Comic Yuri Hime, February 2026 (コミック百合姫2026年2月号)

January 29th, 2026

On a bright blue polygon in a darker blue background, a pink-haired girl sits on stairs, her long locks being brushed by hands from off-scene, while she sis comfortably, one hand resting on a fist, her arm resting on her crossed knee.Chiriko’s cover for Comic Yuri Hime, February 2026 (コミック百合姫2026年2月号) is, yet again, a brightly colored study. This time we have a portrait of  pink-haired girl in a blue world, her hair being brushed from behind. After last year’s white covers, this is a refreshing look. More importantly – who is this mysterious hair and makeup person?

“Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu!” by Miman is not just looking forward, it has Hime still thinking about the future. What does “marrying rich” even look like, as a plan. Both Kanako and Mitsuki are very not sure what they should do with themselves as a result.

In “Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou.” by inori. and Aonoshimo, Claire makes her decision and it is not the one Rae has been working towards. The climax of the Revolution arc draws ever closer.

“Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau” by Takeshima Eku includes a new problem…fame. Lorelei is going viral and Shiho has to figure out what that means to them, and whther her and the bad are really going to shoot for being professional musicians. Yori-sempai makes the same decision for herself. She’s going to follow in her father’s footsteps.

As the pages of “Chouuchyuu Yori Ai wo Komete,” by Ashidaka Woz open us, Lulu’s predatory fiance threatens earth, but Ten finally realizes that she wants to protect Lulu and fights back. The story finally gets to the bottom of Ten’s unhappiness, so she can embrace the love Lulu offers.

SheepD’s “Kanaria ha Kiraboshi no Yume o Miru” chooses the path of chaos as Fumino runs from an unwanted marriage, with Tsubaki (not her real name) in hand, as the pleasure district burns behind them.

 

As always there are more stories I read and others I didn’t, and overall, Comic Yuri Hime is keeping a steady stride into 2026. 

Ratings: 

Overall – 8

The March issue has already hit JP bookshelves and will be on mine shortly. ^_^

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime, Magazines | No Comments »


I Don’t Know Which Is Love, Volumes 3 & 4

January 28th, 2026

I Don't Know Which Is Love Volume 3 cover. It shows Maria, a pretty lady with long brown hair wearing lipstick, holding up a phone that shows a surprised looking Mei. I’m Luce, and it’s been a while! I’m back today with a double issue of the Yuri rollercoaster, which contains no actual rollercoaster content. I can be found on the Okazu discord as farfetched. Onwards!

In Volume 1 & Volume 2 we saw Soraike Mei get closer, in various different ways, to her five love interests, and generally be something of a lesbian disaster. In Volume 3 of I Don’t Know Which Is Love, she’s practicing for the play, which involves kissing – having kissed both Karin and Kaoru, she’s confused as to why it felt good both times! Good that there’s a certain psychology professor to help her sort it out… Or just make it more complicated? In Volume 4, the play having gone well, Mei ends up in a situation with a drunk Maria, and meets up with her high school crush who broke her heart. Resolving herself to date Karin, she finds her kissing another girl! Riri wants to see her, so invites her to a photoshoot… but it’s in a swimsuit – will Mei, disaster lesbian extraordinaire, even be able to take photos?

This sold as a romcom – and in many ways it is – but it also feels more like watching a race – who can kiss Mei first? Who can date her first? Karin and Maria are pretty ahead, with Kaoru closer behind. I called it the Yuri rollercoaster in previous reviews, and that’s the feel – not much room to breathe. That said, it’s kind of refreshing for a series not to be ecchi per se but to admit that part of romance for a lot of people is sex. These are college students, it’s not weird for them to feel attracted to each other physically, and no one is shaming them for it, although sometimes they’ll tell themselves off – not in a puritanical way, but in a ‘she’s my professor’ or ‘we’re not even dating’ kind of way.Cover for I Don't Know Which Is Love volume 4. It has Karin, a young woman with short blond hair, looking flirtatious, about to lick Mei's finger.

