The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Volume 8.5

February 15th, 2026

A young woman in pink dress, with blonde hair sleeps, leaning on a young woman in blue with silver hair, as they hold hands, sitting under a leafy tree in front of a colorful sunset.The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Volume 8.5 is a collection of short stories about Anis, Euphie and the folks in their orbit. It was surprisingly good for being little more than  fanfics of the authors’ own characters. 

These stories mostly take place after Euphyllia has ascended the throne as Queen, and Princess Anisphia has found a place at her side. We do spend, a little time earlier on, as we watch Lainie, still a maid at the separated palace and Ilia, deepen their relationship. Also at the separated palace, we get a nice new beginning for Tilty, Anis’ friend and a little more about why she is interested in curses.

But it’s not the whys or how that shine here.  It’s the repeated acts of reconciliation, friendship, family and love that makes this volume work. Among these is the very complicated  story of Halphys’ family and the above story about Tilty. Ultimately the strongest chapter is that in which Anis and her mother finally talk after years and years of not addressing the things between them. 

Karasu’s writing is often very superficial, but there are moments that really grab you here, presuming you care about  Anis, Euphie and the rest. I find myself among those that do.  This volume won’t change the world, but for the author and the characters, it’s all important stuff that has to be addressed before the 9th volume of the series heads our way this summer.

Ratings: 

Story – At their best a 9 and even the weakest are fine, if you like the characters
Characters – 8 Would you even be reading this if you didn’t like them?
Art – Deep, frustrated sigh. The art is getting better, the subject matter is just obnoxious
Service – Yes and there is not one good reason for it
Yuri – 10/10

Overall – 8

If you’re enjoying this series – as I am – this is a nice, if occasionally silly (please, tell us that Lainie wears a maid outfit, again, that can never be repeated too often and let’s make sure we mention breast size or have bath scenes), series of shorts, with moments of genuine emotional depth. 

Despite the flaws of the light novel medium, it still manages to be worth reading if you care about the characters.

Posted in Light Novel | 1 Comment »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – February 14, 2025

February 14th, 2026

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 OkazuHappy Valentine’s Day! Because Yuri is now a profitable market and marketing people have the collective creativity of a cracker (speaking as a marketing person, ahem), it feels like every company on the planet is announcing new Yuri licenses this week. Plus a ton of other news, so…buckle in folks. This is a Yuri Love Valentine’s Day extravaganza edition of Yuri Network News! Ready? …. (You’re not ready…)

English Yuri Manga

Yen Press has a load of new books. We have Assorted Entanglements, Vol. 9 cover  debut and it’s up on the Yuricon Store now.  The Demon Bride: “I Love You” Are Frightening Words tells a Yuri tale of paranormal love.

From Tokyopop’s LoveLove imprint, we have How My Cute Girlfriend and I Started a Love Story, Volume 1 by Reon Nomiya.  Tokyopop has confirmed that There, Beneath the Water, Volume 1 is a Yuri horror manga. When these have official covers they’ll go up on the Store.

ANN’s Adriana Hazra has the news that Kadokawa is releasing two Yuri titles in English, Farewell, My Firsts: How My Heartless Childhood Friend Stole All My First Experiences One Bet at a Time and Shino and Ren by Minori Chigusa. I have read one Kadokawa book and was very impressed with the quality, so look forward to these.

Seven Seas is running a Valentine’s Day Yuri contest on X. They also have a a bunch of licenses this week: 

 A Love Yet to Bloom by Kon Fukaumi. This is a chance meeting at school story. 

A Couple Drifting in the Wind by Puebro. I’m reading this right now in Japanese. A nervous young photographer meets a woman with a unique tattoo on campus. 

Sleeping Idiot by Masakazu Ishiguro. I read and reviewed this here on Okazu  a lifetime ago. ^_^  Seven Seas says “Two roommates struggle to make ends meet until an opportunity changes everything—the manga that inspired the hit live-action film Nemurubaka: Hypnic Jerks”.

Yuri Publisher No.9 is running a Yuri Contents Festival through March 6. Yuri series are free or discounted on their platform.

 

Korean GL

Yen Press has a huge announcement this week – hit Korean GL manhwa, What Does the Fox Say?  by Team Gaji. This is a pretty popular title, so this is huge news. ^_^ I’m glad someone got this.

 

Japanese Yuri Manga

Yamada to Kase-san, Volume 5 (山田と加瀬さん。) is on JP bookshelves and on the Yuricon Store.

rui obata on X announced a new series, Isso, Koidattara Yokatta (いっそ、恋だったらよかったのに). Check it out on Comic Walker. This is the story of two women who meet years after high school, when one was just thinking about the other.

