nobuko exhibit at the Kanagawa Museum of Literature. Seated Yoshiya in a dressy blouse and fashionable short hair, looks at the camera with a slight smile. Today we have a special report! At my request, our Japanese Correspondent, Sasori took her and us to the Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature for a special exhibit celebrating the 130th anniversary of Yoshiya Nobuko, a foundational writer for the Yuri genre.  Her book Yaneura no Nishojo established many of the most common tropes of Yuri. Yoshiya-sensei also built a house in Kamakura (in Kanagawa) with her partner, Monma Chiyo, where they lived their lives out.  That house is now a museum, which I visited.

So please give your attention to Sasori as we spend some time with Yoshiya-sensei’s life!

by Sasori, Okazu Staff Writer

It was time to take a trip to Kanagawa, Yokohama, to learn about origins of yuri and the “founder of the “S”(slang for sister/deep female friendship) relationship novel”, Yoshiya Nobuko. The exhibit. “Yoshiya Nobuko: The Origins of Sisterhood” was held from, 4/4-5/31, at the Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature, the museum specializes in historical works from Japanese authors. This exhibit was a focus on her life’s work in novels and her history from (1896-1973). I did know a bit about Yoshiya’s yuri influences, thanks to sister/Catholic school yuri themes from series Marimite, Strawberry Panic, as well as Dear Brother and her being a pioneer of shoujo manga.

Hand drawn art and words in a notebook, image and at by Sasori.No pictures were allowed in the exhibit, but I was enchanted by all the preserved books and novels from the 1920’s and 30’s. There were also newspaper and activism articles, my favorites being about female political movements. I tried to scribble out a few memorable ones in my notebook!

The close friendship of women longing for other women, being the theme of many covers, as well as flowers, really reminded me of how modern yuri came to be today.

I also enjoyed spotting parts of Yoshiya’s Hana Monogatari, flower stories, lined up together. Her novel “Yellow Rose”, is one of the few from that series translated into English, and something I plan on reading to broaden my historical yuri knowledge.

As for the museum goers, it was quite busy for a weekday, and many patrons were older and some seemed to be historical scholars.

After the exhibit, there was a display of many Japanese novels influenced by her writings.

Image of exhibit space, featuring many of the novels and story collections influenced by Yoshiya Nobuko's work.
The museum is very Japanese text heavy, it is a literature museum after all, but if you are up for the challenge, be sure to stroll through their rose garden and stop by the museum!

 

Erica here: Thank you Sasori! One of the reasons I was particularly interested in this exhibit was,  for the first time, a retrospective of Yoshiya-sensei’s work was acknowledging Monma Chiyo as her life partner. One of the items on display is a letter sent to Monma-san. 

If, as you read this, you are interested in the items on exhibit – a few of which are shown on the Museum page linked above  – you can purchase the exhibit catalog on Amazon JP. None of us love Amazon, but it was a lot easier than trying to get the museum a bank transfer (which is what they suggest… ^_^;)

Some of the items, like Yoshiya-sensei’s desk accouterments really make her feel like she just got up and took a walk, but will be back in a sec. If you’d like a glimpse into the life of the woman who is in large part responsible for so much of what we think of as “Yuri,” the catalog will be just that.

 

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Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – June 27, 2026

June 27th, 2026

In black block letters, YNN Yuri Network News. On the left, in black silhouette, a woman with a broad brim hat and dress stands, a woman in a tight outfit sits against the Y. Art by Mari Kurisato for Okazu

Yuri Day Week

To celebrate Yuri Day, we’ve collaborated with Bookwalker Global to offer up a Yuri Trivia Contest on their Instagram. Answer the questions, comment on their page, and be in running for coins to spend on their Yuri Day Sale! The context runs through June 29, the sale goes through July 8!

The Toronto Japan Foundation is doing a Hybrid Yuri Manga Book Club! To start off, they are celebrating Battan’s recent visit to Toronto for TCAF with her Run Away With Me, Girl.

The Yuri Hime Editorial Desk is participating in Hoshi ni Onegai wo Day 1 [星に願いを 2026 -day 1-] for portfolio review.

For folks at Anime Expo, Yen Press is celebrating Yuri cosplay with exclusive pins!

 

Yuri Manga

Via Comic Natalie, from Yoshitomi Akihito, creator of Blue Drop,  Volume 1 of Nazo no Eureka (謎のユリイカ) is out now from the orSIS imprint. Two girls, one a writer, one an artist find each other’s fantasies, are the same.

