Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – April 4, 2020

April 4th, 2020

No cutesy headlines today. Let’s start by talking honestly about some of the shakeups that are happening in the industry right now. Print schedules are effectively canceled until further notice. But companies are still working on digital releases…although on a slower schedule. Since a lot of manga printing was done in China and even aside from that, distribution has been disrupted globally, I hope we’ll all be patient and supportive of the people putting out our entertainment.

Publisher News

Via ANN, Yen announces delays on print through September, as does Dark Horse. Diamond comics distribution is delaying shipments. According to the ANN article, Viz says they are moving ahead with print through Simon and Schuster, but I have some questions about that, as S&S is up for sale right now.

Seven Seas suggests print will be delayed, but digital is still going forward, which is a good thing, because when June comes you *will* want the third Sayaka novel. I will review it tomorrow, but suffice it to say, I smiled through it. ^_^

Kodansha Comics have also delayed print titles, but will be going ahead with digital releases.

On Twitter last week I suggested that if I were a manga publisher now, I would make Volume 1 of every series free on digital, to encourage folks to start series they’d put off. Unsurprisingly, some publishers are doing something just like that.

Hentai publisher FAKKU has made subscription hentai free for two weeks (starting March 29.) They do have a Yuri tag, which does not fall under the subscription, and it includes a Yuri anthology I never reviewed here, because it was a porn anthology and I’m reviewing those rarely now, unless there’s a specific motivation to do so. You can find When Budding Lilies Blossom, doujinshi by Yurism and other Yuri and Yuri-sh hentai on their site.

Tokyopop has made some of their manga free, with new titles being unlocked every week. Breath of Flowers is available free, and Still Sick will be made available this week.

Viz always has free chapters of manga available through their app, primarily their Shonen Jump stories, but consider asking them to add their Yuri titles, too. ^_^ I will, when I get this post done.

Comixology is running a 99 cent sale on all their Originals, which includes Kodansha titles, including Yuri is My Job, Volume 1.

J-Novel Club is partnering with Global Bookwalker to offer more than 50 volumes free, in what they have cleverly titiled  I Couldn’t Go Outsude so I Just Stayed in and Read Light Novels All Day! This promo includes the creepy cool Yuri Otherside Picnic series.

In Japan, Jump+ is also releasing a bunch of manga for free on limited time basis, including, from Kishi Torajirou’s twitter account, Otome no Teikoku!

Creator Nakamura Ching is posting pages from chapters of her masterwork, GUNJO in English and Japanese on her ChingTV page on Note. Chapter 1 is free, you can buy the full chapters for a few bucks each. ALC Publishing is working with Nakamura-sensei on the translation and I can tell for certain that we are very excited about this!

 

Become an Okazu Patron by April 7 and get early access
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HIDIVE has a free 30 day trial (not really different than their usual, but hey, you’ll have the time!) for anime and they have the Sentai collection, so you’ll get access to Bloom Into You, Revue Starlight and Kase-san and Morning Glories.

RetroCrush TV is a brand new all-free ad-supported streaming app that is showing anime of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Tom Speelman wrote about the timelessness of classic anime for Funimation’s blog in Astro Boy, Speed Racer and the Value of Watching Classic Anime.

And, of course, Crunchyroll is still free, ad-supported streaming anime.

This is everything I’ve cobbled together, but if you know about more publisher or streaming news, don’t hesitate to write and let us know!

Before we move on, though, let me also suggest that – IF you can do so – if you have a local comic or book store that can’t ship or do pickup right now, if you have orders or pull-lists with them, consider paying them upfront so they have some operating cash during this time. Big companies can get bailouts, but little guys often can’t. Comics companies are laying off a lot of folks right now. The comics industry has not ever managed to forge itself into something resilient, in fact, it has become increasingly fragile over the last few years. So support your fave artists and check out their sites and feeds for creator-owned material that you can purchase.

I know it’s a punchline to the rest of the world, but the US really doesn’t have anything like national healthcare and comics artists are freelancers, so they don’t qualify for unemployment benefits in most states. They are going to need the crowds who say they love their work to support them.

 

Yuri Doujinshi

Irodori is another new company seeking to launch a line of translated legally licensed Yuri Doujinshi, Irodori Sakura. They want your thoughts about the kind of doujinshi you want and the creators you want it from. Fill out their survey and let them know you get your Yuri News from Okazu!

