Yuri Manga

Couple of new titles up on the Yuricon Store!

Kadokawa has a new anthology: White Lilies in Love Akanesasu Koigokoro o, Akaku Somete Hoshī no Anata ni (茜さす恋心を紅く染めてほしいの貴方に。 社会人百合アンソロジー).

Ahead of Seven Seas’ license of Goodbye My Rose Garden, Sayonara Rose Garden, Volume 2 (さよならローズガーデン) is available in Japanese (and on my to-read pile.)

In Strawberry Fields, Mou Ichido, Volume 3 (ストロベリー・フィールズをもう一度) looks like the romance is ramping up for real.

Fukami Ken’s Haru to Midori, Volume 2 (春とみどり) gets intense as Midori must sort through her mother’s things, forcing Haruko to really deal with her feelings.

Nakamura Asumiko’s school life Yuri drama, Mejirobana Saku, Volume 1 (メジロバナの咲く) hits shelves in Japan in mere days. This high-tension Yuri drama from a popular BL creator has definitely been worth reading so far.

Via Miman’s Twitter account, Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu! is now out in German from Tokyopop as Cafe Liebe, translated by Yuri scholar and all-around fascinating human, Verena Maser! We’ll be talking with her about it later this autumn.

Yuri Anime

Funimation has added Aoi Hana / Sweet Blue Flowers to their streaming offerings via Alex Mateo’s reporting on ANN.

From October 5 through December 22, if you’re in or near Okayama check out the art exhibition, idol performances and talk events in honor of the upcoming anime release, based on Hirao Auri’s manga Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu. Details on Comic Natalie.

Via YNN Correspondent Yoko, a pleasant little clip of Yuri animation by kaynimatic on Twitter.

Bloom Into You News

Via Yuri Times on Twitter’s translation of the Dengeki Daioh report, we have news of 7 new Yagate Kimi ni Naru / Bloom Into You projects planned:

The final volume of the manga will be released in November, an art book by Nakatani Nio-sensei, a short stories book by Nakatani-sensei, a second volume of a comic anthology (read my review of the first volume here on Okazu); Volume 3 of the Saeki Sayaka ni Tsuite novel series (my reviews of Volume 1 and Volume 2 are here on Okazu); a  LINE sticker set of the series and; an encore stage play is scheduled for autumn of 2020.

Live Action News

The live-action trailer for Shinmai Shimai Futari Gohan has been posted by the series official account on Twitter.

Yuri Game

Via YNN Correspondent Xan, check out Laura Dale’s review Sayonara Wild Hearts is Neon Lesbian Biker Panzer Dragoon Narrated by Queen Latifah.

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 all of our Okazu Patrons, who make this report possible!

Yuri Manga

Seven Seas announced a passel of Yuri titles this week! There’s a nice variety for Yuri fans.

Starting with the manga for upcoming Yuri anime, Fragtime manga is slated for an April 2020 release in omnibus format.

Hitoma Iruma’s Yuri light novel series Adachi and Shimamura will be released in single volumes starting in summer 2020. I reviewed the first volume in 2013. There’s been 8 volumes of the series since then and an anime is heading our way in 2020, as well.

Ajiichi’s Failed Princesses is a high-school romance between two students who are not friends at all. I reviewed Volume 1 of Dekisokonai Hime-tachi (できそこないの姫君たち) last spring and have Volume 2 on the to-read pile.

Ichijinsha’s Syrup anthology is on the way in English in summer 2020. I can’t find a review, so either I haven’t read it, or I did and didn’t review it. Not sure which. ^_^

Last, but not least, Seven Seas has licensed the historical drama Goodbye, My Rose Garden. Once again, I have reviewed Volume 1 of Sayonara, Rose Garden (さよならローズガーデン) and have Volume 2 to read.

Okazu News

I want to thank everyone who joined the 100 Years of Yuri Tour last week. We had an amazing time! Reviews to come this week.

Current Okazu Patrons will be receiving early access to a new chapter of the Big Book O’Yuri, a history of Yuri Events! Become a Patron and receive perqs like sneak peaks at the book, early access to research and exclusive goods.

Yuri Anime

Via YNN Correspondent Adrian O., we have the news that Sentai Filmworks is releasing a Premium boxset for the Bloom Into You anime. This will include the entire anime series, Special Book, Storyboard Book, Original Script Booklet, Art Cards (x6), Rei’s Recipe Card. This last contains Yuu’s older sister’s cheesecake recipe. ^_^

Viz Media has begun their replacement campaign for the booklets included with Sailor Moon Stars, so that Haruka and Michiru are once again partners. Check out ANN for details on how to get your replacement.

ANN reports on the cast and main visuals of the Tamayomi anime, which will debut in spring 2020.

Once more via ANN, Fragtime anime OVA announces more cast and a theme song.

Via Comic Natalie, Yuri Yuri is getting a 4-episode anime miniseries on Youtube starting this week, culminating in the release of a new OVA in November.

