I Can’t Say No to the Lonely Girl, Volume 4

November 11th, 2024

A girl in a salmon pink jacket over a white tee, with long dark hair and a girl in a denim jacket over a white tee with blonde hair are seen from above as they embrace.In Volume 3, Ayaka stood up and protected Sora from a neglectful and selfish mother. With Sora no longer dealing with an unkind parent, Ayaka and Sora are free to figure out who they want to be as people, and what kind of partnership they want. This could very well have been the end of the series, but instead, we turn to our newest member of the friend group, Wakana.

It was pretty obvious that Wakana’s gaydar was sensitive enough to pick up on Sora and Ayaka’s relationship. And the way she watched over them felt like a story. In I Can’t Say No to the Lonely Girl, Volume 4 we learn that story.

Wakana’s past was only a little sad and, amazingly, her new friends make it possible to patch things up with her old friend. And that, in a nutshell, is what I like best about this series. Friends are as important here as lovers. Good friends give each other room to grow and accept their friends as they are. Sora and Ayaka are flying because their friends have lent them wings. In return Ayaka and Sora have opened up – to each other, to their friends, and to themselves.

The next hurdle is going to a tough hurdle – Ayaka has exams that will separate her from Sora, even as they both are thinking about moving forward in their physical relationship.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story –8
Characters – 8
Service – 1
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8

Kashykaze’s art is gentle and swooshy, everyone is maturing little by little, the rough edges of the plot are almost all smoothed out. There’s no doubt that the climax of this story will be happily-ever-after-…or will it?  Volume 5 will be out in December from Kodansha.



Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – November 9, 2024

November 9th, 2024

In black block letters, YNN Yuri Network News. On the left, in black silhouette, a woman with a broad brim hat and dress stands, a woman in a tight outfit sits against the Y. Art by Mari Kurisato for OkazuBecause this week wasn’t bad enough, I have lost my job once more and can face the uncertainty of the future with that to stress about as well. Whee. So to take my brain away, I have spent all week catching up on all the dozens of items that were backlogged to be added to the Yuricon Store. As a result, this week’s news report is going to be very long. The good news is that I am caught up on Yuri manga and Light Novels for the moment! ^_^ (A statement that did not last a full 12 hours as accurate. There is just so much Yuri these days!

Once again, I will ask that if you enjoy our news and reviews, essays and a massive, curated catalog of Yuri media on the Internet, please consider supporting us on Patreon or Ko-Fi. Your financial support allows us to support Yuri creators and publishers, and pay our writers a competitive wage! Your support is more important than ever and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness and generosity.

 

Yuri Events

Yuriten has begun announcing the participating artists for the 2025 event. I was initially considering going to one or both, but that’s not happening now unless someone sponsors me. ^_^ Many of the artists have been part of the previous Yuriten exhibitions, but there are some new names as well. You can track the announcements on the Yuriten official X account. I have written them to ask that they consider moving to Bluesky, as X is not safe now for queer folks at all and will get appreciably worse in 2025.

Comitia is going to be at Tokyo Big Sight on November 17th in the East Halls 3, 4, 5, 6,and 7. A bunch of Yuri manga artists will be there AND Winter Comiket table announcements are coming through, so look for Yuri on Sunday, December 30 in the West Halls. Follow your favorite artists on X and Twitter to keep up with who will be where.

 

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Yuri Anime News

Sugoi Lite shared a rumor that Kuzushiro’s The Moon On A Rainy Night will be getting an anime. If true that would be very big news – they are very accurate, so we should prepare. ^_^

Also from Sugoi Lite, Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games is getting an anime adaptation.

Hidekuni Shida provides a translation of the Newtype exclusive interview: Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night Ryōhei Takeshita and Composition Writer/Screenwriter Yūki Yaku on ANN.

Dear Brother Complete Blu-ray Series is back in stock from Diskotek! Get the best remaster of the Dazai Osamu’s shoujo masterpiece.

Via YNN Correspondent Cryssoberyl, Rock ha Shukujo no Tashinamideshite, aka Rock Lady ( ロックは淑女の嗜みでして) combines “S” Aesthetic private school for girls and rock & roll rebellion for what looks like a fun niche crossover that is likely to appeal to our audience. ^_^ Check out that trailer on Youtube, it’s a banger.

