An extra super-duper long YNN today. Check back in at the end to see why!

Yuri Anime

As the prophecy foretold, Anime Expo, July 5-8 in Los Angeles, will include a premier of the Asagao to Kase-san OVAhosted by both the director and producer. Check out the ANN report for details. 

Both Animage and Newtype magazine July issues spends some time giving coverage to the movie.  

Of all the interviews and articles I’ve mentioned here in support of the movie, the oddest and least apparently relevant so far has to be this interview with AKB48 member Okada Nana, who assures us that it doesn’t matter if its girls in love. Well, that’s settled then. ^_^

Funimation slams back onto our radar with complete DVD/Blu-ray combio boxset releases of the entire Mai HiME collections, My Hime, My Otome and My Otome: Zwei + My Otome 0: S.ifr! All the Shizuru x Natsuki, Chie x Aoi, and Haruka x Yukino for the win!

Yuri Manga

My Pride Month Manga recommendation list is still going strong onTwitter! This past week included not-manga suggestions that I thought folks should really not miss. ^_^ (In case its not that obvious, I’m trying my damnedest to give you a variety of genre, age, subject and publishers. Unlike my usual capricious choices, this one has been curated within an inch of it’s life. ^_^ If you value the effort, please consider spending a buck or two a month to support Okazu!

Do you remember that Yuri manga I mentioned last week called Yurikabe (ゆりかべ)? I thought it was about “kabe-don”, you know when people box someone in on a wall? I was soooo wrong. The wall is a Yuri matchmaker! It’s nuts. And great. Check out Seta Seta-sensei’s wacky story on Sukima for free (in Japanese).  My wife reminds me that one of my favorite youkai is Nurikabe, so perhaps this is his lesbian cousin. ^_^

Galette magazine is looking for Yuri doujinshi artists to contribute. They are very clear that they do not provide editorial support or take non-digital submissions, but if you’re interested, check out the guidelines on Galette [meets].

Nishio Yuhta’s After Hours, Volume 2 is now available in English from Viz!

In Bakejyou! ~ Youkai Gakuen Youkoso~ ( ばけじょ! ~妖怪女学園へようこそ~), 4-panel gag comic, Azuki enters a high school for youkai. 

Sakura Minori is an average girl, why is she so popular with the other girls at this rich girls school? Find out in Minori to Hyakunin no Ojousama ( みのりと100人のお嬢様 ).

Mushroom Girls In Love, about the valiant fungus-girl Arriala, fighting to rescue her love, will hit English-language shelves in July. Bruce would have been so pleased (and puzzled).

Shiori o Page-tachi ( しおりを探すページたち) from Comic Yuri Hime magazine is a belated entry to the Yuricon Store. And sweet slice-of-life Yuri, Tsurezure Biyori ( 徒然日和 ) joins it.

LGBTQ News

Have some queer news for Pride Month. ^_^

Do you want more comics about lesbian witches? I know I do! Then check out I am Hexed Kickstarter for the comic by Kirsten Thomas!

Sapporo, Japan has issued cards proving LGBT partnerships for use in emergencies, the Kyodo News Agency reports.

Meanwhile, Mainichi reports that Sexual minorities seek recognition of same-sex partnerships from 23 municipal assemblies. 

The Japan Time says that high-profile Japanese businesswoman Katsuma Kazuyo has come out as being in a same-sex relationship with political activist Masuhara Hiroko. 

Syfy channel‘s official Twitter account did a quick tweet with 5 queer comics creators whose names and work you should know!

Here’s a first for Okazu…Good Morning America(!) has an article on the 27 countries where same-sex marriage is legal. It’s a start.  I never expected to ever mention GMA here, for sure. ^_^

Visual Novel News

Studio Élan’s first Yuri Visual Novel Heart of the Woods demo is available on Steam and itch.io. 

Aikasa Collective has entered the Yuri Visual Novel market with Mizuchi (白蛇心傳),  a supernatural fantasy, inspired by the Legend of the White Serpent. 

