Yuri Events

Today at the School of Visual Arts in New York City we are celebrating queer comics of all kinds at the Queers & Comics event. Join scholars Yukari Fujimoto, James Welker, Kazumi Nagaike, artist Rica Takashima and myself for Queer Manga: History and Cultural Context at 5:15! This is going to be a brilliant conversation.

You can catch 100 Years of Yuri at AnimeNEXT at Atlantic City Convention Center, Saturday, June 8, 12:30 in Panel Room 310.

Yuri Publishing

Via their Twitter account, Yuritribe (ユリトライブ) is a “label created by YURI Media Entertainment with LGBT+women and ally artists. Get out of the preconceptions and prejudices in Japan and send out a new Yuri.” English site to come soon, they say. This is super exciting news.  We’ll watch this closely to see what develops!

Yuri Podcasts

I spoke with the lovely ladies of the TomoChoco Podcast about 100 Years of Yuri and had soooo much fun! I hope you enjoy listening!

You can listen to the Creator Spotlight with Emily Carroll, creator of When I Arrived at the Castle that I moderated at TCAF on thecomicbooks.com. Thanks Jamie Coville for recording this!

We didn’t get all four nights done, but this TCAF, we did manage to make two nights of Ladies in a Hotel Room, now subtitled “I need to work on my deck”. Thanks to Heidi MacDonald and her brilliant recording equipment for TCAF 2019: Three Women in a Hotel Room: Episode One and TCAF 2019: Four Women in a Hotel Room: Episode Two in which we were too busy and need to to finish our decks!

 
Yuri Light Novels

Via YNN Correspondent Sean G, Kati on Twitter says, “‘Yuri made me human’ J-Novel Club recently announced Side-by-side Dreamers (Soine Dreamer) by Iori Miyazawa, so here’s an interview that was held prior to the original release of this SF yuri novel and garnered lots of attention among yuri fans in Japan.”

Yuri Game

From Mangagamer we have the newest Yuri game, with a twist. This all-ages Yuri tale about a girl who finds herself in another world. From the press release: “…what truly makes The Expression:Amrilato so unique and wonderful is the language barrier Rin faces. Though the girl who takes Rin in, Ruka, speaks a small spattering of Rin’s language, the language of this other world is entirely foreign and unknown to Rin. Lost in a world where she’s unable to communicate with others, Rin and the reader both must struggle together to learn the language of the world she finds herself in, which is represented with the actual language, Esperanto.”This game uses language learning quizzes and puzzles to move the player forward. Check out the OP trailer!

 
Yuri Anime

From Dengeki Bunko’s Twitter feed via YNN Correspondent Super,  Hitoma Iruma’s Adachi to Shimamura light novel series is getting an anime series.  In 2013 when I reviewed the first volume, I was not impressed, so I hope the series has gotten better.

From ANN, Viz announces the dub cast of Sailor Moon Stars. I’m happy for Starlights fans, but happiest for Haruka and Maichiru fans, because they have a pretty damn gay series.

YNN Correspondent Super also points out the Best Yuri Anime of the Heisei Era article on ANN. Obviously your mileage may vary when it come to the choices.

Other News

Niki Smith’s new YA queer fantasy book, The Deep & Dark Blue, about a trans girl and her brother, is about identity and and adventure in a fantasy world.

For our London friends, do not miss It’s a Girls’ World: Talk on Shojo Manga with Artist HAGIO Moto and Editor FURUKAWA Asako on May 20 at The Hall, Japan House, 18:30-19:30. Admission is free, registration required.

For Sailor Moon fans, this year’s Met Gala included Lily Rose Depp in the vintage Chanel that Takeuchi Naoko imagined Setsuna wearing. Check out Michelle’s Twitter thread on Takeuchi’s love of and use of fashion for the Senshi.

 
Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!

Tons of news this week as we get ready for TCAF festivities! (So, no YNN report next week.)

Yuri Events

Galette Yuri Matsuri – May 6 in Tokyo at Culture Culture in Shibuya. The folks from Yuri manga magazine Galette are running a Yuri event of their very own! Artists Momono Moto, Hakamada Mera, Hamano Ringo, Morinaga Milk and Morita Miyuki will be there.

Yuriten 2019 wraps up its time in Nagoya this weekend with a lot of signings! It will move to Fukuoka from May 18-26 for its final week.