If you really don’t like Professor Maria being one of Mei’s love interests, probably best to sit this out, since she’s not going away. At least Mei is a college student rather than a high school one, but I understand it might irritate people. Of all the love interests, Riri gets the least to do here, only appearing a few times, although she is cute when she does. She does pop up in Volume 4 in a photo shoot, wherein Mei realises she has a thing for boobs.

At the end of Volume 4, Mei asks Maria for a quiet beach spot so Riri won’t get harassed while they’re at the beach. Maria uses this as an opportunity to get all of Mei’s love interests together, so Mei can choose one. Which sounds like a set up for a final volume, but apparently a sixth volume recently came out in Japan, although there is no date for the fifth one in English. It doesn’t really seem to be gunning for any kind of polyamory ending, but neither is any girl really ‘winning’ right now. Mei certainly can’t make her mind up!

Perhaps an issue with this kind of series is that it either needs to be long or short. How Do We Relationship had the time and (I suspect) the planning to carry out that tangled mess of relationships. Although that was more of a serious tone and the intents are different, I’m not sure the author here has a particular plan in mind. As such, I worry it might end up being a bit more meandering. We will have to see; I still enjoy it, but I’m honestly not sure where it’s heading.

Ratings:

Yuri – 10
Service – 6
Art- 7
Characters – 7
Story – 6

Overall – 7

You know, for a series about lesbians, they sure don’t say the word lesbian much. If at all.

Posted in English Manga, Luce, Yuri Manga | No Comments »


Heimin No Watashi Desu Ga Koushaku Reijou-sama o Taburakashite Ikite Imasu, Volume 3 (平民の私ですが公爵令嬢様をたぶらかして生きています)

January 26th, 2026

Cover of Heimin No Watashi Desu Ga Koushaku Reijou-sama o Taburakashite Ikite Imasu, Volume 3 / 平民の私ですが公爵令嬢様をたぶらかして生きています by Kitao Taki. A red-headed girl leans over a dark-haired girl, stroking her face with predatory expression. They both look at us and are wearing the same fantasy school uniform of red and white.In Volume 1 we meet Laila, a commoner who parents sold her into slavery so they could debauch, and Evangeline “Eva” Mayer, the daughter of a Duke, and Laila’s childhood friend who, through accident, runs in to Laila and is able to take her as a bodyguard to the Royal Academy. In Volume 2, Laila deal with some prejudice and bullying, but her magical abilities are so significant, her fighting skills so good and her personality strong enough that she gains the respect of some of the students. 

In Volume 3 of Kitao Taki’s Heimin No Watashi Desu Ga Koushaku Reijou-sama o Taburakashite Ikite Imasu (平民の私ですが公爵令嬢様をたぶらかして生きています) the 4 major houses are set against each other in a battle of wits, magic and combat by the King, who mostly wants some entertainment. He’d also like to get a feel for how strong this commoner is and to show off his beloved grandchild Eva’s power. 

The Mayer family starts down a member, but a masked (but not disguised, really) person joins them…with intel. The competitions get more and more complicated in the first round. There is no clear winner going in to the second round which is a dungeon that the King needs clearing. But once in the dungeon the students find that there’s some very serious magic in the dungeon, and the magic is going to mimic the person they want to fight the least. Eva and Laila watch in trepidation as another Laila walks out of the mist….

I know I say this every volume, but I really do enjoy Kotao Taki’s manga. And this story is building on itself, well away from simple romantic comedy to a full-blown epic adventure, with tons of fighting, magic and intrigue.Will Laila and Eva end up together? Probably, but that is not the story. I’m still holding out for Laila, Lisette and Eva kicking Catherine’s butt and all out ass whoop. ^_^ It’s also nice to read a fantasy that isn’t an isekai for a moment. 

For loads of action, adventure and a pleasant bit of Yuri seasoning, I’m really enjoying this series. 

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service –  1? Very little, as everyone is busy fighting
Yuri – 4, as everyone is busy fighting

Overall – 9

From Volume 3 on, this book is only available in digital format on Amazon JP, Bookwalker and other online platforms. Thank heavens for Bookwalker.

