Archive for the Yuri Network News Category


Yuri Network News – April 9, 2011

April 9th, 2011

Event News

Today and tomorrow is the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival.  I will be there today only at Rica Takashima’s Table – L9. She will have art prints, postcards, magnets and a new doujinshi, Miho-chan’s Memories. Drop by say hi – I intend to have random items to give away, as stuff always sort of accumulates here in the house. ^_^

As I’ve said in the past, I consider MoCCA to be one of the best events for comics and cartoon art I’ve ever attended. If you think you want to be an artist or just want to feel the vibe of a whole lot of creatin’ going on, you really must attend MoCCA’s event.

For the more literary-minded, New York’s Japan Society is hosting an event titled Seeing Stories: Fiction, Manga & Graphic Novels on the reciprocal nature of literature and manga. This is on May 3 in NYC. I plan on being there, if I can.

One more event I am planning on attending – Yuri doujinshi event Girls Love Fest this September in Tokyo. It’s about time, wouldn’t you say? Next time, Maiden’s Garden. ^_^

***

Yuri Anime

I am actually amazed it took this long, but massively popular with moe fans Idolmaster
has finally gotten an anime.

YNN Correspondent and Okazu Superhero Eric P. shares the news that Nozomi/Right Stuf has licensed Sora no wo to and will be releasing it as a DVD collection, Sound of the Sky. This collection has a street date in July.

Funimation is releasing Ga-Rei-Zero in combo DVD/Blu-Ray packs and on their Youtube channel.

There was a book in every single store when I was in Japan in 2010. Moshidora is about a girl who becomes a manager of a baseball team. And it was on all the Yuri lists, because it was moe and they reaaallllllly wanted it to have Yuri. Now it’s an anime and they still reallllly want it to have some Yuri, even if they have to squint and lean.

And in the same trend, Hanasaku Iroha, which is streaming on Crunchyroll, IMHO (which may not be yours) sounds like the Yuri will be mostly in your head.

Maria+Holic has been granted a second season and, like Hanasaku, I will not be watching it. If you enjoy Maria+Holic and want to review that second season, please feel free to write me about a guest review!

While we’re piling on the moe with questionable Yuri, don’t forget that the anime A-channel will begin this spring. It’s based on a 4-koma comic, so you’ve already seen this one…a hundred times. ^_^

***

Maria-sama ga Miteru News 

New Novel,  Maria-sama ga Miteru: Private Teacher  is already getting high Yuri ratings on Japanese Yuri blogs and juicy snorts of amusement from fans. A Japanese acquaintance on Twitter said, “It sounds like a fan doujinshi!” It really does….

…and, at last! YNN Correspondent Simon gets in first with the news that the Maria-sama ga Miteru Live-Action movie BD and DVD will be seeing a late July release. Want Nozomi/RightStuf to license it? Ask them politely to do so.

***

Yuri Manga 

YNN Correspondent Komatsu-san is pleased to share the news that Himawari-san manga has had successful sales and is going to a second printing. Even better, the creator is looking to do a second volume and the publisher is willing to back it. Whee!

From random tweets, Morinaga Milk has intimated that there may be a new edition and possibly continuation of Kuchibiru Tameiki Sakura-iro.  When more details are released I’ll let you know. Or, conversely, when one of you learns details, you’ll let me know! You’re not shy! ^_^ (Also, please don’t bothering to respond to this news with “Yay! I can’t wait to read scans!” because I will not approve comments like that.)

Aoii Hana’s got a new collection of Comic Yuri Hime stories called called Twin Kick (ツインケイク).

There is a charity doujinshi for Earthquake rescue and relief that has contributing artists from a number of magazines including the creator of Nobara no Mori no otome-tachi.

***

Other News

If you’re looking to practice your Japanese, but don’t want to risk being treated like a weirdo for liking Yuri, then consider joining the new Yuri GL Community.

