Archive for the Magazines Category


Comic Yuri Hime, October 2025 (コミック百合姫2025年10月号)

September 29th, 2025
Two woman stand on an apartment balcony dressed for autumn, smiling as they talk on a sunny autumn day. A tree with golden leaves falling gently spreads a shadow on the wall.

Version 1.0.0

Comic Yuri Hime, October 2025 (コミック百合姫2025年10月号) begins with a lovely seasonal cover by hechima.

Yuama’s new manga jumps right in to a complicated school situation between two girls that are seen by the students around them as the school princess and prince.

Claire and Rae are on the very cusp of Rae’s plans to save her beloved villainess…but Claire isn’t following the rulebook, in “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou.” by inori, and Aonoshimo.

Takeshima Eku’s “Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau” is still wrapping up Miki’s story with her sempai. Ayaka spends this chapter expressing her fondness for her new girlfriend. ^_^ It looks like a new couple will be the focus and it’s about time…..

“Chouuchyuu Yori Ai wo Komete,” by Ashidaka Woz continues to be affirming and sweet as Ten opens up to this alien who traveled across the universe just to talk with her.

“Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto desu!” makes a comeback and two very important things happen. Mai *finally steps up to be an adult, a day late and a dollar short, but she bans Youko from ever bothering her  staff again and she calls what happened to Kanako what it is – sexual assault. The second thing that happens is Youko, not only not seeing the error of her ways, but digging in to make her actions perfectly justifiable, thus claiming the title of narcissist that we’ve been quite sure she is all along. A few pages of how Youko’s past left her with pain over a relationship just confirms the fact that she needs therapy.

Utatane Yuu’s “Odoriba ni Skirt ga Naru” comes to a satisfying and sweet conclusion. It was never really in doubt, but the journey was a good one and I’m glad we shared it. ^_^

I absolutely loved this chapter of Koharu to Minato, as our girls and their puppy have friends over to their new place who are also a couple. This is a huge life step for queer couples, having someone to wholly confide in for the first time.

Kashikaze adds one more to the home team, as Yuu and Haru recruit a young artist whose family is not on board with that as a career in “Kimi ga Hoeru Tame no Uta o.”

Violet has to fully confront her trauma about the Black Knight, and Dahlia comes clean about her feelings about her “little sister” when she turns down Clarice’s request for aid in “Gakeppuchi Reijou ha Kuro Kishi-sama o Horesasetai!” This series is coming to an end and while I get why, I’m going to miss it.

SheepD’s “Kanaria ha Kiraboshi no Yume o Miru” is heading towards a throwdown, as our protagonists  face the invetiable conflict between the life their desire and the choices they are given.

I do always say this, but there are more stories I read and enjoyed and some I read and did not, and some I did not read in this nearly 600 page manga magazine with something for nearly everyone. I’m reading and enjoying about 3/4 of the magazine, which is an unusually high percentage for me and any magazine. So rock on Comic Yuri Hime, here is to  a great 20th year!

Ratings: 

Overall – 9

November 2025 is on JP shelves and begins with what I hope will be an interesting story that addresses a girl wearing slacks in school.

 
 

 

 





YRHM

September 18th, 2025

On a background of pale blue, with sparkling spot gloss on gems in their hair and clothes, two girls with silver hair touch each other. One looks directly at us, the other looks back over her shoulder at us.YRHM, the 20th anniversary Comic Yuri Hime Yuri manga anthology, features 9 original stories by creators that have found significant success with the magazine. It begins with a sparkling spot-glossed cover by current cover artist hechima, includes an illustration by Aononachi and then launches into stories by Aonoshimo, Iwami Kyouko, Kashikaze, Kodama Naoko, Saburouta, Takesmia Eku, Miman, Manio and Yuama. 

A few of the  stories really stood out, especially the initial story, “Seishun CONTINUE?”. This story of an energetic and outgoing girl who meets a (clearly) sheltered young lady, who she introduces to a game arcade, is goofy and very fun as their flirting takes the form of competition in games. This was particularly enjoyable as it is by Saburouta, best know for the glowering faces of Citrus.

