Archive for 2011


Yuri Network News – August 20, 2011

August 20th, 2011

Yuri Anime

Hidamari Sketch anime gets a 4th season in which nothing happens cutely. Hidamari Sketch SP is slated for fall.

Nozomi/RightStuf announces the third and final Revolutionary Girl Utena Box set pre-orders and the nifty Rose Seal Ring extra. For a limited time, while supplies last, folks who order all three of the box sets will get a replica of Utena’s ring. I’m still weak at the knees that they managed to get us the ring!

Aniplex debuts the Puella Magi Madoka Magica trailer, subtitled. I like the focus on sweet, and the complete obfuscation of the entire story. This will be the anime equivalent of a 2’x4′ to the back of the head for some, I imagine.

Arca Jeth was first with the news that Sentai Filmworks has announced that they have licensed Project ICE. The DVD will come with a dub. Excuse me while I giggle at the idea of sitting through this anime again. Hee-hee. ^_^;

***

Yuri Manga

Brand new YNN Correspondent Tomo K. wanted to share the news that Takemiya Jin-sensei has a new doujinshi for Comiket, starring Satomi from Kila Kila. When the doujinshi series is reprinted, Comic Zin will be running it. Great news for all Takemiya fans.

***

Canadian Border / Manga Case

I mentioned last week that I was going to flog this issue for the next few weeks, so here we go!

I wrote a guest post for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund on the Issue: This Is Not A Pipe

Okazu Superhero Bruce McF wrote a fantastic piece for Daily Kos about the issue: Civil Rights and Comics Books: What’s on YOUR Laptop?

If you decide to write a piece exhorting your friends, fans, readers to support CBLDF, send me the link!

***

Other News

If you’re in Tokyo between now and the 28th of August, you can visit the Yuru Yuri-themed cafe in Akihabara. I’m not sure if I’m relieved that it will close before I get to Tokyo. ^_^;

LGBT comics consortium Prism Comics announces that the deadline for their Queer Press Grant is September 1, 2011. Get your submissions in to be eligible. And, if you like the idea of LGBT comics, consider donating to the grant itself and support independent LGBT artists.

Hot Topic, home of ripping off pop culture and fine art to sell to mall-goers at premium prices, has announced that they will have a Sailor Moon costume for Halloween this year. Check out the video at ANN for a nasty-feeling cosplay party filmed by creepy guys ad a grainy screenshot of what looks like a cheaply made Sailor Moon costume. ^_^;;

***

That’s a wrap for this week.

Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!





Yuri Manga: Tsubomi (つぼみ), Volume 12

August 19th, 2011

In my review of Volume 11, I said that Tsubomi (つぼみ) Volume 12 was poised for something. And so it is.

The covers have recently told short stories on their own and this issue actually includes the story of the cover story as the first story in the volume. Interestingly, the insider color art page is by Kazuaki, the same artist illustrating the “Justice for Girls” novel in Comic Yuri Hime. It’s a small, small Yuri network. ^_^

Otome is starting to realize that her actions have caused Minato some considerable pain in “Hoshikawa Ginza 4-choume.” She has yet to see that she’s hurt another girl, as well.

Wakatsuki spends a lot of time inside her fantasies of the cooking club’s summer camp, but the reality is not what she had hoped in “Himitsu no Recipe.”

In “Prism” Hikaru is having a hard time with her feelings, and her relationship with Hirose-san. A not-at-all chance discussion with a classmate who comes out as bi, sets Hikaru back on the right path.

“Shimaism” adds a couple of new characters to allow Yoshotomi Akihito to draw the girls in random cosplay and a much less skeevy couple to the mix.

The big surprise comes in “Lonely Sheep, Lonely Wolf.” Big Imari and little Imari are spending the night together to celebrate their shared birthday, but a visit by a former lover of Big Imari’s, Rika, throws them both into very uncomfortable territory. But little Imari isn’t having any and stands up to this person who wants to drag big Imari back nto the past. Rika’s reaction to this was such a genuine shock that I gasped out loud. I’m freaking out here, not knowing what happens! This series has been my favorite for some time, and it has just stepped into completely different not-Story A territory. I long for the next chapter.

“Ai o Komete” is exactly the opposite – it’s a slightly annoying “Story A,” featuring an American transfer student whose Japanese is quirky, but fluent.

“Kuraimori, Shiromichi” continues as the depressed Shou finds her thoughts filled with impressions of the blind girl she met in the park and desire to spend more time with her.

