Vampeerz, Volume 2 (ヴァンピアーズ)

March 26th, 2020

Aria continues to be a vamp who is cool,
Ichika doesn’t mind so much being a tool,
for Aria the vamp,
even when they camp
And the other girls think they rule.

Ichika is falling in love with Aria, who definitely likes her emergency rations, to the point of giving up human blood for her. But when it’s an emergency, Ichika is willing to lose a little blood. Which is good, because emergencies appear in the form of another vampire. But Aria defeats her quickly and we’re just left with an endlessly boring variety of panty shots.

The one good thing in this story so far is the relationship between Aria and Ichika. They clearly genuinely like one another.

Ratings:

Art – 7 with a point off for endless boring panty shots
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 5
Service – 5

Overall – 7

So I’m at the bottom of my to-read pile…and we sure are at the bottom of the pile. ^_^; But don’t worry, I’ve held a few good books aside for last.

Posted in Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »


Rezu Fuuzoku Anthology Repeater (レズ風俗アンソロジー リピーター)

March 25th, 2020

It’s a bit of an understatement to say that we live in interesting times, but there we are. And in times of stress we need to acknowledge our bodies and minds need to be taken care of. PornHub is making their Premium service free worldwide for the next month…in case you were feeling of residual guilt, they are donating 85% of their video sales to performers who have had to stop working due to the pandemic. There’s something reassuring to me that the porn industry leader is showing generosity in these difficult times.

If live-action porn isn’t your shtick, there’s always manga. Last week, we looked at Lesbian Fuuzoku Anthology (レズ風俗アンソロジー), an anthology about lesbian health delivery from Ichijinsha. It was successful enough that a few months later they released a sequel, Rezu Fuuzoku Anthology Repeater (レズ風俗アンソロジー リピーター).

While fewer of the stories stuck out for me, the overall sense was stories about women wanting to fix something in themselves with the help of  professional. Once again the best in collection from me goes to Iwami Kyouko, whose “My Sugar Cat” hit that note between whimsy and life that makes a throwaway porn piece fun to read.

Ratings:

Overall – 7

These two Rezu Fuuzoku collections were not terrible. They lack the dazzling charm of the old Mist ladies comics, but they start from a place of slightly less delusion, presenting this as the job it is, so I’ll call it a draw. ^_^

Posted in Yuri Anthology, Yuri Manga | 10 Comments »


Scarlet, Volume 1

March 23rd, 2020

There is horror and then there is horror. Horror can be cerebral, or emotional, horror can be funny or outraging, horror can be grotesque or violent. Emily Carroll’s horror is not the same as Yoshimurakana‘s. And for different people, horror will serve different needs. Chiri Yuino’s Scarlet, Volume 1 sits on a fence in the middle of several kinds of horror, but commits to none of them.

Finé and Iris are bound by a promise made in blood. Iris, a werewolf will protect Finé and let her drink her blood, until Finé breaks the curse of the drug that she is under and becomes human once again. Then Finé will pay her debt with her life and let Iris eat her. Until then they travel together trying to stop the scourge of this drug that turns humans into blood-drinking monsters.

Whether this is a fairytale reworked to be gritty, or an allegory of drug addiction or just a mutation horror story, I still am not entirely sure. Nor am I sure that the creator was sure. In any case the story moves briskly from not being able to help a young girl to losing her sister (accurately named Misery) to a far more powerful evil.

Yuri has two equally unattractive varieties: Iris and Finé are lovers as much as they are anything else. As I said in my review of the Japanese volume,  “They are shockingly likeable. Iris is a cheerful drunken werewolf, Finé is the requisite emo bloodsucking creature with a sword. All is well with the world. Unless you are a elixir-mutated demon.”There is a kind of affection between them, certainly, in that they care for each other the way one does with a medication.

And, when they come to confront the demon sharing the drug around, they encounter an orgy of soon-to-be-inhuman women.  None of it is aesthetically pleasing but I assumed it was not meant to be. If you’re a fan of blood and mutating bodies, this might appeal to you. I found the breast-squeezing painful to look at, and we do spend a lot of time looking at Iris’ breasts.

The story will come to a climax and an end in Volume 2, which is slated for an October release.

“Scarlet isn’t a vampire story
Although it’s plenty bloody and gore-y
A fairy tale it is not
Revenge against evil is the plot
Against a Goth-Loli demon in all of her lace glory”

Also borrowed from my review of V1 in Japanese.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Service – 6
Yuri – 6 In their own hungry way, Iris and Finé care for one another.

Overall – 8

Scarlet is slightly better than the sum of its parts, and not really a vampire story, but not really a drug story or a monster story, either.

Thanks very much to Seven Seas for the review copy!

Posted in English Manga, Yuri Manga | 3 Comments »


Watashi no Kobushi wo Uketomete, Volume 3 ( 私の拳をうけとめて)

March 22nd, 2020

In Volume1 and Volume 2, we met Soramori and Takebe, former rivals in high school gangs who have met once again as adults. Soramori confesses to Takebe that she’s always liked her, so they begin to date, trying to find things to do together. In murata’s Watashi no Kobushi wo Uketomete, Volume 3 ( 私の拳をうけとめて) Takebe and Soramori find that their inability to find common ground brings their relationship to a standstill.

