Here we are on the last day of 2015, a year that brought many wonderful things and many difficult things to all of us. I love taking the time to remember some of the wonderful things over the last year, it’s good for anything that might be left of my soul. ^_^

As always, I remind you that this list is my opinion and you are not expected to agree nor do I care if you don’t. ^_^ As long as you’re reasonably civil, please consider yourself welcome to add anything you found notable in 2015 in the comments!

10 – Hayate x Blade

There has been so much amazing Yuri in the past years that I often don’t have room on this list for what is the candidate for my favorite ongoing manga series. It’s not really Yuri, except for Jun being a pervy lesbian, but it fully inhabits all the possible tropes around Yuri and sometimes creates new tropes just to have more ways to pair characters up in our heads.

This year saw the third volume of the 2nd series, for a total of 21 volumes of blood, guts and tear-filled action and comedy and I think it deserves a place on my Top list, because it makes me so damn happy every month to read it.

9 – Sailor Moon Crystal and Sailor Moon

Look, I know I go on and on (and on and on) about this series. I know, really, that it’s not really good, per se, it’s just the thing that got me into anime and Yuri, so it has an important place in my heart and on this blog.

I’m probably alone in this, but I enjoyed Sailor Moon Crystal for exactly what it was – an animated version of the manga, with all the weaknesses and the few strengths of the manga. I’m excited for the third season, even though we’re not getting the Haruka and Michiru we want, we’re getting a slightly different version of them from the one we already know and love to learn to love all over again. And, at the end of the day, we can always go back to Sailor Moon S (and finally, Stars) and see them as we remember them.

I love this stupid, crappy series and am very excited to have been able to be excited all over again about it in 2015. ^_^

8 – LGBTQ Comic Essays

As I look over my past couple of years, I see more and more comic essays popping up in these reviews. I’ve talked about the importance of these multiple times, but it bears repeating – these essays by the likes of  Koyuki Higashi and Masaharu Hiroko, Makimura Asako, Nakamura Kiyo and others are critical to the surfacing of real lesbians living real lives in Japan. I can’t get enough of these and hope to see many more in 2016!

7 – Yuri Kuma Arashi

This was not the anime I wanted, but it was Ikuhara Kunihiko animating Morishima Akiko’s character designs which counts for a lot with me. And it had an Evil Psycho Lesbian in Yurika whom I will treasure and adore for many years to come.

6 – Torikaebaya

There is so much more very good LGBTQ fiction in manga these days. Stories like Otouto no Otto, or Hourou Musuko/Wandering Son have made massive inroads into manga representation for LGBTQ folks (which is partly why the resistance in anime to be anything but infantile these days is more than a little frustrating.) But along with these very excellent stories, there is a classic of Japanse literature that really needs to be looked at and taken seriously. Saito Chiho’s absolutely gorgeous version of the Torikaebaya has got to be on modern classic lists. This story is an actual Japanese classic, and Saito-sensei’s take on it is modern without being preachy or unrealistic. I’d really like more people to be able to read this manga. It’s not easy but it is worth every moment spent with it.

5 – Dear Brother

If Torikaebaya is a perfect example of beautiful classic melodrama, then Dear Brother is the modern equivalent. It oozed melodrama from every pore, and as ridiculous as it sometimes was, it was always magnificent. I am beyond glad to have seen it distibuted legally on streaming and disk and will recommend it to anyone who wants a glimpse of anime in the time before moe ruled.

4 – Omoi no Kakera 

If there is one single problem with Yuri it is that most creators do not provide the characters with society. You get two characters in love with one another, without connection to an outside world, apparently uninterested, unaware or incapable of learning about a larger lesbian community.

This is a mistake that Takemiya Jin never makes. Her characters know they are gay. They know what that means, they talk with other people about it. They have slang and peers and books and the Internet and brain cells where they work out their own paticular issues as individuals who are part of a larger world.

I cannot begin to tell you how refreshing it is to see Takako counseling Mika, and Mika explaining how things work to Mayu. There is community, there is continuity, there is knowledge about gayness as a human experience. Phew. For these touches, once again a work by Takemiya-sensei makes my Top Ten list! (She’s been on here so often, I oughta open up a wing special for her. ^_^)

3 – Okazu Guest Reviewers, Readers and Patrons

Every year I thank you, but it can never be enough.

Thank you for reading my posts, for commenting on them, for writing in with opinions and ideas and disagreements and for never being disagreeable. Special heartfelt thanks to my Patrons who have allowed me to do so much in 2015 and with whose help I have amazing things planned for 2016! (Keep your eyes peeled for a new campaign in the coming year.)