Nawoko’s “Private Lesson” wraps up as both Tamago and Tori-‘nee learn all the lessons they can from their relationship to music and to one another.

As always these aren’t all the stories in the volume, just the ones I found notable.

Congratulations to Tsubomi and all the folks who make it happen, for making it through 3 years! Here’s to many more. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

This volume was probably a 7 overall, but the shock of “Lonely Wolf, Lonely Sheep” bumps the volume as a whole to an 8 and that series in and of itself to a 9.





Yuri manga: Seigakuin Kouka Daigaku Yakanbu (星学院工科大学 夜間部)

August 19th, 2011

Seigakuin Kouka Daigaku Yakanbu by Morishima Akiko-sensei (星学院工科大学 夜間部) made me giggle. Constantly, uncontrollably.

Hanasaki Tsukiha had attended a Catholic girls’ school until graduation but now she’s a student at a Engineering College in Tokyo. From the rarified girls-only atmosphere, Tsukiha now find herself surrounded by…men. She feels very alone in this manly environment.

Until a chance encounter brings her in contact with Seita and Kei, two very good looking and friendly guys. Seita, it turns out is gay, which surprises Tsukiha, but hey, it’s the big city. Seita brings Tsukiha to his “circle,” the Yakanbu. The Yakanbu is headed by grungy Tastumi-senpai, a design genius. Along with Seita and Kei…who turns out to be a girl (!) who happens to be bi and is currently seeing and blissfully happy with a woman, there’s Kaito, the young father of a young boy, happily married, attending school at night, and creepy Yuri Fanboy Orishima.

Each chapter deals with Tsukiha’s relationship with these people, slightly focused on one of the various characters. Tsukiha slowly falls for Seita who, it turns out is not gay, he’s actually asexual. She has a hard time getting past this, but with the help of everyone in the group, she manages to make herself be friends with Seita.  In the meantime, her Onee-sama Nijika visits, and poor Orishima practically dies of Yuri overload, as Nijika is the Sachiko type, while Tsukiha is a perfect Yumi. Nijika also happens to be a fujoshi, and Tsukiha asks Orishima to guide her around town. When Tsukiha names Orishima her hero, he’s motivated to lose weight and get himself some style. He becomes a bishie in order to be Tsukiha’s knight.

Tatsumi-sempai is the source of most of my giggling. He’s a flaming freak, with no social skills, no understanding of woman…or other men, really, and a soul-rending sincerity that’s Victorian at heart. Tsukiha adores him, and even declares him “cute,” to his great consternation.

The book wraps up in an unlikely, yet still slightly pat manner, but I’m not going to spoil the end so you can giggle through it too. The omake chapter follows Kei and her girlfriend Sayuri having heart to heart talks with Tsukiha. The books gets bonus points for giving Kei and Sayuri a love-love ending that had nothing to do with the rest of the story, but is nonetheless a nice way to end the volume.

Nothing about this book was typical, except Morishima-sensei’s adorable art and interest in teaching a new audience about sexual minorities in an exceedingly cute narrative. The word “cute” is repeated about 8700 times in this volume…it’s a fitting description of the whole damn thing.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Character – 9
Yuri – 9
Service – 3, plays with the tropes, rather than wallows in them

Overall – 9

Seigakuin Kouka Daigaku Yakanbu is an unexpected, giggle-making delight. And teeth-rottingly cute. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Tsubomi (つぼみ), Volume 11

August 17th, 2011

It’s been almost three years now, since quarterly Yuri anthology Tsubomi (つぼみ) made its debut. And I find that, as it is just about to complete that third year, that I enjoy reading more of the series than I don’t. Which means that, by my estimation, it has arrived. ^_^ Today we look at Volume 11.

“Hoshikawa Ginza 4-choume” remains good and problematic in equal amounts. Otome has decided to act out in rebellion against Minato’s desire for her to matriculate and has run away. If this series weren’t so decent, I wouldn’t give it another thought, but it is decent, and I want to know what will happen.

Morinaga Milk’s “Himitsu no Recipe” goes nowhere fast (cutely) as the cooking club approaches their summer training camp.

“Hana to Hoshi” continues to be a very real story from a rather silly premise. The love triangle (if it really is a love triangle) may end up bring Hanai and Hoshino closer.

The end of “Renai Manga” is warm, fuzzy and utterly predictable. ^_^

“Candy” was as adorable as a standalone chapter as it was part of a collection.

