Archive for the Yuri Network News Category


Yuri Game: Okujou no Yuri Yurei-san / Kindred Spirits is coming to Steam

September 2nd, 2015

kindred-spiritsGood News Everyone!

In July we reported that Manga Gamers was bringing the massively popular Yuri game Okujou no Yuri Yurei-san to the west as Kindred Spirits.

Now, Kotaku (with excessive vulgarity) has announced that Kindred Spirits is going to be available on Steam! Not surprisingly this is a really big deal. For a number of reasons.

First, the fact that we’re getting such a popular Yuri Game localized is big news on its own. Secondly, it’s getting distribution on Steam, which will make it available to a much wider audience than a straight-up download or hard copy distribution stream would otherwise garner.

Thirdly, Kotaku reports that it will remain uncensored. Since Valve is known for censoring explicit games, this may either indicate a change of policy, or it may be that this game gets an exception. There’s also a case for since it has no penile penetration, someone is relying on archaic definitions of “sex.” Or, that precisely because it is two girls, that Steam expects the always-presumed-male audience will be enthusiastic about it in a way that they definitely would not for an Otome game. We don’t know what the actual justifications for it are. We may never know.

I was asked by someone sane how it could be a high school girl sex game and in good taste at the same time and the answer is that I have no idea. I can tell you that for the past few years this game has been a major obsession of some Yuri mangaka, and I haven’t seen any really explicit fanart (but, too, I was not looking for it.) The two manga volumes based on the game (Side A and Side B) were surprisingly and pleasantly free of service of any kind. I frankly had no idea the game even has sex scenes. Apparently, the Yuri manga artists I followed were more interested in the relationships. ^_^

In any case, this is big news for Yuri fans!

Open comments. Discuss!





Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – August 29, 2015

August 29th, 2015

YNN_MariK

Yuri Manga

Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari Magazine is alive! According to the Shinsokan website, Hirari is beginning distribution as an e-book, with a free issue, Volume 0, available on practically every e-book retailer in Japan. I had no problems signing in and getting the issue to open in the reader on E-bookJapan, for what it’s worth. Volume 0 is composed of first chapters from some of their most popular series.

Competition is good for Yuri artists. ^_^

Hirari titles available on E-bookJapan are listed here. The prices are very reasonable for e-books.

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Last week, the Seven Seas translated edition of Bodacious Space Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace Vol. 1 hit shelves, and now Volume 2 is up for pre-order! This is the manga for the movie, which has not been licensed here in the US.

Kumicho has a new online Yuri series, Idol Green Rhapsody (アイドれ!グリーン♥ラプソディ), available on Yawara Spirits online site. No online reader needed, which I quite like. As you might imagine from the title, it follows two members of an idol group.

Ichijinsha is up to Volume 3 of Saburouta’s Citrus in a new Special Edition format.

And they are also re-releasing Mikuni Hajime’s “ecchi comedy”(which you may remember from JManga, when they were funct,) Gokujou Drops. Volume 1 is now available!

Meno’s Yuri stories from Comic Yuri Hime have been collected into a new volume, Kawaisa Amatte Sukisa 100-bai!! (かわいさ余って好きさ100倍!!)

Canno’s adorable private school Yuri series, Anoko ni Kiss to Shiroyuri wo  (あの娘にキスと白百合を) returns for a third volume.

Yuri Light Novel

Yuri no Kishi to Bara no Hime (百合の騎士と薔薇の姫) is a a new novel with a really old, tired plot. Can you guess? Yes, it’s another Princess being married off who falls in love with her female knight. Gee, we’ve never seen that before. ^_^

Other News

If you’ve ever wondered what Comiket really looks like, here is a short, enthusiastic and not creepy NHK documentary, in English. While it shows the amazing line management, it doesn’t really talk about it. Shame, because that’s one of the most amazing things about Comiket.

You know you wanted an AKB48 music video with post-apocalytpic Mad Max-ian combat. I spent the entire video analyzing the fight choreography and I have to say, it was pretty, but annoyingly bereft of good tactics. ^_^ Also fighting with feather costumes.

Here’s Three Indian Comics Artists You Should Know About from Panels.net

Comic artist Kelly Sue DeConnick spoke at 99u, and her talk, How To Make People Uncomfortable (And Still Make a Living),  is well worth listening to all the way through. It’s not aspirational or inspirational, so much as how to function in the world as it is. Let’s call it Realspirational.

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 Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – August 22, 2015

August 22nd, 2015

YNN_LissaEssays 

Let’s start this week off by doing some deep thinking.

ANN’s Justin Sevakis took a look at the issue of racial diversity in anime and manga on Answerman’s Why Aren’t More Races Represented In Anime And Manga?

And while we’re on the topic, it might be worth looking at What Black Anime Fans Can Teach Us About Race in America by Cecilia D’Anastasio on Vice.com

I took a look at what the key changes in the LGBTQ community in my lifetime have been, with my answer to Will the ruling on same-sex marriage greatly affect American gay culture? on Quora.

MTv has a wonderful article on How ‘Trans Girl Next Door’ And Other LGBT Comics Are Actually Saving Kids’ Lives.

 

Yuri Events

All-Yuri doujinshi event Girls Love Fest is coming up on September 13 in the Tokyo area.

I will be paneling hard at Nijicon in Philadelphia on October 24-25. Nijicon is a LGBTQ-friendly con, but will realistically be heavily BL-focused. I’m hoping to bring some Yuri to the event. ^_^ My proposed panels a Must-See/Must-Read Yuri and The Secret History of Yaoi and Yuri. Locations and times TBD, but I hope to see you there!

 

Yuri Manga

OMGOMGOMG! A new Kase-san manga is on the way! Shortcake to Kase-san ( ショートケーキと加瀬さん。) is hitting shelves in Japan on September 30.

