Yuri Events

I will be presenting on the First 100 Years of Lesbian-themed Japanese Animation and Comics at Flamecon, August 20, 12:45 – 1:45 PM in New York City!

Via James Welker, check out the COMITIA official image for the September event! It’s not the first time they’ve gone in on a Yuri image, but this one is classic.

The next Girls Love Festival in Japan will be in November in Asakusa, Tokyo Metropolitan Industry and Trade Center Taitokan.The July one just wrapped up.

Lastly – next month is Okazu’s 20th anniversary! I am planning an anniversary treasure hunt event! Okazu Patrons will be getting a heads up on August 1 and I’ll be making it public after. Find Yuri treasures, for Yuri prizes. ^_^

Yuri Manga

Kodansha has some cool news, they’ve licensed Kanojo to Camera to Kanojo no Kisetsu by Tsukiko (all 5 volumes of which I reviewed back in 2012-14) as as She, Her Camera and the Seasons. This is a story about three young people in a complex relationship triangle. I thought the story was compelling and the ending well handled. I described it as “seriously intense, Dear Brother-levels of emotion.” I look forward to Kodansha’s English edition.

An absolutely wonderful story about a widow who finds life and, maybe, love with another woman – Hana Monogatari (はなものがたり), by schwinn, will be getting a collected Volume 1 in August. I adore this story, and read it regularly on Comic Walker.

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Yuri Anime

Birdie Wing‘s second Blu-Ray box set is going on sale in Japan. To celebrate, they asked Koga Ryoichi, creator of Ninin ga Shinobuden / Ninja Nonsense to do a crossover promotional comic. This is a crossover none of us could have predicted.

Liam Dempsey has given us all a sense of relief as he reports that “Yuri no Aida ni Hasamareru. Aru Asa Dummy Head ni Natteita Ore-kun no Jinsei (“Caught Between Lesbian Relationships. My Life After Waking Up as a Dummy Head Microphone”) is officially changing its title to just Aru Asa Dummy Head ni Natteita Ore-kun no Jinsei (“My Life After Waking Up as a Dummy Head Microphone”)” for Crunchyroll News. Phew. I did not wanna watch that.

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Yuri Live Action

Bloom Into You is getting a new stage play in Japan, Bloom Into You encore. Komatsu-san has the news over at Crunchyroll, where he writes, “according to the play’s official Twitter, the remake version “encore” tells the story up to the last volume of the original manga while being based on the first play. All of the main cast members, including Misato Kawauchi as Yu Koito and Moeka Koizumi as Touko Nanami, will return.”

Yuri Visual Novel

From burgeroise, we have news of their new Yuri VN, Coquette Dragoon, which they describe this way: “Girls love + alternative mecha VN series Coquette Dragoon is now out in early access! ~50k words. Contains full first two chapters and preview of chapter three! Coquette is for adults only and contains dark/suggestive themes, read at your own discretion.“

I’d love to have a review of this if anyone wants to read it for me! ^_^

Via Yuri Navi, comes news of a promotional video for a new Yuri VN, Watashi-tachi no Marriage. The PV opening is cute, but after watching the commercial…I couldn’t tell you what the VN is about, which maybe is not great for a promotional video. ^_^;. BUT the story of the two girls will play out in the remaining videos, according to Yuri Navi’s interview with the game creator, Noame Takii. The game will be released with English and Chinese subs in August on Steam.

Other News

By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga is now available through Kinokuniya USA online. Additionally, folks who buy it it at their store locations in Edgewater New Jersey, Katy Texas, Portland Oregon or Seattle Washington, will be able to get signed bookplates! If there’s a Kino near you and you’d like a signed bookplate, have them contact my publisher. They’d be delighted to get you one. ^_^

It’s exhibition season in Japan, and The Rose of Versailles is getting a 50th anniversary exhibition at Roppongi Hills. Richard Eisenbels has the details at ANN. There will be four rooms and, among the many items on exhibit will be the edition of the RoV manga I edited for Udon Entertainment! So there’s a benchmark for my mental photo album. ^_^ Check out the Room 4 lineup on the Roppongi Hills official site.

