Yuri Interview

I have been interviewed in the November/December issue of L-Mag, Germany’s lesbian magazine! “Schwärmen für Sailor Uranus” is completely accurate. ^_^  Thanks to Theresa and the L-Mag staff for the great interview. ^_^

Yuri Anime

SugoiLITE is an anime industry rumor feed…that we all agree has a very good track record of being correct. With that in mind, they announced on Twitter today that production for an I’m in Love With the Villaness anime has begun. Feel free to scream about it on their feed. But do be kind and recognize that if the news is not official, people involved canNOT say anything and don’t hammer inori-sensei with questions. When it’s official, we’ll be sure to tell you. ^_^

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Yuri Manga

We had a plethora of technical fun with Okazu and Yuricon this week, SSL certs and CSS failures (that one was, admittedly, my fault. ^_^;) In the middle of the hurly burly, we have a lot of new stuff up on the Yuricon Store, with a variety of many places you may purchase them. I want to make this as easy for you to find things as possible.

SHWD, Volume 1 in English hit shelves last month. I’ll get a review of it out asap. SHWD, Volume 2 (シュード) in Japanese is also up on the store, as I reviewed it this week.

Catch These Hands!, Volume 3 is headed our way this month. Don’t miss this post girl-gang life, low-key Yuri romance.

AAAAAHHH! Hello Melancholic!, Volume 3 is headed our way in December. If you like this, please ask Seven Seas for 2DK, GPen Mezmashitokei by the same author. We’re ready for it now.

Asumi-chan is Interested in Lesbian Brothels!, Volume 1 is serialized in Comic Yuri Hime. This is an 18+ story about sex and love, kinda, but mostly sex. I am not interested in brothels that much, so if anyone picks this up and would like to review for Okazu, let me know!

Volume 2 of the The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady manga was really good. I managed to review it this week here on Okazu!

Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru, Volume 2 (君としらない夏になる) hit shelves last month in Japan. I’d like to see this one licensed. It’ll resonate, I think, for 20-somethings.

Akuyaku Reijou ga Sei Heroine o Kudokiotosu Hanashi. (  悪役令嬢が正ヒロインを口説き落とす話。) is on my to-get list. No idea how I’ll feel about a story of a Princess who seduces the Heroine, but I might like it, so why not? ^_^

Onaji Tokoro de Nemuru made Matte (同じ所で眠るまで待って) follows the meeting of two women who had met as children, but circumstances now seem completely different. I bought this on a lark, I’ll let you know how it goes. ^_^

If you like messy/manipulative relationships, you may like Uso to Kiss ha Houkago ni (嘘とキスは放課後に), which is about…well a pretty manipulative relationship.

Via YNN Correspondent Cryssoberyl, we have news that Rokoko’s Yuri manga Hokenshitsu ha Futarikiri (保健室はふたりきり) has begun in Comic Flapper with the November issue as an omnibus series.

Yuri Events

Join me at AnimeNYC on November 18-20 in Javits Convention Center in NYC. I really hope you’ll all make plans to be there…it’s a great convention for fans of anime and manga. I’ll be in the Artist Alley (with the gaming machines…that’ll be loud) with copies of By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga to sign and whatever other stuff I can drag with me. I’ll also be on two panels on Sunday, November 20 – no reservations required!

Defending Manga, 11:00 am–11:45 on the Community Stage (River Pavilion)
Writing About Japan, 1:30 pm–2:30 in Panel Room 3 (1E16)

Girls Love Fest is being held in the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center in Hamamatsuchō on November 23.

Comitia will be held once again at Tokyo Big Sight on November 27

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Yuri VNs/Games/Voice Drama

Studio Élan announced the release of their new Yuri VN Please Be Happy for November 21! You can play the fully-voiced first chapter on Steam. This is a story about “love and friendship, and about understanding not just how to be happy, but how to be human.” Check out the official trailer on YouTube.

The Revue Starlight Re: LIVE gatcha game is currently running a Rose of Versailles event, says YNN correspondent Roxie on our Okazu Discord.

