Yuri is My Job, Volume 6

November 9th, 2020

Depending on who you feel is the actual protagonist of the story – or whomever you are personally rooting for – Yuri is My Job, Volume 6 by Miman can be hard on the heart.

Let us say, for instance, that you feel Hime is the protagonist, as we’ve been following her since the first page of the series. In that case, Volume 6 is largely her struggling trying to not hurt her former best friend again, while also not hurting her newer best friend and preserving the even newer relationship she’s built with that former best friend.

If you’re rooting for Mitsuki, you’re about to watch her spill her heart and soul out in front of Hime without any guarantee of it being recoverable.

If you, like me, actually sympathize most with Sumika and Kanako, you’re going to be watching as things break and you cannot even help to catch the pieces this time.

It seems like something is going to have to give and Hime decides that that thing…is her. Or, is she just running away again? We don’t know yet. (Frankly, we *still* don’t know in the ongoing serialized chapters in Comic Yuri Hime, either. ^_^;)

Despite Miman’s protestations to the opposite in the author’s note, it seems like the story is very much under control. We, the readers can’t yet predict the outcome….but we can conjecture on the possible courses to lead to the outcomes we want, which is a wholly different thing.I know what I want – it isn’t Hime and Mitsuki as a couple. I expect that is what we’ll get, and that’s jut fine. But it’s not that I want.

Miman’s art is stronger than ever before, backgrounds are really being filled out and characters have more definition. So, when we get the next volume, pay close attention to the background people. They are getting people-ier. ^_^

When the Yuri in this volume lands, it lands hard. ^_^

Kodansha is doing  clean job of the reproduction. And we’re getting people to credit now for that work. Translation by Diana Taylor captures the emotion beautifully, Jennifer Skarupa’s lettering helps keep the story moving along. Logo design and cover design by Phil Balsman and My Truong respectively are terrific and editing by Haruko Hashimoto pulls it all together.

 

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Service – 4 Mitsuki’s cleavage is its own character
Yuri – 7

Overall – 8

Yuri is My Job, Volume 6 is a pivotal – and emotional – volume of a a series that is more than the sum of it’s Yuri trope parts.

Posted in Miman, Miscellaneous, Yuri Manga | 4 Comments »


Yuricon and Okazu Updates

November 8th, 2020

Although this has been a chaotic time, with pandemic and other uphrevals, we’ve accomplished a lot so far this year with your help. 

Take a look at the full list of what we’ve done, what we’re doing and what we plan on for next year – our 20th anniversary! – at Yuricon and here at Okazu.

https://www.yuricon.com/blog/2020/11/08/yuricon-okazu-updates/

 

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Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – November 7, 2020

November 7th, 2020

Yuri Manga

Akiko Morishima’s The Conditions of Paradise: Our First Time is a prequel for Sumi and Sabrina’s relationship in The Conditions of Paradise, coming to you this month from Seven Seas!

Our Teachers are Dating, Volume 2 will be here at the end of January.

Takako Shimura’s Even Though We’re Adults, Volume 1 is heading our way from Seven Seas next February,

Yen Press has Kujira’s A Witch’s Love at the End of the World, Volume 1, coming our way this month!

 

Help us reach our 2020 goals – subscribe to Okazu on Patreon!

Yuri Anime

RetroCrush TV has added Yamibo: The Darkness, The Hat and the Travelers of the Books. ANN’s Jennifer Sherman has details.
This rather mediocre anime has had ridiculously long staying power. It’s quite befuddling.

RetroCrushTV also has announced that they have the Vampire Princess Miyu OVA, which is wonderful. I hope they get the TV series, because it fantastically queer and creepy.

Via YNN Correspondent Megan, Takarazuka-esque revue troop story, Kageki Shoujo, is getting an anime. While not Yuri, it’s a really great story, I hope you’ll enjoy it. Seven Seas has the manga as Kageki Shoujo: The Curtain Rises!.

Otherside Picnic anime gets some key visuals and frankly, I’m a little disappointed at the service. Rafael Antonio Pineda has the details on ANN.

 

Yuri Light Novels

We’ve added I’m in Love With the Villainess Vol. 2 to the Yuricon Store. It has a January release date.

And ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! is now out in print!

 

Other News

The fabulous Stitch has written about rap artist Megan Thee Stallion’s love for anime and says, clearly, “No one gets into anime for clout.”,  for Teen Vogue. (Lizzo, whose chanteuse voice and flute playing charmed me, is also is a fan of Sailor Moon and that’s just one more of a zillion reasons to love her.)

Legendary composer Yoko Kanno is collaborating with Takarazuka for an upcoming work about the Silk Road, reports Sora24’s Casey Baseel.

