Yuri Manga

Erin S nabs the headlines with a number of reports today. Starting off, gravure idol Ichinose Ayaka has come out as a lesbian, in manga form. Free previews of chapters of her story, Real Bian are available on her blog. You’ll need to download the reader (of course) which is the second link under each chapter. This is a pretty “Real” story, so don’t expect any typical Yuri tropes.

Erin also points out that the editorial staff of Comic Yuri Hime have a blog of their own now.

Speaking of Yuri Hime, Erin mentions that the Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan collection is once again delayed, both manga-only and deluxe version w/Drama CD. No details, but now we’re looking at a June street date.

She continues with the news that Kurogane Kenn is slated to do a Yuri one-shot for next month’s issue of Comic High, the same magazine Morinaga Milk’s Girl Friends runs in.

A number of Polish correspondents are eager for you to know that Comix Grrrlz was pleased to recently interview Yuri Manga artist Akiko Morishima. Morishima-san also discusses the interview on her blog. If you don’t read Polish, you can read about it in Japanese. :-)

And last, but never least, Gokujou Drops 2 and Itoshi Otome, both cell phone manga series from Ichijinsha, hit the street on May 18th. Both are available through the Yuricon Shop, of course.

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Yuri Anime

Funimation has begun streaming Air Master on their online Funi TV channel. The wonky subtitles have been cleaned up, so the wife and I have been re-watching happily. Cannot *wait* until the DVDs come out!

Johann wanted to share the official, licensed English dubs from the Filipino version of Maria-sama ga Miteru with the folks on the Yuricon Mailing List and I thought you might enjoy them as well. Here’s a link to one of the dubs and you can use the search and related videos to find others. :-)

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Snatches of Yuri

Sean likes to share the misery, so he wants you to know that there’s some nasty Yuri in the nasty Volume 1 of Ichiroh. His description? “The rich best friend character lusts pointlessly after the main character.” Well gosh, I know I’m running. lol

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That’s a fair load of news for the week, so we’ll stop there while you head out and buy all that and catch up with your reading and watching! See you next week!

Yuricon & ALC News

Top story today is that I am the top story at Anime Today. :-) I was very pleased to spend some time with the utterly fabulous folks at Anime Today this week, and our resulting talk can be found at this week’s Anime Today podcast. We talk about lesbian comics, and the realities of marketing and publishing in a niche market. I hope you’ll tune in – it was a LOT of fun!

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Yuri Anime

That great Yuri classic Vandread will be rearing it’s head once again, like the undead, horrible rotting thing it is. This time, we’ll be treated to a feature-length synopsis of both seasons. Since the series is being shrunk for your viewing pleasure, there’ll probably be even less lesbians on that all-female ship than there was the first time around.

Comcast On Demand began airing the first episodes of Maria Watches Over us. Can you believe it? It’s like some weird dream, in which an American anime distributor actually listened to me. lol

In reality, Right Stuf needs no edumacation from me – they “get it.” I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it – Right Stuf is best of breed right now in anime distribution, and Funimation is hustling, too. There are smart people at these companies. Support them with money, not just with words, so they can be smart for you a little while longer.

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Yuri Manga

Katherine wants you to know that Hitohira is winding down in Japan, but that the artist will be starting a new series which also has more than one female character, so some Yuri may be manufacturable. :-)

Not Yuri, but most definitely lesbian, Ariel Schrag’s collection Likewise has been released. This autobiographical, raw and honest review of a young lesbian’s life is garnering some good reviews.

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Yuri Light Novel

Anonymous cheerfully informs us that there is a Rakka Ryuusui Light Novel. There is also a good chance of light Yuri. :-)

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Snatches of Yuri

Speaking of novels, they are not Light, or even light, but Yoshiya Nobuko’s generation-defining Hana Monogatari are out in a handsome new edition in two parts. Part One and Part Two look spiffy.

