Yuri Manga

ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword!, Volume 3 manga is out from Seven Seas, after more than a year since the previous volume.

Natsuo Mutsumi-sensei was one of the creators behind Boyish² – Butch x Butch Yuri anthology. They have a new project and it’s going to be amazing. They had released art from My Date is a Total Ike Woman, in Japanese and English on Twitter where we all went ballistic for it. ^_^ Now is has launched as a bilingual Kickstarter and in one week blew past all the initial goals and stretch goals. The book is a only a few thousand yen away from a illustrated voice drama on Youtube with original music! I backed it for both a JP and EN edition, because of course I did.  ^_^ There’s just under 3 weeks to go. I hope you’re all as excited about this as I am. ^_^

ANN’s Rafael Antonio Pineda has the news that Kyou Kara Mirai Yuri manga by Yoshitomi Akihito (probably best known here for Blue Drop) is ending. I was kind of surprised it was still ongoing, only because recent Yuri work by Yoshitomi-sensei had been mostly shorts. I’ll have to take a look at this again, I think! I bring this up because Volume 1 and Volume 2 are available in English on Bookwalker Global, brought out by publisher MediBang, a company that mostly seems to do 18+ works. This was news to me, I had seen no announcements at all about it.

Yuri Events

We have a new video for  Yuricon 2023, one that I was exceptionally moved by: S04 E06 – Finding Inspiration in Yuri, Featuring Rev. Sandy Ferguson.  Sandy is very open and honest about his approach to faith, and how Yuri helped him find healing and a way to relate to others. This video now is captioned in English.

We’ll have a new video up tomorrow, as well on an important topic! Aand then we are talking a short hiatus while I attend to other business. We’ll be back in April with more great content and hopefully you’ll apply to run your own Yuricon 2023 panel or do a presentation today! We want to know all about your love of Yuri. ^_^

One of the items I will be attending to is that I am a guest panelist at Anime Boston 2023! I will be on 6 panels, I believe, including  a brand new Best of Yuri – 2023 Edition with Yurimother and Rocky, Anime Boston’s home team Yuri speakers. I’ll have a table in the Artist Alley, where I’ll be selling and signing By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime And Manga as well as selling some other Yuri manga.  Definitely drop in and say hello!

Okazu needs your support –
Become an Okazu Patron today!

Yuri Anime

Mobile Suit Gundam – The Witch from Mercury is gearing up for a release in April, ANN has a lot of coverage of it. Joanna Cayana has the release date. Rafael Antonio Pineda hands us the S2 trailer and OP,  Kim Morrisey notes that the website briefly had a spoilery synopsis listed. (Eh, not *that* spoilery.)

Rafael Antonio Pineda has also cast announcements for the upcoming Hoshikuzu Telepath anime.

Last week Twitter was abuzz with this charmingly personal announcement from online streaming and on-demand platform PlutoTV

I’M LAUNCHING A 24/7 SAILOR MOON CHANNEL TOMORROW AND I CAN’T CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT ANY LONGER. 🐈‍⬛🌙

— Pluto TV (@PlutoTV) February 28, 2023

And so they did! You can watch Sailor Moon 24/7 now on Pluto TV free and legally, or watch the movie or series of your choice on demand. A bunch of us asked for them to see if they can add the live action series, too. ^_^

Support Okazu on Ko-fi! We’re building a community!

Yuri VNs & Games

Noodletub Games is pleased to announce the launch of GOOD LUCK BABY! on Steam and Itch.io. “An out of this world yuri visual novel about falling in love, defeating an evil Empress, and finding a magic baby on your crush’s doorstep….a heartwarming, comedic and emotionally-driven yuri visual novel about love, found family, and saving the world.” Sounds fun!

Yuri Live Action

One more from Rafael Antonio Pineda on ANN, who brings us a trailer and details about the live-action movie for Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu, based on the manga of the same name by Hirao Auri. The manga is currently being released in English by Tokyopop – I reviewed  Volume 1 on English here on Okazu!

Other News

YNN Correspondent Patricia Baxter write in to let us know about”a great indie comic that, while not explicitly GL, still strongly focuses on the relationship between two women characters. It’s called See You Again, Maybe by Vivian Nguyen (aka LaweyD). Pre-orders for it are available until March 16th.”