A number of the stories felt very much like a “story by /artist/” with both recognizable art and themes, which is not to say they were not entertaining. Miman looks at two girls in school who learn how to communicate their feelings with puppets (a plot I initially felt would be cringe, but found much less awful than expected). Yuama’s story about a popular girl and a not-popular girl did something I appreciate, when the less popular girl fights back against attempted sabotage. I again struggled initially with Takeshim Eku’s story “Bunny Girl Hiroimashita” but it ended up being a rather touching little  treatise on grief.

As an emblematic celebration of twenty years of Yuri manga from a publisher that has set the standard thus far, this is a fine anniversary anthology. 

Ratings:

Overall – 8

Would I have liked to see some experimentation? Sure, but you go with what sells and, since this was selling the magazine’s anniversary, it makes sense to have names and themes that work. It was plenty entertaining.

If I have a single complaint it is that the cover acknowledges us. I don’t much care for poses where the couple are looking at us, the reader and much prefer when they are looking at one another.





Galette Magazine 03, Special English Edition

September 15th, 2025

In front of a night-time background of purple, dark blue and black, two women look at us, one embraces the other as she turns to look back over her shoulder. art by pen. After a tumultuous summer, I am finally catching up on some reviews that have been lingering, including the third and for now, final, Galette Special English Edition. Because of the tariffs on items coming from outside the United Stated and the uncertainty about shipping, Galette Works has postponed the 4th issue Kickstarter, but I am hopeful that we’ll hear something soon.

In the meantime, let’s take a look at Galette Magazine 03, Special English Edition from Galette Works, from the Kickstarter.

These English editions are not serialized the same as the quarterly Japanese magazine. With a number of chapters at a time from some of the longer running serials, it gives each story more permanence for me. I like it.

The book begins with cover sleeve and cover art by pen, with color illustrations by pen and the contributors to the magazine. Of course the bulk of the magazine is filled with contributions by Milk Milk, Mera Hakamada, Ringo Hamano, Haru Hatosaki, Miyuki Yorita, Izumi Kitta x Momono Moto and Nekohariko 22 for 226 pages of creator-owned Yuri manga!

My favorite moments in this issue are in Hakamada’s “Fluffy, Fuzzy, Dreamy” where playing Oscar and Andre leads a girl to begin to understand herself, but not her partner, and Hamano’s”Sky Blue Melancholic” – this is when Bun starts to really see the people around her and understand a bit more about herself.

My backing level for this issue gave me a cute little standee of Tsukino and Yukino from “That Woman In The Infirmary” – let me take a moment to once again offer kudos for that translation –  and postcards by the creators. Once again a very worthy project.

I know this has been a difficult time for everyone with a man with the business acumen of a 4 year old making everyone jump for the lolz, but hang in there and let’s show our support to Galette No. 4 when it does launch. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 9





Comic Yuri Hime, September 2025 (コミック百合姫2025年9月号) 20th Anniversary Issue

August 14th, 2025

Two young women in festive kimono, smile and laugh as they walk along hand in hand, gold confetti sparkles around them and gold in their kimono flashes in the light.Slightly more than 20 years ago, Rica Takashima and I hosted Yuricon 2005 in Tokyo. Ichijinsha had just bought Yuri Shimai magazine and was relaunching it as a new Yuri manga magazine. The editor-in-chief at the time came to Yuricon 2005 and asked about the name “Yuri Shimai.” The event attendees and guests were pretty ambivalent about that name and recommended they change it and few months later, Yuri Hime magazine launched. It was quarterly at first. Then in the late 00s, it split into two separate magazines  – Yuri Hime, and Yuri Hime S, nominally “for women” and “for men”. These were quarterly on different schedules, so fans of Yuri could get up to 8 issues a year. 

In 2011, Comic Yuri Hime was relaunched once again as a bimonthly manga magazine. And, in 2017, Comic Yuri Hime relaunched as the first and only monthly Yuri manga magazine.

