Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – June 15, 2024

June 15th, 2024

A blue silhouette of a girl with a white flower in her hair, embracing the earth. Blue block letters read YNN Yuri Network News. Art by Lissa P. For Okazu.

Yuri Live Action

Stardust Telepath is getting a live-action TV drama! With the girls looking far more age-appropriate than the infantilized moe design of the original manga, it’s probably going to feel way more intimate and Yuri. Komatsu-san over at Crunchyroll News has the details and the trailer. You can follow the official account on Twitter.

YNN Staff Writer Matt Marcus wants you to know Ohsawa Yayoi has drawn an illustration of the characters for the live-action stage play of one of her short Yuri manga, Koko kara tsuredashite 〜 jigoku no HELL hen 〜
(ココから連れ出して 〜地獄のHELL変〜), which is running this weekend. You can read some of the comic in her posts on Twitter.

Via Comic Natalie, we have more cast announcements from the upcoming TV drama abased on Sal Jiang’s comic Ayaka-chan ha Hiroko-sempai ni Koishiteru (彩香ちゃんは弘子先輩に恋してる).

 

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Yuri Manga

Via Sr. YNN Correspondent Cryssoberl, Citrus+, Volume 7 is getting a special edition from Ichijinsha. You can find that and a lot of other limited goods on Ichijinsha’s Comic Yuri Hime Store. Okazu Staff Matt Marcus adds that Oshichalle is running a Citrus + lottery for special goods, as well.

 

Yuri Events

For folks in Japan, July will see the group art show for four Galette magazine artists in Kichioji, Tokyo. July 17-22, at the Sabineko Gallery, art by 4 Yuri artists, Hakamada Mera, Morinaga Milk, Yatosaki Haru and Yorita Miyuki will be displayed for the Shoujo to Shoujo ~ Yuri Sakka Yonnin Ten (百合作家4人展).

Girls Love Fest 41 will be happening on June 30, in the Keikyu Kamata/Ota Ward Industrial Plaza PiO, Ota Ward, Tokyo, once again. 41 shows, wow!

I spoke last night with the amazing folks at BlymeCon, Brazil’s BL convention, about the history of BL and Yuri. They are going to be subtitling my presentation in Portugese for the event later this summer!

I’ll be at AnimeNYC in the Artist Alley as a Guest. Join myself, TJ ‘Tiff’ Ferentini, Nicole Roderick, Jacqueline Hung as we talk about “The Rise of Queer Manga.”

And I will be doing a presentation of that same name for CitrusCon, also an online BL convention. It has been fantastic to me that so many BL cons are open now to discussion of Yuri, and LGBTQ+ manga and media. This is an incredible direction for fandom.

If you’d like to have your event or panel listed here – or you’d like me to speak at your event, let me know through the Yuricon Contact Form. ^_^

 

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Yuri Anime

Fujimoto Tatsuki’s Look Back anime movie premiered at the Annecy Film Festival and was “warmly received by the (very demanding) audience of the biggest animation festival in the world.” Matthieu Pinon has the report on ANN. I very much look forward to seeing this. In a room, by myself, with tissues pressed to my face as I bawl my head off. (T_T)

Once again, from Matt, The Executioner and Her Way of Life Premium Blu-Ray Box Set is shipping in August from Sentai Filmworks.

Cryssoberyl is back with news from Manga Mogura that the Shy anime will have a Season 2. Paul Chapman over at Crunchyroll News says that a Season 1 recap as functioning a trailer for the upcoming S2.

I’m still not entirely sure, but am willing to be convinced, that this will be Yuri, but CR News’ Darryl Harding reports on a key visual for Momentary Lily.

Komatsu-san also has the news that all 4 of the original cast members for Mahoutsukai PreCure will be returning to their roles in the Mahoutsukai PreCure Mirai Days sequel.  This appears to shift Mirai from midde school to college-aged. Clearly Toei has found it’s new cottage industry, aging up the Cures. ^_^

 

Yuri Doujinshi

Once again, via Matt, he’s discovered a Yuri doujishi circle, YURI HUB, on Melonbooks that includes Inui Ayu and a few other creators’ works. Some of these are available as digital downloads (for which you will need Melonbooks’ proprietary reader, but they make that available when you dl the doujinshi.) Most of these have sample pages in Japanese for you to check out.

