Archive for the Staff Writer Category


ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! streaming on Crunchyroll

January 30th, 2026

Title art for ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight With My Love and My Cursed Sword streaming on Crunchyroll, showing a redheaded fighter and a maid withe a bandaged face, surrounded by other characters.by Eleanor Walker, Okazu Staff Writer

From ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! streaming on Crunchyroll: “Flum wasn’t chosen for her strength—she has none. No magic, no skill, only an ability called “Reversal” that even she doesn’t understand. So why did God place her in the hero’s party? After being betrayed and sold into slavery, Flum is abused and eventually thrown to monsters for entertainment. Now faced with death, Flum must choose: be devoured or take up a cursed sword said to kill its wielder.”

I’ve had the original novels for this series in my Bookwalker library for a while now, and didn’t really know much about them other than they were incredibly violent and gory, but the anime offered an easier way in. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that underneath the fairly generic “kicked out of the main hero’s party” premise, there are enough stand out elements to make this show worth watching. The first and most obvious of these is that our main heroine, Flum, is female. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a connoisseur of the genre, so there may be others out there, but the only other series with a female lead which comes to mind is the excellent Sexiled series by Ameko Kaeruda, which you should definitely check out if you haven’t already. Roll Over and Die definitely has a very different tone to Sexiled though, which is much more light-hearted and takes more of a parody angle.

I’ve heard complaints floating around the Internet that the gore has been toned down for the anime, so I did read the first part of the first volume of the novel to compare, and some of the more gruesome moments have been either cut completely or made much shorter and less vivid. However, we do still see Flum being branded on the face very early in the first episode as well as people being eaten by ghouls so it’s definitely not for the faint of heart whichever version you pick. I will give the anime credit though as although the gore in the novel sometimes felt like gore for gore’s sake, the show manages to straddle the line of setting the scene but without overdoing it. It’s very clear that no one in this world is on Flum and Milkit’s side and the very obvious slave branding on Flum’s cheek immediately marks them as lesser once they escape.

They head to the Adventurer’s Guild in the slums of the city, as by becoming adventurers they can earn money from completing quests which will enable them to survive. Unfortunately, the nice man at the guild is also a bit of a bastard, and instead of sending Flum and Milkit on a quest to kill an F-rank monster, they’re tricked into going after some D-rank monsters instead. However, thanks to Flum’s no longer useless ability and cursed sword, the girls are able to kill the monsters and claim their prize, and more importantly, an adventurer’s license from the guild, much to the annoyance of the man who sent them into what he thought was a death trap.

Character-wise, Flum and her companion Milkit are the main protagonists we follow here. Milkit is a slave who Flum rescues from the same dungeon which she was trapped in, and the two begin to work together to survive in a hostile world, and are definitely developing feelings for each other as well. It would have been nice to have a bit more time with them together exploring their feelings when they’re not just trying to survive. This is however one of the other main aspects which makes this show distinct from other “kicked out…” power fantasies. So far, revenge doesn’t seem to be Flum’s main motivation. She just wants to survive and protect Milkit as well. Unfortunately, these first 3 episodes don’t tell us much more about either of them, other than that Flum was chosen by the deity Origin to join the party which would defeat the Demon Lord. One gaping plot hole I couldn’t ignore here is that the Origin just let Jean (another member of the party) sell Flum to the slave trader and didn’t intervene. Maybe this is all part of the grand plan, maybe there’s more going on than we realise.

The character I am most interested in though is Cyrill, another member of the party who is initially friends with Flum due to them being similar ages, however Jean has designs on her and it is implied that one of his reasons for wanting rid of Flum is so that he can pursue her. Flum and Cyrill’s relationship is definitely portrayed in a way that could suggest they were more than just friends, and I would like to know more about them as well as seeing if they reunite further down the line. What Jean also doesn’t realise once he’s got rid of Flum, is that despite her seemingly useless stats and zero magical ability, she helps the party out in other ways, like cooking. Once she’s gone, he’s not getting his food prepared how he likes it and he sulks like the big baby he is. I am looking forward to him getting his just desserts (pun absolutely intended).
In episode 3, we meet Sara, a seemingly pure-hearted nun who has a brand on her neck similar to Flum and Milkit. Sara’s backstory is the most interesting so far, and I hope we get some similar level of detail for the other characters too. She is from a pagan village which was destroyed by the demons and forced to absorb into the Church, including banning pagan rituals such as the use of herbal medicine. (As a personal aside, I’ve been reading about the Scottish witch trials recently for work, and there’s a lot of parallels to be drawn here but that’s probably an article in itself)  Even I, as someone who’s not overly familiar with this genre, have a suspicion that maybe the Church isn’t all it seems to be…

Regarding the art and animation, there’s not really much to make this show stand out. The colour palette is pretty dark, whether that’s an intentional design choice or a saving money choice isn’t really clear, it could just as easily be a bit of both. It does mean Sara’s white robes act as a nice contrast to everyone else’s dark outfits and that the symbolism is incredibly obvious. The character designs are pleasant, although Milkit does remind me far too much of Ren and Ram from Re: Zero.

