Archive for 2025


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – September 27, 2025

September 27th, 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 Anime

There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover, Unless… is getting an additional 5 episodes, which will be released as a theatrical event. ANN’s Alex Mateo has details. 

ANN’s crew put together their list of the Most-Anticipated Anime of Fall 2025 and in the #1 place is, This Monster Wants To Eat Me, based on the manga by Naekawa Sae. I did not participate in this article, but..well, yes, me too. ^_^

Speaking of this series, Anime Feminist as posted a look at the world premiere of the anime, and interview with the staff in WATATABE: This Monster Wants to Eat Me—World premiere and insights from the creative team.

Girls Band Cry is getting a new anime film – Egan Loo has the details over on ANN.

 

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Yuri Manga

Muromaki’s collection, Lilies Blooming in 100 Days is coming our way from Yen Press at the end of the year. This was the result of a self-imposed challenge, in which Muromaki-sensei drew a Yuri scenario every day for 100 days.

If you have backed Galette Special English Issues No. 1-3, you will have received a survey from Galette WORKS about the affect of the tariffs on any new Kickstarters.  They are furiously discussing the issue behind the scenes.  I will let you know what I said. I told them that I believe that it is more important than ever to support Yuri/queer comics and that my primary goals in backing Galette is to support the creators of Galette and promote Yuri manga. I enjoy digital and physical media, so if the tariffs make it impossible for a physical copy or goods, I’m happy to get digital. 

Baiheverse has launched another new title, Wolf and Rabbit. “One is a wolf, seemingly aloof, yet gentle and caring deep down. The other is a bubbly, resilient rabbit. Together, they share sweet moments in the calm of everyday life…” This is by Nihaohaohaojun, which a commenter on their platform noted is  same creator as The Wayward Tenant and Her Pretty Landlady, another Baiheverse title. 

I stopped by the closest Kinokuniya where the Love Bullet pop-up is live! Drop by to get some fun Love Bullet merch. I snapped a picture for you. ^_^

The Shortbox Comics Fair is nigh! Read comics for free from October 1-31. Lucky Cavity announced a masc woman comic for their entry on X. Keep your eyes peeled…there’s always good queer stuff at SBF.

 

Yuri Visual Novels

Studio Élan’s Fall In Love Festival is live on Steam. We’re getting a lot of folks sending us demos and we’ve picked a few to review, so keep your eyes peeled for those. 

Studio Élan will be releasing their newest Yuri VN, Lock and Key on the 30th at the end of the festival.

Not part of the event, but worth knowing about is Her Love, Like Poison, a toxic Yuri VN from Ebi-hime, also on Steam.

Denfaminicogamer has the news that Takano Marika who plays Jill and Ito Kanae who plays Dorothy in VA-11 HALL-A Valhalla will appear in a collaboration with Astral Party, which is a free party game for up to 4 people.

 

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Yuri Events and Research

I am a Guest at Y/CON in Paris, France on November 15-16, 2025. I hope you will join me there for a weekend of fun Yuri, BL and queer manga, comics and BD antics! I’ll be paneling, signing my book, and if enough of you join me, I’ll arrange for a Yuricon/Okazu meet-up!

Our new Yuri research project is cooking. Frank Hecker and I are looking for folks who watch Yuri/GL dramas on Youtube or on streaming services to take a short survey, and maybe do a foll.w-up interview if you are interested. Surveys are being conducted in English, Spanish and Portugese. We’d love your input! The survey will be open until November 30, so please share around on all your socials. Here is my Bluesky post with all 3 languages to share.

I am taking speaking invitations for Q1 2026 now, so if you’d like me at your organization, school or event, please contact me!

On a personal note, thank you to everyone who congratulated me on working with ANN. They are a fantastic group of people. Today I have some more good news to share. I will be working with the lovely (and gloriously talented) team at Manga Mavericks on their upcoming book, FISHGOD and a few other titles they have not yet announced, as an editor. Among other titles, they publish Yuri/queer work by Alt Hanakage and Aneido. ^_^ I cannot wait to get started. 

So, after decades of working in and around the manga industry, I am officially a full-time freelance writer/editor.  ^_^

 

Other News

Thank you to Austin, who posted some photos from a Narumi Kakinouchi (creator of Vampire Princess Miyu) exhibit in Japan! 