Thanks to our Okazu Patrons who make the YNN weekly report possible! Support us on Patreon or Ko-fi to help us give Guest Reviewers a raise and to help us support Yuri creators!

Become a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share and be part of the Yuri Network. ^_^

Yuri Events

Yuricon 2023 continues this week with the first of our “Yuri is their job!” track.  I spoke with three professional translators about their work on some of your favorite Yuri titles in Yuri Is Their Job – Translating Yuri with Jocelyne Allen, Kevin Ishizaka and  Diana Taylor!

Your kind words and “likes” on Youtube are always appreciated. They also help get these videos more widely seen. Please feel free to share the video links, or our Yuricon 2023 playlist to any Yuri fan communities you’d like.

Don’t miss this opportunity to talk about something that’s important to you – apply to run a panel or do a presentation for Yuricon 2023. I’m especially looking for folks who normally don’t feel like they have a chance to talk about their specific interests or perspectives at conventions. Yuri Blerds and fans of color are especially welcome to apply, queer folks of course and folks from any country. Don’t self-censor. I really do want your panels!

Okazu needs your support to continue bringing you Yuri news, reviews and interviews –
Become an Okazu Patron today!

Yuri Anime

Birdie Wing official has released a new key visual and a premier date in April! Woo~~ Crystalynn Hodgkins has the story on ANN.

ANN’s Joana Cayanan shares the news that Miyamoto Yume will be returning to Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury as Nika.

Yuri Manga

Seven Seas has announced the license for Usui Shio’s Onna Tomodachi to Kekkon Shitemita (女ともだちと結婚してみた。) as I Married My Female Friend. Volume 1 will hit shelves here in December 2023, Volume 3 is out this month in Japan.

Also from Seven Seas, Futari Escape, Volume 2 and  Monologue Woven For You, Volume 3 hit shelves this month.

Yuri Doujinshi

Via Yurimother, we learn that Irodori Sakura has released lesbian doujinshi 100% Ice Drop by Pikachi Ohi, creator of Our Teachers Are Dating.

Buy us a Sailor Uranus or Neptune sparkling water
Support Yuri journalism on Ko-fi!

Baihe News

Via YNN Correspondent Ashley, DouQi’s Twitter account (*the* source for English-language baihe news) announced pre-orders for volume one of the print edition of tomb-raiding baihe novel 问棺/Wen Guan/Reading the Remnants by 七小皇叔 opening on 25 February at 1900 China Standard time! Douqi also shared this book unboxing video series from Weibo, narrated by an audio drama voice actress.

Yuri Visual Novels

ebihime announced a Steam store page, so you can wishlist their new 18+ Yuri VN, Fragile Feelings.

Other News

Honey’s Anime has a terrific interview with Mieri Hiranashi, creator of The Girl That Can’t Get A Girlfriend, which was reviewed this week on Okazu.

On ANN, Rebecca Silverman looks at I Want To Be A Wall, Volume 2.

Utterly tangential, but the creator of my beloved obsession Hana no Asuka-gumi (of which ANN only lists two pieces of the franchise) Takaguchi Satosumi, has a series called Grandma no Yuutsu, which is getting a live-action drama. Joanna Cayanan has the details on ANN. I can’t really complain, Hana no Asuka-gumi had  TV show in the 80s and 2 movies…but I want a new live-action series! ^_^

Thanks to our Okazu Patrons and Supporters who make the YNN weekly report possible!

If you’d like to support Yuri journalism and research, Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips. 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 our readers.

Yuricon 2023

The first discussion panel of Yuricon 2023 is up on Yuri Studio! The first of our Scholarship track, Boston University professor Sarah Frederick and I talk about the woman I call the grandmother of Yuri in Celebrating the Life And Work of Yoshiya Nobuko. We talk about her political and literary life, her love life, and her works including Prof. Frederick’s translation of Yellow Rose from Yoshiya-sensei’s Hana Monogatari series. It’s a chunky discussion to start with, but I wanted us all to know Yoshiya-sensei as the amazing, accomplished woman she was. 

Our next panel will be the first in our “Yuri Is Their Job track,” in which we talk to folks who translate some of your favorite Yuri manga. We have several panels recorded already and have a few more scheduled, including a special guest for Yuricon 2023. All we need now is your panel or presentation! Please apply for your panel today. I really want to hear from you!

