Welcome back to the middle of “holy crow, jet lag is a thing” week. I had planned on writing up a bunch of stuff, but crashing to the floor mid-day puts the cabosh on that.  Regularly scheduled nonsense will resume when I have completed a passage around the clock the long way to get back to my usual appalling sleep schedule. ^_^;

Yuri Manga

Next month will see Volume 4 of The Summer You Were There, by Yuama. The story heads to a climax, but isn’t ending just yet! There’s still time to pull out a surprise ending.

Shio Usui’s I Married My Female Friend has debuted in English and is now available from Seven Seas! Kurumi and Ruriko give marriage a try. And, for those of you following it in Japanese, Onna Tomodachi to Kekkonshitemita, Volume 4 (女ともだちと結婚してみた。) has wrapped up with a not-at-all surprise ending. After Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon, this feels a bit less nuanced, but it’s still quite satisfying. I’m very interested to see what Usui-sensei does next.

Seven Seas has licensed a shoujo manga about friendship, romance and intimacy that is not Yuri, but may be of interest. I know I was looking at it in the bookstore, thinking about getting it… The Secret of Friendship by Kazune Kawahara & Aiji Yamakawa.

We’ve added Shino to Ren (志乃と恋) on the Yuricon Store. This looks like a school life story about two girls who are already lovers. It’s from MFC, so could be a bit racy.

Meian Editions in France have announced a few manga licenses of note: Tadokoro-san and The Moon On A Rainy Night. YNN Correspondent Laurent Lignonbalso notes that Meian has announced Anemone wa Netsu o Obiru as Anémone Flamboyante. Click that link to check out the trailer on Facebook.

Laurent also wants you to know that Akata Editions also had some announcements for French-language Yuri, at Y/Con 2023. (We’ll be getting an event report about that shortly!)  They’ll be releasing Tsukuritai Onna To Tabetai Onna, Meijirobana no Saku, La Belle & La Racaille in 2024.

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inori-sensei has announced her involvement with a new Line comic!  Gal Dakedo, Cool-na Anata o Warawasetai!  (ギャルだけど、クールな貴女を笑わせたい！) is not available outside Japan, but a VPN made it perfectly accessible. (Here comes the advert…. If you are looking for a VPN, I use and recommend NORD, which makes streaming from other countries pretty easy. I use it to watch the BBC and NHK. If you sign up using my code, both you and I will benefit, so feel free to use it and share.) You can also find this on ebookjapan.com with chapters opening up for free for a limited time.

In the wake of being number 2 on this year’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list, Arai Sumiko has announced Volume 2 of her manga, Ki Ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janaktta (気になってる人が男じゃなかった). Read all the rankings on ANN, where Rafael Antonio Pineda & Joanna Cayanan have the details.

Ichijinsha’s Tonari no Seki ga Sukina Hito Datta Gakusei Yuri Anthology (隣の席が好きな人だった　学生百合アンソロジー) is up on the Yuricon Store, for lovers of tales of love at school.

Yuri Live Action

YNN Correspondent tazimonfire wants you to know that Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna live action, Season 1 is coming out on DVD from NHK, just in time to get you ready for the second season which will be twice as long at 20 episodes starting in January 2024!

I learned that 2 parts of a Yuri short movie, Kanojo no Kuchizuke Kansensuru Libido  (彼女のくちづけ感染するリビドー), based on a manga by Yorita Miyuki are already on Youtube and they are working on part 3 they say on their official Twitter account.

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 Yuri Anime

If you’ve been enjoying the I’m In Love With The Villainess anime, Ichijinsha has provided you with a little virtual set of Rae and Claire characters who will join your photo, when you click on this QR code. Don’t forget to drop Ichijinsha a line and tell them that you’d like to see a second season, as well. The official Wataoshi Twitter account just celebrated 40K followers with a cute Claire and Rae picture!

And there will be a Wataoshi cafe popping up in Tokyo in January at Cure Maid Cafe. Let us know if you get to visit! If you can’t Curtain Damashii is doing an online shop for the series and so is Medicos, which previously ran a physical pop-up. If you missed that, check out the Medicos page for their ILTV goods.

