Industry News

This week, we need to start with news that is broader than the Yuri Network, specifically, as a number of important industry issues have come to light.

Both Yen Press and J-Novel Club have announced that several of their light novel titles have been delisted from Amazon Kindle.

In 2009, you might remember the cascade where hundreds, then thousands of LGBTQ titles were delisted over a holiday weekend. There were a lot of weird things about that situation, and a hacker eventually claimed credit, but I did and still think it was a organizational failure created by a contractor with no one above them who cared to actually understand. This situation does seem a lot more targeted. But I’m going to tell you that tweeting and hashtags and online outrage is not how this gets fixed. How this gets fixed is that you as a consumer – especially if you are a Prime member – call them at 1 (888) 280-4331 and write them and let Amazon know that this decision is not appropriate and you object. I called this morning. Of course the rep I spoke with has no idea what I am talking about but she took my concerns down very politely. Don’t be outraged…do something to help.

YuriMother broke some interesting news this week as writers for LGBTQ story app Lovestruck attempted to unionize and were initially rumored to have been fired in retaliation. Follow ups indicate that the Voltage Organized Workers Association (which does not identify as a union) have not been fired and still hope to negotiate with Voltage management.

Udon Entertainment is celebrating a 20th anniversary and for their Comic-Con @ Home panel, they posted a bunch of folks talking about their experience with Udon. At 31:47, founder Erik Ko talks about The Rose of Versailles in a segment that includes translators Mari Morimoto, Jocelyne Allen and myself as editor. (And Mari is right, we did meet Erik at karaoke in Akihabara, but I remember what I sang. It was Alsatia by Galneryus. It was also the very last time I will ever do Karaoke for the rest of my life. I can’t sing at all any more, not even badly. ^_^;)

In case you missed it, I rounded up the current landscape of where to stream Yuri anime for free and legally in the USA.

Okazu News

We have some *amazing* things to report here at Okazu and I have been dying to share them with you!

Firstly, thanks to our Okazu Patrons, we’ve made it to the first of our Microgoals on Patreon!  This is a huge breakthrough for us, the first new high point we’ve hit since the loss of our biggest supporter, when my friend Bruce died. The Okazu family is always proud to support queer creators and with your help we’ve added two new folks to our list:

Okazu is now a supporter of YuriMother, whose work in Yuri news and reviews has been fantastic, as you can see above. I’m thrilled that Okazu is now a patron.

And we are now supporting creator Mieri Hiranashi, who draws a charming autobiographical Yuri manga about being a butch lesbian. ^_^

For every $50 mark we hit from here on, we’ll support another queer creator. But that’s not all – when we hit our next Microgoal mark, $600/month we’ll also institute a raise for Guest Writers here on on Okazu.

We’re also working on making our videos more accessible. With everyone’s help I was able to get enough subscribers to Yuri Studio to enable automatic closed captioning. Well, now we’ve hired the amazing Meru Clewis (who has also been  a guest writer here) to handle the subtitles for our Online Yuri Panel. So if you missed it this spring, you’ll now get 90 minutes of accessible accurate captioning for it.

One more “and” – AND just this week, I’ve hired someone to do Japanese-language subtitles for the Why Are There So Many Schoolgirls in Yuri? video. All our videos going forward will have accurate bilingual captioning.

All of this is possible because of our Okazu patrons. So thank you! If you’d like to be part of the team,
please support us on Patreon! 

Yuri Anime

The Premium Box Set for Revue Starlight from Sentai Filmworks is up for pre-order and it looks really nice. ^_^

RightStuf has a huge deal on the Bloom Into You Premium Box Set.

Netflix announced the arrival of The Legend of Korra on August 14th in the USA. I recently rewatched this and thought it held up really well. Faster pacing than I had remembered, and Asami and Korra’s relationship develops pretty organically, even if it is in the background.

The British Film Institute (BFI)’s magazine Sight & Sound put out a special feature on 50 Key Anime Films. It was my pleasure to write #33 on the list. (There were two others I had wanted, but they were already taken. Feel free to guess which ones!)

Matthew Rose talks about Serial Experiments Lain on ANN. He’s not discussing it explicitly as a Yuri anime, but we all considered it one back in the day. On rewatch, I found the series to be prescient.)

Mikikazu Komatsu on Crunchyroll has the news about a new, original 15th anniversary Aria movie, ARIA The Crepsucolo, which will feature the ladies of Orange Planet. This movie is currently slated for a spring 2021 release.

