Archive for the Yuri Network News Category


Yuri Network News – February 13, 2010

February 13th, 2010

Snatches of Yuri

Shitsurakuen, Volume 2 is out and with it, Sora, one of those aggressively clueless heroines I can’t really like or respect. She is brought to tears by the thought that she might not be able to save all the girls at Utopia.

In Hinagiku Junshin Jogakuen, Volume 2 kinda takes a turn for the annoying. Yui is still in like with Ami, but it appears that Ami is having an affair with the Magic Elf who is their teacher. (It’s obvious she is not, it’s just Yui’s jealous, powerless imagination.) It’s also not a book’s worth of plot.

Hana Horohoro is about Maya, a translator, who is currently living with her former lover Michiru and Michiru’s son, Yuuta. In the same apartment building also lives Yuuta’s father. This comic is a slice-of-life about these four and the alternate family they create for themselves. This is a Feel Comic, so expect a more adult perspective and a tv-drama feel to any hysterics that might occur.

Negative Twin Tower! appears to be a collection of shorts some of which are Yuri, depending on how high your Yuri goggles are set, because you know that all relationships between women must be sexual in nature.

And speaking of Yuri Goggles, the new anime Lilpri, about three ojou-sama will also have Yuri vibes for people who see Yuri whenever two or more female characters share a frame.

Still speaking of Yuri Goggles, a new Pretty Cure series, Heart Catch PreCure! has been announced.

Amanchuu!, Volume 2 is out. I’m told that there is more Yuri Goggle fodder in Volume 2 than there was in Volume 1.

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Yuri Manga

Comic Lily, Volume 2 is out and Volume 3 is in the works.

Takahashi Yotsu, the author of one of the two stories I liked in Yuri Hime Wildrose 4, has got a collection, Love Flag★Girls!! out this month.

Another “new” face coming to Yuri Hime is Aoii Hana, another josei artist who will be doing a cell-phone manga for Ichijinsha. I’m fascinated and hopeful at the current crop of josei artists joining Team Yuri. However, while I’m on the topic, I have to say that I am not at all cool with the cover of Wildrose 5, which is the kind of thing that makes stupid postmasters go through one’s mail.

Aoi Hana Volume 5 is coming this spring. Here’s a picture of the cover from Shimura-sensei’s Twitter feed. No link quite yet, but I’ll get that added as soon as it’s available.

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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 – February 6, 2010

February 6th, 2010

Sailor Moon is all the rage again. I ain’t complaining.

The news on the grapevine is that Toei is gearing up for a Sailor Moon re-release in Italy, after some sporadic releases in Japan. Simon Jones of Icarus calmly points out that, hey, Kodansha, that would be a pretty good core release here in North America, hint, hint. Since Kodansha USA’s intentions here are obscure at best, we may or may not ever get any kind of response from them. He very sensibly points out that a reboot of the anime which was only ever brought over in bowdlerized form and the issuance of the new anniversary edition of the manga might be cool for those of us who obsess about Senshi – among which I count myself. Would I buy an anniversary reissue of the manga (which I already own all of, in two languages) translated by someone with a clue or a reboot of the anime with, say, not a third-generation Japanese sound track? Yes. Yes I would. I have fought with myself multiple times about getting the anniversary edition of the manga in Japanese, despite the fact that I have it all in Japanese already. Sometimes I pick up Volume 8 and stare at it longingly, then think, well, I can’t *just* get Uranus, I need Neptune too, then think, heck I’ll jut get all the Outers, then start thinking about buying all of the volumes and then I put Volume 8 down again and walk away. It’s really quite sad. lol

Nonetheless, I support and pray for a re-release of the manga and the anime and will be very glad to introduce a whole new generation of potential Yuri fans to the wonderfulness that is Tenoh Haruka and Kaiou Michiru.