Toronto Comic Arts Festival – May 11,12 at the Toronto Reference Library with events in the surrounding area. Check out a 100 Years of Yuri exhibit at the Toronto Reference Library, listen to me talk about 100 Years of Yuri and speak with Kase-san creator Hiromi Takashima and lesbian horror comic artist Emily Caroll! The schedule is jam-packed with great stuff and its free!

Comitia is returning to Tokyo Big Sight on May 12! There’s always tons of good stuff to be had. Galette No. 10 will be available among other Yuri circles.

Queers & Comics – May 17, 18 at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Over 140 LGBTQ cartoonists, scholars, publishers, and librarians will participate on panel discussions. Prism Comics will be running a shop full of amazing queer comics. Don’t miss this biannual event. We’ll be talking about the History of Queer Manga on Saturday evening!

Phew, May is a heck of a month for us. Help us to get to these events and pay our writers! If you enjoy our work here – Okazu needs your support. $5/month will make a huge difference for us.

Yuri Manga

Yen Press announced the license for the remainder of the ÉCLAIR: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates In Your Heart series – BLEUE, BLANCHE, and ROUGE by ASCII Media Works. Following anthology Éclair: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart, the series features artists like Reine Hibiki, Miman, Canno, Nakatani Nio.  BLEUE comes to stores everywhere November 2019, BLANCHE in January 2020, and ROUGE in April 2020.

Via YNN Correspondent zestuboshi, Rakuen le Paradis magazine has a chunky sample of Takemiya Jin’s Fujyourina Atashi-tachi( 不条理なあたし達) on their web comics page – click the white bunny on the left, then click April 5th. On April 20th, you can also read Shigasawa Kaya’s Stay Gold, which is a Yuri short, as well. Site and manga are in Japanese.

Chapter 1 of Seta Seta’s funny/weird series Yuri Wall is available in English on Amazon Kindle.

And we’ve got yet another “sweet” Yuri anthology,  Syrup Shakaijin Yuri Anthology (シロップ 社会人百合アンソロジー) featuring stories by Morinaga Milk, Kodama Naoko, Yoshimurakana and more, on the Yuricon Store. The important thing to nore here is that this anthology is from Futabasha, which means we’ve got yet another publisher throwing their hat in the already full Yuri anthology ring.

YNN Correspondent Catherine C. wants you to know that the English language version of Renta, “an online digital manga site targeting primarily women,” recently started publishing Yuri. One of their titles is Want to Sell Me Your Body? which I’ve reviewed here on Okazu (in Japanese).

Yuri Anime

YNN Correspondent Super writes in to say that “in the fourth episode of Carole and Tuesday, it was shown that the former wife of one of the side characters is in a happy lesbian relationship and is going to marry with her partner soon.” Thanks Super, something to check out!

Yuri Podcasts

Check out the Manga Mavericks Podcast on May 5th where I answer some seriously good, thoughtful questions about Yuri! 

Date TBD, but later this month I’ll be going over some important Yuri history with the Tomochoco Yuri Podcast.

Okazu News

We have hit our 4000th post here on Okazu. Wow.  I take a look at an anthology of Yuri brides (that actually includes lesbians and everything!) for that milestone.

LGBTQ Manga

Wahh! OUR DREAMS AT DUSK: Shimanami Tasogare is hitting shelves this week! Do not miss this terrific LGBTQ manga, in English from Seven Seas.

Other News

From Carmen Philips at Autostraddle,  “Saving Face” Director Alice Wu Is Bringing a Lesbian Teen Rom-Com to Netflix! Also Wahh! Everything about this news sparks joy. ^_^

Japan Times’ Kris Kosaka takes a look at Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon: Two pioneering women in Japanese literature.

DaVinci magazine takes a look at Shimura Takako’s series about a performing arts school which is not-Takarazuka-at-all, Awajima Hyakkei. I am, somewhat to my own surprise, still reading this series. ^_^

Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!

Yuri Manga

The English-language  Yuri Anthology Lilies v7: Lily Bulb is live & V8 is open for submissions! Get your copy of Volume 7 as a download on Gumroad or buy a print copy on Lulu.. To submit your work to Lilies, Volume 8, which will have the theme “Dreams” check out the Anthology team’s Twitter or Tumblr for more guidelines.

Volume 9 of Kiss & White Lily for My Dearest Girl is getting a May release in English. Only one volume left in the series!