***
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!





Yuri Network News – April 2, 2011

April 2nd, 2011

Yuri Anime

The big news of the week is the announcement of the first anime from a Comic Yuri Hime series. Namori-sensei’s 4 girls sitting around goofing off, slice of life series, Yuru Yuri (ゆるゆり), which has been thus far collected in 4 volumes, with a 5th just around the corner, will become an anime. The official website has a cover page at the moment, and links to a Twitter feed following the hashtag #yurururi and staff info – with more details being added as they are released, presumably.

YNN Correspondent George R. wants you all to know that the (entirely mediocre) Sengoku Otome manga has finally become a (probably mediocre) anime, Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~ . (Be warned, the website has music.) Fans of Koihime Musou are very likely to enjoy this, as it does to the great heroes of the Warring States period what KM did to the great heroes of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, turns them into buxom women and makes them take baths a lot. And, just to really make the point that this is for the he-men women-haters out there, the English title is…ugh….Battle Girls. Could ya just spit?I know, sengoku otome does mean battle grls, but there are ways of translating that less skankily. Crunchyroll is simulcasting this aberration.

***

Yuri Manga

I don’t have a link for it yet, but finally, May will see the blooming of Aoi Hana, Volume 6!

Tsubomi, Volume 11 (つぼみ) will hit the streets mid-month in April.

YNN Correspondent Komatsu-san reports that the worldwide revival of Sailor Moon continues with republication of the manga in Germany by EMA.

YNN Correspondent Megan D. also wants to share news with you – Josh Lesnick, creator of webcomic Girly has announced a special hardcover collection of the series, which includes color poster galleries and all sorts of goodies (including figurines of Winter and Otra kissing…which level do you think I bought? ^_^). He’s taking pre-orders through his Kickstarter page. There are only going to be 500 of these printed and they are running $100 for the collection – what you get for this amount is listed in detail on the site. You get more if you “donate” more. There’s just under a month to go. Good luck to Josh hitting that goal!

***

Yuri Drama CD

Zaou Taishi and Eiki Eiki’s Love DNA XX (恋愛遺伝子XX ) series from Comic Yuri Hime is being turned into a Drama CD! The cast has been announced:

Aoi: Taketatsu Ayana (Azusa in K-ON!)
Sakura: Hikasa Youko (Mio in K-ON!)
Mizuki: Satou Satomi (Ritsu in K-ON!)
Matsuri: Kotobuki Minako (Tsumigi in K-ON!)

Hmmm, seems to be a pattern here, if only we could see it…

Seriously, this is a business move of pure genius.  K-ON! fans in Japan are obsessive, the Yuri-service sells well there. By using these actresses, this gives what otherwise might be a relatively obscure Drama CD a very good chance of selling less like “obscure Drama CD” and more like hotcakes. The CD has a June release date.

***

Snatches of Yuri

Citrus (シトラス) is a coming of age story about Shiho, whose future as a pianist is thrown into disarray with the arrival of the beautiful Nanami into their quiet town.

Gekibuno (げきぶの) has a predatory lesbian character in it. Based on the title, I’m going to go out on a limb and say – it’s about the Drama Club. And it has a predatory lesbian character in it.

Predatory….what a perfect lead-in to Shudano no Aria AA (緋弾のアリアＡＡ), a side story manga to an upcoming anime, Aria the Scarlet Ammo. This appears to be about a sempai/kouhai – oneesama/imouto team of moe assassins. Exactly the right formula for the Young Gangan magazine audience.

Transistor Tea Set ( トランジスタティーセット ) is still limping along with only hints of plot, character, Yuri and headless robot maid. Volume 4 is going to be available in May.

I don’t know much about this, but it’s on all the Japanese Yuri blogs – Hime no Tamenara Shineru (姫のためなら死ねる) . Based on the title alone, it sounds awfully dramatic.

Moshikashite Haitenai (もしかして:はいてない) may indeed be a Yuri anthology, but the cover skeeves me. If you buy it and want to review it, let me know.

YNN Correspondent Katherine H. wants to make sure you all know that the 6th volume of To Aru Kagaku no Railgun is out now in Japan. “It’s light on the yuri/appearances by Kuroko (as well as Saten and Uiharu)” she reports, “and heavier on the Touma cameos than I would prefer (as he’s rather dull), but still entertaining.”