The Comic Yuri Hime x Eiden collaboration began on September 23, and X user halu shared this picture of a Yuri train car.

Jameson Rohrer, an online pal of mine is starting a new Youtube channel and is hoping folks will help him out by subscribing. Comix 4 All is “a channel where you can learn about upcoming comic book and graphic novel releases, interviews with comic creators, librarians, educators, publishers and more.” So if you love comics, please subscribe. ^_^

 

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 2025, 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.

 





Amayo no Tsuki, Volume 10 (雨夜の月)

September 25th, 2025

Two girls in a classroom. One, in a dark school uniform, the other wearing a satin jacket over hers. Neither speaks, the air hangs heavy between them.Saki’s recital was a grand success and, although Kanon’s essay did not win an award, she is motivated to continue writing.

But, watching Kanon enjoying herself, Saki is reminded of Ayano’s warning about getting too caught up in Kanon’s life. When Kanon’s mother, Saki’s music teacher, suggests music college…and not living with Kanon, Saki begins to question her own motivations. 

Kanon, likewise, is not sure what she will do in the future, nor does she know what Saki and she are to one another. Although they are only just heading into the end of their first year of high school, the future hangs over them heavily, in Amayo no Tsuki, Volume 10 (雨夜の月).

In the meantime, Kanon is not disposed to modeling for a photo, so she asks the photographer to be real with her…and she is! Kanon sees another perspective. As the volume ends, we’re going to have yet another eventful day in the lives of these two young women, when they become models.

This manga is realer than just about anything else I read. These girls feel like people, dealing with problems and emotions that they have never before felt. I’ve always said that “maturity” just means you lived through shit and this is some of the stuff they are living through.

Ratings: 

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – bubbling just under the surface at a simmer

Overall – 9

I know I say this every time, but I truly love this manga.

The Moon On A Rainy Night is out now in English from Kodansha!

 





Literary Link

September 24th, 2025

Two girls stand back to back in a library. One with multiple bandages, holds a stack of books, looking back at the other who smiles gently as she clutches a book to her chest.by Burkely Hermann, Guest Reviewer

Burkely Hermann is a writer, researcher, and former metadata librarian. His reviews can be read on Pop Culture Maniacs or his personal WordPress blog. He can be followed on Instagram, Bluesky, or on Mastadon communities such as library.love, glammr.us, genealysis.social, and historians.social.

After a street fight, Faye Scott has to do community service in a local library’s literary club, for a six-month-period. This annoys her because she detests reading. That all changes when she meets another twenty-something young woman named Atlas Valentine, and wants to give reading a try. Atlas tries to get to know her better, aware she is not there willingly, and hopes that Faye will find a “sense of community” while working there. Faye reveals she got her fighting skills from her late father and that she has no friends apart from her black cat Dani.

Literary Link, a slice-of-life comic, with romantic themes and rated for teens and up, follows the growing relationship between these two young women, involving shelving and preparing for the book club at the local library. At one point, Atlas worries she scared Faye away, as she is overthinking, based on how people have treated her in the past, but Faye returns! Previously, a short video feature for the comic was shown on a visual art site named Glow Art, as were various other yuri webcomics on Webtoon including Unleashed, Susuhara is a Demon, Diamond Dive, and Pick Me prior to Glow Art shutting down in late July of this year for unknown reasons. The latter could be related to Google cutting off web traffic. Following the site’s closure, Glow Art fired all existing staff and ended agreed-upon contracts. Luckily, creators could keep their intellectual property so it isn’t trapped on the site.

The yuri themes are central to this webcomic, whether with Atlas and Faye blushing at each other, Atlas treating Faye’s wounds, or working together on tasks. As they continue working in the library, side-by-side, they learn more about one another. Faye even beats up guys who take the book that Atlas gave her, while Atlas embarrasses Faye by showing up at the bakery, BakedKitty, where she works. It is made worse, for Faye, when the shop owner, Ethan, strikes up a conversation with Atlas. She also begins occasionally hanging out at the bakery, rather than just at the library, surprising Faye.