As I detailed yesterday here on Okazu, I’m In Love With The Villainess is now in the #2 position for Best 100 Anime from the Tokyo Anime Award. It has fierce competition, so read Can “I’m In Love With The Villainess” Win The Tokyo Anime Award Festival? and get your vote in. ^_^

Anime Feminist Patreon members can listen to a bonus podcast on LOOK BACK, Grief, and Creating Art.

 

Support Yuri News and Reviews on Ko-fi!

Now buckle in, because I added a few dozen volumes of manga on the Yuricon Store – including getting a few series fully caught up and updating the earlier issues. To make it easier to digest, I’ll split it up by languages.

 

English Yuri Manga

Hitting English-language shelves just in time for holiday gifts, Viz is promoting Rainbows After Storms, Volume 1. I have been reading and reviewing this incredibly slow-burn, sweet story of two girls in love in Japanese as Hana ni Arashi (はなにあらし) since 2019.  ^_^ Now I’m motivated to finish it up!

The final volume of Yuama’s tragic love story, The Summer You Were There, Volume 6 is available for pre-orders for a new year release.

Assorted Entanglements, Volume 6 by Mikanuji continues this series of various Yuri couples and their various complicated situations.

I’m in Love with the Villainess, Volume 7  of the manga is out in English. Cardinal Lily joins the cast just as Claire is grasping how important Rae is to her.

All of Tsukiko’s Futaribeya is now up! Some of the earlier volumes are digital only now: Volume 6 | Volume 7 | Volume 8 | Volume 9 | Volume 10

There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless…Volume 5 and Volume 6 a are up, brings us up-to-date with the manga for Teren Mikami’s series, illustrated by Musshu, based on character designs by Takeshima Eku.

Next month we’re getting The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Vol. 6 of the manga!

When the Villainess Seduces the Main Heroine, Vol. 1 is a silly, raunchy, manga about a heroine whose heart is stolen by the villainess…and she couldn’t be happier. I reviewed the JP volume in 2023 here on Okazu. Review of Yen Press’s EN edition is on the way.

I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day, Volume 1 is about an immortal child set to battle for  an orphanage which trains children as weapons. This has very moe art on the cover and is full of very guro art on the inside.

And, finally, we’re all caught up with Shio Usui’s I Married My Female Friend, with Volume 3 | Volume 4.

 

Japanese Yuri Manga

Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 9 (私を喰べたい、ひとでなし ) follows what happens to Miko when Tsubaki destroys the juzu that keeps her kitsune self in check. Check this series out as This Monster Wants to Eat Me in English!

For those of you following Hana ni Arashi in Japanese, the final volume of is out! Hana ni Arashi, Volume 13  (はなにあらし) bring Chidori and Nanoha’s story to a close, but we’ll be getting Rainbows After Storms in English soon, as I mentioned above.

Out this month is Shimura Takako’s Otona ni Nattemo, Volume 10 (おとなになっても). This series is available in English from Volume 1 through Volume 9 as Even Though We’re Adults.

I am super excited to be able to list Heimin No Watashi Desu Ga Koushaku Reijou-sama o Taburakashite Ikite Imasu, Volume 1 (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, as a collected volume. A commoner finds her place with a Duke’s daughter who is besotted with her.

The second volume of Usotsuki Hanayome to Dousei Kekkon-ron, (嘘つき花嫁と同性結婚論) completes this story of a married woman and the lesbian who saves her from a shitty marriage.

Gal Maid to Akuyaku Reijou ~ Ojou-sama no Happy End Shika Katan!, Volume 1  (ギャルメイドと悪役令嬢 ~おじょーさまのハッピーエンドしか勝たん!) is an isekai about a gal reincarnated into a game her friend lent her where she becomes maid to pay off her family debts.

Kimi no Tamenara Shineru, Kuzushiro’s (creator of The Moon on a Rainy Night,) Heian period comedy about Sei Shonagon and Murasaki Shikibu in the Imperial palace with their respective empresses, is finally on the store as a complete series: Volume 13 | Volume 14 complete the set.

I really like Gakeppuchi Reijou ha Kuro Kishi-sama o Horesasetai!, Volume 1 ( 崖っぷち令嬢は黒騎士様を惚れさせたい) almost despite myself. ^_^

Nauchi’s Yukidoke to Agapanthus, Volume 3 (雪解けとアガパンサス)  is live on the Store!

We also have Inkya Gal Demo Ikigaritai!, Volume 2 (陰キャギャルでもイキがりたい!) by Kashiwagi Tsukiko.

