This year I have read, watched, bought, listened to, published and discussed more yuri than probably just about anyone else on this planet. LOL Today’s entry is simply a celebration of yuri-related anything that I read/watched/got/enjoyed/developed, etc over 2004. This is my “Best of 2004” list.

10) ALC (Anilesbocon) Publishing
We managed two books in 2004, one translation, WORKS (which is very nearly sold out!) and one anthology. We’re working on a 2nd edition of Rica ‘tte Kanji!?, a new anthology – Yuri Monogatari 3 – and an illustrated novel, Shoujoai ni Bouken, Vol. 1. It may be self-aggrandizement, but at the moment, we’re *still* the only yuri manga publisher in the western world. And you know, that makes me very, very proud. My thanks goes out to all the contributors to the Yuri Monogatari anthology, Ed. Ed, Kun, and especially to Rica Takashima and my wife – I quite literally could not do it without them. I think that, for all our hard work in spreading the yuri genre to the English-speaking world, we at least desrve 10th place on this “Best of” list. :-)

9) Lililicious
This scanlating and fansubbing group deserves recognition on my Top 10 of 2004 list, definitely. Not only are they a really fine group of women and men (although the women are finer – if you know what I mean… lol) and fun to hang with, they are also really dedicated to making decent, unlicensed yuri manga and anime accesible to online yuri fandom. I especially thank them for scanlating some of the truly obscure, but classic, yuri manga out there, like Claudine and the stories from Mist, because these are *so* out of print and so very worth knowing about.

8) ROD The TV on DVD
I’ve beaten this to death all year long, so suffice to say that, this series has been one of the best things I’ve gotten all year. The double sided pencil boards and covers have more to do with the fact that we get twice as many episodes per DVD than the Japanese do, than good marketing, but you know, you can see that Geneon is *trying*; trying to finds a happy medium with the translation, with the packaging, with the extras. I remember when an A.D.Vision VHS tape had one episode and nothing else – for the same price as a 4-episode DVD with double-sided cover, liner notes, mini-poster and a double-sided pencil board is now. Think about it. :-)

7) Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Live Action)
I wrote about this series alot too, but haven’t yet done a wrap-up entry. I’ll do that later. Let me just say that this was pretty much the perfect thing for this series’ 10th anniversary. It got me all jazzed up again about the Senshi and all their lovely yuri potential…and reminded me just why I consider Haruka and Michiru to be the eternal Queens of Yuri. We now have several new additions to our terrifyingly large wand/locket collection in the house and, yesterday, *just* in time to sneak onto this list, I received in the mail the original toy of Haruka’s communicator watch from Sailor Moon S! Yep – the thing is nearly 10 years old and looks perfect. Battery’s dead, though. LOL In any case, here’s hoping this series never dies. PGSM/BSSM and related toys make number 7 on the “best of the best” list.

6) Azumanga Daioh on DVD
Not only is this series gut-splittingly funny, the yuri is not at all subtle (even if it is ultimately just one more gag.) The DVDs have excellent episode count, REALLY good liner notes – best of the breed in fact – and fun toy surprises. This wins “best bang for your buck” award for licensed DVD releases this year from me. ADV deserves recognition for doing what almost approaches a perfect job. (Now, just leave the honorifics alone and you’d be golden!) ADV also deserves a real nod of gratitude for their continuing support of yuri-friendly anime in general and this series in specific, which is definitely one of the best of 2004.

5) Yuricon
I know, I know, another shameless plug moment…but no, not really. Four years ago, we had a goofy website, a tenuous premise and not much else. Now, entering our 5th year of existence, we have just announced an event *in Japan,* have almost 900 members on our Mailing Lists, have a line of “I love Yuri” gifts, and a presence at some of the largest and most influential anime cons in the country. Yuricon’s efforts have spawned like-minded efforts in Japan, and I have been informed by several Japanese yuri fans that Yuricon pretty much created the idea of a genre of yuri whose birth we are witnessing right now. Who *knows* what the next five years will bring – but I’m betting that you’ll see some pretty amazing changes in regards to yuri and shoujoai.