This means that, along with Lilyka, we’ll have a plethora of new original Yuri doujinshi in translation.

Twa on Twitter, is a doujinshi creator whose doujinshi Between She and Her is available on Lilyka, tweeted that a friend is also translating her comic Shiori and Yuki. Both links will give you some pages in English to read!

This is entirely self-serving, but this week I learned that Hayate x Blade creator Hayashiya Shizuru is doing a Yanki x food doujinshi (ヤン恋食堂　A定食) and if anyone who lives in Japan wants to get me a copy, I will love you forever…or until I need the next issue. ^_^

 

Yuri Visual Novels

And while we’re all sitting around and filling out surveys, you ought also to go to Studio Élan and fill out their survey about what you want to see in upcoming Yuri Visual Novels!

 

Other News

From YNN Correspondent Jeyl, we have the utterly delightful news that April 6th at 2PM, the cast of Legend of Korra will be doing a live-reading of the Turf Wars comics, which start with Asami and Korra on a romantic vacation in the Spirit Wolrd…and, if you recall, them coming out to Korra’s family. They will make a free digital edition of the comic available before the live stream so you can read along and there will be giveaways during the reading.

Kim Morrisy on ANN reports that Toranoana and Melonbooks are donating all proceeds from sales of the Comiket catalog to the Comiket comittee, for future events. The committee asked people to buy the catalog for the canceled event to defray costs, which spiked briefly it to the top seller in Amazon JP rankings.

Also from Kim on ANN, Onnakatsu (女活) a new womens’ life anthology is being launched by a number of popular Jousei artists. And on that hopeful note, we’ll wrap up. ^_^

 

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to – thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network! Special thanks to Okazu Patrons for being an essential part of the team!

Posted in Yuri Network News | No Comments »


If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die

April 2nd, 2020

And so, If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die, streaming on Funimation, has wrapped up and I thought I ought to share a few thoughts about it.

This story, of the life of an idol group fan; a fan of the least popular girl in a small, not well-known, provincial idol group was, in turns frustrating and hopeful. The anime had the advantage of being short, and extremely well-voiced. So folks who watch the anime were able to skip some of the more prolonged agony of the manga. I’m pleased for you. ^_^

I’ve written in my manga reviews about how miserable this series has made me feel about the exploitation of the idol industry on all sides. I always felt that the idols were exploited, but I never understood how exploited the fans were, as well. I find it hard to enjoy any real -life group, when I read about the sentimentality porn of “graduations” and the endless number of young women and men leaving for health reasons. There’s no other conclusion to draw but that the entire industry is a “family friendly”  form of human trafficking. And this series made me question it even further, when it uncovers the kind of obsessive indentured servitude fans are presupposed to engage in.

Surely I *cannot* be the only one in the world who thinks not being allowed to like (or let your fave know you like) more than one person or group is bat shit crazy? Fans, like whomever the fuck you want! Your oshi does not own you! You do not own them! This is not a life, it isn’t even a virtual life…it’s a job and fans are paying for the pleasure of working. That’s not healthy. The whole thing is a shared delusion and no one but their production companies win.

And, so, most of you will have watched this series with hearts in your eyes, hoping that Eri will finally be able to communicate with Maina, and that Maki and Yumeri will be happy together. I can’t tell you if they will, only that 6 volumes into this series, they haven’t yet… As the entire series is about lives in suspended animation, that seems fitting.

At least the anime left us with hope, with tears, with gambaru, and with teamwork. Because that’s what it is (supposed to be ) all about, right? We’ll keep trying hard and someday…!!!

And so we’ll keep following our faves and hoping that they make it to the Budokan. Rawr!

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – Shockingly positive 7
Character – Likeable 8
Yuri – 10 and 0 as only Hirao-sensei can manage it.
Service – Overall, 5 tiresome more than offensive

Overall – I still don’t know, really. If I watched the anime with no knowledge of the manga, 7, 8, maybe?

Ai Farouz deserves a fucking trophy for her portrayal of Eripyo. She was the reason I kept watching.

Posted in English Anime, Hirao Auri, Yuri Anime | 3 Comments »


Portrait of a Lady on Fire

March 31st, 2020

This past week, Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire premiered on streaming platform Hulu. This has been on my to-watch list since last autumn and now that I have watched it, I can say without reservation that it has some of the most superb acting I have ever seen.