Comitia is happening tomorrow in Japan. This is always an incredible show and a great place to discover new original Yuri work.

Girls Love Fest is returning to the Tokyo area on March 19. It has more adjacent festivals than ever, so keep your eyes peeled for Lycoris Recoil, Bloom Into You, Revue Starlight, idol and magical girl series Yuri doujinshi. ^_^

Support Yuri journalism and research
Become an Okazu Patron today!

Yuri Manga

Mieri Hiranashi’s outstanding autobiographical manga, The Girl That Can’t Get A Girlfriend has been released by Viz Media! I exhort you all to read this. It is touching, and heartbreaking and hilarious and uplifting.  Of note, Mieri wrote the script for the manga in Japanese and in English. Autostraddle’s A. Tony Jerome’s review is spot on: This Butch4Butch Manga Made Me Feel Heartbroken and Heartfixed.

Yen Press has announced a number of new Yuri licenses this week! I Don’t Know Which Is Love!,  and two by Mikan Uji, Assorted Entanglements, (which I have reviewed up to Volume 5 here on Okazu as Fuzoroi Renri) and I Don’t Need A Happy Ending.

Do not forget that Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon, Volume 4 is heading our way next month! I really don’t want you to miss the ending of this wonderful story.

Morishima Akiko is back! This time with a serialized story about a 60 year old, single lesbian. Grab A Single Life: Akiko, in English on US Kindle or in Japanese (ひとりみです①: 60歳レズビアンのシングル生活) or English on JP Kindle.  This is being released one chapter at a time. As I have said for many years, it is likely that we’ll see more senior years Yuri as my generation of artists age up…and here we are, aging up. ^_^

schwinn’s Hana Monogatari, Volume 2 (はなものがたり) is hitting JP bookshelves this coming week.

Galette, No. 25 (ガレット) will hit shelves in March. You can pre-order it on Amazon JP or pick it up at Comitia. This brings us to the end of their 5th year! It’s will be interesting to see where the magazine goes from here.

Okazu Guest Reviewer Matt Marcus has embarked on a detailed and deep dive into the How Do We Relationship manga, that he has been reviewing here on his new blog, Oh My God, They Were Bandmates. If you’d like to get into the weeds of this series, head on over and see what Matt is doing!

Buy us a Sparkling Senshi Water at Ko-Fi
and support Yuri journalism and research!

Yuri Anime

The Yuri Is My Job anime premieres on April 6th. (The worst possible day for me, so my “react” video will be a tad late, as I’ll be at Anime Boston that weekend. ^_^) Joanna Cayanan has details and a second trailer on ANN.

Friend of Okazu, Philip has a review of Birdie Wing over on Otaku News. Which we can read while tapping our feet impatiently. One the one hand, I need more Birdie Wing in my life. On the other, in a year of an absurd amount of great Yuri anime, I love the idea of S2 of Birdie Wing being a climax for us all. ^_^

In the meantime, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady continues to satisfy deeply. As Cryssoberyl noted on the Okazu Discord, a new Yuri trope might be forming before our very eyes. AnimeCorner seems to agree – and notes that there’s even more of a pattern than we thought. I know a meme isn’t “news” per se, but I found this kind of interesting and wanted to share. ^_^

Other News

Speaking of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, if you are in the market to proclaim your allegiance to House Earth (and Chuchu’s beautiful punch) the Gundam Store has you covered, literally, with House Earth hoodie or sweatshirt. ^_^

ANN did a Valentine’s Day Special  and Gabriella Ekens gave us our represent with Anthy and Utena for Your Favorite Anime Couple.

Thanks to our Okazu Patrons who make the YNN weekly report possible! Support us on Patreon or Ko-fi to help us give Guest Reviewers a raise and to help us support Yuri creators!

Become a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share and be part of the Yuri Network. ^_^

Yuricon 2023

Yuricon 2023 has begun! The Opening Ceremony video is up on Yuri Studio.

I have 3 panels in for editing, am running another tonight and am arranging for more to come. Stay tuned for announcements. ^_^ Apply to run your own Yuricon 2023 panel or do a presentation today! We want to know all about your Yuri.

Yuri Manga

Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon, Volume 4 is hitting shelves in English in March! Look forward to the ending of this lovely adult-life story.