Other News

Deb Aoki takes a look at the growth of the English-language manga market for Publishers Weekly in A New Golden Age for Western Manga.

Rachel Thorn has a new article on her blog called The Rise, Fall…and Rebirth…? of Shōjo Manga, in Japanese.

Okazu News

After several months of frenetic events and paneling, I am taking a well-deserved extended vacation from Okazu for a few weeks. I have a bunch of reviews lined up to post while I’m offline, I expect/hope/desire to get one last YNN report out this month. For the first time ever, we will have a Guest YNN Editor! I know you all know Louis P for terrific Visual Novel reviews. Louis has kindly accepted the charge of filling in here for at least one YNN Report in July. So please appreciate the effort, the time and thank them. I know that I’m ecstatic over this. I’ve never had anyone to step in on YNN before! Whee! I will be intermittently online, but mostly, I’ll be out having fun, so you go have some summer fun too. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks. 

Check out the Episode 2 of our Okazu News Analysis Podcast now on Patreon!

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with your name and an email I can reply to!

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

Kase-san Series News

June 9th was the official theatrical premiere of Asagao to Kase-san, the anime based on Takashima Hiromi-sensei’s manga of the same name. The press for the event has kept up the energy and at least a few theaters have booked the run for a week or even two, while other have an open-ended time frame. 

In the meantime, the interviews and articles are coming thick and fast. 

Comic Natalie reports that folks who see the OVA have another new piece of art in the pamphlet. The Director and voice actresses have a discussion about Yuri. Comic Natalie also has an event report from the premiere event. And Movie Walker has an article about the movie. (All of these are in Japanese.)

Yuri Anime

The folks at Comic Yuri Hime have yet another new anime license and, again, it is one of the stories I don’t follow, Watashi ni Tenshi ga Maoirita!  (I read about half the comics now – you know, the half they aren’t animating. ^_^) Check out the ANN report for details.

ANN also has news that Kaishaku’s incoherent Yuri-ish series, Eikyuu Monogatari ~Eternal Alice Rondo has been licensed by Diskotek. If you’ve never seen this, you won’t believe my description of it, anyway, so you might as well watch it, then come back and read my 2006 review, since not one moment of it makes sense anyway. ^_^

Yuri Manga

Killing Me~! (キリング・ミー!) is probably-a-vampire Yuri number four
It could turn out to be a bore
I may never know,
my motivation is low
I don’t think it could suck any more.

For folks who like high school love, Dare mo Ienai, Futarigoto (誰にも言えない、ふたりごと), first chapter is available online in Japanese.

There’s a new Yuri anthology on the block! Avalon (girls x garden comics) looks nice, but We’ll see. ^_^

Ichijinsha is putting out a perfect edition of Fujieda Miyabi’s Ame-iro Kouchakandan (飴色紅茶館歓談　完全版) in two volumes. Volume 1 and Volume 2 are slated for release at the end of this month. That means a new chapter in which Seriho makes Sarasa blush. Worth it.

I’m looking forward to the first volume of Model-chan to Jimimane-san (モデルちゃんと地味マネさん) about an attractive, yet flaky model and her serious, not-particularly-stylish manger.

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with your name and an email I can reply to!

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

Yuri Events

One more time with gusto – join me next weekend at AnimeNEXT in Atlantic City, NJ! I have so many things to give away for good questions! Please ask me good questions*, so I can give you things!

* I’ll be talking about what makes a question objectively “good” or “bad” during a panel in this week’s YNN Analysis Podcast, so be sure to tune in! (Okazu Patrons get early access at all levels. For as low as $2/month, you’ll get same-day access to this new feature, now available on Patreon!)

I’ll take this opportunity to remind you that there won’t be an YNN Report next week. But I may do some extemporaneous videoing (no promises!) from the con!

Yuri Anime

It’s the all Kase-san week, as we are seven days away from the huge theatrical release of Asagao to Kase-san in the theaters in Japan.