Let me take this opportunity to thank my staff at Yuricon, starting with Kun, my right hand and whipping girl, who does very nearly anything I ask of her, including neck rubs. Also Katie, May, Paulette, Trevor, Serge, Donna, Rica and everyone who has put time and money into Yuricon to help it further the cause of yuri and shoujoai in anime and manga. And of course, my wife. :-) But mostly, I want to thank all you fans of yuri and shoujoai who keep convincing me that there *is* a market out there, if only we can reach it. Yuricon will keep trying to do everything we can to increase our presence, and gain respect for the genre we love so much. So, for all that everyone has done, and all that we have accomplished – Yuricon makes the top 10 list for me this year.

4)Yuri Doujinshi Circles
At Comiket 67, which took place last weekend, nearly 80 circles were selling yuri doujinshi and novels. These groups, made up of individuals who put their own time and money into these self-publishing efforts, rarely make back the money they put into the projects. But every year, they keep on doing it – because they love yuri. Some of these circles do fan art, but more and more of them are doing original work, and every year another group of women who draw and write yuri seem to join this incognito army. It is because of these people that Maria-sama ga Miteru gained enough popularity to become an anime, and it is these people from whom ALC will draw publishing projects. Because of their dedication and hard work and because for many yuri fans, doujinshi make up the bulk of their yuri-related reading, the folks who write for various yuri doujinshi circles get my thumbs up for 2004.

3)Yuri Shimai
As I said yesterday, it may not be perfect, but this quarterly manga magazine has created ripples in the manga word, spawining me-too anthologies and generally changing the landscape of yuri manga completely. In a mere five issues, it has improved dramatically and we can hope that we’ll see even more improvements and growth for the next year. For having such a significant effect on the genre of “girls love” manga – Yuri Shimai makes third place in the Best of 2004.

2) Koi Shimai Drama CDs
For me, what makes a manga or anime come alive is the voices…hearing a character, even more than seeing him or her animated, makes a character real for me. It’s well-known that I started my otaku career because of Ogata Megumi’s voice, and I’m still captivated by excellent voice acting. Because of this – even more than the magazine from which it came, I feel that the Koi Shimai Drama CDs were the second best yuri-related thing I got this year. The story is simple, a little unsatisfying, but the idea that they managed to find women who were willing to put their voices into characters that specifically were in a “girls love” drama really makes them special. The second CD, which features Park Romi as hunky Touko-sensei is wearing thin as I listen to it over and over and over. It’s SO sexy that it’s inspired me to write a fanfic! LOL Again, kudos to Sun Publishing for the idea – and here’s hoping that we see more of these!

Which leaves me with my number one get for 2004. If you know me, if you’ve read these entries, or my posts on the Yuricon Mailing List, you will probably not be surprised at all. :-)

My number one best of everything yuri of 2004 is….

1) Maria-sama ga Miteru Drama CD, 1,2, 3 and 4
These were, bar none, the absolute *best* things I got this year. These four CDs contain voice dramas of the first three Marimite novels, as voiced by the actresses from the anime. With more detail than the anime, or even the manga, the Drama CDs contain not only the story, but also the emotions of the story, as interpreted by some of the finest voice actors extant. As I wrote in my review of the Ibara no Mori/Shiroi Hanabira CD, there were moments when I was left breathless by the virtuosity of the actresses’ work.

The packaging for the Drama CDs is lovely, with covers from the novels, extra art by novel artist Hibiki Reine, nice little inserts, and of course, those fantastic plastic dolls of the Yamayurikai which greet me every day on my desk at work. :-) The fourth Drama CD is now available and I’m just *dying* to see what extras they’ve put in it! LOL

To put it simply – these rock. If you can understand even a little Japanese, run out and get them for the best yuri-related experience you can have that doesn’t actualy involve another person. :-)

Overall, as it has made my Top 10 in anime, manga and general Best Of, I think we really have to say that Maria-sama ga Miteru wins overall award as “Best Yuri of 2004”.