***

Other News

The apparently tireless Nakamura Ching-sensei has a new manga running in Monthly Comic Bunch (月刊コミック@バンチ), called “Avare Senki.” (アヴァール戦記). This is on top of GUNJO, a new comedic series Chin-Come (ちんコメ) running in Monthly Manga Goraku (週刊漫画ゴラク) and taking on editorial duties with Earthstar magazine on a comic titled “Water Cube.” AND she has some work in Quick Japan 94 (“Bananaman.”) None of this is “Yuri” per se, but if you like her art, you might want to take a look at these.

And in case you missed it, I was part of a Anime3000 podcast on Sailor Moon last week, along with Jordan D. White and Deb Aoki.

***

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!





Breaking News: Yuru Yuri Anime

March 26th, 2011

Namori-sensei’s Yuru Yuri from Comic Yuri Hime has been officially given the go for an anime series.

On the one hand, I’m happy for Comic Yuri Hime editors, who have been working for this for a while. And I’m happy for fans of Yuru Yuri. But on the other hand, it is quite possibly the least interesting series running in Comic Yuri Hime in my opinion and I can’t feel especially excited about it. It’s a very formulaic, moe schoolgirl story with a bare veneer of Yuri, so that should cement its popularity with fans of Hidamari Sketch, K-ON! and other cute girls being cute, cutely-type series.

I am glad because this is the first Yuri Hime anime and I hope desperately and probably pointlessly that if this does well, they will then try to animate something I like better. But in reality, anything I like is going to be less ambiguous and therefore probably less popular/successful. ^_^

In any case, congrats to Namori-sensei and the folks at Ichijinsha!

3/27 Update: Yuri Yuri anime website is live.





Yuri Network News – March 26, 2011

March 26th, 2011

Yuri Manga

Coming up from Ichijinsha next month are the collections Twin Kick (ツインケイク) by Aoii Hana, Renai Higan Nekomedou Kokoro Tan (恋愛彼岸〜猫目堂ココロ譚〜) by Shinonome Mizuo and, of course the May volume of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫5月号).

Hobunsha is stepping into the reprint ring with a new 2-volume edition of Saigo no Seifuku (Volume 1, Volume 2) (最後の制服) by Hakamada Mera.

Seagret Comics is offering “adult” volumes by Rokuichi, the Onna no Ko x Onna no Ko Collection (女の子×女の子コレクション ) and Onna no Ko no Subete  (女の子のすべて), by Yamada Nishiko.

And here’s some uber-exciting news: Yuri manga legend WAKO has a new Yuri story in Ai no Taiken Special Deluxe, April Issue, entitled “Love Birthday.”

****

Snatches of Yuri

Two new collections from Honey and Honey creator, Takeuchi Sachiko will be of interest to those people who like her work: Meisou Love Game (迷走ラブゲーム), which appears to be more questionably amusing real-life tales about her and her boyfriend, whom you may remember from Otoko ni Naritai. The reason I say “questionably” is that he was a jerk to her in the first book and this book seems to cover his having affairs, which I personally would not find entertaining at *all.*

Also from Takeuchi is Hana Yori Jyoshi (花より女子) which covers “team love” in the lesbian world, like events at bars and group dates.

There is a “new”.hack series, .hack/Quantum that appears to have a smidgen of Yuri, notably in the Drama CD.

And just in case you can’t get enough great heroes being turned into buxom girls, Shin Koi Hime Musou has been turned into a manga. Why? I don’t know.

Also to be filed under “why?” is the shift in Sabagebu, which is running currently in Nakayoshi, (and which will be a future review) towards the Yuri side. “Sabagebu” is short for “Survival Game Club” and it is quite chock full of wtf. I’m really liking the direction Nakayoshi‘s taking these days. ^_^

***
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!





Yuri Network News – March 19, 2011

March 19th, 2011

Yuri Drama CD

Because one Hayate x Blade Drama CD was not enough and two drama CDs only barely scratched the itch, the Hayate x Blade Ultra Jump Drama CD Sanban Hoshi! Hyuuryuu Tsumeawase (はやて×ブレード ウルトラドラマCD さんばん星！ 漂流つめあわせ) is now on sale!