Ichijinsha has released a special edition of the second volume of Saburouta’s melodrama, Citrus.

Nekota’s Comic Yuri Hime Stories have been collected in Tomiko no Kimochi.

And very exciting news – Ichijinsha is re-releasing Nanzaki Iku’s explicit romance collection, Sweet Little Devil. It was fun the first time around, you should definitely look into getting it.

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Yuri Anime

From ANN, Yuruyuri Nachu Yachumi!+ second episode will premiere on Japanese TV on September 17.

 

Other News

Komatsu -san reports on the new PreCure! novel adaptations being released in September in Japan. I know I’m pleased to hear that Heartcatch PreCure! will be represented with a novel from Cure Moonlight/Tsukikge Yuri’s point of view.

J. Tabon recommends a pile of books with bisexual POC characters for your summer reading pleasure.

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 Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – August 8, 2015

August 8th, 2015

YNN_MariK Yuri Anime

Last week I took a moment to wax poetic about my favorite lesbian couple in anime, Haruka and Michiru on Quora. This week you can learn to love them too, as Sailor Moon S is now available streaming on Viz’s Neon Alley, subbed – the dub is slowly catching up. I’m looking forward to the S dub for the first time in ever.  ^_^

Yuri Manga

New on the Yuricon Store this week!

One of the new re-prints from Ichijinsha, Rokuroichi’s Kuchibiru ni Saketa Orange Special Edition (くちびるに透けたオレンジ 新装版). They are also putting together a special edition reprint of Saburouta’s Citrus 1 Special Edition (Citrus 1 新装版).

Kuzushiro’s Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san gets a spinoff volume, Ryuuzaki-san to Torao-san ~ Yuri Hime Short Story Collection (龍崎さんと虎生さん ~百合姫短編集~).

And we now have the much-anticipated English translation of sci-fi lesbian Bande dessinée,  The Infinite Loop. We definitely need more Yuri sci-fi and I’m very much looking forward to reading this story.

Yuri.pl on Facebook reports that the fifth and final volume of the Polish edition Morinaga Milk’s GIRL FRIENDS is hitting shelves today!

Comics Alliance had me screaming in joy with the news that Lumberjanes To The Max hardcover volume is coming in November! Aaaaaaahhhhh!

Yuri Live Action

Did you enjoy the creepy/funny/fanservice-y Innocent Lilies? Well, Denpa-gumi is back with Innocent Lilies 2 – White Witch Academy streaming on Viki.com. Expect slightly higher budget for costumes, zero extra budget for plot or scripting. ^_^

Event News

TGIF/F,  “a gal pals convention”, celebrating femslash is being held in February 2016 in Los Angeles. If you’re going, do let me know and I’ll deputize you to write up a event report for us!

Other News

Brigid Alverson on Comic Book Resources, has filed her report on the Creating Unique Gay Characters in Alternative Comics panel at San Diego Comic Con.

Slate has an interesting article and video on Polari, the underground slang of gay men in the UK before it was  decriminalized in 1967.

Mizoguchi Akiko, a leading BL researcher in Japan, has just published her first book. Book and author are profiled on the Japanese-language LBGTQ site 2chopo. Congrats to Mizoguchi-san!

PrideSource has a report about an LGBTQ-inclusive sex ed book for young people, Sex is a Funny Word.

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 Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – August 1, 2015

August 1st, 2015

yuriconstore-banner-forweb

Super special exciting news! The new Yuricon Store is officially open!

Yuricon turns 15 this month, and Okazu is 13 years old and going strong and we wanted to do something amazing for this year’s celebration. Because emailing cake and balloons is difficult, we’ve got fun CONTESTS for you, our beloved Okazu readers and fellow Yuri fans, to celebrate our new Store! We’re looking forward to all your entries. ^_^

My heartfelt thanks to our webmaster, designer and all-round genius, Lissa Patillo  for the many many hours of work on the new Store.  And also to her and Meaghan for our lovely Grand Opening Image of Yuricon mascots Yuriko and Midori. ^_^ I am so excited to finally unveil this officially! Enjoy our one-stop shop for everything Yuri.

Now, onto this week’s news! And holy Yuri, there’s some amazing news…

Yuri Games

Mad popular Yuri game Okujou no Yuri Yurei-san has been licensed as Kindred Spirits on the Roof! I may be convinced to try this one, it’s just that popular.

ANN reports that R-INFINITY is planning a Yuri-focused dating sim game.  Go read their report and boggle at all the many horrible wonderful things promised. And remember, it’s always 1980 in Japanese dating sims, and it always will be. Happy endings and lesbians do not go together. Here’s a link to the game’s official site. ^_^;

In return, Twitter informed me that much less unhappy NenoKami: The Princess Knights of Kyoto is already licensed and may be less awful. Also licensed and heading our way is Shadows of Pygmalion.

YNN Correspondent Arca J wrote in to make sure we note that in a bold move from Nintendo, Fire Emblem will include same-sex marriage.

Guess I’ll have to open a new section on the Store, with all these licensed titles, huh? ^_^

LGBTQ Comics

Senior YNN Correspondent Erin S offers this list of LGBT Webcomics to tantalize and entertain you.

 

LGBTQ Event

Confusion SF in Detroit is specifically looking for LGBTQ cartoonists interested in participating. January 21-24, 2016, take a look at the website and contact Kurt Erichsen.

Other News

Japanese clothing chain UNIQLO is premiering a brand new line of women’s summer yukata, influenced by famous 20th century illustrator Nakahara Junichi, who we know from the elegant covers he drew for Yoshiya Nobuko’s novels.

This excellent overview of the 2015 Eisner Awards by Gina Gagliano on Tor.com,  gives one hope for comics.

 

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!