Archive for the Yuri Network News Category


Yuri Network News – December 11, 2010

December 11th, 2010

Yuri Anime

I already pointed to this yesterday, but for those of you who missed it, RightStuf is doing a deep discount on all 4 seasons pack of Maria Watches Over Us for $84.99 That’s about $100 off the retail price.

Crunchyroll has added the surprisingly not-cute Kiddy Girl-and. I was unable to make it past the first episode and stopped reading the manga, even though I was getting the magazine for something else, for what that’s worth to you. If you liked Kiddy Grade but felt that the leads needed to accidentally lose their underwear more often, then you’ll love this series.

Sentai Filmworks has announced that they have licensed Shin Koi Hime Musou and Shin Koi Hime Musou Otome Tairan, expect both in Spring 2011.

I can’t remember if I mentioned this, but Sentai also released the extremely odd series, Uta-Kata, which appeared to be one thing, was actually something else and suddenly developed a Yuri couple one episode (aside from the leads, which fans slashed instantly.) There were definitely some good qualities about the series, and a whole lotta holes in the story that were never filled.

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Yuri Manga

Coming in 2011 from Ichijinsha, is a book with the subtle title Dream Yuri Ane.

Also appearing on shelves in early 2011 is the second volume of Ohana Horohoro and Octave, Volume 6.

Oh, and I have no idea how much Yuri this will have, but Oshima Towa (High School Girls) has got a new volume out called Bustician. This series (I am not making this up, I swear) follows the wacky hijinks of two women who work in an aesthetic spa, helping women to increase their bust sizes. (Sean, I’ll leave that one to you. Let me know how it is.)

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Other News

YNN Correspondent Simon wants everyone to know that the Hourou Musuko anime site is running a fan art competition that appears to be open to anyone who follows them on Twitter

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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 Network News – December 4, 2010

December 4th, 2010

Yuri Anime

The Anime Network (the cable network, not to be confused with ANN) has announced that they’ve added some titles of interest to their streaming service. Episodes of CANAAN, Uta-Kata, Lucky Star and Taisho Baseball Girls have all been added to the subscription-based site.

Media Blasters announced on Twitter that they are doing a dub and sub version of both Loveless (with it’s terrific Yuri arc) and Kashimashi ~ Girl meets Girl. Kind of strangely, these are both being called a “Vocal Collection,” so don’t get confused that these are CDs or something. The previous releases of both series were subtitled only. They are slated for a March 2011 release.

This was sort of interesting – the official Japanese Simoun blog, which had been dead for sometime, came back to life to announce a new box set…and a Twitter account. That was the interesting part, because why bother if they don’t have something to say on an ongoing basis? Right now it’s repurposing of material, but there’s always hope and insane fan speculation.

In possibly the most inexplicable news this week, the third volume of the utterly unfun and all-but-totally-not-at-all-Yuri Yuriseijin Naoko-san will have a short anime as an extra. I followed this series for years when I was getting (and it was running in) Dengeki Daioh. All I can say is, for pity’s sake, fellas! My vote to manga that most needs this treatment goes to Poor Poor Lips, not this crap.

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Yuri Manga

Good news for folks who liked Shitsuji Shoujo to Ojousama, because Volume 2 is being released in January 2011. More Butler x Tsundere Mistress wackiness with service.

I have forgotten if I’ve told you this yet and I am too lazy to look, so, Tsubomi, Volume 9 , out this month.

Blue Friend is apparently getting an “after story” in a Ribon Magazine special issue. I wonder if it’ll be a good after, or a bad after….

The Third and final Volume of Choir! has been announced for a January release – it promises a happily-ever-after Yuri end.

MangaTime Lovely magazine has announced that veteran BL creator Tanaka Rin will be trying her hand at some GL. When I was in Animate last month, I almost passed out at the number of MangaTime this and that magazines.

