Viz Corrects Editorial Decisions Leading to LGBTQ Erasure (Updated) (2nd Update) (Final Update)

June 24th, 2019

Final Update! Via Rachel Thorn’s Twitter feed today, Viz has rectified the deadnaming of translators Rachel Thorn and Dana Lewis in the Nausicaä manga release. Thank you very much Viz, for addressing this.

With this, I consider this matter closed in the best possible way. Viz rose to the occasion and did all the right things the right way. I am very appreciative – and hope that if you wrote them to complain, you’ll write them with thanks for their handling of the the situations!

2nd Update! Viz is reaching out to Dana and Rachel and will be making the changes that are needed. I really appreciate Viz moving quickly on the larger issues as well. Misnaming and lack of credit will be fixed. Thank you Viz for handling this.

Update! Viz has promptly addressed the issue of the booklet mislabeling Haruka and Michiru’s relationship. Still waiting to hear back on whether Dana and Rachel receive an apology or correction.

Viz has released a formal statement and will update people on how to receive a replacement booklet.

 

I appreciate Viz’s acknowledgement and hope that they’ll manage to do better going forward. I want to thank all of you, too, for being part of this campaign to right a wrong.

Let me introduce you to Friedman’s Razor: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by organizational decentralization.” At no point in time did I assume malice. I strongly believe that these mistakes are because editorial and translation are jobbed out in pieces with little time or money given to overall consistency. A managing editor watching over the entire project ought to catch this kind of thing, but if no one has an eye on the project, then these kind of things are more likely to happen.

 

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I’m sharing a letter I wrote today to Viz Media on the subject of several editorial decisions leading to LGBTQ erasure this week. I hope you will read it all the way through and then follow up at the end with your own actions.

 

Hello –

My name is Erica Friedman, I’ve been a loyal customer and reviewer of Viz media products for many years and I am writing today to express two specific concerns with recent editorial decisions that combine to become one troubling trend.

The first and most important is the exceedingly problematic and insulting use of both Rachel Thorn’s and Dana Lewis’ deadnames in the new Nausicaä manga release and in your Banana Fish release. This is not acceptable and I have not seen any apology to either person for this mistake. It cannot remain unacknowledged by Viz.

Also concerning is the recent description of Haruka’s and Michiru’s relationship in Sailor Moon Stars as “friendship.” This is patently absurd, as their dialogue is often intimate. As they were described as “partners” in Sailor Moon S, its quite inexplicable – especially in light of Viz’s earlier promise that their relationship would not be erased or hidden. As your promo for ‘S’ stated…”no cousins.” And here you are, bowdlerizing them.

Any of these decisions alone is concerning, but them all coming at the same time makes me very concerned for the current state of acceptance and tolerance of LGBTQ people at Viz.

Whether these were all mere lazy editorial decisions and not overtly meant to be insulting, we still respectfully request an apology – and these errors to be fixed immediately.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

***

If you have any opinions about this, I encourage you to write politely worded messages to Viz on Twitter, Facebook or use their customer service form on their website and add your voice to those who are requesting appropriate apologies and corrections.

Posted in Miscellaneous | 13 Comments »


Yuri Light Novel: Yagate Kimi ni Naru Saeki Sayaka ni Tsuite, Volume 2 (やがて君になる 佐伯沙弥香について)

June 23rd, 2019

At the beginning of 2019, the first volume of the Yagate Kimi Ni Naru side novel focusing on the character of Saeki Sayaka, Touko’s close friend and Student Council Vice President, surprised the heck out of me, with its grasp of the character’s voice and insight into this young lesbian’s development as a person.

Yagate Kimi ni Naru Saeki Sayaka ni Tsuite, Volume 2 (やがて君になる 佐伯沙弥香について) was even better.

The story begins with Sayaka already in high school, already the VP of the Student Council and very, very aware of Touko’s sudden interest in this first-year student. Sayaka is hyper-vigilant of Touko’s glances, the way she introduces and stands near this girl, Sayaka knows…and understands…that she’s lost her chance with Touko.