Henai Shijou Shugi Iwami Kiyoko Sakuhin-shuu (偏愛至上主義 岩見樹代子作品集) is a collection of short stories by the creator of My Girlfriend’s Not Here Today.

Ikuta Hana’s Comic Yuri Hime series has been collected into a volume, Hone ni Negai o, Hoshi ni Noroi o, Volume 1, (骨に願いを、星に呪いを). Twin sisters with different personalities. One day, one of them goes missing….

Schwinn posted a few panels of her new senior Yuri series on X, with a link to more on her Patreon.

Via YNN Correspondent akatsukinoluna,  we have news of the Tsumi ni Oboreru Crime Yuri Anthology (罪に溺れるクライム百合アンソロジー) from Takeshobo, who traditionally did not market things as Yuri. This anthology looks at dirty deeds done in the name of Yuri. Obviously, I’m going to have to read this.

Yuri Anime

The Kimi wo Tsumugu (君を紡ぐ) short anime trailer is up on Youtube ahead of the manga Let Me Fix You from Blu Petal.

The new Ghost In The Shell trailer on Youtube looks pretty darn good. It will be interesting to get a look at the manga, animated at last and Science Saru has shown themselves to be the right team for the project.

Amazon is selling an exclusive Strawberry Panic: The Complete Series Blu-Ray set, says YNN Sr. Correspondent Sean Gaffney. Get all 26 episodes of this influential, yet also derivative in a million ways, fanfic of an anime. ^_^

And speaking of old and beloved Yuri anime, on This Week in Anime, Christopher and Sylvia say Happy 20th Birthday, Simoun! Apparently, it is streaming on Darkroom.

Adventure Time: Bubblegum and Marceline is getting an HBO Exclusive. Check out this promo on Instagram, because squee!

Friends in the UK,  a Sailor Moon Season 1 Steelbook is headed your way from Disc-connected.

Via green body realness on X, an Ur-text for fans of Utena, Pastoral to Die, directed by Terayama Shuuji. Check out the post for  aha! moments.

Another news item for fans of the the Utena movie, vas YNN Correspondent Thomasina Pontier – GKIDS has released the graphic for the movie poster so you can download and print one for yourself!

 

Thai GL Novels

Via YNN Correspondent Patricia B, The Beguiling in Toronto has begun carrying Thai GL Novels in English! Sr. Thai GL Correspondent Frank Hecker notes that the translations for these can be uneven, so just be forewarned.

 

Yuri Light Novels

To celebrate Yuri Day, German publisher Dokico announced a new work from inori.-sensei, Dem Mond das Gift, der Nacht die Medizin. This is Dokico’s first  of their “original novel” line.

Yen Press debuted the cover for Buying a Classmate Once a Week, Vol. 1.

 

LGBTQ+ Comics

Respected comics researcher Paul Gravett has written up a look at the Queer As Comics Exhibition in London on  Graphic Memoir Blog.

 

Yuri Merch and Pop-ups

Angless.ig posted this video retrospective of The Green Yuri Market in LA on instagram.

Melonbooks is doing a standee of Koharu and Minato for Volume 4(!) of Koharu to Minato – Watashi no Partner ha Onna no ko (小春と湊 わたしのパートナーは女の子). Here’s a link to the series on Bookwalker JP. No standee, but still a nice series.

Atelier Lilium teased two original mascot characters on X for the cafe. Panels for photos will be up at the cafe (and I bet there will be goods for sale.)

Gamers is holding a Sakura Trick (桜Trick) Fair where special goods for the series will be available. Everything old is new again, now that Yuri is so much more popular!

MangaOh is doing a Kimi ga Hoeru Tame no Uta wo  (キミが吠えるための歌を) Volume 4 showcase with acrylic standee.

Atre Akihabara is doing a collaboration with Kimi ga Shinu Made Koi wo Shitai (きみが死ぬまで恋をしたい) ahead of the series’ anime debut.

 

Yuri Live Action News

Via YNN Sr. Correspondent Matt Marcus, there are calls for extras for an upcoming Japanese live-action GL series, that takes place at a college. The production team gave us Ayaka Loves Hiroko…and the vibes very much sound like a How Do We Relationship drama is on the horizon.

Sailor Moon Super Live is heading out on a new tour of North America and London! This was a lot of fun. Go see it, if you can.

 

Other News

Yuri couple VTuber HanaLiLial will begin streaming shortly. Follow their channel on Youtube.

Via 90’sanimefashion on Instagram, a look at Worldbuilding in Revolutionary Girl Utena.

