Archive for the Yuri Network News Category


Yuri News This Week – May 16, 2009

May 16th, 2009

Get Okazu on your Kindle! It’s a super cheap monthly subscription and will be delivered directly to your reading device with every update. Okazu is already not the only anime/manga blog – you can also get Mangablog, Anime Almanac, Comics Worth Reading and more. If I do say so myself, Okazu looks pretty cool on Kindle. ;-)

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Yuri Anime

The website for the Lyrical Nanoha Ist movie is open – now with trailer. There was some outrage at the character designs (why fans get outraged so easily over every little thing still fascinates and bewilders me) but they appear to look pretty much on model to me. Better than the inconsistent designs of the first series, to me anyway. This movie is a “retelling” of Nanoha and Fate’s meeting, so I expect fans will be outraged at that, too. :-)

Anonymous wrote in to point out that the finale for Candy Boy aired last week, inciting as much controversy here on Okazu as it does anytime we talk about it. The ONA was extremely popular and undoubtedly a successful venture in Japan. I would be very very interested to know if that translated to good sales. Here’s a question for those of you who liked the series – would you buy the DVDs? My gut tells me that the audience here in the west is unlikely to covert to a market and thus, while the series is popular, it would not be financially successful, should it be released here.

Sean was immensely pleased to note that the Simoun box set shipped a full *month* early from Right Stuf. Sadly, the link above is to Amazon from which it has not yet shipped.

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Yuri Manga

Sevens Seas will be releasing a Kashimashi ~ Girl Meets Girl Omnibus, it looks like in two volumes. Release date is later in 2009.

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Yuri Live Action

Whenever I mention this series, controversy breaks out, because while those who think it is Yuri see it clearly, equally those who do not, have kittens. Nonetheless, a live-action version Bubblegim Crisis 2012 has been greenlighted. Since the plots of all previous series weren’t exactly examples of excellent writing, when it gets rendered down into the same one move all action movies are right now, it ought to be fine. :-) However, as it is live-action, expect no Yuri, except in your imagination.

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Did I mention you can get Okazu on your Kindle? Seriously, I’m totally stoked about that. lol

Anyway, this is a good place to stop for this week.

Just a quick reminder – do not write in to ask me *why* I haven’t written about something – write in to tell me about something you want me to write about! I can’t be everywhere, I don’t follow everything and your eyes and ears are absolutely crucial to letting me know. Be part of the Yuri News Report, drop me a line at anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with Yuri news you want to share!





Yuri News this Week – May 9, 2009

May 9th, 2009

Yuricon & ALC News

Top story today is that I am the top story at Anime Today. :-) I was very pleased to spend some time with the utterly fabulous folks at Anime Today this week, and our resulting talk can be found at this week’s Anime Today podcast. We talk about lesbian comics, and the realities of marketing and publishing in a niche market. I hope you’ll tune in – it was a LOT of fun!

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Yuri Anime

That great Yuri classic Vandread will be rearing it’s head once again, like the undead, horrible rotting thing it is. This time, we’ll be treated to a feature-length synopsis of both seasons. Since the series is being shrunk for your viewing pleasure, there’ll probably be even less lesbians on that all-female ship than there was the first time around.

Comcast On Demand began airing the first episodes of Maria Watches Over us. Can you believe it? It’s like some weird dream, in which an American anime distributor actually listened to me. lol

In reality, Right Stuf needs no edumacation from me – they “get it.” I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it – Right Stuf is best of breed right now in anime distribution, and Funimation is hustling, too. There are smart people at these companies. Support them with money, not just with words, so they can be smart for you a little while longer.

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Yuri Manga

Katherine wants you to know that Hitohira is winding down in Japan, but that the artist will be starting a new series which also has more than one female character, so some Yuri may be manufacturable. :-)

Not Yuri, but most definitely lesbian, Ariel Schrag’s collection Likewise has been released. This autobiographical, raw and honest review of a young lesbian’s life is garnering some good reviews.

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Yuri Light Novel

Anonymous cheerfully informs us that there is a Rakka Ryuusui Light Novel. There is also a good chance of light Yuri. :-)

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Snatches of Yuri

Speaking of novels, they are not Light, or even light, but Yoshiya Nobuko’s generation-defining Hana Monogatari are out in a handsome new edition in two parts. Part One and Part Two look spiffy.

Harenochi Cinderella is a rich girl/poor girl like story at a (what else?) school for rich girls. There may be Yuri. :-)

Assistant Denki Keika is an “ecchi” (a word that frankly makes me shudder with lack of anticipation) manga about an assistant to a mangaka and her sexual adventures, which include, obviously, Yuri.

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Other Yuri News

hasekura_rei says “it seems like the group that was running the Marimite SIM on Second Life is back together and has a new SIM (complete with the Old Unpopular Greenhouse finally) and they’re accepting applications for their pine, cherry blossoms, mum, and camellia classes. The SIM Location is http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hakata/202/138/23. If [you’re] interested, grab a rules and group info notecard next to the entrance way. It’s in Japanese and decent enough English.”

So if you are a Second Lifer and want to hang out with a bunch of guys pretending to be Lillian students, check it out and let us know how it goes!

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That should be enough to keep you for a week. Become a part of the Yuri news team, and let me know of any Yuri News you hear!





Yuri News this Week – May 2, 2009

May 2nd, 2009

Time to hit the boards in search of Yuri!

Yuri Drama CD

I was taken to task for not pointing this out eralier, but I haven’t been taking my omniscience pills so, belatedly, here is news of the Rakka Ryuusui Drama CD.

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Yuri Manga

Gokujou Drops, Volume 2 is out from Ichijinsha on May 18. The next volume of Hanjuku Joshi is planned for an August release.