Overall, I enjoyed this much more than I was expecting to. Whilst there are definitely a lot of generic elements here, the setup and execution is interesting enough for me that I will stick around and see what comes next. If you don’t mind quite a bit of gore, and a well trodden basic premise, you could do a lot worse than this show.

Ratings:

Art – 6. Character designs are pleasant, animation is meh.
Story – 7 There’s enough here to make it stand out from the hundreds of other kicked out of the hero’s party shows.
Characters – 7 There’s a lot to explore here, how I feel about the rest of the show will depend how well this is done.
Service – 8 if you enjoy gore, 5 if you don’t care for it.
Yuri – 8 When the first thing Flum buys for Milkit after they get some money from completing their first quest is a maid outfit…

Overall – 7





I Don’t Know Which Is Love, Volumes 3 & 4

January 28th, 2026

I Don't Know Which Is Love Volume 3 cover. It shows Maria, a pretty lady with long brown hair wearing lipstick, holding up a phone that shows a surprised looking Mei. I’m Luce, and it’s been a while! I’m back today with a double issue of the Yuri rollercoaster, which contains no actual rollercoaster content. I can be found on the Okazu discord as farfetched. Onwards!

In Volume 1 & Volume 2 we saw Soraike Mei get closer, in various different ways, to her five love interests, and generally be something of a lesbian disaster. In Volume 3 of I Don’t Know Which Is Love, she’s practicing for the play, which involves kissing – having kissed both Karin and Kaoru, she’s confused as to why it felt good both times! Good that there’s a certain psychology professor to help her sort it out… Or just make it more complicated? In Volume 4, the play having gone well, Mei ends up in a situation with a drunk Maria, and meets up with her high school crush who broke her heart. Resolving herself to date Karin, she finds her kissing another girl! Riri wants to see her, so invites her to a photoshoot… but it’s in a swimsuit – will Mei, disaster lesbian extraordinaire, even be able to take photos?

This sold as a romcom – and in many ways it is – but it also feels more like watching a race – who can kiss Mei first? Who can date her first? Karin and Maria are pretty ahead, with Kaoru closer behind. I called it the Yuri rollercoaster in previous reviews, and that’s the feel – not much room to breathe. That said, it’s kind of refreshing for a series not to be ecchi per se but to admit that part of romance for a lot of people is sex. These are college students, it’s not weird for them to feel attracted to each other physically, and no one is shaming them for it, although sometimes they’ll tell themselves off – not in a puritanical way, but in a ‘she’s my professor’ or ‘we’re not even dating’ kind of way.Cover for I Don't Know Which Is Love volume 4. It has Karin, a young woman with short blond hair, looking flirtatious, about to lick Mei's finger.

If you really don’t like Professor Maria being one of Mei’s love interests, probably best to sit this out, since she’s not going away. At least Mei is a college student rather than a high school one, but I understand it might irritate people. Of all the love interests, Riri gets the least to do here, only appearing a few times, although she is cute when she does. She does pop up in Volume 4 in a photo shoot, wherein Mei realises she has a thing for boobs.

At the end of Volume 4, Mei asks Maria for a quiet beach spot so Riri won’t get harassed while they’re at the beach. Maria uses this as an opportunity to get all of Mei’s love interests together, so Mei can choose one. Which sounds like a set up for a final volume, but apparently a sixth volume recently came out in Japan, although there is no date for the fifth one in English. It doesn’t really seem to be gunning for any kind of polyamory ending, but neither is any girl really ‘winning’ right now. Mei certainly can’t make her mind up!

Perhaps an issue with this kind of series is that it either needs to be long or short. How Do We Relationship had the time and (I suspect) the planning to carry out that tangled mess of relationships. Although that was more of a serious tone and the intents are different, I’m not sure the author here has a particular plan in mind. As such, I worry it might end up being a bit more meandering. We will have to see; I still enjoy it, but I’m honestly not sure where it’s heading.

