Yuri Manga
The first volume of the manga Watashi no Oshi ha Akujyaku Reijou. (私の推しは悪役令嬢。) is out now from Yuri Hime Comics! If you enjoyed the light novel, I’m in Love With the Villainess, you’ll enjoy the manga where we get the entire story illustrated ^_^ The manga has really been fun so far and, I honestly think the art suits the story better than the art in the LN.
Yuri Light Novel
If you haven’t yet gotten a chance to read I’m in Love With the Villainess, Volume 1, definitely do. The first volume is out in print now. I’ve just finished re-reading it and am impressed all over again.
Bloom Into You Regarding Saeki Sayaka, Volume 3 is imminent – it’s hitting some retailers early, in fact. Don’t miss this fabulous conclusion to the Bloom Into You franchise!
Manga Planet has added super light novel Yuri Will Not Blossom at Work! by Mai Yanagawa and Ruri Hazuki.
Yuri Studio
For our final episode of the 2020 “season,” on Yuri Studio, I take on one of the most complicated topics I am ever asked about: Are There Queer Creators Creating Yuri?
This year was an amazing year to address this, as while I was working on the video manga by queer creators were being licensed and a couple of folks spoke publicly about being queer to their Japanese fans. 2020 has been surreal, but it has also been amazing for queer manga.
Support our work on Yuri Studio, help us pay our writers and join us for our Okazu Patron Online Holiday Party!
Yuri Anime
Okay, I give. ^_^ VLADLOVE debuted on Youtube this week and 1) I did not loathe it, something I was fully prepared to do (^_^) and 2) it’s Yuri. We’ll have Megan reviewing it in the future, since she’s been the series advocate since it was announced.
Otherside Picnic anime will be debuting on Funimation on January 4th, don’t forget!
Senior YNN Correspondent Eric P. points out ANN’s Rafael Antonio Pineda’s article on Battle Athletes Daiundoukai ReSTART! a new chapter for the Battle Athletes series.
Yuri Podcasts
Manga Mavericks has Sarah and Kit from Tomochoco Podcast and myself on to talk about the Kase-san series on Kase-san and a Podcast!
Other News
In 2019, SF Magazine did a blowout issue focused on Yuri, which was followed up by a Yuri science fiction story collection, Asterism ni Hanataba o Yuri SF Anthology (アステリズムに花束を 百合 SFアンソロジ, which I am about 3/4 through . The Yuri issue sold out and went into a second printing, which I reviewed on Okazu in February 2019.
Now Hayakawa Publishing is doing a second Special Issue focusing on Yuri, with a cover featuring the upcoming Otherside Picnic anime. The issue comes out on the 25th of December…and it’s already sold out on Amazon, and not available on Global Bookwalker as of yet. So, hold on to the link for SF Magazine, February 2021 Special Issue (SFマガジン 2021年 02 月号 特別増大号) and we’ll wait for it to be available!
Cartoon Network did this terrific PSA about pronouns featuring Stevonnie and I am going to say, having finally gotten over their fear of queer, they are really doing it right. Thank you Rebecca Sugar, you changed the world.
Cartoon Network also did this PSA about systemic racism in education in which Steven Universe‘s Pearl says what has to be said out loud.
Speaking of Rebecca Sugar, Via YNN Correspondent David M. we have a podcast that focuses on Studio Ghibli’s work, interviewing Ms. Sugar about her influences! Ghibliotheque – A Podcast About Studio Ghibli: Rebecca Sugar | Whispers From The Heart #4.
Also of interest was Andrew Tejada’s exploration of the de-humaning of characters of color for Tor.com in Representation Without Transformation: Can Hollywood Stop Changing Cartoon Characters of Color?
Captain Marvel 2 had a huge announcement with release date and cast – this movie will also feature Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau and I’m trying to not be too excited because I refuse to get Disney Plus. ^_^;
Friends in the Philippines can now get the ZsaZsa Zaturnnah comic collected in a hardbound edition. I’m jealous. ^_^
Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to – thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network! Special thanks to Okazu Patrons for helping us reach our 2020 goal of giving guest writers a raise and helping us support queer creators!
So, have you changed your mind about VLADLOVE? I still don’t know what to do. I don’t really like the way this show was promoted, but I have nothing against the anime itself.
I’m a little confused. SF Magazine will repritnt the first Yuri volume and release the second volume?
I didn’t hate VladLove. ^_^
SF Magazine will print a second Yuri Scifi issue.
Yes, but it seemed to me that you had a desire to watch this show. If I was wrong, then I apologize anyway.
I see, thanks for the clarification.
I think I would have enjoyed *Vlad Love* a bit more if it hadn’t been quite so male-gazey. Unless it was irony, which… it kind-of felt like (I mean, a school nurse who smokes in her office? There’s some serious message mixing going on).
The whole “sexy school doctor” is definitely so old school. I feel like Oshii’s work has always been creepy dudeish but people call him a genius so no one ever tells him to cut it out. In GitS he obsessively does dismembered of naked female torsos.
Ironically enough, when I was a kid, I barely paid attention to it, but the older I get, the more these “boomer” elements make me feel embarrassed. However, the show doesn’t look like something made exclusively for horny fanboys so far, so I’m wondering what it will be in general.
I’m so excited to be bringing Vlad Love coverage to Okazu! I already have so many thoughts about it so, readers, please stay tuned for my first reaction write up ^_^
This week saw the publication of a new LN series, 〆切前には百合が捗る (Yuri advances before the deadline), about the relationship between a writer and her supervisor https://ln-news.com/articles/110275
A PV for original anime Wonder Egg Priority was unveiled this week – one of the main cast is a tomboyish, Boku-using girl Momoe Sawaki, who the official site notes is often mistaken for a boy and is “popular with girls”. Whether this character turns out to be queer or not, it feels like she was designed specifically to become my fav! https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-12-16/wonder-egg-priority-original-tv-anime-video-reveals-cast-staff-song-artists-january-12-premiere/.167503
I’m not sure if androgyny should necessarily speak of some queer traits, but the description of almost all girls literally seems to be created to undermine the question of various teen or social problems in general, so I would not be surprised if her androgyny plays a big role in her character’s subplot.
I think I’d watch this series based on the title alone.
”The anime’s story begins when the protagonist, a 14-year-old girl named Ai Ohto, hears a mysterious voice while walking around town late at night. It gives her an egg, and beckons to her: “If you wish to change the future, you need only choose now. Now, believe in yourself, and smash the egg.””
How very Utena of them ^_^
Ironically enough, for the illustrator, this is the second work about a short-haired brunette girl whose life is fundamentally influenced by a talking egg.