SukeraSparo/SukeraSomero announces two voice dramas Hatsukoi Returns!~ Hajirau Gyaru Wa Kokuhaku Dekinai ~ (はつこいリターンズ!～恥じらうギャルは告白できない～) and Maid in Dream 〜 Hime-sama to meido no amaama seikatsu 〜 (メイドインドリーム〜姫様とメイドの甘々生活〜) … maid in dream/made in dream/ maiden dream… nicely done if that is the intent. These are both available on DL Site in Japanese only.

Other News

Kinda big news here in the anime/manga journalism world…. Kadokawa has bought Anime News Network. They also own Bookwalker and Bookwalker Global and have shares in Yen Press and J-Novel Club. ANN has made a couple of statements about the acquisition, but here is the formal announcement. No staff or policy changes are expected at this time.

If you’d like to support Yuri journalism and research, Patreon and Ko-Fi are the ways we currently have  \active to 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!

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Yuri Visual Novels & Games

Via Audrey on Twitter, who subbed the game, Square Enix is releasing Towatsugai, a Yuri VN about a couple finding each other over and over after death. This will be released on iOS and Android. Check out the trailer on YouTube!

Via YNN Correspondent Cryssoberyl, here’s a video featuring the seiyuu’s reactions to Yuri scenes in D4DJ’s first canon lesbian couple is so cute, subbed by ruolan.

Via Yuri Navi, Watashi-tachi no Marriage 2 (私たちマリアージュ) is being worked on.

On Twitter, Niina Shinjou announced some new Yuri voice work, including Prussian Blue and Meruya no Shujin.These are available at DLSite.

Again via Yuri Navi, we have the OP for the upcoming game Samurai Maiden, in which kisses will occur.

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Yuri Manga

I know I’m hopelessly behind on getting items on the Yuricon Store, life has been unremittingly complicated recently. I’m hoping to make some time this month to play catch up.

Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu!, Volume 11 (私の百合はお仕事です！) will be hitting shelves in Japan next month.

Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou, Volume 5 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。) of the manga, will be out in Japan in December.

Yuri Webtoon & Doujinshi

I’m very late on this piece of news, but Ari North, creator of Always Human, has a new webtoon, Seven Days in Silverglen.  Ari’s work is always lovely, so definitely give this a read!

Lilyka is running a 20% off all items Halloween sale.

Yuri Anime

The second season of Birdie Wing has been delayed until April according to the official Twitter account.

This Week in Anime on ANN takes on Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury and ask, Could Gundam: The Witch From Mercury Be The Best Alternative Universe Gundam Yet?

Realistically not Yuri, but Aim for the Ace was license by Diskotek and it does have some solid intense relationships on the court between female rivals.

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Yuri Light Novel

Sean Gaffney has reviewed J-Novel’s Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel to Trifecta on his A Case Suitable For Treatment blog, so you can decide for yourself whether it’s your style. It sounds like it is not mine, so thank you Sean!

Other News

Autostraddle’s Lily Alvarado offers up this seasonal thriller of 40 Female Horror Protagonists, Ranked by Lesbianism

Galette magazine is revamping their crowdfunding benefits. You can check out their page on Fantia to see what the new levels are!

Seven Seas has opened their own public-facing manga store. There’s some limited time deals available!

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Yuri Live Action

Big News! Via Yuri Navi, Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna is getting a live-action TV series on NHK in 2023! This manga is out in English as She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat and we love it here on Okazu! Volume 3 of the Japanese manga is hitting shelves next month. The promo visual looks good.

Crystalyn Hodgkins also has news of a live-action series for Young Women Don’t Play Fighting Games on ANN.

I have said for *years* that Jousei manga makes better live-action than anime and I think the live-action folks finally have caught on. ^_^ Expect to see more Yuri as live-action than as anime in years ahead.

Yuri Manga

Tokyopop has licensed If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It To The Budokan, I Would Die. Volume 1 is slated for a June 2023 release in English.

Seven Seas has licensed Shilin’s Amongst Us, which is an AU of her characters from her fantasy webcomic Carciphona. Both of which I have been reading since forever. I’m a huge fan of her art. This volume was originally a Kickstarter, and was reviewed here in 2020. 