Ratings:

Yuri – 10
Service – 6
Art- 7
Characters – 7
Story – 6

Overall – 7

You know, for a series about lesbians, they sure don’t say the word lesbian much. If at all.





There’s No Freaking I’ll Be Your Lover! Unless… ~Next Shine~

January 21st, 2026

There's No Freaking I'll Be Your Lover! Unless… ~Next Shine~ promo art. The 5 faces of the main characters, all wearing different, characteristic, expressions, above some information in Japanese giving the airing information

by Eleanor Walker, Okazu Staff Writer

**SPOILERS BELOW**

This sequel was announced at the end of season 1 in September 2025, and originally premiered in Japanese cinemas in November 2025, then on Japanese TV at the very beginning of 2026. REMOW has also brought the series to Western fans on Youtube, as they did for the first series.

 

All 5 main cast of No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover, Unless...members in their school uniforms, with Renako standing slightly forward of the others, a maid cosplay outfit over her arm. Kaho is immediately behind her, jumping and punching her fist into the air

This series is basically an almost exact adaption of volume 4 of the novel series, which I reviewed here on Okazu. As such, if you didn’t enjoy the first season, there is absolutely nothing for you here. This is solely for the fans who wanted more. The animation, art, music, and voice acting haven’t changed at all in style from the original 12 episodes. Picking up where season 1 left off, we can now properly meet the final member of the harem, Koyanagi Kaho, an extroverted cosplayer with a few secrets of her own, and a jealous streak as well.  There is however one very important difference between this adaption and the original novel, which ends with Renako confessing to both Mai and Ajisai and asking to date them both, but the anime ends with a screen showing a text message from Satsuki saying “Hey, you’re already dating two at once, so one more wouldn’t hurt, right?” Obvious sequel bait aside, I do respect that the show didn’t make Renako pick just one of the girls, and actually committed to the harem premise.

It’s nice to see a yuri anime get a sequel, especially when it was announced pretty much at the end of season 1. I hope the bait which was dangled in front of us is taken and we get “Season 2” of the series animated some day.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Service – 7. Renako has now bathed with every member of the group in animated form.
Yuri – 7

Overall – 7





There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover! Unless…, Light Novel Volume 4

January 7th, 2026

Cover of There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover Unless...! Two girls embrace, looking out at us. One has pink hair with a crossed barrettes as decoration on the front, the other has silver-blue hair tied up with a gold ribbon. They both wear Japanese style school uniforms of white blouses with red piping, and gray plaid skirts.by Eleanor Walker, Okazu Staff Writer

It’s been a while, but I’m back to volume 4 of the light novel There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover! Unless… We’re back to the standard cover design of Renako x whoever is the focus of this volume. If you’re looking to start where the anime ends, this is the volume you need.The anime which aired earlier this year covered volumes 1-3 of the novel series and introduced our first 3 members of the harem who are Oduka Mai, Sena Ajisai and Koto Satsuki.  There is, however, this one more introductory volume to go, which focuses on the last member of the group, Koyanagi Kaho.

Like the other members of the group, there is more to Kaho than meets the eye, but it turns out Kaho and Renako have actually met before, at cram school when they were younger. Kaho, much like Renako has reinvented herself from nerd to popular girl, and due to changing her surname because her parents divorced, Renako doesn’t immediately recognise her. Hijinks of course ensue, including an amusement park trip with a ride on the Ferris wheel of course, and we learn that Kaho is actually jealous of Renako and her newfound popularity, partly because she likes Mai too.

By now, if the first 3 volumes or the anime didn’t grab you, then this one won’t either. The writing style is as it always has been, with lots of exaggerated freaking and internal monologues from Renako especially. Eku Takeshima’s art continues to be pleasant and I do enjoy Renako’s panic face. This volume, much like the previous 3 with the other characters, focuses mostly on Kaho and sets her place in the harem. As well as reinventing herself as an extrovert, Kaho is also now a pretty popular cosplayer, and she ropes Renako into dressing up with her and doing a photoshoot together. and then performing together at a cosplay event where Mai is a surprise judge/special guest. Nothing is ever simple for a harem protagonist is it?

