Translators, Editors and Letterer Roundtable on Youtube

March 20th, 2022

This past winter I facilitated a 4-week workshop for Michigan State University on Japanese Pop Culture and Transmedia translation. Thanks to our sponsor Catherine Ryu and the incredible talent we gathered as workshop leaders, it was a raging success and we hope to be running it again next winter.

This workshop featured Zack Davisson, Louise Heal Kawai, Mari Morimoto, Sara Linsley, Sarah Moon, Jennifer O’Donnell, Jennifer Sherman and myself as speakers. Links to all of their public sites and contacts are in the show notes.

Because all of the workshop leaders had so much fun learning from one another and chatting online and on Zoom, we decided to do a post-workshop roundtable so we could sum up things we learned from each other and the lessons we wanted to share with everyone. That roundtable is now up on Youtube, where you can watch it at your convenience.

 

 

 

This was so much fun, I hope you’ll watch it and join us on our Discord and share your experiences in publishing manga! Don’t forget to give this video a like on Youtube.

We’re working on the next Yuri Studio video right now, so see you soon!  ^_^

Posted in Events, Yuri Studio | No Comments »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – March 19, 2022

March 19th, 2022

Yuri Manga

My Wandering Warrior Existence, the next autobiographical comic essay by Kabi Nagata, is out from Seven Seas. This look at her relationship to sexuality, gender, and human relationships is up on the Yuricon Store!

Also from Seven Seas is Ajiichi’s Failed Princesses, Volume 5. This hits shelves in early April.

Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru (君としらない夏になる) is a wonderful story about two young women who decide that the rat race is just not for them and run away to an island together.

Doujinjo Yuri Anthology (同人女百合アンソロジー), which I reviewed here was a fun look at doujinshi life.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Tabby Wright for all her assistance with the problems that have plagued the Store in recent weeks. The short story is that one of the plugins was not adapting to PHP8. If you use the Product Retailer Plugin for WooCommerce by SkyVerge, and are having trouble with it, there is a temporary fix now on GitHub, Make Product Retailers plugin compatible with PHP8. Thanks also to Pit and Erica at SkyVerge for making this fix, so I can stop pulling my hair out. ^_^;

 

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Yuri Interviews

Our friend Serena over at The Lily Cat has done a wonderful interview with Yuri artist Pandesaii! Enjoy a look at the Heartwarming Art of Pandesaii. ^_^

Over on Otaku USA magazine, Danica Davidson interviews producer Koga and writer Hatsumi Shimizu for game dev teams Hublots and Sukera Sparo in Spreading Yuri Love with the Producer and Writer of Lilyka’s Games.

 

Yuri Doujinshi

Lilyka is releasing Seta Setas’ Yuri Wall series in 8 parts. This doujinshi series is about a literal wall that wants to encourage Yuri couples. It is kinda weird, a lot creepy, and also kind of sweet? I never reviewed this when I read it, but I did review Yuri Kagi ~ Sempai no Himitsu wo Nozoitemita~ (百合鍵 ~先輩の秘密をのぞいてみた~) by the same creator, with a similar tone.

 

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Yuri Literature

Okazu Patron Frank Hecker has written a book! That Type of Girl is “an in-depth exploration of the characters, plot, and themes of Takako Shimura’s manga Sweet Blue Flowers.” Take a look for free and if you like what you see, why not purchase a copy  to show your support? Links to download and buy the book on the page.

Rafe Thompson also has a GL-inspired novel out and would like you to know about it. Where Did Hanako’s Free Spirit Go? Available on Kindle and other outlets.

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Anime News

I’m pretty sure I’m announcing this for only me, but ANN’s Crystalynn Hodgkins has news and trailer for Shin Ikki Tousen, which will be out in May. It appears that most of our (my?) favorite characters will be appearing. Why do I like this series? I just really like stories that have callbacks to mythological roots…apparently no matter how shitty they are. ^_^ Is this series even Yuri anymore? I have no idea.

 

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Other News

The 2022 MSU Japanese Pop Culture and Transmedia Workshop Translator Roundtable is on Youtube! This was a roundup of our Michigan State University workshop this past February. Its full of great perspective and advice from translation, editing and lettering professionals, featuring: Zack Davisson, Louise Heal Kawai, Mari Morimoto, Sara Linsley, Sarah Moon, Jennifer O’Donnell, Jennifer Sherman and moderated by me. ^_^

Tor.com has an article on the characters we’ll be meeting in the upcoming next book in Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb series, Nona the Ninth

 

Thanks to our Okazu Patrons and Fans 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. ^_^

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Doujinjo Yuri Anthology ( 同人女百合アンソロジー)

March 17th, 2022

Ichinjinsha’s Doujinjo Yuri Anthology focusing on women create doujinshi, was both fun and a little headache-inducing, much like a full day at a comic market. ^_^

The drama of Japanese comic markets can manifest in may ways. The deadlines for creators, the stress of getting all your monkeys in one barrel. the actual agonizing wait for someone to walk up and ask to look at your work….and if it’s summer, the heat and the people, and the physical exhaustion. I cannot express to you how MUCH a comic market takes out of you, even when you’re just sitting there. The year I sold at Comiket, we received a little bag with paperwork and info. It features a person flattened with exhaustion. We picked it up in the morning and laughed. Well…the bag was right.