When I first got into yuri, we had Haruka and Michiru as poster children. When I created Yuricon, we had Anthy, Utena and Juri…now, as a whole new era of yuri is being born, we welcome it in with Yumi and Sachiko, Sei and Youko (or Shiori or Kei!) Yoshino and Rei, Noriko and Shimako, and characters yet to come. :-) I think the future’s looking bright, myself.

You all know that the calendar is arbitrary, right? Today is no more “the last day” of the year than it is the “first day of the rest of your life.” Nonetheless, I wish you all a Happy New Year/Akemashite Omodetou. May 2005 be filled with yuri for us all!

As of today, Okazu has been written 165 times in 2004, with an average of 14 posts a month, bring you reviews and news about yuri anime, manga and events.

You’re welcome. :-)

As with yesterday, I will do a quick countdown (and you know…I think maybe I might make this a annual thing, becuase it’s more fun to do that I orginally thought it would be – and a lot harder than I thought, too) of 2004’s best yuri manga. Expect to be surprised.

Without further ado, asides or digressions….

The Okazu Top 10 Yuri Manga Series of 2004

10) Yuri Tengoku, Eternal Sisters, et al.

These shoujoai anthologies, and the many, many other rip-offs spawned by Marimite and Yuri Shimai have got to at least get a mention in my top ten for the year. While individually none are really exceptional, as a whole they mark a positive new trend for shoujoai and yuri manga. While they are probably more popular with the guys, it’s nice to know that there are folks, both men and women, out there, striving to get them published. I’ll add an honorable mention here for ALC Publishing’s Yuri Monogatari which is doing the same exact thing here in the west. It begins here, kids, with the individual circles, the small groups of dedicated people, where change happens. That’s why I’m always encouraging you all to show your support with cash, not words, because that’s the way we measure success in the real world. Buy these anthologies and show the publishers that there’s a market. Scanlations are nice…but they don’t pay the bills.

9) Shin Hana no Asuka-gumi

How many series can come back eighteen years later and still be as whacked, as cool and as impenetrable as it was when it first appeared? Asuka is still 15, and although cellphones now exist in her world, and Hibari-sama now prefers her favorites dressed in Goth Lolita, as opposed to uniforms (sob!)…still the gangs of Tokyo fight, and Miko and Hime and Asuka move through the internecine politics and sexual tension of life in and out of the Zenchuu Ura with an aplomb that few teenagers are ever likely to experience. Asuka’s story plays out slowly, but the combination of Asuka saving a damsel in distress every arc, combined with the inevitable confrontation between Asuka, her erstwhile body double and Hibari’s current favorite, Mari, and the insane Hibari-sama herself, *still* makes for one wild ride. We might miss Yohko and Asuka’s tragic love for her, but Asuka still reigns supreme in Shinjuku.

8) Himitsu no Anjerisu

I just reviewed it last week, and only read it a week before that, but this little series has enchanted me. The best of the derivative Marimite genre, flavored with a little Three Musketeers leaves me smiling – and wanting more. Although it’s as new as Asuka is old, I had to add it to the top ten of the year.

7) Kaguya-hime

I’ve tried time and again to explain how cool this most shounen of shoujo series is, but, like Asuka, the story is simply too complex to be rendered simply. A combination of mythology, sci-fi, suspense, action and sexual thriller make this series a must-read for fans of yuri (and yaoi, incest, straight and just plain freaky stuff.) Every volume has all of the above, and I’m never bored – no matter how many people die. Kaguya-hime wins for a level of insane that keeps me coming back for more. It’s eleven years old now and I expect to be reading it in my retirement. Long live the Princess of the Moon.

6) Air Master

The art is horrible, the story is ridiculous, the fanservice is…fanservice-y, but I love it. At least, in the 23 volumes of this series, the art has at least settled down into a particular style of awful. If you’re not sure that Mina really *wants* Maki, read the manga. If you’re not sure that Maki returns the feeling, read the manga. As with the anime, Sakiyama Kaori is the best psychotic ever, ever, ever. And she uses a sort-of whacked version of Taijiquan, so I’m doubly fond of her. (Her “sou-an” technique is real…really. It’s not even an advanced technique. LOL) While there’s nothing really socially redeemable about this manga, it wins for sheer entertainment.

