Archive for the Yuri Network News Category


A Scandal in Yuri Publishing & Important Statement

March 8th, 2026

This was not the post I expected to write today. It’s pretty brutal that this is going out on International Women’s Day.

CW for CSA, Suicide, Online Harassment

It has come to my attention that a Yuri science fiction author in Japan has embroiled the Yuri community in a scandal. To begin with, I received an email today with an “investigative report” about an author going by the name of Namboku. The report stated that this author, though having a partner, allegedly deceived a fan in order to have an affair and, when she found out, threatened her. The fan has subsequently committed suicide and the author has been deleting posts on their socials. The Yuri community in Japan is outraged in part because of the lack of reaction by the author’s publishers. On X, people are speaking out plainly about this situation.

None of Namboku’s work is licensed in English, but that is not a good reason for us to ignore this. 

In the week after the Manga One scandal at Shogakukan, (and the whole Epstein files cesspit on the political stage) fans are taking a stand against systems that protect predators.  

You know that we say Yuri is by anyone and Yuri is for everyone here, but equally, it needs to be said that the global Yuri community stands up for women.  Whether it is book publishing, manga, companies, or governments, any and every  system that protects predators deserves to be destroyed. 

What can we do as readers? Well, we can write publishers. I wrote one of several emails already to a Japanese publisher this morning. Others will be going out. I want them to understand that the global Yuri community is watching and we see how they side with predators through silence and inaction.  

The inevitable criticism will be that if I feel so strongly about this, why am I not doing the same about my own government. I assure you, I am. I contact my government representatives regularly to let them know what must be done. I contact and criticize companies that enshrine bias and give my money to companies that normalize equality and opportunity for people to thrive. In so far as I am able, I spend every day mobilizing to save what we can of our future.

We might not have buying power in Japanese science fiction on our own, but our voices can and should be in union against men who abuse women. The Yuri community is for all women, everywhere, whether they are Japanese, Iranian, Palestinian, American, cis or trans. 

We ask that publishers reject people (whether creators or staff) who do not show women respect. We’re done with horrible men being promoted and protected. Namboku’s actions are personal, but his publishers’ actions or lack thereof, are a public statement.

Yuri can be by anyone and can be enjoyed by everyone, but we Yurijin demand that Yuri artists and publishers respect women.
 

 





Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – March 5, 2025

March 7th, 2026

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 Events

The YuriTen will be celebrating it’s 10th anniversary in conjunction with the first permanent Yuri Cafe in Ikebukuro, Atelier Lilium.  Yuri Navi has the complete rundown. Keep your eyes peeled for dates and more.

 

Yuri Manga

Gal x Gal Yuri hit 5th place in the “Manga I Want To See As An Anime” rankings. It’s a fun little manga, you can read it for free at Viz.com.

Aoi Uozumi’s Pink Candy Kiss, Volume 5 is headed our way in June.

Sweet Heat!, Volume 1 (スウィートヒート!) is about two pro-wrestlers who are rivals in the ring and lovers at home.

Baka Onna 26-ji, Volume 1 (バカ女26時) is a road trip adventure when one woman tells another she’s killed the woman’s husband.

Edizioni Star Comics announced on Instagram they are releasing an Italian edition of Sal Jiang’s office comedy Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko!

Via Hotwaterandmilk on Tumblr, sono.N was selling a new SHWD doujnishi this past Comitia. This series began as a doujinshi series. I picked up the first 3 chapters at Comitia some years ago, as it happens. We can order this from sono.N’s Booth store in print or digital download. 

rainbow port Tokyo Anchor’s Yuri Club is doing a signing with Hanakage Alt, for her new manga Unnie ‘tte  Yonde mo Ii Desuka?, which is about to be released as a collected volume.

Yen Press premiered the cover for the upcoming Shino and Ren, a raunchy peek into the two high school girls’ love lives.

Seven Seas announced pre-orders for Koharu and Minato: Happy Life with My Girlfriend, Volume 1! They also licensed, A Love Yet to Bloom by Kon Fukaumi. My Goddess is Precious Today, Too, Volume 2 is also on the way from them, as well.

 

I wanted to leave Seven Seas until last this week to address concerns about their acquisition by Media Do. I’m sure you’ve all heard that Seven Seas employees were not told of the acquisition beforehand. I can attest from many rounds of this that companies don’t – and often can’t – tell employees while they are in the process of mergers and acquisitions.  

