A few quick notes and snippets of Yuri and shoujoai interest today!

Okazu is now syndicated. You can pick it up on a Newsfeed reader near you! Just click the “syndicated” link above, or on the side bar on the right, or the XML button. If you do not know what XML, RSS, syndication or a newsfeed reader is, please feel free to read this article on What’s the difference between blogs and RSS?. (And a nod of thanks to Tara Calishain of ResearchBuzz, who inspired me to just get it done already.)

Madlax, Maria-sama ga Miteru, Bakaretsu Tenshi, are all finshed for the season. What’s next on the yuri plate? Take a look at this! Kannazuki no Miko is already (according to contributing editor Sean Gaffney) being referred to in some fan circles as “Kannazuki no Lesbian”! I don’t know much about it yet, but let’s just say that every *single* picture I’ve seen for this series has the main characters embracing. It’s GAINAX, it’s Geneon…it’s Kadokawa manga, need I say more? How about mikos (Japanese shrine priestesses) and mecha? I’m withholding any opinion-forming until I see it, but I have high (and low) hopes.

Animaxis and Sony Enterntainment are considering starting a new cable anime channel for US viewers. Why is this important? Because one of the first anime series they would be showing is the gender-bending classic Berusaiyuu no Bara aka, Rose of Versailles. Finally, American audiences will get a chance to meet Lady Oscar Francois de Jarjeye in all her butchy glory. Yay! Something to look forward to for all fans of early shoujoai, girl-prince anime.

Some of the Yuricon Essays and the old polls (2001-2003), along with some other articles of Yuri interest have been translated into Japanese. You can find them at Moonlight Fantasia.

That’s it for this time – another review coming up soon!

Tokyo Pop has been buying up tons of shoujo manga and, in case you haven’t noticed, has been spitting out decent English-language translations at an amazing rate. Well, along with manga for the younger crowd, and a few Korean and Chinese manhua titles, they’ve made a foray into josei manga, as well. (Josei manga is for a slightly older female audience than shoujo manga. It has more open sexuality than shoujo, as well.)

Well, they’ve picked up some titles from josei publisher FC Gold comics – primarily by mangaka Erika Sakurazawa – including one of her lesbian-themed titles, Between the Sheets. This is not a happy story, but I was surprised to see it at all! Erika Sakurazawa has a better yuri manga, Love Vibes, which has a happy ending, but hasn’t yet been picked up by Tokyo Pop.

This mangaka has been around for a long time, and has easily 40 titles or so to her name. Needless to say, with the semi-explicit sex in the stories, these manga are labeled for a “mature audience” on the Tokyo Pop site. Despite my reservations, I think we ought to congratulate Tokyo Pop for publishing this mangaka’s work. If they don’t want Love Vibes, ALC Publishing will be glad to take it!

And remember, if you’re looking for some high-quality yuri manga at a reasonable price, Yuri Monogatari is on sale now, for 30% off the retail price. The price goes up after Yuricon, so get your order in today!

Rica ‘tte Kanji!?, ALC Publishing’s next project, is 90% complete and should be going to the printers this week. Get ready to read some yuri manga by an openly lesbian mangaka! Rica is funny and touching and you *know* the girl gets the girl. LOL

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And don’t forget to check the Yuricon Events page for shoujoai and yuri anime events near you! The Yuricon team has taken over the Anime North 2003 shoujo anime room…there’ll be plenty of good shoujo, shoujo ai and yuri to be seen!