Yuri Light Novels

While we are (again) on the topic of inori.-sensei, Dengeki Bunko is doing a contest for folks who read Yuusha ni Naritai Shoujo To, Yuusha Narubeki Kanojo, her newest light novel. Follow the official account on  Twitter, give your review of the book and be entered to win a tapestry!

 
Yuri Visual Novels

YNN Correspondent Patricia B. wants you to know that Wanting Wings is 15% off on Steam. “At Seiyou Girls’ academy, there are rumors of an angel. Roommates Hina, Rin, and Fumi all have completely different personalities, but they all experienced 1 strange event: They all once saw an angel in their youth. They gradually begin to suspect that one of their roommates might be that angel. “

Also from Patricia, Love Lab Japan announced on Twitter that they “will be translating Liar-soft’s Ever Maiden (PC version) for release in 2024! This adult yuri game is set in a mysterious school where otherworldly events are occurring…”

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

Yamashita Tomoko’s Ikkou Nikki, about a person-avoidant woman who takes in her niece, who has a queer best friend,  has been named best manga in DaVinci magazine’s “Book of the Year” in Japan. Number two on the list is Arai Sumiko’s Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta, which I reviewed here on Okazu this summer.

The fifth and final volume of School Zone Girls by Ningiyau is out from Seven Seas.

Yuri Light Novels

In a one-two punch of awesome, inori.-sensei’s I’m In Love With The Villainess was named Best Light Novel overall at the influential Manga Barcelona event last week…and Spanish publisher Sekai Editions just announced the publication of Claire’s perspective spin-off, Me enamoré de la villana: ¡qué plebeya tan descarada! for 2024.

Yuri Audiobook

Once again, speaking of ILTV, I’m In Love With The Villainess, Volume 2 is now available as an audiobook from Seven Seas Siren, narrated by Courtney Smith.

Yuri-ish Anime

The next PreCure series has been announced and it’ll be Wonderful! Anita Tai has the details on ANN.

ANN’s Joanna Cayanan reports that Yuruyuri Spinoff Anime Ōmuro-ke Films’ Trailer Reveals 1st Film’s February 2 Premiere. I saw an ad for a collab between Ōmuro-ke and the Atre shopping center in Akihabara just outside the station (person for scale,) and was surprised to see Comic Yuri Hime‘s tagline “Justice For Girls” on this series which is so not at all “for girls.” ^_^;

Kabushikigaisha Magilumiere is getting an anime and I am pretty sure I started reading the manga for this, but forgot to keep reading. This story about a magical girl agency is probably not Yuri, but oughta be. ^_^ Egan Loo has the news on ANN.

Also in the “oughta be” category, YNN Correspondent Patricia B notes that upcoming anime for Metallic Rouge looks promising,  as it’s about android girl Rouge Redmaster and her partner Naomi Orthmann.

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Yuri Live-Action Drama

Our Sr. YNN Corresponent for Thai GL, Frank H wants you to know about Thai live-action Lucky in Love. which he calls “low-budget fluff, but enjoyable. Like GAP, it’s a workplace romance between a subordinate, adorable goofball Nubdao (played by Near), who consults a fortune teller about her love life, and her supervisor, the lovely and lesbian-coded Weala (played by Bmine). Unlike GAP, the short running time (5 episodes of less than 20 minutes each) doesn’t leave much time for ancillary drama; Nubdao has to choose between Weala and the (male) CEO, but the outcome is never in doubt, and the show speed-runs its way to the kiss-kiss finale.” Awesome mini-review, thanks Frank!

tazimonfire wants you to know that the first season of the live-action Tsurikitai Onna to Tabetai Onna (作りたい女と食べたい女) is getting a DVD release in Japan! It won’t have English subtitles, but the price is pretty low – especially with the yen being so weak, it might make it worth getting, even with shipping.

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Yuri Studio

Yuricon 2023 continues with a spectacular presentation by Mandisa Washington, Yuri Is A Warm Gun: Sisterhood & Transgression In The Girls With Guns Genre. Mandisa is a font of anime knowledge and is a lot of fun (she slays me several times during our conversation.) Give it a like on Youtube and a kind comment there.

We have a couple of weeks left and I have 2, mayyyybe 3 panels I’d like to squeeze in before we wrap up the year and the con. ^_^ We’ll see if I make it!

