Archive for the Series Category


Yuri Kisses and Free Membership from Crunchyroll

December 16th, 2009

Crunchyroll online video service and community invites you to share some Yuri kisses and enter to win a 6 month membership on Crunchyroll!

To celebrate the end of the autumn anime season, from December 16th at 12PM PST until December 28th at 12PM PST, users are encouraged to watch the hit Yuri anime, Sasamekikoto.

Members will be shown five different “kiss” scenes that appear in various episodes. Send in the episode # and the exact time that the kiss appears. If you get all five correct, you will automatically be entered to win a SIX-month premium membership at Crunchyroll! Crunchyrollwill be giving away two memberships. Visit Crunchyroll for more information.

Share your love of Yuri and win!

About Sasamekikoto:

Sumika is in love with her best friend Ushio who only likes cute girls. Tall, athletic smart Sumi is anything but cute. Sasamekikoto (“The thing that is whispered”) is a Yuri love comedy of errors about girls who love girls….even the ones that don’t love them back.





Yuri Manga: Hayate x Blade, Volume 5 (English)

December 14th, 2009

It is my greatest pleasure as a manga reader to read good stories, told well. Yesterday’s series, Octave, is one such story. The subject of today’s review, for totally different reasons and in totally different ways is, as well.

Hayate x Blade is a good story, told well and adapted into English with excellence.

These are three different things, mind you. Coming up with a good story isn’t that hard, but telling it well is incredibly difficult. And, as you know, it is my conflict-of-interest-laden pleasure to be a small part of the team that creates an English adaptation of this manga that reads so smoothly, so *naturally* that it does not feel like a “translation” that is “localized” or “adapted.” It feels like I’m reading the original. It’s that natural.

Volume 5 of Hayate x Blade brings us to the long-awaited match between Hitsugi/Shizuku and Kurea/Minori. We get to see what we’ve always guessed – Hitsugi is 50% awesome and 50% freak of nature. And, it’s wonderful. Watching Shizuku gush is so cute I became positively squealy while reading it.

Incidentally, a video of Hitsugi’s BGM also went a long way to provide context for The Mikoto 5 arc in the middle of Hana no Asuka-gumi. It all makes much more sense now. ;-)

There’s a fair bit of implied service in this volume in which Jun, now that her “keeper” is gone, as she says, pervs out pretty hard. But for all that, there is little actual service – just the threat of it. ^_^

And the next arc – which is another rip-snorting story, let me tell you – is set up with one seemingly inconsequential body check by a ducky.

Lastly I just need to say this – Sid and Nancyyyyyyy!!!!! They are the rockingest, most anarchy-est characters evar. EVAR. My one genuine complaint is that Sid was censored. She was not censored in the original and I’m sort of sad that The Powers That Be thought teens can’t see the word “fuck” without exploding or something. The scribbly bits in the text were original, meant to imply that Sid’s “fuck”s here and there were merely the beginning of her ear-burning vocabulary. I object on the grounds that the book has an Older Teen rating and I can’t *imagine* what puritan thinks Older Teens can’t (or shouldn’t) read bad language and on the grounds that it is not the readers’ fault that the wrong age rating was chosen for a series that is written for adults. Yay Sid! Boo big black bars. I will forgive this *only* because the mistake that was plaguing me has now been fixed. Please don’t censor her in future volumes. It’s just silly. Look… “fuck.” No one died.

The best part about Volume 5 is that there is no way in a million years you can guess what’s going to happen next, unless you are already familiar with the series. I will provide no spoilers and I hope none of my dear readers will, either. Let’s just laugh and nod knowingly because we know how funny it’s going to be. ^_^

On the Yuri side, you’re probably wondering how I can call the volume “Yuri” at all. Well – if Shizuku’s oration isn’t a confession of love, I don’t know what is, really.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 10
Characters – 9
Yuri – 4
Service – 2

Overall – 9

It is with sincerest thanks that I nod in the direction of Okazu Superhero Eric P. Eric, you’ve been such a great contributor to this blog…. I can’t really say more than “Thanks,” but that thanks is from the very bottom of my heart for your kindness and generosity for sponsoring today’s and so many other reviews.





