Hello everyone! This is Louis here briefly taking over for Yuri Network News while Erica is away taking a well deserved vacation. You may remember that I occupationally sub in to write about visual novels that Erica does not have the time or patience for. This is a new format for me so I hope you can bare with my amateurish fumbling.

Yuri Anime

Kase-san and Morning Glories will be available to stream in three parts from GAYO. Live on the seventh of July at midnight Japan standard time. This appears to be in-Japan only, for the moment. Don’t forget that it will also be premiering at Anime Expo!

And because we will not EVER let you forget: the U.S. premier of Kase-san and Morning Glories will screen tomorrow at AX!

Yuri Manga

Mushroom Girls in Love is out in english now. I am not sure exactly what it wants to be and it gets lost in its world building a bit too much but it does have a princess who is more interested in kissing her girlfriend then becoming queen so I can respect that.

LGBTQ+ Animation

Oh my stars! The whole week has been full of new Steven Universe episodes! At least in the U.S. and I won’t tell you anything about them because you absolutely must see this brilliant arc that has had me riveted this whole week. As of writing the final episode has yet to air but I am confident that regardless of what happens my gluttonous self will just desire more of this wonderful example of television.

Erica Friedman News

As Erica is not around we can now use this opportunity to gossip! Erica has been interviewed by GeeksOut.org congratulations Erica!

Yuri Game News

Rice Digital has announced that Koihime Enbu RyoRaiRai will be released on the 12th of July on Steam and Playstation 4. An update to the earlier Koihime Enbu, Koihime Enbu RyoRaiRai boasts balance updates as well as introducing a new character: Chōryō. This means that along with Sou Sou, Koihime Enbu RyoRaiRai has the two Koihime Muso characters who have a crush on Kan’u in what is the only story element that matches the original romance.

Kill la Kill the Game: IF was revealed at AX. We only got the barest of glimpses but it looks pretty good. Something to look forward to in 2019.

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with your name and an email I can reply to!

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!

Let’s talk “schtick.”

We all know that every idol group is given some manufactured gimmick to play to on stage. We’re used to seeing a prepackaged concept delivered by fresh faces in the western music industry. This is true in Japan, as well. In the attempt to create edginess where there is none, it’s not surprising that sometimes same-sex attraction is the schtick. Even less surprising when the group is a female duo, because zOMG lesbians, amirite? /eyeroll/

So there I am in the second annual Yurimate event in the Animate store in Ikebukuro and there’s a table with a little portable video player, showing two women performing for what is visibly a smallish crowd in some club. And next to them is this booklet, Double Room, of photos and illustrations by Furai (Fry) for this “performance” duet, Aka nu Ryusei (赤の流星). In English, their name means “red meteor,” but their gimmick is not, as you might expect, space…their gimmick is proximity. Proximity = Yuri in this case. Which is to say there’s nothing about these two that is half as fake lesbian as t.A.t.U was. They just sort of lean on each other in some of the pictures. ^_^ 

No, I’m being unfair, they touch and their eyes meet, they are even shown embracing. And yet, I remain uncovinced that they are anything other than two singers trying to make a buck, being told to act like a Yuri couple for the camera. And so they do.

Ultimately, I bought the book for the illustrations. Like this one, which is quite nice:

The group’s videos are visible for Japan only, but if you’d like to see them, you can catch clips on their Twitter or website.

I’ve definitely decided that I do not have the energy to ever be an idol fan and I’m not sure I envy those who do, but this was a fun glimpse into that fictional world, that wasn’t itself a manga. ^_^

The very first moment I encountered Watashi ni Karada, Utteminai? (私に体、売ってみない?) in Comic Yuri Hime, as a preview of a first chapter for a series running on their Pixiv channel, Yuri Hime @Pixiv, I knew that it was a terrible, awful, horrible, plot…and that I would like it anyway. ^_^

Tsukasa’s mother died when she was young, and her father fell into gambling away his pain. He amassed a huge debt, then abandoned his now-teenaged daughter to pick up the pieces of her life. Which she is, we assume, doing, until a loanshark shows up at her home, demanding she pay her father’s debt. 

Only, this loan shark is an attractive woman, who protects Tsukasa from a second, much less attractive or female loanshark who arrives to collect his money.  Tsurusaki Reiko grasps Tsukasa’s situation pretty quickly and offers her another way out – pay off the debt with her body, (double entendre intended.) The deal is, she will be Reiko’s assistant, housekeeper and companion and work the debt off that way. It’s not how Tsukasa intended to live, but hey, the prospects of being sold into sexual slavery by other, less attractive or female loansharks is even more unsavory. She takes the deal. 

And, in the course of living together and getting to know one another, Reiko and Tsukasa fall in love. I know, I know, who’dathunk it?

Like I said, this is a horrible, terrible plot, with all sorts of not-good things about it. It’s pretty much an argument for how arranged marriages are supposed to work, which is also a whole can of not-okay-worms. And the fact that they end up happily ever after is inexcusable for a Yuri manga in 2018. 

Nonetheless, with complete knowledge of all the really crappy lessons expressed here. I liked it. I knew I was going to, too, because this is such a shitty premise that one either should avoid it completely, or just settle in and recognize it for what it is –  a shitty romance plot. In fact, it’s so shitty, it reminds me a bit of the absurdities that filled Mist magazine, back in the day.  

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 2, but I liked it anyway
Character – 7
Service – 2 Mild given the premise
Yuri – 10

Overall – 8 

We even get an epilogue, in which Tsukasa, now adult, welcomes her loving wife home after a long day of loansharking and kneecapping.  ^_^ Awww…

I am returned from Japan, with a ton of cleanup to do. Gotta make room for new stuff by moving out some of the old. And I had weeded out my doujinshi collection this winter and that’s all gotta go, too.

And, of course, I picked up a bunch of stuff at Yuriten to share with you all. So it seems like it’s time for Lucky Boxes!

This set we’ve got 3 Medium size boxes and one large Premium Box.

Premium Box – $50

Medium Box 1 – $25

Medium Box 2- $25

Medium Box 3 – $25

These are listed out so I can cross them off as they go. Remember, the USPS has downsized the box sizes this year to keep prices down, so if you have previously received a medium or large box, these will be slightly smaller than those in previous years. As a result, I’ve lowered the prices a bit, too.

These boxes are all filled with doujinshi manga, random Yuri and Yuriish goodies,  other non-print media and each one includes a few items picked up in Japan and a few things from the Yuriten. We’ve switched back to the best Japanese candy, the Hana Kuchizuke.  They are pretty and taste good.^_^ The Premium box has got a few special items in it (obviously, that’s why it’s premium, obvs. )

 I can 100% guarantee these boxes are filled with absolute pure crap, with no guarantees of any other kind. 

***

How to be eligible to buy a Lucky Box: Follow these instructions carefully. Please. Thank you.

1- You must live in the Continental USA (contiguous 48) only, no APO/FPOs – sorry about that, really. 

2 – You must be over 18, I am not policing which books you get and since these boxes have a ton of doujinshhi, I really don’t know what you’re getting.

3 -Email me at anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with the subject “Lucky Box”. Use an email you check regularly.

4. *****Please include your name, age, mailing address. Tell me which box you want.*****

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 like a dead animal. Thanks in advance.

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

And a special big heads up – this is only one set of boxes. There will be another one in upcoming weeks. If you miss your chance, keep your eyes open, we’ll do this again soon.