Today we celebrate 20 year of Comic Yuri Hime from Ichijinsha. Congratulations! It’s been an incredible two decades and I’m glad I’ve been able to be along for the whole ride so far. ^_^

Comic Yuri Hime, September 2025 (コミック百合姫2025年9月号) is an extra thick 772 page extravaganza of Yuri. Beginning with a beautiful celebratory cover, featuring our protagonists in festive kimono at 20 years old, naturally. Kimono patterns and confetti are given a gold gloss for a very luxurious feel. Today, they and we are together, celebrating the love of women. 

I’m not going to give a rundown of all the individual series this time, but I do want to mention that I am very much enjoying the series that focus on strong-willed women and girls finding ways to get what they want done – there are many of these right now and it feels so good to read these, along with more conventional high school stories. There is plenty of “adult” content for those that like that, and still a nice pile of fantasy and isekai and a bit of science fiction. I’m still waiting for sports queer comic is iespecially but we have some great action, and smart women making positive change.

We’ve come a very long way in 20 years and there is still a long way to go. Queer media is once again under attack globally, queer comic especially so. So while we celebrate where we have been and what we have done, I ask you all to please continue supporting Yuri and queer manga. We need unity and strength now to protect what we have gained against the forces that seek to – again- shove us back in closets and silence us. Sing your queer songs, write your queer stories, draw your queer comics!

And on behalf of Comic Yuri Hime and Yuricon – thank you for your support of Yuri!





Comic Yuri Hime August 2025 (コミック百合姫2025年8月号)

July 27th, 2025

Seen in the reflection of the water under their feet, two women light sparklers under colorful sunset sky.Comic Yuri Hime, August 2025 (コミック百合姫2025年8月号) begins with a truly lovely cover, “Saturday August 19th, 2024, 19 years old,” our cover couple play with fireworks at the water. Hechima does great work with reflection, light and color here. 

It’s a strong opening to what is a momentous magazine issue…the last one before Comic Yuri Hime‘s 20th anniversary. August has strong Yuri energy, apparently. Both Yuricon and Okazu were born in August, as was what is now Comic Yuri Hime. We’re celebrating 23 years here next month ourselves! 

“Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou.,”  follows Lily as she has a heart to heart talk with Thane, who is now unveiled as her half-brother, as he recovers from the poison with which she tried to kill him. Lily struggles with complicated emotions, as one might imagine.

In “Yume to Koi de wa Tsuriaiwanai” Hikari and Kairi on an amusement park date admit that they both want the same thing, which is to be with one another. I don’t know how much further this story can progress at this point, but I hope Hikari can triumph in her dream as well as love.

Ten is forced to look back on recent painiful years in school that ultimately lead to her being the ostracized loner she is is “Chouuchyuu Yori Ai wo Komete,” by Ashidaka Woz. This was an incredibly painful chapter, as the betrayal and subsequent mocking by people one trusts is something many of us are familiar with. But Lulu reminds Ten than she came across the galaxy to be with her, now.

Nana and PrincessLuliam return back from clearing miasma, only to find themselves thrown into a plot to force their marriage in Tama Tamasaki’s “Muryoku Seijo to Munou Oujo ~ Maryoku Zero de Shoukansareta Seijo no Isekai Kyuukokuki.”

“Odoriba ni Shirt ga Naru” by Utatane Yuu brings the girls to the moment we’ve all been waiting for -the naming of the couple who will represent the school in the quadrille. Michiru admits that she been carrying around a picture of Kiki as her precious charm.

“Garan no Hime”  is heating up as Hime and Isana are attacked by the military and more revelations are made. The truth of the world is looking uglier and uglier.

“Gakeppuchi Reijou ha Kuro Kishi-sama o Horesasetai!” is currently my favorite series, because Clarice is consistently smart, strong emotionally and compassionate. She’s in a tough situation, but she always finds a path towards the kindness. In this issue, Dahlia’s obvious split loyalties are uncovered.

Koharu and Minato get a puppy!

As always there are other stories I read and some I did not and there are columns and features that are not described here, but this is an excellent volume of a consistently excellent Yuri manga magazine, with something for everyone.

Ratings: 

Overall – 8

I have the 20th anniversary issue on my to-read pile, but I expect to take a long while to get through that as it is especially chunky at 770+ pages!