The Yagate Kimi ni Naru live-reading of the stage play is happening in Japan, in two parts. Streaming is available for purchase for an earlier version and they have an English language page, which I presume means they allow overseas viewers.

 

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 important part of the Okazu family. I couldn’t do it without you!

Posted in Yuri Network News | 11 Comments »


Fuzoroi no Renri, Volume 3 (不揃いの連理)

November 5th, 2020

In Volume 1, we met Iori and Minami, an career woman and a server at a izakaya whose relationship is surprisingly not fraught, and Saori and Shizuku, Iori’s little sister and Minami’s “sister” at the orphanage whose relationship is more of a light hand-to-hand combat than a battle.

In Volume 2 we added manga artist Heke and her editor Shinohara, who are partners in an onling RPG, but not quite there in real life.

Volume 3 of Fuzoroi no Renri (不揃いの連理), by Mikan Uji, adds a new couple to the collection. Kujyo-sensei is interested in women but cannot bring herself to go into the lesbian bar, so she keeps visiting the maid cafe next door. Sugimoto one of the students at  school, works at the cafe and thinks Sensei is kind of cute and awkward.

The remainder of the volume is snips and clips of the various couples’ lives, as they deal with whatever life throws at them. The art is cute and also kind of dynamic. The stories are slice-of-lifeish scenarios and the characters are all pretty cute. Although I really hope that Shinohara manages to finally confess to Heke-sensei soon.

This manga is light-hearted and fun. It’s a lovely distraction in these stressful times. I’m glad for Mikan Uji-sensei having three volumes so far and think Kadokawa seems a good fit for their work.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 2 Even less than usual, as we spend time with more couples, less of it is intimate.
Yuri – 10

Overall – 9

I’m always happy to see Shizuku and Minami’s piercings and Minami’s tattoos, just because we so rarely get characters that look like that, but also because I like piercings and tattoos! If you’ve seen me in person you know I have my own collection of holes in my face and a couple of tattoos that are waiting patiently to be added to. ^_^

 

Posted in Mikanuji, Yuri Manga | No Comments »


Comic Yuri Hime, November 2020 (コミック百合姫2020年11月号)

November 4th, 2020

There were loads of great stories in Comic Yuri Hime, November 2020 (コミック百合姫2020年11月号). The cover is one again Rolua’s scifi-ish ouvre, which I am really enjoying. Honestly so far, maybe my favorite year since the 2011 reboot covers.

The issue starts off with a rough chapter of “Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto desu!” by Miman, as everyone in Liebe Cafe struggle with the tangled relationship between Hime and Mitsuki, as the cafe celebrates a double birthday event for Kanako and Mitsuki.

“Futari Escape”  takes us to, among other places, the Fukui Prefecural Dinosaur Museum. Honestly, I love that we have an honest-to-goodness Yuri travel to random places series. I’m not in love with Taguchi Shouichi’s characters, but I forgive that because…dinosaurs.

Overall, Shime’s “Yurizukushi no Kyoushitsu de,” we focus on Oohkouchi Kisaki, a rarity in Yui manga. Kisaki is genuinely heavy, not just plump. She’s also well-loved by her classmates and a badass at volleyball. It is so refreshing that her weight is neither a joke, nor a caution, and the girls around her adore for her self.

The star story this issue is “Hayama-sensei to Terano-sensei ha Tsuiatteiru” by Ohi Pikachi, as Hayama-sensei has something very important she wants to ask Terano-sensei…. Look, I know this series is complete fantasy, but please allow my fantasy in which women who love each other are given room to be adorable and adored.  ^_^

“Watashi no Oshi ha Akujyaku Reijou,” hit a key scene which, if I described it to you, you would stare at me like I was crazy. Don’t believe me? Okay – Rei blackmails Claire’s father into allowing her to be Claire’s maid. Yes, blackmail. See?

Equally as wonderful is Ohsawa Yayoi’s “Hello Melancholic!”. I mean, yes, I love that Minato and Hibiki are starting to communicate – that Minato is starting to communicate, specifically and yes, they may be on the same page after all…but I love that Minato took the reserve chair position in the grownup band, too. She’s changed so much already.

“Kaketa Tsuki to Donut”s is moving towards a climax, so this chapter is the new girl meets the old girl episode. Hinako is going to have to figure out what she wants. It’s not that simplistic, of course, because adults. ^_^ I love everything about this story – art, story, characters. Usui Shio is my jam right now. (Also Yuni, but that’s a review for another day.)

Inui Ayu’s autobiographical comic has gotten to the heart of every lesbian relationship – who cooks and who cleans. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 9

A fantastic issue this time and I look forward to the final issue of the year to see what it brings!

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime, Magazines, Yuri Manga | 2 Comments »