Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – October 18, 2025

October 18th, 2025

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 Okazu Yuri Manga

The Kickstarter campaign for Vol.4 Yuri Comic Magazine Galette Special English Edition has launched and, in 4 days, has nearly 500 backers! This is a relatively short campaign, so there is only 11 days left to get this and any back issues you may be missing…until the next one. ^_^  I am so pleased to see how popular and successful these are. It really speaks to the passion of global Yuri fandom.

Yen Press has posted the cover reveal for Love Bullet. ‘Bout time. ^_^

Via Comic Natalie, a new series is beginning in the December issue of Comic Yuri Hime about a “rental girlfriend” who falls for a female customer, “Kimi no Sei Nandakara, Sekinin Totte yo ne.” by Touma and a bonus Futari Escape chapter to celebrate the upcoming drama series.

It’s All Your Fault, Volume 2 is up on the Yuricon Store!

We also have Project Yuriforming, Volume 1, (プロジェクト・ユリフォーミング), about an alien who wants to bring Yuri to everyone on earth!

The Lying Bride and the Same-Sex Marriage Debate, Volume 1 is also up on the Store and is on the to-review pile.

Baiheverse has launched a new comic by CleverCool, The Mermaid I Met By Getting Fired. This is exactly what it sounds like. ^_^

 

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Yuri Anime

Does It Count If You Lose Your Virginity to an Android? is getting a short anime. ANN’s Joanna Cayanan has the details.

Chris Beveridge over at The Fandom Post, has the news on the teaser for the theatrical film release of There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… anime. Speaking of which, the official account on X has posted this (possibly spoilery) image of Renako and Ajisai for your enjoyment.

Not Yuri, but of interest. via catsuka on Bluesky, a new Magic Knight Rayearth anime is coming in 2026.

 

Yuri Live-Action

YNN Sr. Correspondent Frank Hecker wants you to know about the trailer for Broken Of Love หัวใจช้ำรัก. He has this to say about it, “Faye Peraya Malisorn has her own production company now and a trailer out for her 2026 series, the awkwardly titled “Broken of Love”. It’s a revenge drama (with a twist spoiled in the last minute of the trailer, so be warned.”

 

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Yuri Doujinshi

inori.-sensei has a story in Ru’s Saikyou Buddy Yuri Anthology “Buddy! Buddy! Buddy!!!” (最強バディ百合アンソロジー『Buddy!Buddy!!Buddy!!!』) being sold at the Tokyo Literature Flea Market (文学フリマ東京41) at Big Site on November 23, 2025.

 

Yuri Visual Novels

Studio Élan says that Please Be Happy, their comfy Yuri visual novel is now available on Switch for 45% off!

 
Other News

I have been insanely busy these days, juggling a number of projects. The upcoming ANN Manga Guide will have a number of reviews by me, and I’m also reviewing a couple of series for them, including Baki The Grappler.

I’m going to be working on several titles for Manga Mavericks as editor. I cannot *wait* to get started on those. FISHGOD, by chlona, Sinbad by Atsuji Yamamoto and Horon of the Closed Country by Sen.

I’ll be doing several panels and book signings coming up at Y/Con, November 15-16 in Paris, France. I hope to see many of you there! I also have other class presentations I’m working on, but I will keep doing my best to give you more Yuri than ever before here on Okazu!

 

If you’d like to support Yuri journalism and research, Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips.  Our goal now, into 2025, is to raise our guest writers’ wages to above industry standard, which are too low!

Your support goes straight to paying for Guest Reviews, folks helping with videos, 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!

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Posted in Yuri Network News | 3 Comments »


Girl Crush, Volumes 1-2

October 15th, 2025

Cover of volume 1 of Girl Crush. On a hot pink background, a young woman with long blonde hair, wears a black and red halter top and skirt, and a white short jacket, smiling at us, her left hand curled at her lip.by Eleanor Walker, Okazu Staff Writer

Originally hailing from Shinchosha and released by Line Manga online, Midori Tayama’s Girl Crush has been released digitally in English by Comikey since 2021, but has now been picked up by Viz Media for a print release.

In Girl Crush, Volume 1,Tenka Momose protects herself by being better at everything than anyone else, standing atop her pedestal where she’s admired and idolised by everyone else at school. But one day, she learns of her seemingly very average classmate Sato Erian’s ambition to become a K-pop idol. Scornful at first, Erian’s determination to achieve her dreams soon draws Tenka in and now’s she’s auditioning in Korea as well…

“Girl Crush” – “K-pop slang for a cool girl that other girls idolise” (volume 1, p33)

I have to admit, the first thing which drew me to volume 1 when I saw it on the new releases shelf was the title, but I did find the premise interesting enough to buy it as well. There’s plenty of idol anime and manga out there, but K-pop centred stories are much rarer. I also stayed a night in Shin-Okubo (Tokyo’s Koreatown) when I was in Japan in 2018 and found the K-pop fandom there fascinating, especially given the political relations between Korea and Japan. These days as well, one of the most popular K-pop groups, BLACKPINK, has several international members so the idea of a Japanese person getting into a K-pop group isn’t so far fetched.