Seven Seas put out a  statement declaring that their leadership and editorial will remain the same and that they have no intention of using AI in their books. Media Do as a company is looking to use AI and in a recent presentation to investors stated that they want to double Seven Seas’ output. Needless to say ,people were concerned by this gap. Following this, Media Do put out a statement that they do not plan on using AI for Seven Seas’ books. They still mention their LLM program to “assist” translators. Therefore, I would read all of this as “for the foreseeable future” in which foreseeable future is anywhere from 3 months to a year. 

While of course I ask that people not be paranoid in advance, do stay on top of Seven Seas/Media Do, and police their overall quality politely. Keeping up the pressure that AI slop is not wanted, will not be supported and is anithithetical to a genre rooted in human creativity, is our best weapon against it.

 

Your support is more important than ever –
Become an Okazu Patron today!

Yuri Anime 

Via YNN Correspondent Burkely Hermann, Media OCD is re-releasing the remastered Blu-ray edition of Dear Brother, the classic anime based on Riyoko Ikeda’s Onii-sama E. If you haven’t seen this, grab a copy now. It’s…a lot. But a gorgeous masterwork of a lot.

 

Yuri Literature

The amazing award-winning Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ has been longlisted for the Booker Prize.  It’s also available as a audiobook. I’m definitely going to get a copy of that. I listened to a sample and the reader, Sarah Skaer, is very careful with pronunciations.

 

Support Yuri News and Reviews on Ko-fi Today !

Yuri Other Things

Kinokuniya USA announced an improbable and amazing thing: A The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All x Sanrio collaboration. My gob is smacked. I know Sanrio collabs with a lot of stuff, but…wow. Can’t get to a Kinokuniya? Take a look at Kino USA online shop.

Nancy, the classic American comic about the girl with the spiky hair and spikier personality, now drawn by Caroline Cash, took a step into our world on March 4 with a very gay comic.

 

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





Yuri News Network – (百合ネットワークニュース) – February 28, 2026

February 28th, 2026

Short report today, as I am prepping to present a new thing at Citrus Con in a few hours. I hope I’ll see you there!

Today is the final day of the our February Matching campaign. Patreon Patrons and Ko-fi Supporters will have their contributions matched by a generous donor, doubling your support for the year! Choose the annual pledge on Patreon and you’ll get a month free as well. 

Okazu is wholly funded by supporters like you, and your help has never been more important, as queer media is under attack from censorship forces, as queer people are being attacked by policy makers.

Support us on Patreon or Ko-fi and double your impact today! ^_^

 

Yuri Books

It’s here! Hajimete no Yuri Studies: Queer/Feminist no Shiten Kara (はじめての百合スタディーズ: クィア/フェミニストの視点から) is live and real and pre-orders will be getting an acrylic standee of the cover image by Morishima Akiko! I did not know there was a pre-order bonus. I sure hope I’ll get one of those.  ^_^ This is the first book of its kind in Japanese…I am so humbled to be part of it.

Yuri Hime Cover Art Collection 2011-2025 (百合姫表紙集) tracks the cover art of the first and only monthly Yuri manga magazine. This is a follow-up to Yuri Hime Color Artworks CHRONICLE (百合姫カラーアートワークス CHRONICLE) which covered 2005-2010.

Yuri Short Story Collection wiz 2 (百合小説コレクション wiz 2) has revealed cover art by Kii Kanna on X.

 

Last Day to Double Your Support!
Become an Okazu Patron today!

Anime News

MediaOCD announced the licenses for Aim for the Ace!: The Movie, Aim for the Ace!: Another Match, and Aim for the Ace!: TV Series. While these are not Yuri, the rivalry between Hiromi and Reika is intense. Crystalynn Hodgkins has the details on ANN.

Also not Yuri, but of interest, Hulu has added the Pretty Cure dub to it’s lineup. Anita Tai has the news over at ANN.

 

Support Yuri News and Reviews on Ko-fi Today and Double Your Impact!

Yuri Manga

Yorita Miyuki is launching a Kickstarter for Volume 3 of the English edition of Her Kiss, My Libido Twinkles.

Dokico on X announced a German edition for Haru Yatosaki’s Ami-chan’s Tagebuch, from Galette magazine!

 

Other News

Via YNN Correspondent KatGrrrl, @majikaryunanoyo on X made a little Yuri Game animation. It’s only 16 seconds, but very satisfying. ^_^

 

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





Yuri News Network – (百合ネットワークニュース) – February 21, 2026

February 21st, 2026

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 Events

I’ll be talking about Queer Manga That Changed Everything at Citrus Con on Saturday, Feb 28 @ 2:30 PM EST. It’s free to attend, you do have to register. I’ll see you on their Discord!