 

Baihe News

Crossed Hearts has announced their first Glam Beat imprint license on X, Borrowing Your Textbook (175160) by Taa Ro. This will be  digital-first license. They say more Baihe on the way.

Seven Seas is launching a whole new imprint for Baihe with a rather cheesy video, I have to say. I know we’re getting more, they told me so, but what, I don’t yet know. We’ll look forward to it together. ^_^

Via NongAnnTokyo X.com, who says they “found this one-shot about love and martial arts between two young women in the Ming Dynasty. It’s the author’s graduate project and honestly such a cool read. ” Liǎoliǎo Jiàn Sōngxuě (了了見松雪)  by Chen Yige is on Seika manga. 

LoveLove has announced She Is Still Cute Today by Guo Si Te which features a romance between two very different kinds of people.

 

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Yuri Light Novel 

J-Novel Club just announced the license for Unsung Epics of the Hero’s Journey. I have this on my Bookwalker to-read pile. Guess it’s time to get into it. ^_^ Hat tip to OASG for the news.

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Vol. 8.5  is up on the Yuricon Store, and a review of this short story collection is forthcoming soon. ^_^ Volume 9 is also coming soon.. This completes the series. Speaking of Piero Karasu, the creator of MagiRevo is debuting a new LN, Mob Shoujo ga Rasubosu Majo o Shiawasenisuru Made (モブ少女がラスボス魔女を幸せにするまで) which is an isekai about a girl who decides to save her beloved friend from becoming the final boss.

Lycoris Recoil: Recovery Days continues the story of those happy-go-lucky schoolgirl assassins, from Yen Press. Yen also announced The Girls’ Last Tour Collector’s Edition. 

Seven Seas has announced the license for I’m In Love With The Villainess: Come On And Notice Me Already, the sequel story following Rae and Claire’s daughters, Mei and Aleah. inori.-sensei has been releasing this on her Pixiv Fanbox, so I’m caught up. It has some very good elements and some that I am less happy with, but I trust the author.

Lipton Sousaku‘s contest-winning light novel Jinsei Zenbu Kakete mo, Gin no Majo ni Kachitai (人生全部賭けても、銀の魔女に勝ちたい) will be out next week on digital platforms. This Yuri story is about two witches who meet again five years after the one defeated the other in a school battle. The author describes it as “A stubborn and talented tsundere  x a secretive and lonely genius who is an emotional rival Yuri.” ^_^

Teren Mikami has a new manga, with art by Moroko Kurasaki and original character designs by Miman, Makemasenkara to Iiharu Kao no Ii Onnanoko o, Zenryoku de Kuppukusaseru Yuri no Ohanashi (負けませんからと言い張る顔のいい女の子を、全力で屈服させる百合のお話).

Seven Seas  announced There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… Spin-off Collection by Teren Mikami and Musshu. They also have the audiobook for Adachi and Shimamura, Volume 9 light novel.

LoveLove has licensed Ugly Girls by Rokakoen. This multi-country paranormal story sounds intriguing. And this is a novel, not a LN. This is a trend I’m seeing among manga publishers. Yen has a number of non-illustrated LNs -y’know, novels – that I have genuinely enjoyed. Maybe I’ll do a quick round up for you all here. 

 

Support Okazu today on Ko-fi and we’ll get 2x  until the end of February!

Yuri Visual Novels

Studio Élan says that Witch You Want, their cozy Yuri fantasy game is available on Steam! Of course you can get it directly from the publisher, as well.

Takano_wf on X wants you to keep your eyes peeled for Kyuketsuki no Hanayome (吸血鬼の花嫁) a full=voice Yuri VN.

 

Yuri Short Stories

Yuri Short Story Collection wiz 2 (百合小説コレクション wiz 2) is hitting JP shelves this month. I reviewed Volume 1 briefly along with two other story collections a year ago. 

 

Animation News

Khianna Khansmith’s Pretty Pretty Please I Don’t Want to be a Magical Girl has some exciting news at the end of the Episode 2 Animatic on Youtube!

The Rose of Versailles movie came out a year ago and there are all kind of shops and goods and celebrations and music to celebrate. There’s way too much and this news report is huge, so just follow them on X to get all the news.

 

Live Action News

Shoujo Kageki ☆ Revue Starlight El Dorado will be on stage this spring. The key visual looks good, I have to admit.