Light Novel News

Ojamajo Doremi is a popular magical girl children’s anime franchise in Japan that is celebrating a 20th anniversary this year. To celebrate, ANN reports a new novel for the series will be released next month that catches up with the girls 20 years later. ^_^ Ojamajo Doremi 20s (おジャ魔女どれみ20’s) will see an October release. I’m including this because in the original series, there was some indication that Ai was queer, but whether that will exist in this novel, I don’t know. I doubt it.

Kickstarter Watch

Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, artist for the award-winning Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me (which I reviewed in Spring 2019) has a new book coming out, via successful Kickstarter, Don’t Go Without Me. Queer horror, scifi and drama, and it looks fabulous.

Live Action News

Via a number of YNN Correspondents, cooking manga that centers on two sisters by marriage who find common ground through food, Shinmai Shimai no Futari Gohan  is getting a live-action drama. ANN has the details.

Other News

The Library of Congress is hosting an exhibit called Comic Art : 120 Years of Panels and Pages, and I want to offer my congratulations to my friend, extremely talented comic artist Marguerite Dabaie, for having a page of her work Hookah Girl included! The exhibit is largely available online, so I encourage you to check out the link.

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 all of our Okazu Patrons, who make this report possible!

Yuri Events

There will be no YNN report ntXt week, as we will be in the middle of the 100 Years of Yuri Tour of Tokyo! Check in regularly to learn how cool Girls Love Fest, the Bloom Into You popup shop and the Sailor Moon restaurant are. ^_^ I’m nervous as heck, as we’re starting off with a small typhoon, but happy travels everyone.

Yuri Manga

A few new items up on the Yuricon Store!

Galette, No. 11 (ガレット )  is hitting shelves in Japan as I type this. This means that the next issue is the completion of their 3rd year. That’s always a huge hurdle, getting through 3 years, so fingers crossed for everyone that they continue to grow.

Resonant Blue (レゾナントブルー) is a new girls’x garden anthology from the folks bringing us the Avalon anthologies.

A new school life drama Kyou, Koshiba Aoi ni Aetara ( 今日、小柴葵に会えたら)…

…and a new “adult” adult life drama, Tonari no Heya kara Aegigoe ga Surundesukedo… / 隣の部屋から喘ぎ声がするんですけど… the first chapter of which I believe was in Ultra Jump’s Yuritora Jump anthology.

Lilyka is DMP’s newest imprint, focusing on Yuri doujinshi. They are releasing a series I picked up last winter at Comitia, SHWD, an action series about beefy, athletic women in a monster-disposal special unit. If you’re looking for something a little science fictiony, a little less school, check it out.

Mochi Au Lait has a previously released online series debuting in Comic Rex‘s November issue, Ikemen Onna to Hakoiri Musume (イケメン女と箱入り娘) about a too-cool woman mistaken for a man.

Yuri Anime

ANN has the second promotional video from Hirao Auri’s Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu, idol group love comedy.

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 all of our Okazu Patrons, who make this report possible!

Animation News

Steven Universe the Movie premieres commercial free on Cartoon Network 6PM Eastern US time on Monday, September 2. If you’re not already a fan, Cartoon Network is leading up to it with all the Steven Universe episodes this weekend (ask me what my plans are!) My wife and I have had this series on on a loop for the last several years. We watch a few episodes every night and when we get to the end, we start over again. It’s basically the thing that’s keeping us grounded these days. Check out the movie trailer on Youtube.

In case you missed it, Carole and Tuesday, has hit Netflix this week. This is not a Yuri story, but it is a beautiful story of a friendship between two women, built upon music – and the music is good. There is a lesbian character early on, but she is a throwaway. Nonetheless, she’s great for the moment she’s in the story. ^_^

Yuru Yuri‘s 10th anniversary opening theme has a PV anime. Check it out on Youtube.

Okazu News

Be -or become!-  an active Okazu patron paid through September 5th and you will gain access to a sneak peek from the Big Book o’Yuri! This time, we’re giving you a look at our comprehensive Yuri Events history chapter, which covers from the earliest known Yuri events into the near future, before all this information disappears into the oubliette of SNS obscurity. Subscribe to Okazu on Patreon! Support Yuri interviews, and news, and help pay Guest Reviewers. $5/month makes a huge difference to us!

Yuri Events

The participating circles list is available for Girls Love Fest on September 16 in Tokyo. If you’re going to be there, give me a shout!

Celebrate  “100 Years of Yuri” with $10 off every shirt with this coupon. If you get the classic t-shirt, that’s more than half off!

Live-Action News

File this under amazing news about good friends: Lesbian novel Punk Like Me, by author JD Glass, a long-time Yuricon supporter and personal friend, is getting a live-action television adaptation on OUTtv, a Canadian LGBTQ programming channel. You can subscribe to it monthly and it’s available as part of Amazon Prime, so keep your eyes peeled for this exciting series!

Every Xena: Warrior Princess episode is streaming online for free (probably region locked to North America). I rewatched the first episode and was charmed all over again by how goofy and ridiculous it is. Thanks Syfy!