5) Maria-sama ga Miteru

Like I said yesterday, any time spent in the company of these characters is time well-spent. The art in the beginning was a little rough, but the characters are all recognizable, and the expansion on the bits left out of the anime is always welcome. For folks who will never read the novels, the Marimite manga will make a great addition to the information they have about the characters. And the added splash pages, cover and silly side drawings really make the manga a worthy purchase. Where else will you see Sei dressed as a cowgirl? LOL

4) Yajikita Gakuen Dochuuki

Perhaps the goofiest shoujo manga series *ever*, Yaji and Kita returned to print after nearly 20 years this year…with a bang. Like Asuka the new series was created for old fans, so you were screwed if you didn’t know who everyone is already. But oh my goodness, have they notched up the yuri! More Kita being harrassed by women…more, more! Stick her in a tux as often as you want, guys, you’ll get no objection from me. Girls who fight, massive gang and Yakuza wars, some really dumb conspiracies, corporate espionage, yaoi, yuri, and nothing ever happens – YajiKita is pure gold. Did I mention that it’s a manga for *girls*?

3) Maka-Maka

Purely service, but is it really? In many ways, this sex-filled manga is the most honest I’ve ever read. Jun and Nene seem more realistic to me than many, or most, manga characters out there. Quality-wise, this manga is tops – all color, beautifully rendered from the online monthly Flash issues, with color posters and a double cover, this may well have been the best “for your money” manga buy of the year. The fact that Jun and Nene have alot of sex is very nice, too. I sincerely hope a second volume is forthcoming.

2) Yuri Shimai

It started out a little weak, but by Issue 5 is now rolling along pretty well. I just reviewed it, so I won’t beat it to death, but…looks like we got a winner. Here’s hoping that Yuri Shimai goes monthly and lives a long, productive and healthy life, bringing us many excellent yuri manga series that go on to become collected volumes, become best sellers and spark a new wave of more quality yuri. Here, here. And kudos to Sun Publishing for having the money and belief that yuri as a genre can support itself. Now, let’s all go out there and prove them right!

And for the number one yuri manga of 2004 – drumroll, please….

1) Free Soul

Yamaji Ebine’s fantastic story of a woman with a life and another woman with a life, now collected into a single volume, proves several things all at once. 1) A really good yuri story does not have to be about children; 2) Manga art does not have to be flowery and over the top; 3) Typical conventions of butch/femme and seme/uke really have no meaning anymore and can be dropped without the story suffering one iota; 4) There *is* something between shoujoai melodrama and hentai yuri sex.

Free Soul is by far and away the best of this year’s yuri. The fact that so few people here in the west have ever heard of it, or Yamaji Ebine, makes me a little sad. It’s everything yuri can, and should, be. Along with Rica Takashima, Yamaji Ebine is one of the very few female manga artists out there drawing yuri manga for adult women that defies convention and ends up being better than all of the rest. I deeply, deeply hope that one day someone, if not ALC, then *someone*, will bring her work to the English-speaking manga audience. In the meantime, if you want to read some really decent, wonderful yuri manga, drop the kiddie stuff and the crappy hentai and reach out for Yamaji Ebine’s work. You won’t be disappointed.

And there you have it. Tomorrow, to end the year, I’m going to do one last list, one which basically is just my best of the best of the best of everything I saw/got/read/watched/listened to over the whole year.

And one last reminder for the year…if you’ve read these entries and enjoyed them, disagreed with them, have more information, want to chat about some of the series mentioned, please do come and join us on the Yuricon Mailing List, because that’s what it’s there for! :-) We love a good discussion of all things yuri and yuri-related. So, don’t be shy, drop by and jump right in. :-)

Anyway – see you tomorrow with the last post of 2004!

Yes, it’s that time of year…when everyone runs out of new things to say and has to recap stuff from the year that was, in lieu of talking about what is.

I decided to do the last three days of this year as “Top 10” countdowns, mostly because there was SO much decent stuff this year (and so very, very much that wasn’t) that I wanted to share my personal best of the best with you.

The criteria for the following choices are:

1) I liked it.