 

Yuri Events

Kinokuniya is doing a worldwide pop-up store for The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All with exclusive merchandise. That’s it. What’s even next? A themed Himalaya ride? ^_^

Anchor rainbow port Tokyo, the Yuri-friendly bar in Shinjuku has created a special Yuri Club for fans! They’ll be doing more special events and even get-togethers to do location pilgrimages and other fun things in and outside the cafe. If you’re in or near Tokyo, follow them on Pixiv to keep up with the Yuri Club activities. 

Morishima Akiko has shared a few photos from the Yuri Kuma Arashi 10th Anniversary Event on her X account.

As I write, today is the last day of Yen Press’s Yuri Cafe. It was a lovely warm spot in the middle of what has been a very cold February in NYC. My article about the cafe on ANN is live, and so is my more personal perspective here in Okazu.

Looks like the Sailor Moon Shining Theater restaurant is back in Tokyo at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX. Rafael Antonio Pineda has the details on ANN. That was so much fun, I highly recommend the experience.

 

Other News

Jiji Books announced the definitively-titled Light Novel Taizen (ライトノベル大全), A Guide to Light Novels. According to their X.com, this will include “500 Masterpieces Selected by Experts! A definitive, collectible edition showcasing their impact on publishing and society.” inori.-sensei notes that I’m In Love With The Villianess is included, I also see No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover, Unless…! on the list.

Melonbooks has a Yuri news focused X account, Melon_yuriuyuri, so you can track all their specials and extras.

Sylvia Jones review of Roll Over and Die, Volume 5 on ANN is worth reading, even if you’re not interested in the anime. CW for discussion of sexual assault and the aftermath.

I took a look at two girls taking a look at the end of the world in Touring After the Apocalypse Volume 6-7 for ANN.

Manta, the K-Comic publisher, is looking for vertical-scroll comic artists to submit work. They want committed artists and are looking for 50 panels to start.

 

Your support for Yuri journalism and research has never been more important than right now. Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips.  Our goal is to raise our guest writers’ wages to above industry standard, which are too low! Subscribe in February and your impact is doubled!

Your support goes straight to paying for Guest Reviews, folks helping, site maintenance, managing the Yuricon Store and directly supporting other Yuri creators. Just $5/month makes a huge impact! Become part of the Okazu family!

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.

Posted in Yuri Network News | 2 Comments »


Star Sword Nemesis

February 13th, 2026

Title art for Star Sword Nemesis. On the left a girl in a jersey jacket and short skirt floats upside down, holding an enormous sword. An older woman, with white streaks in black hair looks askance. On the right a series of concentric circles, with a round blou dot on the other circle and he title of the game.by Ashley Payne, Okazu Staff Writer

Star Sword Nemesis, a new novella from Christine Love, wears its robot anime influences on its supremely fashionable sleeves. You might think that a novel where on the ninth page someone puts up a slide that consists solely of the sentence: “GIANT ROBOTS MAKE YOU STUPID.” would be more of a subversion but no, this story is doing what I have been asking for: make a robot story for the lesbians.

Our heroine Eris is struck with a profoundly relatable problem. Her instructor Halley is so cool and competent Eris’s crush on her is making it hard to focus on their lessons on wielding Star Sword Nemesis. Having a crush on Halley is a profoundly foolish idea, not just because Halley is Eris’ instructor, as Halley was an enemy combatant until a few months ago.

This results in the irresistible force of “I can fix her” meeting the immovable object of “This is the real world kid”. What is truly impressive is that it chooses very different points of tension than you might be expecting if you were familiar with kissing books. It has great fun indulging in the expected peaks of confession and heartbreak and then pushing past them with a refreshing resolution that spins the story forward. The momentum really shifts up at the halfway point, becoming almost impossible to put down.

While the core of the story is Eris rushing headlong into what appears to be obvious betrayal, it is entwined with some of the most impressive sci-fi world building I have had the pleasure to read in a while. We learn about the semi-untopian society of the Trans-Neptunians both directly, with Eris talking with her friends and in the moments when Eris and Halley miss-communicate. It really reminded me of the brief moments in an Ian M. Banks Culture novel. Only here the Trans-Neptunians are not an idealised, post scarcity society, but a small collective holding on to their ideals in the face of direct hostility from the Earth Sphere.

Star Sword Nemesis is only one hundred and fifty-eight pages but it is broken up with wonderful art from Max Schwartz, who illiterates key events light novel style. Only we get more art per page in Star Sword Nemesis in delightful colour too. Frankly, comparing Star Sword Nemesis to a fun light novel is the ideal comparison. It is short, straightforward, has a powerful sense of its world and characters and has a denouement better than most novels.