 

Other News

While I was at Kinokuniya in Edgewater, NJ, I noticed this awesome Pride Month display. Note Arai Sumiko’s manga Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta, prominently displayed. I’ll get back to that in a second. So I walked in and the staffer (Hi Yaz!) commented that they were going to put my book on the display – they are down to the last copy. So, I signed it. ^_^ If you get there and it’s gone, ask them – they’ll order more.

Bookshelves at Kinokuniya bookstore in Edgewater, NJ, displaying LGBTQ, BL and Yuri manga and books for Pride month. Photo June 2024 by E. Friedman.

As my final thought, I want to note that Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta, Volumes 1 and 2 are displayed here, on an aisle endcap and on the shelves. Last night on Bluesky someone commented that they thought this series was about to become HUGE, with a live-action, and other media. Based on this store alone, I am inclined to agree. I have been going to this store (and all the other stores that have occupied this space, Sanseido and even Asahiya back in the day) for decades and I have only seen this level of saturation for massively popular Shonen Jump titles. This series is being primed to be huge. We’ll definitely keep our eyes peeled.

In the meantime, I am also running a Pride Month/2nd Birthday special on By Your Side” The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga. My book with a signed bookplate and an original art print by Rica Takshima! Limited supplies, so check it out if you can’t get to a Kinokuniya. ^_^

 

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Posted in Yuri Network News | No Comments »


Tsukiatte Agetemo Iikana, Volume 12 (付き合ってあげてもいいかな)

June 14th, 2024

A young woman with collar length black hair stands on a street of food stands, wearing a long red coat and white boots, holding a plastic bag. The frame is at an angle, as she looks back over her shoulder at us.Yesterday I said that I was reviewing two series this week that focused on complicated relationships. The first was Volume 9 of  Otona ni Nattemo, by Shimura Takako (available in English as Even Though We’re Adults from Seven Seas.) Today we are looking at the second of these, Tsukiatte Agetemo Iikana, by Tamifull, available as How Do We Relationship from Viz Media.

These two series have nothing in common on the surface, but they both have one similar feature – there are no “bad guys” here. None of the relationships we’re seeing are harmful or toxic. In both series, we’re simply seeing people learning that sometimes even love isn’t enough to make things work.

In slight contrast to Ayano and Akari’s story, the folks we’ve met in this series are college age, not expected to be settled or be “adult” quite yet. Both Miwa and Saeko are just facing down an upcoming graduation and entry into adult society. Interviews with prospective employers and a third of their lifetime wearing a black suit in an office is a daunting barrier for anyone, but they are persevering.

In Tsukiatte Agetemo Iikana, Volume 12 (付き合ってあげてもいいかな), both Saeko and Miwa are also facing the ends of their current relationships. They have great affection – even love – for their partners, but it’s just not working out. To break the tension, they go on a overnight together and face the question of whether their relationship is something that can be renewed or not – a subject of constant conversation on the Okazu Discord. ^_^ I have always been ambivalent about them getting back together, but while I think I might not be as opposed as I previously was, I’d still rather them move on.

Also, several years into any of this, these queer girls have somehow kind of avoided talking about being queer, or becoming queer adults and while I want to think it’s because they feel the world they are entering will accept them as they are, it’s more likely that these conversations are just not being made part of an otherwise honest and realistic story.

I am glad that current chapters of How Do We Relationship are available on Viz.com and the Viz app, so I can stay current with the translated volumes, but I find myself letting go of these characters. In fact, I am kind of hoping the series ends at graduation.  What will Volume 13 bring us? I…don’t know and am honestly not sure I care, which is a devastating thing to say about a series I have been following for 5 years and 12 volumes. We’ve seen the characters change and grow a lot over the years., but I’m no longer invested in their personal growth – the story has become the manga equivalent of coworker who only ever talks about their love life.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 6
Characters – 7 They are trying so hard
Yuri – 8
Service – 7 CW on the end of the book for sexual assault survivors, again, but it does get addressed.