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Snatches of Yuri

A while back, I noted that Kishi Torajiro had a new, potentially Yuri, story called i.d.. I want you to know that I have read it, and will not be reviewing it because it was vile. It’s one of those series that shows repeated extreme violence against helpless women under the guise of watching them endure and triumph, but the focus is actually on the repeated humiliation, abuse, gang rape and defeat of their spirit. It was revolting to me in every conceivable way. I will not judge you if you purchase this manga, but I wanted to let you know what it was like, before you did.

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Yuri Games

It’s pretty common knowledge that Final Fantasy XIII (link to PS3 version) has a Yuri couple, so here’s a request for a review by someone who has played it and is interested in letting us know about them. In case you didn’t know, FFXIII has two female characters that are meant to be perceived as a couple.

This spring, you can look for salacious screencaps from a new adult Yuri game, Subarashiki Hibi. To me, it looks like all the others; characters drawn to look unappealingly young, ridiculously heavy shading in the art, storyline that is laughably thin. I’m sure people will love it and will clamor for an anime. :-)

Speaking of which – here’s an anime series I’m looking for a reviewer for – So-Ra-No-Wo-To. Any takers?

By the author of the EbiMayo series in Tsubomi, comes a mostly Yuri collection, Sex Nanka Kyomi nai. This is another Ikki comic, so who knows, maybe one day you’ll see it in SigIkki. Hah.

And one more review request for good measure. If you are buying and reading Eru Eru Sisters, (not just reading scans), I’d love for your to review the series for us. I have no intention of reading it no matter how many Yuri lists it’s on. :-)

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Yuri Manga

YNN Correspondent, Okazu Hero and beloved Yuricon staffer Bruce P mentioned that the story in Yuri Hime S that I liked so much, “Fufu,” was in fact written by an assistant of Fujieda Miyabi’s, which explains why I liked everything about it. :)

Tanaka Rin-sensei who apparently does a lot of shoujo and josei romance is going to included in the next Yuri Hime Wildrose, which is out this month. She has done some Yuri parody work, but I’m most interested because she seems to have primarily drawn romance for a female audience as a professional. I wonder if she’ll bring a different feel to the book. I wasn’t going to buy Volume 5 of Wildrose, but now I will.

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Yuri Drama CD

There are plans for a Drama CD for Morinaga Milk’s Girl Friends. No date as of yet, but I’m actually holding out hope for an anime for this series. It’s got all the elements to make it successuful, since it’s a “shoujo for guys” kind of story.

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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 – January 30, 2010

January 30th, 2010

This week was the last week of having 4 jobs; as of next week, I’ll be back to my usual 3 at a time. Thank you all for your patience with gaps in reviews. I’m *still* open to guest reviews, so if you have something you’d really like to review here, email me and we can talk!

Before we start, I have a Mystery to Solve. Someone sent me an absolutely *beautiful* doujinshi from Romania. There was no name, no note, no nothing. Can someone claim credit and let me know who to thank?

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Yuri Manga

The pre-order for the first volume of Gunjo is up on Amazon JP. It’s got a February 25 release date.

Ordering from Amazon JP isn’t as hard as it appears, since all the buttons are the same size, color and shape on every Amazon, and the check-out can be displayed in English. However, I know that not everyone is comfortable with the idea of ordering from there. So, to make things easier, I’ll be coordinating a bulk order. I’ll let you know when it’s all set up, but here’s the plan: I’ll set up a link to take orders through Paypal. You’ll have to pay shipping from Japan, the cost of the book, the fees on Paypal and shipping to you. However, you’ll be paying a smaller shipping cost than if you placed the order on your own. You don’t *have* to order this way, I just want to make it easier for you if you want it. :-)

YNN correspondent Sean G. did some great investigative reporting this week, when he contacted Digital Manga Publishing and asked whether they had abandoned the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS manga. Their response was ‘We still have it. Lyrical Nanoha Strikers will come out this year. Vol. 1 is in September.’ As Sean said, “there you go.”

Octave Voume 4 is up for preorder, and the latest Comic Yuri Hime magazine has already hit the shelves.