Yet *another* goodie for folks attending the movie has been released, reports Comic Natalie, original artwork by series creator Takashima Hiromi and a photo shoot of Yamada’s voice actress, Takahashi Masami and Kase-san’s voice actress, Sakura Akane has been posted online. The photo shoot was done by Hasegawa Keisuke, the same person responsible for the Yuriten main visual.

Rightstuf has a very attractive pre-order deal for the Revolutionary Girl Utena Blu-ray set, which includes production sketches, a simply gorgeous box set design and both Student Council and Black Rose rings. I have no money and should absolutely not be getting this, but…Black Rose Ring. ^_^;

ANN has the 2nd promotional video of Happy Sugar Life and reports a July premier.

Yuri Manga

Blick Publishing has announced a digital agreement with Morishima Akiko-sensei to digitally serialize her story for Galette magazine, Motto Hanjuku Joshi, (in Japanese). Just as the title indicates, Motto Hanjuku Joshi takes place after the conclusion of her two-volume series Hanjuku Joshi. Take a look at Okazu reviews of Volume 1 and Volume 2 of the original and drop by Booklive.jp for the newest chapters!

Yurigurashi (ゆりぐらし) tells the story of a two women in a relationship, living together. Hits me right in the “I want that so hard it hurts.”

YNN Correspondent Pat wrote in to let us know that there is a third Yuri + Kanojo anthology, Yuri +Kanojo Heroine doushi no Happy End (百合+カノジョ-ヒロイン同士のハッピーエンド). It’s already in my shopping cart. I’ve enjoyed both the Yuri + Kanojo volumes I’ve read. 

The final volume of Viz Media’s definitive English release of Shimura Takako’s Sweet Blue Flowers is hitting shelves this month. I hope they did that on purpose, it being Pride Month and all….

Speaking of which, because heaven knows I don’t have enough on my plate I decided to release a “Good Pride Month Manga to Read” a day on Twitter. Because I can.

Yuri Visual Novels

I’m not trying to beat this Valve thing to death, but just after I posted this report last week, a news item came across my desk which was a bit of an ah-ha. Nick Statt on The Verge wrote: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’. 

LGBTQ Comics

Being True, a comics anthology celebrating LGBTQ life and identity, has just launched a Pride Month kickstarter, and is already past their halfway point. Run by a local comics group out of Boston, the sincerity and sweetness of this collection is really quite lovely.

Other News

The Animate Cafe in Kyoto is celebrating Maria-sama ga Miteru‘s 20th Anniversary with special themed cafe items.

If you liked Marvel’s Black Panther, check out Nnedi Okorafor’s TED talk on science fiction that imagines a future Africa.  I’m a huge fan of her work and found the talk enlightening.

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with your name and an email I can reply to!

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

Kase-san News

The theatrical debut for Asagao to Kase-san is rapidly approaching and promotion is ramping up. Given that this movie is targeted towards a niche genre, they are doing a fair spread of promotional efforts. YNN Correspondent Verso S has kept on top of all of them for us:

“Yamada and Kase feature “in character” in an advertisement for キネパス/Kinepass, the ticket booking / payment system. The animated ad, narrated as a “Kase-san to …” mini episode by their voice actors, “currently” plays in the loop on foyer monitors as well as in the cm block with trailers etc, screened before main features in the cinema. (screened independently from the OVA PV). [Yamada fancies a film date with Kase but how to arrange that? Kinepass makes it easy …]” You too can see this ad (which I found highly amusing,) included in the “LineLive / YouTube broadcast” with the voice cast, beginning at the 1hr, 6 minute mark. I have not yet had a chance to watch the cast talk, but that’s on my to-do this weekend.

The fifth volume of the Kase-san series, Sakura to Kase-san (さくらと加瀬さん。) went on sale in Japan this week, and will hit the English-language market as Kase-san and Cherry Blossoms  in December 2018. There’s also a deluxe set on Amazon JP, that includes the manga, an original Drama CD and clearfile, for those of you who are huge fans.