Overall – 6

There are no bad guys here, just complicated and sometimes messy relationships. That’s not enough to keep me coming back much longer.

Posted in Yuri Manga | No Comments »


Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 9 (おとなになっても)

June 13th, 2024

On an orange background, a woman with long blue hair, leaning on her arms, wearing an orange knit or patterned blouse, looks at us with a slight smile.I am currently reading two Japanese series about adults in complicated relationships. Both series are, in equal part, compelling and interesting and annoying as heck. Today we’re looking at Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 9 (おとなになっても) by Shimura Takako.

This story follows a (now-formerly) marries woman, Ayako, and a lesbian, Akari, as they meet, fall in love and come together again, as all the cracks in Ayako’s life come apart. In my review of Volume 8 is commented, “This continues to be such a low-key adult life Yuri that one can hardly think of it as barrelling down on the conclusion of the series…and yet, that is where we are. ” As Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 9 (おとなになっても) progresses, I’m constantly reminded of the other series, which is equally as complicated, but so much less “adult” somehow. I’ll talk about that one tomorrow.

Akari and Ayako are living together, at last. Things are good, or might be, as soon as they negotiate what any of this means to them. They haven’t really dated, and they know that. Did they do this too soon? Maybe, and they know that too, but are really going to try and make it work.

In the mean time, Ayako’s former students have gone from being children to tweens, in the way that children do. Two of them come to visit their former teacher, and marvel at her relationship with another woman. Ayako’s still uncomfortable answering questions, but Akari much less so.

Slowly, steadily, life goes on here. Things change, people change. Wataru has, maybe a new girlfriend, his mother visits the salon to see all these bit players who have completely shaken up her life. And Akari and Ayako find some quiet joy in the idea that they now can actually get to know one another. At last. Until next volume. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 0
LGBTQ+ – 8, as Akari tries to be a good role-model for young women who may well need one.

Overall – 8

Volume 8 of Even Though We’re Adults is out in English and Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 10 is out in Japanese!

 

Posted in Artists, LGBTQ, Shimura Takako, Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »


Himegami no Miko (姫神の巫女)

June 12th, 2024

A girl with long dark hair, wearing a black and purple Japanese school uniform, and a blonde long-haired girl in a uniform with knit vest and blue skirt partially embrace as they look at us out of the sides of their eyes.by Rachel Gruber, Guest Reviewer

As a teen growing up in the 2000s, my introduction to yuri anime naturally came in the form of the “big three:” Strawberry Panic!, Simoun, and of course, Kannazuki No Miko. The latter is as iconic as it is infamous, so it’s no wonder that its creators, Kaishaku, chose to bring back poor Chikane and Himeko in series after series over the years. After their truly atrocious 2009 outing in Zettai Shoujo Seiiki Amnesian (Volume 1 and Volume 2 were reviewed here in 2010,) a series rightfully given a 1/10 here on Okazu, Kaishaku made the wise decision to let Chikane and Himeko sit out the 2010s. But by the time 2020 rolled around, they were apparently ready to get back to business. Enter: Himegami No Miko.

This fourth(!) incarnation of Chikane and Himeko have returned with a distinctly modern art style that’s reasonably cute, if admittedly lacking any unique distinguishing features, and a story with a decent mix of new and old concepts from previous series. Instead of a story that ends with the two fated lovers having to kill each other, this one begins with assassination as its core goal. Each of our heroines come from two noble houses on an island ruled over by the evil snake demon Orochi (who is unfortunately not a robot this time) and, upon reaching the proper age, are meant to have the usual duel to the death in order to determine who gets to be this generation’s sacrifice to said evil snake demon. But unlike every previous iteration of these characters, Himeko manages to show some actual agency for the first time by running away from her fate. When Chikane inevitably follows her and ends up on the mainland, she also finds herself making a promise to serve as Himeko’s friend until the date of their duel–at which point Himeko will allow Chikane to kill her. Not exactly breaking the mold when it comes to murder promises in yuri, but it’s a solid enough foundation to build a romance on. Everything is in place for Kaishaku to hit us with another terrible cash-grab. There’s just one problem:

Himegami No Miko is…actually pretty good?