From Hulu: “In 18th century France a young painter, Marianne (Noémie Merlant), is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel). Day by day, the two women become closer as they share Héloïse’s last moments of freedom before the impending wedding.”  None of this is inaccurate, but it comes nowhere near to what the movie is actually about.

Marianne, a painter whose father is also an acclaimed painter, is brought in by Héloïse’s mother to paint her portrait. This is after Héloïse’s has already broken another painter by refusing to so much as show her face. Marianne is to paint her portrait without admitting she is doing so, or asking Héloïse to pose. As she acts as a companion, the two do become close.

When it becomes untenable for Marianne to continue to lie, she admits the truth and Héloïse begins to pose. And, as they both watch each other intently, they fall in love. The acting is the plot. A dark look from Héloïse that causes Marianne (and me) to flinch away, was the climax of that scene. Héloïse making the point that she is watching Marianne as intently as she is being watched was as intense as any seduction.

I hadn’t realized how traumatized I had been by Blue is the Warmest Color (La Vie  Adele), until Héloïse and Marianne kissed the first time. I cringed away from looking at the screen, fearing that this would become the same kind of invasive camerawork. Instead, this movie ultimately backed away. There is nudity, and some sex, but with very few exceptions, Héloïse and Marianne are left to themselves without us voyeuring at them when they make love.  We do spend time watching them be intimate, but not time watching them have sex. A more understanding and sympathetic gaze, rather than the intrusive one of Blue or, as Drew Gregory wrote on Auostraddle, a lesbian gaze.

When Héloïse’s mother leaves, Marianne, Héloïse and their maid Sophie – who is a fantastic character – spend a week together in a world in which the rules simply do not apply to them. If you watch this movie, I hope you enjoy these scenes as much as I did.  Ultimately the idyll has to end, of course. The epilogue is terse, tense and the final scene so sublimely acted I don’t have any words for it. Adèle Haenel deserves praise for that, if nothing else.

On IMDB, a reviewer notes that the entire movie is ASMR, and I had noticed that it was very calming and serene to listen to. But what really struck me most was that the movie was itself much like a painting, shifting over time, being built up of small things, and little touches like brushtrokes.

Ratings:

Cinematography – 8
Characters – 10
Story – 8
Lesbian – 10, but not LGBTQ in any way
Service – 4 Nudity, Sexual situations

Overall – 10

It was an exceptional movie. I certainly would recommend it to anyone who wished for a beautiful, finely-drawn historical lesbian romance.

Posted in Live Action | 2 Comments »


Interview with Color_LES (Kuru,) Creator of Mage and Demon Queen

March 29th, 2020

In the last few years, online comic platforms have made an incredible impact on the Yuri fandom, Comics from Japan, Korea, Thailand, China and the Philippines have all made huge impressions on fans worldwide through Webtoons, Lezhin, Pixiv and other platforms. Among these popular Yuri comics is Mage & Demon Queen by Color-LES (Kuru).

Mage & Demon Queen is action-comedy-romance story in RPG fashion. Young, but powerful, mage Mallori keeps attacking the Demon Queen’s tower, because only by defeating the Demon Queen can she become the Queen’s lover.  MDQ has been among the top comics on the Webtoons platform in the Fantasy category and overall and today

Today, I am thrilled to bring you an interview with Mage & Demon Queen creator Color_LES (Kuru)! Please give her a warm Okazu welcome. ^_^

 

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O: You’ve been drawing Yuri manga style comics for some years now. I remember coming across World Canvas back in 2015. Can you tell us about how you got into drawing Yuri? What was your “first”? ^_^
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CL: It was a high school classmate who introduced me to Yuri. We were casually talking about anime, and when I asked her if she knows what Yaoi is, she said, “Yuri is better!”

I had no idea what Yuri was, so she told me that I should look it up online.

…And so, I did. What turned up in the search results stunned me! Girls liking girls? That hits close to home. I was so perturbed by my discovery that I had dreamt of Yuri that night. When I woke up, I knew I was already hooked. LOL

My first Yuri was Kannazuki no Miko. I relied on what’s available in Youtube for my Yuri fix. Strawberry Panic was also there, but I preferred KnM for its action and fantasy elements. I grew up watching Shounen anime with my brothers, so it’s what had appealed to me.

