Years ago, I kept running into a book in Animate in Tokyo. I’d pick it up and put it down over and over, in every store. Eventually I got home and learned I had been staring at a book I actually did want to read, Miniskirt Space Pirates, Volume 1 (ミニスカ宇宙海賊パイレーツ). I’m trying to go with my guts more these days so, when I was in Tokyo last time and I kept picking up a book and putting it down, I just bought it eventually. Which is how I ended up reading Toji no Miko, Volume 1 (刀使ノ巫女), grossly translated as Katana Maidens by people without an ounce of elegance in their souls.  

Eto Kanami wants, more than anything, to fight. She is suited to be and wants to be an amazing sword fighter, to protect her world from monsters. And, she wants to do it side-by-side with her friend and partner, Yanase Mai. Mai is the honor student Kanami will never be, but together they are a formidable pair. Together, they make their way to the all-school fighting competition, where only the best will move on to become a Toji no Miko, a priestess of the sword. 

Kanami defeats Mai and moves on to fight a mysterious girl named Hiyori who, instead of attacking Kanami, attempts to assassinate the woman who presides over the competition, but is stopped by her champion, a previous winner. Kanami saves Hiyori and runs off with her as the first volume comes to a close. 

The story is redolent of the Mai HiME series, with girls being used as fighters/weapons by and against a foe and powers that be whose objective they don’t understand. And, like Mai HiME, it’s got pointlessly placed service for those readers whose attention cannot be kept without it. This is a fast-paced action story with likable characters and it really doesn’t need service. In fact, it detracts from the pacing as the story screams to a stop while we all bathe or change or whatever sad scene sad men added to make other sad men happy. Thankfully, as a manga, I can skip quickly over the bits written for the lowest denominator.

The art is competent, and I like the inhumanoid designs of the monsters, the idea that battle spirit is a technique that the girls practice and the fight scenes, which make up a large chunk, but not a majority of the narrative.

There’s no Yuri in Volume 1, but the relationship between Mai and Kanamei is nice. They are good friends who like each other’s company and root for one another. When Mai loses, she says she’s glad it was Kanami who was the one who beat her – and she means it. Hiyori, however, is the Heathcliff of this story and clearly Kanami is going to revolve around her and her brooding in subsequent volumes.

Ratings: 

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Service – 4
Yuri – Not really, maybe not ever

Overall – 7

I didn’t have much time or energy to read while in Europe, but I did manage to finish this volume during my downtime and I was a little surprised to find that I enjoyed the book and probably will read Volume 2. I’m less sure that I’ll watch the anime (streaming on Crunchyroll, free and legally) because of the service issue. I know how this works, we’ll get 8 minutes of bathing for every 2 of fighting. Otherwise, this is a solid Kadokawa offering, with a mix of action, friendship and tediousness.

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. ^_^