Did I say “exhibition”? Then I must have news of a new Sailor Moon Exhibition! Also in Roppongi, the Sailor Moon Museum has a new set of visuals and goods. Daryl Harding has the news over at Crunchyroll.

Not quite an exhibition, but Hana no Asuka-gumi creator Takaguchi Satosumi has opened an online store and is selling original designs with her characters. No Yohko, boo.

The first part of Gideon the Ninth (ギデオン　第九王家の騎士 上) is out in Japanese! You can take a look at the 41-page sample on Bookwalker.

My review of Summertime Rendering, Volume 3  from Udon Entertainment is up on ANN. This is a truly fantastic series full of eldritch horror and action and paranormal events. It’s a great read, honestly.

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!

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Yuri Essay

I wrote a short essay for Mary Robinette Kowal’s blog this week, and I’m really pleased with how it came out. ^_^ I hope you’ll take a look at My Favorite Bit: Erica Friedman Talks About BY YOUR SIDE: THE FIRST 100 YEARS OF YURI ANIME AND MANGA

While I am on the topic, I want to thank everyone who has picked up the book so far! If you haven’t yet gotten your copy, it’s available on just about every platform possible and at bookstores near you. I hope you’ll all consider recommending it, dropping a review on Amazon or Goodreads and letting folks know about it. ^_^

Yuri Manga

From Seven Seas, we have Hello, Melancholic!, Volume 2 coming our way this week(!) along with Superwomen in Love! Honey Trap and Rapid Rabbit, Vol. 4 and semelparous, Volume 3  which already hit shelves this month.

Yen Press announced the cover reveal for The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Vol. 5: The Promised Land.

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Via YNN Correspondent and Guest Reviewer, Mariko S, we have a suggestion for a Twitter comic: Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Ja Nakatta (気になってる人が男じゃなかった) by Arai Sumiko, handle @agu_knzm. I love the art. 

Ano Hanagasaku Oka de, Kimi to Mata Deaetara (あの花が咲く丘で、君とまた出会えたら) is a comicalization of an time slip idea that got it’s start on TikTok, apparently. A girl bored with her life, runs away from home, but sees something unusual while she hides out overnight…. Check it out in Japanese on Comic Walker!

Wakeatte Shachou Reijou ni Hirowaremashita (ワケあって社長令嬢に拾われました) is Akili’s newest, after Still Sick. An OL who has failed to make anything of her life suddenly finds favor with the company president’s daughter. It looks, honestly, like it’s “comedy” of how bad the OL keeps messing up, but there’s a sample chapter in Japanese up on Bookwalker for you to check it out.

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Yuri Light Novel

Seven Seas announced the license of Heimin no Kuse ni Namaikina, as She’s So Cheeky for a Commoner, Adrian Hazra has the details at ANN. I’ve reviewed the first volume of this series and was so impressed. Usually the “story from the other person’s perspective” doesn’t add much to the narrative and it’s overused in isekai…but wow, was this a great book.

Yuri Visual Novels

From Studio Élan the demo for Lock and Key: A Magical Girl Mystery is now playable on Steam & itch.io!

 
Other News

On a completely argh note, I’ve had to pull back even further on Pixiv Fanbox. Apparently once I asked to close the paid backing account, they realized I write reviews and wanted me to pull all the cover art off the links. So going forward, the Pixiv Fanbox for Okazu will only cover Okazu and Yuricon news, like YNN.

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 Events

I’ll be presenting “The First 100 Years of Lesbian-themed Anime and Manga” at Flame Con, August 20-21 in New York City. Looking forward very much to returning to Flame Con. ^_^

If you’d like me to come to a con near you – please tell the con to invite me. There’s only a couple cons I won’t at least try to get to, if I’m invited. ^_^

2023 will be the 20th anniversary of Yuricon. Would you be interested in a virtual convention? Let me know in the comments!