Via YNN Correspondent Karin, inori’s I’m in Love With the Villianess has been licensed by Manga Cult for a German release. They also seem to have at least one Yuri title, Everyday Escape (Futari Escape).

France24 has a an article on The Rose of Versailles‘ 50th anniversary celebration!

ANN’s Rafael Antonio Pineda has news that Natsu to Lemon to Overlay in Comic Yuri Hime is coming to an end after one volume. I really liked the idea of this manga, but, tbh, it squandered a lot of space not delving into…well, anything. So I’m sorry to see it go, but it feels like it was an idea, not a plot.

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Yuri Light Novel

J-Novel Club is now selling directly through their own site (which makes sense given how much trouble they were having with Amazon) as well a Global Bookwalker. If you join their J-Novel Club to buy directly, you’ll get extras like interviews, bonus stories and art!

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Yuri Anime

I still think the chances of this having any vestige of the original Yuri is slim to none, but Hulu has picked up Black Rock Shooter Dawn Fall. If you’ve got Hulu, please let us know how it goes. ^_^

Yuri Wecomics

Creator Jackie Lesnick has collected all her previous series up and redone her website so Girlie, You Suck and all of Princess Panic so far are online for free on her updated website.

Other News

About a dozen folks wrote in to let us know about Kodansha’s Last Gender, by Rei Taki. Here’s what Kodansha summary says:

“Welcome to BAR California, a place for you to reveal your true self.

The 2022 Yuri Game Jam submission deadline is December 2nd! Check out the games that have already been submitted. ^_^

Via Sr. YNN Correspondent Sean G, Now You See Her: How Lesbian Culture Won Over America by Annie Crémieux looks like a good read for those of us interested in lesbian representation in media.

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Yuri Events

I am a guest at Women In Comics Con at the Bronx Library Center on October 29, from 11-6. Admission is free! Rica Takashima and I will both be there.

And I’m a guest at AnimeNYC on November 18-20 in Javits Convention Center in NYC. I really hope you’ll all make plans to be there…it’s a great convention for fans of anime and manga.

Girls Love Fest is being held in the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center Hamamatsuchō on November 23.

Comitia will be held once again at Tokyo Big Sight on November 27.

I hope to all the gods that these two events are on the same week next year, too. Because that’s when I plan on going back to Japan. ^_^

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Yuri Anime

Joanna Cayanan on ANN reports on The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess Anime’s 2nd Video Cast, Opening Song, and Debut.

Yuri VNs

Our friends at Aikasa Collective want you to keep an eye out for their upcoming Kickstarter: Red Rebellion! This is a “a sapphic fairy tale mashup as Robin Hood teams up with Red Riding Hood to save their town, in this yuri / lesbian historical fantasy.” Sounds fun!

Ratalaika Games and Visual Novels wants you to know about their VN A Year of Springs, which is available on the PS4 and PS5. Don’t worry if you missed the sale the games are priced pretty low. This VN explores “the stories of Haru, Erika, and Manami … a visual novel trilogy about three friends navigating their feelings of love, connection, and just wanting to belong.”

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Yuri Light Novels

J-Novel Club has announced new pre-publication chapters of Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel to Trifecta about a two-timing school lotharia. (Yes, I know that “lothario” has no feminine form as a noun. It does now. ^_^)

Yuri Webtoons

Via Yuri Mother, Filipino artist Logihy has a new series called Careless x Confidential on Pinoy Comiks site Penlab. Check out Chapter 1 right now. The art is very slick.

On Color_LES’s facebook page, the creator of Mage and Demon Queen has announced Velverosa and Malori plushies!

