Hello and happy 20th Anniversary Okazu! Wow. 20 years of this blog, this community and this passion for Yuri. ^_^

At 15 years, I wrote a post that traced the first 15 years here on Okazu. Since then, our most major accomplishment has been the publication of By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga! ^_^

To celebrate 20 years and BYS, I would like invite all of you to a celebratory Yuri Treasure Hunt!

Here’s how to play:

1) Grab your copy of By Your Side (which is now available on 10 online platforms or at a bookstore near you) and head over to this page, where there is a 10-question Yuri History Trivia Contest. Fill out the answers!

2) Send in the form and get a “Yuri Master” badge for participating.

3) All participants will be entered into a drawing. Winners will receive t-shirt  – design of your choice – from the Yuricon Store. The only limitations are the countries Rebubble can’t ship to.

I hope you’ll all enjoy this game for fun and prizes, as we celebrate 20 years of Okazu. Thank you all for reading and commenting and writing.

Here’s to 20 more years of Okazu and Yuri. ^_^

On August 14, 2002, I posted the very first post here on Okazu. ^_^

For our fifteenth anniversary I wrote a retrospective history of this site.

Now we are heading towards what will be the 20th anniversary of Okazu, and while I have what I think is a fun way to celebrate, our Okazu patrons also asked for some new goods! Of course that’s fraught, because I can go ahead and get badges or patches or coins and then find, reality check, people really like the idea of them, more than actually getting one. Talking through Patron ideas, I came up with two new t-shirt designs I want to share with you now. These are up on the Yuricon Redbubble store with all the other I Love Yuri (original,  designed by Althea Keaton and Ali Khan) and 100 Years of Yuri, our Okazu Mascot Design and more (you can see all the choices on the Yuricon Store under the Apparel and Goods category!

Today I want to introduce you to two new designs! These are available on shirts and selected goods (the available goods different for each design.)

The Yuri Couples Design proclaims your love for some of the key couples of Yuri history!

This slick shirt can come in up to 19 different colors depending on the style you choose on Redbubble. Everyone who knows Yuri…will know you know Yuri. ^_^

You’ll proudly display the names of:

Simone & Resine from Shiroi Heya no Futari
Haruka & Michiru from Sailor Moon
Anthy & Utena from Revolutionary Girl Utena
Shizuma and Nagisa from Strawberry Panic! 
Mei & Yuzu from Citrus
Kase-san & Yamada from the Kase-san series
Rei & Claire from I’m in Love With the Villainess
Eve & Aoi from Birdie Wing

I know I’m placing a bet with that last couple, but I think it’ll pay off. ^_^

But if just couples aren’t enough for you, the Yuri Hearts Design let’s you wear the entire history of Yuri right there on your shirt!

Again, up to 19 colors, up to size 3XL, in a variety of styles and goods, I think the Yuri heart design came out fantastic. It has series, and couples and key words from our history in one cute word art design!

I’ve gone with a neutral shirt for the example, but this will look great on most colors. Maybe not neons, though, sorry. ^_^;

I hope you like our new line of physical goods to celebrate Okazu.. I’m working on a treasure hunt for our actual birthday. Stay Tuned! ^_^

Hello Okazu Readers and Commenters, Patrons and Fans!

I’m taking a short break from Okazu this week for a few days, to 1) proofread my book; 2) catch up on my reading and 3) give my brain a rest. I’m juggling one project too many right now and this time, Okazu is falling off the bottom for a couple of days until I’m caught up. 

In the mean time, I’m reading some fun western comics that I’m looking forward to telling you about later! Let us know what you’re reading, watching and playing in the comments and I’ll be back in at the end of the week with a new review. ^_^