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 »


Atelier Lilium Cafe Report

June 24th, 2026

A signboard for Yuri Cafe Atelier Lililium, showing art by Hirao Auri for the inaugural art exhibit.Hello, this is an overachieving potato from the Okazu Discord, and I’m here to talk about my recent visit to Atelier Lilium, a book cafe in Ikebukuro.

First off, I have a fun anecdote regarding the place. I had a hard time finding the venue at first, but a person wearing a Japan football jersey directed me to the place.

It was nice of them to help out, considering I was entering random open buildings based on the pin in Google Maps. Turns out, it was underground at a hole in the wall.

I went down the steps to the first basement to find the cafe. Inside, the space is surprisingly big and very chill, featuring plenty of open seating with cafe tables and cozy chairs, plus much-needed air conditioning.

I suspect, though, that I caught the cafe at a lull, given it was 2:00 pm when I arrived.

 

In any case, I had an idea on what to expect beforehand. A reddit thread had explained A hallway wall, with a poster for the Hirao Auri exhibit and a business sign in a cadet blue with white letters that read Atelier Lilium, and a shield with a lily in white.the process, namely that you have to register on their website prior to visiting. This is to generate a QR Code to be scanned upon entry. This generates a QR code that gets scanned upon entry. They do accept walk-ins, but it’s best to keep the registration in mind. Also, it’s worth noting that they are completely cashless.

As for the cafe itself, getting in and understanding the rules were much easier than actually finding the place. There were instructions in English at the front desk, and the staff guided me through the whole process. Their guide neatly details how browsing works: you pick up a bag at the front counter, fill it with the books you want to read, and simply return the bag with the books inside when it’s time to check out.

The cafe featured a small exhibit showcasing the art of Auri Hirao, creator of If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It To The Budokan, I Would Die. The display featured her colored illustrations, alongside some sketches and black-and-white images set up right by the counter seats. The main draw of the cafe, though, is the sheer number of books inside. They have selections from all sorts of publishers, including Ichijinsha, Kodansha, Kadokawa, and more. They even have older books, light novels, and copies of Galette!

As for what I did, I spent about an hour at the cafe relaxing and reading muromaki’s JK-chan and Tomodachi no Okan (JKとともだちのオカン), about a high school girl who falls for her male classmate’s mother, cola float in hand. I took advantage of their amenities, such as the free WiFi and charging stations. If I had to describe the atmosphere, it was incredibly quiet and peaceful. I was able to fully relax before I had to leave for my next stop. I would have loved to stay longer, but I had other things on my itinerary.

A view of the cafe and book space for Atelier Lililum. In the front is a table with a pink cloth featuring work and goods by Hirao Auri. Wooden tables on the left, feature gray and white chairs. Bookshelves along the wall are filled with books, in a well-lit white-walled and ceilinged space.

I really enjoyed my time at Atelier Lilium. If I were to make any suggestions for them, it would be to include an even larger selection of yuri, perhaps even incorporating yuri from other countries. I remember remarking when I saw their selection that if this wasn’t All The Yuri, it certainly was a massive chunk of it. I highly recommend visiting, even for a short while, just to experience reading yuri while enjoying the other features, like the art exhibits. For anyone planning a visit, it’s worth noting that Atelier Lilium is incredibly close to Otome Road. It makes for a perfect rest stop if you are spending the day shopping at the nearby animate Ikebukuro, azone Ikebukuro, and other surrounding hobby shops. Like ANCHOR rainbow port tokyo in Shinjuku, this is a permanent fixture.

I’m still not used to rating cafes, but here we go:

  • Atmosphere: 9 – Very quiet, peaceful, and perfectly air-conditioned. The ideal reading environment.

  • Library/Selection: 8 – A massive chunk of yuri from major publishers and even some older titles and Galette.

  • Amenities: 9 – Free WiFi, charging stations, and a seamless cashless system. Plus, a lovely Auri Hirao exhibit.

  • Service: 9 – English instructions at the front desk and incredibly helpful staff who guided me through the entry process.

  • Yuri: 9 – It might not be “All The Yuri,” but it’s pretty darn close.

  • Overall: 8.5 – A highly recommended permanent fixture for anyone looking to relax and read a good manga with a cola float.

Posted in Guest Review, Hirao Auri, Tokyo Journal | No Comments »


Revolutionary Girl Utena Movie: The Adolescence of Utena Report

June 22nd, 2026

Title image for Revolutionary Girl Utena The Movie: The Adolescence of Utena, a brown-skinned woman with flowing dark hair in a flowing white dress floats diagonally upwards, a pale-skinned woman with flowing pink hair in a white school uniform jacket and shirts floats diagonally downward from the same center.

