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!

Just before Yuriten opened in Tokyo, there was some big Yuri news!

Yuri Anime

Nakatani Nio’s Yagate Kimi ni Naru manga, which is sold as Bloom Into You by Seven Seas in English, has been greenlit for an anime! ANN has details and the main visual which was also on display at Yuriten.

I still have a lot of mixed feelings about this series. At lunch after Yuriten, we were discussing what makes a thing “Yuri.” Kawamoto-san’s position is similar to the Yuricon definition – anything with character or characters who fee emotional, physical or romantic attraction to another woman. I said that that’s the official position of Yuricon, but what I personally look for is, you know, two women actually in love with one another. Morishima-sensei and I were kinda in sympatico on this. Yagate Kimi ni Naru is Yuri, but it’s still not what I’m looking for in a Yuri story. Kase-san is. Two women who are actually in love with one another is a lot to ask from an anime, I know. ^_^

Speaking of Kase-san, the Shosen Book Tower in Akihabara will be hosting a Kase-san event from the end of May through the middle of June, with a Kase-san “Museum”. According to Comic Natalie, there will be a book signing by series creator Takashima Hiromi-sensei on June 2.  The fifth book in the series, Sakura to Kase-san with a new, original Drama CD (さくらと加瀬さん。) is on sale at the end of May. The OVA will be in theaters in Japan on June 9th.

Yuruyuri is getting a 10th anniversary anime, ANN reports. Speaking of not-really Yuri in any meaningful way. ^_^

Nozomi/RightStuf is losing the license to Maria-sama ga Miteru and is currently selling all it’s stock off at $12/season litebox set!  Get them while they last.

Yuri Manga

Nishio Yuhta’s After Hours, Volume 3 (アフターアワーズ) has hit shelves in Japan.

Yuri manga quarterly, Galette, Issue No. 6 (ガレット) will be released this month!

Seven Seas has licensed Yuri one-shot manga Bocchi Kaibutsu to Momoku Shoujo (ぼっち怪物と盲目少女), which is on my to-read pile, as Beauty and the Beast Girl, with a 2019 release date. It it is the story of a blind girl who falls in love with a monster girl who has secluded herself away in the forest. More details can be found in this report on Crunchyroll News.

Live-Action

Netflix will be streaming the live-action Kakegurui, according to ANN. I’ve been watching some of the live-action anime-based stage plays on Amazon Prime and they are less good than one might hope. ^_^; I didn’t review Blood C  – The Last Mind, because it, while not terrible, had little enough to do with the series as I knew it and there was no Yuri at all, even if you squinted this time.

Other News

ANN has a report of Intersex manga creator, Arai Shou’s life and work being made into a documentary. Seibetsu ga nai! is currently being crowdfunded and is worth taking a look at.

Matt Alt has a fascinating article in The New Yorker called The United States of Japan. “Hit Japanese products such as Pokémon have long captivated us, but Japan’s most influential export might be its own lived experience.”

Yuri Events

Yuriten 2018 in Tokyo is over and so is Comitia, but there’s still a bunch of stuff coming up, so get your calenders ready!

Toronto Comic Arts Festival – May 12-13, Toronto, ON, Canada – I’ll be moderating a Queer Romance Comics panel and conducting some interviews and there is always a lot of queer content and comics to enjoy. If you’re there, do drop in and say hi!

Girls Love Fest – May 19, Oota-ku, Tokyo, Japan – As, always, this is a combo event. Girls Love Fest will be joining AiFest and related “cute girl” doujinshi events at the Oota-ku Industrial Plaza Pio. The participating circle list can be found here. If you’re planning on attending,  please contact me about doing a report for us.

AnimeNEXT 2018 – June 8-10, Atlantic City, NJ, USA – I’ll be a guest, doing some panels, giving piles of stuff away. Definitely do not miss this! There’ll be loads of Yuri and lots of fun!

Yurithon – August 3-5, 2018 – Montreal, Canada  – This was so much fun last year, I recommend it highly. All the benefits of a small con, with Yuri-focused programming and the massive Dealer’s Room of a larger event. ^_^ It’s literally the best of all worlds. I really want to get back, but I just can’t do it this year because of other things I have scheduled. So, again, if you’re planning on attending, please contact me about doing a report for us. And I’m gonna put this back on my calender for 2019!

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!

I have so many great news items to share today, but I wanted to, once again, start with….

Yuri Events

Next week the Yuriten Yuri Exhibition hits Tokyo and I plan on being there. At the same time the Animate in Ikebukuro is doing the 1st anniversary Yurimate event! Once again, the third floor of the headquarters in Ikebukuro will be turned over to a Yuri-focused space, with special Yuri manga promotions. I’m also planning a visit to the other Tokyo area Yuribu at Gamers and Shosen Book Tower in Akihabara. All three are doing a joint Yuribu member recruitment, which is cute.  When I get back, I will be doing a bunch of Lucky Boxes that are going to be amazing~~!! (Hear this spoken in Oprah’s voice. ^_^) 

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is guaranteed to be full of great queer content, as well. I’ll be moderating, I can’t wait! I’m so excited. And I’ll be talking to queer comics creators and other folks that you’ll want to hear from, so join me if you can.

Support Yuri News, Event Reports and Interviews!

Yuri Anime

YNN Correspondent Su L wants you to know that Rightstuff is putting out Sweet Blue Flowers as a Blu-ray box set – for only $23.99! Gawd, I remember when that was cost of one episode of anime on a VHS tape, two if you were lucky. We’ve come a long way.

I’m pushing the limits of “Yuri Anime” pretty far here, but…Sailor Moon Super S, Part 1 will be hitting shelves this month! The Outers have pretty limited roles, but Haruka and Michiru  are increasingly gay as the series goes on. Stars is where they hit peak gay.^_^

The folks at Asagao to Kase-san are slamming out the cool goods right now – this June will see an original soundtrack CD for the movie with an original epilogue mini drama! Check out the news about Ashita e no Tobira on the official page.

Yuri Manga

Webmagazine Yawara Spirits has made Nighty-night Sheherezade (おやすみシェヘラザード) by Shinofusa Rokuro available for reading online (in Japanese).

The English-language Yuri manga anthology, Éclair: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart, will be available in June, from Yen Press. Featuring stories by Canno and Nakatani Nio, you’ll want to put it on your wish list.

We’ve added Koi ni Urusai (恋に煩い), a collected of Yuri manga by Gotou Yuuki from Ichijinsha on the Yuricon Store.

Other News

Alex Myung has written an interesting piece for Our Queer Voices, Where are the Gay Voices in Animation?

And Michele Kirichanskaya talks about Anime and It’s Contribution to LGBTQ Media on Blendtw.

Okazu Hero and author Louis P shares this: Celebrating the characters of the fantastic erotic comedy visual novel Ladykiller in a Bind its Ladykiller in a Zine! 

Jutin Hall’s brilliant anthology No Straight Lines is being made into a movie. No Straight Lines – The Story of Queer Comics with Vivian Kleinman directing. 

And we’ve added the pre-order for the gorgeous, but quite expensive at $270, Korra and Asami in the Spirit World figurine on the Yuricon Store!

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!