Author Archive


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – November 9, 2013

November 9th, 2013

YNN_LissaI was up very late last night listening to the Hawaiian House debate same-sex marriage, so forgive me, but today will be super terse. /yawn/

Yuri/Lesbian/Other Related Movie News

Swedish Cinemas are adding a Bechdel Rating to movies. The Bechdel Test does not indicate that a movie is feminist or has strong women or is good, just that two women have a conversation about something other than a man. It’s a really low bar that a lot of movies do not reach.

 

I’ve been reading about an intriguing new piece of lesbian cinema sans controversy: Margarita, available from Video on Demand through Curve, a lesbian culture magazine. Several critics of Blue is the Warmest Color said this was a better movie, FWIW.

The Japanese Blu-ray release of Noir, will include the English dub. That is really interesting, don’t you think?

The Madoka Magica: Rebellion movie has made more than 1 Billion Yen in the first 2 weeks.  I had wanted to see that when it was in the theaters, but missed by a few weeks.

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Yuri Drama CD

Here’s an original (non-manga/anime source) Yuri CD series  – Lily Kuru – LIly LYric cyCLE. Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 are all available on Amazon JP. I make absolutely no guarantees that it won’t be cringe-worthy. ^_^

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Manga News

Fantagraphics has had a hard time recently with the passing of one of the co-founders, Kim Thompson. YNN Correspondent David M. points out that they are doing a Kickstarter to “rescue” their spring season of 39 books, including Wandering Son, Volume 7. With almost a month to go they are at 80% or so. Kim would be pleased.

Psycho-Pass manga that focuses on Inspector Tsunemori Akane has 38,000 copies in print (this is the metric du jour).

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Other News

Voice Actress Shimizu Ai (Mikoto in Mai HiME, Tamao in Strawberry Panic! and many others) is making her pro-wrestling debut. O_o

ANN has a photo feature from the Lyon Yaoi Yuri Con event that was held last weekend in Lyon, France.

A new Card Captor Sakura figurine is being offered for sale. Is that the sound of a re-mastered release I hear?

I would totally wear these – 2PM is creating women’s boots inspired by Anthy and Utena’s footwear from Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Speaking of fashion, to congratulate us and Animesols for making the Dear Brother funding deadline, ANN has chosen a few designs so we can dress like Nanako, Mari, Rei, Kaoru or Fukiko. I LOVE this idea! Yay Lynzee of ANN for such a charming idea. I’ll end here, because this was just too cute!

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That’s a wrap for this week! Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge. Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!





Why We Tell Stories About Stories, at Harvard

November 8th, 2013

wtitle1Sorry for being away for so long. Obviously, I had to spend some days with my family. But in the midst of death life goes on.

Wednesday I had the chance to present my lecture on LGBTQ Audience Interpretation of Comics and Manga to a Gender Studies class at Harvard, thanks to the generosity of Prof. Kerey Luis, a good friend of ours at Yuricon. (And thanks to her wife and another good friend, Jude, for coming and getting us at the airport and chauffeuring us. Thanks so very much to both of you for dinner and fantastic conversation!)

This is the lecture I did at Montclair University’s Chibi-con this past summer and a similar lecture to the one I did in Kanagawa University last month. (Here is the the full-text of the lecture and companion slides to the Kanagawa University lecture. I hope to get the videos up soonish)

The basic idea is that we, as an audience, always reinterpret media as we consume it, through filters we create to fill our own needs. You can most easily see this in fanfic and fanart.. We recreate characters and situations to suit ourselves and tell the stories we want to hear. The first half of the lecture is me introducing myself, my writing and Yuricon, “Worldshaking” Fanfic and Okazu, and the second, more infinitely interesting half is comic pages presented without context, that the audience has to discuss and tell me what they think is going on.

The lecture went well, and the students were very receptive, and then we got to listen to them present and discuss issues of fandom. It was exhilarating, honestly.

Now that the lecture is done for the year, I’ve put the whole thing up, with my notes from Kanagawa on Slideshare. But since the good stuff is the class talking to me about how each panel makes them feel, you’ll have to do the work yourself to make the lecture interesting. ^_^

I am now taking applications for 2014, if you’d like to have me speak for your class, organization or event. Feel free to contact me!





Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – November 2, 2013

November 2nd, 2013

YNN_MariK It’s going to be a datadump kind of day.

Yet another new Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha project has been announced. That makes something like 4 concurrent projects.

YNN Correspondent Danny D reminds you that Seven Seas’ release of A Centaur’s Life comes out next Tuesday.

Here’s a couple of interesting article/reviews to entertain yourself with:

A discussion of the end of Shimura Takako’s Aoi Hana by Kyosuke.

Anne Lee’s got an interesting take on the new Sailor Moon Musical, La Reconquista.

Jared Axelord’s excellent debunking of myths associated with sexual harassment at conventions and other public events. I recommend this to all geek guys everywhere. It addresses things like what behavior you can really expect of yourself and why you don’t “see” harassment.

Once you’re read all the serious things, take a look at J Gray’s Yuri webcomic, Mysteries of the Arcana for some fun reading.

In Memoriam: I’d appreciate it if you’d all take a moment to read the one review my father, who just passed away, did for Okazu on Shin Megami Tensei Kahn. Thanks Dad, you were always game.

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That’s a wrap for this week! Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge. Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!





Marine Corps Yumi Contest Results

November 1st, 2013

Here are the winners of the Marine Corps Yumi contest.

None of the winners have contacted me as of yet. If I don’t hear from any of you in the next 48 hours, I’ll pick new winners. (I *did* ask you to make sure you were logged in with an email so I could write you.)

These people, write me at yuricon at gmail dot com

Chris Driggers

Elizabeth

Miakoda Wolfsen

 

 





Yuri Manga: Aoi Hana, Volume 8 (青い花)

October 29th, 2013

And here we are, at the final volume of Aoi Hana (青い花). Wow, have we come a long way.

High school graduation approaches, but before it arrives, the girls of Fujigaya head to London for a class trip. Unbeknownst to Fumi, Akira and Kyouko catch up with Sugimoto-sempai who now lives there with Kawasaki-sempai.

Then graduation comes, and Fumi and Akira are forced to have the conversation that has been building between them for some time. Is there, in fact, a “them” to discuss?

In the meantime, Yamashina-sensei finds that a confidence shared off the record has become general knowledge. The students learn that her lover is female after all.  And in the end, nothing changes. But, it seems likely that she’ll feel less inclined to be honest with the next student who asks. And you just know the rumors will continue.

Graduation passes, and so does time. Everyone is drawn together once again, this time by a happy occasion – Kyoko’s and Kou’s wedding. Time moves on, as Ya-san notes, for all of us.

Yamashina and her lover, Haruka’s sister,  consider holding a wedding ceremony themselves, a scene that made me inexpressibly happy. ^_^

Without spoilers, I will assure you that you the ending does not bring closure. It has the one thing I had hoped for – ambiguity.

Ratings:

Story – 10
Characters – 10
Art – 10
Lesbian Life – 10
Service – 3

Overall – 10

The story began on a day that led to many other days, full of joy, sadness, loneliness, friendship and love. Aoi Hana ends on a day that will lead to more of the same.

Happily Ever After is, as we well know, a process, not a destination. And for Fumi and Akira life is, as well.

This is the third manga series I like that has come to an end in 2013 and for the third time, I find myself left feeling happy, rather than sad. ^_^