Galette No. 21 (ガレット)

June 19th, 2022

You can tell that this has been an unusually busy season when I fall behind on a quarterly magazine. ^_^; But hey, I think releasing a new book on the history of Yuri counts as a really great reason for falling behind! If you haven’t picked up By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga, now is a great time to call your local bookstore! ^_^

Galette No. 21 (ガレット) is the 5th anniversary issue of this crowd-funded, creator-owned quarterly Yuri manga magazine. That is an incredible achievement, especially in light of the multiple upheavals it has been through. So congratulations to everyone at Galette Works! The cover is appropriately sparkly for a celebration.

The volume starts off with a number of color pages on the 5th anniversary, including a short interview about Galette.

The magazine is actually split. The first half includes the ongoing chapters of manga like Morinaga Milk’s  “Watashi no Kawaii Neko-chan,” which has been licensed by Seven Seas as My Cute Little Kitten, “Houkenshitsu no Ano Onna “by Morita Miyuki and stories by Hamasaki Ringo, Yatosaki Haru, Neko Hariko, Kuchiko, and Haruno. This is followed up by a “Collaboration,” a short text story paired with a manga.

The second half of the book continues Hakamada Mera’s manga “Aikata System.” I reviewed  both volumes of that manga in 2020 here on Okazu. It seems to go a bit darker, so I’m going to have to re-read this carefully. ^_^ This manga was released by Dougenzaka Shobo, which was putting out a few decent Yuri titles…then just stopped and refocused on BL only. Shame, I really liked their stuff.

The endnotes include a crossword puzzle! How fun is that? I’ve never tried to do one in Japanese before.

Ratings:

Overall – 10 for making it to 5 years!

Galette, No. 22 is actually already out, but I’ve been much too busy to read, so have fallen behind on ordering books, as well. Woops. I’m going to have to pull myself together asap and grab that pretty soon.  Time for a shopping spree. ^_^

Posted in Magazines, Yuri Manga | 2 Comments »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – June 18, 2022

June 18th, 2022

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. ^_^

 

 

Tip Okazu Writers a Coffee on Ko-fi

 

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. ^_^

Posted in Yuri Network News | No Comments »


Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru, Volume 1 (君としらない夏になる)

June 15th, 2022

Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru, Volume 1 (君としらない夏になる), subtitled in English “Throw away the suit together,” is one of my favorite reads currently in Comic Yuri Hime magazineright now. So a chance to step back and see what drew me in was something I embraced eagerly.

Haru and Hinoto are two young women who are deeply in love with one another, looking for jobs in various companies in Tokyo. The interviews and rejections are grueling, and Haru just…snaps. She tosses all the paperwork out the window. Without hesitation, Hi-chan joins her and the two of them run away from the grind of job hunting to a small island where Hi-chan’s aunt had a house.

This opening had all the weak spots in the narrative. When they come out of an impromptu ocean swim, their scooter is missing, which sets them in a panic, as it had their wallets, phones, etc.

The walk around town, trying to find the bike, to no avail, so they head over to Hi-chan’ss aunt’s house. Having reached the house, they find the phone ringing. It is, predictably, her aunt. Hi-chan asks if she and a friend can stay. The aunt answers with “no.”

Shocked at the “no,” Hinoto takes time to notice that Haru was, actually hurt by being called a friend. They discuss it and Hi-chan calls her aunt back to clarify that actually, its her and her lover – at which Haru shouts “fiancee!” The aunt lets them stay. ^_^

And then the story takes off. Which is to say, it slows down to a relaxed, gentle pace as Haru and Hinoto create a new life for themselves away from the path they were expected to take. They get the scooter back…and make a new friend in the process. And they start planning their wedding. The opening scenes of job hunting were supposed to create a sense of stress, so we’d be relieved by them walking away, but the scooter being removed actually created additional stress. It’s only when they have gotten the scooter (and their phones and wallets…) back that the story can actually begin.

Keyyang’s art is good, and bad. The anatomy is a bit “hrm” (their chests kind of shift size with need, and there’s some odd hip – leg anatomy from time to time.) and a constant strain of service may affect your opinion. It was generally tolerable to me, until individual moments where it became a bit tiresome. But, as the characters are adults and it never crosses the line of being plain gross, (the way The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady did), I allow it. Your mileage may vary. This volume has an omake with more adult content between them, so while I would not call this explicit, per se, I caution readers that it is for and about adults.

The big draw for me is Haru and Hinoto’s very deep love for one another. They are just so gosh darn cute.

Ratings:

Art – 6 Runs the gamut, but the energy is good.
Story – 8 I think anyone who has gone job hunting is going to feel those first bits in their bones
Characters – 8 Utterly likable
Service – 5 Quite a bit of underwear, some odd anatomy, but tolerable.
Yuri – 10, with a foot in LGBTQ+ identity

Overall – Charming, just a tad exhausting and overall one of my faves in the magazine right now.

Let’s all throw away our suits and go live on an island somewhere. Now all I need is a rich aunt. ^_^

Posted in Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »


Otherside Picnic, Volume 7

June 13th, 2022

Otherside Picnic, Volume 7 is an excellent read on every level. In fact, please feel free to stop reading right here and just go read the 7th novel in Miyazawa Iori’s scifi-horror series. It’ll be worth the time and you’ll probably get more out of it than reading me talking about the book.That said, I have quite a lot to say about this volume. ^_^

When the cover was released, you could hear the cries of fandom Internet-side. This cover presaged an intense volume. It wasn’t lying.

