Lots of Yuri News this week!

Yuri Anime

Animevice reported that He is My Master is going to be showing on Anime Network Online and out on DVD, and Ultraviolet 044 (yes, *that* Ultraviolet – based on the crap movie, and wasting starring the voice talents of Paku Romi) will be getting a US DVD release. If you aren’t following Animevice on Facebook or Twitter or on the site directly, you’re missing some extremely otaku-tastic news, btw. Highly recommended.

Aoi Hana on Crunchyroll has ended for those of us who purchased subscriptions, and will end next week for the remainder of viewers. I cannot express how much I liked it. Yes, there were a few changes from the manga – in every case for the better, I thought. From beginning to end it is one of the best anime I’ve seen in the last few years and an exceptional example of schoolgirl romance Yuri. The 11 episodes covered three volumes of manga and, as of yet, there are only 4 volumes out so it may be some time before we learn if there will be a second season. However, I want to address a question I keep getting about this anime. There’s a alot of confusion about this.

Crunchyroll *is* the official licensor of this series – for streaming only. But that does not make them less a licensor. (Just like Funimation holds the streaming rights only to Air Master right now. You wouldn’t write Viz and ask them to license that, would you? Because even if you wanted them to, Funimation is the license holder and therefore more likely to get it to DVD than some unrelated company.) As the primary licensor of Aoi Hana, it is CR who has the best ability to *obtain* the DVD rights to this anime.

No one has DVD rights at the moment.

What I am suggesting is that people who would like to see a DVD release of AH should let CR know that there is a *market* for it. (I.e., that you will be willing to buy DVDs should they become available.)

It seems to me a much better chance of getting DVDs by asking CR to find a way to make them available, either through licensing, POD or partnering, than to ask some other company that has absolutely no relationship with the anime to suddenly put money up to distribute DVDs for it.

If you do send an email to CR, I suggest you put in a line that you *understand* that CR does not currently have the DVD rights, and would the person who gets this email forward it to the guy in charge, so he can tally up what kind of interest there is.

The dub cast for Rin – Daughters of Mnemosyne has been announced by Funimation.

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Yuri Manga

Erin S points out some objectively Good News – a number of popular Yuri doujinshi artists are involved in a new anthology from Hakusensha called Rakuen (Paradise). Among the list are several of my personal favorites, including Nishi UKO, whom we have featured in the last few Yuri Monogatari volumes. This anthology is due out at the end of October – as soon as I can, I’ll put up a link for ordering it here and on the Yuricon Shop. I am also interested in the entrance of yet another publisher into the genre, with such clearly doujinshi circle choices. I bet they were recruiting at one of the last couple of Comiket. I approve, of course and am very much looking forward to seeing this. It’s much more to my tastes than Hobunsha’s Tsubomi.

And objectively Bad News. For a lot of reasons, which she has detailed on her blog (in Japanese), Nakamura Ching has announced that the serialization of Gunjo has been suspended and there will be no collected volume from Kodansha. Many thanks to all the Japanese readers and friends who told me about this, including Nakamura-sensei herself. We’ll keep our thoughts positive and see what the future holds.

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Yuri Events

Please join me at NYU on Wednesday October 21 from 5:30-7pm at 60 Washington Square South (Room Number to be determined), in New York City, for what is going to be an *incredible* panel on Queer Manga. I will be joined by Ivan Velez, June Kim, Mari Morimoto and Hiroki Otsuka. I’m going to do a 5-minute overview and then turn it over to the panelists. Interestingly, the panelists represent Bara, Bian and Queer manga, while manga created by and for straight members of the opposite sex as porn are pretty much not represented at all. It should be a really interesting conversation!

For our friends in Japan, the all-Yuri doujinshi event, Maiden’s Garden 4 will be held in Kyoto on Novermber 8.

The success of Maiden’s Garden and Girls’ Love Fest, along with a third publisher entering the Yuri field with an anthology, (not to mention the mainstream women’s and anime magazines reporting on the genre that we’ve covered in previous weeks) is more indication that the Yuri wave is finally building towards a self-sustaining model. We’re nowhere near that yet, but give it a few more years. 2003 was when Yuri Shimai and Yuri Monogatari were launched. I’m willing to bet that ten years after that, by 2013, our genre will be an established feature of the manga landscape. Will anime follow? I don’t know – there’s not that much really decent Yaoi anime, but that’s very much because it’s a given in Japan that women will buy manga and novels, but do not buy anime. Could Yuri shift that, because the audience is split between men and women? Possibly. It remains to be seen.

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And 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.)

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!

As the endlessy rainy days of summer (here, at least) draw to a close, we look at bright sunny days of Yuri!

Yuri Magazine News

Based on the number of magazines that are covering Yuri and GL, I think we can say that Yuri is just about the new Black. There was Davinci last week and this week:

YNN Correspondent Katherine reports that the September 2009 issue of Manga Erotics F is going to be a “special edition” Aoi Hana issue with some bonus Aoi Hana content by Shimura-sensei! Plus, according to the Aoi Hana website Goods Page, an Aoi Hana official guidebook will be coming out in September. The street date is September 4, but I don’t see an entry on Amazon JP for it yet.

George R. also wants you to know that the September issue of Newtype has an 8-page article on “Girls x Girls!” about how relationships between girls are now the rage in anime. (Now!?!) He says “They start with K-On! pointing out that it led the “Girls Anime Movement” in ’09, but that this century has seen an unpredicted rise of “bishoujo anime” or “moe anime” in contrast to the previous harem anime. For K-on!, they discuss the relationships between the main girls as, “laughing, crying, spending time together in a warm, firm friendship.”