Just to circle back to the issue of promotion – folks presenting their tickets at a participating theater June 9-15 will receive an original manga by series creator Takashima Hiromi! And the official site is pushing special premier movie events the week of the release, as well as the live cast talk mentioned above. Additionally, the twitter account is doing a “language of flowers” post every day, featuring a flower and it’s meaning, which makes me absolutely want to hug someone. ^_^

LGBTQ News

Verso continues to wow us with more news. Tasogare Shimanami by Kamatani Yuki has been licensed by Akata for release in France as a two-volume set and the publisher has announced that a portion of the proceeds will be going to an organization that combats homophobia!

Also from Verso, NHK has announced a DVD release for the NHK live-action TV drama of Otouto no Otto (弟の夫) in late July. 

Yuri Manga

Read the first chapter of Seta Seta’s Yuri-kabe  on digital publisher Sukima (in Japanese.) The title and cover art indicates that “kabe-don” (pinning someone to the wall with one’s arms) is going to be the defining theme. ^_^

Via Comic Natalie, You can also take a look at  Koi, Irodoru Made, (恋、彩るまで) by Kyouko Kouta, a Yuri school life fantasy online (in Japanese) for free on comico.

Yuri Anime

ANN has news that Viz is planning theatrical showings for the Sailor Moon movies this summer, including the Ami’s First Love short with Sailor Moon SuperS!  Check out the Fantom website for ticketing and location details.

New cast and music news have been added to the upcoming Yuri-ish, horror-ish anime, Happy Sugar Life on ANN.

Yuri Visual Novels

After last week’s announcement that Valve was cutting off Visual Novels by a number of creators and companies with little warning, Mangagamer has announced alternate arrangements to host their Yuri VNs, including Kindred Spirits on the Roof and A Kiss for the Petals series on GOG.com.  ANN reports that Steam is now saying that they will review each game before a decision is made (which is just about the stupidest thing ever, as that would have been an obvious first pass, had any one thought about it for ten seconds.)

Other News

ANN has news that tween novel imprint Aotori Bunko will be shipping a new novel adaptation of the Sailor Moon series, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon 1 Ebereta Senshi, (美少女戦士セーラームーン①選ばれた戦士) authored by Fairy Navigator Runa‘s creator, Ikeda Miyoko. I’ll keep my eyes out for a pre-order link for this.

Via Twitter, Webtoon is running a contest to find their next set of stars. The LINE Webtoon contest will run from June 11 with a substantial amount of money for the winner – and, even if you don’t win, a place for your comics on Webtoon.  

Yuriten in Hokkaido will be wrapping up shortly, and so far that seems to be the end of this year’s run. It was an amazing and wonderful and crazy spring for Yuriten and I look forward to seeing what’s next. I won’t say お疲れ様でした just yet, in case they have any new news. (Especially as the Kase-san movie events seem like a possible extension.) But I will note that via Verso S once more time, the editors of BELOVE, from Kodansha, tweeted about the Yuriten flyer they saw at Comitia noting that Yuri manga is hot right now.

I have intermittent issues with my various Japanese IMEs and recently found that Google has a useful Input tool that can allow you to type in romaji for Japanese kana and kanji output. If you don’t want the hassle of setting up an IME, but want to occasionally be able to type in Japanese, bookmark this baby! It makes for a good backup when something has borked your IME, as well. ^_^

Okazu News

We’re only 6 Patrons away from our Spring Patreon campaign goal and (if I do say so myself) this is a great time to become an Okazu Patron!

You’ll be getting more advance glimpses at the “Big Book o’Yuri” in August and all patrons at a cumulative $25 are eligible to set up an hour Skype with me as a their own personal Yuri panel. Now you can *finally* ask me what I really think of a series, since I don’t take that question at public panels. We’re also looking into a bunch of new rewards, including an Okazu news podcast, a Discord channel and more! A dollar a two a month makes a huge difference, so don’t hesitate to subscribe at the $1 level. Every patron is an important part of the team. If you’d like to become a patron, click on the Okazu Patreon link and start today!