Erin S. wants to assure you that you orders have not been “canceled” (which is what the helpful folks at Amazon JP tell you, when they mean “delayed”) and the Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan manga (with or without Drama CD) will also be out on May 18.

She’s also glad to be able to say Zaou Taishi and Eiki Eiki will have a new series in Yuri Hime magazine starting next issue (issue 17, due out July 18).

And she continues with more on the Yuri Himefront – another cell phone manga (set in the Heian period; could be interesting),Aishiwo tome: kimi ga kokoro ha by Takahashi Itsumi, are both due out that day, too. Several YH books are due out on June 18: Creo the Crimson Crises/ Volume 2 (which will also have a special extra in the next issue of Yuri Hime S, a Kurata Uso collection (yay! says Erica,) a Natsuneko collection (double yay!, says Erica), and a Yoshitomi Akihito collection.

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Yuri Events

Saturday, July 11 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm Friend of Yuri Katherine will be be hosting a “Yuri 101” panel at the Yasumicon anime convention being hosted by Florida International University in Miami.

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Yuri Anime

Anime Network (the TV cable network, not a typo of ANN) was thrilled to announce that both Maria-sama ga Miteru and Aria will be added to their schedule. I have no idea at all if this is the dawn of a subbed-anime cable station, but I have to admit, *I’m* far more likely to subscribe if they offer more subbed anime.

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We’ll call it quits here, but be sure to drop back in next week for even more Yuri News!





Yuri News Report – April 25, 2009

April 25th, 2009

Thanks for your patience while we had fun with (and without) you last week. We’re back today with a pile o’Yuri news!

Yuri Manga

Aoi Hana, Volume 4 is coming. Don’t shudder with anticipation too much, it’s bad for your joints. Jump up and down instead – your heart could use the exercise.

Azumanga Daioh is poised to have a 10th anniversary and the author is celebrating a new manga edition by penning three new chapters to entice you to buy it.

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Yuri Anime

Apparently the first DVD of the 4th season of Maria-sama ga Miteru had massive sound and extra issues, which made all the fanboys mad.

Strawberry Panic box sets are coming out in English. They are, of course!, on the Yuricon Shop for your convenience.

This is kind of interesting – Sean points out that Gakuen Alice is playing on the Anime Network. That means there was a dub, I guess. I think it’s interesting that that series got a dub, but did not make it onto network TV in the usual hacked up form shoujo usually has to go through to make it to TV.

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Other Yuri News

Tadeno Eriko, Yuri manga artist, creator of WORKS, and contributor to the Yuri Monogatari anthology, wants you to know that she is part of a new lesbian erotica group. Art and stories are up for your viewing pleasure – in Japanese.

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We’ll see you next week for more Yuri news!

 





Yuri News This Week – April 11, 2009

April 12th, 2009

Two quick things: One, I am working in an office again, so until I get settled reviews may be sporadic. I have a ton to review, I’m just running out of time to do it all. :-)

Secondly, in **one week** we are having the Yuri Monogatari Launch Party at the Rare Flix store in Secaucus, NJ. The party is open to everyone, and we’ll talking, watching and reading Yuri all night long, so please, please feel free to stop by and meet the artists and staff of Yuri Monogatari 6! The Media Blaster folks will have the store open, so you’ll be able to by Simoun, Strawberry Panic and more! Bring friends – the more the merrier!

Now on to serious stuff.

Yuri Manga

Aurora, the American imprint of Oozora Publishing (publishers of lesbian-themed ladies comic Mist back in the 90s) is up against the wall, as are all the American manga publishers right now. Yes, including ALC. We need to sell about another 500 copies of YM6 to break even. It’s a cold, harsh reality fans don’t care about but, it is a very real issue for publishers every day. Aurora is doing a deep discount sale on *everything* they publish, including Hitohira. So if Mugi’s struggle against shyness, or Nono and Mirei’s intensity appeal to you, consider jumping aboard the Aurora wagon and buying direct!

And, yes, ALC will be doing something similar, as *soon* as I have a second to spend some time on it. So look for a sale on ALC books shortly.

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Yuri Anime

The spring season offers us a cute mahjong anime called Saki which stars Kana Ueda as the lead voice actress and a Hikaru no-go-esqu intense friend/rival with whome Saki is easily slashed. And since Saki has been out as a manga for a while, I expect they already have been.

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Yuri Light Novel

After the riveting excitement of the last few Ichijinsha Iris novels, I was wondering if they sold well enough to bother printing more. Wel that answer appears to be – yes! A new Yuri Light Novel is coming out that tops off the scale on having almost every “Yuri” trope possible. Girls’ School, mysterious girl, Prince of the school…everything but the teacher on the motorcycle. We can still hope. :-) Oh, the title? see if you can not roll your eyes: Otome ha Hana ni Koi o Suru. No, I couldn’t not roll my eyes, either. lol

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Snatches of Yuri

Urapan is instantly reminiscent of Lucky Star. If you can imagine the LS girls in a music club, you’re not far off, apparently. :-)

Snow White- Kimi ni Mau Yuki takes place in a school for maids(?) in that fantasy land where there are no men, but there are romantic onee-sama relationships.

Tenzen Aluminum appears to be out of the same mold as Natural Four Color Heroines, but it is actually a “slightly” explicit 4-koma manga that is, according to one of my sources, “pleasing to the eye.” His eye and mine don’t always agree, but it’s nice to know. :-)

Sekai Seifuku Kirara Joshikan School. Crushes. Underwear. You know the drill.

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We’ll call it a wrp for this week. Thanks as always for all your support and here’s to see you all next week at the Launch Party!!