Aoi Hana is used as an example of “Sincere Love” between girls, pointing out that Maria-sama ga Miteru brought this to the fore for modern fans, and also discussing some of the attraction of a pair of girls compared to a hetero-couple. They also call out couples in Kannazuki no Miko, Strawberry Panic, Natsu no Arashi and Sasameki Koto as examples.

Kanamemo shows “Comical Bonds”, where “girls activities are loved by the god of laughter.” A friend saw this and the previous and commented, “Oh, we’ve got dramatic Yuri and comical Yuri.” Here they call out couples in Kore ga watashi no Goshujinsama, Ichigo Mashimaro, Hidamari Sketch, and Bamboo Blade.

KITTY GIRL-AND shows “Admiration able to be born from strife,” where the line is blurred between joining forces to fight and fighting for the sake of love. Here they call out couples in Card Captor Sakura, Kiddy Grade, Strike Witches, and Ga-rei Zero.

To Aru Majutsu no Index is used to show “Girls anime has endlessly broadening possibilities,” where they talk about other ways “Girls Anime” can turn. Here they call out couples in Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru, Maria+Holic, Saki, and Taisho Yakyuu Musume.

Finally, Sengoku no Basara takes the last two pages to make the point that “relations between guys are fine too.”

In KC Dessert, a manga magazine targeted toward older teen girls that often has sexual relationships and deals with relationship “issues,” there are a number of Yuri and related stories these days. At least one deals with a MtF Yuri love story. Here’s a link to the September Special Volume.

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Yuri Anime

Well, not that it’s brimming with Yuri or anything, but YNN Correspondent George R. reports that a third season of Hidamari Sketch appears to be on the way.

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Other Yuri News

AnimeVice has subbed clips of the recent Phonix Wright Takarazuka show. Avoid the “chicks playing guys?!???? It’s unpossible!” comments and enjoy the clips.

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Snatches of Yuri

This is here because I honestly can’t remember if I posted it yet – Maria-sama ga Miteru: Little Horrors is out and filled with stories about characters that are not “our” Yamayurikai, with a Yamayurikai wrapping.

Man, if Degurai didn’t look so repulsive, I’d probably get it, because it sounds like crack. Girls’ school, crazed lesbians, food…something like that.

Tadaima Benkyou-chuu is neither erotic nor moe, Yurina Hibi says, which already makes me happy, but Volume 2 seems to heat up a bit into a strong case of Girls Love.

Corpse Party – Blood Covered looks less Yuri than horror, but if you like that mixed with moe, it could hold high appeal for you.

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That’s a wrap for the week.

Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com.

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!

Well, the results of the YNN logo contest are in and yes, I was going to let you vote but when it came time, I decided I wanted to make sure the one I liked best won. lol And then, I couldn’t decide between two of them! So…it’s a tie. I’ll be switching randomly back and forth between the two.

So, officially announcing the winners of the YNN logo contest – congratulations to Lissa Patillo and Mari Kurisato!

Lissa’s logo captures the soft feminine side of our Yuri Network:

Mari’s logo nails our hard-boiled side. (Yes, double entendre intended, Duh.)

I’m having “correspondent” badges created for all of *you* who write in – you’re the Yuri Network. Proudly display your badges on websites, in emails, on your social media profiles, etc.

As for our winners, they will each receive their very own Women Make Comics t-shirt, in a style, size and color of their own choosing. The proceeds go to charity, so it’s a win-win all around!

Many, many thanks to all the folks who sent in an a logo idea, your time and effort on our behalf is greatly appreciated by all.

Now…onto the News!

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Yuri Anime

Sal, one of our Yuricon Mailing List members, is very excited to report that A1c, (I believe they make games) is planning a new Yuri hentai anime imprint called “Chu-Chu.” Their first planned title is Sono Hanabira ni Kuchi Dake wo Anata to Koibito Tsunagi, based on the Sono Hanabira game. The idea of more uber-moe, lolicon hentai does not thrill me to the core, but I am not, as has been previously established, the audience they are going for. :-)

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Yuri Manga

Happily, I *am* the audience for the next bit of news. According to the Kodansha Manga lineup, the first collected volume of Gunjo has an official street date of October 23, 2009. This is a manga about an actual lesbian (damaged yes, as so many humans are) written by an out Japanese lesbian artist put out by a major publisher. I would love to see through-the-roof sales. And even better, crazy overseas numbers that are large enough to be a blip on Kodansha’s radar. :-)

Morishima Akiko-sensei is doing a book signing in Tokyo on August 29, to celebrate the fact that her books Hanjuku Joshi and Ruri-iro Yume are on sale this month!

Oh, and I canNOT forget this week – Morinaga Milk’s GIRL FRIENDS Volume 3 will be out in September. As always, you can order it through the Yuricon Shop.

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Snatches of Yuri

Haven’t had a chance to review this series yet – and may not, because I don’t feel there’s really even enough to comment on. However, I know that some folks think Umi Monogatari is Yuri, so here’s a link to the first volume of the manga, which runs in Comic Blade.

Speaking of Comic Blade, the first volume of Amano Kozue’s Amanchu! is also out in September. It’s about two girls. The rest is up to you. :-)

And for those of you who loved the art from First Love Sisters the artist, Shinonome Mizuo, has a series called Carbonard Crown out from Action comics (home of Girl Friends, among others.)

Also interesting, the September volume of Da Vinci, a regular everyday Japanese women’s magazine, has a special “Girls Love” edition. This is not as out of the blue as it sounds. Da Vinch is the magazine that serialized Takeuchi Sachiko’s Honey & Honey and I want to become a man! comic essays. Once again they are stepping into the LGBT-supportive spotlight. Good for them.

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I guess that’s it. I’m off to breakfast and train spotting. Have a great Yuri week!

Become a Yuri Network Correspondent and let me know what Yuri news you come across. Send emails to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com.

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!