And how fun is this? Rakuen Le Paradis, Volume 4 has their info page up. If you scroll down a bit, you’ll see two long horizontal boxes on the right. One says “New!” and the one below that is red. Click on the red box and you’ll get a page which is a manga Advent Calendar! Clicking on a number opens a page with a short manga story by one of the creators (controls are the little gold boxes on the left. To see the whole thing, press the control that says 進む, second row from the bottom on the right.) Because it’s an Advent Calendar, you can’t open the box until that day of the month. How freaking cute is that?

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Other News

You may have heard that a spin-off of Shueisha’s Super Jump called Girl’s Jump (ガールズジャンプ) is launching on December 15. The premier issue will include a one-shot by Nakamura Ching, creator of Gunjo. Obviously, you must all by it. ^_^ Although the creators are all female, the audience is presumed to be young men. I’m very much looking forward to it. As soon as I can get a Amazon JP link for it, I’ll be sure to give it to you.

This week, David Welsh of Manga Curmudgeon was gracious enough to host a review by me – twice. The first, discussing Mr. 2 of Oda’s One Piece, I already mentioned. He was also kind enough to host my rather long look at Moto Hagio’s A Drunken Dream and Other Stories, in which I discuss some of the problem with “critical” analysis of shoujo manga, along with discussing some of the primary themes of this book. I hope you’ll read and enjoy them.

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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 Network News – November 27, 2010

November 27th, 2010

Snatches of Yuri

CANAAN, Volume 2 from Kadokawa Comics has been out for a while, but since I just started rewatching the anime, it’s in my head. So why not check that out?

Daremo ienai looks really interesting. It’s being published by Hakusensha and the Amazon package deal is with Rakuen le Paradis, so I’m guessing it skews towards an older female audience.

Himitsu, by Otomo Megane is subtitled “Secret Love” and the cover features two girls holding hands. This is a KR comic and with all those things I project that it is /drum roll/ Story A. When it hits the shelves next month we’ll know for sure. (YNN Correspondent Erin S. confirms that this is a collection of Otomo’s stories from Tsubomi anthology, so I feel even more confident that they are Story A. ^_^)

From bottom-feeding Champion Red comes Minori Scandal. The first line of the first review on Amazon JP reads “I love Yuri hentai!” and the cover shows a girl – I assume it’s Minori – looking “sexy” for our bottom-feeding pleasure. I’m done with it, but if you decide to throw money at it, feel free to write a guest review!

I’m sure that, somewhere, someone likes Gokujouu, but that someone wasn’t me. It’s made it to Volume 3, more’s the pity.

Densho is said to be very, very, Yuri by people I almost always disagree with. ^_^ I have absolutely no idea what it’s about and am adding it to the report to be as comprehensive as possible.

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Yuri Manga

Back in the world of manga that doesn’t make us sad to be alive, Uso Kurata has a new collection out from Ichijinsha. Sore demo Koi wo Suru will be hitting shelves on December 18th.

Yuri Hime Wildrose is undergoing a name change. From now on it will be known as Yuri Hime Girl’s Love. It remains to be seen if the content undergoes any change.

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Maria-sama ga Miteru News

Take a deep breath. According to Shueisha’s release list, a new Maria-sama ga Miteru novel will be out on December 28! I’ve been enjoying the O-shaka-sama ga Miteru series, (with the exception of the odious Andre-sempai) but I’ll be thrilled to return to Lillian for a bit. As I have not been reading Cobalt Shueisha, I can’t tell you when the stories are, if they include any of “our” Yamayurikai or what. Maybe someone else can help us out on that end.

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Yuri Anime

You may remember the manga I mentioned last week, A Channel. It’s being turned into an anime. The official anime website has announced the staff and the names are familiar to many Yuri fans. Folks that worked on Strawberry Panic, Saki and Strike Witches are gathering together to work on this moe 4-koma to anime.