The story then backs up to how she meets and becomes friendly, then friends, with Nanami Touko, a woman who surpasses her academically and in every other way. A woman she is content to follow, a woman she knows she cannot have, but is unwilling to give up on the idea of. Until Yuu comes along.

My favorite scene comes early as Sayaka, having seen the casual relationship between her classmates Aika and Midori, asks Touko is she can speak with her in private. Touko jokes in asking if Sayaka is going to confess to her? Sayaka cannot even begin to imagine how to do that at this point, although yes, she wants to. But no, Sayaka simply wanted to know if she and Touko could call each other by their given names. Touko jumps straight to calling her “Sayaka” with no honorific, which settles the matter. It was a sweet, earnest and heartfelt scene which provides excellent insight into Sayaka’s still-quite serious personality. She’s learning to fake casual sincerity, but when she’s actually sincere, she is very serious indeed.

The story walks us through specific interactions as Sayaka finds herself happily dragged in Touko’s wake. She joins the council because of Touko, learns about Touko’s sister, and her motivation for the play. As their third year in high school dawns, Touko and Sayaka are, for the first time in differing classes, but that is not what concerns Sayaka. As they turn away from one another at the bulletin board, Sayaka sees Touko walk towards that first-year who, through no fault of her own, has stolen Sayaka’s chance at high school love.

And then the final 9 pages begin and my eyes could not have gotten bigger. But first….

Sayaka does not identify herself as gay in this novel, but she does admit to Touko, during a conversation about being confessed to, that she has been confessed to…by another girl. And that they had dated. The next page begins with Sayaka thinking,”There. I said it.” This is the closest she comes to saying anything about her interest in women generally or Touko specifically…although we know that she will at least once before the end of high school, admit the truth to the subject of her feelings (presuming we are caught up on the manga up to Volume 7.)

But back to those last pages. The entire novel had, up to that point, been written in 3rd person. The final pages switch to 1st, as “I” am sitting in a far corner of the college campus, when a woman comes around the corner. “I” can see that she is crying. The girl apologizes and I offer some civility as comfort.

(At this point I – the reader – thought we might have been getting another glimpse at Miyako’s meeting with Riko, which followed this exact pattern. About which I have a little rant, if you will indulge me: “Random Woman A meeting Random Woman B in a random corner of the campus” is cute, but it also effectively strips any possible queer identity from the characters. It’s not like they met at a LGBTQ mixer, book club, class on gender studies, at a bar, live music show, volunteer opportunity or any one of the dozens of ways two women might actually meet. Nope. Two couples in this series just happened to meet when one person came running around a far corner of the campus to have a good cry and the other just happened to be there. I bet the odds on that are good. /rant /eyeroll/sarcasm

The two women end up sitting next to one another in a class. The formerly crying girl asks if “I” am a first-year. No, “I” am a second-year. “Oh, so you’re my sempai.” “I” am amused by this, and at this point has made it clear that the first-year reminds us of Yuu… and of our failed high school romance. “I” am absolutely aware of three previous school romances and how each of them was a failure of a sort. “Sempai, huh?” The first-year asks the narrator their name and “I” reply, “Saeki Sayaka.” As the pages come to a close, Sayaka is contemplating her future…and this woman.

And then the book ends, and I flipped the page and re-read the advert for a 3rd Saeki Sayaka novel for like the 49th time.

We are going to get a novel about Sayaka after the manga. Ahhhh!

I do not expect any more queer identity in this upcoming book than we had in the previous two, but it would be nice if, you know, Sayaka got to ask someone out who liked her the same way. I’m not asking for much, I don’t think.

Ratings:

Art – 10 Once again, art by the series creator, so….
Story – 8 A much stronger sense of Sayaka’s feelings for and about Touko, that we could not get from the manga
Character – 10
Service – 1 Not really this time
Yuri – 7 This book is chock-full of Sayaka’s thoughts about being attracted to Touko for all the reasons.