At that time, I had never imagined that I’d end up drawing Yuri for a living. I’ve always aspired to be a manga artist, but I didn’t give much thought as to what genre I’d focus on. I just wanted to create something “cool” that’d be a huge hit, like Naruto and other Shonen Jump titles. When my fascination for Yuri grew however, I did want to draw Yuri— but I was held back by my fear of being outed as a lesbian.

In 2013, Black Ink Comics, a local publisher, wanted some manga-style romance. I saw this as the opportunity to be the first to publish a Boys’ Love manga in my country (it had less of a risk of me being outed than Girls’ Love), but when I asked if they accept same-sex romance stories, they said they weren’t ready for those. The year after that, Black Ink released their first BL comic, which was a shock, to say the least. While I was upset that the chance to publish BL had slipped past me, it also dawned on me that they’d probably accept GL stories as well. I was still scared of being outed, but I went through with it anyway and that’s how World Canvas, my first Yuri comic, came to be.

I came out a few months after my book did, and the support I’ve gotten is absolutely heartwarming. I’m able to create what I love now and looking back at what I did, I’m happy.

 

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O: We’re happy, too. For you and for us! Let’s talk about Mage and Demon Queen. It’s been a big hit since it launched on LINE Webtoons officially in 2018. I know *I’m* a big fan because it’s such a fun spin on an RPG. ^_^ What were some of the things the story has done that you didn’t expect?
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CL:This sounds grim, but I didn’t expect it to make me physically ill. I knew doing a weekly series would be stressful, but I didn’t think that it would reach the point of making me sick. It was sure a learning experience, but I’m taking care of myself now and I’ve learned delegate some of the work to others. I want to be able to continue making comics for a long time, after all.

Besides that, the comic brought me many good and unexpected things, too! I was happy that it got an official Webtoon translation in French and Spanish. And It helped me catch the attention of people I admire and respect. Doing this interview is also something I’ve never would’ve expected, haha.  

 

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O: That’s definitely part of the journey, knowing what to let go of. What’s your process? How long does it take you to drawn an issue?
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CL: It takes me 5-6 days to finish an episode. I start with a storyboard, then I have my proofreader/editor check the dialogue. When they’re done checking, I update the story with the corrections and start sketching. I pass the panels for my assistants to line, color and add the backgrounds. The comic is then put together, and I edit and add the finishing touches.

 

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O: What’s different about working on a LINE Webtoon than drawing for a book, like WORLD Canvas?
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Unlike finishing a one-shot book wherein you can rest for months to come, In Webtoon, the battle goes on even after finishing an episode because the story has to continually update every week till it reaches the end. Doing a webtoon is more challenging, but I also find it more fun. I worked solo on books, but I have people to work with in Webtoon. Working with them and seeing our readers’ reactions on the episodes we put out are what I enjoy most.

 

( Every interview, I ask folks to put the question they want to be asked here. ^_^ This one was unexpected!)

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Q: Thank you for your hard work. Should we pamper you?

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CL: Yes.

 

Okay, we’ll try! ^_^


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O: What has changed for you, personally, with the popularity of Mage and Demon Queen?
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CL: I’ve gained more confidence in creating Yuri stories. I’ve always thought that Yuri was too niche to be the focus of my career, but the success of Mage & Demon Queen helped me achieve financial stability. It also gave me a chance to help other artists by employing them. I am truly thankful to Webtoon for giving me the opportunity to work with them, and to my readers who have been extremely supportive.

 

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O: What creative work has inspired you, personally and artistically? Are there any games, VNs, comics, animation that has informed your work on MDQ?
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CL: I was inspired by many things! Here are some of them:

Anime/Comics: Hayate x Blade, Tamen de Gushi, Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Many Isekai series

Games: Tales of (series by Konami), Fate/GO, Disgaea, Ragnarok

 

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O: What does the future hold for COLOR_LES?
————————————————————————————–

CL: There are many possibilities. I could create another Yuri comic in Webtoon after I’ve finished Mage & Demon Queen, or I could take a chance on a different webcomic platform. If anyone asked me to create a Yuri game with them, I may take it if the offer is good. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will still be Yuri.

 

Thank you very much for your time today! You can follow Color_Les (Kuru) on Patreon, Facebook, Twitter and of course, Webtoons, where we both hope you’ll read Mage & Demon Queen!

If you enjoyed this interview and would like to see more, please support Okazu on Patreon!