Yuri Manga

Jennifer Sherman on ANN has the news that Yuru Yuri creator namori has teased a new series on Twitter which is to be revealed on July 31!

Lilyka has released a new interview, this time with creator Ruri Hazuki, whose manga and doujinshi work I really, honestly like.

Cool Queer Stuff

Naomi Schalit writes Queer young adult fiction isn’t all gloomy realism. Here are 5 uplifting books to get you started on The Conversation.

I’m going to remind you all again that Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir is coming out on August 4th and you do not want to miss it!

Comic-Con @ Home had a panel dedicated to the life and work of Howard Cruse: The Godfather of Queer Comics

Pallabi Munsi has a short, pithy look at the life and work of Yoshiya Nobuko on Ozy, The Daring Feminist Writer Who Inspired Manga.

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to – thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network! Special thanks to Okazu Patrons for being an important part of the Okazu family. I couldn’t do it without you!

Yuri Manga

We have some new titles up on the Yuricon Store for your reading pleasure!

Kyou, Koshiba Aoi ni Aetara, Volume 2 (今日、小柴葵に会えたら) hit shelves in Japan last month. You’ll be able to read Volume 1 in English as Chasing After Aoi Koshiba from Kodansha in spring 2021.

And while we’re talking Kodansha, here’s a reminder that Yuri is My Job, Volume 6 is available for pre-order. Paperback will be released this autumn.

Yoshitomei Akihito’s new schoolgirl time travel store, Kyou Kara Mirai (今日から未来) is up.

I’m still playing catch-up with Kobachi Ruka’s Hana ni Arashi, Volume 5 (はなにあらし).

I really like Kuwabara Tamotsu’s art and we’ve got adult-life Anata to Watashi no Shuuhassuu (あなたと私の周波数) on the Store!

Takeshobo has kind of been conspicuously missing from recent Yuri, but they are back in the game with drinking and Yuri Happy Hour Girls, Volume 1 (ハッピーアワーガールズ) by Agetate Shino.

Global Bookwalker let me know that Yuritora Jump ~ Ultra Jump Yuri Digital Anthology Volume 3  (ユリトラジャンプ～ウルトラジャンプ百合アンソロジー～) is now available. Like Volume 1 and Volume 2, which was reviewed on Okazu, both are available in digital format only.

Yuri Webcomics

YNN Corespondent Megan wants you to know about a “student council love triangle Yuri comedy” that started on Japanese-language 4-koma Twitter account Twi-yon this week, called Lily Triangle.

Sal Jiang has a new Yuri series with Action Comics, Ayakachan ha Hiroko-sempai wo Otoshitai (彩香ちゃんは弘子先輩を落としたい). Check out Chapter 1 for free in Japanese on the Web Action site.

Sal-sensei has another new comic, too – 白と黒～Black & White～. The first three chapters are online in Japanese on the Comic Ruelle & Comic Jardin website!

And while you are on the Comic Ruelle & Comic Jardin website, check out their page for sono.N’s Yuri action series SHWD. ^_^

Yuri Anime

Rafael Antonio Pineda on ANN has the news that Funimation has announced that it will be streaming Adachi and Shimamura this fall on Funimation.com.

ANN’s Adriana Hazra reports that classic gonzo Yuri anime Project A-ko is streaming on RetroCrush.

YuriNavi says we should keep our eyes out for Mahou no Tabitabi (魔女の旅々) an upcoming anime based on a series of GA Bunko novels that, YuriNavi says, includes Yuri meetings. Based on the trailer, I assume that means admirable women are admired by our female protagonist. It looks pretty, in any case.

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Yuri Studio

In case you missed it, last week we posted the first of our new projects on Yuri Studio 3.0, Why Are There So Many Schoolgirls in Yuri? We kept this initial video down under 10 minutes, take a look for a brief, fun look at the answer to the most commonly asked question I get at Yuri panels! I have a bunch of ideas and will be working on the next video shortly. 

Not Yuri, per se, and not Yuri Studio, but Peter Fobian has done a pretty decent video on the History of Magical Girls for Crunchyroll.

Yuri Visual Novels

Studio Élan has announced a new Yuri Visual Novel, Please Be Happy, and Sekai Project has picked it up for distribution to Steam and Switch. Rafael Antonio Pineda and Alex Mateo have the details of the license announcement on ANN. Studio Élan has opened a questionnaire to hear from folks about what they like and are looking for, so let them know what you’d like to see.

JAST USA has announced the release of the third of the Flowers Yuri VN franchise, Flowers ~Le volume sur automne will be available on July 30. Their premium release will come with physical extras like acrylic standees and postcards!