Harenochi Cinderella is a rich girl/poor girl like story at a (what else?) school for rich girls. There may be Yuri. :-)

Assistant Denki Keika is an “ecchi” (a word that frankly makes me shudder with lack of anticipation) manga about an assistant to a mangaka and her sexual adventures, which include, obviously, Yuri.

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Other Yuri News

hasekura_rei says “it seems like the group that was running the Marimite SIM on Second Life is back together and has a new SIM (complete with the Old Unpopular Greenhouse finally) and they’re accepting applications for their pine, cherry blossoms, mum, and camellia classes. The SIM Location is http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hakata/202/138/23. If [you’re] interested, grab a rules and group info notecard next to the entrance way. It’s in Japanese and decent enough English.”

So if you are a Second Lifer and want to hang out with a bunch of guys pretending to be Lillian students, check it out and let us know how it goes!

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That should be enough to keep you for a week. Become a part of the Yuri news team, and let me know of any Yuri News you hear!

Time to hit the boards in search of Yuri!

Yuri Drama CD

I was taken to task for not pointing this out eralier, but I haven’t been taking my omniscience pills so, belatedly, here is news of the Rakka Ryuusui Drama CD.

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Yuri Manga

Gokujou Drops, Volume 2 is out from Ichijinsha on May 18. The next volume of Hanjuku Joshi is planned for an August release.

Erin S. wants to assure you that you orders have not been “canceled” (which is what the helpful folks at Amazon JP tell you, when they mean “delayed”) and the Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan manga (with or without Drama CD) will also be out on May 18.

She’s also glad to be able to say Zaou Taishi and Eiki Eiki will have a new series in Yuri Hime magazine starting next issue (issue 17, due out July 18).

And she continues with more on the Yuri Himefront – another cell phone manga (set in the Heian period; could be interesting),Aishiwo tome: kimi ga kokoro ha by Takahashi Itsumi, are both due out that day, too. Several YH books are due out on June 18: Creo the Crimson Crises/ Volume 2 (which will also have a special extra in the next issue of Yuri Hime S, a Kurata Uso collection (yay! says Erica,) a Natsuneko collection (double yay!, says Erica), and a Yoshitomi Akihito collection.

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Yuri Events

Saturday, July 11 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm Friend of Yuri Katherine will be be hosting a “Yuri 101” panel at the Yasumicon anime convention being hosted by Florida International University in Miami.

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Yuri Anime

Anime Network (the TV cable network, not a typo of ANN) was thrilled to announce that both Maria-sama ga Miteru and Aria will be added to their schedule. I have no idea at all if this is the dawn of a subbed-anime cable station, but I have to admit, *I’m* far more likely to subscribe if they offer more subbed anime.

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We’ll call it quits here, but be sure to drop back in next week for even more Yuri News!

Thanks for your patience while we had fun with (and without) you last week. We’re back today with a pile o’Yuri news!

Yuri Manga

Aoi Hana, Volume 4 is coming. Don’t shudder with anticipation too much, it’s bad for your joints. Jump up and down instead – your heart could use the exercise.

Azumanga Daioh is poised to have a 10th anniversary and the author is celebrating a new manga edition by penning three new chapters to entice you to buy it.

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Yuri Anime

Apparently the first DVD of the 4th season of Maria-sama ga Miteru had massive sound and extra issues, which made all the fanboys mad.

Strawberry Panic box sets are coming out in English. They are, of course!, on the Yuricon Shop for your convenience.

This is kind of interesting – Sean points out that Gakuen Alice is playing on the Anime Network. That means there was a dub, I guess. I think it’s interesting that that series got a dub, but did not make it onto network TV in the usual hacked up form shoujo usually has to go through to make it to TV.

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Other Yuri News

Tadeno Eriko, Yuri manga artist, creator of WORKS, and contributor to the Yuri Monogatari anthology, wants you to know that she is part of a new lesbian erotica group. Art and stories are up for your viewing pleasure – in Japanese.

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We’ll see you next week for more Yuri news!