Yesterday was the big day!  Revolutionary Girl Utena Movie: The Adolescence of Utena was in North American theaters. Yes, the movie had gotten screenings at Film Festivals (sometimes accompanied by me doing an intro) and the Japan Society, and other orgs, but this was  a first – North America-wide screenings. 

So my wife and I and a friend, headed over to the mall at which I spent a lot of my youth and I went into the megaplex that the theater has become.  Our friend was going to be  a great test of what this movie looks like from the outside. She’s smart and well-read, curious and interested in ideas, so I expected her to be able to follow. 

We were disappointed that there wasn’t a movie poster for the movie. I was told that old movies don’t get posters, so boo. I would have loved to have one of those. 

Our theater never got the aspect ratio right, which meant that subtitles were cutoff on the bottom. It was just like  the old days, when they fucked up regularly. ^_^;

Yeah this image came out bad, oh well. But props for “Girls Like Girls” on the same screen. 

I have decided to take a page from K-pop fandom and show up to events with stuff to give away. In this case, I brought some of the By Your Side (still on sale thorugh June 30!) bookplates, with original art by Rica Takashima that are meant to be understood as Anthy and Utena’s hands reaching for one another. I also brought some Yuri Heart stickers and Okazu heart stickers based on the t-shirts designs. 

Giving folks stuff is a great way to make new friends. ^_^

Earlier that day, I had been chatting with RKasa on Bluesky, and learned about an amazing database of otaku goods and figures, and when we started to chat with the person sitting next to us, I was amazed to meet RKasa in person. ^_^ What a hoot, huh? We took a paired selfie of our Duelist rings. ^_^ 

Then I got to meet Mutti, who allowed me to take pictures of their awesome custom Anthy Funko and pins.

Muti holding a custom Funko to look like the Rose Bride from Revolutionary Girl Utena, with red dress and crown.Olive green canvas bag with pins and toy of Anthy and Akio from Revolutionary Girl Utena.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone in the theater was lovely. Thank you all for taking a moment to chat!

The movie is so great on a big screen. The school is vertiginous and surreal. The scenes that are always impactful are that much more so on a large scree. The dance on the dueling ground, the castle car…

As Utena says to Anthy, “Let’s go…to the outside world..” I turned to my friend and said, “Now it’s gonna get weird” and she laughed, “NOW?” Afterward, we listened to her ideas about what it all meant.

We had a great time seeing it in a theater. I hope you’ve all gotten your tickets and will tell us about your experience in the comments.

Posted in English Anime, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Yuri Anime | 2 Comments »


Yuri News Network – (百合ネットワークニュース) – June 20, 2026

June 20th, 2026

In blue silhouette, two women face each other. One wears a fedora and male-styled attire, one is in a dress and heels. Their body language is obscure - they may be dancing, or laughing or fighting. Art by Mari Kurisato for Okazu

Yuri Anime

Tomorrow! Revolutionary Girl Utena Movie: The Adolescence of Utena in theaters across North America! Don’t miss this opportunity to see this on a big screen.

 

 

Yuri Manga

Via The OASG on X, A Couple Drifting In The Wind, Volume 1, by Puebro, pre-orders are live. I reviewed this in Japanese this past winter here on Okazu.

Also via OASG, Yamada and Kase-san ,Volume 5 pre-orders are live.  I reviewed that this past April in Japanese on Okazu. ^_^

By Asahina Shou, Kawaii ha, Tokidoki Kurushii is a manga about a woman who is trying to find herself and the gender presentation that suits her. Unusually a makeover allows her to be more butch, rather than femme. You can read sample chapters on Gangan Online, and Volume 1 and Volume 2 are available on Bookwalker JP. 

The American Manga Awards 2026 nominees have been announced! Stop! Hibari-kun has a nod for Best New Edition of a Classic Manga and inee’s Love Bullet for Best New Manga. Sean Gaffney and I will be reporting from the AMA’s this August for Anime Herald, once again. ^_^

Speaking of Love Bullet, inee drew an image of the Cupids enjoying phở, to thank her Vietnamese fans, and the image and the news made mainstream Vietnamese media, according to himejoshiris on X.

Taifu Comics is regretfully allowing some of their titles to go out of print. Many of these are older titles, and a few are Yuri.

Via Comic Natalie, Musume ga Kanojo o Tsuretekita Hanashi (娘が彼女を連れてきた話), Volume 1, by Kurasaki King, out from orSIS tells the story of a girl who brings her girlfriend home, not sure how her single dad is going to take it, only Dad is a huge Yuri fan (Yuri pig, is how he is described.) It’s on Bookwalker if this sounds like you’d think it’s funny. ^_^

Also via Comic Natalie, Shimura Takako will be contributing a story to Comic Yuri Hime for the July issue. 

