Yuri Manga

From Birz Comics, Planet Closet (惑星クローゼット) by Tsubana is a “Yuri-ish” sci-fi story involving two girls from alternate dimensions, giant monsters and a threat to humanity. Huh. Sounds pretty good. 

Takemiya Jim-sensei noted that a preview chapter from Fujyourina Atashi-tachi (不条理なあたし達) is available on on Hakusensha’s  Rakuen La Paradis Volume 24 (楽園 Le Paradis)  web site.

Takemiya-sensei has joined a number of other popular Yuri manga artists in Yuricon: Jimoto Hougenhen (地元方言編) which is available for your Kindle in Japan or in the US! Great name, too. ^_^

Via Mey on Autostraddle, the Hi-Fi Fight Club by Carly Usdin looks super fun!

Yuri Anime

ANN reports that Viz is streaming a clip of the dub of Sailor Moon Crystal‘s 3rd season.

Crunchyroll has added Haibane Remei,and Michiko & Hatchin (which is not Yuri, but was a damn good female lead anime) to their catalog!

ANN reports that the second of two films for the franchise, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation has been announced.

Yuri Essay 

I was asked to write a short piece on why we call the genre “Yuri” as opposed to the publisher-generated “Girls Love.” (Long story short, “Yuri” keeps the connection between the genre and lesbian culture.) Read Why We Call It Yuri on Anime Feminist.

Other News

Are you looking for women in comics to hire, follow, or support? Are you a woman in comics looking to promote your work? Take a look at the #visiblewomen hashtag begin by Kelly Sue DeConnick on Twitter. Priscilla Frank wrote a great piece on Huffington Post about the hashtag – and why it’s stupid that the comics industry is still using tired excuses for not “being able to find” women to hire in The Comic Book Industry Officially Has No Excuse Not To Hire Women.

The folks at Asia Rising have a very interesting article about the five out Japanese LGBTQ assembly members, who are working together to raise LGBTQ awareness and push forward equality under the law in Japan.

Disney Junior channel has added an interracial lesbian couple to the show Doc MacStuffins. The episode is about family emergency preparedness.

Looking for good summer reading? OZY has 5 Lesbian Literary Novels you shouldn’t miss! Ignore the Beavis & Butthead intro and just nab and borrow the titles from your library. ^_^;

Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? 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!

Sailor Moon is turning 25 and Revolutionary Girl Utena is turning 20 years old. How old do you feel? We at Okazu feel 15 years old!

Join me and Yuricon staff and friends at Yurithon in Montreal, Canada Aug-4-6 to celebrate. There will be presents, well, prizes for great panel questions and participation. ^_^

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Yuri Manga

The Kase-san official Twitter account reminds us that, as of today,  Apron to Kase-san (エプロンと加瀬さん) is available in Japan. Also available, the deluxe version with the Asagao to Kase-san animation clip on Blu-Ray.

Hirao Auri’s idol group Yuri romantic comedy Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu  (推しが武道館いってくれたら死ぬ) Volume 3 is available for those of us who are actually rooting for Eripyo.

And don’t miss Volume 4 of Nakatani Nio’s (to me, controversial) Yagate Kimi ni Naru (やがて君になる).

Pixiv Yuri manga Deaike Site de Imouto to Deau Hanashi (出会い系サイトで妹と出会う話)  about a woman who signs up for a meetup on a lesbian site only to discover the woman she’s come to meet is her younger sister, is being collected into a volume.

Comic Natalie reports on Spirits magazine, in which a new “rap Yuri” manga, Catcher in the Rhyme (キャッチャー・イン・ザ・ライム)  will be beginning this month in issue 34.  Comic Natalie also says that  Yuri “comedy,”  Sekai de Ichiban Oppai ga suki! (世界で一番おっぱいが好き！) will be starting up in Comic Cune‘s September issue, but I think imma pass on that one. ^_^;

Yuri VN News

From the horse’s mouth – Josh Kaplan, creator of Highway Blossoms tweeted, “recently started @vnstudioelan just for making yuri VN’s; our first two games will be formally announced in September.” Check out Studio Elan’s Twitter account for character designs and news.

Other News

Kat Callahan continues to take a deep look at NTR: Netsuzou Trap anime at Anime-Now. I still don’t agree that it is worth watching, but I think her perspective is valid and important. (It comes down to, I think, completely different ways of interacting with the story. It’s all “right” and no one is “wrong” here.) Kat is very clear that this is her interpretation, and I agree with the abuse angle, but, exactly as it is in Citrus, I do not think the apparent abuse is anything but a fetishy “here’s why she’s so creepy” handwave, and not ever meant to be dealt with honestly in the narrative.

The Comics Beat has a a write-up of  A Conversation About Inclusivity and Diversity in Comics and the Comics Market and Comics As a Force for Social Change panels at San Diego Comic-Con.

Stephanie Chan looks at Analyzing gender representation of 34,476 comic characters for the Comics Lowdown on Smashpages.

Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? 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!