The story is nonsense, of course, and you’ve got your standard sexual predator/fanservice elements that you can expect from Kaishaku, but there’s also enough heartfelt emotion in there to get the reader at least a little invested. What really makes the series stand out, however, is its characters. The usual cast have been given more than a fresh coat of paint this time around; Chikane is less full of self-hatred and guilt than usual (and not a rapist! Yay!), Souma has become both a girl and a villain, and Himeko…Himeko actually gets to do stuff this time! She even gets the best moment of the series, a shocking villainous turn that made me gasp in real life. Throw in a final third full of appropriately dramatic and daring rescues, climactic showdowns, and other unoriginal yet enjoyable moments before providing an actual happy ending, and you’ve got a series that left me smiling far more than I’d like to admit.

Is it still a mess? Absolutely. Supporting characters drop in and out without warning, logic gets tossed out the window on more than one occasion, and there is a hilarious amount of blatantly incorrect medical information. On its own, it’s a dime a dozen action yuri series. But as a sequel to Kannazuki No Miko? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think it might be better. Hell, it might even be better than Shattered Angels. It shouldn’t be possible, but here we are. Himegami No Miko is good. Not great, but good. And after Zettai Shoujo Seiiki Amnesian, that might as well be a miracle.

Ratings:

Story – 6
Art – 7
Yuri – 9
Service – 5

Overall – 7

Erica here – You can read the first chapter of Himegami no Miko as a free sample in Japanese on Comic Walker. I admit to having forgotten to finish it. ^_^; Perhaps I’ll get back to it if this is a decent-er ending than the last…3 times. ^_^

Posted in Guest Review, Kannazuki no Miko | 9 Comments »


The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Vol. 6

June 10th, 2024

Two girls stand back to back. One with long white hair wields a thing saber, the other with medium-length blond hair holds a large energy blade in rainbow colorsAmong the many remarkable things in Piero Karasu’s light novel series, the most remarkable to me continues to be the  author’s willingness to address issues after the happily-ever-after of the romance plot. In The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Vol. 6, having faced and reconciled with her brother who caused Euphyllia so much grief, and the college of magic whose members previously opposed her, Anis is now taking on a crisis that has been brewing on the outer reaches of their country.

That the crisis is merely okay as a plot line does not change my opinion that it is a remarkable thing that this series is both continuing and also addressing the consequences of Anis’ and Euphie’s partnership, as well as the remaining problems in the country as we know it. Problems that are, conveniently, not poverty or social injustice. It’s true that Anis’ ideas for use of magic stones seems to be more on the side of capitalism than socialism and the proliferation of flying vehicles, for instance, strikes me as less useful for the commons than trade and military, but she’s trying.

Was I deeply irritated when the 1) greatest and most powerful of all the Vampires was basically 2) a lonely child 3) with an extremely limited vision of what “togetherness” is? Yup. Very. On all three counts, so the climactic battle was not engaging except as an exercise in tactics – but that, too, does not detract from the fact that this author cleans up their messes, which is both unique and interesting.

In the end, Anis and Euphie as a couple are cute and Anisphia and Euphylia as a ruling couple are interesting and I’d like to read more because I am a fan and don’t want to let go….

Ratings:

Art – Inconsequential and moe
Story – 8 for intent, 7 for execution
Characters – 9, except for the Most Powerful Vampire In The World who was a 5
Service – More in intent than practice, but I am becoming inured to the series’ coyness about sex
Yuri – 9

Overall – 7

….but I am very, very done, with powerful immortal, supernatural beings that look and think like children. LN authors, please get a new idea already.

Posted in Light Novel | No Comments »