Yuri Network News – December 12, 2009

December 12th, 2009

The holiday season is in full force and buying is reaching frenzied heights – which I’m totally for. Let me see if I can help with some good suggestions for holiday gifts, shall I? ^_^

Yuricon News

The Yuricon 2009 AMV contest is heading into final hours. Please get those entries in soon! We have a fabulous art contest coming up so keep your eyes peeled!

The up-to-40% off sale on 100% Yuri from ALC is also coming to a close. Please get any orders in by Monday, Dec. 15 for Xmas shopping.

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Yuri Anime

RightStuf & Nozomi Entertainment announce the ARIA The Origination Collection for March 2, 2010. The set will include the series’ third (and final) TV season, plus the OVA. For more info, downloads, extras and lots of pretty pictures, visit RightStuf’s Aria website.

Sasamekikoto is heading to the end of a successful first season and to celebrate there will be some contest-like thing you might want to know about. I didn’t mention this, you just *might* want to check back on Wednesday. Just sayin’.

No clue what the anime will be about, but Candy Boy‘s Hoshikawa Takafumi is working on a new, unnamed project, along with Seed Project.

I do not know if there is any intention of bringing this to the west, but in Japan, April will see R.O.D. The COMPLETE BluRay Box set. For this, I might *actually* be tempted to buy a BluRay player and a sound system, but it would probably all be wasted on my craptastic TV. :-) (The wife suggests I put all the components on my Yuri Wish List. lol)

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Movie The 1st two-minute trailer is streaming live and online for your pleasure. The movie is due out on January 23rd. I think it looks overall good, with some (sadly inevitable) creepiness.

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Yuri Manga

While we’re on the topic, Digital Manga Publishing has licensed the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS manga and I should probably warn you that Yuri content in that is low to non-existent. If you like Nanoha for itself, it’s good. Don’t go reading it looking for Yuri, you’ll be disappointed.

It’s time for the next issue of Yuri Hime S, featuring “Konohana Link” on the cover and filled with a ton of stuff and even the occasional story about women who like one another. ;-) YHS will hit the streets on December 18.

Kono Koi ha XXX is an anthology of short, PWP stories with Yuri content and sex by an artist who formerly contributed to Yuri Shimai. So you know what you’re in for.

Hayate x Blade Volume 5 is out. I will review it as soon as I can. Trust me – it’s fabulous.

And Nijiburi has been on all the Japanese Yuri lists recently. I’m sure it is relevant to our interests, but I’ve hit the wall on large eyes for the morning. :-)

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Yuri Light Novel

Light Novel Kimi ga Boku wo Doushite Sora ha Aoi no? sounds, gasp! interesting. In a shopping center that was formerly prosperous, a girl finds herself involved in working with (for? as?) a butler to an official, i.e., another girl. The story sounds half typical and half not so much. I might give it a try, just because it has to be better than the LN I’m trying to read right now.

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Other News

From time to time I get requests for suggestions and recommendations for LGBT books. I don’t actually do recommendations of any kind, but I can provide links. I’ll try and do my best to add some good LGBT book links here from time to time. Since it is the holiday season and you may be looking for some LGBT lit other than manga to buy, here are a few sites that may be of interest to you:

GLBT Bookshelf

Bella Books

Bold Strokes Books

Alyson Books

Brisk Press

I hope you find something fun for the LGBTQ-friendly folks in your life. ^_^

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That’s a wrap for this week.

Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

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





Yuri Light Novel: R.O.D., Volume 2

December 5th, 2009

I write about many things here at Okazu, but above all, I write about love.

There are, obviously, many types of love. Love of family, love of friends, love between comrades, love as an obsession. And in so many of these reviews, I deal with love that can’t easily be expressed in simple terms.

In the second Read or Die Light Novel, we find Yomiko and Nenene in this space. They aren’t “in love” with one another, but they clearly need one another and love and care for one another. They are each other’s most important person, but they are not lovers. More than friends, less than lovers, more than family.

This is all in the small spaces in between the larger issues like the opening of the world’s largest bookstore, the subsequent terrorist attack, the appearance of Mr. Gentlemen and lots of running around.

R.O.D novels have a very specific genre pattern – goofy beginning, serious plot with loads of violence, Nenene in danger, evil bad guy, happy reunion between Nenene and Yomiko, then Yomiko goes home to her shrine to her dead lover Donny and the book ends.

This volume had exactly what I wanted out of it – a few moments where we had glimpses of the affection Yomiko and Nenene feel for one another, a moment where Yomiko is cooler than cool and Yomiko saving the day and beating up the bad guy.

The plot isn’t really important. If you’ve read or watched Towering Inferno, just add John Smith as a terrorist and you’re pretty much there. ;-) Now add Yomiko walking out of the burning building and standing in front of an unhappy and worried Nenene, sitting there holding her knees until she realizes it’s Yomiko, then leaping to her feet, crying as she embraces the other woman. There, that’s this book.

Ratings:

Art – 4
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 2
Service – 2

It wasn’t until I was almost done with the book that I realized that I was picturing John Smith from Mai Otome, not the John Smith from the R.O.D.-verse. Not like there’s that much of a difference.





Yuri Network News – November 28, 2009

November 28th, 2009

Yuri Anime

It is holiday time, so a number of Yuri Anime releases are right around the corner!

Ikkitousen DD is due to be released next week, so we can get our fix of great heroes of China turned into buxom, strong, yet largely powerless pawns of loathesome guys. :-)

For those of us who can’t ever get enough of this, a *new* Ikkitousen series has been announced in Japan – Ikkitousen XX (Xtreme Xecutor). Ryomou and Kanu are in it, so we can all relax. ;-) In fact, the last issue of Gum magazine I bought had a fabulous Ryomou on the cover, so hopefully she’ll get even more screen time.

Also scheduled for release in the next few weeks is the first Volume of El Cazador. Who wouldn’t want this rollicking tale of witches and gunslingers and mad scientists and bunnymen and sexy assassins?

Don’t forget the complete collection of Blue Drop, which was officially released this month. I was listening to a Blue Drop Drama CD a few weeks ago and I was reminded how much I really liked this anime prequel. I’m very much looking forward to seeing it again “officially.”

And, just to give you something to *really* look forward to, just after the new year we’ll see Rin: Daughter of Mnemosyne the complete series. I may just have to have a party where we all drink everytime Rin dies. :-)

All that *ought* to be enough to tide you over until the 4th season of Marimite arrives in English in the Spring. :-)

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Yuri Manga

It’s a little too early for a link, but Yuri Hime Wildrose 4 is slated for a December 18th release, as is the next volume of Yuri Hime S.

Oh, and despite the apathy I’ve personally shown this series, Apple Day Dream is also getting a second volume. lol

Hakamada Mera’s Watashi no Taisetsuna Tomodachi is also getting a second volume in the next few weeks. I reviewed that first volume a little while ago and would like to see where it goes.

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Yuri Novels

I’ve been kind of disappointed that Ichijinsha’s Iris line hasn’t put out any more Yuri Light Novels recently. It’all been brooding boys lately. Bleah. lol Let’s write the editor and complain. But!

Mori Natsuko has a new novel out – Futari no Hitori Asobi. Her other novels have been such delicious lesbian crack that this has immediately gone into my Amazon JP shopping cart.

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Other Yuri News

Should you be heading to Winter Comiket this year, Media Factory is publishing an official Sasamekikoto fact file/magazine. Brave the long lines and get me a copy, will you? :-)

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Yuricon Contests

Just a reminder that the Yuri Studios AMV Contest is still on and still accepting submissions! The Contest Guidelines are on the Yuricon site. There’s been so much great (and not great) Yuri Anime this year, we’re really looking forward to seeing some wonderful AMVs celebrating them!

And…we’re getting geared up for a really *big* contest. We’re working on a redesign for the Yuricon website and we need a new image of our mascots Yuriko and Midori for the *Home Page*. We’ll be announcing the Cover Girl Image Contest in a few weeks, but start thinking about it now, because the winner not only gets their image on the front page (and maybe as the cover of Yuri Monogatari 7,) there’ll be a great Grand Prize! Check back soon for contest details! No “adult” images will be accepted for this contest, btw.

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Non-Yuri News

I think it’s worth noting this: Simon Jones of Icarus Publishing has announced that Comic AG, Icarus’ long-running adult manga comic magazine, is ending with issue 110. (Link may not be SFW) Jones is one of the most interesting and intelligent critical commentors on the economics of the manga industry, so his post on why this is happening and what the factors are that have changed the market should be required reading for anyone who has ever whined, “We never get anything good.”

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And, that’s a wrap for this week.

Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

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