This week’s Yuri Network News has been written by Okazu Staff Writer Luce. Thanks Luce for stepping in!
Welcome to Yuri News Network! I’m Luce, contributor to Okazu, and taking over for Erica this week on the news as she’s away in France. Apologies for anything missing – I’m not able to access or read many of the Japanese sites and accounts that Erica may follow, but I’ve done my best to bring you yuri-related news from around the web. Enjoy!
Yuri Manga
Via Alex on X/Twitter (It’s only acceptable to deadname websites), Sukeban to Tenkousei will end with its third volume. In a machine translated statement, the mangaka, Fujichika-sensei says that they were informed that low sales are the reason they’re not able to continue. Shame – it looks interesting!
Also from Alex on X/Twitter , inee, the mangaka of yuri manga LOVE BULLET has stated that unless sales increase, the series may be cancelled at two volumes, despite her having a long story planned. Currently not licenced, they give us a buying guide for both the ebook and physical copies, albeit in Japanese. It appears to be a modern take on cupids – instead of bow and arrow, they’ve upgraded to firearms, but the mission remains the same – to get the right people to fall in love. Fingers crossed it can continue, and hopefully get licenced!
From Yuri Times, the complete collection of ‘Handsome Girl and Sheltered Girl’ by Mocchi-au-lait will be releasing in English this week. A college girl mistakes a female classmate for a handsome man, and asks her to a mixer! Unable to say no, and somewhat charmed, Mizuki agrees on the proviso that they go on a date – something she didn’t expect Satomi to agree to. How will she clear up this misunderstanding, and can they continue dating once the truth is out? Signs point to yes.
From the OASG, pre-orders for ‘I Married my Female Friend Volume 4 by Shio Usui are up in various places – the final volume! I need to catch up, but I have been enjoying this tale of two friends who married and moved in together, from the same mangaka as Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon.
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Yuri Anime
Via Anime News Network, the newest film in the Puella Magi Madoka Magica universe, PMMM The Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising has had a teaser trailer released, and is currently slated for release in winter 2025, delayed from winter this year. Additionally, a new smartphone game, Puella Magi Madoka Magika: Magia Exedra is due for release this year. Time to catch up with the time-and-space-bending yuri couple!
Via Sugoi LITE and Manga Mogura, the horror drama ‘This Monster Wants to Eat Me’ by Sae Naekawa may have an anime releasing next year. No sources are stated, but Manga Mogura notes a domain taken of ‘wata tabe dot com’. I’ve yet to read the manga, but I’ve heard very good things from Erica and others about this manga, which came out recently, and the Japanese volumes (Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi Volume 1) have also been reviewed on Okazu. A depressed high-school girl is attacked by a monster one day, and is saved by another monster, who promises to protect her… to eat her when she’s more grown up. English review of the first volume is here.
Anime News Network has news that ‘Murder Mystery of the Dead’, a party game, will be receiving a TV anime starting in November this year. Teren Mikami, author of yuri light novel series ‘There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover! Unless…’ is writing the scripts. Not sure it will have intentional yuri, but there sure are a lot of girls involved. I can’t find any English description of the plot, but it’s safe to bet there will be murder. And screaming.
Possibly yuri adjacent, but via Yuri Anime News (amongst others), a film entitled ‘Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: The Lonely Dragon’ will be released in Japan in 2025. The poster depicts Kanna, so who knows. We await further information.
And via Yuri_SRL on X/Twitter, a yuri mermaid indie anime will be screening during FRENZ 2024! By Ishikawa Naoya, the linked tweet has a short clip, it looks very interesting, involving a mermaid who had been in hiding and a human girl who has now found out! The clip has English subtitles, I hope there will be a way to watch the whole thing. Great to see independent publishers getting recognised.
Yuri Games
From Christine Love on Bluesky, the game Get in the Car, Loser! is now out on Nintendo Switch eShop. From the description there: “Everyone knows the story of how the great hero of legend Agi of Roses fought the Machine Devil and used the Sword of Fate to seal him away for a thousand years. Now, hateful Machine Devil cultist edgelords are spreading terror in order to summon him again, and the Divine Order that rules over our world claims that fighting them before it’s too late would be “just as bad as them.”
Obviously that won’t stand, and that’s why three young attendees of the local Academy of Order and one renegade angel from the Divine Order are heading off on a road trip to take the fight to the Machine Devil and his cultists. Will Sam Anon succeed in her mission to seal away evil for another thousand years, hit every diner along the road on the way, AND make it through a single conversation without blushing over her beautiful companions? The toughest challenges she’s ever faced in her life lie ahead!
A lesbian road trip RPG by the co-creator of Ladykiller in a Bind about fighting for love and justice in the face of indifference, and “discovering yourself,” whatever that means.”
From Eniko on Bluesky, their ‘lesbian fox girl’ platformer Kitsune Tails is currently 15% off on Steam and Itch. The game is compared to Super Mario Bros 3, and the Steam write up reads: ‘Run, jump, and dash across a land inspired by Japanese mythology and untangle the love triangle between three young women on a journey of self discovery. Explore the complicated relationships between kitsune and humans through classic platforming action.’. Sounds cute! Shame I’m terrible at platformers. If anyone would like to play it and pitch a review, the guidelines can be found on the sidebar of the Okazu website.
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Events
From rero on X/Twitter, real name Kasumi Nakamura, they will be participating in two events.
Firstly, on October 12th-13th, is the ‘Waseda Workshop on Sexuality: Japanese and International Perspectives’, where they will be talking about “how the maids in maid cafes manage the intimacy between maids and customers”. From the program, later on the 12th after their talk is one entitled ‘Dating Preferences and Sexual Orientation’ from Raja Halwani and another entitled ‘Intimate Relationships between Adult Women in Japanese Yuri Comics’ from Reika Shinoda. The program is running from 10:00-17:20 in Japanese Standard Time, but the official language will be English. I hope I’ll be able to catch some of this, although the timing may not be very easy with time zones.
Secondly, on November 1st, Nakamura-san will be a commentator on a lecture by Thomas Baudinette, ‘Exploring Queer Fantasy Work in Idol Fandom Culture Across East and Southeast Asia’. This is a Zoom webinar running from 14:00-15:00 JST, but again will be in English. This looks to cover the positives aspects of idol fan culture in Japan, but also in Korea, the Phillipines and Thailand.
James Welker will be speaking at an event in Tokyo about his new book, ‘Transfiguring Women in Late Twentieth-century Japan’. The event will take place at 18:00-19:30 JST on Friday October 25th at Sophia University. In person only, but pre-registration is not required, so show up and support if you’re able!
Finally, Shortbox Comics Fair is coming back! For the entirety of October, there will be over 100 short comics by various artists for sale on the site. This normally includes many queer focused comics, although topics and ratings vary widely. Support some artists! Everything is digital, so no posting fees either, just good comics, delivered straight to your inbox.
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