So, feel free to disagree, but you won’t change my opinion. :-)

That having been said, here is the first of three Top 10 countdowns…

The Okazu Top 10 Yuri Anime (and Anime-related) Series of 2004

10) Ikkitousen

It’s trash, I know. But I can’t help but like it when it has so many of the things that I enjoy – really violent women, women in eyepatches, women who have sex with one another…and an utterly cool, complex, semi-mythological, semi-historical backstory that is mostly ignored and occasionally alluded to. With credentials like this, it has to make my top ten…but just barely.

9) Live Action Cutie Honey Movie

Grinned through the whole thing. It was delightful. The world needs more of this.

8) Kaleido Star

Alternately irritating as hell and really wonderful, I never really fell in love with the story, but the heat between Layla and Sora made it work. If you have a niece who is questionably a baby-dyke, this makes the PERFECT gift – and her parents will never suspect a thing. Added bonuses of Anna and Mia being a couple, and great, if rare, fanart.

7) Kannazuki no Miko

It made no sense, it was silly, it was plain stupid in many places. But the girl got the girl and it had decent music, so there you go, it makes the top ten. The official art is lovely, too – no need for a “Newtype Effect” here – the girls are perfectly willing to get sexy with one another for real.

6) Madlax

This story was the best of Bee Train. It made sense and was actually *resolved* in a way that was, while full of hand waves and assumptions, at least complete and internally consistent. One of the girls got one of the girls, and the potential for fanfiction in all the many cracks is enormous. Excellent characters, ridiculous action sequences, a fighting maid, Hisakawa Aya as Rimelda and a bad guy with the worst name EVER. I really enjoyed the hell out of Madlax and look forward to adding it to my collection of DVDs.

5) Live Action SailorMoon

What a wonderful opportunity to fall in love all over again. It was cheesy, it was for little kids, the ending was rushed and pat and we cried rivers. The music was great, the girls were perfect for their roles, Minako was breathtakingly gorgeous and the yuri subtext was everything a Sailor Moon fan could ever hope for. Now, if only they would do it again – this time with the Outers, too!

4) Air Master

By now you should know what I like, so this will come as no surprise. Here’s a story with women who kick serious ass. Maki’s got Park Romi’s sexy voice, Sakiyama Kaori is my number one favorite psychotic *ever*, Mina’s obsession/devotion is really quite cute and I still get all excited every time a new manga volume is out. This tale of an ex-gymnastics queen turned street fighter may not be for everyone, but writing for a series like this would be a dream job for me. I will be first on line to get Air Master when it comes out on DVD spring 2005.

3) Re Cutie Honey

The older Cutey Honey anime series had a little service and the “Flash” series had some yuri-ness, but this series rocked. I really hope we see more of Na-chan and Honey together. RCH is only a short OVA, but it packed a big yuri punch. Go Nagai is a god.

2) ROD The TV

One of the most talked about series this year on the Yuricon Mailing List, ROD The TV was, and is, brilliant. Writing, music, characters, yuri subtext (and overt text) action sequences, even individual flashes of stunning art – this series is amazing all over again as I watch it on DVD. The entire ROD franchise has really managed to capture some of the best qualities of shounen yuri, and this particular series has the best writing of the year. The pencil boards are a bit yucky, though. LOL

And now, for the number one anime series of 2004…..

1) Maria-sama ga Miteru and Maria-sama ga Miteru ~ Haru

No surprise here, I’m sure. At the beginning of the year I wasn’t sure this would be all that, but I’m hooked. Completely, totally gaga over these girls. Now that the anime is over, I’m happily reading the manga and listening to Drama CDs and even reading the novels, because anytime spent in the company of these wonderful characters is time well-spent.

My hat is off to Konna Oyuki for creating such a vibrant world at Lillian, characters that seems incredibly three-dimensional and plots that actually make sense, are well-written and never take themselves too seriously. Melodramatic and overwrought without being cloying, and with a potential for many years of fan art and fan fiction, may the francise never cease.

Maria-sama ga Miteru – 2004’s hands-down winner of Okazu’s Best Yuri Anime Series of 2004

Tomorrow…Best Yuri Manga Series Top Ten Countdown!