Nawoko’s “Private Lesson” finally circles back to the first of the two complicated relationships, in which Tamago is as honest as she can be with her tutor.

As always, these are not every story, just a few I enjoyed more than others. The rest are a variety of explorations of “Story A” as so many Tsubomi stories are, and a very bizarre chapter of “Shimaism.”

Volume 11 was not the best of times, it was not the worst of times. In keeping with the every-other issue having higher quality, Volume 11 seems poised for…something great to come in Volume 12.

Ratings:

Overall – 7





JManga Launches, Almost (But Not Completely) Yuri Free

August 17th, 2011

Today was the big launch date for new manga platform JManga, the digital solution to manga fans’ desires. Of course it’s not perfect, no one expected it to be. But for Yuri fans, the lack of…almost anything…is notable and regrettable.

The initial launch for JManga is North America only. And while they said NA includes Canada, some Canadian readers have not been able to get on the system. Others have, so maybe it was an initial glitch that was rectified.

There are a number of ways to slice and dice manga, the most common is by demographic audience. Categories for shounen, seinen, shoujo and josei are very visible on the site. Of course that leaves Yuri folks wondering where will Yuri be listed…if it ever makes it on the platform. Is Comic Yuri Hime seinen or josei?  (JRB tells us that there are Yuri category labels under both seinen and josei, and sensibly concludes that Yuri will be categorized by the audience for that magazine. Which still makes me wonder where Yuri Hime will be listed. ^_^)  So, setting that aside, I jumped over to…

The Publisher Page. This was a little more useful for me, because I know what publishers I care about. And while a number of the most popular Yuri-friendly publishers are listed, Ichijinsha, Hobunsha and Media Factory are all “Coming Soon.” Which means that all of the titles from those publishers and their magazines are not on the system, yet. That left Hakusensha, and my vague hope that Rakuen Le Paradis would be listed…. Unfortunately, it was not. The only Hakusensha titles listed are titles already quite familiar to US readers, Natsume’s Book of Friends, Ouran Host Club, etc. This left Futabasha, our one bright spot of hope.

Sadly, Enterbrain has yet to join. Boo-hoo, no Romae Thermae or other interesting Comic Beam titles for you. And vexingly, the only title available from Monthly IKKI is *not* GUNJO. Grr.

Okay, so there is good news out there. As I mentioned Futabasha is a beacon for us.

Click on the Magazine Pages and you’ll see our old friend, Comic High. Click the Comic High Page and lo and behold! Morinaga Miruku’s GIRLFRIENDS is one of the choices.

(Along with Towa Oshima’s Joshi Kousei and Hitohira for some other amusing, yet questionable Yuri-service.)

GIRLFRIENDS does have a free preview, so once you sign up, you can see what it looks like. It’s got a not terribly sophisticated translation, right from the get-go. But the reader is browser-based, simple and easy to navigate. I approve of not having to download anything to read the manga.

The purchase of things is on the “points” system, something I find annoying on top of the subscription. It appears that the $10/month subscription plan gives you 1000 points. An average volume of manga is priced about 899 points, so for your subscription, you can buy 5 chapters or one full volume per month. Once you have bought a manga, it stays in your account, even if you change back to the free account, so you you still “own” that copy as long as the site is in existence. If you want to buy something, but don’t have enough points you can pay for the extra points, according to the User Guide. But you can’t pay for points without having a subscription first. so you can’t just buy what you want when you want it.

As depressing as all this seems, check out the Signup Page. “Yuri” is a checkable box under Interests. I haven’t yet attempted to buy the paid subscription, but when I do, I’ll let you know how it goes.

So, while it’s a slow starter for Yuri fans, there is hope. If we all put pressure on them (i,e, check that Yuri box) to get Ichijinsha and Hobunsha (and the Hakusensha titles that are relevant to us)  into the fold, it could well be worth that monthly fee. Here’s hoping!

Addendum: Some previews are relatively short, i.e., 7 pages for GIRLFRIENDS. So, you’re going to be making decisions rather quickly.  At 7 pages, you’re making a decision based solely on art and tone. A major boost would be the chance to purchase (or read for free) the whole first chapter, so we could get an idea of the art, tone and story. Some manga do have the whole first chapter. I think that ought to be standard.

Also of note, Ultra Jump magazine isn’t on the system, so no Hayate x Blade for us, either. That would be a MAJOR draw for me.

So right now, it’s cool to read some off-beat unknown manga, but no good for getting any of the manga I already read and would like to get digitally.