Bookwalker JP ran a “Yuri Day” on July 1, and Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto desu! is running a giveaway to celebrate that and the upcoming anime. Through July 9, follow the official WataYuri anime account, like and retweet the promotional post and you are entered to win an official book card. Wonder Parlour in Ikebukuro, Tokyo is running a collaboration Cafe through July 10! ^_^ (I’m smiling through my tears here. I wish I could be there.) Check out the pictures!

Yuri Manga

Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, Volume 3 is out now from Seven Seas! This is a must-read manga for a lot of reasons I cannot yet tell you without spoilers. Let me say that this series does right something that Bloom Into You did not.

Syrup: A Yuri Anthology, Volume 4 is now out in English from Seven Seas, as well.

tMnR’s If Could Reach You ends with Volume 7, which was released late last month. If you enjoyed this series, I’d love to have a wrap-up review for Okazu. Drop me a line!

Yuri Espoir, Volume 2 is up on the Yuricon Store, out now from Tokyopop.

Catch These Hands, Volume 2, out from Yen is also on the Store.  ^_^

Yamada to Kase-san, Volume 3 (山田と加瀬さん。) came out last month. More love-love adventures with Kase-san and Yamada, as they build lives separately and together.

Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 4 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし) What relationship do these two girls have beyond predator and prey? I love this series.

Usio Shio has a second series that I really like, also in Comic Yuri Hime. In Onna Tomodachi to Kekkonshitemita, Volume 2 (女ともだちと結婚してみた。) Kurumi and Ruriko negotiate their marriage and their friendship. Is it time for new rules?

Via Bookwalker, you can now vote in the NEXT Manga Awards in English! This contest is sponsored by NicoNico and DaVinci magazine….I point this out because we’ve mentioned DaVinci many times here on Okazu. It’s very Yuri and lesbian supportive for a mainstream women’s magazine.  There are several excellent Yuri manga listed this year, including several of my personal favorites. Yuri choices include I’m in Love With the Villainess, The Skirt Rings at the Landing, The Summer You Were There and Futari Escape in print manga and The Moon on a Rainy Night and  She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat in the Web Manga category – both of these I think are outstanding.

Bookwalker is also running a free Volume 1 sale that includes My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over!, Volume 1. This sale runs through July 28.

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The July issue of Ultra Jump magazine features Kimi no sei da (全部君のせいだ) a Yuri cosplay comedy by merryhachi. I like using Bookwalker JP for this kind of thing. Not gonna get the book in print just to read a short and see if I like it. ^_^

Shoyateruko has written a sequel to a earlier story about two college students. Stella ☆ Record (ステラ☆レコード) follows “True Feeelings as Ritsuko and Kyouko try to understand each other, now that they have been honest about the feelings for one another. This is running in Young King Ours GH August issue.

Yuri Light Novels

I’m in Love With the Villainess, Volume 5 is poised to hit shelves. The digital edition is heading your way at the end of July, and the print will follow in September!

The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Volume 5 is slated for a September release as well.

J-Novel Club announced the license of webnovel Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel to Trifecta: at Anime Expo. Rafael Antonio Pineda has details.

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Yuri Live Action

ANN’s Alex Mateo has the extraordinary news that If My Favorite Pop Idol Made it to the Budokan, I Would Die, is getting a live-action drama!

Yuri Visual Novel

Studio Élan announced that the demo for Lock and Key: A Magical Girl Mystery, will be publicly available next Friday, July 8th on Steam & itch.io.

Yuri Doujinshi and Webcomics

Lilyka is running a summer sale – 20% off all Yuri doujinshi!

Webtoon Kiss it Goodbye is crowdfunding a print collection! Ticcytx’s Yuri webtoon follows two school girls in Japan in a slice-of-life series.

Other News

For Pride Month, YuriMother did a deep dive into the complex and complicated X-Gender, by Asuka Miyazaki, out now from Seven Seas.

Not Yuri, but tangentially of interest, Yen Press announced omnibus volumes of K-On! and a sequel, K-ON! Shuffle at Anime Expo this weekend. Adriana Hazra has the details.

