Today’s review is sponsored by Rica Takashima who sent me all these treasures from Comiket 101 at Tokyo Bight Sight this past winter. She and I have had our fair number of surreal experiences there, but among those I had not imagined, was the growth of Yuri research clubs at various universities. Of course in retrospect, it makes perfect sense that, as Yuri grows in popularity, some folks would create circles around doing basically the exactly same thing I’m doing here – reviews and research, interviews and news.  Because when I first visited Comiket 20 years ago, Yuri was not a genre, it’s really delightful that there are so many folks doing just that now. (Also, marveling at the fact that when Rica and I were selling our Yuri manga at Comiket, these young people were in diapers. What a different world they have ground up in in regards to Yuri!) Thankfully Rica also enjoys other people’s enjoyment, and so I have some really fun Yuri Research doujinshi today to share with you and some joyful faces from Comiket.

Our goodies today come from: 

University of Tokyo Yurizukikai (@utokyo_yuri on Twitter)

The UTokyo Yuri Lover’s Society had two publications:

Liliest was a slick perfect bound collection of essays about Yuri location travel, webtoon recommendations and brief history of Yuri from the 1990s to the present, a terrific essay answering the question “Is Anne of Green Gables Yuri?” and, when one flipped to the other side, original fiction and manga.

I have to tell you, as I read through each of these doujinshi, my heart grew 20 times in size. ^_^

It was just so delightful to be a part of this conversation, even if just vicariously through the doujinshi.

Also wonderful was UTY’s second publication, a copy book entitled, Hyaku-Nengo Ni Nokoshitai Yuri Manga Hyaku Sen. Let me me see if I can explain what is going on in this title. If you look at the red characters, they spell ‘Yuri,’ but the first character also is ‘100,’ so this title means something like, 100 Selected Yuri Manga For the Ages, but is a couple of clever uses of the way kanji is read and laid out.  It’s very clever in a college club way. ^_^

Inside this copybook  is a foldout page with 100 Yuri manga that they think are key pieces of Yuri manga history. Largely I agree with them! A few are open for debate, as one might expect. ^_^ This is accompanied by group members’ discussion of decades in Yuri and why they picked certain series. Absolutely had me grinning like a loon through this whole book. Squee!

You can buy this issue of Liliest and the 100 Selections doujinshi on UTokyo Yurizukikai’s Booth.pm store – and you should totally do that. ^_^

Next up we have:

Kyoto University Yuribunken (@KU_yuribunken on Twitter)

Immediately when I picked up their publication, Lilyology, Volume 1, I squeaked out “I know that artist!” Indeed I was correct, The fine folks at Kyoto U. Yuri Culture Research Group  have an interview with and cover by Fujieda Miyabi, creator of Iono-sama Fanatics and Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan, (and a perennial favorite of mine).  This is preceded by a series of essays in which members discuss how they found Yuri.

“Mizuno Ami” has an interview with a Kyoto U grad student who presented about Yuri doujinshi at Comiket from the 90s-00s at an academic conference. This is exactly the kind of thing I want in my collection. Members then select their favorite one panel from a Yuri manga or anime. And these are followed by essays on Adachi to Shimamura, Shiroi Suna no Aquatope – with an extensive list of all the species of fish seen in the series!

Turning to the other side of the doujinshi is a piece of fiction by Saruwatari Shirayuki about a girl who wants to go out with a Prince in a Yuri world…or so she thinks.

Seriously, tell me you aren’t utterly entranced by all this? I was delighted.

Our last University group today is:

Tokyo University of Science Yurizukikai, aka RikaYuri (@tuslilylover on Twitter)

Notice this fantastic sign “Jidai ha Yuri da.” It’s the Age of Yuri. Guys, if you make this into a t-shirt, I will buy it. ^_^

Their publication is lovely little A5 perfect bound volume, RikaYuri, Volume 3. Volumes 1, 2 and 3 are available in print and V2  and V3 as digital editions on RikaYuri’s Booth.pm.

This volume includes essays, including the “RikaYuri Symposium,” held in spring 2022 about the past, present and future of Yuri, art and original fiction – and, in the back a guest post by a member of the Nagoya University (Meidai) Yuri Lover’s Club (@nitech_lily on Twitter)! I approve of this cross university communication. ^_^ All the art in this nice little doujinshi is reproduced in 4 color.

I will never ever not be amazed and envious at the relative ease with which Japanese doujinshi circles can get high quality color printing. It’s true that digital printing has made leaps and bounds here in the west, but the process in Japan is so streamlined and flexible. I always wonder what my life might have been life if printing in the US in the 2000s wasn’t so darn difficult! But how wonderful for this generation of Yuri fans that they can get their work online and in print – and how wonderful for us. ^_^

Last up, we have a bonus manga by someone I follow online.

I was on Mastodon, following and chatting briefly with Yamako-sensei, a Yuri doujinshi artist who’s Nakayoshi Oneesan-tachi is an adorable slice of life about two adult women, Mako and Natsu.
I mentioned having sold once as a vendor at Comiket, and Yamako-sensei noted that they had been my neighbor. Small world, eh? (I remember nothing about that whole day, hardly, because it was an absolute blur of exhaustion and euphoria.) So when my package of doujinshi included Yamako-sensei’s work, I was absolutely beside myself with glee. Happily you can purchase some of Yamako-sensei’s doujinshi on Bookwalker or, as digital or in print (and stickers and coasters) through their online shop (with shipping through a buying service like Tenso.)

This doujinshi is charming in a totally relatable way with 4-koma comics that span all the various emotions and situations one might find in an adult relationship. Lots of hugs and kisses for these two. They are so cute. ^_^

That brings me to the end of my vicarious walk through the state of Yuri at Comiket in 2022 and let me tell you, it was wonderful. ^_^ I really hope to make it back to Japan this year and take in Comitia or GLFes once again and maybe meet up with some of these folks!

For more Yuri clubs, take a look at the folks on my Yuri resource list on Twitter. I’m adding new groups, creators and organizations all the time.

Thanks so much to the Yuri groups at U Tokyo, Kyoto U and Rikadai, and to Yamako-sensei for all their lovely messages and especial thanks to Rica for getting these for me. What a fantastic way to start this year off! ^_^