Other News

Global Bookwalker is offering up to 50% coin back on selected titles to celebrate it’s 7th anniversary! Some Yuri titles and J-Novel club titles (sadly, not Yuri Tama) are included. Check out the sale this weekend. I picked up Volume 1 of Is Kichijoji The Only Place To Live? for 50% coin back. This was recommended by Christopher Woodrow Butcher on this week’s Mangasplaining podcast. The first chapter talks about Zoshigaya, of which I am very fond…so I was instantly hooked. ^_^

YNN Correspondent Patricia Baxter has written in to let us know of the “2022 ShortBox Comics Fair. Patricia says, “It’s a digital comics fair devoted to showcasing a large variety of brand new comics by various cartoonists from around the world. On top of the majority of the cartoonists being LGBTQ+, most of the comics showcased this year revolve around queer themes, especially sapphic characters and couples. The fair will be hosted throughout the month of October, the creators get to keep the rights to their comics, and 100% of the sales go directly to the cartoonists.” Thanks Patricia – I’ve seen a lot of good stuff popping up from this event!

ANN’s Kim Morrisy reports that Bushiroad’s New D4DJ Unit Includes Lesbian Couple. I was thinking about this and wondering if it was indeed, as Kim said, “notable,” and came to the conclusion that, yes, it is notable that the couple, no matter how fictitious or ephemeral, is notable for being announced by Bushiroad as being “lesbian.”

Via Autostraddle,  and apropos of nothing, please enjoy this video clip of Melissa Etheridge and Rachel Maddow put on the spot for a segment called “Do Lesbians Give a Damn?”

We’ll end on this feel-good moment from Thai Yuri publisher lily house with an image of their booth at a recent event! Sold out and having a great time – just the way we like our Yuri! ^_^

If you’d like to support Yuri journalism and research, Patreon and Ko-Fi are the ways we currently have  \active to 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! Support us on Patreon 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 ne

Yuri and LGBTQ+ Manga

She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat by Sakaomi Yuzaki is available from Yen Press! This story is about food, and learning to like one’s self, dealing with traumatic past events and the way intimacies can develop between adults. I have loved Volume 1 and Volume 2 and look forward to your comments on this series in English. ^_^

Crystalynn Hodgkins has the news on ANN that Card Captor Sakura Clear Card Arc will end with Volume 14.

Viz Media announced the license of Until I Love Myself: The Journey of a Nonbinary Manga Artist this weekend.

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Yuri Light Novel

I’m In Love With the Villainess, Volume 5 is coming out in print format in English this week. If you haven’t read it, please do….it’s an amazing and unpredictable ending to an amazing and unpredictable series. Inori-sensei says that the manga volumes are getting reprints, and that you can help her by voting for the light novel in the Kadokawa’s Next Light Novel Awards. Check out Sensei’s post here (scroll down for English) to find out how. Voting is open until October 14.

Yuri Anime

By now, you’ve probably heard that Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury is Utena in Space. Well, it is, and you should at least watch Episode 1. ^_^ ANN’s Kim Morrissey has words from Gundam manga artist Koichi Tokita, in Gundam Manga Illustrator Recalls An Earlier Time When Sexism Prevented A Female Protagonist. It is all well and good that Gundam has a Yuri couple as the main pair, but…can I be honest? How much cooler might it have been if they didn’t just borrow from Utena and created an actual new couple? Like with their own creativity and imagination. Who am I kidding… these are the folks who have used Char Aznable’s style in a dozen different iterations. ^_^;

Speaking of imitation, Kim also has this amazing article: Lycoris Recoil Anime Changes Episode 11 Eyecatch Illustrations to Discourage Fans from Imitating the Poses in Real Life. We should not have to tell people to not put poisonous plants in their mouths, but here we are.

Via Comic Natalie and Yuri Navi, Hoshizuku Telepath manga from Mangatime Kirara magazine is getting an anime! This is a school club story in which a girl with social anxiety meets a self-professed alien in a rocket-building club.

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Yuri Live-Action

Komatsu-san over at Crunchyroll News has the details and promotional video for If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It To The Budokan, I Would Die, live action series. Have to say, this looks pretty solid.

Other News

Crunchyroll News’ Kara Dennison wants you to know that ZOMBIE LAND SAGA‘s Franchouchou Announces First 3D Virtual Concert! If this goes streaming, I can easily be convinced to buy a ticket. We genuinely loved their songs.

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

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