Overall – 9

Once again, I am pleasantly surprised to have fully enjoyed a novel by Iruma Hitoma, in which the tone and feel of the character as we know her is captured well. And I look forward to the sequel as it takes us into new territory.

Posted in Bloom Into You / Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Light Novel, Nakatani Nio | 7 Comments »


Okazu – Spring Cleaning Lucky Boxes – Claimed!

June 23rd, 2019

I’m doing some spring cleaning, so it’s time for some Okazu Lucky Boxes!  And you know that you totally want utter crap that I’m cleaning out of my house! ^_^

This time we have 4 Lucky Boxes: 2 Medium size boxes and 2 Large moxes. All the boxes contain a random assortment of manga, books, candy, toys, random pieces of paper things I put in there, and a lot of stuff from our friend Bruce’s collection. Because this is stuff we had around the house, these are bargain sale priced to go!

When you email me, please refer to the box you want by the title ans #1. First come, first served and these always go fast! These are listed out so I can cross them off as they go.

Large Box 1 – $35 – Claimed
Large Box 2 – $35 – Claimed
Medium Box 1 – $25 – Claimed
Medium Box 2 – $25 – Claimed

I can 100% guarantee these boxes are filled with absolute pure stuff, with no guarantees of any other kind. No returns, because look – either you like the fact that you’re spending money on someone else’s stuff, or you don’t.

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How to be eligible to buy a Lucky Box: Follow these instructions carefully. Please. Thank you. Failure to follow all of these instructions will disqualify you. It’s not personal, they go fast and I don’t have time to track you down for a piece of information.

1- You must live in the Continental USA (contiguous 48) only, no APO/FPOs – sorry about that, really. It’s vexing, I know.

2 – You must be over 18, I am not policing which books you get and since these boxes have doujinshi and other items, I really don’t know what you’re getting.

3 -Email me at anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com with the subject “Lucky Box”. Use an email you check regularly.

4. *****Please include your name, age, mailing address. ***** Tell me which box you want. Even if you’ve given me your address previously, please include it, I am very lazy.

5- I will contact you at that point and give you details about payment by Paypal. Please be prepared to check your email and get payment out so this post doesn’t linger. Thanks in advance.

This whole process will be handled with utmost capriciousness, as usual. ^_^ 

Ready? Get your Lucky Boxes!

Posted in Miscellaneous | No Comments »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – June 22, 2019

June 22nd, 2019

Yuri Manga

We’ve got a few new items up on the Yuricon Store:

Garasu no Kutsu o Nugisutete (ガラスの靴を脱ぎ捨てて) tells five short stories of working women finding love. ^_^

Goodbye Dystopia, Volume 3 (グッバイ・ディストピア) wraps up one of my favorite manga, boo.

Yuri Bear Storm Volume 2, the English-language edition of Yurikuma Arashi continues as Ginko and Kureha’s story unfolds.

We’ve got a veritable Miman festival going with Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu! Volume ５ (私の百合はお仕事です!) and Yuri Is My Job, Volume 3 and Volume 4!

I was on Shodensha’s Manga Jam site looking up Akegata Yuu’s Tsuki to Suppin (月とすっぴん) Yuri web comic, when I learned that last year there was a new-new Hana no Asuka-gumi series called Hana No Asuka-gumi BS  Volume 1 and Volume 2. But even more importantly, there is a new-new-NEW Hana no Asuka-gumi series, Hana no Asuka-gumi Infinity (花のあすか組！∞インフィニティ), the first chapter of which is up on Shodensha’s Manga Jam. It begins with a “who’s who” of characters and the various pieces of the Zenchuu-Ura and upon seeing that, I yelled at it, “How can I be expected to read this if you EXPLAIN it to me!?!” 

It was a genuine pleasure to speak with Evan and David over at Ani-Gamers Podcast about Nagata Kabi’s autobiographical comic essays, My Lesbian Experience With Lonleliness and My Solo Exhange Diary Volume 1 and Volume 2!