Volume 6 set up a newish conundrum for Sorawo and Toriko. Having established that they both have reciprocal feelings does not actually help Sorawo at all to sort out how she’ll deal with her partner.

As the curtain opens on Volume 7, important things have shifted. Sorawo still isn’t really able to human quite yet, but she’s…different. Her ideas are better formed, her goals are clearer, and in this volume she steps into a leadership role that suits her well. Toriko is struggling with the idea that she’s been one of many women for Satsuki Uruma, and, for the first time, Kozakura joins the adventure as an adult, and equal. Up to now, she’s acted much more like the child she resembles, rather than the adult woman she claims to be. In essence, our team has begun to find themselves in the middle of the chaos of the Otherside.

As a thriller, this volume was super solid. The main plot, the way the Otherside in general and Satsuki in specific, responded to Sorawo’s tactics were fantastic. This volume successfully rehabilitated several previous characters, while never losing site of humanity’s weaknesses.  The climax was excellent. Well-conceived and executed…this was a genuinely outstanding volume.

shirakaba’s art is back to illustrating the people but there’s been visible improvement in the art, so it feels less like a sop to the concept of a “light novel” than it used to.

While the series does feel a bit like it must be winding down at this point, there’s still some cleaning up remaining. Or…I certainly hope so. This has been a wild and creative ride – I’m reluctant for it to end. We need more Yuri scifi. I need more Yuri scifi. This volume had some outstanding horror beats and even more excellent emotional beats.

For a series built around unspoken fears and emotions, Otherside Picnic has done a fantastic job of expressing the unspoken fears and emotions of humanity at large and the individuals it features. As a result, I’ve been able to learn about myself, as well. If you’ve been hesitating picking up this series, I think it holds up under scrutiny. Give it a try.

Ratings:

Story – 9
Character – 9
Service – 1
Yuri – 8

Overall – 9

I’ve managed to review this without spoiling it at all. If you’ve already read it, I’d love to hear what you think in a spoiler-free manner in the comments!

My only spoiler – I was so glad to see Kokkuri-san in this volume, I applauded. ^_^

Posted in Light Novel, Otherside Picnic | 7 Comments »


Sukeban Deka Pretend, Volume 1 (スケバン刑事Pretend)

June 12th, 2022

Last month on Yuri Studio, I made a video about Girl Gangs in Anime and Manga. I enjoyed making it quite a bit and it motivated me to pick up a series I mentioned in the video – Sukeban Deka Pretend, Volume 1 (スケバン刑事Pretend).

Asamiya Saki is dead and gone.  High schooler Yasaki Asami (see what they did there?) never knew her. Nonetheless, their lives will become intertwined, when Asami – whose one goal is to make 10,000 friends online – finds a mysterious yo-yo. Well, actually, the yo-yo finds her. It literally drops from the sky as she’s up on the school roof. When she sees a bunch of kids bullying another kid, Saki’s spirit appears and instructs her to fight evil, as Sukeban Deka Pretend!

…kind of like the world’s greatest delinquent is now a magical animal mascot.

In any case, Asami does transform and saves the guy…but he is not interested in being friends. In fact, he kind of loses his grip and turns out to be doing crime. He’s the guy responsible for the new “snake” marijuana in school. The snake tattoo on his forehead awakens and he completely goes off the rails. Asami has to transform and subdue him.

Then Asami helps a girl whose uniform has been stolen, the end result of which is that she turns up a whole ring of stolen school items. The girl whose uniform was stolen turns out to have a snake tattoo that possesses her, as well. She’s actually sold her uniform for money – but was that before or after the snake?

In each case, Asami sets out to help someone, only for them to turn on her, become possessed by something snake-themed, and turn out to be the actual bad guy. I appreciate that snake theme, honestly, calling back to the giant snakes at the end of the original series.

But this all gets really wonky in the final arc of the volume. Chisato is the Vice chair of the Morals committee, a powerful group in the school which rules with an iron hand. She and Asami work together in the stolen goods arc, and they learn that there is actually a blue yo-yo as well! Who has it, or why, neither of them know. When the Chair of the morals committee is possessed by the snake…whatever-it-is, Asami stands ready to fight, but before she can transform, the Morals Chair slaps her down. At which Chisato stands forward with that blue yo-yo and she becomes Sukeban Deka Principal!

Also…Saki’s handler (and lover) Jin seems to be a teacher at the school.

Okay. Yes. Thank you. This was perfect, in a mad as a porridge knife way. Saki being part of the story, while remaining dead is a total thumbs up, as is the whole snake theme. Another thumb for the second yo-yo and another for Jin being right there, and apparently knowing what’s going on, but not lifting a finger to do anything. Four thumbs up for this story. It’s…bonkers in a way that only a reworking of a 50 year old cultural phenomenon could be. A bit like the Brady Bunch Movie. You can’t take the original seriously, but you can’t just lampoon it, either…it was a formative part of the cultural landscape. So you have to hold it with love and make it sillier. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Characters – 8
Story – 8
Service – 0
Yuri – 0

At the end of this volume we have Asami and Chisato as paired Sukeban Deka, so maybe we’ll get some good partnership-relationship there. The evil snake theme is certainly a thing and now we just need to know how the Principal is involved, because, duh~~ she is clearly involved. Will I get the next volume to find out? You bet I will! Volume 1 only came out in April and this series appears to be still running in Princess magazine, so yeah, I’m all in on this. ^_^

Deliquent girls forever!

Posted in Miscellaneous | 2 Comments »