Kanno Fumi’s Osananajimi BIG LOVE (幼馴染BIG LOVE (KITORA)) is the story of childhood friends who meet later and find they have wildly different personalities.

Sono Uruwashiki Hito to ha (そのうるわしきひとは) is the first Yuri manga to run in Hana to Yume magazine in years. This Yuri mystery is available in one collected volume.

Genkai OL To Joshidaigakusei Ga OO Suru, (限界OLと女子大生が〇〇する) tells the story of a hopeless OL and the high school student next door who changes her life for the better. Volume 1 | Volume 2 are up.

Check out interspecies Yuri anthology, Umare ha Chigaedo – Koi Takushou Ishuzoku × Yuri Anthology ( 生まれは違えど一恋托生 異種族×百合アンソロジー).

The final volume of Yodokawa’s Maitsuki Niwatsuki Ooyatsuki – Monthly With Ooya, Volume 5 (毎月庭つき大家つき) hit JP shelves last month.

Another cheerful school girl series, Watashi no Megami ga Kyou mo Oseru ~ Kore Kara Mo, Itsu Made Mo is up. Volume 1 & Volume 2 is a complete set.

Only married couples are allowed to fish among the stars. Two women, Terra and Diode, choose to challenge the culture, in the manga adaptation Twinstar Cyclone Runaway, Volume 2  (ツインスター・サイクロン・ランナウェイ)

Fujio’s lovelorn comic essays about her life continue in Onna x Onna Umakuikanai Renai Essay parlor, Volume 2 (女×女のうまくいかない恋愛エッセイ parlor).

Yuri Manga artist Seta Seta announced on X that their comic  Wakeari Jiken (ワケあり案件) won the Young Jump Yuri Category Grand Prize! Read it online now in Japanese!

hakei, on X, says they have a new masc x masc GL comic called A Refreshing Summer.

And Tiklil took to X to announce their comic with Viz Originals Drifting Into Summer, which is a swim team drama, you can real online. It was pretty good for a one-shot.

Galette Illustration Book 03 is a collection of Galette magazine covers and color illustrations that is available digitally on US or JP Kindle. Book 04 is just out now  from Galette WORKS and I’ll get that up as soon as links become available.

 

French Yuri Manga

YNN Correspondent Mang’Albine tells us that Taifu has licensed Murata’s Watashi no Kobushi wo Uketomete as Coup de foudre dans ta face !which, she tells us can be read as “Love at first sight IN YA FACE !”

 

Vietnamese Yuri Manga

Sumiko Arai announced that her series Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta has been released in Vitenamese, as Người Tôi Để Ý Không Phải Con Trai.

 

 

Yuri Light Novels

Via Yuri Daily on Facebook, Reverse with me: Across Millions of Orbits is a Thai GL novel by Zezeho Zezeho, which is available now in English digitally.

There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… (Light Novel), Volume 4  & Volume 5  are up on the Yuricon Store,  which bring us  to “Season 2” of this series.

The novel series for Twinstar Cyclone Runaway  ( ツインスター・サイクロン・ランナウェイ) Volume 2 and Volume 3 are on the store. On ANN, Rafael Antonio Pineda tells us that the series will end with Volume 4.

Ao To Kaibane No Rakuen Shoujo (蒼と壊羽の楽園少女) is a science fiction novel about a water world where two girls undertake a journey to “paradise.”

 

Other News

Global Bookwalker is doing a survey on pricing, their ranking system and other features. Take the survey and let them know what you think, as well. If you have an affiliate account, you’ll nab some extra points.

 

 

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Become a part of the Yuri Network, by being a YNN Correspondent: Contact Us with any Yuri-related news you want to share with us.



Can “I’m In Love With The Villainess” Win The Tokyo Anime Award Festival?

November 7th, 2024

In autumn 2023, we got our very first look at the I’m In Love With The Villainess anime. Based on the first two novels of the same name by inori., the anime told an apparently scattered isekai story about Rae Taylor, the reincarnated former employee of an exploitative company, Oohashi Rei, into the world of her favorite game where she is free to woo the game’s villainess, Claire François. The end of the anime came at the climactic moment when Rae makes her love for Claire too clear to be ignored and Claire in turn finally admits that she has a vested interest in Rae. In other words, just as the story was getting good. As fans of the series know, the apparent “scattered” storytelling was always heading towards a very serious conclusion.