In the afterword, the author describes this volume as the conclusion of season 1, and I am interested to see what happens in the next volume. The harem is assembled, Renako hasn’t been forced to choose just one person, so now we’ve been introduced to everyone, let’s see what happens next.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Service – 7 Renako has now bathed with every member of the group.
Yuri – 7

Overall – 7





ClaireBell

December 22nd, 2025

Promotion poster for the Thai series ClaireBell. It shows Claire and Bell in bed in their prison cell. Claire is in the upper bed and is handing a red rose to Bell, in the lower bed.by Frank Hecker, Staff Writer

Content warning: This series includes multiple scenes featuring blood, violence, and sexual assault.

Many of the key developments in Thai live-action yuri have been sparked by first-timers taking big chances on new productions. Idol Factory could not find sponsors for GAP: The Series, self-funded it, and then saw it become wildly successful, make stars of Freen Sarocha Chankimha and Rebecca Patricia Armstrong, and kick off a still-growing wave of Thai yuri series. Fan-created Nine Star Studios took a chance on thirty-something Faye Peraya Malisorn and saw her become a star in the age-gap romance Blank. Now actors and first-time producers Mai Davika Hoorne and her husband Ter Chantavit Dhanasevi have taken Thai yuri into new territory with the prison drama ClaireBell, airing uncut on the OneD streaming service and with significant edits on YouTube.

The Bell of ClaireBell is a naïve young woman who celebrates her university graduation at a nightclub with her boyfriend and their friends, has someone stash their drugs in her purse unbeknownst to her, is caught in a police raid, tried for drug dealing, and sent to prison. There she languishes, abandoned by her boyfriend, too ashamed to reach out to her terminally-ill father, and brutalized by the reigning prison gang. She then slowly falls into the orbit of “rabid dog” Claire, a seemingly-psychopathic inmate convicted of the savage murder of a schoolteacher, and finds protection and (ultimately) love in her arms. Meanwhile around them others live out their own lives in prison: Claire’s elderly cellmate sliding into dementia, a corrupt warden and his upright son whom he hires as a guard at his wife’s urging, the “3D” gang of two sisters and a cousin who control the prison’s black market, and Bell’s cellmate, who offers friendship but may want something more.

The first thing to be said about ClaireBell is that it looks and sounds fantastic: Made on a relative shoestring budget of 30-40 million baht (about $1 million US), it has set design, cinematography, and music and sound design comparable to those of “prestige TV” from services like Netflix, HBO Max, or Apple TV. It also has a high level of acting. Newcomers Pangjie Paphavarin Sawasdiwech as Bell and Mable Siriwalee Siriwibool as Claire are joined by a company of veteran Thai actors, some of whom (including Davika and Ter themselves) have been stars and award-winners or nominees in other productions. I’d especially single out Noon Siraphan Wattanajinda as “3D” leader Dao and Belle Kemisara Paladesh as Bell’s cellmate Kae; their struggles for dominance over the inmate hierarchy amid their own personal troubles drive some of the most compelling subplots in the series.

Those who go looking will find various things to critique in ClaireBell: A few of the plot elements, most notably the circumstances behind Claire’s imprisonment, strain credulity. The 8-episode runtime somewhat rushes the development of Claire and Bell’s relationship. Yuri purists may object to the inclusion of heterosexual couplings (including one scene jarringly intercut with a love scene between Claire and Bell.) And, most amusingly, the product placements that helped fund the series cause the action to occasionally pause as Claire and Bell feed each other slices of bread out of a prominently-displayed loaf, enthusiastically consume yogurt or instant ramen, or comment on the softness of each other’s bras.

But quibbles aside, ClaireBell is top-tier television. Among Thai series I’ve watched I would put it next to The Loyal Pin in terms of overall quality, and I think it almost as significant for the continued development of Thai yuri as was the original GAP. Idol Factory has now imploded in an orgy of financial mismanagement and executive and cast resignations, with Freen and Becky leaving to pursue their own paths. Nine Star is struggling for relevance after Faye’s departure under controversial circumstances (did she jump or was she pushed?). In contrast, Davika and Ter seem to be as competent producers as they were actors. I hope their Mine Media production company builds on the success of ClaireBell to create further yuri series whose quality convinces other Thai production houses to up their game.

Ratings:

Story – 8
Characters – 9
Production – 9
Service – 6
Yuri – 10
Overall – 9

ClaireBell offers a touching romance, compelling performances, and interesting stories, all combined in a high-quality production. It‘s strongly recommended for anyone looking for alternatives to the all-too-common fluff or melodrama of many Thai yuri series.

Extra fun fact: Mable Siriwalee Siriwibool, the “Ble” in “Blejie”, has a masters degree in cellular and molecular science for biomedical applications and is the co-author of several scientific papers.