Ratings:

Art: 10
Story: 7
Characters: 8
Service: 10
Yuri: 10
LGBTQ+: 10

Overall: 9

I know for most of the people who read this blog Star Sword Nemesis is barely an afternoon’s reading and it is well worth one afternoon.

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Posted in Ashley P, LGBTQ, Light Novel, Staff Writer | 1 Comment »


Scenes From Awajima, Volume 1

February 12th, 2026

A young woman with collar-length brown hair wearing a blue-grey smock dress style old-fashioned Japanese school uniform, stares down at the ground pensively, hands in her dress pockets.Takako Shimura is a polarizing name around these parts. Shimura’s work spends a lot of time delving into the lives of queer people, addressing real and fictional issues, without the author even identifying as queer. Does that Matter (TM)? Yes…and no, of course. It matters that Shimura-sensei takes nuanced and thoughtful looks at queer life. For some years and in some series, the use of stereotypes was more common and some portrayals rankled among the queer community, both in Japan and elsewhere. I have expressed some of these concerns myself.

Then there is Shimura’s narrative style. In early works it was often difficult to follow a story, as characters looped in and out of experiences in ways that felt repetitive, or even traumatic. This was particularly true in Wandering Son. But what has taken shape, through years of tying vignettes and ensemble stories together, is a unique style that takes some getting used to, but is rewarding in the end. Even Though We’re Adults is Shimura’s best and most fully realized narrative and characters, so if you are not familiar with the earlier, more haphazard style, it might be a bit confusing to get into an older work.

I say that, because it did take me a few volumes of Awajima Hyakkei to realize what, exactly I was reading. I reviewed Volume 1 and Volume 2 here on Okazu and read, though did not review, through Volume 4. Now we have Scenes From Awajima, Volume 1 in English, from Yen Press, and all my previous feelings about Shimura’s work come rushing back in a flood.

Awajima, in this instance, is the name of a very famous all-female musical revue troupe school. This story is ten years old now, and follows Shimura’s more meandering pathways, with vignettes about girls in the school now and in the past. These vignettes intertwine, as the current classes deal with the weight of expectations from mothers, aunts and grandmothers, even teachers, who once walked the hallways they do now.  The story is heavy at times, and does include the kinds of institutionalized bullying a real all-female musical revue troupe is infamous for, as well as personal slights of many kinds. The series will address many uncomfortable topics, from eating disorders to abuse. It also is about the hopes and dreams of young women…and adult women when they live in, or leave, that world.

I was just commenting today on the Okazu Discord, that I have come to dislike the neologism “shoujosei.” It elides the perspective of adult women, lumping them in with the needs, desires and perspectives of children. Scenes From Awajima is about students, but it is not a Shoujo manga. I cannot imagine a child reading this (or Journal With Witch, or Even Though We’re Adults or any other Jousei work) with any understanding – or interest – in what is going on.  Shoujo and Jousei are different and lumping them together infantilizes adult women. At Okazu, at the very least, we’ll remain aware that adult women deserve their own place in the world. A genre of our own was important for Yuri. It is equally important for adult women for many of the same reasons.

Scenes From Awajima does include some Yuri, as one might expect. In that environment, with girls literally training to perform gender and romance, it cannot be surprising that intimacy and romance develops between students sometimes. And sometimes it has lasting repercussions. 

For the best reading experience, go into Scenes From Awajima gently, letting the stories play out around you, moving through time and space, while you just watch and listen. As characters become more developed names and situations will stick in your mind and you’ll find that things tie together in some ways and and in other ways have horrible messy loose ends. Much like life. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – Variable
Characters – 7
Yuri – 3
Service – 1 on principle

Overall – 7, but will improve with time

An anime adaptation is on the way in April, trailers are already available. I think the story will be tidied up a bit for the anime.

