Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


Rainbows After Storms, Volume 2

March 10th, 2025

Having met them in Volume 1, in Rainbows After Storms, Volume 2 we get to learn a bit more about our protagonists Chidori and Nanoha. We learn about their likes and dislikes, how they met and started to date, and about their friends, a little.

In some ways we’re in a relationship with them ourselves, and can think of this volume as a second date. In Volume 1 we decided we kind of like them and want to see them again. Now we’re ready to learn a bit more. Chidori had long hair and a previous failed relationship. Nanoha is afraid of lightning and very embarrassed about it and shares the sweets she makes with her friends.

This is not a dramatic story. Both Nanoha and Chidori are low-key nice people. Their friends are, as well. These are just a couple of nice kids and we’d like to see them be happy. When I reviewed Volume 2 in Japanese, I chalked this up to Shonen Sunday not being ready to have nuance (or romance) yet in their Yuri. I stand by that, 5 years later. It’ll take a while for both Shogakukan and Nanoaha and Chidori…bu they’ll all get there. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 6
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 3
Service – 1, mostly on principle

Overall – 7

I’ve added a point to my original review because I know this series sticks the landing. ^_^ Enjoy this gentle series by Luka Kobachi now, from Viz Media! Volume 3 is on the way in April.

 





Hana ni Arashi 13 (はなにあらし)

March 7th, 2025

Two girls in wedding dresses, a taller blonde and shorter brunette wear expressions of joy as they lean in toward one another.In their time, Nanoha and Chidori have spent 3 years together. In real time it has been a very slow, very gentle, even tentative 5 years. Hana ni Arashi ran from 2018-2023. I’ve had this final volume on my to-read pile for literal years and only just managed to finish it up, motivated by Viz Media’s release of the series in English as Rainbows After Storms. So, let’s finally look at Hana ni Arashi, Volume 13 (はなにあらし)

Like Kase-san and Yamada, we’ve watched Chidori and Nanoha mature as they, for the first time in their lives, are required to think about next year differently than they have for the last 12 years. Every year thus far they have been presented with little choice – another school year. Now they must *make plans* for next year. Where they will go, what they will do, how they will accomplish these new goals… they have talked about how they will do those things together. But, also not with their every day school friends, who have also decidedon their new courses in life.

Nanoha, Chidori and their friends spend this volume wallowing in nostalgia; smiling at the energetic first-years, visiting places that they have spent so much time in and will very likely never see again.

Finally, there is one more thing to do. They go to the roof to bid farewell to the town and each other. And so Nanoha can blow their confession in the absolutely cutest way possible that has me grinning even now. This series, and The Summer You Were There are proof that and ending can be 100% predictable and still hit the mark. This one hit the mark. Kobachi Luka kept me reading through 13 volumes of one of the nothing happen-est high school love stories and I liked it. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 8
Service – 0

Overall – 8

Now you can like it, too as Rainbows After Storms, Volume 1 and Volume 2 are out from Viz Media and Volume 3 will be on the way in April.

Oh, and PS – their friends and they don’t “never see each other again,” at last. Thank you Kobachi-sensei for acknowledging the existence of phones and trains! It is so bizarre when mangaka act like high school is a cliff one falls off of, to never see any of one’s old friends ever again.

 





Comic Yuri Hime March 2025 (コミック百合姫2025年3月号)

March 6th, 2025

Two women sit under a heated table in the morning sunshine One has her hair tied up in a bear-ear headband and holds a mug, the other wears a dark hoodie as she eats.Comic Yuri Hime March 2025 (コミック百合姫2025年3月号) begins with another documentary photo/illustration. Titled “why is it that I feel so cozy when I am with you?” The subjects are now 19 years old, sitting under a heated table in December. The prisming of the light in this image is just lovely. Hechima’s cover art is a bit moe for my taste, but I am very into the concept. ^_^

Kashikaze’s “Kimi ga Hoerutame no Uta wo” starts taking steps forward as Haru and Yuu go to Karaoke to practice in a safe space and bring Haru face to face with her hopes and fears.

“Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou,” written by inori. illustarted by Aonoshimo, is knee deep into the activating events of the Revolution arc. As Claire, Lily and Rae confront Salas in front of the king, Salas reveals Lily’s  dark secret…and Mt. Sassal explodes. Chaos is about to fall on Bauer.

Shiho and Aki are gonna be okay. In “Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau,” they finish their date without their tail of Hima and Yori, and have some important conversations. Even more importantly – they have fun. But don’t worry, there is at least one more couple to pair up in this Yuritopia. ^_^

In “Muryoku seijo to munou Oujo ~ Maryoku Zero de Shoukansareta Seijo no Isekai Kyuukoku-ki” the princess is kidnapped, , but more importantly, Arisu gets over herself and begins to truly work with Nana.

This chapter of “Gakeppuchi Reijou wa Kuro Kishi-sama o Horesasetai!” was really kind of wonderful. As Frost-sama in her Black Knight persona is going all out with equal-in-might bodyguard Shion, Clarice is inside winning with her power of conversation, insight and complete confidence in Frost. This battle had two fronts and both were handled beautifully. I’m really enjoying this story by sometime, illustrated by Suoh, in part because the premise is just…part of the story.

“Stellvia no Bouquet” continues to be quite emotional. Liza meets with her mentor, then says goodbye to Ellen now that her protege has graduated. It is a tearful parting that I am 1000% sure will end next chapter. ^_^;

“Kiraware Majo Reijou to Dansou Ouji no Konyaku” ends with the happily ever after we expected. I enjoyed this series, but kept wanting to to do what the Black Knight story does – find an actual story, instead of just having the relationship be the story. Dark magic is recognized as a legitimate form of magic, the end.

Kobara Yuuko’s column “Film ni Saku Yurinohana o Atsumete Kimi ni Okuritai” took a look at the movie based on Shimura Takako’s Dounika Naru Hibi (どうにかなる日々) which I reviewed in 2020 under the English title Happy Go Lucky Days. Like me, they enjoyed the lesbians meet at a wedding scenario. ^_^

I always say this, but I feel it is important to understand – I read about half of this magazine regularly and enjoy roughly a third of the stories, varying from month to month. Of these, I summarize a handful, because not every chapter of every story is notable. I also want to repeat the fact that there are stories I both read and don’t much enjoy or don’t read at all. Why is that important? Because you and I may not agree on the kinds of Yuri we enjoy, so if you understand that Comic Yuri Hime has stories for different kinds of Yuri, maybe you’ll give it a try. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

The April Issue has already hit JP shelves and is in my current reading pile and some very interesting stuff is happening in those pages! ^_^





The Flower Princess of Sylph

March 5th, 2025

A glowing butterfly illuminates lush red roses, and two women's faces. A woman with pale hair, her eyes closed, and a woman wearing a head band/wimple over her dark hair.by Patricia Baxter, Guest Reviewer

A new king has been crowned in the Kingdom of the Wind: Princess Natalia, the final member of the royal family. While Natalia is determined to stand tall and do right by the people of her kingdom, the reality is significantly more difficult, as she has lost her brother, Louis the previous King, and their father, the King before both of them, in quick succession. To make matters worse, the wind sword, Sylphide, no longer seems to work as it is meant to, causing Natalia to feel like an insufficient ruler, with no one to turn to in her immense grief. As she grants herself a moment alone to mourn, an unexpected figure steps forward to offer support: Sister Sara, a nun of the Petal Convent.

Kamejiro’s The Flower Princess of Sylph is a series made with a great deal of forethought and care, as the author has showcased a commitment to plotting a world of wind and flowers. Their worldbuilding has a strong foundation, slowly introducing more information on the Sylph, their royal descendants, the magic blade Sylphide, and Sara’s unusual connection to them as the story progresses. The architecture and clothing of the people in the world are adorned in various floral and plant motifs, showing a visual commitment to the world they created. My favourite detail is that each chapter in the series is named after a flower or plant, and the events that play out in each chapter align with their symbolic meanings in the flower languages of Europe and North America. All of these choices show a degree of care and craftsmanship that is deeply admirable.

The fact that Kamejiro does not shy away from Natalia’s intense grief is another aspect of this series that I also greatly appreciate. It can be very tempting to push a character, especially a protagonist, towards recovering from mental health problems as quickly as possible for the sake of the overall narrative, but that is not the case here. Instead, the current plot of The Flower Princess of Sylph is focused on Natalia’s gradual recovery, and that this will be a slow, ongoing process throughout the course of the series.

That being said, even a well plotted story is not immune to a few quirks and criticisms. The art is generally impressive, especially when Natalia cuts loose with her powers of the Sylph, but there are some instances where the art can feel a bit rough. Additionally, while most of the gags are funny and well-paneled, certain jokes, like Natalia accidentally hurting herself in her stubbornness, become less grimly humorous and more frustrating and concerning by the fifth chapter. 

Sara is also a character that will probably be rather polarizing for some readers. On the one hand, she is an intriguing character who hides her true intentions and cunning behind a facade of carelessness, but on the other hand her attempts to cheer up the princess can feel a bit jarring and tactless. Considering one of the ongoing mysteries of the series is Sara’s connection to the Sylphide, your opinion on her character may be a deciding factor in whether or not you wish to continue reading the series.

Overall, The Flower Princess of Sylph is a well-crafted fantasy yuri series with plenty of room to grow. A lot of seeds have been planted, including the lilies, but only time will tell what this manga will eventually blossom into.

The series is available on most major electronic reading platforms, such as Global BookWalker, with chapters available for individual purchase. The first chapter is free and the subsequent chapters are 1.99 USD each.

Ratings:

Art: 7.5
Story: 6.5 (good worldbuilding, but the plot itself is rather thin right now)
Characters: 7 (only Natalia and Sara are given any focus so far)
Service: 0 (unless you have a thing for nuns, which would bump the rating up significantly)
Yuri: 2 (only begins to sprout during the fifth chapter)

Overall: 7.5





Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – March 1, 2025

March 1st, 2025

In blue silhouette, two women face each other. One wears a fedora and male-styled attire, one is in a dress and heels. Their body language is obscure - they may be dancing, or laughing or fighting. Art by Mari Kurisato for Okazu Yuri Anime

“Coming Soon”…the website for a Jellyfish Can’t Swim In the Night x Girls Band Cry collaboration says, but what, exactly, is coming, is unknown. Fans of these two band anime can look forward to something, coming soon! In the meantime, enjoy the key visual on the site, which shows both groups passing on the street.

Via SugoiLITE on X, ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword is getting an anime adaption.

On ANN’s This Week In Anime, Coop and Steve delve into their perspective on Utena’s Revolution. On the same topic, there will be a Utena pop-up in the Shinjuku Marui Annex at the end of March, if you find yourself in Tokyo.

 

 

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Yuri Manga

Kase-san and Yamada, Volume 4, the ninth in the Kase-san series, hits EN shelves in April.

Yen has licensed two new titles, Common  Sense Monster, and the Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: Reload.

Azuki has licensed a huge batch of Square Enix titles, including, Flower Princess of Sylph and LILIES.

Via Comic Natalie, we have a couple of Yuri romantic comedies:

7-Kakan Gentei Kanojo,Volume 1 (7日間限定彼女) is a rom-com story of two opposite-personality schoolgirls, who pretend to be dating for a week.

“Chou Fuka Uchuu Yori Ai o Komete” (超深宇宙より愛をこめて) has begun in Comic Yuri Hime after the one-shot did well in a contest. Cool, but very loner, student Teradate finds herself proposed to by an alien princess who says that she saw Teradate from deep space and feel in love when their gazes met. I’m reading it right now and the story is kinda cute, honestly.

 

Yuri Light Novels

Via GA Bunko’s official X account, the final volumes of Shokei Shoujo no Ikiru Michi (Virgin Road), Volume 10 ― Isekai Hito-shi Subeshi ― (処刑少女の生きる道（バージンロード）10 ―異世界人死すべし―) and Shokei Shoujo no Ikiru Michi (Virgin Road), Volume 10 ― Curtain Call ― (処刑少女の生きる道（バージンロード）11 ―カーテン・コール―) published in English as The Executioner and Her Way of Life will be published simultaneously in Japan this month.
 
ANN’s Joana Cayanan has the news that Mikami Teren’s Onna Doushi toka Arienai Desho to Iiharu Onna no Ko o, 100-kakan de Tetteiteki ni Otosu Yuri no Ohanashi  (女同士とかありえないでしょと言い張る女の子を、百日間で徹底的に落とす百合のお話) novels are slated to end with Volume 9 with a link to the manga on Square Enix’s Manga-Up in Japanese.

 

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Games and VNs

Via YNN Correspondent KatGrrrl, Yuri adventure game, Black Lily’s Tale is planning a kickstarter for an EN localization.

This week I met game dev Rosario, who creates Parfum Nostalgique, “A fantastique, dramatique, romantique, traumatique” story in beta. Check out Priro.pro’s work for more gendery gothic fantanstry!

Aikasa Collective is excited to announce that Mizuchi 白蛇心傳 is now available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 & 5 in the US, Europe, and Australia regions. The game is also scheduled for physical console release in Japan on May 5th in major game stores and Rakuten. Congrats to everyone at Aikasa!

 

Live-Action

Via Senior YNN Correspondent Frank Hecker, the British Film Institute’s LGBTQIA+ film festival, BFI Flare, has a nice variety of films for us to enjoy!

Also via Frank, the trailer for gritty Thai GL prison drama CLAIREBELL The Series is on Youtube.

 

Other News

New, on X is Baiheverse, a publisher dedicated to bring Baihe out in English. If you chat with them, suggest they move to Bluesky where there are fewer fascists in charge.

Hayakawa publishing held an Ogawa Kazumizu and Miyazawa Iori talk and autograph session celebrating the end of  Twinstar Cyclone Runaway and the release of Otherside Picnic, Volume 10 in Japan.

Also in a paired event, directors for the Asagao to Kase-san and Flagtime movies, Sato Takuya and Takahashi Minami will be sharing the stage at a March event in Tokyo. Comic Natalie has details.

Once again, Burkely Hermann offers up an excellent read, this time with “The King is the crime!”: Commoners, royalty, and animated depictions of monarchy on Pop Culture Maniacs.

 

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