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 in English

On the Yuricon Store, we have Otherside Picnic Manga, Volume 7 and If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die, Volume 4! Reviews for both are forthcoming. ^_^

Rafael Antonio Pineda has the news that Kuzushiro’s The Moon On A Rainy Night has made the New York Public Library’s “Best Book For Teens” list! I’m so very happy about that. It’s such a good series.

Christian reviewed Kiss the Scars of the Girls here on Okazu last month. This week ANN’s Rebecca Silverman took a look at the same title with a completely different perspective!

Yuri Manga In Japanese

On the Yuricon Store we have Kuwabara Tamotsu’s Zenbu Kowashite Jigoku de Aishite, Volume 1 (ぜんぶ壊して地獄で愛して) a story of manipulation and sex.

Ichijinsha has a bunch of releases this month… Kiraware Majyo Reijou to Dansou Ouji no Konyaku (嫌われ魔女令嬢と男装皇子の婚約)  follows a powerful young witch’s life after the crown prince asks her to marry him, only he turns out to be a she.

Shikabane Shoujo to Ai ga Omoi Seikishi no Toubatsu Gakuen Life (​しかばね少女と愛が重い聖騎士の討伐学園ライフ) follows a zombie girl at a magical academy who is partnered with the holy knight and star of the school.

FLOWERCHILD’s newest series, Utsushicha Damena Kao (映しちゃダメな顔) has reached a Volume 1. Two women meet at a “happening” place where women can have a one-night stand.

Sukina Onnanoko ga Watashi ni Dake Nazeka Kibishii (好きな女の子が私にだけなぜか厳しい) is a Champion Red (urk) story about a girl who tries to befriend the nicest girl in school, only to find that she’s treated harshly. Comic Natalie flat out tells us that this is a Yuri love comedy, in case we aren’t sure. ^_^; Also Champion Red magazine is not known for it’s excellent treatment of female characters, just sayin’.

Yuri Audiobook & Voice Drama

I’m in Love with the Villainess Audiobook, Volume 2 is on the Yuricon Store and available for pre-order! This will be hitting our devices on December 7.

The Lonely Witch & You, The Abandoned is an ASMR Yuri voice drama that has been translated into English for DL Site, by their Translators Unite guild.

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Yuri Event

While not a “Yuri” event, Comitia 103 is coming up soon, on December 3rd, 2023, at Big Sight in Tokyo…and I will be there. You can be sure I’ll be picking up stuff like Kyoto University Yuri Research Association’s doujinshi Lilyology, Volume 3…with cover art by Hibiki Reine!

Also at Comitia will be Tomboys and their Boyish² Butch x Butch anthologies.

This is my first time back since 2019 and I’m looking forward to it, wish me good health and good luck.

Interviews

LN News talks to inori-sensei about her newest light novel, Yuusha ni Naritai Shoujo To, Yuusha Narubeki Kanojo (勇者になりたい少女と、勇者になるべき彼女) with some insight to both the main characters and the setting.

Via Sr. YNN Correspondent Ashley, Indie Tsushin has an interview with Nekobungi Sumire, whose new game Neko Can Dream is available in English!

A Cutey Honey 50th anniversary event includes a discussion with Go Nagai-sensei about his work. This video is only available in Japan, so you’ll need a VPN. I use Nord, and think it’s pretty easy to set up and use. If you’re looking for a VPN, feel free to use my referral code. (This was an unsponsored ad, but obviously I get free months if you sign up with my code.)

Yuri Anime

At Anime NYC last week, Aniplex announced that Lycoris Recoil will begin on Cartoon Network’s Toonami slot on January 20th.

Yuri Light Novels

Via Sr. YNN Correspondent Sean G, two Yuri Light Novels made this year’s Kono Light Novel Ga Sugoi top ten lists!  ANN’s Crystalynn Hodgkins has the details. The titles are Shuu ni Ichido Classmate wo Kau Hanashi, the first of which we just added to the Yuricon Store last week, and Stella Step (ステラ・ステップ), about a world in which idols replace war, and two idols who fall in love.

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Yuri Research

Translator (and our good friend here on Okazu!) Verena Maser has written about her work translating Taguchi Shouichi’s Futari Escape into German in Flüchtiger Humor, for The Toledo Journal.