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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Queer Manga Studies

I want to start by thanking everyone who has bought By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga so far. To celebrate Pride Month, we’re doing an offer – send me your receipt for a digital version of the ebook and get a digital bookplate! This offer is good until the end of June. If you’ve enjoyed By Your Side, please feel free to review it at Amazon or Goodreads – your reviews can make a difference!

My series for queer book store Giovanni’s Room has finished up. Week 1, I talked about Yaoi manga. Week 2 I gave some time to Yuri manga and on Week 3, I talked about the rise of Queer manga!

I spoke with the Castle Talk Podcast this week about my book. Jason was very lovely to speak with. ^_^

If you have written anything about Yuri, please let me know! I’d love to add your work to the Yuricon Essays page!

Cayla Coats has an interview with Gaku Keito, creator of Boys Run the Riot, over on Crunchyroll News!

One more me thing – we have a new video out on Yuri Studio – Sports in Yuri Anime & Manga.  Don’t forget to check that out and please, give it a like and follow the channel on YouTube! Kind comments are helpful, as well.

Yuri Events

As I write this, Melonbooks is sponsoring a virtual event, called Yurisakiannaiijou. Check out the list of participating circles for new doujinshi groups to follow and books to pick up on Booth.pm

Speaking of BL, Yuri and Queer manga, I’ll be presenting The “Secret” History of Yaoi and Yuri at FujoCon, tomorrow Sunday June 26, 2022 at 1:30 PM Eastern US Time. Check the schedule for loads of other panels in lots of time zones! Registration is free.

Girls Love Fest is returning to the Tokyo area on July 10, 2022.

I’ll be presenting The First 100 Years of Lesbian-themed Japanese Animation and Comics at Flamecon, August 20-21 in New York City!

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Yuri Manga

Bookwalker is running a Yuri sale through the end of today. Grab some Yuri manga for up to 40% coin back!

Bunch of new stuff on the Yuricon Store!

Catch These Hands, Volume 2 will be hitting your shelves this week, out from Yen Press.

Yuri Espoir, Volume 2 is slated for an autumn release from Tokyopop.

Yamada to Kase-san, Volume 3 (山田と加瀬さん。) by Takahashima Hiromi, hit shelves this week in Japan! Enjoy this promotional video on YouTube.

Galette, No.22 (ガレット) is out now, also in Japan.

Usui Shio’s ongoing drama, Onna Tomodachi to Kekkonshitemita, Volume 2 (女ともだちと結婚してみた。) is out and very thought-provoking.

Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 4 ( 私の推しは悪役令嬢。) of the manga takes us to the end of the first LN volume.

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Other News

Congratulations to the United Workers of Seven Seas! The company has heard the public outcry and is voluntarily recognizing the union!

And congratulations to the Yuri Cafe Anchor staff on the Shinjuku store’s 2nd anniversary!

Birdie Wing Virtual Museum by HTC VIVE is live. I took a walk around. It’s a big space filled with the key visuals and episode teasers. You get to choose an avatar for walking around, but there’s no golf games or interactive stuff. It’s fun to see, if you have a few moments.

Art Tribune on Facebook has news and images from a Rose of Versailles collaboration with brand Max & Co. The images of the art is great, but you can’t see the clothes all that well. ^_^

Historian Yoshie Akiko takes a look at the assumptions that women never ruled Japan in Challenging the Myth of the Male Emperor: New Light on the Society of Ancient Japan on Nippon.com.

Avatar News announces three new Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra movies. Coming in 2024. 2025 and 2026, we’re getting movies focused on Kiyoshi, Zuko and Korra, respectively.

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!

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Yuri Manga

Viz Media has announced that Mierie Hieranashi’s The Girl Who Can’t Get a Girlfriend will be released in Spring 2023. I’m super excited for that.

Global Bookwalker is running a Yuri Festival 2022, notes YNN Correspondent High on Lullabies. Up to 40% coin back plus bonus items! Think I’m gonna run over to Bookwalker and grab me some of these titles as soon as I’m done here. ^_^

New items up on the Yuricon Store!

My Next Life as a Villainess Side Story: Girls Patch, follows Catarina’s harem from this goofy love comedy.

Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, Volume 3 hits shelves in English this month!

