This is somewhat new news, as I’ve mentioned this before, but the announcement for my position with Manga Mavericks is officially official. ^_^ Hehe, “manga expert.” Heh.

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/63148/manga-week-fall-2026-manga-mavericks-names-erica-friedman-managing-editor

I will still be spearheading Okazu, and reviewing all the Yuri I can squeeze in! This week is Anime NYC, so I’ll be out of office most of the week (after having just been on vacation, sorry), but Okazu staff is planning some fun reviews while I’m gone. 

Thank you all for your support and since my car is dying now is terrific time to support Okazu on Patreon or Ko-Fi! ^_^

Happy new cover art ! Cheriko’s bold colors lead us into a new year. A young woman has lip color applied by a pink-haired woman. Will we see them again or is this a snapshot? We’ll have to wait and see!

The magazine opens with news of a Comic Yuri Hime 20th anniversary cafe at Cure Maid Cafe in Tokyo, which runs through January 12, 2026.

The first story is a tale of the bizarre, “Hina-chan ga Ikiterunara” about a childhood friend who disappeared years ago, but has returned…at the same age she was when she disappeared.

Touma’s “Kimi no Sei Nandakara, Sekinin Totte yo ne” is a story about a woman who contracts with a female escort and is finding herself falling for the other woman. This is absolutely the plot de l’année, as we’re going to see that come back again soon in other publications. 

“Hareta Hi no Dress Code” by Ageru is not going where I expected, wanted or feared it might go and that is all very good. ^_^ A girl who wears pants at school because of scars she wishes to hide and girl who just can’t quite bring herself to wear pants because – well, of a lot of things, really – become friends and begin to change each others lives. 

The girls are being asked what they want to do in their futures and Hime can’t just admit that “marrying rich” is her plan, in “Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu!” by Miman.

After enduring introducing Himari to her parents, Yori and Aki are likewise discussing the future. Shiho enters with the terrifying news that one of Lorelei’s videos from the festival is going viral, in Takeshima Eku’s “Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau.”

In “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku  Reijou.” by inori. and Aonoshimo, Rae and Claire are not at all in alignment about the future, as the revolution grow ever nearer.

Sal Jiang offers up a messily terrific one-shot about a girl who sees, meets and falls in love with an Edo-period prositute in “Tamao no Koi”.

Ten finally tells Lulu the whole story about how she became persona non grata in “Chouuchyuu Yori Ai wo Komete,” by Ashidaka Woz and of course Lulu is affirming and kind. And then all hell breaks loose.

There are many more hundreds of pages of great columns, and comic essays, other series I like and some I do not. At 668 pages, this is an amazing amount of Yuri to begin this new year! 

Ratings: 

Overall – 9

Here’s to a very Yuri 2026 for Comic Yuri Hime! The February issue is already out and on my “currently reading” pile. ^_^

The great cleanup continues. ^_^

Give or get a gift of Yuri with By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga, the untold story of lesbian love in Japanese animation and comics!

Free shipping in continental US states (no AK, HI, PR, APO/FPO which is enraging), includes a signed original bookplate, with art by cover artist Rica Takashima.

This offer is while supplies last! If you’d like your books shipped overseas, or rush or anything else, visit the By Your Side page on the Yuricon Store for digital and other purchase options. 

It has been a while and I have *so much* (great!) stuff in my office that it was long past time for a new round of Lucky Boxes!

All four premium boxes with media, manga, candy, toys and goods from Japan, and goods from The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All or Love Bullet pop-up shops at Kinokuniya. They also include other flat fun things like artbooks, stickers, bookmarks or postcards which are equally random and frequently bizarre (and often not at all Yuri.) As always, there are random pieces of paper like memo pad sheets and individual flake stickers of random things. This time you might get a fancy little travel pouch full of cards, stickers and candy as well, also cute shit I picked up at Y/Con special to stick in these. ^_^

My promise to you is that you’ll get random things, sometimes in other in random things. ^_^ I assure you that this is all 100%, unadulterated stuff. I have shoved as much as I can into these boxes in hopes that I can walk into my office once again. ^_^

This round we have: 4 Large USPS Flat Rate boxes. They are all the same size, the image is imperfect and makes them look different.

Large Box 1 – $60 – Claimed
Large Box 2 – $60 – Claimed
Large Box 3 – $60 – Claimed
Large Box 4 – $60 – Claimed

***

To be eligible to buy a Lucky Box, follow these instructions carefully. 
Please. Thank you. Failure to follow all of these instructions will disqualify you. It’s not personal, they are all usually claimed pretty quickly and I don’t have time to track you down for a piece of information.

1. You must live in the Continental USA (contiguous 48) only, no APO/FPOs. This is disappointing for me too, so I apologize.

2. You must be over 18, I am not policing books or recipients.

3. Email me with the Yuricon Contact Form with the subject “Lucky Box.” Use an email you check regularly, because I will reply asap. The first person who responds to my email gets the box.

4. *****Please include your name, age, mailing address. ***** Tell me which box you want. Even if you’ve given me your address previously, please include it, I am very lazy.

5. I will contact you at that point and give you details about payment by Paypal. Please be prepared to check your email and get payment out so this post doesn’t linger. Thanks in advance. These will be shipped out asap, as well; the whole point of this is to get these out of my house. ^_^

Thank you and enjoy!

No YNN this week, I’m off on an adventure and will report back asap!