Posted in Kitao Taki, Yuri Manga | No Comments »


Yuri News Network – (百合ネットワークニュース) – January 24, 2026

January 24th, 2026

In blue silhouette, two women face each other. One wears a fedora and male-styled attire, one is in a dress and heels. Their body language is obscure - they may be dancing, or laughing or fighting. Art by Mari Kurisato for OkazuYuri Research

The top news of the week is that Japan’s first Yuri research book, Hajimete no Yuri Studies: Queer/Feminist no Shiten Kara (はじめての百合スタディーズ: クィア/フェミニストの視点から) by Nakamura Kasumi, Kondoh Ginga, and Mizukami Aya with supplemental essays by myself and Shinada Reika, published by Ohta Book, will hit Japanese shelves next month. I hope you’ll pre-order it and give it the push it deserves! This book is a big deal, as I mentioned in my Okazu post this week about it.

BBC China has a Chinese-language article about Yuri/GL/Baihe, with a brief discussion of Thai Dramas: 泰国女同性恋爱情故事如何发展成为一个价值数百万美元的产业 by 南甘帕特·帕昌 (Nongnapat Patcham).

 

Yuri Manga

Morishima Akiko-sensei (who did the cover art for the Yuri Studies book), noted on X that Yuri Kuma Arashi turns 10 years old (!) this year. The Kadokawa Store is selling anniversary acrylic stands.

Also from Morishima-sensei, Chapter 10 of her manga Hitorimi Desu. (ひとりみです) will take on the travails of a lesbian couple trying to have a child back in the early 2000s. Read it in Japanese on Comic Walker.

Edition 88 is doing an art merch collaboration with Rose of Versailles prints and acrylic stands this week at the gallery in Tokyo.

Ikuta Hana’s Ryuu to Ryuu no Kekkon (竜と龍の結婚), a tale about two dragon princesses in a political engagement, is on the Yuricon Store!

ANN’s Crystalyn Hodgkins notes that Girls Band Cry is getting a manga. 

Galette on Bluesky announces the cover for Galette No. 37 (ガレット). Cover art by pen, and again, so grown-up. ^_^

Gal x Gal Yuri, which is currently running on Viz.com and their app is getting a merchandise collab with Oshi-Challe. Check out the site to get in on the lottery to grab cute gal Yuri acrylic!

 

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Yuri Light Novel

So far on JP Kindle only (but fingers  crossed for other options) the sequel Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou. Furimukinasai, Watakushi ni! (振り向きなさい、わたくしに！) follows the twins, Aleah and Mei, as teens.

Via inori.-sensei’s Pixiv Fanbox, she has another new light novel, Reijou Tame (令嬢テイム), which she plans on debuting at Bungaku Flea Market Tokyo 42. 

Chaser Game W has been novelized with a two-volume series on JP Kindle.

 

Baihe News

From Baiheverse, we have a new series,  Remaking of the Unforgotten Love from creator Causticsoda, translated by longlegdog. “Hitting a slump in life, Li Han turns to Lu Shiyin—an author and her childhood friend—for help. Shiyin, having long liked Li Han, accepts on the terms that Li Han becomes her assistant. However, Li Han soon finds out that this author’s life is not as peaceful as she imagined…”

Via Sr. YNN Correspondent Sean Gaffney, Baiheverse on X just announced the license for Have no Fear, Shijie’s Here by Can’tNameThings. It’s an isekai/transmigration tale that sounds very fun, tbh.

 

Yuri Anime

Awajima Hyakkei, the anime adaptation of Shimura Takako’s manga series has a second promotional trailer up on Youtube.

Kimi ga Shinu made Koi wo Shitai (きみが死ぬまで恋をしたい) anime key visual is up via the official anime account on X. Crystalynn Hodgkins has details and a link to a promo video on ANN. 

The Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising– anime film is delayed, says Rafael Antonio Pineda on ANN.

For more Madoka fun, check out Ken Iikura-Gross’s report on the Shaft Exhibition at the Mixalive Tokyo venue in Ikebukuro, 50 Years of Shaft Works in One Exhibition: Exploring the SHAFT 50th Anniversary Exhibition.

