Yuri Manga

The next issue of Hakusensha’s Rakuen le Paradis (楽園 Le Paradis), which hits shelves on October 31, has another guest story by Hayashiya Shizuru-sensei – and looking at this splash page for the magazine, it looks cheerfully Yuri.

YMM Correspondent Komatsu-san wants us to know that French Publisher Taifu is doing a GIRL FRIENDS trivia contest to celebrate their Yuri release. (The page in French, but not that hard to figure out.)

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Digital Platforms News

JManga has Hitohira from Aurora publishing as part of their offerings. JManga also focused on GIRL FRIENDS this week, which is available in English on their site – there is a preview of the first few pages available for free with an account. Right now you have to have a subscription to the site to buy from them, but they’ve dropped some manga prices down to about half – so you can get all of Volume 1 of Morinaga Milk’s adorable Yuri manga for $4.99 for a limited time. I hope you will all support their English releases of Yuri manga, because the more they sell – the more they will pursue Yuri. (I have asked them about allowing ad hoc purchases and also sent them a list of Yuri titles they should pursue and found them in general to be very responsive and professional. In fact, when they did the one day focus on GIRL FRIENDS, I was very pleased at the synopsis of the story. It was appropriate and not at *all* pandering or obnoxious. Let them know what titles you want to see, they are listening!  I expect pretty great things from them as time goes on.)

Akamatsu Ken’s digital site JComi has posted some of the  manga restricted by the new Tokyo Law. The site, and the manga, are in Japanese.

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Yuri Anime

For those of you who liked the hot mahjong action of Saki, a new Saki spinoff, Saki Achiga-hen, is in the works.

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Other News

Cover artist for the new Comic Yuri Hime, and artists for BL series Starry Sky, Kazuaki, has a fetching artbook available on Amazon JP. Kazuaki Artworks: カズアキ

Last week for my column Magazine no Mori on Manga Bookshelf, I take a look at the eclectic manga magazine @Comic Bunch.

The Director of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, is publishing a prequel book for the story, known as Beginning Story.

Melinda Beasi adds to the conversation about manga on the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s site with a chilling discussion on why the manga community can not just stand by while Brandon X goes to jail for manga or doujinshi he wanted to read – check this amazing essay out on the CBLDF’s website.

YNN Correspondent Catherine D has started a really exciting new project. She’s hoping to create Vocabulary lists to help fans learn Japanese as they watch the anime. She’s begun her project on the Crunchyroll Forum – Vocabulary lists and she very much hopes some folks will join her project. Right now she’s working on Sasamekikoto and Moribito.

And one last note from the Yuri Network – YNN Correspondent  YNN Correspondent Ransui-san on Twitter points out that this weekend is the kickoff for the Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. If you’re in or around Tokyo and manage to get to see any of the festival, please do report back. We’d love to hear about it.

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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!

Yuri Manga

From YNN Correspondent Tomo K. “This month’s Good Afternoon (a bi-monthly Kodansha magazine) has a story with a Yuri twist. Asou Mikoto’s ‘Rouji Koibana’（路地恋花)  has a woman prosecutor eloping with a bride (her ex-colleague) on the bride’s wedding day, sort of like the movie The Graduate. The manga features various Kyoko craftsperson at work and love, and this is the first time a woman who declares “I only like women” has appeared.” I don’t know about you, but this is right up my alley. Thanks Tomo!

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Not-Yuri Anime (but sort of related)

Gokujyouu manga is getting an anime. All I have to say is Noooooooo!!!!!

The Ikkitousen Shugaku Toshi Keppu Roku Promo on Crunchyroll  goes a whole 44 seconds before we see Ryoumou’s underwear. That’s got to be a record.

4-koma series about a high school girl who is an assassin and the classmate that tries to understand her, Baby, Please Kill Me! is also getting an anime. (I read the manga, but there won’t be any review, there really wasn’t even fake Yuri to latch on to. Nonetheless, a silly, entertaining 4-panel manga.)

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Other News

Fujima Shion’s Fantastic Lolita, which is set in Ikebukuro, and provides an action filled romp around the maid cafes and Sunshine 60-dori is available as an e-book. I was given the pleasure of reading an early manuscript of this novel and it was a lot of fun. If you can read Japanese, I recommend it.

It’s official: I’ll be working with Comic Book Legal Defense Fund at New York Comic Con, to help promote awareness of freedom to read issues in the manga community. They can use volunteers, so if you care about your right to read whatever the hell you want, join us at Table 1158 at New York Comic Con and help Comic Book Legal Defense Fund protect your freedom to read! Conveniently, Table 1158 will be near both Prism Comics and GeeksOut, so you can buy great LGBTQI books, then drop by CBLDF to donate to support the freedom to read those books.

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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!

Short report this week, still all lagged.

Yuri Manga

Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan, Volume 2 (飴色紅茶館歓談 2巻 限定版） will be packaged with a Drama CD, “Blue Christmas.” I’m impatiently waiting for this! Now that Seriho and Sarasa have come to the same place about how they feel, what’s going to happen? Arrrgggh! I can’t stand the wait!

The November issue of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫) goes live today. I saw Kazuaki’s art (that’s the cover artists) all over Otome Road in Ikebukuro, so s/he has really got the BL/GL market sewn up. ^_^

And of course there is no question that you will all run out and order Poor Poor Lips, Volume 3 (プアプアＬＩＰＳ). This is not up for debate. Do it. ^_^

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Sailor Moon

The first volumes of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon and Codename: Sailor V manga are out and everyone who did not fall in love with them in 1997 are confused as to what they are missing. (^_^); Joining Comictopia in Boston, Forbidden Planet in NYC hosted a Sailor Moon/Sailor V midnight release party. If you attended either, please feel free to submit an event report!

Oh, yay. The Hot Topic chain of stores seems kind of determined to skank out Sailor Moon for Halloween this year. At least they are selling Sailor Moon goods again, so we can see if they have any more of those Sailor Uranus watches they used to sell. (^_^)

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Yuri Anime

K-On! Movie trailers are streaming on TBS’ website for your viewing pleasure.

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Other News



Ojamajo Doremi (in which Ai was not-so-ambiguously Yuri) is getting a Light Novel, set in high school. Here’s keeping our fingers crossed for Ai being a girl magnet!


ANN has an interview with Iwakami Atsuhiro about his work on Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Looks like I’ll be on a Women of Queer Comics panel at New York Comic Con, with JD Glass, Jennifer Camper and Paige Braddock.  The panel is scheduled (at the moment, times subject to change) at 7:45 on Friday night. Fannish excitement building. I love these women and am honored to be in their company.

Akamatsu Ken’s JComi site is developing a pay service for adult manga and doujinshi. This seems long overdue. Don’t expect any original Yuri to appear here, but if you love the bodily fluids, my guess is that this will be for you.

And to finish off the day on a positive note, we have this link to a papercraft site from YNN correspondent Komatsu-san with a lovely Yuri papercraft sculpture. Scroll down to the fifth picture, but do take a moment to appreciate the other wonderful sculptures.

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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!

JManga.com is going to be updating weekly. I won’t report updates all the time, but to get you all in the habit of checking their updates, I thought I’d report that there are some new crappy Yuri titles up at JManga this week: Zettai-Shojo Seiiki Amunesian, Shin Koihime Musou -Otome Ryouran Sangokushi. ^_^