Thank you to my Guest Reviewers – so many of you become friends as you help me build Okazu and expand its reach and scope.

Thanks to every last one of you, you are all an important part of the Okazu family!

2 – Whispered Words in English from One Peace Books

I can’t overestimate the importance of this book. The series itself was a delight and for that I’m super glad we got it here. You finally got to see the ending we always wanted for a school life Yuri romance. But for me, more importantly, this book saw the entrance of One Peace Books – a publisher who values the readers here at Okazu. We appreciate this and appreciate their ongoing efforts!

For  a great series, all the Yuri tropes all at once with a great ending, Whispered Words makes number 2 on this year’s list. It might have made number one, except for one little thing…

1 – Same-sex Marriage

There is something so much more important to me than even the best Yuri manga. If you pay attention to my reviews, you’ll see that I reward realism every time. Not because I dislike fantasy, but because the power of realistic representation can never be overstated. In 2015 two reasonably amazing things happened. In one, every single same-sex couple in the United States was given the right to be married if they wanted – to have their relationships recognized by their city, their state and their federal government.  The USA was not the first country to do so, obviously, but let’s be honest about the effect this decision had. It was big.

And in the way that decision was big, the decision to offer same-sex marriage certificates in Shibuya was small. A teeny-weeny first baby step only. And then Setagaya Ward took anothet teeny-weeny step by joining Shibuya. There are 23 wards of Tokyo, of these only 2 have these certificates. Then Takarazuka city in Hyogo prefecture took that same baby step. And Iga, in Mie prefecture. And so the baby steps are taken, one at a time. The baby steps grow to big steps. It works like this with humans, We fear what we don’t know, what “they” are doing, but the more familiar with it, the less fearful we become. And so, I end this year’s top list with the recognition that same-sex marriage has come to the USA, and a hope for all my friends in Japan that they will see it soon there.

Again, thank you for an amazing year and here’s to an even better 2016!

And here we are at the second of our three Top Lists of the year. Once again, I break all the rules because, duh, they are my rules and I get to do that! ^_^ Objectively speaking, there’s no *way* anyone should use this list as a list of recommendations for anyone else other than me.

Strap yourselves in and get ready to disagree in the comments!

10 – Otouto no Otto

Yes, number 10 on my top Yuri manga list is not a Yuri manga. ^_^ It is, however, one of the most important LGBTQ manga published in Japan in 2015. In this manga, creator Tagame Gengoroh sheds every single trope for a pared down, crushingly beautiful and realistic look at a gay man visiting his dead husband’s hometown. This story runs in a mainstream men’s manga magazine and I desperately hope it paves the way for more realistic LGBTQ manga fiction in the future.

9 – Comic Yuri Hime, Rakuen Le Paradis, Comic Cune, Comic High and all the Mangatime Kirara magazines

Let’s face it, if it weren’t for these magazines which run Yuri manga, we wouldn’t have much Yuri manga. The fact that we can actually go to something like Bookwalker Global and click on “Yuri” as a category is because magazines like these, imperfect as they are, are supporting and investing in Yuri artists and in the end, that kind of financial support is what Yuri needs. So I’ll keep buying them, and once again, want to thank these folks for their investment.

8 – MURCIÉLAGO

I am pretty confident that no one else but me would put this ugly, violent piece of utter crap on a Top List, but that’s okay. I actually look forward to getting new volumes of this particular piece of crap. It has no redeeming qualities, it just happens to hit my soft spots for psychotic violent lesbians. This is not a recommendation for you to read this, just recognition that I do.

7 – Comic Anthologies (Mebae, Yu-Ribon, Freya Anthology, Valor, Beyond, Dates  and others)

Anthologies are the best and worst of everything all at once. They are frustrating, when the stories rely on old, tired tropes, they are delightful when they do something never seen before.

On days I am despairing at the future of Yuri, I remind myself that while publishers in Japan may be relying on the tried and true to sell to the same people, crowdfunding allows us to push the boundaries of what we think of as “Yuri” all the time. And when a story in anthology is outstanding, it gives one hope for not only the future of comics, or of Yuri, but for humanity.

6 – Iono The Fanatics

Iono-sama is the exact opposite of Kumomori Kuroko, except for the lesbian part, but what this series lacks in violence and psychosis, it makes up for in sugary sweet and cool. I adore Flèche and Arata’s romance, silly as it is, and I find the clothing design and set pieces of the auditions amusing and comfortable. It was nice to get a perfect edition of this Yuri classic, complete with new Drama CDs, thus scratching another of my itches. All around a good thing and a series I would love to see more of, even if it was really all just the same thing over and over. ^_^

5 – Ai Rabu Yuu Yori Aishiteru

Sometimes a story hits me more after I have read it than while actually reading it. (Quote often, in fact.) For whatever reason, this story struck me as cute when I read it, but as I thought about it, it grew on me.

As I think about it, it comes down to one thing – the characters’ honesty. They talk about their feelings, and don’t let them fester. Kazumi, particularly, seems to be unusually honest and upfront about her feelings. The lack of drama plus the honesty combined to make this one of my top reads in 2015.

4 – Golondrina

This manga just completely flew under most reviewer’s radar. In Japanese, by est em, but not BL, it was beautiful and brutal. Chika was a very real protagonist, even if there were times you couldn’t like her, per se. From beginning to end, she’s a lesbian and in the end that is the thing that helps her find herself as she finally becomes La Golondrina. I really loved this series and was terribly sorry to see it end. But there is no doubt in my mind that it belongs on this list.

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Taking a moment for a deep breath, here, at last, after much consideration is my Top 3 Yuri Manga of the Year!

3 – Omoi no Kakera and Love Desu

Another series that I’m sad to see go, but I’m very glad was created at all, Omoi no Kakera started in one place and ended somewhere completely different. Throughout, it introduced all sorts of excitingly real things from actual lesbian and gay life and threw in a couple of tropey side stories for good measure. I looked forward to this every chapter and knew the moment I put it down that it would be here in the top three for the year. Takemiya Jin’s work is always exceptional.

When I reviewed Kuzushiro’s Love Desu, I began “At last, a Yuri manga that was written for me! I do not care if nobody else on the whole planet enjoyed this book, because I loved it.” And yes, that’s pretty much exactly how I feel about it. ^_^ I enjoyed the violence, the emotional torment, expressed through stabbing and shooting and the tender moments as they laid there bleeding and arguing over who would be uke. This was my kind of Yuri. ^_^

2 -Non-fiction Lesbian Comics

I mentioned these last year and will continue to mention these until everyone knows how amazing this new trend is. Where Otouto no Otto is opening up new avenues for gay fiction manga, lesbian manga has blossomed into a whole new nonfiction path. Stories like Manga de Tsuzuru Yurina Hibi, Doukyonin no Bishoujo ga Lesbian Datta Ken and the brand new autobiographical comic essay by Nakamura Ching, Okaasan Futari itemoii kana? all tell real stories of real people, living as lesbians, loving and building relationships and families. I honestly can’t get enough of these. I think they are the most important thing to happen to manga in years.

Finally…we come to our Number one Yuri manga of 2015! Have you guessed?

1 – Whispered Words

This surprising series came to a close this year breaking ground for a new publisher among our ranks and giving us the ending we’d always wanted – not just happily ever after, but happily accepted by peers right now.

It was a comedy, it was a tragedy, it made us uncomfortable and almost without anyone noticing, it was one of the few Yuri manga in which the characters came out to their friends and family and everyone loved them anyway.  It was a hell of a series, and I am utterly thankful to One Peace Books for bringing this out in English so everyone can enjoy it. I know I certainly did.

My number one Yuri Manga of 2015 is Whispered Words, the English edition of Sasamekikoto, by Ikeda Takashi.

Here we are at the tail end of 2014. This is the tenth annual Top Yuri of the year list. Last year it was all about people. This year, we’re looking at a tumultuous year of people, places, things, companies, anime, manga, very real non-fiction and fiction that felt real. This year was an awesome meta-look at itself, with old series coming back again, beloved series ending and a host of changes. Yuri, the genre that we love, is ready to take on the 21st century. Here we go, revisting this amazing year in our Top Ten Yuri List!

10. Maria-sama ga Miteru 15th Anniversary

This is not a thing, per se. I’m not talking about the anniversary event, or any specific moment. But I thought it interesting and important enough to note that – despite not being Yuri specifically – this series has, for 15 years, made us all so very happy. And with the final period of the final novel it is officially over, so now is a great time to dig out the DVDs and novels and start all over again! For Sachiko, Yumi, Touko, Shimako, Noriko, Rei, Yoshino, Nana, Youko, Eriko (and, let’s be honest, especially for) Sei, let’s raise a toast to the 15th Anniversary of Maria-sama ga Miteru.

9-7. Yuri Publishers

I always like to take a moment to thank the publishers who bring us the Yuri Manga we love and which become the anime we love.  There are fewer Yuri anthology magazines than there were a few years ago, but we have more publishers than ever before.