Their friendship, with romantic undertones, is strained when the other person doing community service, Vega Blutfield, shows up. It turns out that he is the person that Faye beat up before. Even so, they end up getting along, despite their denials, and later act competitive. In fact, in one of the Glow Art episodes, Vega teases Faye about her crush on Atlas, even proposing she write a love letter to her, after a love letter was discovered (which wasn’t even to Atlas, but someone else). Despite all of that, Atlas and Faye enjoy each other’s company, even dressing up for Halloween, Faye acting sweet toward Atlas (like giving her a new cupcake flavor made at the bakery), and Faye having a romantic dream about Atlas, thinking it is a “nightmare.”

The background Yenzu provides for Faye, about her grandmother, who hasn’t come to the library for a while because she got sick, gives the story more depth, as do the presence of the other characters hanging out in the library, or Faye’s grandmother appearing in the library. The series is no longer just centered around Faye and Atlas. At another point, Faye helps Atlas write a romantic story for a writing contest, when Atlas gets writer’s block. 

Later on, Ethan teases Faye about making Atlas her girlfriend (or “more than a friend” as he suggests), which she pushes off. However, she undoubtedly has feelings for her, and vice versa. She soon realizes he was right, letting her guard down, but remembering people on “the street” dislike her. Some time after, she even reads the completed romantic story Faye submits for a contest, and saves her from Vega’s ex-friends, who are bullies.

Yenzu often features fanart by fans, or herself, including one of Faye as Adora and Atlas as Catra in an adaptation from a new-”classic” She-Ra and the Princesses of Power scene from Season 5, sketches at the end of each comic, and highlights comments by readers, plus occasional shorter comics to keep the story going. Other short comics are more holiday-themed like Atlas giving Faye a cheek kiss under the mistletoe. Merenge does a great job with coloring this webcomic and helps make the characters come to life in this cute, fluffy comic. Literary Link is also available in Spanish language under the name “Vínculo Literario.”

There are currently plans by Yenzu to move Literary Link to Webtoons Originals as various other webcomics on the site have done. She said the new version of the comic will be improved and that the story will “bloom.” Recently, she said she is working hard on the originals version. Hopefully, the version on Webtoons Canvas stays intact and is not overridden. I say this because sometimes when comics move from Webtoons Canvas to Webtoons Originals, the original version disappears into the ether and can’t be re-read. This can be good for the author, as they can start over the story, and change it, but not necessarily the reader, as you can’t re-read the story ever again. In any case, I look forward to the improved Literary Link and plan on reading it whenever it comes out, seeing what Yenzu has changed, or kept the same.

Ratings:

Art: 7
Story: 8
Characters: 
Service: 1 (or maybe even zero as this is pretty mild)
Yuri: 3 or 4, as not much has happened yet
Hanging out in libraries: 10, as this series is centered around hanging out in a library, although not all of it occurs there.
Cuteness: 8

Overall: 9 (it’s a nice, enjoyable comic apart from the fights Faye has with others, which are not a major focus of the story)

You can enjoy Literary Link on Webtoons Canvas. It can be supported on Patreon, Ko-fi, or Red Bubble (has pins and stickers for characters from The Owl House).





Navigating With You

September 23rd, 2025

Two girls, lay in separate beds, head to toe, reading the same book. One girl with bark brown skin, wears a beige cardigan and orange skirt, leg braces visible on both legs. The other girl has medium brown skin, and short messy brown hair, wearing a white sleeveless tee shirt and denim shorts. They hold hands across the distance that separates them.Walking around convention floors, my favorite thing to do is chat with publishers. After all these years I am still just a book nerd at heart. At Anime NYC 2025, I was wandering from book display to book display when I encountered Maverick books. The folks there were eager to talk (and sell, obviously) but I cannot express to you how much more likely I am to buy from a knowledgeable, enthusiastic bookseller, than from someone who is hired to sell and really isn’t steeped in the books themselves.

In this case, Spenser from Madcave Studios recognized me and cheerfully pointed me towards this book, Navigating With You, by veteran comics author Jeremy Whitley and illustrator Cassio Ribeiro, lettered by Nikki Foxrobot. Friends, I bought it, because it was exactly the right book to sell me. Good job, Spenser.