 

Yuri Manga in English

Viz Media released Not So Shoujo Love Story, Volume 3 this month. Curryuku’s ongoing school rom-com is actually quite funny as it plays with the tropes of rom-com manga.

Yen Press has put their “Do You Know Your Yuri?” crossword puzzle from the Yen Press Cafe online so you can play too! It’s really do you know your Yen Press Yuri, but it’s a really cute thing to play.

Via Sorryteam on X, who noticed that Tokyopop did not announce this new Yuri manga last week, What is Normal Love? Volume 1 by Hana Ikuta. Ikuta is the creator of the series Oni to Yoake, in which the souls of Bakumatsu “patriots” re reborn in high school girls. I’ve reviewed several of those volume here on Okazu. Hang tight, more Ikuta is on the way. ^_^

Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, Volume 9 is up on the Yuricon Store and headed our way in April. We have reviews of Volumes 1-6 here on Okazu.

Inklore Books just announced and English edition of HER TALE OF SHIM CHONG, the popular Korean GL based on a historical Jeoson story.

If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die, Volume 10 is up on the Yuricon Store. It’s a big volume as Cham Jam front Reo is retiring.

 

Yuri Manga in Japanese

I’m trying to catch up with the vast backlog of books to get up on the Yuricon Store, so let’s start with something new by Ikuta Hana, Nise Ai, Hon Ai, Volume 1 (ニセアイホンアイ) is about a romance between an actress and a college student who saves her.

Shin’uchuu] Yori Ai o Komete, Volume 1 (超深宇宙より愛をこめて) by Ashidaka Woz, tells the tale of an ostracized girl and the alien princess who saves her. 

Anemone ga Netsu wo Obiru, Volume 6 (アネモネが熱を帯びる) spreads the Yuri love around this Yuritopia of a school with more couples.

Koi Yori Aoku, Volume 4 (恋より青く) is when the story takes big turn towards love as Takamine and Sakura collaborate on a joint club magazine.

 

Yuri Manga in English and French and Japanese

Last week Yen announced the license of Chigusa Minori’s Shino and Ren. This week French publisher Meian announced Shino et Ren in French, and in Japan, the sequel, Shino to Ren Future, Volume 1 (志乃と恋Future) is on the Yuricon Store. This follows the two after school, when they are trying to find time together as adults.

 

9 Days Left to Double Your Support!
Become an Okazu Patron today!

Yuri Anime

The anime for Kimi ga Shinu Made Koi wo Shitai /I Want to Love You Until Your Dying Day, which is premiering in July,  has a new promotional video on their official X account.

Sentai Filmworks is reprinting the Bloom Into You complete anime collection! We were recently disussing how rarely Yuri gets a reprint. It’s nice to see this influential series get one. If you missed it the first time around or want to have a copy that a streaming license loss can’t steal away, preorder it on Blu-Ray now.

 

Yuri Visual Novels

Studio Élan announced a new Yuri VN – My VTuber Rival is Actually Cute?! Wishlist this rival to lovers streamer romance today on Steam. 

 Via the official account on X,  A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986 will be on sale on Steam and Itch.io from February 17 to March 3. We appreciate your support. 

 


Yuri Audiobook

The audiobook adaptation of Adachi and Shimamura, Volume 3 is up on the Yuricon Store.

 

Support Yuri News and Reviews on Ko-fi Today and Double Your Impact!


Yuri Light Novels

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady has come to an end with LN volume 13. T celebrate, Karasu Piero’s official X account offers up a lovely voice-drama video retrospective of all of the volumes.

“Hitokiri Shoujo,” Koushaku Reijou no Goei ni Naru, Volume 1 (『人斬り』少女、公爵令嬢の護衛になる) about  a girl who is trained as a bodyguard, but exiled for a crime she didn’t commit and a nobleman’s daughter who is running for her life. 

 

Yuri Research

Hajimete no Yuri Studies: Queer/Feminist no Shiten Kara (はじめての百合スタディーズ: クィア/フェミニストの視点から) is on sale now in Japan! I cannot wait to read this. ^_^ I am also very honored to have an essay included in this book.