 

Pride Month Sales

Along with Tokyopop and Yen Press Pride month sales and Kodansha’s Humble Bundle…
Baiheverse is running a June Sale!

By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga is on sale through June 30!

 

Yuri Events & Cafes

This past week, Morishima Akiko and Rica Takashima had a talk event at Loneliness Books in Nakano. Our JP Corespondent Sasori was there and will have a write-up about it, but in the meantime, Morishima-sensei shared some pictures of Rica’s art exhibit at the store on X. Rica showed all of the Yuri Monogatari books, and our edition of Rica ‘tte Kanji!?, the first Yuri work in English, as well as By Your Side, for which she did the cover art! Check out the pictures. I couldn’t be there, but I felt well-represented. ^_^

Via their official X account, Raspberry Heaven is set to open as a GL manga cafe in Seoul, Korea.

Yuri Novel

Via YNN Staff Matt Marcus, syasendou announced on X that their story, Kaijuu (回樹) from the 2023 collection of the same name is free to read on Hayakawa Books! The entire collection can be found on Bookwalker JP.

This is from 2023:  Kono Ginban o Kimi to Tobu  (この銀盤を君と跳ぶ) is a Yuri novel about two ice skaters, by Ayazaki Jun, available on Bookwalker.

Looking for some beach reads? The 2026 Lambda Literary Awards Winners have been announced. That’ll get you some new perspectives.

 

Yuri Visual Novel

From the folks over at YuriEureka we have a trailer for NSFW  Exhibition of the Heart is “a nsfw yuri visual novel about love, exhibitionism, and being true to your heart. It follows the story of Alice, a shy university student who never got over her first crush from high-school: the upright and diligent Sylvia. She was regarded by their school as a gifted student, destined for success, a shining star that Alice felt she could never hope to reach. Even three years after graduating, she still can’t stop herself from thinking about her first crush.” The trailer is not explicit, but the VN is.

Studio Élan is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Highway Blossoms, the breakout hit Yuri VN that lead to their creation. Check out their free Patreon post to learn all the news of their celebration. Congrats to everyone at Studio Élan!

 

Live-Action News

Via Sr. YNN Correspondent Frank Hecker, Fairway of Love, a Thai Drama bout two golfers is on the horizon. Also via Frank is an article from Bloomberg about the popularity of Thai GL and Bl Dramas: Why Millions Are Falling for Thailand’s Same-Sex Romance Dramas. (This link is imperfect, but will get you most of the article.)

 

Other News

Via YNN Correspondent Sheila Webber, the lecture Kyoto International Manga Museum as a Hub of Knowledge and Community is up on Youtube.

Via YNN Correspondent Manga’albine, check out littleblossomdarling on Instagram talking about gay Victorian fashion plates. ^_^

 

 

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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 | No Comments »


Bad Girl!, Volume 1

June 19th, 2026

A dark haired girl wearing a blazer and tie with her mouth open and a shocked expressionby Eleanor Walker, Okazu Staff Writer

Your enjoyment of Nikumaru’s Bad Girl, Volume 1 will depend entirely on your tolerance of the combination of 4-koma manga and misunderstandings so obvious that they must be deliberate. Even now, Azumanga Daioh is still the master of the genre in my humble opinion, as well as being one of the first yuri-adjacent series I ever encountered, back in the early 2000s.

Bad Girl is the source material of the titular anime adaption, reviewed here on Okazu and available streaming on Hidive. Our protagonist Yuu Yuutani has a crush on the head of the school disciplinary committee, Atori Mizutori, who’s so popular she has her own fan club. Yuu therefore decides to become the titular “bad girl” to try and attract Atori’s attention. Unfortunately for her, she has good grades, perfect attendance and has never been in trouble ever and her idea of being bad is to write in the condensation on a window. Hijinks ensue.

This series is basically “Notice Me, Sempai” the manga. Yuu’s attempts to be bad are kind of adorable, like a little kid acting out to try and get the adults around them to pay attention to them. Like all 4-koma/gag series this is like popcorn, best consumed a few pages at a time, otherwise it gets tooth rottingly sweet and outstays its welcome very quickly. Don’t think too hard about it, otherwise it all falls apart. Just enjoy the silliness.

Ratings:

Art – It’s definitely cute. The colour pages at the beginning are nicely done.
Story – What story? It doesn’t need one though.
Characters – A lot of silliness
Service – n/a
Yuri – Mostly just an unrequited crush at this stage.

If you like your cute girls doing cute things with a yuri flavour you’ll probably enjoy this series. Volume 2 is scheduled to release in English later this summer, and the series is up to 5 volumes in Japan. I am curious as to how much story we’ll actually get out of this premise, so I will at least stick around for volume 2.

Posted in Bad Girl, Eleanor W, English Manga, Staff Writer | No Comments »