Archive for the Yuri Manga Category


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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Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 10 (おとなになっても)

February 28th, 2025

Two adult women, painted in watercolor style, embrace as they smile brightly. One, with long dark hair wears a blue and white striped sweater and white slacks. The other has short blunt-cut red/orange hair, wears a green blouse, and red skirt. There are a lot of lose strings to tie up here at Shimura Takako’s Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 10 (おとなになっても). And, while the final bow is a bit messy, everything is tied up even if it means tucking in the aglets wherever there is space.

The story began with Ayano and Wataru married. Here they will, maybe for the first and only time in their lives, speak to each other like equal adults unencumbered by expectations. They can move on freely. Wataru’s mother has a long-needed awakening. There’s no way to know if it will be good or bad for her in the long run, but as a narrative choice, it was crucial. Eri’s story goes slightly pear-shaped, but it leaves Eri out of it. She deserves an epilogue of her own.

Ayano and Akari are fine. They move through this volume lightly, almost as second thought, meeting up with other characters, collecting and tying up all those loose ends.

I don’t know how to talk about the most interesting and weirdest piece of this volume without spoilers, so consider this a warning. Our three middle-schoolers have finally, fully resolved their concerns. When it turns out one of them has written a story about all the characters in the story, the other two jump in to help. What happens is a weird bending of the story itself as they narrate the various pieces of the story…even bits they could not know. 

Was all of this always a narrative told by these three girls? I actually hope so.

I have said this very often, but Shimura’s work is always a little problematic for me. Even beyond the specific kinks/fetishes/issues/whatever,  Shimura mines queer lives for drama, but does not identify as a gender or sexual minority. Does that make the work exploitative? It kind of does, but also, there is clearly a sense of telling genuine stories that heal and promote queer joy, so maybe exploitation is not the right word. Maybe Shimura is closeted, maybe something else, but the body of Shimura-sensei’s work is pretty neck deep in queerness, which seems odd for a person who is not queer. I always want to assume the best, and just hope that this is all a desire to find interesting characters and tell uplifting stories that include queer folk.

This story is queer in a real way. Akari continues to be a lesbian role model, Ayano becomes more comfortable talking about being bisexual, or perhaps always lesbian, but sucked into societal norms. And in the end, pretty much everyone gets the ending they deserve. Whatever the motivation, in both art and story, Otona ni Nattemo has been the best work I’ve seen from Shimura-sensei and the ending being a little bendy at the end, did not disappoint.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 0
LGBTQ+ – 10

Overall – 8

 





Galette, No. 27 (ガレットNo.27)

February 16th, 2025

Seen behind obscuring greenery, two women in black and white look at each other intimately in pen's cover image for Galette. No. 27How did I get anything done on Okazu when I had a job in an office originally? It’s been 15 years since I had a commute and phew, this really sucks one’s time away, doesn’t it? I kind of remember taking a mid-afternoon break every day in the 00s just to write, I might have to institute that again.  ^_^ I am still running way behind on reading Galette magazine in Japanese. Volume 33  was just released to supporters and Volume 32 is available to the general public now. And here I am….

Galette, No. 27 (ガレットNo.27) was a turning point for the magazine. In it’s 7th year of publication, the roster of creators had sort of solidified. Hakamada Mera and Morinaga Milk were leading the charge with some of their earlier works beefing up the volume. Galette began hosting their own events, signings and more. They were beginning to partner with physical locations and accepting fan-submissions of short stories to be illustrated. And some of the stories shifted as well.

Besides a reprint of “Himitsu no Recipe” by Morinaga Milk, her “Watashi no Kawaii Neko-chan” turns surprisingly serious for a moment. I have not yet read ahead and do not know what to expect.

Hakamada Mera’s “Aikata System” almost feels as if it is self-healing. I’m still hoping that Cairo can destroy the system, but it’s not looking good at this point.

Momono Moto gives us a whole new story, “Goodby Daisy” in the wake of Kitta Izumi stopping writing “Liberty.” It is very in her wheelhouse, with coercive behavior and tears. She knows what she likes, I guess. ^_^

Other series by Yorita Miyuki and Nekohariko 22 continue and the magazine includes one-shots by aneido, Shirinu, Asube Yui, Sakuraya Yukino and Miho, with  a short story by Ookita Tsugumi and illustrations by Haamin and Miruko.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

I’m going to start No. 28 today.  I think I need a new tablet, so I can read this in bed. It’s hard to read on a laptop screen. ^_^;