Namekawa-san Won’t Take a Licking!, Volume 1 is a screwball comedy, all wackiness ensues and weird facial expressions.

I Can’t Believe I Slept With You!, Volume 2 hit shelves this week.

The JK to Tomodachi no Okan (JKとともだちのオカン) is about a young woman who likes older women, and has developed a crush on her schoolmate’s mother.

Comic Yuri Hime, August 2022 (コミック百合姫2022年8月号) hit Japanese shelves this weekend.

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Yuri Manga Online

Via Comic Natalie, Irona Onna no ko ro Kiss o Shiteritara, Yuri Kiss ni Mezameshiteshimaimashita (色んな女の子とキスをしていたら、百合キスに目覚めてしまいました…。) is the story of a girl who saves girls with a kiss, This series begins in the July issue of Mangatime Kirara Forward. (Link to the Bookwalker listing, where you can check out some of the comic in the sample pages.

Also via Comic Natalie, Dakaretai Onna (抱かれたい女) Volume 1 is available in Japanese about the relationship of a college student and an older woman. There is a editorial warning on Amazon Japan that male characters will appear in this volume.

Koi to Yobu ni wa Aosugiru (恋と呼ぶには青すぎる) follow a young woman working at an izakaya who falls for a career woman, who is a looking for love in the wrong places. Check out Yuri Navi for sample pages.

Web Action presents Jihanki (自販機), a sweet little short by Kohinata Iroha.

Via Yuri Navi we have the first chapter of Hikizan Totoroji,”Kajikamu Yubisaki” (かじかむ指先) in full, in Japanese.

Yuri Doujinshi

Oshima Tomo and Oshiwa Towa (creator of High School Girls from ancient times when Comics One and Dr. Master existed.) work together on doujinshi all the time. Lilyka has picked one one of their least odd ones, After School 1. I am fairly certain I picked this up at a doujinshi event in the past. ^_^

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Yuri Essays

We’ve added 2 news essays to the Yuricon Essays page, as well as organized the Yuri Studio listings!:

Revolutionary Girl Utena – by Helen McCarthy. Historical perspective of Revolutionary Girl Utena, looking at roots in post-World War 2 thought, Takarazuka and feminist themes of this gateway Yuri series.

The Origins of Shōjo Manga – A pictorial history of the origins of girls’ manga on Google Arts and Culture by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Yuri Light Novel

Otherside Picnic, Volume 7 had been reviewed here -it was great and is Yurier than ever. It’s now up on the Yuricon Store.

Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou -Revolution-, Volume 2 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。-Revolution-) the second volume of inori’s isekai light novel series is out now in print in Japanese from Ichijinsha! According to the obi, 200,000 copies of this series are in print – a noteworthy achievement for inori-sensei and Hanagata-sensei.

Yuri Visual Novels

Noodletub Games is at it again, with an adorable Yuri Visual Novel on Kickstarter – Good Luck Baby! is “An adventure/mystery yuri visual novel about falling in love, saving the world, and finding your place within it.” It’s already passed the original goal, with almost a month to go, so take a look!

Other News

Thanks to YNN Correspondents Ivan and David who noted Katie Gill’s article on Tor.com, Sailor Moon at 30: Looking Back at the Iconic Series.

Latonya Pennington has a round up of How LGBTQ+ stories have evolved and flourished in manga: An in-depth look at the history of LGBTQ+ manga  for The Popverse.

On ANN, Nicholas Dupree & Monique Thomas want us to Celebrate Pride with Kase-san!

I continued my LGBTQ_ manga series for queer bookstore Giovanni’s Room. Part 1 was about Yaoi manga and this week, Part 2 is about Yuri Manga! Next week I cover Queer manga. ^_^ Please enjoy the custom header images we made for the articles. ^_^

Last, but not least, I was extremely pleased to chat with Heather Rose Jones over at the Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast about By Your Side and more! I’ve been listening to this podcast since the early spring to catch up to current episodes. It’s a cool podcast if you have an interest in queer women in history.

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 news you want to share and be part of the Yuri Network. ^_^