 

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

 





Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – February 14, 2025

February 14th, 2026

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 OkazuHappy Valentine’s Day! Because Yuri is now a profitable market and marketing people have the collective creativity of a cracker (speaking as a marketing person, ahem), it feels like every company on the planet is announcing new Yuri licenses this week. Plus a ton of other news, so…buckle in folks. This is a Yuri Love Valentine’s Day extravaganza edition of Yuri Network News! Ready? …. (You’re not ready…)

English Yuri Manga

Yen Press has a load of new books. We have Assorted Entanglements, Vol. 9 cover  debut and it’s up on the Yuricon Store now.  The Demon Bride: “I Love You” Are Frightening Words tells a Yuri tale of paranormal love.

From Tokyopop’s LoveLove imprint, we have How My Cute Girlfriend and I Started a Love Story, Volume 1 by Reon Nomiya.  Tokyopop has confirmed that There, Beneath the Water, Volume 1 is a Yuri horror manga. When these have official covers they’ll go up on the Store.

ANN’s Adriana Hazra has the news that Kadokawa is releasing two Yuri titles in English, Farewell, My Firsts: How My Heartless Childhood Friend Stole All My First Experiences One Bet at a Time and Shino and Ren by Minori Chigusa. I have read one Kadokawa book and was very impressed with the quality, so look forward to these.

Seven Seas is running a Valentine’s Day Yuri contest on X. They also have a a bunch of licenses this week: 

 A Love Yet to Bloom by Kon Fukaumi. This is a chance meeting at school story. 

A Couple Drifting in the Wind by Puebro. I’m reading this right now in Japanese. A nervous young photographer meets a woman with a unique tattoo on campus. 

Sleeping Idiot by Masakazu Ishiguro. I read and reviewed this here on Okazu  a lifetime ago. ^_^  Seven Seas says “Two roommates struggle to make ends meet until an opportunity changes everything—the manga that inspired the hit live-action film Nemurubaka: Hypnic Jerks”.

Yuri Publisher No.9 is running a Yuri Contents Festival through March 6. Yuri series are free or discounted on their platform.

 

Korean GL

Yen Press has a huge announcement this week – hit Korean GL manhwa, What Does the Fox Say?  by Team Gaji. This is a pretty popular title, so this is huge news. ^_^ I’m glad someone got this.

 

Japanese Yuri Manga

Yamada to Kase-san, Volume 5 (山田と加瀬さん。) is on JP bookshelves and on the Yuricon Store.

rui obata on X announced a new series, Isso, Koidattara Yokatta (いっそ、恋だったらよかったのに). Check it out on Comic Walker. This is the story of two women who meet years after high school, when one was just thinking about the other.

 

Baihe News

Crossed Hearts has announced their first Glam Beat imprint license on X, Borrowing Your Textbook (175160) by Taa Ro. This will be  digital-first license. They say more Baihe on the way.

Seven Seas is launching a whole new imprint for Baihe with a rather cheesy video, I have to say. I know we’re getting more, they told me so, but what, I don’t yet know. We’ll look forward to it together. ^_^

Via NongAnnTokyo X.com, who says they “found this one-shot about love and martial arts between two young women in the Ming Dynasty. It’s the author’s graduate project and honestly such a cool read. Liǎoliǎo Jiàn Sōngxuě (了了見松雪)  by Chen Yige is on Seika manga. 

LoveLove has announced She Is Still Cute Today by Guo Si Te which features a romance between two very different kinds of people.

 

Double Your Support with this month’s matching campaign! 
Become an Okazu Patron today!

Yuri Light Novel 

J-Novel Club just announced the license for Unsung Epics of the Hero’s Journey. I have this on my Bookwalker to-read pile. Guess it’s time to get into it. ^_^ Hat tip to OASG for the news.

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Vol. 8.5  is up on the Yuricon Store, and a review of this short story collection is forthcoming soon. ^_^ Volume 9 is also coming soon.. This completes the series. Speaking of Piero Karasu, the creator of MagiRevo is debuting a new LN, Mob Shoujo ga Rasubosu Majo o Shiawasenisuru Made (モブ少女がラスボス魔女を幸せにするまで) which is an isekai about a girl who decides to save her beloved friend from becoming the final boss.

Lycoris Recoil: Recovery Days continues the story of those happy-go-lucky schoolgirl assassins, from Yen Press. Yen also announced The Girls’ Last Tour Collector’s Edition

Seven Seas has announced the license for I’m In Love With The Villainess: Come On And Notice Me Already, the sequel story following Rae and Claire’s daughters, Mei and Aleah. inori.-sensei has been releasing this on her Pixiv Fanbox, so I’m caught up. It has some very good elements and some that I am less happy with, but I trust the author.