The problem is not that they aren’t enjoying each other’s company…Takebe starts to really understand what Soramori means to her when they aren’t hanging out. And it’s not that they are rivals, Soramori, realizes as days go by when they aren’t speaking. But something is off and they both know it. After taking to Maria (and training for the confrontation that’s coming,) Takebe calls Soramori to the park to have it out the old-fashioned way. The way they know, the way they met each other. She challenges her former gang-member rival girlfriend to a fight. And fight they do.

And, at last, Soramori understands. THIS is the woman she fell in love with. This is the self she wants to be. And when she beats Takebe into the ground with one final punch, she finds that the two of them really enjoyed beating the heck out of each other.  Where they can take this, I can’t for the life of me guess, but I’ll be looking forward to Volume 4, when it comes out. (If you’re reading the online edition, please don’t spoil me, tx!)

Topping my list of “wish this would be licensed,” this is a series that I don’t actually see being licensed any time soon. ^_^ In fact, it’s probably entirely self-serving to keep suggesting it to companies, because quite probably very few people would find this going-nowhere tale of two former gang rivals dating as fun as I do!

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Service – 0
Yuri – 5

But, if you like this story, or like the idea of this story, don’t forget to suggest it to the manga company you think would do a good job with it. At this point, any of them can be trusted to do quality work. ^_^

Posted in Yuri Manga | 3 Comments »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – March 21, 2020

March 21st, 2020

These are liminal times; we’re not able to relax, nor are we able to live in high stress without respite.  If you haven’t already been following me on Twitter or Facebook, please do. I share arts and entertainment news that will, hopefully, help you through this time. Free streams and trials abound, operas and orchestras and museums are putting themselves online. (My Twitter feed is vastly more political, just as a heads up. For nothing but comics/LGBTQ news, pick Facebook.)

I know these days are hard for us all, many of us are suffering from forced unemployment, or working under stressful situations. Hopefully our 2-D lives can be a comfort to us. If you’re in need of pleasant company and distracting conversation, please join us on the Okazu Discord. We sometimes even remember to talk Yuri! ^_^

One last note, as of last night, I have completed the last bit of writing for the Big Book o’Yuri. ^_^ Now comes looking for a publisher and editing it into coherence. This part has taken me a good 5 years and the pandemic isn’t helping, but we’re still moving forward.

To begin with this week in the news, we have a bunch of stuff up on the Yuricon Store!

 

Yuri Light Novel

This June will see the English-language release of Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka, Volume 2, which follows Sayaka through middle school into high school, during which we watch her navigate her first relationship and eventually fall for Nanami Touko.

For those of you working on your Japanese, don’t miss Edo period sword and vampire story Kunoichi Bettegumi Igarashi Satsuki, Volume 2 (くノ一別手組ー五十嵐五月) available on US Kindle, in Japanese.

 

Yuri Manga

Also in June. we’ll be getting two Yuri anthologies,  Éclair Bleue: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart, from Yen Press and Syrup: A Yuri Anthology, Volume 1 from Seven Seas.

Sailor Moon Eternal Edition, Volume 5 begins the Death Busters Arc and introduces Sailors Neptune and Uranus.

Sekai no Owari to Majyou no Koi, Volume 2 (世界の終わりと魔女の恋) continues Kujira’s end-of-the-world Yuri fantasy.

Hakamada Mera has a new book with a new publisher, Aikata System ~ Gakuen ga Eranda Unmei no Onna no ko~, Volume 1 ( 相方システム~学園が選んだ運命の女の子) from Lilie Comics.

Not yet on the Store, but worth noting, Bloom Into You creator Nakatani Nio released a short story collection, entitled Nakatani Nio Short Story Collection Sayonara Alter (仲谷鳰短編集 さよならオルタ), last month in Japan

Tokyopop has announced a new imprint: LOVE x LOVE. The new imprint is designed to bring all their romance under one overall identity, rather than separating the Yuri or BL from the straight romance. It’s an interesting idea and one that is relatively progressive. It’ll be interesting if the manga reading audience is ready for it or still stuck in the scarcity mentality of the 20th century. ^_^ Jennifer Sherman has details on ANN.

Galette Magazine is offering a sample chapter of Morinaga Milk’s Kawaii Neko-chan, (私の可愛い子猫ちゃん) in Japanese on their website.

 

The Yuri Network News report is made possible by Okazu Patrons.
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Yuri Visual Novels

Studio Élan’s Bellhouse imprint has announced that Without a Voice by L3 is available for free right now on Steam or Itch.io. Enjoy this unique dark fantasy Yuri for free!

 

LGBTQ Anime

Via Comic Natalie, Shimura Takako’s Dounika Naru Hibi, about different kinds of adult relationships, including several queer couples, announces cast and key visuals.

 

Other News

The Sailor Moon on Ice show is moving forward with a key visual of Evgenia Medvedeva as Sailor Moon.

IGN reports that Comixology Unlimited is extending their trial period to 60 days. You can get 2 months of unlimited comic and manga reading during that time.

Activists have developed a library in Minecraft, where censored or removed reporting is being archived in an attempt to bypass restrictive censorship laws. This is just so brilliant and so cyberpunk. Here we are in the future and it’s all the dystopias at once, but there’s still creativity and resistance.

 

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 »