Happy Hinamatsuri!

Snatches of Yuri

The second Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha movie trailer is streaming for your squeeing. I cannot express how much I am looking forward to Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s 2nd. On the topic of Nanoha, if I had $300 I could afford to throw away, I would so buy this.

Queen’s Blade is streaming special introductions to the new characters on their Queen’s Blade Rebellion website.

You probably all saw this while I was at MangaNEXT, but a completely new R.O.D. series, Read or Die Rehabilitation is in the works. This is not an alternate universe, it’s a completely different story, that promises to be darker than the original. As the original manga and novels were quite dark, I’m concerned that this may be “torture the characters instead of have a plot” territory. Of all the R.O.D. properties, the original manga was probably the weakest. On the other hand, Read or Dream turned out pretty decent, so I’ll keep expectations at a minimum and judge it when I see it. ^_^

Shinyuu to Watashi no Sukina Hito (心友と私のスキな人) sounds like a somewhat frustrating relationship between two girls who are super close until one falls for a guy. I’m told that the end is a happy one (for us.) It ran in Sho-Comi magazine, so anything is possible.

Centaur no Ayami (セントールの悩み) Volume 2, goes off the charts with Centaur Yuri. I just don’t know if I can bring myself to read this. I much prefer to to not ever think of centaurs in middle school, much less having sexual relations.

Hinata Cafe Youkoso (ひなたＣａｆｅへようこそ) is getting high Yuri scores from blogs I disagree with. I’m not seeing pandering dressing-undressing scenes as “Yuri” but perhaps it’s another girl leering or something. Whatever.

Continuing whatever Paperweight Ai 1 started, Paperweight Ai 2 (ペーパーウエイト　アイ 2) continues. At least one story is by Sakamoto Mono, a Comic Yuri Hime contributor.

Yuri Manga artist Tanaka Rin has another Yuri comic running in fashion magazine commons&sense ISSUE42 GENTLE

And good news for me at least, Kimi no Tamenara Shineru (姫のためなら死ねる), Volume 2 will be hitting the shelves in April. I’ll get you a link as soon as possible, so you can not miss the wacky adventures of slacker Sei Shonagon and Murasaki Shikibu.

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That wraps it up 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.

It appears that  JManga “Going global” does not mean that every title is available to everyone. Apparently, publishers still have to approve their titles for global distribution.

Absolutely maddening.

I hope you will all continue to apply pressure through email, Twitter and Facebook. And I’m terribly sorry for those of you who continue to be frustrated with this. I am also frustrated. I did not expect that the site would go global, but the actual series themselves would not. That is insane thinking and needs to be corrected. Write them,  please. I will do so, as well.

From JManga: “Just got the confirmation!! Thanks to all of your support… www.jmanga.com IS NOW GLOBAL!!!!! WE DID IT!!!!!”

They sound kinda happy about it. ^_^

I’ll pass along more info as I get it, but the upshot is – now all you non-North American Yuri fans can get Yuri manga on JManga, too. ^_^

Here’s my “I told you so”: Every single day, we’re all faced with choices. We can choose to find something positive to think, to do, to feel, or we can find something negative to think, to do, to feel. I’ve talked a lot about how anime/manga fans are so angry all the time – angry well out of proportion to the fact that this is comics and cartoons we’re talking about here. They get angry at companies for not licensing titles and for licensing titles. They get angry when companies make them use one format…or give them options. Fans spend a ridiculous amount of time saying how “no one listens to them” when all the companies are listening – and many of them are responding – but may or may not be able to do a thing just at this moment.

As a wise men said about another topic completely: Not being able to have everything your way all the time is not an indication of being persecuted.

We should all pin this up on a wall we look at often. ^_^

So, we all expressed desire for a doable thing, all of us – you, me, people from around the globe – and look, it happened! You Made A Positive Change. Thank you all for helping.

This is the first step towards a totally new paradigm for anime and manga; a non-region-locked information world. This should be pretty exciting. ^_^

Yuri Anime

For those of you North Americans who don’t find a dub streamed on Friday nights on Nico Nico Douga convenient, the good news is that Crunchyroll is streaming the Puella Magi Madoka Magica sub, whenever you feel like watching it. It will also be available on Crackle and Hulu.

Queen’s Blade: Rebellion has a streaming video of the new characters and along with Saki: Achiga-hen, will apparently feature none of the characters we already know and want to see finish their stories. Whatever. That’s pretty much how to kill my interest in a series.

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Yuri Manga

In case you missed it, JManga has added GIRL FRIENDS Volume 2, Love My Life and Morita-san ha Mukuchi, Volume 4 to their Yuri offerings. POOR POOR LIPS, Volume 2 should be out at the end of this month.

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Snatches of Yuri

Itsuka Tenma wo Kiru Majou (いつか天魔を斬る魔女) is a story that binds a witch who kills demons in a compact with a demon in her grade at school. Yuri is said to follow.

Sukimanosukima (スキマノスキマ) looks like more same-old schoolgirl Yuri.

LSD ~ろんぐすろーでぃすたんす~, LSD ~Rungusuru Deistansu~, is also more of the same, and it looks 4-koma-y, into the bargain.

Momo Yuri Forbidden Sisters (桃百合 Forbidden Sister)  is a new porn collection from OKS.

By the creator of Morita-san ha Mukuchi, we have Wakaba-sempai Miman (わかば先輩未満), a 4-koma about an OL (and at least one admirer.)

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Other News

For those of you in the NJ/NY area, Rica Takashima will be holding a show at the Ft. Lee Library, in Ft. Lee, NJ for most of the month of March. Click the flyer below for particulars. Rica’s non-manga art always has a performance component, so come and be part of the art!

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That wraps it up 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.