The big news is that Morinaga Milk will be doing a color illustration for Yuri Hime. This has excited some hope that she – and therefore Nana and Hitomi’s story – will be returning to the magazine. File that under conjecture and rumor. All it really means is that she’s doing a color illustration.

CANAAN Volume 1 is now available. So far, it pretty closely mirrors the anime, which is both good, and bad.

It’s the Year of Nanoha! The movie is out, with a Number #1 song for Mizuki Nana, and the first volume of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid has hit the stands. The story is excellent, the execution gives me nightmares.

For those of us who prefer the adult characters, the first volume of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Force is also available.

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Yuri Artist Interview

Speaking of Yuri manga artist Morinaga Milk (Girl Friends), she answers 10 questions on the Comic High website. These cover important issues like her unusual pen name and what items she keeps around when she’s writing, etc.

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Other News

It’s my pleasure to announce the winner of “Get this thing out of my house! Contest” from last week – Satoshi Miwa. Miwa, can you DM me on Twitter or email me with your address and I’ll get this fine example of unrestrained crap out to you as fast as I can manage? :-)

It’s all the rage to give away manga these days among the manga bloggers – I may make this a regular feature!

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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 – January 23, 2010

January 23rd, 2010

Of course, since I took a week off big news hit. Isn’t that always the way? Here we go!

Yuri Anime

Top story of the week is something that I alluded to some time ago – ANN reports that Yuri Hime series Yuri Yuri has been greenlighted for an anime series. I’m happy that we’re finally getting a Yuri anime from one of the Yuri Hime magazines, I personally wish it were a series I liked. Yuru Yuri will appeal to the Lucky Star-type fandom and, so, it’s a wise choice in that way. I suppose I should feel lucky that they didn’t choose Love Cubic, but I admit to being a tad disappointed in the choice when there are other, so much better IMHO, series to have chosen from.

Clarification: Japanese YNN correspondent Y_Y points out that the ANN article is not entirely correct – the obi says that it would be nice *if* Yuru Yuri has an anime – and the Yuri Hime editorial staff blog also said they think it would make a nice anime…but there is no anime greenlit as of yet.

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Yuri Manga

Top story here is still Gunjo, which will be re-serialized in Ikki magazine in Japan – starting in the April issue which, for reasons known only to some publisher in the depths of time, will go on sale February 25.

The first 13 chapters (the ones that ran in Morning 2 magazine) will be re-serialized and the first volume will come out this spring. Once the series is caught up, it will continue in Ikki with, Nakamura-sensei tells me, volumes 2 and 3 slated for 2011 and 2012.

Now, before you you go running around screaming, wondering when you might see it in Viz’s SigIkki online magazine, and start a letter campaign to Viz to ask them to license it…let me ask you to take a deep breath – and wait. Just wait. I’ll let you know what’s going on as soon as I can but, for the moment, just hold off on blasting Viz with emails. I promise to let you know if that’s going to be necessary. ^_^ If you do want the latest on the situation, and don’t mind getting it in Japanese, I strongly recommend reading Nakamura-sensei’s blog directly. She’s very open and upfront with her information.

Today, as a special manga feature we have a mini-review from YNN correspondent Mara on another Viz title, Jormungand:

I grabbed the first volume of Jormungand off the shelf because it stood out from the others as it was published by the Viz subsidiary Sig, the same publisher Dogs, Bullets and Carnage has. I quickly read the back and discovered that it was about Koko Hekmatyar: a highly active weapons dealer who is into making a lot of money off appropriately vague wars over the world. She shares the spotlight in this with Jonah, a child soldier, who is recruited by Koko to join the other mercenaries she has as part of her entourage.

So upon reading that blurb I immediately bought it, read it and found it to be most entertaining. Koko for one is a fun, kooky yet incredibly sharp protagonist who makes the sale and then gets out of doge before anyone can aim a gun at her.