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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: Yuri Hime S (コミック百合姫) Volume 14

November 22nd, 2010

Yuri Hime S, Volume 14 is the final volume of Yuri Hime S (百合姫 S). Around for almost 4 full years, it has now been merged into Comic Yuri Hime. A listing of the stories that will be carried over from both magazines can be found on the Comic Yuri Hime website, along with the new works debuting.

This final volume doesn’t particularly feel final, though. Most of the stories continue on just as they always have. It starts off with “Shinagami Alice,” a story that has always felt to me as if it’s limping along waiting to develop a plot or be killed. Having survived a first collected volume, it appears to be trying to develop a plot. The introduction of a new character, Masaki’s relative, brings a teeny little thread of normality into what has been a free-floating “where? when? what?” kind of story. Then the Goth-Loli bad Shinigami comes back and that’s all completely blown.

Color news pages cover mobile visual novels and games that are pure Fanboy material, a “Girls Festival” hosted by Animate and Tamayura which I have been watching and still don’t see anything even remotely, slightly, sort of  Girls’ Love-ish about. It’s sweet. I like it. But Girls’ Love? Not so far.

Naoe Marimo’s “Hime to Mahou-tsukai” is a cute little confection about a Princess and a Witch, obviously.

“My Steady” by Yamura Marika follows a young woman and the older woman she loves.

Then comes “Fu~Fu” by Minamoto Hisanari. I was thinking about the spelling of “Fu-Fu” the other day. Although the first chapter discusses the etymology of the  kanji for the phrase “fu~fu,” (which is to say, the character for “wife” twice) the title itself is spelled using Hiragana. ふ~ふ. And I wondered about that, because the blowing of wind is rendered that way. You may recall my review of the first Strawberry Panic Light Novel in Japanese, in which I commented on the excessive winds at Miator. (fuu~ fuu~) So, it occurred to me that, perhaps, we were meant to be reminded of the sound of wind blowing with the name rendered in Hiragana as it is. It certainly has become a breath of fresh air blowing through Yuri Hime S for many of us.

This chapter follows Kina and Su-chan on a trip (designed by Kana, Kina’s older sister) that is their de facto honeymoon. Meanwhile, we see a new couple moving in next door and learn that they too are a “Yuri couple!” I predict “noises heard through the walls” jokes in future chapters.

Skipping “Mugen no Minamo” as I always do, which leads to “Marriage Black” which continues to be fraught, violent and full of unresolved tension of about twenty kinds. Lu-Chie becomes Lilicia’s guardian angel by swearing that she, and none other, shall be the one to take Lilicia’s life.

In “Flower Flower” Shuu *finally* makes it plain that when she says she likes Nina, she means in a “want to kiss you” way.

I skip a second chapter of “Mugen no Minamo” and move on to the next chapter of “Cassiopeia Dolce” in which Ana goes through crisis number 870 in between getting dressed and undressed. I did very much like the handful of eyeballs, though.

“Zettai Shoujo Astoria” comes to an end with one of the very lamest endings I’ve ever read. It really made all the screaming and running around seem pretty silly and pointless. But that’s over, so we can move on to…

“Okkake Girls” has developed a sort of plot, as Marin has decided to devote herself to becoming an Otokoyaku.

And finally, *100* pages of Namori’s “Yuru Yuri,” which I have felt is utterly without interest since the very beginning. It’s obvious that the editors at Ichijinsha love this series, since the page count has been steadily growing every volume, but 100 pages????? That’s a whole 25% of the book! Can you say the word “excessive?” And worse, it’s going to be in the new magazine. I can’t wait until the day all the other stories are just jettisoned for 400 pages of this totally nothing story with barely any Yuri. BLEAH. Two thumbs down for this waste of ink.

And so, Yuri Hime S comes to a close with a really big yawn. Which it totally did not have to do.

Ratings:

Overall – 7, with two points off for 100 pages of zzzz, I mean “Yuru Yuri.”