Bonus Xena news, Vita Ayala promises that their Dynamite Entertainment’s new Xena comic series is “even gayer”. ^_^

Yuri  Manga

Via Comic Natalie we have a couple of “Yuri Comedy” series to be on the look out for:

Bakeneko Satsuki no Shimai Jiken (化けネコ葉月の姉妹事情) about two girls and a ghost cat.

From Champion Red, (so we know it’s not going to be respectful of women’s bodies or dignity,) comes Ateuma Kanojo (当て馬カノジョ), a story that Comic Natalie paints as a good title if you enjoyed the cuckolding of NTR.

Other News

Via Comic Natalie,  Japanese magazine Weekly Bunshun WOMAN is featuring Yuri titles in a special issue “Yuri Manga now is amazing!” The issue includes an interview with Shimura Takako.

To wrap up this week, I want to tell you about a personal project I am very proud of! I was invited to contribute to an exciting publication of mid-20th century science fiction. If you love science fiction amnd/or are looking for great writing by women, this is the book for you! Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women (1958-1963). This collection is available as a paperback on Amazon or as an e-pub directly from the publisher. I hope you’ll read and review this, because this is an important piece of women’s literary history and we want people to know about it!

Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, 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!

Yuri Manga

Yuri Life by Kurkuruhime has hit shelves in English. Read this cute slice-of-life story about adult women who share their lives. (You can read my review of the JP volume from last summer.)

If there is a single question I’m getting most frequently now, it’s people asking for Yuri manga with transgender characters. In English, we have a relatively limited selection for this: Wandering Son which is incomplete; Riyoko Ikeda’s classic Claudine, The Bride was a Boy comic essay. Tokyopop has picked up Caly’s French-language Yuri romance, put it out in English as Breath of Flowers. Volume 1 is on the Yuricon Store! Thanks to Amaryllis for details in the comments.

Tokyopop also has released Yuri Bear Storm, Volume 3. Now we have all of Kureha and Ginko’s story. The manga is less visually striking than the anime, but the story holds together better. (You can read all previous reviews here.)

Ah toka Uh shika Ienai Manga, Volume 2 (あーとかうーしか言えない ) just hit shelves in Japan. Volume 1 got high marks in my review.

If teacher x student is your particular fantasy, you might be interested in Ichijinsha’s Kyoushi to Seito no Yuri Anthology  (教師×生徒の百合アンソロジーコミック).

Akili, creator of popular webcomic Stretch has a new comic, Vampeerz, (ヴァンピアーズ) about…as you might guess…school girl vampires. The link will take you to Chapter 1 online (in Japanese) for free. Thanks to principeinquisidor for clarification in the comments!

Via ANN’s Rafael Antonia Pineda, we have the news that the first volume of saburouta’s CITRUS+ will get simultaneous online release in Japan, North America, South Korea, Germany, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Spain, and Argentina in November. Seven Seas page for the series has further info. Now, if only we can get them thinking globally by language instead.

Yuri Anime

Yuruyuri 10th Anniversary anime will be shipping in November, according to Alex Mateo at ANN.

This is old-school and only ever Yuri-ish, but Steel Angel Kurumi, by the team known as Kaishaku (the same folks who created Kannazuki no Miko,)  is getting new merchandise for the first time in…probably forever. This series came out in the days before merchandise was a thing. ^_^

Yuri Events

From Twitter, there will be a Bloom Into You pop-up shop at the Shibuya Marui until October 31. There will be official original goods.

Also from Twitter, Serena says that the Yuri/GL Philippines group will once again have a booth at Cosplay Mania 2019 in Manila.

I missed this because I was away, but Ehime prefecture ran a pilgrimage based on the A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow series – the manga will be released in English in November from Viz.

Yuri Visual Novel

Via YuriNavi, Innocent Grey’s FLOWERS Shiki (FLOWERS 四季) will be available on Nintendo Switch.

Sailor Moon News

ANN’s Alex Mateo reports on the new Sailor Moon Musical, starring members of idol group Nogizaka46, which will be traveling to Shanghai in November.

Sailor Moon – Shining Moon Tokyo – restaurant is open in Azabu-Juban (the section of town where Usagi lives) in Tokyo until October 31!

Other News

In case you missed this – Archive of Our Own (AO3), one of the Internet’s largest fanfiction sites, run by women, won a Hugo Award last week. If you have a story on A03, you are now a Hugo Award winner. ^_^ (I do, in fact, have one story there. I recently wrote a Swan Lake fanfic because no one else has ever done the pas de deux between Odile and Odette that we deserve. ^_^) Anyway, Casy Fiesler takes a look on Slate as to Why Archive of Our Own’s Surprise Hugo Nomination Is Such a Big Deal.

Kim Morrisy on ANN has a report that Boruto’s creator Kodachi Ukyo supported LGBTQ representation in media on Twitter this month.

Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast, 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!