LGBT Comics/Manga News

I’ve been all about Legend of Korra: Turf Wars this week, and this Tumblr post by creator Bryan Konietzko has stoked the flames considerably….we’re getting this beautiful Korrasami figurine! (Bryan, adorably, uses the fan term.) Keep your eyes peeled for pre-order links. (And check out the Nerdist article he links to. There is is again.. “as a couple.” /qvell/)

Via YNN Correspondent Richardson Kilis on Twitter, come news of Bokutachi LGBT (ぼくたちLGBT), a new manga essay collection created by self-identified bisexual creator, Tomimura Kota. You can read chapters here (in Japanese) for free.

Comic Natalie reports on a comic which I think of hitting as some kind of self-referential queerish manga event horizon, Yurizuki-kun to Yurizikizuki-kun, (百合好きくんと百合好き好きくん), about a boy who is a Yuri fanboy and the boy who falls for him. Okay, we’re done now, just give me more lesbian stories please. ^_^;

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Comics News

JK Parkin on Smashpages has news out of San Diego Comic-Con that IDW will be publishing a Jem & The Holograms comic anthology. Comics anthologies are a great way to become familiar with a series. It’s true one sacrifices continuity and story a lot of the time, but anthologies are a great way to get to know the characters’ inner lives (and often fanon tropes about them!)

Speaking of SDCC, Heidi MacDonald has a excellent piece on Comics Beat about how although comics sales are rising, this isn’t translating into comic store sales. In This week’s Bookscan chart is a wake-up call for the comics industry, she  reports the top five bestselling comics in bookstores are as follows:

Anyhow, here are the top five books on the chart for last week:

1. BITCH PLANET, VOLUME 2: PRESIDENT BITCH
2. MY LESBIAN EXPERIENCE WITH LONELINESS
3. WONDER WOMAN VOL. 1: THE LIES
4. WONDER WOMAN VOL. 2: YEAR ONE
5. MARCH: BOOK ONE

and she notes:

…for one thing, it means that Marvel–and DC too! – had better start paying attention to new readers instead of pandering to the dwindling ranks of AARP-card carrying pap-pap Bronze Agers. I mean, I know it’s hard to move beyond  your own viewpoint, but business is business.

So, wow for My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness, Kabi Nagata-sensei and Seven Seas…and look at that, stuff for and by adult women are ruling the sales chart.

Other People’s Opinions

Coupla interesting takes on “our” material these days:

Over at Crunchyroll, Paul Chapman take a slightly precious look at Sweet Blue Flowers, which is back on the Crunchyroll streaming catalog in Delicate Emotions Blossom in “Sweet Blue Flowers”.

And from Autostraddle, Mey offers up a completely different perspective to my own in Drawn to Comics: “My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness” Is an Incredible Examinations of Mental Illness, Sexuality and Shame.

Andy Lee Chaisiri is a Quora-friend of mine. I’ve been sharing around this fun essay all week: 3 timeless lessons from Pokémon on designing enduring worlds from Andy and his brother Richard’s excellent art and pop culture blog, Art-Eater. 

Other News

Crunchyroll is holding their own expo show and, I thought this a fun thing – very out, gay, ice skater Johnny Weir is going to be there, speaking about Yuri on Ice!

Ogata Megumi-san posted a squee-worthy series of tweets this week, in which she showed herself and Katsuki Masako (Michiru’s original voice actress) recording Moon Revenge for the Sailor Moon 25th anniversary. Moon Revenge is from the Sailor Moon R movie and the original recording was by the voice actresses of the 5 Inner Senshi. Having Ogata-san and Katsuki-san  as part of a new recording has me fangirling. It’s a great song, I can’t wait to hear this version!

Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? 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 Manga

It is always a good day on Okazu when I can announce another new collection by Takemiya Jin-sensei. And, as she’s a monster workaholic, today is a very good day. ^_^ Mabushisa no Mukou Soku (まぶしさの向こう側), will be out this week, with collected shorts from Comic Yuri Hime. 

Also from Comic Yuri Hime, the first collected volume of Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu!  (私の百合はお仕事です! ) hits shelves next month. Along with being behind reading the magazine, I will get to add that I’m also behind on adding the manga to the Yuricon Store, yay! (;_;) I’ll do my best to keep up, I promise!

ANN Reports that the Sakura Trick manga will end with the October issue of Mangatime Kirara Miracle magazine.

Volume 2 of After Hours (アフターアワーズ) will be hitting shelves this week in Japan, and to celebrate, Comic Natalie reports that they are doing an open call for illustrations. The application ticket will be attached to the book’s obi at retail outlets. Look for Volume 2 in English later this year from Viz.