Fans of the light novel series and manga adaptation drawn brilliantly by Aonoshimo, (available in English from Seven Seas, and almost a dozen other languages across the globe,) were openly disappointed with the low-budget for the anime itself, but still enjoyed the voice acting from both the Japanese and English casts, and the fascinating multi-part Opening and Ending songs. WataOshi/ ILTV fandom is still going strong…and in recent weeks there has been a campaign to push for a second season of the anime, which would *at least* take the story into, and possibly through, the Revolution arc of the story.

Stepping into this conversation, inori.-sensei just happened to mention that the Tokyo Anime Award Best 100 was open for voting. She gave step by step instructions to assist her overseas fans to vote if they wanted to. By November 3, Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou. (私の推しは悪役令嬢。) had made it into the top 20. It faced some serious competition, like Frieren (葬送のフリーレン) and Delicious in Dungeon (ダンジョン飯), but WataOshi passed both and is now sitting at a strong #2 position behind the amazingly popular #1, Brave Bang Bravern! (勇気爆発バーンブレイバーン) and in front of the Sanrio collaboration with boy band JO1, Jochum.

Can WataOshi push past Bravern to win the top position? It’s not likely given the highly sexualized nature of Bravern and the fact that it is a BL mecha series, so it has cross-genre appeal. As one of our esteemed Okazu Discord members, Rugose noted, “Bang Bravern has the gays and robotfuckers supporting it,” and I can’t disagree with that summation. That said, Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou has so far made a strong stand. Even a #2 finish might convince the powers that be to develop a second season. Like all popularity-driven “best” contests, this contest is absolutely vulnerable to ballot stuffing by using multiple emails. That said, it does indicate the passion of a fandom and WataOshi fans are keeping up the pressure.
 
Voting is open until December 2 and all you need is an email and a few moments so if you too wish to see (an appropriately funded this time) second season to one of our favorite Yuri isekai, let the Tokyo Anime Awards know what you think!



Handsome Girl and Sheltered Girl: The Complete Manga Collection

November 6th, 2024

An androgynous woman lights a cigarette, while a flustered woman looks on taking a picture with her phone.by Eleanor Walker, Okazu Staff Writer

When Okuma Satomi’s friend seeks her help wrangling guys for a crossdressing cafe, Satomi winds up with a boyfriend! Sort of. After asking her handsome and aloof classmate, Kanda Mizuki, to help out in the cafe, Mizuki agrees, but on one condition: the two of them must go on a date. Satomi eagerly agrees, delighted to have such a good-looking guy interested in her, but Mizuki realizes that Satomi has completely misunderstood something crucial: Mizuki is a girl!

Will this case of mistaken identity blossom into something beautiful, or will the truth leave both girls brokenhearted in Handsome Girl and Sheltered Girl?

I’m a big fan of handsome/prince types in my yuri manga, so I was very much looking forward to this one.

This release combines both the original Japanese volumes into 1 omnibus English edition, and I have to say I enjoyed the second half much more than the first. The first half is mostly them getting to know each other, and a few awkward misunderstandings where Mizuki tries to stop Satomi discovering she’s a girl, whereas the second half has them actually confronting their feelings for each other and Mizuki telling Satomi she’s really a girl. For something described by the publisher as “light hearted”, I found it to be surprisingly sincere and accepting. I get the feeling that if this had been published a decade or so ago, the other characters might not have been so accepting of Mizuki’s cross dressing and tricking Satomi into thinking she’s a guy. As it is, Mizuki’s friends encourage her to tell the truth and promise to support her, as do Satomi’s friends when she tells them later on that Mizuki is a girl and they are still dating.

When Mizuki finally tells Satomi she’s a girl, Satomi doesn’t believe her at first, which conveniently leads us to a bath scene where she can confirm this revelation and oh boy does the service start from this point. The two of them finally admit their attraction to each other, regardless of gender and we all live happily ever after, apart from a few classic misunderstandings along the way.

Overall, I enjoyed this series and I would recommend it, but the pacing could definitely use some work. As is, it’s too slow in the beginning and too fast towards the end.

Ratings:

Art – 7. Nothing spectacular but the artist can at least draw naked bodies pretty well.
Story – 7. More heartwarming than you might expect for a goofy cross dressing/misunderstanding premise.
Characters – 7. Mizuki understandably feels bad about tricking Satomi.
Service – 8. Full frontal nudity with censoring down below. I’m legitimately surprised 7S rated this 13+.
Yuri – 7. Two women showing us that love can transcend gender.