 

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Other News

ANN’s Winter 2026 Light Novel Guide is up and I read a lot of LNs so you didn’t have to and a few you should, even if they aren’t Yuri. There were three I really enjoyed – all three are novels, rather than light novels. ^_^ 

Via Comic Natalie, here are some images from the Look Back Exhibition in Azabudai Hills in Tokyo, based on the live-action adaptation of the manga by Fujimoto Tatsuki. I’ve reviewed the manga in Japanese and English and the anime here on Okazu.

DaVinci magazine is publishing a special Looking at 20 Years of BL through DaVinci,  (別冊ダ・ヴィンチ ダ・ヴィンチが見つめたBLの20年 2006～2026) available on Amazon JP and Bookwalker JP. And other bookstores in person and online, undoubtedly.

Cutie Honey and Kekko Kamen creator Go Nagai is being inducted into the Eisner Comics Hall of Fame. Crystalynn reports on that as well on ANN.

 

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Posted in Yuri Network News | 1 Comment »


Introducing Hajimete no Yuri Studies Queer/Feminist no Shiten kara (はじめての百合スタディーズ: クィア／フェミニストの視点から)

January 22nd, 2026

On a white background, three people sit on a curved cushion reading on various platforms, such as a book, a phone on a table, a magazine. One is an adult-looking woman with a short professional haircut in a button down shirt, slacks, and high heel. The second is non-binary person with a short boyish hair wearing a hoodie and pants, the third wears long hair, a low cut blouse and white skirt. A bouquet of lilies sits on the cushion.Did I say 2025 was a great year for Yuri? Well hold on to your hats, because 2026 is going to blow your hair back!

Our first announcement of 2026 is Hajimete no Yuri Studies: Queer/Feminist no Shiten Kara (はじめての百合スタディーズ: クィア/フェミニストの視点から) from Ohta Publishing. While there have been some mooks and an issue of Eureka, a literary magazine, this is the first serious book by a commercial publisher on Yuri as a genre in Japanese. In fact, one of the authors, Mizukami-san commented on X that the success of this book will likely set the tone for Yuri research publishing, so if it is successful, that would be huge.

The main part of this book is a conversation between three feminist Yuri otaku, Nakamura Kasumi, Kondoh Ginga, and Mizukami Aya on the history of Yuri, it’s relationship to lesbian lives, unique issues in Yuri and more. I am honored to have been able to contribute an essay on the history of Yuri in the USA and there is a second essay on the history of Yuri by Shinada Reika, a Yuri researcher from Tokyo University.

In 2023, I had the genuine pleasure of visiting Nakamura Kasumi-sensei’s class at Keio Unversity. After my presentation, we went to lunch with some of the students and had the most wonderful conversation about queer manga and Yuri and BL (in the very elite academic environment of the formal faculty dining room, not at all the kind of place one talks about such things, which we all kinda loved.) This book feels like the continuation of that conversation and frankly, I cannot wait to read the other parts of the book!

I must stress how amazing it is to have a book about Yuri in Japanese from such fantastic scholars and from a queer and feminist perspective. I know when I wrote my book, that was part of my motivation – to get a queer and feminist reading out there first, so it lays the groundwork for research that comes after it. To have such incredible people take up the mantle for Japanese scholarship and do the same thing is beyond thrilling.

Ohta Books has made the introduction by Mizukami Aya available to read in Japanese for free.

Last, but not at all least, the cover is by Morishima Akiko-sensei whose artwork for same-sex marriage and her own manga has long championed queer narratives. I almost cried when I saw that she has drawn the cover. It’s really perfect. ^_^

For the moment, for outside of Japan, Amazon JP is your best bet for purchase, but feel free to ask other outlets, like Kinokuniya USA to carry it. 

When I began Yuricon in 2000, our mission was to build a bridge between queer Yuri fans in Japan and the west. With  this book, that goal is achieved. This year, I’m going to have to create a new mission statement for real. ^_^

Thank you to Suga-san at Ohta books for being fantastic, and to Nakamura-sensei, Kondoh-sensei, and Mizukami-sensei for letting me part of this project! Go, run, pre-order the book and enjoy this on-going conversation about Yuri.

 
 

 

 

Posted in History of Yuri | 1 Comment »