 

 

Posted in Artists, Color_LES, Interview | 8 Comments »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – March 28, 2020

March 28th, 2020

Okazu News

We’re having some trouble with Facebook, which has seen fit to remove every single post I’ve ever made from Okazu from our Yuricon group on Facebook. So, if you’re looking to follow Okazu posts and relevant news without irrelevant chatter about other things, I recommend you follow us on MeWe or Patreon. You can still get Okazu as an RSS feed, or subscribe to it by email with the widget on the bottom of the right-hand toolbar, or get Okazu sent to your Kindle!  If there’s a way you’d like to get Okazu delivered daily, please let me know and I’ll see about making it accessible.

And while I have your attention, I’ll remind you that if you are an active Patron of Okazu by April 7th, you will get the newest perq –  a sneak peak at one of the original articles written for the Big Book o’Yuri, “Girl Gangs and the Yuri Underground”! I had a lot of fun writing that, as you might imagine. ^_^  And *of course* you will also get the positive warm fuzzy feelings of supporting our research, paying for Guest Reviewers and being an important part of the Okazu family! We are *so* ridiculously close to our next goal, that if we can sustain $500/month for this year, I’ll be able to pay guest reviewers more!

 

 Queer News

Yuri Creator Yuni (creator of Nikurashii hodo Aishiteru and Hitogoto Desukara!) has a Youtube channel where she’s discussing (in Japanese) various manga and topics related to Yuri life! Check out the Yurikusu Channel at your leisure.

Tynan Brooks offers up When Stars Align: A History of Queer Anime over at Anime Herald!

Via YNN Correspondent Yeo please enjoy this lovely animated short called PERENNIAL, by smallcakes.

CBR’s Reuben Baron has an interview with Rebecca Sugar on the end of Steven Universe.

 

Baseball Anime

ANN’s Alex Mateo reports HIDIVE has added baseball anime Cinderella Nine and Jennifer Sherman has the info on Yuri-ish baseball anime Tamayomi, including a new trailer! It’s not often we get two girl’s sports anime at once, so I thought it deserved a header of it’s own.

Still not the sports anime *I* want, though.  ^_^;

 

Other News

Ikkitousen Extra Bust (I know it’s Burst, but trust me on this) phone game will be available for various phone platforms. The disconnect from the character animations to the gameplay is actually laugh out loud funny. Alex Mateo has the detes on ANN.

The trailer has dropped for Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045 and while on the one hand it looks (finally!) like a completely new story, it also looks like it could be any series ever. I guess we’re never going to get our bisexual Major back. ^_^; ANN’s Rafael Antonio Pineda has the scoop.

Comiket 98, which had been moved to May to avoid conflicting with the now-postponed Olympics, has been cancelled. We don’t know what the end of the year will bring us, yet, but I kind of hope that they cancel Winter Comiket, as well. I know we all want to get back to normality, but it’s going to be a good 6 months to a year before that is possible, even if we do mitigate this outbreak.

If you are following comic and manga twitter, you may be aware that companies are canceling work right now for a lot of creators. We have to expect slow-downs in production and delivery as the disease affects companies at various levels. If you have not yet switched to digital, now is not a bad time. There’s a lot of good licensed stuff already out, you’ll have access to Global Bookwalker and Comixology.  Kodansha and Vertical are doing a big sale with 270 titles for 99 cents each on their new digital platform IZNEO.  And Lilyka offers reasonably priced downloadable licensed original Yuri doujinshi.

Consider following your favorite artists on Twitter (I have a Yuri Resource List to make that easier!) SO many of them are doing big sales and free giveaways right now. Throw your faves money when you can for creator-owned works and back those projects on Kickstarter and Patreon if you’re in a position to do so. Creative folks are going to have the hardest time recovering, as supply and delivery lines are disrupted. They aren’t big companies and are left out of stimulus packages as they work freelance. We’re in this together. Let’s support what we say we support. Share this list of grants and resources if you know any creative who needs help.

Just as a reminder, do your best to stay inside, stay 6 feet or more from other people when you are outside. If you are working a job where you must go to work, thank you. We’re all appreciative of your efforts. If you can stay home, please do. And please wash your hands thoroughly, with soap. I don’t want to lose any of you.

Become a YNN Correspondent by reporting any Yuri-related news with your name and an email I can reply to – thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network! Special thanks to Okazu Patrons for being an essential part of the team!

 

Posted in Yuri Network News | 3 Comments »