Overall – 7. If the first half had been a bit shorter and the last few chapters had felt less rushed this would’ve been an 8. Especially recommended if you like this specific set of tropes.



Now No One Lurks Under The Snow & Her Kiss, My Libido Twinkles

November 4th, 2024

The last few years has seen a huge shift in the crowd-funding landscape for independent Yuri artists. With the success of the Boyish² Butch x Butch Yuri Anthologies, and the Galette magazine crowdfunding in Japan and now English as a Kickstarter, we saw a number of Yuri artists reaching out directly to fans at home and overseas. It’s an exciting change in an industry that had been reticent to look online for financial support. It’s an imperfect solution, but today’s reviews offer a clear indication that this is the right direction for some artists.

Two women in white shifts, one with a long dark braid, one with short brown hair, embrace in garden.First up, we have 姉井戸 Aneido, who has been creating one-shot and short manga volumes for a number of years. In the past few years, Aneido-sensei has taken to crowdfunding to bring out two of their manga in English, most recently, Now No One Lurks Under The Snow.

This book is set in a manor deep in the mountains, in what I guess would be early-to mid 20th centuryish…after cars, at least. An unnamed young woman visits the manor to take care of androgynous Madam Kay. The two protagonists fall in love and ultimately reject the lives that are demanded of them. Our narrator walks away from a life as a “tool” used by her family and Kay rejects the gender they were assigned at birth and admits to being a non-binary person who does not love men. This is an 18+ book, with a number of explicit but very loving sex scenes. In the end they drive away, hopefully to make a life together.

The book itself is very lovely with a color cover and color dust cover. I backed this at the level that gave me color postcards, a signed bookplate and a pamphlet with notes on the creation and translation of the book. The translation was done by Red String Translations who also worked on Mutusmi Natsuo’s Kickstarters. I have no complaints. 

I was glad to have an affirming work from Aneido-sensei and a really nice-looking result from a Kickstarter.  If you’re looking for an 18+ work starring a non-binary protagonist,  you can still buy a digital copy of this comic on the creator’s shop.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

 

Two girls are close enough to touch. The girl with long blonde hair gently touches the chin of a girl with a collar-length pink bob.Next up we have Her Kiss, My Libido Twinkles by 寄田みゆき Yorita Miyuki, a consistent member of the Galette magazine line-up. In fact, this Kickstarter collects one of the early stories Yorita-sensei published in that magazine which, unusually for me, made me feel a bit nostalgic about it!

Stuck in the hospital with an injury, Sana meets and is intrigued by Akane, a mysterious older girl who missed a year in school due to illness. Akane is a bit possessive, but Sana wants her to be friends with all her school friends too. When the chance finally comes to introduce Akane to her best friend, Mi-chan,  Mi-chan discovers Yuri books in Sana’s room and impulsively hides, becoming a witness to Sana and Akane kissing.

This story has the potential to be ugly, but it stays mostly kind, with Akane teasing just a bit meanly – and she is honest about not really getting people, society and friends at all. Sana’s journey through puberty drags Mi-chan along as well, but Sana’s earnestness forces both Akane and Mi-chan to at least learn to be civil to one another.

The collected volume is very cute, with the same cover image as the Japanese digital edition on the color dust cover. The volume includes 5 chapters and an extra chapter that gets a little hot, but stays well in under-18 territory. In fact, the entire story can be understood as a very adolescent journey. BPS Co, Ltd. did the translation and, once again, I did not feel there were any major problems, only a very slight awkwardness at the beginning due to the way JP sentences fit together in word balloons. It passes quickly.  BPS was the company that Galette initially announced as the translation team, but eventually went with Red Strings Translation, as well, after a number of recommendations from backers and creators.  

My backer level this time was book-only, as it hit on one of those weeks. ^_^; It’s a nice book though and a pleasant read. And, of course, I am delighted that independent Yuri manga artists are finding a direct line to their overseas audiences! I’d love to see more Galette WORKS manga make it’s way over here, maybe we can turn to Seven Seas and ask them to invest in Galette books beyond Morinaga Milk’s My Cute Little Kitten.

Also very interesting – this story was turned into a short live-action Youtube series that you can still watch online! Overall, another  fun get from crowdfunding.

Ratings:

Overall  – 8

It looks like 2024 is definitely the year that oveseas fandom has made a visible impact on Yuri creators in Japan. I think that’s fantastic.