LGBTQ Media

The folks at itch.io have put together a Visual Novel Romance Collection for Black Trans Lives bundle – $140 value for $10, and the money will go to The Okra Project, a group that helps black trans folks with mental health services and food. This collection includes Ladykiller in a Bind and Heaven Will Be Mine, both of which were reviewed favorably here on Okazu by Louise. ^_^

YNN Correspondent, Joek K. wants you to know that live-action Amazon Prime series, Hannah, Season 2 includes a storyline about a university professor and her wife. I watch some of the first season of this series. It didn’t keep my attention, but it might be in your wheelhouse. (Right now I’m watching Wynona Earp on Netflix – yes, I’m years late to that – and it’s perfectly ignorable while I work.)

Other News

Artist, and our good friend, Rica Takashima is interviewed in manga art magazine S  季刊S(エス) this month! I enjoy this magazine, it’s always a little wide-eyed and fannishly fawning about cool art and artists. ^_^

I’ve been having a little fun with a side project: Check out Yuri Manga Bot on Twitter. ^_^

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to – thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network! Special thanks to Okazu Patrons for being an important part of the Okazu family. I couldn’t do it without you!

Yuri Manga

J-Novel Club has licensed Ajiichi’s manga I Love Yuri and I Got Bodyswapped with a Fujoshi!. Crystalyn Hodgkins at ANN has the specifics.

Denpa Books has announced the license of Akili’s vampire series, Vampeerz. Crystalyn Hodgkins once again has the details on ANN. I’ve reviewed Volume 1 and Volume 2 here on Okazu.

The news prompted me to write a limerick:
 
There once was a reviewer of Yuri,
who said about all things vampire 「無理」
They might bring publishers luck
But I think they just…suck
So my reviews will be writ in a hurry.
 

YNN Correspondent Chris L has written in to let us know that Canno’s new short story collection, Mushoko to JK (缶乃短編集 無職とJK) is up for pre-order on Amazon Japan. Presumably this is a collection of her Éclair series shorts.

Via Yuri Navi, Shounen Jump Plus in Japan has added an interesting Yuri manga called Tomodachi Kekkon (ともだち結婚), by Nakata Yuuki. You can read the first chapter for free in Japanese on the SJ Plus site.

Queer Podcasts

I had the tremendous pleasure of speaking with the fine folks over at Imagine Me & Utena about one of our favorite Yuri series, Revolutionary Girl Utena on Friends Like That.

And I had an absolutely breathtaking conversation on the way One Piece handles queerness, with my nakama at the One Piece Podcast for Fight Together – Pride & Pirates.

I love doing these podcasts, because I meet the coolest people when I do them. If you’d like me on your podcast, hit me up!

Okazu News

We’ve redesigned the Okazu Patron badges – so if you are an Okazu Hero-level, and would like the new badge, drop me a line. Superhero is being worked on and Miko and Kami-level badges are staying the same, because I like them. ^_^

Patrons will get early access to our first Yuri Studio 3.0 video…which will be going up on YouTube as soon as I’m done here. ^_^

Help us pay our guest writers, invest in queer creators, support Yuri research and the whole Yuri economy. You are a critical part of the Okazu team, when you become an Okazu Patron!

Yuri Doujinshi

Irodori has launched the first of their Yuri doujinshi from their Irodori Sakura Yuri imprint and the first three releases, which are SFW, are up on their SFW-only site, Irodori Lite. Take a look and I hope you enjoy the competition in the world of licensed translated Yuri doujinshi.

Yurimother has announced that she’ll be stepping up and reviewing Yuri Doujinshi on her Tumblr this week. As *soon* as I have a second, I’ve got a bunch of doujinshi from Irodori and Lilyka I need to review for you, as well. ^_^

Yuri Anime

It won’t be to everyone’s taste, but I’m super delighted to see one of my trashy favorites, Air Master, on Crunchyroll. This series has one of the most ridiculous plots, constant panty shots, attempted rape, extremely ugly art. But it also has Paku Romi as Maki, the greatest opening theme ever in this history of anime, and has some of the most violent, best fights scenes I’ve ever watched. Most importantly, this series has the closest thing I have to an anime avatar, the delightfully deranged, Tai Chi beatdown, psycho devil lady wrestling queen, Sakiyama Kaori. It is one of my most favorite terrible series, that died an ugly death as a manga and still manages to have its own category on Okazu.