Thanks, OnePeace Books, Seven Seas, Ichijinsha, Futabasha, Hakusensha, Shonen Gahosha and all the other publishers for giving us more Yuri from great artists!

6.  Yuri Non-fiction Comic Essays

This was something totally new for this year. I loved reading the auto- or semi-biographical comic Yuri essays that popped up in bookstores throughout the year Advice on being gay and confident from Makimura Asako, coming out letters from lesbian and gay people to people they care about, a Japanese TV talent who wants the world to know that she’s lesbian,  an essay about the lesbian wedding in Disneyland – these tales tell the stories of real people who just want to be accepted for who they are by their friends and families and fans and government. These essays are everyday people talking to other everyday people. I’m loving them – and the hope they represent for LGBTQ folks in Japan.

5. Yuri Doujinshi Artists

Just out of curiosity, I took a look at past Top Ten Lists to see what I was thinking in 2004. It was entertaining, but not surprising, to find that I listed Yuri doujinshi artists on that first list. ^_^  Doujinshi has always been the breeding ground for good Yuri. Unfettered by publisher requirements, censors, limitations of audience or genre, artists are free to tell the stories they want to read.

Most of the best known and best loved manga artists started as doujinshi artists and many of them still create doujinshi on their own time. There is *nothing* like the energy of a Comiket, or the sheer fun of a Yuri-focused doujinshi event. For being the standard-bearers of Yuri through good years and bad, Yuri doujinshi artists get my thanks once again.

4. Kuzushiro

This lady. I mean it. She’s got a load of work right now, with multiple series in Comic Yuri Hime and you know, everything I’ve read by her…I like. Her art hurts my eyes and her sense of humor hurts my brain, but she draws gag comedy that is incredibly smart, even as it’s incredibly dumb.  It’s really time we give her the respect he deserves what with her cranking out all this stuff we’re enjoying and having a successful anime and all. Thanks Kuzushiro-sensei!

Okay, so basically, these top three are just so damn cool that there’s nothing I can say other than “wow.” For sheer yeeha factor, there was never any doubt what my top three Yuri things of the year were going to be.

Here’s the Okazu 2014 Top 3 Yuri things….

3. Ikuhara Kunihiko and Morishima Akiko collaborating on Yuri Kuma Arashi

HOW COOL IS THIS? Answer: Very cool. Morishima Akiko is an artist I have been following for a ridiculously long time. To see her working with someone whose contributions to Yuri are indescribably weird and timeless and mindblowing is both unexpected and delightful. I have no idea if I’ll enjoy what comes out the other side, but it’s going to be interesting, that’s a given.

This makes, what, a half  dozen or so “Yuri” anime marketed as such in the past few years? That’s a net positive in and of itself. But seriously, Yuri Kuma Arashi is gonna be weird fun.  And it’s gonna be Yuri. With bears. It’s got bears! It has to be good. ^_^

2. The Yuri Network

Traditionally, Okazu readers have always had a place on this list, but this year I’m bumping you up. Yuri fans all over the world come here to read, to comment, to write guest reviews, to send in news items.

It’s not just that you contribute huge chunks of great content, you make everything we do worth doing. You fact check me, and aren’t afraid to share your thoughts, your experiences and ideas. You support the artists your like by buying from legit sources, and you give me hugs when I get to meet you in person! Each and every one of you is an important part of our Okazu family.

For all your time, energy, engagement and interest, you are the second best thing about Yuri this year!

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Even better than how amazing you are, there was one thing that really stood above all other things this year as a special contribution to Yuri. Something actually groundbreaking…

1. Seidosha’s Eureka “Current State of Yuri Culture” Issue

We’ve been collecting (and creating) writing about Yuri as a genre for about a decade here on Okazu and on Yuricon. But until 2014, there hadn’t been an attempt to look at Yuri as a genre by academic and enthusiast writers in Japan.

It’s immensely exciting to be part of this volume, but even more exciting for me to see critical thinking about the entire genre, from Yoshiya Nobuko to Shimura Takako. Included in the pages of this issue are interviews with or articles by a number of our favorite creators – Konno Oyuki, Rica Takashima, Amano Shuninta and Nishi UKO, speaking from the trenches.

What makes Yuri? Where have we come from and what are we looking at? Most importantly – what are we looking forward to Yuri becoming?

There was never a doubt in my mind that of all the amazing, wonderful, things that happened to us in 2014, Seidosha’s Eureka magazine “Current State of Yuri Culture” issue is the Top Yuri thing of 2014.

On behalf of everyone at Okazu and Yuricon, we wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2015 to you and yours!!