Archive for January, 2025


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – January 11, 2024

January 11th, 2025

In black block letters, YNN Yuri Network News. On the left, in black silhouette, a woman with a broad brim hat and dress stands, a woman in a tight outfit sits against the Y. Art by Mari Kurisato for Okazu

Yuri Manga

Yorita Miyuki has launched the Kickstarter campaign for her next volume of「Her kiss, my libido twinkles and it has already passed the initial and first stretch goal!

Odoriba ni Skirt ga Naru, Volume 5 (踊り場にスカートが鳴る) hit shelves last month.

Via Comic Natalie we have a couple of Yuri-ish items: 

Love ka Like ka Wakaranai! (ラブかライクか分からない！) by SasaKuma will begin serialization in the February issue of Managatime Kirara. This is after 3 stand-alone chapters of the series about the relationship between two best friends have previously run in the magazine.

In Danshi Koukousei, Otome Game no Akuyaku Reijou ni Tenseisuru.Volume 1,  (男子高校生、乙女ゲームの悪役令嬢に転生する。) A boy is reincarnated into an otome game as the villainess and pursues a “non-existent Yuri route.” Check out sample pages in Japanese on Bookwalker.

Gatchi Koi Count 2.9 (ガチ恋カウント2.9) follows office lady Rico who becomes “Heel Maiden Toriko” in the wrestling ring after meeting her favorite wrestler at a home center . It looks absurd, but also fun in the 46-page sample on Bookwalker.

And Dengeki Daioh is running yet another story about a guy reincarnated, this time as the only man in a Yuritopian world
 in Danshi Kinsei Game Sekai de Ore ga Yarubeki Yuiitsu no Koto Yuri no Manihasamaru Otoko toshite Tenseishiteshimaimashita. (男子禁制ゲーム世界で俺がやるべき唯一のこと 百合の間に挟まる男として転生してしまいました).

Via YNN Correspondent Cryssoberyl, Twinstar Cyclone Runaway, Volume 1 is on sale on Bookwalker.  I read this volume, but apparently never got around to reviewing it. ^_^;

 

Support the people who bring you Yuri Journalism 
Become an Okazu Patron today!

 

Anime News

As mentioned when I reviewed Volume 10 of Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau this week, the official news is that there will be no Japanese Blu-ray release for the anime. After delays and news of poor working conditions, this new is a bitter, but not unexpected pill.

I sincerely doubt we’ll get the kind of Yuri we had with GWitch, but Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuux certainly has a bunch of girls, which will undoubtedly cause shipping. Interestingly, Khara and Sunrise, who are teaming up for this series, are releasing a movie first, before the television series. Check out the trailer on Youtube.

SugoiLITE’s SUGOI BINGUS account on X notes that Miss Kobyayshi’s Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants To Be Loved, movie sequel from Kyoto Animation will have new info announced this coming week.

 

Support Yuri News and Reviews on Ko-fi!

Other News

Via Sr. YNN Correspondent Sean Gaffney, loveandladyjustice on Tumblr takes a look at Modern Yuri/BL and Queer Identity.

 

If you’d like to support Yuri journalism and research, Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips.  Our goal now, into 2024, is to raise our guest writers’ wages to above industry standard, which are too low!

Your support goes straight to paying for Guest Reviews, folks helping with videos, site maintenance, managing the Yuricon Store and directly supporting other Yuri creators. Just $5/month makes a huge impact! Become part of the Okazu family!

Become a part of the Yuri Network, by being a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share with us.





Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau, Volume 10 (ささやくように恋を唄う)

January 9th, 2025

Two girls sit facing us, surrounded by falling pink flower petals. One girl with collar length blonde bob, wears a pink smock dress over a white blouse, holds a bouquet of pink and white flowers or roses, mums, daisies and baby's breath. The other, taller girl has long black hair pulled up into bun, wears a black blouse and skirt. In the wake of the final episodes of Whisper Me A Love Song anime finally seeing light of day, and the cancellation of a Blu-ray release, I wanted to finally take a moment and catch up on the manga  a series that is one of the top titles serialized in Comic Yuri Hime.  I read Takeshima Eku’s series in the magazine, but it is easier to see the story progress when I read it in a collected volume. ^_^ And I apparently forgot to review Volume 9, which is the final arc in the Aki / Shiho conflict, woops.  Don’t worry – if you watched the anime, you’re basically caught up. ^_^

Sasayakuyou no Koi wo Utau, Volume 10 (ささやくように恋を唄う) came with a little 24-page booklet that centers Shiho and Aki, and a a photo of themselves taken at a photo booth in better times, before the band break-up and Shiho’s spiral into whatever it is that she became. It is cute, and poignant and – in the bigger picture – a little silly, because these characters are like 17 years old and this huge falling out was probably 3 years ago. Life is so much more when we are young, because we have so much less to compare it to.

The majority of this volume follows Shiho and Aki as they go on a date. This is a rather huge moment for the two of them, and we watch every cringe and cute moment to see if they can navigate through the coral reefs they’ve both built up around themselves. Aki is a master at pushing Shiho’s buttons, but Shiho surely must get props for actually trying.