Should anyone manage to get Koko in trouble aside from Jonah there is Valmet to help as well and here is where the possible Yuri comes in. Valmet is shown to find Koko cute to the point of ‘comical’ nosebleeds and an extra at the end of the volume shows that Valmet is indeed very focused on Koko and even likes her bad points, like how she complains a lot.

I feel the Yuri is set more to what we connote from what we are shown rather than stated at the moment. There needs to be more character development for Valmet before I can say anything for certain and considering this genre of manga it is highly likely the kinds of scenes that I read in the manga could never happen again or it could be explained in a different manner.

While there is very little to go on in the first volume I wished to highlight this series to you as even if the Yuri does turn out to be false this is still a fine series in the style of Black Lagoon or Dogs. Great fun and has a female protagonist who is for once given the appropriate ‘rights of the protagonist’ for this kind of series.

Thanks, Mara! Sound really interesting – I’ll be sure to add it to my cart. :-)

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Other News

I don’t know if you all saw this a few weeks back, but Brazilian artist, Mauricio de Sousa had planned a joint venture with Osamu Tezuka, but Tezuka died before their dream could be realized. Now, de Sousa’s work, which will include character-of-interest Safire from Ribon no Kishi is going forward. There’s been a lot of renewed interest in this series, from the not-great remake recently in Nakayosi magazine to the constant requests directed (by me and others) at Vertical. It will be a great day when this first Princess-Prince series finally manages to make it over here.

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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 – January 9, 2010

January 9th, 2010

The even-year effect is in place and Yuri is pretty thin for the new anime season, but don’t fear, there’s plenty of stuff for us to read!

Yuri Manga

Number one most “Yahoo!” news of the day has to be that the first volume of Gunjo is slated to be out in February! I don’t have a link to order it yet, but when I do get one, you can be sure I will be flogging you all to do so. If you have never before ordered a Japanese comic and are not sure why you would ever order one, I implore you to buy this manga. Nakamura-sensei has taken so many risks to make it, and it is so extraordinary in every way. please, please save up your pennies and buy Gunjo!

My copy of Rakuen Le Paradis arrived and, at first glance, it appears to be competing with F Erotics, the magazine that runs Aoi Hana. I say this because there’s an odd variety of stories that don’t quite seem to target men or women, but simply “adults who like reading romantic manga.” Rakuen doesn’t have the off-beat feel of F, but it looks and feels nice – and adult. While Kowo Kazuma’s (Junsui Adolescence) first story is boy/girl, both Takemiya Jin and Nishi UKO have Yuri entries. Can I just say how excited I am to see two of my absolutely favorite doujinshi artists doing work in a magazine for adult readers? I’m so happy for them.

YNN Correspondent Katherine H. is excited to let us know that not only is the first volume of the Canaan manga out at the end of this month, a Light Novel is already out. Her reaction is, “Hmm, most light novels are pretty embarrassing to read,” and “Hehe, Canaan and Alphard are on the cover. Together.” Mine is that Canaan will make a better LN series than a comic and I’d look forward to an extension past the anime storyline if they get there.

Second license request for 2010 – Canaan anime, please. Funimation, this time I’m looking at you.

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Yuri Drama CD

Katherine also points out that a To Aru no Kagaku no Railgun Original recording is up for preorder, as is a new Canaan DJCD.

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Snatches of Yuri

Samurai Age – Koiseyo tatakau otome-tachi! looks like another light novel that will eventually cross my desk here. High school girl samurai fighting and some Yuri-ishness. Gosh who could possibly want to miss that? (This would make a great off-year Yuri anime if anyone cared to bother.)

Yuri H-game fans can throw their money at R18 and R18!, Volume 2!

I admit that the title, Hyakku Ryouran Sengoku Otome appeals to me. Something about girls fighting and Yuri. Sheesh, I’m predictable. :-)

On the other hand, Hyakuen! does not hold any appeal for me, so those of you who mostly disagree with me, probably should take a look at it. lol What does interest me is that this book is a collection of a GanGan Comics series that ran online.

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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!