Some personal news to start. This week I begin a new job, in a new industry for the first time in 30 years(!), so reviews may be extra sporadic until my schedule gels. The fun part of this job is that my work on Okazu and Yuricon is largely relevant to me getting the job, so I’m looking forward to putting my online content skills to use in a new venue. ^_^

Now on to a week that is chock-full of Yuri news!

Yuri Manga

Hana ni Arashi, the slow, sweet love story of Chidori and Nanoha, two high school girls in love, has been licensed by Viz Media as Rainbows After Storms with a projected fall 2024 release. You can read reviews of Volumes 1-11 here on Okazu.

Shilin Huang announced on Twitter that the Kickstarter for Amongst Us, Volume 2 is going live in March. This is the our-world AU of the main characters from her fantasy epic Carciphona. Volume 1  is available from Seven Seas, which I reviewed last October here on Okazu. Hopefully, they will pick this one up, as well.

My Cute Little Kitten, Volume 2 by Milk Morinaga is out from Seven Seas. I am motivated this weekend to finally get to back to reading Galette magazine to catch up on these two….

Via YNN Correspondent Patricia Baxter, Galette Works is putting out a collection, Ai no Kotoba (愛のことば), an Inui Ayu Collection. You can pre-order it on Galette’s Booth.pm page or Melonbooks.

Asumi-chan is Intertested in Lesbian Brothels, Volume 4 hits shelves this week in English everywhere except Amazon. Link here is to B&N, because I was too lazy to look further.

Melonbooks dropped this link for Sora ni Hoshi, Futari ni Koi (空に星、二人に恋) which is a BoKita anthology from Bocchi The Rock and I am mentioning it because there are some Yuri notables among the names in the ToC. ^_^ If you like that pairing, it might be worth a look.

Yuri(ish) Anime

Manga Mogura notes that Look Back, by Chainsaw Man creator Fujimoto Tatsuki has had a domain registered for an anime. I reviewed Look Back in 2021 and it was amazing and devastating. Highly recommended. It is available in English, so really, read it. Just bring tissues.

Burkely Herman has a spoiler-filled review of Stardust Telepath from last season. It’s a solid review.

Sound Euphonium 3 will premiere in April according to ANN’s Crystalynn Hodgkins.

Yuri Audiobooks

Yen Press is offering The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Volume 1 as an audiobook! This is narrated by Annie Wild. I would love for someone to review this for me, do let me know if you listen to it.

Yuri Light Novels

Creator of The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Pierro, has a new light novel series coming out, Seijou-sensei no Mahou ha Sunderu! (聖女先生の魔法は進んでる！) “A girls’ light novel about substandard teachers and drop-outs” (in a magical setting.)

Volume 6 of the MagiRevo Light Novel series will be hitting shelves in March.

Yuri Live-Action

The live-action Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna, is streaming on NHK Plus and it is so absurdly heartwarming and hungry-making. I watched the first 30 seconds and wanted oyakodon. You’ll need a VPN to watch this, and a NHK account (which will be the bane of your existence, because they *constantly* send you messages to re-up, then cancel your account anyway.) Here is the advert: If you use my code to get NORDVPN, you get a 3 months free when you sign up for a year – and so do I. I’ve found it very useful to watch shows from Japan, from the UK and even Eurovision, so I can get all my nerdly interests on my computer screen. ^_^ Do not miss the manga, which is out from Yen Press as She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat. It is outstanding!

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Queer Animation

Via Yuri Anime News on Twitter, check out the the promotional video for the manga for Watashi ga Koibito ni Nareru Wakenaijan, Muri Muri! (*Muri Janakatta!?) (わたしが恋人になれるわけないじゃん、ムリムリ！（※ムリじゃなかった!?）), which is released in English as There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover, Unless…!

Okay, I’m just going to grab some bits of this Kickstarter description and you will understand why: “WHEELS & ROSES is a Sailor Moon meets Roller Derby YA animated coming-of-age series.
…

This show is unapologetically queer! Unapologetically soft! As well as unapologetically tough– ’cause duh, roller derby!”

Queer Novels

For various reasons, I have some book recommendations for you today. ^_^

Via Luce on the Okazu Discord, Voyage of the Damned, by Francis White, which is a queer magical murder mystery set on a cruise. It sounds super fun! Also The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes, which Luce says is very fun, as well.

My recommendation is The Thread That Binds, by Cedar McCloud, a queer magical library fantasy that honestly was an excellent read in every way. I plan on doing a review later when I am able to. This is an indie book, and even a few extra sales could be a huge help.

Links on this and most Okazu pages lead to affiliate accounts, where they can and buying from them is another something you can do to help to keep this place running. But don’t think it’s the only way to support people – your local library is a great place to order these books. Most libraries also offer digital and audio book choices. So please consider using your local library and reading some of these great books!

Looking for other queer reads? Check out Queer Your Bookshelf, which has lists of great indie reads.

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Other News

Okazu Kami Frank Hecker has a terrific short essay on one of my favorite poets in my school years, H.D. and Otherside Picnic that is worth reading: H.D. and Bryher in the UBL.

Burkely Hermann takes a look at Yuri and Beyond: LGBTQ+ Representation in Animation in 2023 on his blog.

YNN Correspondent Patricia Baxter takes a look at Indie Comics You May Have Missed in 2023 on her her blog, where she focuses on queer and neurodivergent representative works.

Bilibili is shutting down it’s online comics platform. I’m told that if you are reading some of the GL there, follow the creators online to see where their comics land.

Some pretty steampunk Baihe from DouQi on Twitter, “Preview available for the audio drama adaptation of Listen, God (听神), a time loop murder mystery in a showbiz setting, based on the novel of the same title by Malaysian author Xian Yu Bu Chi Cai (咸鱼不吃菜, literally: Salted Fish Doesn’t Eat Vegetables).“

If you’d like to support Yuri journalism and research, Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips.  Our goal now, into 2024, is to raise our guest writers’ wages to above industry standard, which are too low!

Your support goes straight to paying for Guest Reviews, folks helping with videos, site maintenance, managing the Yuricon Store and directly supporting other Yuri creators. Just $5/month makes a huge impact! Become part of the Okazu family!

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Baihe News

Terrific news from Monogatari Novels on Twitter: Two of Qǐng Jūn Mò Xiào’s titles, Female General and Elder Princess, and Clear and Muddy Loss of Love are being released in Vietnamese and English. These will be our first officially licensed Baihe (also written 百合, as the word is Chinese for “lily”) novels in English. I am extremely excited to have them coming out in English.

If you are interested in Baihe, I suggest once again that you follow DouQi (from whom I hope to have a review here in the near future!) on Twitter, who also noted this week that the Baihe series Miss Forensics, was releasing a “vows” series of official merchandise. I’d love to see Seven Seas and J-Novel Club jump on this bandwagon. ^_^

Thai GL

For our Thai friends, ChaoPlanoy, creator of GAP The Series, is getting another live action series for her work. On her Facebook page she announced a casting call for MATE The Series.

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Anime News

Kuzushiro is having her much-deserved moment in the sun, as her workplace manga Egao no Taenai Shokuba Desu is getting an anime! Joanna Cayanan has the details on ANN. I read, but did not review Volume 1 when it originally launched.  Also by Kuzushiro, just released is Amayo no Tsuki, Volume 6  in Japan and The Moon On A Rainy Night, Volume 3 in English.

Yuri Manga

Joanna also has the news that Ryousuke Asakura will launch a new manga titled Anastacia no Ikita 9-kakan with Square Enix’s Monthly Shounen Gangan Magazine. Looks Yuri, but we know that JP covers lie. ^_^

Tsukuritai Onna To Tabetai Onna, Volume 5 (作りたい女と食べたい女), will hit JP shelves next month!

Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu!, Volume 13 (私の百合はお仕事です!) is out in Japan and on the Yuricon Store. All 12 “radio” talks from the anime series have been collected and are available as the TV Anime “Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu!” “Cafe Liebe Gakuen Yori Ai wo Komete ” Radio CD (TVアニメ「私の百合はお仕事です！」「カフェ・リーベ女学園より愛を込めて」 ラジオCD on Otomart. You can listen to these 12 segments on Youtube as well.

We also have School Zone Girls, Volume 5 up on the store. This is probably the final volume of the series, which is on indefinite hiatus, now out from Seven Seas.

Sometime, creator of Superwomen in Love! Honey Trap and Rapid Rabbit, has teamed up with scenario writer Suoh for a new series in Comic Yuri Hime, Gakeppuchi Reijou ha Kuro Kishi-sama o Horesasetai! (崖っぷち令嬢は黒騎士様を惚れさせたい！) which I think means “A Lady on the Edge Wants To Makes the Black Knight Fall In Love With Her.” I am hopeful that this is more than just a premise.

Via Comic Natalie, we have news of Aishi Tabun Dake Aishite Hoshii~! (愛したぶんだけ愛してほしいっ！) a story about a mentally unstable (maybe?) woman and the cheater she allows herself to be seduced by.

Lycoris Recoil creator Asaura has a new manga series with artist Gomeyuki Nishima called Double Helix Blossom. A cop awakens in the future…, so it’s a cop x criminal buddy scifi isekai. ^_^ Rafael Antonia Pineda has details on ANN.

 
Yuri Live Action

Well gosh, since we’ve already mentioned Lycoris Recoil, ANN’s Joanna Cayanan has news that it will be getting a second live-action stage play this summer.

We are hours away from the second season of Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna live-action drama second season on NHK Plus.

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Other News

The I’m In Love With The Villainess Maid Cafe is at Cure Maid Cafe in Akihabara through the month end, but GEE! Store already has all the goods they are selling on their online shop. I finally caved and bought the Ralaire tee shirt. ^_^

Incidentally, Cure Maid Cafe is the oldest continually operating Maid Cafe in Akihabara. It’s been open since 2001. The earliest references I can find to an anime (or related) themed cafe, rather than maid cafes is 1998. If you know of an earlier one, let me know! It’s for research.

The Creator’s Guide To Comics Devices is online, for free. It’s is an excellent resource for creators…but also, as a reader it helps to understand what we are seeing. It has gotten some recommendations from folks I know who are professional comics creators, so definitely take a look!

If you’d like to support Yuri journalism and research, Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips.  Our goal now, into 2024, is to raise our guest writers’ wages to above industry standard, which are too low!

Your support goes straight to paying for Guest Reviews, folks helping with videos, site maintenance, managing the Yuricon Store and directly supporting other Yuri creators. Just $5/month makes a huge impact! Become part of the Okazu family!

Become a part of the Yuri Network, by being a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share with us.

Yuri Cafes & Collaborations

Starting off the new year with another I’m In Love With The Villianess event, we have the Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou Maid Cafe at Pure Cafe in Chiyoda-ku in Tokyo, through January 28. The cafe even has a promotional video you can watch on the cafe’s Twitter account.

In the “things I did not predict I would be writing about in 2024,”category comes this collaboration by Sukera Sparo’s Lip Trip and Soup Curry Kamui collaboration. The collab event is over now, but it’s important to remember it happened, so we all don’t think we hallucinated it. ^_^

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Yuri Anime

Discotek announced the license of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A‘s in high def. I’m holding out for StrikerS, which never got a release back in the day.

Yuri Audiobook

I’m In Love With The Villainess Audiobook, Volume 3 came out this week – I’m about 2/3 finished with it. It begins the Nur arc and I really think narrator Courtney Shaw does a fine job, except for some of the name pronunciations, which I do not think is her fault. She’s got a few voices  that are simply excellent.

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Yuri Manga

Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta, Volume 2, (気になってる人が男じゃなかった) hits Japanese shelves at the end of February! Now that Yen has licensed This Monster Wants To Eat Me, we can start haranguing asking them nicely about getting this title. ^_^

Via YNN Correspondent Patricia B., Nerikomi Tokichiro’s crowdfunded manga, Tsurugi, about a female knight and the woman she serves, is now available in English on Booth.pm.

Wings magazine celebrated the new chapter of Kase-san and Yamada in the February issue with an adorable illustration on Twitter.

Hara Yuriko has a new collection of post-Mayu, Matou / Cocoon, Entwined stories, titled Out of The Cocoon (アウト・オブ・ザ・コクーン) which is out now in Japan! Cocoon, Entwined, Volume 5 came out in English last month from Yen Press.

Via Comic Natalie, we have a collection of work by Sanke, Hitori to Hanasu node Seiippai (ひとりと話すので精一杯).

And from Yuri Navi, we have a one-shot manga on Ichijin Plus online, Akuyaku Reijou to Gyaru Meido (悪役令嬢とギャルメイド) a comedy about Selina, a former gal reincarnated in the world of otome game “Magic Dedicated to Your Future,” who ends up working for Almeria, the villainess who appears in the game.

Other News

Shoujo Beat is asking for suggestions of their shoujo manga folks want to see back in print on Twitter.

Via YNN Correspondent Frank H, Cambridge Press has a new translation of the “complete” works of Sappho. As most of you know, we have a lot of fragments of her works and not much complete poetry. There is also an audio version available, which I bet is pretty cool.

If you’d like to support Yuri journalism and research, Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips.  Our goal now, into 2024, is to raise our guest writers’ wages to above industry standard, which are too low!

Your support goes straight to paying for Guest Reviews, folks helping with videos, site maintenance, managing the Yuricon Store and directly supporting other Yuri creators. Just $5/month makes a huge impact! Become part of the Okazu family!

Become a part of the Yuri Network, by being a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share with us.

Yuri Manga

Fantastic licensing news from Yen Press, with This Monster Wants To Eat Me, by Sai Naekawa. I reviewed Volume 7 of this series in Japanese yesterday. It’s an terrifically creepy Yuri series.

Also from Yen, we have news that The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and The Genius Young Lady, manga Volume 5 is headed our way in March.

Morinaga Milk’s adult series continues with My Little Kitten, Volume 2 from Galette magazine, which hits shelves at the end of this month.

Up on the Yuricon Store, we have LatteComis’ digital-only Oshigoto x Buddy Yuri Anthology (お仕事×バディ 百合アンソロジー) – fans of Shakaijin Yuri will like this one!

Utatane Yuu’s lovely ballroom dancing Yuri series, Odoriba ni Skirt ga Naru, Volume 4 (踊り場にスカートが鳴る) will be released in February. Check out the creator’s Twitter for a haunting promo image.

Via Yuri Navi, Rakuen Le Paradis magazine has a new Yuri comix, Hoshiutau Yoru no Umi de (星謳う夜の海で) by Shigisawa Kaya published in a special winter web issue. You can read it now online, it’s short.

Yuri Light Novels & Web Novels

Also out in March, we’re getting The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and The Genius Young Lady, Light Novel, Volume 6.

From creator Ayakana’s Twitter account, LN Kickin’ On Heaven’s Door, (キッキン・オン・ヘブンズ・ドア) features cover at by Rorua, who did the cover story for Comic Yuri Hime a few years ago – one that I really liked. This digital-release book is about a girl whose life is changed when she meets the school delinquent.

Via Yuri Navi, author Roka Koen announces their webnovel Minikui Futari (みにくいふたり) starting serialization on J-Novel.com, this way, “All I can say is Yuri. It’s Yuri. Drink up.”

Webジェイ・ノベル｜実業之日本社の文芸webマガジン -「J-novel」みにくいふたり-

また夜に告知しますが、芦花公園の百合の連載が始まりました。
百合としか言うことができない。
百合です。飲め。 https://t.co/1lF33I44L5

— 芦花公園（ろかこうえん） (@ROKA_KOUEN) December 19, 2023

Just to be clear J-Novel is a Japanese site and this is a JP-language book, it’s not J-Novel Club.

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Yuri Doujinshi

More good news for fans of Shakaijin Yuri – over on Irodori Sakura we have two doujinshi collections by Yuriemon Working Women Yuri Manga Compilation 1: Before Dating and Working Women Yuri Manga Compilation 2: After Dating.

I need to confess something. I was a total dick about this piece of news, holding on to it until my copy was shipping, because if I didn’t get it, I would die. ^_^; Hayate Cross Blade creator Hayashiya Shizuru opened up a Skeb account for a while and was taking commissions. She’s collected these pieces of art of H x B characters and drawn a small “10 years later” comic….and sincerely that is my absolutely number 1 hook for a sequel. Make it 10 years later and I am yours. JESUS DRUG “HabuCore” Set (「ハブコレ」セット) includes the new book, Hayate x Blade COLLECTION F, and previously released Hayate x Blade Drama Archives – the comics that came with the Drama CDs. Hayate x Blade COLLECTION, a set of other doujinshi HxB comics. I have the older two, because I am a sincerely obsessive otaku about her work, so I await the new book with some anticipation.

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Yuri Games

Via Sr. YNN Correspondent Ashley, Alexis Sara (who participated in our Trans Perspective on Yuri panel for Yuricon 2023!) put together a list of her Top 10 Games of 2023 For Little Lesbians Like me!

Other News

In good news for users of Bookwalker Global, selected Square Enix titles have been added to the platform. I’d love to see Viz, Kodansha and Square Enix expand their offerings on Bookwalker. Thanks to YNN Correspondent Patricia B for the news. Adriana Hazra has details of the current crop of additions on ANN.

If you’d like to support Yuri journalism and research, Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips.  Our goal now, into 2024, is to raise our guest writers’ wages to above industry standard, which are too low!

Your support goes straight to paying for Guest Reviews, folks helping with videos, site maintenance, managing the Yuricon Store and directly supporting other Yuri creators. Just $5/month makes a huge impact! Become part of the Okazu family!

Become a part of the Yuri Network, by being a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share with us.

Welcome to the last Yuri Network News report of 2023! This is the 43rd YNN post of this year, which means only 9 weeks were left un-YNNed. Given that I was severely ill for 4 months, I think that’s pretty awesome, both on my part and the fact that there was just that much Yuri to report on. Okazu and I absolutely “gambare”d this year. ^_^

Yuri Events

With the upload of my Closing Comments, Yuricon 2023 is officially over! We managed 12 videos – again, given that I was bedridden for 4 of those months, I’m calling that a win. Please take some time and enjoy the entire playlist of panels, presentations and discussions for Yuricon 2023. I’m also going to once again ask you to please subscribe to Yuri Studio, give our videos a “like” on Youtube, and leave a kind comment, if you can. It makes a huge difference to the channel.

There’s a lot left to talk about, so…you know what? If you have a panel or presentation you’d liked to have done for Yuricon, but the year got away from you (as it sure as heck did for me,) go ahead and use the Panel/Presentation Application and we’ll set it up for Yuri Studio’s 5th season! Do not self-censor. I want your panels and presentations and I want to talk to you about *stuff.*

Girls Love Fest is starting the new year right with a special event at Shinyuri 21 Hall in Kawasaki on January 21, from 12:00 to 3:00 PM.

I mentioned this previously, but it has become more likely that I will participate in the Queer and Feminist Perspectives on Japanese Popular Cultures Symposium in mid-April 2024. This is an online event and will be accessible globally. I have the funnest research idea, a collaborator in Japan and I think it’s going to be awesome (especially if I can get back before the presentation, to do “research” myself, i.e. hang out with other Yuri fans. ^_^)

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Yuri Manga

From Libros de Babel on Mastodon, Ana Oncina  and Ana C. Sánchez have been awarded Manga Awards in Japan for their respective works Croqueta y Empanadilla and Libro. Congratulations to them!

New Yuri Anthology Girl Prince Anthology – STAY GOLD (「王子様女子」百合アンソロジー STAYGOLD) appears to be headlined by Canno-sensei, and will include folks like Aoto, Mimoto, Ohsawa Yayoi and more! I’m really hoping to get my hands on it. ^_^

Speaking of girl princes, we have some titles up on the Yuricon Store. including Chinmi’s Kiraware Majyo Reijō to Dansou Ouji no Kon’yaku, Volume 1 (嫌われ魔女令嬢と男装皇子の婚約), a fantasy about a girl presenting as male for family reasons and the girl she takes as her fiancee.

Mikanuji’s Assorted Entanglements, Volume 3, which was released by Yen Press this past autumn.

Naekawa Sai’s fantastic supernatural story, Watashi o Tabetai, Hitodenashi, Volume 7 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし). I’ll be reviewing that shortly.

Akili’s Vampeerz: My Peer Vampires, Volume 4 from Denpa Books will be hitting shelves here in March.

And via YNN Correspondent Patricia Baxter, Manga Mogura’s announcement that Octave creator Akiyama Haru has a new adult life Yuri series starting up in Melody magazine, Watashi no Blue Garnet (私のブルーガーネット).

I enjoyed LatteComi’s School Prince Yuri anthology so much, I’m really looking forward to their Shigoto x Buddy Yuri Anthology! (お仕事×バディ 百合アンソロジーコミック) Check out a sample online at Comic Growl. Oh my gosh – women looking happy!

Yuri Light Novels

Via YNN Correspondent Sean Gaffney, we now know that the Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel to Trifecta series is getting a sequel, as noted on Toshizou’s Twitter account.

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Live -Action

Thai GL Twitter account The Series Y Thailand, reports on 4 upcoming Thai GL live-action series for 2024: Freen and Becky in The Loyal Pin ปิ่นภักดิ์,  23.5 องศาที่โลกเอียง, Pluto นิทาน ดวงดาว ความรัก  and The Secrets of Us ใจซ่อนรัก

And! Season Two of She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat / Tsukuritai Onna To Tabetai Onna live-action drama is on the way in January for JP viewers. They have some added cast members on the NHK Evening Drama Instragram. Fujiyoshi Natsuzu as Nagumo is *perfect.” So perfect that I saw her picture and said “Oh, Nagumo!” I’m sure I am not the only one who cannot *wait* to see that. It’ll be a perfect way to get the new year started with great queer rep.

Thank you all for your support, your comments, your enthusiasm and your patience over this past year. With your help we are ready to face a whole new year of great new Yuri for us to enjoy!  Join us tomorrow for our Top Yuri article of the year, we’re doing it a little different this time around (I mean, like always, really. ^_^)

If you’d like to support Yuri journalism and research, Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips.  Our goal now, into 2024, is to raise our guest writers’ wages to above industry standard, which are too low!

Your support goes straight to paying for Guest Reviews, folks helping with videos, site maintenance, managing the Yuricon Store and directly supporting other Yuri creators. Just $5/month makes a huge impact! Become part of the Okazu family!

Become a part of the Yuri Network, by being a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share with us.