ANN has the news that Yagate Kimi ni Naru will be ending with Volume 8 in November 2019. In the meantime, Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Volume 7 was released this week in Japan! While we’re on the topic, Comic Natalie reminds us that the Yagate Kimi ni Naru live-action play is running May 3-12 in Tokyo and offers us some visuals of the main characters.

Wahhh! The Yuritora Jump ~ Ultra Jump Yuri Digital Anthology~ (ユリトラジャンプ～ウルトラジャンプ百合アンソロジー～ vol.2)  from Shueisha is back with a volume 2!  This is digital only, so if you’re in Japan, it’s available on Amazon JP Kindle and for the rest of us, from Bookwalker Global.

Ichijinsha’s Chocolat 2 Shakaijin Yuri Anthology ( ショコラ2 社会人百合アンソロジー) and Rezu Fuuzoku Anthology (レズ風俗アンソロジー) are up on the Yuricon Store!

Rakuen le Paradis magazine is publishing yet another Yuri story, this time on their web version, Shigisawa Kaya’s Stay Gold. Click the link to read a sample in Japanese.

ANN Reports that DMP is launching a new Yuri doujinshi imprint Lilyka. The online store will go live on May 1st. One of their two initial titles is a Momono Moto book reviewed here as Ame to Kimi no Mukou (雨と君の向こう), The Rain and the Other Side of You. The second, Lily Fairy Tale -Little Mermaid met Hansel and Gretel– by mintaro, I saw at Comitia, but declined to pick up. Another publisher in the Yuri space is always a good thing, but I have reservations about DMP. Their business model is a mess and they start a lot of projects, but rarely follow through with consistency. I hope this works for all of us!

Yuri Light Novel

Via YNN Correspondent Sean Gaffney, ANN reports that J-Novel Club has licensed two Yuri light novels. Side-by-Side Dreamers by Iori Miyazawa, translated by Sean MCann (follow the link to a free sample in English) and Seriously Seeking Sister! Ultimate Vampire Princess Just Wants Little Sister – Plenty of Service Will Be Provided which was published online on Shousetsu ni Narou, where you can read it in Japanese. Written by HiironoAme, it is listed as “coming soon” at J-Novel Club.
 

Other News

Pride.com offer up a list of 7 LGBT Comic Anthologies Every Queer Nerd Should Have on Their Shelves. We have reviewed 5 here on Okazu. . ^_^

The Loyola Phoenix reports that First-year Latin Student Wins Foreign Language Graphic Novel Contest. How fun!

Kayla Cobb  looks at She-Ra, Season 2 and finds it funnier and queerer than ever on The Decider. (I’m watching it now.)

Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to adreordress them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!

Yuri Events

It is my very great pleasure to announce that I will be presenting 100 Years of Yuri at Toronto Comic Arts Festival at 10AM on Saturday, May 11, 2019 in the Toronto Public Library Learning Centre. This will be followed by a Creator spotlight with Kase-san series creator Takashima Hiromi at 12 noon (location TBD)! This is very exciting and I hope to see you all there. Admission to TCAF is free and open to the public.

Kara Dennison has the scoop on the Kunihiko Ikuhara Exhibition -The Survival Strategy of Desire and Revolution That Connects Us  at Crunchyroll News which opens April 27 in Tokyo.

If you’re going to be in or near New York City on May 18  and 19, definitely make time for Queers & Comics at NYU! It’s all LBTQQ comics for two sold days. I’ll be moderating a panel on Queer Manga on Saturday. It will be really educational and fun! Admission is only $20 for both days. There will be a shop full of queer comics, with proceeds split between Prism Comics, the event and creators.

Yuri Manga

Tokuwotsumu’s Tsuki to Koi wa Michireba Kakeru (月と恋は満ちれば欠ける) follows two childhood friends who meet again as adults.

Salad Bowl, Volume  1 ( サラダボウル) by Kiyan is a rollicking fantasy about four women who live and travel together in a trailer, serialized in Comic Yuri Hime.

Seven Seas announced the license for Yuino Chiri’s Yuri not-a-vampire series Scarlet, this week.

Yuri Light Novel

Super exciting news. There will be a second Yagate Kimi ni Naru: Saeki Sayaka ni Tsuite (やがて君になる 佐伯沙弥香について 2) light novel. Again authored by Iruma Hitoma and illustrated by series creator Nakatani Nio-sensei.