We have three new essays up on the Yuricon Essays Page!

Starting off under Articles on Yuri, Frank Hecker takes a chronological look at Yuri in Notes toward a unified theory of yuri.

We’ve added A Husband is Unnecessary: Yoshiya Nobuko & Japanese Girls’ Culture to the Yuri and Shoujo, Feminism, Gender and Lesbian Themes section. I and History is Gay podcast host Leigh Pfeffer get together to chat about Grandmothe of Yuri, Yoshiya Nobuko’s life and work.

Under Fan Studies and Perspectives, we have:

Witch From Mercury‘s Finale Made One of Gundam’s Most Fascinating Ideas Queer as Hell by James Whitbrook for Gizmodo.

Alex Henderson looks at queer lives, and coming of age in Queer time and the quarter-life crisis in contemporary yuri for Anime Feminist.

Please send us links to any any articles or recorded material you’ve created on Yuri or Yuri-adjacent work and we’ll add it to the Essays Page. We’re always looking for more Yuri research resources.

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 Audiobook

I’m In Love With the Villainess, Volume 1 just launched as an audiobook on a few platforms. Others are still pending.  I *just* finished listening to it, as I was working on today’s report and overall, it’s excellent! I’m really looking forward to the next volumes in the series. Narrator Courtney Shaw does a very good job. Review forthcoming. ^_^

Yuri Manga

Wonderful news for fans of She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat, creator Yuzaki Sakaomi has announced through the TsukuTabe official twitter account, that the series will be returning to serialization on December 1st, with a 5th volume on the way in Japan in February. Yuzaki-sensei had put the series on hiatus due to her health, but hopefully she used the time to plan forward and give herself some more rest. She also notes that all series info will be through the official account going forward.

MangaPlanet has announced a print volume for Lilies And Voices Borne Upon The Wind, a series I reviewed here on Okazu in Japanese and very much liked. I’m excited to see this in print! They’ve had the digital license since last winter, as well, if you prefer to read that way.

We have a few new titles on the Yuricon Store!

If you enjoyed the first volume of animal-girl romance, reviewed this week by Luce, Sheep Princess in Wolf’s Clothing, Volume 2 will be headed our way in March 2024.

Rafael Antonio Pineda confirms that January issue of Comic Yuri Hime will be the end of the series The Summer You Were There. I just finished reading the penultimate chapter, which I will detail tomorrow in a review of the December issue of CYH. ^_^

The final volume of Shimura Takako’s Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 10 (おとなになっても) looks to be the happy ending we weren’t sure we’d have, in this complicated adult life drama.

Thai publisher Lily House is releasing a collector’s edition of the I’m In Love With The Villainess light novels, with a box designed as if for the in-story game, “Revolution.” It looks great!

Via Yuri Navi, Aiseki ii desuka? (相席いいですか?) is a new series that has begun serialization in Weekly Young Jump; a story about two women coworkers who learn to communicate despite being very different people.

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Yuri Light Novel

There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… (Light Novel), Volume 2 is on shelves for you!

Yuri Essay

We’ve added a new link to our Yuri Essays page on Yuricon (with more to come!) Frank Hecker, a long-time supporter of Okazu and Yuricon, puts together a evolutionary chart of the “Five Ages of Yuri” in Notes toward a unified theory of Yuri. Take a read and let him know what you think! If you’ve written an essay on Yuri, either academic or fan research, let us know and we’ll add it to our page of research resources.

Yuri Videos

Via YNN Correspondent Cryssoberyl, Hololive personality “Houshou Marine just released a song collab MV with (popular English vtuber) Gawr Gura that is basically a fully animated vintage-artstyle yuri oneshot set to city pop music.” You can watch SHINKIRO on Youtube.

Yuri Live-Action

Via YNN Correspondent Patricia B, manga Chaser Game is getting a 2nd live-action drama, this time featuring lesbians who work in the game industry. Rafael Antonio Pineda has details over at ANN.

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Queer Visual Novels

Take a Hike by Jane Titor is described by LezLiz on Mastodon as “… a yuri visual novel where high school girls go camping, enjoy the mosquitos and bicker to each other a ton. “

From Patricia B again, we have news of com__et, which is described as “A queer romance/horror visual novel about being locked into a path, and having _______ words hidden from You. Find Your way to discover what’s missing and reach Your ____ End.” Patricia calls it a “a delightful little visual novel that uses the medium in a smart and creative way.”