 

Yuri Anime

Via ANN, Midnight Pulp anime streaming service has added Devil Lady and if you can, I recommend this anime so very highly. It’s the Go Nagai we need right now.

 

Yuri Drama CD

Via YuriNavi, we learn about original Yuri Drama CD Himitsu no Hanataba (秘密の花束) which is holding a Talk-show event in July at the Asgaya Loft.

 

Yuri Game

To celebrate the upcoming release of PS4 game Jinrui no Mina-sama e (じんるいのみなさまへ), this week also sees the release of a companion manga, Jinrui no Minasama e -Watashi-tachi no bassho- (じんるいのみなさまへ ―わたしたちの場所―).

 

Other News

The Yurikuzu Youtube Channel has posted an interview (in Japanese) with Tamilfly, creator of Tsukiatte Agetemo Iikana, ( 付き合ってあげてもいいかな). I’ve reviewed Volume 1 and Volume 2 is available now in Japan and waiting to be read by me. ^_^

I had the great pleasure of reviewing MangaClassics’ edition of Shakespeare’s Macbeth for School Library Journal.  I’m really enjoying the Manga Classics editions. Right now I’m working on Count of Monte Cristo (from which Eugénie Danglars has been cut, boo.)

I’m working on an updated piece on how to not comment on blog posts. If you as a writer have any pet peeves, drop them in the comments or on this thread on Twitter!

 

Do you have questions about Yuri? Write in and ask and I’ll do my best to address them on the Okazu YNN Podcast (I know I owe you all one!) 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!

Posted in Yuri Network News | 2 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Yuri is My Job, Volume 2 (English)

June 21st, 2019

The tropes of Yuri are alive and well at Liebe Academy Salon, served up with a nice cake and tea set. ^_^

Hime has always been more concerned with style than substance. When she came to a new school, all she wanted was for everyone to love her. Despite herself, she became friends with Yano, a girl who spoke her mind. With her, at least, Hime could be herself. But, Hime warned her new friend, Hime always lies.

Yano’s and Hime’s friendship becomes entangled with class relationships and both of them end up lying to protect each other. In the end, they destroyed their friendship and both feel as if they were victimized. Now, years later, Yano is Hime’s graceful, beautiful “onee-sama” at the Liebe Academy Salon and while Hime feels as if she’s the one who ought to be angry, its Yano’s anger at Hime that fills up the spaces of Yuri is My Job, Volume 2 by Miman, out from Kodansha Comics.

Tensions rise as the “Blüme” popularity contest approaches and Hime, despite playing a first-year shoots for the top, igniting turmoil among the staff.

Yano is full of rage at her version of the past, and Hime is full of desire to be liked, Kanako only desires to see Hime shine, while Chibana just wants everyone to work together in harmony. For a cafe concept wrapped around young ladies at a respectable and staid private school, there’s a lot of high emotions on display here – and its affecting their business.

The art has settled in by this volume and, as I said in my review of the first volume in English, I quite like the larger format for ease of reading.   A pleasant bonus for readers is Miman-sensei’s afterword, which contains some interesting procedural content – always a nice thing when creators let us see behind the screen so to speak. Diana Taylor’s translation really captures all the various emotions of the story.

Volume 2 is a sink-or swim volume for readers. Either we are all in on this multi-leveled commentary on Yuri manga or not. I, obviously, am all in. ^_^ I’m about to start on Volume 5 in Japanese, and find I’m way more invested in the characters than I would have expected – Yano, in particular. The girl who seems likely to be the obstacle to Hime’s happiness may well be the key to the whole story.

Ratings: 

Art – 7
Story – 8
Characters – 8 Although they are often hard to like, they are well-crafted
Yuri – 4 The cafe concept is Yuri, the story is getting there
Service – 2 Still goofy Yuri fandom service

Overall – 8

The cafe clientele is visibly both more mixed gender and also fascinatingly androgynous. ^_^

Posted in English Manga, Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »