Archive for the Staff Writer Category


With My Own Hand: The Secret Life of Marie Maitland

August 20th, 2026

by Eleanor Walker, Okazu Staff Writer.

Erica is away, so the staff get to play and I’d like to introduce you all to the story of Marie Maitland, Scotland’s 16th century Sappho.

A woman in a 16th century dress holding a quill in one hand and a red notebook in the other

I first learned of Marie a few years ago when I discovered that the National Portrait Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh was displaying an imagined portrait of her, commisioned by historian and translator Ashley Douglas. Ashley discovered Marie’s lesbian love poetry hidden in the depths of a manuscript long attributed to her father, known as “The Maitland Quarto.” This manuscript is a collection of poetry published in the Scots language (N.B. Scots is a related but separate language from Scottish English, the dialect of English spoken here in Scotland. Both English and Scots are West Germanic languages, unlike Gaelic which is in a completely separate family and very different to both English and Scots. It’s most closely related to Irish and Manx, and then more distantly to Welsh, Cornish and Breton.) Scholars have debated over the years who actually authored the poems in the manuscript, with Marie generally considered to be the scribe for the majority of the manuscript. It wasn’t till much later that Marie’s potential authorship was examined, although one scholar who published many of the poems in 1786 suggested that Marie had at least some involvement in writing the poems, not just transcribing them. Naturally of course other male scholars disputed that a woman could possibly have actually written any of the poems.

Scotland in the 16th century was not a kind place for women of any social class. This is the time of the Protestant Reformation, spearheaded by John Knox, the author of the magnificently titled and utterly misogynistic, even for the era, screed “The First Blast of The Trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment of Women.” If you were lucky enough to make it out of childhood alive, your best hope if you were middle to upper class was to be married off to a man who would treat you even a little kindly. After that, your job was to get pregnant and produce a male heir. This is the destiny which awaited Marie Maitland too, until fate intervened. The youngest of her sisters, she watched her sisters be married off one by one and no doubt had consigned herself to the same fate, until her father went blind and required a scribe. This afforded Marie a degree of independence and self sufficiency almost unheard of for women in this era, and allowed her to pen her remarkable poetry. Poem 49 in particular was almost certainly written by Marie, and reads as follows (Original Scots language followed by English translation):

And thoucht adversitie ws vex
Yit be our freindschip salbe sein
Thair is mair constancie in our sex
Than evir amang men hes bein

And though adversity us vex
Yet by our freindship shall be seen
There is more constancy in our sex
Than ever among men has been.

If that’s not written from a lesbian point of view, I don’t know what is.

A pair of hands holding a quill and a red book in front of a woman's chest. The woman is wearing a 16th century dress.

Fast forward to summer 2026, and Ashley’s book is finally available. It’s been one of my most anticipated books of the year and I’m delighted to say that it was as enjoyable as I hoped it would be. Ashley herself is a lesbian and in my opinion, the perfect person to bring this tale to a 21st century audience. Queer people and queer love have always existed, and Marie’s story is a remarkable one of resilience and trying to fit into a world which was not made for her in the slightest. Earlier in the 21st century, Scotland was the first country in the world to introduce an LGBT+ inclusive school curriculum, which includes Marie and other queer figures from Scotland’s history. Her life is an important part of our history, and I’m very pleased that I’m now able to share her story with Okazu readers all around the world. You can order your own copy of “With My Own Hand” from bookshop.org

The only known copy of the Maitland Quarto is in the Samuel Pepys collection at the University of Cambridge. I’d love to see it come home to Scotland one day.

Online sources:

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/marie-maitland-scotlands-16th-century-sappho

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Maitland





Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk Anime, Full Season Review

August 19th, 2026

Botan stands thigh-deep in a river holding a bottle of sake. She's wearing a plain while dress which is taken on some water from the river. She's mostly facing the opposite shore but is looking over her right shoulder. Her reddish-pink hair is fashioned in her usual dual-ribboned do.

by Matt Marcus, Staff Writer

The Botan Kamiina

1 oz Yume no Kanbai 19 year sake 
0.75 oz strawberry-infused scotch whiskey (Glenlevit base)
0.5 oz Rokudaime Lily shochu
0.5 oz simple syrup
2 dashes of angst–I mean, angostura bitters

Shake with ice, then pour into an absinthe-rinsed coupe. Garnish with a lily flower.

When I first sat down to watch the Botan Kamiina anime, it was like ordering a drink from a cocktail bar’s menu. I knew I liked the ingredients (Yuri? Check. Set in college? Check! With a focus on appreciating alcohol? Check!!) but a menu description doesn’t tell you how balanced a drink will be. Much like a boozy cocktail, Botan hits you up front with some harshness (cough cough episode 3) but as you sip and let the drink dilute, the sweeter flavors come forward and leave your palette more satisfied.

That is to say, it is not exactly a perfectly crafted concoction, but there are plenty of things to like.

As I mentioned in my early review of the series, a new dorm member arrived. Chin-lan Chang, a new student hailing from Taiwan, arrives in the house and immediately throws a sapphic molotov cocktail on the yuri yearning status quo. (You see, her older sister married a Japanese woman, and after accepting her new sister-in-law, she goes “I gotta get me one of those”.) Immediately she puts some moves on Botan, but quickly recognizes that her target already had a situationship brewing. She then pivots to gunning for Gujou-senpai, who is still futilely pining for Ibuki. Nevertheless, her forthrightness pushes the narrative forward by both snagging her senpai for herself as well as getting Botan to confront her feelings and face Ibuki head-on.

Like many others, I’ve found it refreshing how straightforward the series is about the girl’s interest in each other. Chin-lan just asks Botan, “are you and Ibuki dating?” and the question is considered seriously. Botan’s struggle to understand how she and Ibuki feel about each other is centered on whether it’s the alcohol that Ibuki really loves, not handwringing about whether it’s possible for girls to love other girls. And I also appreciated that Botan wants more than pure 100% agave tequila love out of her connection with Ibuki once she emotionally commits to her own feelings.

Akane, Botan, and Yaeka are hanging out in a Yamaha showroom. Akane is playing a red Revstar guitar with cream soapbar pickups, wearing a white denim jacket and navy skirt. Botan is taking a video of her with her phone, while Yaeka looks intently at her with her hands behind her back.

The thing that is so ultimately frustrating about this series is that its best moments belong in a more focused story. Chin-lan’s confession, folding out of Gujou’s metaphor on her uncertainty, may be one of the most beautifully-phrased scenes of its kind in Yuridom. And yet, this sits within a series that dedicates half an episode to an anime-original infomercial for a Yamaha showroom which you can visit in Shibuya (the collab ran through August 17; you would have gotten a clear card if you happen to buy a guitar there). If HEY had this much juice in their writing, I would’ve liked to have seen it occupy more of the run time.

Visually, the show kept the bar high through the end. There really isn’t a point I can say that the production skimped out. It’s visually compelling all the way through, which is fantastic.

The one thing that became more and more apparent is that these girls are bougie. Aside from their interest in pricey bottles of various forms of alcohol, they attend a prestigious college, have ample travel budgets, and namedrop seriously expensive fashion brands like Sakai and Margiela. Hell, when Ibuki borrows a friend’s car it’s not a decade-plus old hatchback, it’s a modern Mazda Miata. It puts the series in a realm of affluence tourism. I personally did not find that aspect distracting but I’m sure some have.

It’s hard to wrap discussions of the series without feeling like an important detail is getting filtered out. The story highlights are strong but the story is so lightly sketched that it feels more like an aperitif–not to mention that the storyline for tertiary couple Akane and Yaeka gets left hanging. It’s hard for me not to appreciate the craft that studio Soigne put into the series, and I beg that more Yuri works get this level of treatment; at the same time, only talking about its production and potent yearning glosses over the unevenness around its primary subject matter: drinking. But given the fanart and discussions I’ve seen about the series, alcohol is the least-discussed part of the series. I mean, I certainly had questions about it when the girls drank straight absinthe on more than one occasion.

All that said, I think the show is well worth checking out if you haven’t already taken a sip or two. What I hope it does most is broaden more viewers’ palettes for something with a bit stronger of a yuri kick.

(While I did not try to source a single drink that is featured in this show except for absinthe, it did reignite my interest in mixology which has been fun but a bit taxing to my wallet and liver.)

(Also, I cannot vouch for the quality of the cocktail described above. It’s probably terrible.)

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

Overall – 8

Botan Kamiina Blossoms Fully When Drunk is (for now) still streaming on Crunchyroll.

Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network. You can find him mostly reskeeting Yuri posts and sports takes on Bluesky @hyperartmarcussan.bsky.social





Pink Candy Kiss, Volume 5

August 10th, 2026

Two women stand close to each other in an intimate way, both facing the camera. The one on the left has long hair, the one on the right has short hair.

by Eleanor Walker, Okazu Staff Writer.

This review WILL contain spoilers.

It’s taken 5 volumes of Pink Candy Kiss, but we finally got the confession. It’s mutual, it’s as messy as everything which has come before and it’s all the better for it. The author says in the afterword “If it feels rough and ugly to you, then as the author, I’m pleased.” This is what I like so much about this series, it does feel rough and ugly sometimes, but it feels real because of that.

I worried in my review of volume 4 also here on Okazu that there was only so long the story could go without a confession, so I’m glad it’s finally happened. It happens at the end of the book and the rest of the volume leading up to it is mostly Ema and Takara talking to other people about their situation and feelings for each other. There are some other important moments though, like when Ema finally tells her mother she doesn’t want her in her life any more, which really shows how much she’s grown.

Hario comes to Takara’s office and they end up going for lunch together, when he voices his unease about Ema to her. We learn a little more about how he and Ema ended up getting together, and how he feels now. Whilst he is grateful for her new found confidence since Takara came back into her life, he also feels uneasy but can’t think why. He’s probably too naive to think his wife is in love with another (wo)man, but it’s going to have to come out eventually.

Pink Candy Kiss continues to be one of my favourite ongoing series. I will, of course, be picking up the next volume to find out what the fallout  is, but at this point, I have to wonder if anyone is going to get a happy ending.

Ratings: 

Art – 7. It’s still a shame there aren’t colour pages with the chapter art on.
Story – 7. Not a lot happened but at the same time an awful lot happened
Characters – 10 
Service – None. It still doesn’t need it. 
Yuri – 10

Overall – 8





I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day, Episodes 1-3

August 5th, 2026

Two girls wearing a dark school uniform with white collar hold hands. Where they touch glows with a golden light.by Sasori, Okazu Staff Writer

There is definitely no shortage of fantasy anime this season, and I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day /Kimi ga Shinu made Koi wo Shitai, is another one to add to your summer list.

This is an anime adaptation of Aono Nachi’s yuri manga, animated by Roll2, streaming on  Crunchyroll.

 Kimishinu is very stylish. From it’s early PV trailer, to its catchy OP『Amore』by ReoNa, on paper it has a lot going for it. It’s directed by Yasushi Tomodo, who also worked on Girls Band Cry. There are also some heavy hitter VA’s, Takahashi, Rie voicing MC Totsuki, Sheena and Hidaka, Rina voicing our smaller MC, Kagari, Mimi.

Episode 1, Kimishinu starts with a grim battle between two magic users, ending with the death of one (or both) and then panning out showing us the dire world they are fighting in. We are then introduced to our main character, Sheena Totsuki, who is a child soldier in a magical user based war orphanage, and learn that the girl who died in the opening duel was her roommate.

Sheena doesn’t want to be at this war school, she seems weaker than the rest of her classmates, unable to conjure her wand and clearly bothered by any form of fighting. We are also introduced to her supporting couple friends who defend her from bullying, Lizzy Seiran and Ari Maud.

Sheena flashes back to her now deceased roommate, lamenting on how lucky Sheena was being weak and thus exempt from the magical duels that the children frequently fought. Later in the night, Sheena is restless and makes some onigiri, going outside to eat, she’s greeted by a bloody little girl, who is very interested in Sheena and her rice balls, much to Sheena’s horror.

And surprise, the little girl turns out to be a new classmate of Sheena’s, going by the name of Mimi Kagari, also the same name of a legendary soldier weapon of their school. Mimi definitely looks 10, which is pointed out by some classmates, but you know the power of magical school will I guess let that one slide. Mimi’s care taker/parental figure is resident medical nurse Fran, who seems to deal with Mimi like a feral creature, promising Sheena that her roommate will wash up and not look like a bloody tomato on the regular.

When going down the hall, Mimi and Sheena spy some ladies doing magical yuri kissing, to help top up that mana flow. The episode ends with Mimi wanting to cure Sheena’s ailing stomach, by also giving her a mana kiss.

Episode 2 returns us to the kiss scene, Mimi proudly stating how she fed Sheena a ton of mana which I assume will come in handy later on. Sheena panics, not knowing how to deal with this new information, hiding in bed lamenting about her now first kiss.

This episode was pretty exciting because the class was participating in a mock duel. Sheena paired with Mimi, who was of course destroying the competition. The fight scenes are a cut above most fantasy budgets, and gave all the cast some pretty neat fight sequences. Sheena eventually gets separated from Mimi, who is in berserker mode. Sheena ends up getting attack by a trespassing magic user and loses an arm in the fight, Mimi destroys him coldly after.

Nurse Fran brings Sheena back to the schools medical ward after the battle, Sheena looking like she’s on deaths door with only one arm. Fran talks with Seiran and Ari, stating how losing body parts is pretty common, and that she’d heal Sheena herself. Mimi steps in and insists on healing Sheena with her own magic and proceeds to mana kiss her so hard that her arm grows back.

As Sheena recovers, she learns that Mimi also hates pain, forming more of a bond with her, and is also impressed by her seemingly unlimited magic abilities. Mimi of course takes this sign of friendliness as another reason to lean in for another kiss.

Episode 3 starts with a cute morning routine scene between Mimi and Sheena, who is clearly getting use to Mimi’s critter antics. Mimi’s kind of a failure at being a lady though, so Sheena teaches her how to tidy up on their day off. The peace doesn’t last long because Mimi is the only person called out for another battle. Alone, Sheena confides with Seiran and Ari about how she feels about Mimi and the new bound of trust she has with her, but also how she fears for Mimi’s safety. The girls tell Sheena about how Mimi was the one that restored her and she might be similar to an immortal weapon.

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Early evening, Mimi is returned to Fran in some back door of the school in a disembodied bag, and then told to heal herself as she starts to reanimate with her own magic. Fran scolds her for rushing into to battle, but then realizes it was because Mimi wanted to hurry back to probably see Sheena.

Sheena, unable to sleep, makes Mimi onigiri and returns to the place where she first met. She’s relieved to see Mimi has returned in one piece and asks if they’d like to be friends. Mimi hugs her excitedly at the prospect and they share a very cute moment together. They eventually go back to their daily routine, Mimi learning that best friends share secrets through Sheena, saying she had a really important one to tell her.

The secret ends up being that Mimi couldn’t die, because she was already dead, thus ending the episode.

I ended up liking Kimishinu more than I should have, not because the premise was groundbreaking or original, but because it was really well executed. The music and backgrounds were dramatic when they needed to be and light and whimsical when necessary.

In terms of yuri, I like Seiran/Ari quite a bit, because I’m a sucker for justice/bad girl dynamics. Mimi and Sheena’s growing friendship made me smile, Mimi’s loud feral personality is a good foil to Sheena’s meek/quiet nature, which keeps the shows dynamic lively.

The three episodes had some great pacing, and I’m looking forward to continuing the series with that in mind.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story- 6.5
Characters- 7
Service- 2 (For the random magical kisses)
Yuri- 5 (Some interlocking hand-holding and the kisses are becoming less about the mana)

Overall- 7

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Goodbye, Lara, Episodes 1-3

July 31st, 2026

Three girls, one with blonde hair, one redhead and one with dark hair, leaning over the railing of a sailing boat surrounded by seagulls.

by Eleanor Walker, Okazu Staff Writer.

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what would happen to The Little Mermaid if she was reincarnated in modern Japan, then Goodbye, Lara is the show for you. Even if you haven’t it’s still worth a watch. Produced by Kinema Citrus as a 15th anniversary project, and streaming both subbed and dubbed on Crunchyroll, the show is described as a modern interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid.

Episode 1 is mostly exposition and is set in the 1700s, under water in the mermaid kingdom. Lara is the youngest of her sisters, has been brought up as a member of the royal family and, like all mermaids, is supposed to believe that humans are beneath them. But as in the original, Lara falls in love with a human prince who she rescues from a burning shipwreck. She is imprisoned for this by her father and is then given an impossible choice by her aunt Grace, a sea witch who has been banished from the kingdom previously. Lara can either drink the mysterious potion to become human, but will dissolve into foam unless she finds true love. The prince rejects her when she transforms back into a mermaid and she is sent back to her kingdom, which to her horror she discovers is in ruins as a result of her foolishness. Grace reappears and Lara is sent to the modern world via Lake Biwa, and is immediately punched by a girl walking nearby.

Episodes 2 and 3 are about Lara adjusting to the modern world. The girl is named Mari, and she is a national champion boxer who trains at her school boxing club. Grace has reappeared in the body of Mari’s pet fish and is affectionately called Gon-chan by Mari. She acts as a mentor to Lara and keeps her out of the worst trouble. Lara is focused only on the fact that she must find her true love in order to reawaken her family below the sea. We also learn that Lara’s sister Lisa and a mysterious figure known as Kota are also in the modern world. Lara goes to school with Mari and begins to learn about love from the other people around her.

Yuri wise, there’s not a lot going on in these first episodes but the signs are there if you want to see them. At first Mari seems annoyed by Lara’s naivety but she definitely starts to care more for her as time goes on. The show makes a big deal about the fact that Lara is looking for her prince, but what if her prince was right beside her all along? I hope the show’s creators are brave enough to take it in that direction.

The art and animation are nothing to write home about. The character designs have a kind of early 2000s/Rumiko Takahashi vibe which I quite enjoyed.

Overall, I will keep watching but this is definitely one of those shows where the yuri is subtle rather than in your face.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Service – 0
Yuri  – 2

Overall – 6