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Fannisness

Via YNN Correspondent and fellow Uranus/Neptune fan Maria S, please enjoy this video by and of Pamela Calvo singing both parts of a Spanish-language version of Eternal Eternity! It’s really quite wonderful and I grinned through the whole thing. :-D

I’ve been binge re-watching Steven Universe again, because it heals the holes the daily news burns in my soul. It’s a bit old, but I discovered that in 2016, there was a Steven Universe musical panel at San Diego Comic Con and I spent a full couple of hours watching and rewatching live performances from it. I want to share this one with you especially. It’s not just that it’s a hoot to hear the voice actors singing, but this one was remixed with images of the audience singing along and clips of animation. I’m going to be really honest, when Pearl sings, “We were amazed to find your beauty and your worth. We will protect your earth…and we will protect you” and I see all those lovely otaku, I get really weepy and angry at the shitty situation we’re in right now. If we don’t protect this Earth, Pearl won’t be there to do it and I want these happy otaku to have a safe and beautiful home.  It made me start calling my Congressmen again. It sucks, but it’s up to us. Call, write, fax, whatever, however, but get out there and contact your congresspeople.

Anyway, here is the live version of We Are the Crystal Gems, Full Version, from SDCC 2016. (And check out Michaela Dietz (Amethyst) and Zach Callison (Steven) videoing it it on their phones. ^_^ 

LGBTQ Comics

WOOHOO! The folks who brought us Power & Magic, now announce IMMORTAL SOULS (The Next Queer Witch Comics Anthology)! You’ve still got time on this Kickstarter, but don’t miss your chance to back this book if you can.

Lesbian website Gachirezu (gachirezu in Japanese is similar to flesbian in English, like not”real” lesbian. It’s meant as a joke, kind like Okazu is) now has a page for serialized lesbian webcomics in Japanese with links to their artists on Twitter.

Via Senior YNN Correspondent Louis P, comes this great link on Comicosity, 40 LGBTQ Webcomics to Know and Love.

From Funari on Twitter, we have Raison d’Etre,  a “self-discovery fantasy-ish comic with queer characters.” 

Last week Prism Comics held the very first ever Prism Comics Awards at the Queer Comic Expo. Thanks to Rob McMonigal for covering this on his blog Panel Patter.

Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? 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 Manga

Kuzushiro’s girl-falls-for-sister-in-law series Ani no Yome to Kurashiteimasu (兄の嫁と暮らしています。) is going to Volume 3 which will hit shelves at the end of July. Toribaku-sempai Nani Kakeru? (鳥獏先輩なに賭ける?) by Kuzushiro hits shelves in late July.

Nishi Akane’s girl-gamer story Itsuka Minoreba (いつかみのれば) Volume 1 has been out since May, but I missed putting that here. My apologies. tMnR’s version of the girl-falls-for-sister-in-law story,  Tatoe to dokanu keda toshitemo (たとえとどかぬ糸だとしても) is also available.

Momono Moto’s Yuunagi Mabrette Perfect Volume (夕凪マーブレット完全版)  collects a number of this Yuri artist’s doujinshi.

I don’t actually know what this is about (hah! as if it’s about anything) but Comic Natalie reports that Fujyoko to Yuriko (ふじょ子とユリ子) is a new love series running in Mangatime Kirara Karat magazine.

Also from Comic Natalie, Dengeki Daioh will be running a new (by which I mean ultra-derivative) Yuri manga,  Ryuu no Shoujo ha Koi wo suru (籠の少女は恋をする). 

Last one from Comic Natalie, a bunch of girl pop idols sat down to talk about Hirao Auri’s pop idol x otaku Yuri love story, Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu推しが武道館いってくれたら死ぬ.  (Volume 1 and Volume 2 have been reviewed here on Okazu, Volume 3 is out now.) What a fun idea!

Yuri-ish News

None of this is specifically Yuri, but these series always have a home here on Okazu. 

Kodansha has piled on a few exciting announcements regarding Card Captor Sakura. According to Crunchyroll News, the new Clear Card arc will, be getting a digital release on Comixology. In addition, the print volume will be available in November 2017.

Kodansha also announced the Sailor Moon Eternal Edition, an English-language translation of the 20th anniversary 10-volume set of the Sailor Moon manga with the new cover art with metallic ink and “holographic” images, French flaps (which I am of two minds on, as they reproduce bookcover flaps but for, like, no actual reason) and a larger trim. These are absolutely gorgeous. I have actually stored all the other versions of the Japanese manga and have only these out on my shelves, they are so pretty.

Nozomi/RightStuf has officially announced a 20th anniversary Collector’s Blu-Ray edition of the Revolutionary Girl Utena anime, which will hit shelves in December 2017.

ANN Reports that Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Reflection will be getting theater screenings in the United States. 

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LGBTQ Events

Yurithon is coming! I will be a Special Guest and will be paneling myself dry. Do stop by August 4-6 in Montreal, Canada and hang out with me in my many panels. (So many panels….)

Flamecon has put together a special exhibitor Twitter list. More than 175 exhibitors’ Twitter accounts, so you can see just how silly/smart/fascinating/enraging all those folks are. ^_^ 

Other News

Kotaku has a relatively insightful (if, strikingly obvious to some folks,) discussion of the problems scanlators face when they decide that the work they do is work and deserves to be paid, in Manga Pirates Are Having Trouble Going Legit. If you think about it, it’s a bit like a gang who, after trashing your store repeatedly, turns around and asks you to hire them legitimately as security. No one is going to trust people who destroyed their business. 

Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? 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!