Yuri Novel

In another expression of Yuri lit, alternative Russian history meets science fiction meets Yuri in Chou to Teikoku  (蝶と帝国) by Yoshitaka Namiki.

Other News

In honor of voice actresses for Suletta, Ichinose Kana and Miorine, Lynn, attending AnimeNYC this weekend, Ken Iikura-Gross has the scoop on ANN of a voice “selfie” recording on Youtube, in Gundam: Witch From Mercury Voices Reunite to Record New York City Selfie.

YNN Correspondent Lena Tama wants you to know that Yuri is My Job leads Mitsuki and Hime are getting chibi figurines from FuRyu. Check them out on Degenki Hobby Web.

To wrap this report up, we’d like to wish ANN a very happy 25th anniversary this weekend!

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 Anime

ANN’s Egan Loo has the scoop on more staff and a delay until spring for upcoming Yuri anime Whisper Me A Love Song, based on the manga of the same name (out now from Kodansha in English). Things might be delayed, but the first full trailer is in and all I can say is “wow.” I wish all anime looked that good.

Yuri Manga

Couple of new releases this week:

The Moon on A Rainy Night, Volume 2 hit shelves this week. Gosh I love this story. ^_^

This week sees the release of My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness: Special Edition, a hardcover edition, with foil highlights and new, original content by author Kabi Nagata!

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We have a number of new titles up on the Yuricon Store, as I once again play catch-up with the listings. ^_^;

Alter Ego 2: Noel & June continues Ana C. Sánchez‘s popular story about finding love in all the places where you totally weren’t looking. That’s headed our way in summer 2024.

Taguchi Shouichi’s Futari Escape, Volume 4 now completes this light-hearted story of a woman and her sempai avoiding adulting as hard as they can.

I Don’t Know Which Is Love, Volume 2 will arrive in winter 2024! Luce took a look at Volume 1 here last summer and pronounced it a fun roller-coaster of a Yuri harem.

Nekobunig Sumire’s Silhouette of the Sea is now available on Kindle in English and Kindle JP in Japanese!

Via Comic Natalie, Futsu no Koi ‘tte Nani?,  (フツーの恋って何？) is a high school love triangle from the perspectives of all three girls. Volume 1 hit JP shelves last week.

 
Yuri Audiobook

Coming up next week is the I’m in Love with the Villainess, Audiobook, Volume 1! As a note, not all the platforms listed on Seven Seas’ page actually have this for sale. The Yuricon Store entry only includes sites that have active links for the book as of now.

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Yuri Light Novel

And, while I flogging inori-sensei’s work, don’t forget that her newest novel, Yuusha ni Naritai Shoujo To, Yuusha Narubeki Kanojo (勇者になりたい少女と、勇者になるべき彼女) hit shelves in Japan this week!

On the Yuricon Store, we’ve also added the third and final volume of the Claire P.O.V. spin-off Heimin no Kuse ni Namaikina!, Volume 3, (平民のくせに生意気な！) in Japanese on Kindle in US and JP. (In case you cannot wait until this is translated into English by Seven Seas, as I cannot. ^_^)

Also up on the store is Shuu ni Ichido Classmate wo Kau Hanashi ~ Futari no Jikan, Iiwakeno Gosenen~, Volume 1 (週に一度クラスメイトを買う話 ~ふたりの時間、言い訳の五千円~) a LN about a girl who sells herself to a classmate, perhaps to hide her feelings? Probably not, but you never know.

Other News

This week History is Gay and Okazu teamed up to talk about the grandmother of Yuri, Yoshiya Nobuko and her amazing life and love in A Husband is Unnecessary: Yoshiya Nobuko & Japanese Girls’ Culture. This was so much fun! I hope you’ll listen to it and subscribe to Leigh’s podcast, which is excellent.

Andrew Osmand wants us to know that BOA’s song “Duvet,” best known as the opening theme for Serial Experiments Lain, has a new official music video – and the band has reformed to make it, as the song has remained incredibly popular since the 1998 anime.

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.