Yuri Network News – November 20, 2010

November 20th, 2010

Yuri-ish Anime

Taisho Baseball Girls is now on sale as a season box set. While the Yuri was minimal, it was really just an absolutely wonderful series that should be purchased by everyone to show that we LOVE absolutely wonderful series more than we do dreadful crap.

Speaking of dreadful crap we love, Ikkitousen is streaming on Crunchyroll. I don’t know why I  thought it already was, but now it really is. This is the first season, which you may remember gave us Ryofu and Chinkyuu.

Wasting no time with seeing if the first OVA is even popular, there is *already* noise  about a second OVA of Morita-san ha Muguchi, amazing as that is.

While I was gone, Funimation announced that they have picked up the licenses for Excel Saga, Noir, and Bubblegum Crisis 2040 all of which are worthy of your love and money.

I know there’s a few Hourou Musuko fans out there, because you email me all the time, asking me when I plan on reviewing this series. (The answer is…eventually.) The official anime website has two trailers up for you: Trailer 1 and Trailer 2.

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Yuri-ish Manga

Continuing its pursuit of a reputation as “publisher of crappy manga that only a creep could love” Tokyopop has listed Kampfer on Amazon. Boggles, doesn’t it?

Out from Yuri Hime Comics is Mugen no Minamo, a series I completely ignore in magazine and out. Giant heads, little kids, drippy looking art AND threadbare content! Whee!

KR Comics offers you A Channel, a 4-koma about hyper, yet doofus-y Ron, stylish Yuuko, straight man Nagi. etc. If you like this type of gag comic, you’ll probably like this one too.

Manga no Tsukurikata, Volume 4 will be out in mid-December.

In a masterful bit of re-purposing, Ichinjinsha is releasing Yuri Hime Wildrose: Remix disc A, which is very likely meant to be a “best of” collection of the Yuri Hime Wildrose volumes.

And last, but not at all least for us, the Reborn Comic Yuri Hime website has undergone a goth makeover, which concerns me a little. I was hoping to move away from the dark and spread some light on the subject of Girl’s Love, but we’ll see what they have in mind. :-)

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Yuri-ish Novel

From the admirably twisted mind of Mori Natsuko comes a new novel, Super Otome Taisen, which is absolutely sure to induce howls of laughter. When Angel Lillith appears in the St. Anna dorm of prestigious St. Teresa’s Academy and explains to the girls that God has asked them to use their pleasure power to manipulate a giant robot to fight a giant monster to save the earth…who wouldn’t say yes?  What I like best about Mori-sensei’s stories are that they have both lesbian content and lesbian awareness and are still unimaginably cracktastic. She is my hero.

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Other Yuri-ish News 

YNN correspondent Jenna sends in this report of a French book about shoujo/josei manga that at least touches on Yuri. It interests me greatly that they put Yuri under the rubrick of “manga for women,” because of course, it’s not. It *used* to be manga almost exclusively by and for men, until I started pointing out that there were women who read and create Yuri and now it’s mostly by both men and woman for anyone who reads Yuri. But..because I started pointing out ten years ago that there are women who like it too, somehow that got shifted to “by and for women,” which was never what I said, nor what I meant.

So, let’s just say this again – right now, on November 10, 2010, Yuri is created by both men and women for an audience of whoever buys it.  Which makes it more complex to label, capture, identify and sell than Boy’s Love, which is mostly drawn and bought by women. Personally, I think that’s an excellent thing, as it gives us more of a variety in our stories, styles, points of view and far fewer specific genre tropes to deal with. The tropes in a Yuri story are more likely to be the tropes of that particular genre: action, romance, sci-fi, for guys, for girls, etc,.

Anyway, Jenna goes on to note that “a free sample can be found here, which includes the first two pages of the Yuri chapter: http://www.editions-h.fr/Docs/M10ki-3-site.pdf”

Thanks Jenna for the heads up – this is exactly why I need the Yuri News Network!

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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!