Yori stays over Himari’s house and once again, they discuss consent. In a very entertaining scene Himari’s mother cops to knowing that they are an item and welcomes Yori into the family. It was nice to see a scene where a parent just accepts her child’s girlfriend with a smile – there will be no fraught coming out for these darlings.

So, now, Himari and Yori are ridiculously happy together and now that Aki and Shiho are a couple…what’s next? Well, Aki’s younger sister and Himari’s best friend Miki has a sempai in the brass section of band, Aya. Aya reaches out to Miki’s older sister, Aki, who reaches out to Yori and the next thing Aya knows the whole band and Himari are in on her struggle to decide whther to tell Miki her feelings. Aya does fess up, but when Miki learns that everyone in the entire cast knew before she did, she understandably gets royally pissed at Aya! Is their relationship dead on arrival? We’ll have to keep reading to see if this is another Yuritopian school. ^_^  That is to say, yes, it is, and probably they will get together cutely.

Takeshima Eku’s art is instantly recognizable at this point. Her characters are cute, endearing, sincere and frequently seen at dramatic angles. The adorable-ness of everyone here is at Level 9000. Now that Shiho is reformed there is no one to really even dislike… although she’s probably be a prickly favorite for at least a few more volumes. ^_^

Sasayakyouni Koi Wo Utau just continues to be a really sweet series, that is growing just a little every volume.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 0
Yuri – 8

Whisper Me A Love Song, Volume 1-8 are available in English from Kodansha, Volume 9 is headed our way in autumn 2025.





Sheep Princess in Wolf’s Clothing, Volume 3

January 8th, 2025

A wolf-woman in a butler's suit tucks a sheep girl in a fluffy bed surrounded by pastel colors and stars hanging from the canopy.by Luce, Staff Writer

In Volume 1 and Volume 2, we met and got to know Aki, a Wolfa butler, and Momo, a Sheepa princess. Momo was clearly interested in Aki, but even now that Aki has realised how she feels, the gap between them feels too wide for her to bridge, and with talk of marriage on the horizon…

In Sheep Princess in Wolf’s Clothing, Volume 3, we see the end of Momo’s birthday party, and Kunya leaving. Momo realises that she missed Aki’s birthday and does her best to celebrate! Bluebell, Momo’s maid takes ill, and the only person Momo would be comfortable taking over is, of course, Aki! The full moon comes around again, and Momo knocks at Aki’s door? Finally, with encouragement from Kiku and Sakaki, Aki finally tells Momo that she cannot reciprocate her feelings due to their differing social classes… How will Momo respond?

This manga is quite hard to review, as it’s generally just… pleasant. I enjoy it, but there aren’t many particular things to discuss – the art is cute, suitably fluffy when it needs to be, and good at making the characters look good. I like the interaction between Aki and Momo, especially in this one as Aki loosens up a bit. There are two sections that were notable in this volume though, both fairly brief.

There is a short moment at the start where it seems that Kunya may rat Aki out for her feelings… But it turns out she’s a huge fan of royalty/servant pairs, and just wants the details. Phew. I’m glad that she didn’t turn out nasty. I’m not sure her portrayal is necessarily the best representation, as there seems to be a flavour of the ‘exotic foreigner’ to her, but she is contrasted with the other character of colour who broke Momo’s heart and causes her to shut herself away, so at least she’s nice. (Upon a reread, I noticed there is another maid who is a person of colour, so there are a few).

The second full moon scene is something that probably needs a bit of a caution – when Aki refuses to let Momo in, as she knows that her emotions are harder to control, Momo orders her to let her in. Even if Momo is fully aware of the kind of thing that will happen if Aki loses control, and even wants it, it feels like an abuse of privilege, and not very fair to Aki. They don’t really get anywhere with it, as Aki shows enough control and escorts Momo back to her room, but I feel like it’s only fair to be warned about it.

Finally, I’m glad that Sakaki (and Kiku) manage to talk Aki out of separating herself from Momo, due to her perception of the difference between their social classes being too high to overcome. It’s always classed in fiction as some noble ambition to not hurt the other person, but really, walking away like that just means protecting yourself from seeing the hurt that you caused.

I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say that Momo is elated that Aki says that she loves her. As she points out, Momo is the one who will have to persuade her family to accept it. In fiction, the power differential doesn’t seem so big, and I hope that they can make some kind of relationship.

Art: 8
Story: 6
Service: 4 (mainly in low cut dresses and maid uniforms)
Yuri: 8 not sure a man has been named on page yet. More on the ‘yuritopia’ end of series. Everyone has a crush on another woman it seems.
Fluffiness: 10

Overall: 7

If you enjoyed the previous volumes, you’ll likely enjoy this one! Volume 4 came out in November, hopefully the review for that will be done a bit quicker than this one!





Rainbows After Storms, Volume 1

January 7th, 2025

Nanoha and Chidori are high school students. They are friends. And, unbeknownst to the girls around them, they are dating. In theory, at least. ^_^  Volume 1 of Rainbows After Storms is the kind of very slow, very mild Yuri romance with which media giant Shogakukan took it’s first tenuous steps into Yuri.