This anthology focuses less on the drama of the event than of the fandom and the creators within that fandom. Several of the stories follow women who love women who draw stories about men who love men… something that is quite common.

But…the screaming. I often find myself muting anime when the screaming becomes too much, but I would never have expected to want to mute a manga. Because, of course, there are arguments about which pairing is better and which character is seme and which uke (at which my queer inner monologue me stood on a table and shouted at the women arguing with “Who the fuck CARES who is on top?!? Get a grip”). I was well gratified that the waitress in the story shushed them as well. That story made me super grumpy. ^_^

My favorite story in the collection is when a woman returns to the doujinshi scene after years away, and finds herself tableing next to her ex. ^_^;  It probably will come as no surprised that that story was written and drawn by Usui Shio, who is my current favorite chronicler of complicated adult feelings. It was a quiet story, in a loud anthology. LOL

The best part of the collection were stories where doujinshi artists were given room to admire one another’s work and for friendships amongst themselves. I’d be happy to pay for a book or seventeen about the doujinshi community that focused on the drama of the work and everyone’s support of each other. That, to me, is the best part of the comic market world. The collaborations, the after parties, the friendships…the community. You get a hint of that here. It left me wanting more.

Ratings:

Everything is variable, as it is anthology

Overall – 7

Enjoyable, but superficial, look at the world of doujinshi markets. I’d *love* to see a Yuri manga that took time to work through a whole story in that world.

Posted in Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »


Springtime Lucky Boxes on Okazu! – Claimed

March 16th, 2022

It’s once again time to help me clear out my office! ^_^

This time we have 3 Lucky boxes! They arefull of comics and manga and poetry and artbooks and and other random things to marvel at.  All of these boxes include other flat fun things like stickers, bookmarks, comics, or postcards which are equally random and frequently bizarre (and often not at all Yuri.) And candy. I particularly like the hana kuchizuke  candy and hope you do too.

This time we have 2 Large Premium boxes and 1 Large Box.

The two Premium boxes include a unique Yuri series good from a pop-up or event.

As always, I assure you that this is all 100%, unadulterated stuff. Lucky Boxes are created by me shoving a bunch of things in boxes. I don’t  remember what went in, so I can’t tell you what is in each box. I do try to put random things in there to make the unpacking process an adventure. ^_^ You’ll get random things in random things.

Real Testimonial: So I got my GIANT BOX OF AMAZING today. Holy cow, it was so super stuffed, and I love it all! Thanks again, I’m super happy! :D

All of the boxes have been tentatively claimed.

Next time I’ll be sure to put together a giant pile of boxes!

Large Premium Box 1 – Claimed

Large Premium Box 2 – Claimed

Large Box 3 – Claimed

 

***

To be eligible to buy a Lucky Box, follow these instructions carefully. Please. Thank you. Failure to follow all of these instructions will disqualify you. It’s not personal, they are all claimed pretty quickly and I don’t have time to track you down for a piece of information.

1 – You must live in the Continental USA (contiguous 48) only, no APO/FPOs. This is disappointing for me too, so I apologize.

2 – You must be over 18, I am not policing books or recipients.

3 – Email me at anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with the subject “Lucky Box”. Use an email you check regularly. Because I will reply asap. The first person who responds to my email gets the box.

4. *****Please include your name, age, mailing address. ***** Tell me which box you want. Even if you’ve given me your address previously, please include it, I am very lazy.

5- I will contact you at that point and give you details about payment by Paypal. Please be prepared to check your email and get payment out so this post doesn’t linger. Thanks in advance.

This whole process will be handled with utmost capriciousness, as usual. ^_^

Ready? Get your Lucky Boxes!

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Cocoon Entwined, Volume 4

March 14th, 2022

We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the role of “Prince” around here. But what we have rarely considered is the role as a burden that is too much to bear.

In Volume 4 of Cocoon Entwined, Yuriko Hara has us watch as Hana is bowed under the weight of this role that she was given by an absent Hoshimiya. But so much more interestingly, is he evolution of Youko into the prince that might just be able to save her after all.

But first, we see where Youko has come from. Specifically we meet and instantly dislike her onee-sama, Reina. ^_^; We are treated to, as I said in my review of the Japanese volume, “the obligatory, “holy shit, this school and it’s clothes and all the people who attend, are SUPER CREEPY” story….”

And then, the war is on. Youko  on the one had, being strong enough to save Hana and refusing to let her fall and Kujou, who is clearly hoping to break Hana to her will. It will come as no surprise that I am still rooting for Youko.

The art in this book is fabulous. I’ll never be comfortable with all that hair, but in this volume, it becomes sublime. It is symbol, and character, and bonds and freedom.

Ratings:

Art – Honestly 9
Characters – 8
Story – 8
Service – 5 This volume amps up the creepy, the sex, and the dark
Yuri – 8 See above.

Overall – 9

Cocoon Entwined, Volume 4 is available now from Yen Press!

Posted in English Manga, Yuri Manga | No Comments »