Thanks to Yen Press for the review copy, via ANN, where I reviewed this for the Winter Manga Guide, as well. ^_^

 

Posted in Artists, English Manga, Shimura Takako | 1 Comment »


Out of The Cocoon

February 11th, 2026

by Patricia Baxter, Guest Reviewer

Content warning: Several of the stories in this anthology feature intense subject matter as their primary focus, which will be discussed in this review. This includes queerphobia, ostracism, body horror, impending apocalypse, ero guro, and cannibalism. Reader discretion is strongly advised

Two years ago, when I reviewed the final volume of Yuriko Hara’s Cocoon Entwined, I expressed a wish for her manga anthologies to be licensed in English next. I had no idea that my wish would be fulfilled just a year later. Released last December, Out of the Cocoon is an anthology featuring four of Hara’s most recent one-shots, along with a new epilogue chapter for Cocoon Entwined. Half of the stories are girls’ love and half of them are boys’ love, and several of them address queer themes in overt and unambiguous ways. Much like Cocoon Entwined, this book has some of the most captivating imagery I’ve seen in a manga, and the characters are written with an impressive amount of depth for such a short number of pages. I would call this a near-perfect manga, if not for one of the stories sadly missing the mark.

The first story, “Sweet-Dreams Zombie”, is the story that is alluded to on the anthology’s cover. Taking place during an ongoing zombie outbreak throughout Japan, Nishikawa encounters two of his classmates, Noumi and Momoe, kissing in an abandoned shed. However, one of the two girls, Momoe, is now a zombie. One of the most overt stories in the book addressing queerphobia, “Sweet-Dreams Zombie” is one of the angriest one-shots I have read, and its rage is completely justified. On top of its, sadly, evergreen message about misinformation and how it negatively impacts marginalized groups, the book is extremely impressive in terms of its foreshadowing and layouts, with seemingly inconsequential panels becoming clever calls forward upon a second reading. A wonderful, if melancholic, manga.

The second story, “If the World Was Ending Tomorrow”, is a boys’ love story about two men reuniting on the eve before the end of the world. Back when they were in high school, Takada asked Katou what he would do if the world was ending tomorrow. Now, reunited a decade later and the end actually looming above them, the two try to make the most of their final moments. On top of its excellent storytelling, “If the World Was Ending Tomorrow” really shines in terms of its panel work, which is some of the best that I’ve seen, particularly during the final pitch scene. One of my favourite one-shots, both in this anthology and in general.

The third story, “Dog-Eat-Dog”, is hands down the most polarizing story in the whole anthology. A boys’ love ero guro story about a cannibal, where sex and violence coincide, this is a one-shot that requires a strong stomach before diving in. This, in my opinion, is the worst one-shot in the anthology collection, as the characters are flat, the subject matter feels like it exists just for the shock value, and the attempts at giving the protagonist depth near the end feel too little too late. The church scene is genuinely good, but it can’t save this story.

The fourth story, “52-Hertz Whale”, is a girls’ love story that was originally published in the Éclair Orange yuri anthology. The story is about a woman who compares herself to the 52-Hertz whale, a solitary animal who calls out in an unusual frequency, unable to find a response. This one-shot has some exceptional panel work and visual metaphors on display, particularly in its use of water. Reading this one-shot in Éclair Orange years ago convinced me that we needed to see more of Yuriko Hara’s manga, alongside Cocoon Entwined, in English and this feeling still resonates with me upon reading it again.

Speaking of Cocoon Entwined, the fifth story, the titular “Out of the Cocoon”, is the second epilogue chapter focusing on the lives of Youko and Hana after the events of the series. (Oddly enough, the first epilogue chapter, which was included in the final volume of the series, was also named “Out of the Cocoon”). This chapter is pure fanservice, both in terms of seeing these beloved characters live their lives freely, and in terms of them moving forward, emotionally and physically, in their relationship. While readers can theoretically enjoy the story without reading Cocoon Entwined, it is still best enjoyed if you have read the series beforehand.

At the end of the anthology, Yuriko Hara alludes that this is a book about change, and being changed. I agree with this statement, and would add that this is also a book about connection, and how those connections allow us to change. 

Ratings:

Art: 10
Story: 9 for the majority of the book. 3 for “Dog-Eat-Dog”
Characters: 9 for the majority of the book. 1.5 for “Dog-Eat-Dog”
Service: 3 for “Out of the Cocoon” due to the multiple levels of fanservice for Cocoon Entwined readers. YMMV for “Dog-Eat-Dog” depending on if you like ero guro.
Yuri: 8 (when the story is girls’ love
LGBTQ+: Yes (queerness, in both senses of the word, is one of the underlying themes throughout this anthology)

Overall: 9

While this is, admittedly, a heavy book to read through, it is not one that wallows in despair, but instead offers a message of hope, resilience, and love throughout. It is one of the best, if not the best, manga anthologies I have had the pleasure of reading, even with its one sour spot. I highly recommend giving this anthology a read if you love comics, especially those that are unabashedly queer.

Posted in English Manga, Guest Review, Patricia Baxter, Yuri Manga | No Comments »