There is no high drama here…there is only the  simultaneously adorable and irritating blushing of two girl who are more likely to be in a glass closet than they realize. Yes, they tell us that they are dating and they have not told their friends, but right from the first pages, it seems pretty obvious that their friends are pretending to not notice. When the two have the smallest of falling outs, their friends are right there making sure they are okay.

Having read and reviewed 12 of the 13 volumes in Japanese, I know this series will move at a glacial pace but, like plate tectonics, it will move. Chidori and Nanoha will become closer and begin to think about a life together after school.

This gentle Yuri romance by Luka Kobachi will stay gentle, with a little cringey-ness for spice. The translation and lettering are as unintrusive as Nanoha and Chidori’s feelings. If you finish this volume and wonder if you maybe missed something…you didn’t. It’s just that there is no storm here, only rainbows. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 3
Service – 1, mostly on principle

Overall – A pleasant 6 with lots of room to grow

Volume 2 will be hitting shelves next month, so settle in for a story about likeable teens and some barely-there Yuri. ^_^





Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – January 4, 2025

January 4th, 2025

In blue silhouette, two women face each other. One wears a fedora and male-styled attire, one is in a dress and heels. Their body language is obscure - they may be dancing, or laughing or fighting. Art by Mari Kurisato for OkazuYuri Manga

News this week has to start off with the blazing success of Galette magazine’s Galette- Special English Edition02 Kickstarter campaign which launched on January 1st and surpassed the first four stretch goals by today where it is at about $300 away from beating that final (for now) stretch goal at time of posting.

I reviewed the first issue of this EN translated special edition on the 1st and found that it was exactly what I hoped and more. I expect Issue 02 to be just as good and possibly better, as the number of backers on 01 ended up at 674, and the 02 campaign (which does have a method to get Issue 01 as long as supplies last) is already over 400 – with 26 days left! So if you want to support independent, crowd-funded Yuri manga, this is a great Kickstarter campaign.

Yorita Miyuki is also about to launch the 2nd volume of her independent Yuri series, [her kiss, my libido twinkles]. According to Yorita-sensei, Volume 1 will be available as an add-on to the V2 campaign.

Former Bilibili manhua, Straight Girl Trap by 42℃ Latte and Ice Free Herbal Jelly has been picked up by Tapas comics. This is about a bitchy boss and the worker she favors who is sure that the boss is straight, but wishes she wasn’t….

Via Sr. YNN Correspondent Sean Gaffney, here is a very cute 6-part Yuri manga in Japanese on X. Idol Group no Oshimen to “Kekkon” Suru to Hanashi (アイドルグループの推しメンと”結婚”する話) is by Akuse-chan.

ANN’s Rafael Antonio Pineda has the news that Yomogimochi’s Yuri manga “Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!? (Yuri ni Hasamaru Otoko wa Shineba Ii?!) manga will change its title to Kiss Yori mo Kimi no Neiro de Me ga Sameru (Your Timbre Brings Me to My Senses More Than a Kiss Would)” and then begin serialization once again.  I was able to read the early chapters of this as a doujinshi. The story isn’t at all suited to the original title – possibly not the new title, either. ^_^  Volume 1 of this band rival Yuri is out from Tokyopop.

 

Independent Yuri Journalism needs your support –
Become an Okazu Patron today!

 

Anime News

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha EXCEEDS Gun Blaze Vengeance anime has been announced for 2025. Anita Tai has the details on ANN.

We had a pleasant watch-along on the Okazu Discord, but I have not had a second to write up a review of this so, here is ANN’s Rebecca Silverman’s review of the Whisper Me A Long Song anime, Episode 11-12 finale.

Not Yuri, but firmly in Cute Girls Doing Cute Things Cutely territory, Egan Loo has the news that Non Non Biyori anime staff has reunited for Hibi wa Sugiredo Meshi Umashi: Food for the Soul.

 

Light Novel News

Did You Think My Yuri Was Just For Show sounds like it could be interesting as a tale of two voice actresses, one up-and-coming and the other trying to hang on to her career, which will be out in February from Yen Press.

 

Support Yuri News and Reviews on Ko-fi!

Other News

Okazu Staff Frank Hecker has done some analysis of Yuri titles and has put together a nice chart detailing the growth of Yuri published in the years since 1990 using the listings at Anime Planet as a dataset. It’s interesting reading, you should take a look. There was an apparent peak of titles in the year just before the pandemic, which has not been met since, but I would say that has to include some work that was self or small-press published, since I’m seeing far more Yuri being published by the top half dozen JP (and EN) publishers now.

The folks at ANN put together their Best Manga and Light Novels of 2024 list which includes a number of Yuri titles.

I did a not-Yuri thing! My review of Tonbo!, Season 2 is up on YNN.

 

If you’d like to support Yuri journalism and research, Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips.  Our goal now, into 2024, is to raise our guest writers’ wages to above industry standard, which are too low!

Your support goes straight to paying for Guest Reviews, folks helping with videos, site maintenance, managing the Yuricon Store and directly supporting other Yuri creators. Just $5/month makes a huge impact! Become part of the Okazu family!

Become a part of the Yuri Network, by being a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share with us.