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with your name and an email I can reply to!

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

Yuri Events

Yuriten Yuri art exhibition wrapped up successful weeks in Osaka, Fukuoka, Tokyo and an exhibit at Comitia, and now, is opening up this week in Sapporo, Hokkaido! How exciting for them!

Next event on my schedule is AnimeNEXT, June 8-10 in Atlantic City, NJ. They’ll be showing the Kase-san anime movie teaser for me, and they have an exciting new announcement – pre-registered  attendees can see a screening of the Sailor Moon Musical: Le Mouvement Final at the Showboat casino. If you are attending ANEXT and haven’t had a chance to watch it, definitely take this opportunity, it was the best SeraMyu I’ve seen. ^_^ 

If you are in or near Montreal, Canada in August, do not miss Yurithon! And say hi to Meggie for me.

Yuri Anime

The theatrical release of  Asagao to Kase-san is in only a few weeks and the news is coming thick and fast. A special early-preview event is being held in Japan, and Youtube and LINE will stream a live cast talk event on May 24. ANN has the scoop on the new visual from the movie.

ANN reports that Comic Ryu magazine is going online. The final issue announced an anime for Hirao Auri’s gag idol Yuri manga Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu (推しが武道館いってくれたら死ぬ) of which I have reviewed Volume 1, Volume 2 and Volume 3. Volume 4 is on sale this month. (Hi, everyone who has wandered over here from searching that title!) I can see why it got an anime – it’s a gag comedy with pop idols and Yuri. All the flavors of the month. ANN also has details on the announcement.

YNN Correspondent Eric P notes that Media Blasters is listing a Strawberry Panic! Blu-Ray Box set with RightStuf for  a June release. I cannot imagine that the animation for this series will hold up to blu-ray, but YMMV.

Live Action News

Okay, this isn’t Yuri, but I am going to cross my fingers very hard, because Noelle Stevenson, one of the creators of Lumberjanes just announced she’ll be showrunner on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power for Netflix. A girl can dream, can’t she?

Variety reports that Jennifer Aniston will be playing the first female President of the USA and Tig Novaro will be playing her wife, in a Netflix series called First Ladies.

Yuri Manga

Galette Magazine, Issue 6 is on sale now. You can get it in print from Japan or on US Kindle.  In addition, Galetteweb has announced an anthology of their own called Meets, which will be on sale on JP Kindle in August. I’ll keep an eye out for it on US Kindle for you. Galette Online has a number of online short stories and manga (in Japanese) for you to take a look at, as well.

Via Kawamoto-san, here’s another Cycomics online title, Shoujo Junrei (少女巡礼) about a manga artist and the girl who enters her world and changes everything.

Yuri Visual Novels

There is both Good and Bad news this week. Beginning with the bad… Valve is purging quite a number of games from the Steam system, many of them Visual Novels from Japanese license holders.  Mangagamer announced that excellent Yuri VN (even I liked it) Kindred Spirits on the Roof is one of the causalities, despite the MG folks working with Steam to fill all their requirements. The game is still available for download, however.

On the Good side, Studio Elan has released their first Yuri Visual Novel, Heart of the Woods…on Steam. Heart looks beautiful. “A fantasy yuri visual novel filled with magic, fairies, and a ghost girl. When Maddie and her best friend, Tara, journey to a remote forest village to investigate rumors of the supernatural, they find a whole lot more than they bargained for.”

Other News

My Brother’s Husband, Volume 2 in English is up for pre-order. It’s got a September release date.

Luscious Spirit Studios, maker of Yuri VNs, announced a kickstarter for their first Lesbian short story anthology!

Vox has a fantastic article on the body of Janelle Monae’s discography as a Afrofuturist sci-fi work. Great reading.

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with your name and an email I can reply to!

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