Also available is the GIRL FRIENDS Drama CD. Morinaga Milk seemed very happy with the results in her posts on her blog and on Twitter, so I think we’re in for a treat.

***

Yuri Anime

This week Nozomi/RightStuf announced the street date for the first Revolutionary Girl Utena (少女革命ウテナ) box set. This set will include all the extras that were in the Japanese remastered set – and TRSI says that for fans who pre-order all three sets, there will be an extra extra. There’s no hint yet as to what that might be, but they promise it will be very cool. If any other company said that, I’d shrug. TRSI gets my kind of “cool” better than most. As another type of extra, there is a feature on the Utena website in which you can ask the Director Ikuhara Kunihiko questions about the series. Have at it – I’m looking forward to seeing those questions!

***

Yuri Manga

My reaction upon hearing the news that Kodansha USA was going to be releasing the Sailor Moon Anniversary edition and Sailor V manga in English was, and I quote “OMG, did Kodansha USA *listen* to us? I don’t know where to look, or what do do with my hands!!!”

Under no circumstances is, “So when is the anime coming out?” the appropriate reaction, btw. Saying “yay!” and saving your money to buy the volumes, which will start being released in September, is an appropriate reaction. If you really do not have the money (and believe me, I sympathize with that,) the most appropriate reaction is to head over to your local public library and become friends with the person who is in charge of the Graphic Novels section or, if there is no GN section, the “acquisitions” person and start getting them primed to pick this series up. Don’t rant. Just let them know that one of the two series that truly launched anime/manga here in the US (Dragonball being the other) is about to be released and it’d probably be cool to get it for the collection.

One last thing while I’m asking you to mind you manners. ^_^ Tokyopop did not actually do a TERRIBLE, GODAWFUL translation. They changed the names, because that was what we did back then. It was not actually a crime against nature – for the most part, the Japanese companies wanted it that way. In fact, convincing the Japanese publishers that we *didn’t* want names changed was a pretty big battle back in the day.

Quick History Lesson: Sailor Moon was being serialized in Tokyopop’s Smile, then Mixxzine magazine when the first rebellion occurred. The anime had been running on Cartoon Network, Usagi had become Serena, Makoto was Lita already. Tokyopop kept Lita but tried to mollify fans with Bunny for Usagi. BUT. When the Outer Senshi arrived and their names were changed, it was intolerable – the straw that broke the camel’s back was, apparently, using Olivia for Hotaru. Fans rebelled and wrote ridiculously angry letters. Tokopop bowed to pressure and when Sailor Moon ‘S,’ ‘Super S’ and ‘Stars’ volumes came out, the Outers and Starlights retained their names. I still have those Smile and Mixx magazines issues, by the way. ^_^

This series, and later Azumanga Daioh, with Yukari being the Spanish teacher in the first volume of the manga, were the two big proving grounds for the kind of localization we expect right now.

Some back channel chatter convinces me that we *are* getting a new translation of the manga, and from a very talented and reliable source. I hope we get some good editing too! Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

I’m still not entirely sure what this is about, but Dengeki 4-Koma Collection, Fu-Fu, (電撃4コマ コレクション ふーふ ) appears to be just what it sounds like – a comic strip of two women “playing house” as we call it around these parts. There’s apparently going to be – or is – a net game release associated with this, if I read that correctly.

And let’s finish up with something that I think will make a lot of people happy (hopefully happy enough to buy it, rather than just download scans.) The first Ichijinsha collection by Nanzaki Iku Sweet Little Devil, is due out in April.

***

Yuri Novel

Miyamoto Ayako is currently contributing short stories to the new Comic Yuri Hime. She also has a new book out, Ame no Tou (雨の塔) which, like the short stories, is Yuri.

***

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!