Events

Via YNN Correspondent Mariko S., Tokyo House Party is holding a virtual event on July 25, Cant Spell Anime Without “Me”: Creating Representation in Anime & Manga. The event will begin at 2PM CDT on their Twitch channel. Looks very cool, I’ll see about watching. Check out their Twitch to watch their previous talks.

LGBTQ News

Via YNN Correspondent Ivan V, Maya Gittleman writes We’re Gonna Win In The End: The Subversive Queer Triumph of She-Ra on Tor.com. It’s a wonderful article and a fun read…I’m not sure I agree that “subversive” is the term I’d use, just because there was no subtext in this series. It says something about us that the ideas of individual value and acceptance of difference is seen as subversive. Your thoughts in the comments, and another helping of Queer Triumph for me, please. ^_^

Speaking of She-Ra, Reuben Baron at CBR notes that some Fans Think They’ve Found Noelle Stevenson’s secret She-Ra Fanfiction.

Still speaking about She-Ra, Always Human creator Ari North shared these Catradora fanworks on her Twitter.

Mitchell Lineham wrote up 13 Games with Positive LGBTQ+ Representation You Should Be Playing to help you pass the time. ^_^

KPop duet Irene & Seulgi have some fairly high Yuri service in this video for Monster.

I’m going to wrap up with this unbelievably swoony performance by Jodie Comer of Vita Sackville-West’s letter to Virgina Woolf.

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to – thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network! Special thanks to Okazu Patrons for being an important part of the Okazu family. I couldn’t do it without you!

Yuri Manga

Everything old is new again! Ninin ga Shinobuden returns in a sequel. Crystalyn Hodgkins has the scoop over at ANN. You can take a look at a sample in Japanese on Comic Newtype.

Also over at ANN, Jennifer Sherman reports that Battle Athletes Daiundōkai ReSTART! getting an anime and a manga on Comic Ruelle & Comic Jardin’s website. The story will include returning and new characters.

Speaking of Comic Ruelle, YNN Correspondent Patricia B wants you to know that Sono.N’s doujinshi series SHWD has been picked up for serialization. This series about beefy women in a special forces section is currently licensed for translation by Lilyka which is very conveniently having a special 20% off sale this weekend! Basically, if you buy all 5 issue, you’ll be getting one for free.

We have a lot of new license announcements this week, thank you very much to Senior YNN Corrspondent Sean G and Yurimother for their efforts to keep us all up to date:

Yen Press has announced two Yuri licenses – Kujira’s Sekai Owari to Majou no Koi (世界の終わりと魔女の恋), as A Witch’s Love at the End of the World and Strawberry Fields Once Again by Kazura Kinosaki. You can read my reviews of Strawberry Fields wo Mou Ichido ( ストロベリー・フィールズをもう一度 ) here on Okazu.

Seven Seas has also announced two Yuri licenses. Asumiko Nakamura’s A White Rose in Bloom. You can read my review of this in Japanese as Mejirobana no Saku (メジロバナの咲く). Interestingly, Rakuen Le Paradis magazine just posted on Twitter that this series is continuing in Volume 33. Yay! I want to know what will happen to Ruby and Steph.

I’m very pleased that Seven Seas has announced the license for Shio Usui’s Donuts Under a Crescent Moon, which I have reviewed here as Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts, Volume 1 (欠けた月とドーナッツ) and which I really like. ^_^
 

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Via Comic Natalie, Arata Iri’s “painful high school love comedy” Amedemo, Haredemo (雨でも晴れでも) Volume 1, sounds awfully like a nod to classic Yuri, Futtemo, Harettemo (降っても晴れっても).

Volume 3 of Hayama-sensei to Terano-sensei ha Tsukiatteiru, (山先生と寺野先生は付き合っている) is out and up on the Yuricon Store!

Yuri Light Novel

Via Yurimother, J-Novel Club has announced a new series by Ameco Kaeruda, author of Sexiled,  A Lily Blooms in Another World. I started reading this, but have only gotten a little way in. ^_^

LGBTQ News

I finally sat down and listened to Dr. Grace Ting’s lecture for Waseda University, Building a Queer Feminist Life: Research and Community Across Borders. I recommend it, especially if you are currently seeking to find the truth of your self and work right now. This would have been very powerful to a younger me and was, to me now, a very inspiring look at creating a queer identity.

Brad Krautwurst on Twitter created this informative thread of trans/non-binary sci-fi/fantasy authors. There’s some great stuff on this list.