Arai Sumiko’s Twitter manga Ki Ni Natteru Hito Ga Otoko Ja Nai, (気になってる人が男じゃなかった) is being released by Kadokawa as a series in April. On her twitter account, Arai-sensei specifically thanks overseas fans for their support and credits them for being a part of why this happened. That makes two creators who have specifically said that overseas fandom did have an impact. We may be at a critical tipping point for this. Up to now, the assumption always has been that JP publishers saw overseas fandom as a nice add-on. But if we’re seeing creators crediting out-of-Japan fandom for getting their books to be published…that’s a whole new ballgame.

Make that three. schwinn-sensei also thanks overseas fans for their support and offers some sketches for color images for her series Hana Monogatari. ^_^ h/t Ashley for spotting this.

Rafael Antonia Pineda has the news over at ANN that the Assault Lily: League of Gardens – Full Bloom manga series is ending with Volume 4 & 5 shipping simultaneously. This has been more common recently – I can see the wisdom of getting the whole end out at once, so folks who are engaged actually get the entire series, instead of having the final volume release linger and lose engagement.

Okazu needs your support –
Become an Okazu Patron today!

Yuri Anime

Lycoris Recoil is coming back with more anime! This cannot possibly be a surprise with the staggering sales for the spin-off novel Lycoris Recoil Ordinary Days – which I just happen to be planning to review tomorrow. ^_^ If you recall, thisspin-off sold more than a 100K copies before it was even released, and passed a quarter of a million copies shortly after release. I expect the next season to basically be the book. ^_^ Egan Loo has details of the announcement on ANN.

Along with the vast riches of Yuri anime already announced, we’re also getting Hoshikuzu Telepath! Alex Mateo has the details on ANN. I honestly thought I’d be doing a handful of “react” videos this year. Now we’re up to 8 Yuri and Yuri-adjacent series and I’m already exhausted. ^_^

Joanne Cayanan at ANN reports on the character video for Lanie Cyan from The Magical Revolution Of The Reincarnated Princess And The Genius Young Lady.

Support Okazu on Ko-fi! We’re building a community!

Yuri Live Action

GAP Theory has one episode left and it’s being streamed initially as a pay per view event. IDOLFACTORY has said on their Twitter account, tickets will be a one-time event, with encore showings. Tickets are being sold on Thai site TicketMajor. I haven’t had a chance to pursue how this might work for overseas fans, but if you, have – weigh in!

Yuri VNs & Games

Lilyka is running a Valentine’s Day sale on Yuri VNs with checkout code VV.

Rafael Antonio Pineda has news about the new game in the Blue Reflection series, Blue Reflection Sun.

Ebi-hime on Mastodon announces that The Fairy’s Secret has been released! They edscribe this as a “cute yuri visual novel about a grumpy goth girl and her plucky knight partner as they explore the idyllic English countryside, kiss a lot, and uncover what’s lurking in the woods…” This is available on Steam and itch.io!

Other News

People are talking about the Sailor Moon x Jimmy Choo shoe collaboration, Richard Eisenbeis has the details at ANN. I…kinda like them. ^_^

Richard also has a fun report about a lacquer “magical girl wand” done as a piece of art for Tokyo University, by artiss Okamura Karin.

Thanks to our Okazu Patrons who make the YNN weekly report possible! Support us on Patreon or Ko-fi to help us give Guest Reviewers a raise and to help us support Yuri creators!

Become a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share and be part of the Yuri Network. ^_^

Yuri Anime

The dub of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury is in the news. First Crunchyroll announced the dub cast, then there has been an ongoing discussion of the lost (ignored) opportunity to make space for MENA actors in anime. Lynzee Loveridge has a good summation of the situation on ANN that is well worth reading for focusing on the important side of the issue. The forums (OMG, I read some of the forum, what am I doing?!?) point out that there has been some neurodivergent roles that might have been given to ND VAs. Those people who argue that this is a non-topic that is looking for relevance quite obviously have no skin in this game.  ANN user ChibiGoku hit the hammer on the nail with this comment:

Discotek has announced the license for Re: Cutey Honey! I’m really excited about that. This three-episode OVA gave us a grown-up Na-chan and Honey dynamic that worked really well. In the same announcement Discotek said they’ve licensed Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Reflection. If one of you gets that, I’d love a review. (I’m only interested in reviewing that series if the franchise moves forward, not backward.)  Rafael Antonio Pineda has the news at ANN.

