Archive for the Miscellaneous Category


Okazu Stands With the United Workers of Seven Seas

May 31st, 2022

This week has seen it’s share of excitement. TCAF has walked back a questionable choice of guest, (without yet addressing any of the issues around why the guest was chosen or the damage done.) But today, I want to address something very serious – the well-being of the people who make the manga we love. 

This month, employees of Seven Seas declared intent to unionize. They were asking for absolutely reasonable things, like fair pay, time off and healthcare.  I honestly expected management to engage reasonably, because of course one would assume that. Management chose not engage. And still, I hoped that management was making sure the union would be formed fairly. The United Workers of Seven Seas have announced that they have a 78% supermajority in favor of a union.

Seven Seas called for a formal vote and said they will abide by the result of the election, but, ahead of that election has hired the second-largest union-busting law firm in the United States. This is a law firm hired by the worst people to stop employees from doing a thing they are legally entitled to do. (Click that link above to see just how awful a choice of law firm it is) This is an act of war against the union. As of now, UW7S is not asking for a boycott, but they are completely aware of their situation. They suggest you follow them on Twitter, tweet your support, use their hashtags and mascots.

#makingwaves
#ourflagmeansunion
#isekaiispossible
#SevenSeizeTheMeansOfProduction

I’m appalled. I honestly cannot imagine treating employees this way. Seven Seas has grown so much, so fast, and has such hard-working, decent folks. All they want is the company which is making a lot of money to fairly reward the employees who make it profitable. 

I and everyone at Okazu stand in solidarity with the United Workers of Seven Seas. I hope you stand with me.





Secret Identity, by Alex Segura

May 22nd, 2022

Carmen Valdez eats and breathes comic books; ink flows through her veins. She’s moved away from her beloved Miami and her family to the rough streets of 1975 New York City in an attempt to create a space for herself in comics. And, she has, but not the space she wanted.

As the secretary to a cheap, not-quite-incompetent boss at a small third-rate comic book company, Carmen knows she can do so much more, if only she got the opportunity. Then something like the opportunity arrives – even knowing it’s the longest of long shots, she takes it.

When Carmen finds her writing partner’s body with a bullet hole in his head and only his name on their comic, everything comes crashing down around her. But, the Lethal Lynx is her character, too, and she’s not going to back down from trying to save the comic book, and herself.

Secret Identity by Alex Segura is a great read. With an all-around solid story that comics fans and insiders will love, it reads very much like a comics-industry version of Umberto Eco’s Focault’s Pendulum. There’s an incredible depth of knowledge and experience that Alex brings to the book.  Those of who remember NYC of the 70s will nod to the tense beat of life there, the smells and sounds of the streets, and the faces of the real names with which Segura sugars the story. Carmen feels like a character right out of an episode of Wonder Woman on TV, or any drama about women “making it in the big city,” with NYC as a backdrop.

What came as a pleasant surprise to me was the narrative about Carmen’s past and present. Her relationships (romantic and non) with other women are as critical to the narrative as the interactions she has with the men in the book, but they do not overwrite of obfuscate one another. Carmen is a lesbian and she’s got the effed up ex to prove it, but that is not at all the sum of who Carmen is as a human. In fact, Carmen’s friendship with her roommate was among my favorite developments. The ending of this book is spot on. I could not have asked for better.

One of the loveliest aspects of the book are the comic pages of the Lethal Lynx. They tell a subtle story of their own. The art is excellent – especially when it is bad. The badness was incredible, just such a skilled example of bad comics art in the 1975 (although I think it could have used more sleaze) that I have to give it props. The excellent pages create quite the punch. BUT, this leads me to the one criticism I have of this otherwise perfect book. Personally, I would have loved if Segura had chosen women as his artist and letterer as a hearty “Fuck you comics in 1975.” Alas, he did not. While he credits many woman with the making of his book, both artist and letterer were men. A petty complaint, but it rankled. Not enough to lessen how much I enjoyed this book. ^_^

It’s summer. It’s a perfect time to go read a great rollicking superhero comics-flavored mystery (and caperish and queer) novel written by someone who does right by all of those things. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 9 Nailed it. Every time.
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Service – 2 Rather, some good sexual tension where it needed.
Lesbian – 9

Overall – 9

Great book, fast-paced and fun, with an ending that nails the landing.





Springtime Lucky Boxes on Okazu! – Claimed

March 16th, 2022

It’s once again time to help me clear out my office! ^_^

This time we have 3 Lucky boxes! They arefull of comics and manga and poetry and artbooks and and other random things to marvel at.  All of these boxes include other flat fun things like stickers, bookmarks, comics, or postcards which are equally random and frequently bizarre (and often not at all Yuri.) And candy. I particularly like the hana kuchizuke  candy and hope you do too.

This time we have 2 Large Premium boxes and 1 Large Box.

The two Premium boxes include a unique Yuri series good from a pop-up or event.

As always, I assure you that this is all 100%, unadulterated stuff. Lucky Boxes are created by me shoving a bunch of things in boxes. I don’t  remember what went in, so I can’t tell you what is in each box. I do try to put random things in there to make the unpacking process an adventure. ^_^ You’ll get random things in random things.

Real Testimonial: So I got my GIANT BOX OF AMAZING today. Holy cow, it was so super stuffed, and I love it all! Thanks again, I’m super happy! :D

All of the boxes have been tentatively claimed.

Next time I’ll be sure to put together a giant pile of boxes!

Large Premium Box 1 – Claimed

Large Premium Box 2 – Claimed

Large Box 3 – Claimed

 

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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 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 at anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com 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.

This whole process will be handled with utmost capriciousness, as usual. ^_^

Ready? Get your Lucky Boxes!





Inside the World of Anime Panel Tomorrow on Zoom

January 24th, 2022

Bonham’s auction house has just begun the very first auction of anime cel art, The World of Anime.

Tomorrow morning at 8AM Eastern US time, on Zoom, I will be moderating a panel featuring Helen McCarthy, Darren Ashmore, Susan Napier and Bonham’s Helen Hall.

Please join us Inside the World of Anime for a discussion of anime cels as art and artifact!





Yuri Studio Season 3 Premier!

January 23rd, 2022

Yuri Studio Season 3 premieres today at 2PM Eastern US time.

We’ll be talking about one of Yuri’s most timeless tropes: The Girl Prince – Who is she, where did she come from and what is her role in Shoujo and Yuri?

Please be kind and give it a like and a follow if you haven’t already subscribed. It helps a lot!