Lipton Sousaku‘s contest-winning light novel Jinsei Zenbu Kakete mo, Gin no Majo ni Kachitai (人生全部賭けても、銀の魔女に勝ちたい) will be out next week on digital platforms. This Yuri story is about two witches who meet again five years after the one defeated the other in a school battle. The author describes it as “A stubborn and talented tsundere  x a secretive and lonely genius who is an emotional rival Yuri.” ^_^

Teren Mikami has a new manga, with art by Moroko Kurasaki and original character designs by Miman, Makemasenkara to Iiharu Kao no Ii Onnanoko o, Zenryoku de Kuppukusaseru Yuri no Ohanashi (負けませんからと言い張る顔のいい女の子を、全力で屈服させる百合のお話).

Seven Seas  announced There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… Spin-off Collection by Teren Mikami and Musshu. They also have the audiobook for Adachi and Shimamura, Volume 9 light novel.

LoveLove has licensed Ugly Girls by Rokakoen. This multi-country paranormal story sounds intriguing. And this is a novel, not a LN. This is a trend I’m seeing among manga publishers. Yen has a number of non-illustrated LNs -y’know, novels – that I have genuinely enjoyed. Maybe I’ll do a quick round up for you all here. 

 

Support Okazu today on Ko-fi and we’ll get 2x  until the end of February!

Yuri Visual Novels

Studio Élan says that Witch You Want, their cozy Yuri fantasy game is available on Steam! Of course you can get it directly from the publisher, as well.

Takano_wf on X wants you to keep your eyes peeled for Kyuketsuki no Hanayome (吸血鬼の花嫁) a full=voice Yuri VN.

 

Yuri Short Stories

Yuri Short Story Collection wiz 2 (百合小説コレクション wiz 2) is hitting JP shelves this month. I reviewed Volume 1 briefly along with two other story collections a year ago. 

 

Animation News

Khianna Khansmith’s Pretty Pretty Please I Don’t Want to be a Magical Girl has some exciting news at the end of the Episode 2 Animatic on Youtube!

The Rose of Versailles movie came out a year ago and there are all kind of shops and goods and celebrations and music to celebrate. There’s way too much and this news report is huge, so just follow them on X to get all the news.

 

Live Action News

Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight El Dorado will be on stage this spring. The key visual looks good, I have to admit.

 

Yuri Events

Kinokuniya is doing a worldwide pop-up store for The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All with exclusive merchandise. That’s it. What’s even next? A themed Himalaya ride? ^_^

Anchor rainbow port Tokyo, the Yuri-friendly bar in Shinjuku has created a special Yuri Club for fans! They’ll be doing more special events and even get-togethers to do location pilgrimages and other fun things in and outside the cafe. If you’re in or near Tokyo, follow them on Pixiv to keep up with the Yuri Club activities. 

Morishima Akiko has shared a few photos from the Yuri Kuma Arashi 10th Anniversary Event on her X account.

As I write, today is the last day of Yen Press’s Yuri Cafe. It was a lovely warm spot in the middle of what has been a very cold February in NYC. My article about the cafe on ANN is live, and so is my more personal perspective here in Okazu.

Looks like the Sailor Moon Shining Theater restaurant is back in Tokyo at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX. Rafael Antonio Pineda has the details on ANN. That was so much fun, I highly recommend the experience.

 

Other News

Jiji Books announced the definitively-titled Light Novel Taizen (ライトノベル大全), A Guide to Light Novels. According to their X.com, this will include “500 Masterpieces Selected by Experts! A definitive, collectible edition showcasing their impact on publishing and society.” inori.-sensei notes that I’m In Love With The Villianess is included, I also see No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover, Unless…! on the list.

Melonbooks has a Yuri news focused X account, Melon_yuriuyuri, so you can track all their specials and extras.

Sylvia Jones review of Roll Over and Die, Volume 5 on ANN is worth reading, even if you’re not interested in the anime. CW for discussion of sexual assault and the aftermath.

I took a look at two girls taking a look at the end of the world in Touring After the Apocalypse Volume 6-7 for ANN.

Manta, the K-Comic publisher, is looking for vertical-scroll comic artists to submit work. They want committed artists and are looking for 50 panels to start.

 

Your support for Yuri journalism and research has never been more important than right now. Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips.  Our goal is to raise our guest writers’ wages to above industry standard, which are too low! Subscribe in February and your impact is doubled!

Your support goes straight to paying for Guest Reviews, folks helping, 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.