Rafael also has the scoop on the new Sailor Cosmos trailer which gives us a look at Hayashibara Megumi’s Sailor Galaxia and the sounds of ‘Tsuki no Hana’ by Daoko. Honestly, this two-part movie for the final arc looks quite excellent and I once again rage that the first two seasons were cheaped out on and rushed by Toei.

There’s big news in PreCure world with the handoff video from Toei for Soaring Sky! PreCure, Crystalynn Hodgkins and Alex Mateo havecovered this on ANN. A boy PreCure is setting all the insecure fans on edge, but the overall vibe is one of positive anticipation. It is always so weird when fans create arbitrary rules for what a fictitious, corporate franchise designed to sell toys and make money is “supposed” to be. This series has had plenty of Yuri couples and a trans characters….if we can get a puppy fairy who becomes a PreCure, why wouldn’t there be a boy PreCure? I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here. ^_^ Finishing up Delicious Party PreCure is on my plate of things to do today, in fact!

Yuri Events

Yuricon 2023 is about to launch!  The Opening Ceremonies will be hitting Yuri Studio shortly. By the end of this weekend we’ll have three panels in the can!   Don’t miss this opportunity to talk about something that’s important to you – apply to run a panel or do a presentation for Yuricon 2023.

Girls Love Fest is running their next event in the Tokyo area on March 19, 2023. Girls Love Fest 37, will include special “only” sections for Bloom Into You, Assault Lily,  Lycoris Recoil and other popular franchises. Let me know if you’re attending, I’d love a report!

Yuri Studio

Speaking of Yuri Studio, in the middle of what is a ridiculously busy month for me, I and my delightful hardworking and patient editor, thank you Ashley) have gotten a new video out:  S04 E02 Erica Reacts (not really) To Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero King to Extraordinary Squire. This is up for Patrons only right now, but will go live soon, keep your eyes out. ^_^

Yuri Manga

In other Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury news, ANN’s Joanna Cayanan reports that a G-Witch side story manga will be launching this spring in Gundam Ace magazine.

Crystalynn Hodkins wants us to know that the Adachi and Shimamura manga will resume this month in Dengeki Daioh magazine.

Yuri Light Novels

Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel To Trifecta, The Second is out now from J-Novel Club. Yurimother calls this a “poly” story but I feel like that’s giving it a lot of unearned credit. Sean Gaffney’s comment that “There is an attempt at discussing the differences between sexual attraction, familial love, and close friendship. It’s an attempt that is somewhat steamrollered by the plot, but the attempt is made.” seems to me more accurate. Your mileage may vary.

Buy us a Sailor Uranus or Neptune sparkling water
Support Yuri journalism on Ko-fi!

Other News

Mangasplaining this week takes a look at Takako Shimura’s Even Though We’re Adults, Volume 2 at Chip Zdarky’s request. I know I have mentioned this podcast before, but if you enjoy manga – or want to learn more about manga – or would like to expand your reading into other genres but aren’t sure what to try – I highly recommend this podcast. It’s gotten me to read any number of titles I would not otherwise have read.

Over at Autostraddle, Heather Hogan offers advice on how to get involved in 8 Queer Nerd Hobbies And How To Get Into Them. ^_^

Global Bookwalker polled editors of various manga magazines to see what titles they recommend and among them was schwinn’s Hana Monogatari, (はなものがたり) the senior Yuri story running on Comic Walker. I love this story so much and really hope one day to see it licensed in English. Feel free to politely request it of Yen Press. ^_^

Yuri Survey

In case you missed it, the results of the Global Yuri Fandom Survey was posted on Okazu as my 5000th post here. I’ve been told the results of the Comic Yuri Hime foreign readers poll were less queerfem aligned, so I am interested to see how that data shakes out.

I’m shoehorning this in here, but the February Seven Seas Reader Survey is live. Hit them up with your favorite unlicensed titles and get a coupon for Global Bookwalker.

If you’d like to support Yuri journalism and research, Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips. 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!

Thanks to our Okazu Patrons and Supporters who make the YNN weekly report possible!

Become a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share and be part of the Yuri Network. ^_^