Via the Official Godzilla Twitter account from TOHO, here is a lovely short video by beeragon, called”Coming Out for Pride month. ^_^ It’s fabulous, give it a watch. (Everything about this sentence is absolutely amazing and wonderful, when you think about it!)

Other News

Via Geocities Shrine Maiden on Twitter, Riyoko Ikeda admitted that she based Oscar’s unearthly beauty in The Rose of Versailles on David Bowie. ^_^

You too can smell like the Sailor Senshi! Take a look at the scents for the Outers and Starlights, and Sailor Moon and the Inners.

A bunch of online events of happening this weekend, Anime Expo Lite and Funimation Con among them. Helen has put together a comprehensive spreadsheet with all this weekend’s event schedules. This is a brilliant resource, thanks Helen!

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to – thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network! Special thanks to Okazu Patrons for being an important part of the Okazu family. I couldn’t do it without you!

Yuri Manga

Kodansha added a new Yuri license this spring with Takeoka Hazuki’s Kyou, Koshiba Aoi ni Aetara (今日、小柴葵に会えたら), as Chasing After Aoi Koshiba. I’ve reviewed Volume 1, and have Volume 2 on tap.

We have a fine selection of new Yuri manga on the Yuricon Store!

The final volume of the series, Sailor Moon Eternal Edition, Volume 10, brings the Sailor Stars arc and the series to a conclusion.

Bloom Into You, Volume 8, out from Seven Seas is up for pre-order, headed for an August release in print.

Nettaigyo ha Yuki ni Kogareru, Volume 7 (熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる) just hit shelves in Japan. You can read this series in English as A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow from Viz Media.

Mayu, Matou, Volume 3 ( 繭、纏う) is also out in Japan, The first two volumes are available in English as Cocoon, Entwined put out by Yen Press.

But the most exciting new item on the Store (IMHO, obvs.) is the addition of an anthology from Yuri Hime Comics, via YNN Senior correspondent, Sean G, Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Shikanai Akuyaku Tenseishite Shimmata…GIRLS PATCH (乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった… GIRLS PATCH). Yes, My Next Life As a Villainess has an official Yuri anthology collection. ^_^

Comic Yuri Hime, August 2020 hit shelves in Japan this month, with the manga serialization for the LN Seven Seas licensed as I Fell In Love With the Villainess.

Hana ni Arashi, Volume 4 is up on the Store. I’m a tad behind on this, but we’re getting there.

Ohsawa Yayoi’s Hello Melancholic, Volume 2 (ハロー、メランコリック!) hit shelves this month!

A new apocalyptic Yuri love comedy (because why not?) has begun online at GANMA!, Tatoe Sekai Owattemo, Watashi ha Kanojo wo Erabanai, (たとえ世界が終わっても、私は彼女を選ばない), sample chapter in Japanese is available for your reading pleasure.

Comic Natalie reports that Yoshida Makoto has a new sci-fi Yuri series beginning in Harta Magazine, called Laika no Hoshi (ライカの星).

Yuri Studio

After a successful Yuri Panel and input from Okazu Patrons and friends, I’m pleased to announce Yuri Studio is reborn once again.

Originally begun in 2003 as a place where we’d collect the Yuri AMVs from our events, then share those and other fun Yuri AMVs, Yuri Studios had become moribund as music rights holders started cracking down on AMVs. In the late 2010’s, I’d been using it to upload my Patreon annual drive videos, lectures and the like. Well, we’re about to relaunch with Yuri Studio 3.0! I’ll be making videos covering Yuri history, frequently asked questions and other topics. I’ve already had to learn three new skills to get the teaser done, so…tell me you are very impressed.  (I don’t care if you are, really, just tell me you are. ^_^)

Yuri Event

I’m not sure how they’ll handle this, but Girls Love Fest 30 is on for August 16, back at the Pio building in Kamata in the Tokyo Metropolitan area.

Other News

Carlos Vergara’s eternal festival of love and justice, starring Filipina transexual superheroine Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah was being pitched as an animation…and I’ve found the trailer for you to enjoy. ^_^ The Philippines Cultural Center shared a video of the stage production for Pride Month. No subtitles, but if you know the story, it’s easy to follow. Zsa Zsa Zaturnnal Ze Musikal.

To wrap up, here is a free illustration by Hayate x Blade creator Hayashiya Shizuru-sensei, on Melonbooks. If you have an account you can “buy” Lily Festival image for free. ^_^

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to – thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network! Special thanks to Okazu Patrons for being an important part of the Okazu family. I couldn’t do it without you!