Takashima Hiromi-sensei has illustrated the online light novel on Yomuco, by Nanbu Kumako LOVELY！～ Aishi Mamecchi (LOVELY！～愛しのまめっち)。It’s pretty a straightforward Yuri school romance, and good for reading practice. ^_^

Also on Yomuco is a Yuri romance between a cop and a criminal, Sheets no Shita ni Jun Futatsu (シーツの下に銃ふたつ) written by Hoshii Nanao and illustrated by Kitao Taki!

Yuri Visual Novel

I recommend taking a look at Yurimother’s review of Lingua Fleur: Lily for a non-romance LGBTQ VN!

Yuri Live Action

Fuji TV’s on Demand service is premiering Yuridano Kandano (百合だのかんだの) in late May. The story follows Ebara Yuri, who is forced out of her house by a stalker. When she finds a new place to live, she is recognized as a former idol, “Yuri-chan.” The story is meant to focus on forms of communication and affection between women. Check out a few pictures on Yuri Navi. Interestingly, Fuji was the network which showed Transit Girls a few years ago.

Other News

If you’ve been wondering what Morinaga Milk-sensei has been up to, Comic Natalie has your answer. She’s been working on a Comic Essay about fostering cats that a friend had to give up because of allergies, Neko Borabu no Milk-san (ねこボラ部のみるくさん).

Get 3 James Tiptree, Jr. Award (for female science fiction authors) novels on Kindle for only $9.99.  Liz Hand’s Waking the Moon, Eleanor Arnason’s A Woman of the Iron People, and Nancy Springer’s Larque on the Wing.

Natasha H. takes an in-depth look at her exploration of asexuality with Bloom Into You at Crunchyroll.

Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!

Yuri Manga

We’ve got a bunch of new manga on the Yuricon Store!

White Lilies in Love Kaoru Toki, Anata ha. Shakaijin Yuri Anthology (White Lilies in Love 花香るとき、貴方は。 社会人百合アンソロジー) is yet another adult life Yuri anthology from Kadokawa. I am not complaining. ^_^

I have been waiting for this book for literally a couple of years now – Liberty (リバティ), Volume 1 by actress Kitta Izumi and manga artist Momono Momo is finally getting a collected volume!

End of the world Yuri fantasy Sekai no Owari to Majyou no Koi  世界の終わりと魔女の恋 by KUJIRA looks interesting.

Haru meets Midori, her best friend’s daughter at the funeral. She’s not great with human relationships, but she’s got to take care of Midori in Haru to Midori (春とみどり).

Iwami Kyoko’s short story collection Transparent Light Blue is out in English this month, and her vastly superior ongoing Comic Yuri Hime serial Luminous= Blue, Volume 1 (ルミナス=ブルー ) was released in March. Hopefully we’ll get that series, as well.

It’s Vampire x Vampire Hunter in Akiyama’s Killing Me! hitting shelves this summer in English from Yen Press.

Here’s an online illustrated novel (in Japanese) I’ve got on my to-read list: Sheets no Shita ni Juu Futatsu (シーツの下に銃ふたつ) with art by Kitao Taki and story by Hoshii Nanase, about a criminal and a cop who fall for one another.

Lastly, for fans of Otome no Teikoku by Kishi Tojiroo, a digital-only Otome no Teikoku / Ah-Chie Special (オトメの帝国／あーちえスペシャル) is available on JP Kindle inside Japan and Book Walker outside Japan. Follow the extra adventures of couple Ai and Chie including special color illustrations!

Yuri Anime

YNN Correspondent Super lets us know that ANN has the scoop on Anime Fans Pick the Most Heart-pounding Yuri Anime! The list has a surprising few series.

Yuri Game

So I popped on to HIDIVE to watch something and found that there was a huge banner announcing pre-registration for the Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight game in English. According to the Lilycat, pre-reg has reached 300,000 as of this past week. I’m still smarting from the loss of Sailor Moon Drops, and need a new game, so I’ll give it a try.

Yuri Nurse fetish game Nurse Love Syndrome is getting a new game and an English release, says Joseph Luster over at Crunchyroll News. The PC game with English subtitles will be followed by a PS Vita iteration.

Other News

Check out Wild Nights with Emily, a new movie based on poet Emily Dickinson’s passionate love letters to Susan Ziegler.

Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to!

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!