The New York Public Library put together a IG slider with queer comics for adults that includes some Yuri manga!

Fun news via YNN Correspondent wall on X, a retrospective of Taiwanese lesbian literature is being published. You can get Dào Huǒ Jí: Yī Bù Cóng Jìyì Chūfā De Táiwān Nǚ Tóngzhì Wénxué Shǐ (盜火集: 一部從記憶出發的臺灣女同志文學史) on any site that sells Taiwanese books, but I have linked to the same site wall used.

 

Your support for Yuri journalism and research has never been more important than right now. Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips.  Our goal is to raise our guest writers’ wages to above industry standard, which are too low!

Your support goes straight to paying for Guest Reviews, folks helping with videos, site maintenance, managing the Yuricon Store and directly supporting other Yuri creators. Just $5/month makes a huge impact! Become part of the Okazu family!

Become a part of the Yuri Network, by being a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share with us.

Posted in Yuri Network News | 3 Comments »


Celebrating Yuri Day with Bookwalker and Yuricon!

June 26th, 2026

Yesterday was Yuri Day and finally this year I remembered to do something! (And then I forgot what day it was and took off to go on an adventure. Woops)

Bookwalker Global posted an Instagram-based Yuri Trivia contest, I wrote the questions. Answer the questions and comment for a chance to win extra coins, so you can buy some more Yuri from their Yuri Day sale! You’ll get 25% coin back on Yuri titles. 

The contest and the sale are good through June 29th. So go grab yourself some Yuri manga and doujinshi today with Bookwalker Global and happy Yuri Day to us all. ^_^

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Koushaku Reijou No Rouraku Misshon ~ Maou To No Seiryaku Kekkon Ga , Jinrui Saigo No Kirifuda Desu ! … ~Tsu Te , Maou Ga Onnanoko No Baai Wa Dousureba Ii No Desu Ka ! ?, Volume 1 (公爵令嬢の籠絡ミッション～魔王との政略結婚が、人類最後の切り札です！…って、魔王が女の子の場合はどうすればいいのですか！？～)

June 25th, 2026

A black-haired, black tentacled Demon girl with a black crown stands back to back with blonde girl in white in front of an elaborate frame.Koushaku Reijou No Rouraku Misshon ~ Maou To No Seiryaku Kekkon Ga , Jinrui Saigo No Kirifuda Desu ! … ~Tsu Te , Maou Ga Onnanoko No Baai Wa Dousureba Ii No Desu Ka ! ?, Volume 1 (公爵令嬢の籠絡ミッション～魔王との政略結婚が、人類最後の切り札です！…って、魔王が女の子の場合はどうすればいいのですか！？～) is a deeply weird little manga I found on Bookwalker JP. With art by Akio Kawada, written by Ringo-ame Third, this is the Young Champion-est thing I have read all year.

Cecilia, the daughter of the Duke, is told that she will wed the Demon Ruler, in order to bring peace between the humans and the demons. Cecilia has one magic skill – the “Evil Eye,” that allows her to see magical power in movement. Unsure what she can do, she is sent to the Demon Ruler’s castle, where she is almost instantly attacked by one of the Ruler’s four lieutenants. With her “skill” Cecilia is able to survive to meet the Demon Ruler… a cute, if en-tentacled – girl named Milfina. Cecilia is thrown for a loop. Yes, demons don’t really get “marriage” (or cease-fires, or humans) but Milfina seems nice, and more importantly, sincere about making this work. Cecilia is speaking with Milfina, when a black mist envelops the Demon Ruler…and she thrusts her hand into Cecilia’s heart.

Cecilia wakes up, the day before, once again ready to be sent to the Demon Realm, when a fairy tells her that not only is her marriage supposed to save humanity, which she knew – she only has 5 more times to try and save the entire world!

Cecelia is determined to save Milifina from whichever lieutenant is controlling her, but as volume 1 ends, she is down yet another life.

Deaths here are graphic and pretty brutal. I don’t doubt Cecilia is going to marry Milfina and be a damn good Queen of the demons, but as of volume 1, I have seen more of her internal organs than I am comfortable with.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 6
Characters – 7 No one has had time to develop
Service – Violence is a form of service, 10
Yuri – Set-up only

Overall – 7

Will I keep reading? I don’t know. I kind of want to find out…I kind of don’t. I’m reading this on Bookwalker JP, so it’ll probably remind me until I give in. ^_^

Posted in Yuri Manga | No Comments »