Yuri Manga

The beginning of the year will bring us a good handful of Comic Yuri Hime manga:

Dark Cherry to Shoujo A (ダークチェリーと少女A) by Chisato, Ohsawa Yayoi’s Okujou Pikapika Romance (屋上ぴかぴかロマンス), The second volume of Renai Idenshi XX (恋愛遺伝子) by Zaou Taishi and Eiki Eiki, The second volume of Koujo Yuriko’s Tsuki to Sekai to Etoile (月と世界とエトワール), the first volume of Bousou Girlsteki Mousou Renaiteki Suteki Project (ボウソウガールズテキモウソウレンアイテキステキプロジェクト(B・G・M・R・S・P)) by Kawai Roh.

Also in the new year, we’ll get the third volume  of Amano Syuninta’s Watashi no Sekai o Kousei Suru Chiri no You na Nanika (私の世界を構成する塵のような何か) This is significant, not too many series have been allowed a third volume from Comic Yuri Hime. Even some of our favorite series were cut off at two volumes. I’m glad the honor is going to an actual lesbian drama, rather than a “Story A” type of story. And one that has been so well crafted, too. It’s been a real pleasure following this series.

From a Polaris Comics, Kujira has a Yuri manga called Yasashi Hari, according to Comic Natalie.

I keep meaning to mention this to you as well. There is a novel on Amazon Japan called Yuri no Real (百合のリアル) which claims to tell a real-life story about a lesbian. I have no idea how it is, or what it is, but I guess we’ll find out. ^_^ Update: Via Matt Thorn, I find that the author, Makimura Asako, has Posted a Facebook status about this. So that seals it. This is, in fact, Real Yuri. I’m so glad. And now I look forward to reading it that much more. ^_^

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Yuri Anime

Funimation has announced March 2014 releases among which are Ikkitousen: Xtreme Executor. I didn’t actually think we’d ever see that. I remember it as being better than most of the preceding seasons. I wonder if I made that up in my head. ^_^

The Bodacious Space Pirates Movie trailer is up for our viewing pleasure. I’m really looking forward to this.
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Other News

The Sailor Moon  Official website has been given a very spiffy new look. The goods, manga and world sections are live. It has areas for the 90s animation, the live action and the upcoming animation, but these areas are, as of yet, blanked.  It’s a pretty site, though. ^_^

Women make up 45% of gamers. 2/3rds of gamers are over 18. The prevailing wisdom of “the gaming  audience is horny boys is a myth, like a hydra. Like a hydra, it’s time for it to die. Women’s images in gaming are sexualized and their roles are diminished  because it is easier to believe in the myth than to think critically and buck the trend. Just like TV execs all wanted a voyeuristic reality show when one such show became popular, we cannot expect gaming execs to suddenly become enlightened. Gamers, it is on you to actually tell gaming companies that you want better female character options. Not  blog about it, not just Tweet to friends, actually write an email or letter and let them know.

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That’s a wrap for this week! Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge. Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!

Yuri Anime

In case the Sailor Moon reboot coming this winter isn’t on your must-watch list, and Sakura Trick seems a little ootsey-cutesy, don’t worry, because there’s another anime coming up that might interest you, Akuma no Riddle. Set in a girl’s school where Haru is being targeted by assassins, one assassin falls for her target.

Remember a few weeks ago when a new Card Captor Sakura figurine was announced? Well, now it’s been announced that three Card Captor Sakura design sketchbooks will be available at this Winter Comiket.

The re-released DVDs of the original Sailor Moon anime have hit the shelves in Germany.

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Yuri Events

Winter Comiket is coming. December  29, 30, 31. A quick look at original Yuri circles I like tells me they’ll mostly be there on Day 2, the 30th. You can access the Comiket Catalog online, free, with registration. The site is in Japanese, of course. I note that the original Yuri section has been moved from the West Hall into the East Halls and now occupies a handful of blocks (rather than a row or two) in the F &G (“original shoujo”) sections of East Hall 1 on the 30th. And I note that Takemiya Jin-sensei is back as Junk Lab. ^_^ For anime parody Yuri (like Madoka and PreCure) you’ll be heading to East Hall 5 on the 29th. Having a few Circles to triangulate by really helps. If you can’t type in Japanese characters, search “UKOZ” and “Fantastic Yuri Rhythm” for original and parody orienteering, respectively.

Girls Love Fest will be returning to the Tokyo metropolitan area on March 3rd, 2014 in the company of a number of other series-focused, Yuri-focused, doujinshi shows.

YNN correspondent JHB. wants you to know that there is a Sailor Moon event on December 21 in Chile!

I managed to miss more than one amazing Yuri-interest event being held at the Asagaya Loft (Loft is a department store that has a number of locations around Tokyo.) The Asagaya Location held a Yurist event in October, and GUNJO creator Nakamura Ching-sensei earlier this month. I’ve got the schedule bookmarked now and see that Honey x Honey creator Takeuchi Sachiko will be appearing there this month the 21st.

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Other News

Bandai, in their infinite quest for yen, is re-releasing the 90s version of Sailor Moon’s lockets (Of which we have most, I believe, because otaku with actual houses to store things in are dangerous.)

Had to share this, from YNN Correspondent Lee K., Women’s In-jokes in Heian Japan: Makura no soshi – this links to the synopsis, where a full text link is available.

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That’s a wrap for this week! Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge. Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!

Data dump this weekend, I’m just a tad busy. To make up for it, it’s some pretty cool stuff.

You like sexy women, Japanese art, youkai and weapons, right? Well, good, because that’s exactly the kind of art Yumiko Kayukawa does. The wife and I have already bought ourselves the artbook as a holiday present. ^_^ It’s totally gorgeous.

Sweet Blue Flowers/Aoi Hana manga is being released in Italy!

In honor of the 15th anniversary of the Powerpuff Girls, SalbeCombe has created a funky opening animation for the Japanese version.

Are you a woman looking for a tailor that actually takes you seriously? Bindle and Keep of Brooklyn, NY seems like a good bet. Check out there tab for Women. Its not just bois and babydykes.

This month’s Alive magazine debuts a new Yuri story, classily titled “Kiss and Yuri that Girl” (「あの娘にキスと白百合を」). I expect it will be great. (-_-)

It’s been a hectic coupla weeks, and I apologize, but promise to do a real report for next week. (Unless I get a better offer, of course. ^_^)

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That’s a wrap for this week! Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge. Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!

Things to Read

A webcomic about gay and lesbian robots? Sounds good to me! O Human Star has appealing art, and characters that might as well not actually be non-human, they are so human.

Memoria writes in to let you all know that she has a webcomic called Diexemor that, as she states in the Intro, “this story has lesbians…so don’t read if you hate them.” ^_^

YNN Correspondent David M. notes that the Fantagraphics Spring Season Kickstarter added Wandering Son, Volume 7 as a reward at the $40 level. There are still some of these left.

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Things to Watch

The first 8 minutes of Ghost in the Shell: Arise, Second Border is streaming on YouTube with English subtitles. Just enable the Closed Captions by clicking the CC button.

If you missed the first two waves of anime in the 80s and 90s, you may never have had a chance to see the original Bubblegum Crisis and Bubblegum Crash series. It’s old school and there is at least one arc that is very Yuri. Because it’s also way out of print, there is a Kickstarter to remaster and reprint the Bubblegum Crisis (thanks to Shannon L. for noting that only Crisis – which, admittedly is the better of the two – is being re-issued.). If you’ve come to anime after the year 2000, you might really want to consider getting in on this.

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Things to Think About

It has been noted by several people that the January issue of Comic Yuri Hime has a “Hrm”-making cover. The creator of Kannagi, Takanashi Eri, drew this K-ON! lookalike cover. I’m hoping this is not a new trend.

David M. also points out this item of note: A blog post about girls in anime with Tactical skills.

Comicosity has an interesting Interview with writer and artist J.H. Williams, on Batwoman and LGBT visibility in comics.

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Things to Enjoy

YNN Correspondent Sean G. sent me this link of bad-ass Sukeban Deka Covers.

I am seriously needing these earphone jack Sailor Moon henshin wands.A nd I’m just going to say this out loud – I really do not think we’ll be getting the Outers in this reboot. Not one single new item has included them.

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That’s a wrap for this week! Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge. Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!