Gabby Graciana and Neesha Sparks are both transfers to a new school and, despite vastly different lives, they quickly bond as friends, then more. Both will work past past and present traumas, bad relationships, systemic inequity and, as they share their love for a popular shoujo manga from their childhoods, will fall in love.

The story, especially in the beginning is a bit heavy-handed, but Neesha, who has Cerebral Palsy, has a lot to communicate about how living with disability is pathologized, infantilized and made harder in many ways by people who believe they are helping. Gabby is hiding her grief and trauma at her mother’s loss and has a controlling boyfriend. Both characters are queer and their families know. All of this and they way we understand “culture” is pulled apart slowly over time, until we understand that there is more to ourselves than just where our family is from and what foods we eat, who we love. Anime fandom is a culture, just as surfing is, just as being from New York or Florida or Mexico is. All of these things become pieces of who we are.

Gabby and Neesha learn that they both liked an old, out of print manga classic Navigator Nozomi. They decide to start a book club and find and read all of the volumes. We are given critical scenes of the manga in black and white throughout the story, each scene sparking conversation and confession and further intimacy between Neesha and Gabby. Again, much of the story telling is a bit heavy-handed, but there is NO doubt what story is being told. Whitley and Ribeiro are firm hands on the narrative wheel in case readers might miss the point.

The story reaches a brilliant climax as Neesha and Gabby attend an anime con dressed as Navigator Nozomi and her nemesis(?) Kazane to meet the manga creator where they are gifted with a rare and powerful gift – the story behind the story.

Neesha and Gabby are very different, but both likeable. Parents are supportive but in parenty ways. Real life is complicated and intrusive throughout, but by the end, we’re sure that these two young women have their heads screwed on right and will be fine. 

While I (cynical, world-weary comparative literature major who has read many thousands of books) found the beginning slow, the destination here definitely justified the journey.  And, while this book is itself a western comic, it gets some extra points for also being (and discussing!) Yuri manga. ^_^

Ratings: 

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 2 Intimacy scenes are not intrusive
LGBTQ – 10

Overall – 8

This would be a terrific read for the YA reader in your life. It’s the kind of book that will open eyes on one level, enetertain on another, then make you cry, while opening eyes again.





Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – September 20, 2025

September 20th, 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

SHWD creator sono.N, has a new series on Comic Walker. Hoshi no taion, meguru yume (星の体温、巡る夢) follow the life of a 40 year old woman who has spent years taking care of an elderly relative and now finds herself at loose ends.

Rock Is A Lady’s Modesty, Volume 1 will hit EN shelves this week. I’m looking forward to reading the manga version of this wonderfully ridiculous anime from Yen Press.

Yen is also releasing Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: Repeat, Volume 1

From Seven Seas, we have Naoko Kodama’s The Lying Bride and the Same-Sex Marriage Debate, Volume 1 heading our way early next month.

 

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Yuri Novels

Via Sr. YNN Correpondent Ashley reports that game developer Christine Love has a book coming out!  Star Sword Love soon. Love says “you’ll get to read about Eris, Comet Halley, and how one romance in Neptune orbit will change the fate of the Solar System forever!”

Via Sr. YNN Correspondent Sean Gaffney wants you to know that Watashi o Tabetai Hitodenashi manga by Naekawa Sae is getting a novel adaptation in October.

Sean also reviewed Adachi and Shimamura, Vol. 12 on his blog,  A Case Suitable For Treatment.

 

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Yuri Anime

Via YNN Correspondent Burkeley Hermann says that “Sentai Filmworks added new December 2025 preorders, include Flower and Asura ( based on a novel series by Ayano Takeda, who wrote Sound! Euphonium) and Azumanga Daioh.” 

ANN’s Alex Mateo reports on new cast announcements for the upcoming Kamiina Botan, Yoheru Sugata wa Yuri no Hana.

 

Other News

Personal  update:  While I do not have a full-time job at the moment, I want to thank the wonderful team at Anime News Network for adding me to their team. They are fantastic people and great writers –  fun and funny. You should start seeing some reviews from me soon. I’ve been reading/writing like a maniac for them. ^_^ And I have some other positive news which I hope to be able to announce soon.  ^_^

Your support for Yuri journalism and research has never been more important. Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips.  Our goal now, into 2025, 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.