At first Tenka seems to be your typical perfect protagonist, but thankfully there is more to her than that. Right at the very beginning of the story we learn that as a small child she was actually rather shy and preferred to sit in the corner with a book. She also lives only with her father, it’s implied that her mother cheated on him when Tenka was a child, so there’s definitely more to learn about there. Fast forward to high school and Tenka still has a crush on her childhood friend Harumi, but when she asks him how he feels about Erian, he says he likes her, and Tenka’s world suddenly turns upside down. She knows she’s better than Erian in every way, so what does he see in her?

“She scares me. That sincerity of hers. A girl like that could steal everything.”

Cover of Girl Crush volume 2. On a bright blue background, a girl with brown hair in twin tails, holds her right hand coquettishly at her mouth. She poses, wearing a white t-shirt over a fishhnet long-sleeves, red short skirt.

As Girl Crush, Volume 2 opens, Erian and Tenka head to Korea together, and audition at one of the big agencies, not before an impromptu singing session on the street when a strange man approaches Tenka and gives her his business card, inviting her to audition at another agency. Volume 1 ends with Erian being called back for a second round of auditions at the original agency, while Tenka is not, and for the first time in her life she realises that it’s not just perfection which makes people like and respect you. Determined not to lose to Erian, Tenka visits the mysterious agency, meets the strange man again, is accepted as a trainee there and our rivalry is set up by the end of volume 2. Conveniently, her father is supportive because he trusts her to not do anything half hearted. Erian’s mother is briefly mentioned as being supportive, but unlike Tenka’s father, she doesn’t appear on the page, it’s just in a passing moment.

I enjoyed the moment when Tenka does Erian’s makeup for her and I hope their relationship continues to develop. I feel like these two volumes read together are a good introduction to the story and characters, and I am interested to see how the rivalry develops in future volumes as well as if Erina’s “girl crush” on Tenka becomes something more.

 

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 6 Some cliched moments but not enough to ruin it.
Characters – 7
Service – 1 A bath scene but not detailed
Yuri – 1 It has potential but I think most of the yuri will be in the readers’ imaginations.

Overall – 6.5 . An interesting take on the rivals premise, and I’m rooting for both girls to succeed.

Posted in Eleanor W, English Manga | 2 Comments »


Comic Yuri Hime, November 2025 (コミック百合姫2025年11月号)

October 12th, 2025

Two women sit at a low table, eating, smiling and talking animatedly together. The image is laid out so the magazine will need to be rotated horizontally to see it properly. I love when the end of the year in Comic Yuri Hime is strong. There is one manga we’re saying goodbye to in Comic Yuri Hime, November 2025 (コミック百合姫2025年11月号), but we’ll get there in a moment.

To begin with hechima’s cover is homey and warm. We’ve had 11 months with these two young women, they are beginning to feel like friends. I’m hoping the December issue shows them a bit older, but I always hope for older adult representation. ^_^

As mentioned on YNN, Futari Escape is getting a live-action series. I’m very interested to see how they’ll do that, as it was heavy on the goofy, travel and goofy, weird fun and low on the Yuri scales.

The opening series is a new one…and I do not yet know how I feel about it. “Hareta Hi no Dress Code” features a girl who wishes she was brave enough to wear the slacks that her school dress code allows, but she also loves dressing in cute skirt and a girl who does dress in the slack because of scars on her legs, but wishes she didn’t have to. I hope very much that this develops into a story of freedom from gender presentation rules.

“Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu!” closes the Kanako x Sumika arc, but in a very humanly imperfect way. I do not know what the characters might face, but I hope Nene gets to meet someone nice now. ^_^

Lulu and Ten are accidentally dragged into the relationship issues faced by another student in Ashiaka Waz’s “Chouuchyuu Yori Ai wo Komete,” and it both puts strain on and opens a new door in their own relationship.

merryhachi returns to Comic Yuri Hime for the first time in years with a very cute one-shot, “Touko Swing-By.” Honestly, it was really sweet.

Somtime and suoh’s  “Gakeppuchi Reijou ha Kuro Kishi-sama o Horesasetai!” comes to an end. It’s a good end, a very solid end, but I don’t want it to end! Oh well. It was nice. I just wish we could have more! Waaah~~~

And props to the comic essay “Film ni Saku Yurinohana o Atsumete Kimi ni Okuritai” for not just talking about the Utena movie, but presenting an interesting fan discussion that the movie is Yuri, but the TV series is not. I agree that Utena and Anthy are not, in the TV series, a couple, but surely we cannot discount Juri and Shiori? Anyway. Good column. 

Once again, there were many stories I read and enjoyed and other I did not, or did not read. It’s an incredibly solid magazine now and I look forward to new series starting.

Ratings: 

Overall – 8

The December issue will be out on October 18. There is no cover image available for it yet, but you can pre-order it on Amazon JP now.

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime, Magazines, Yuri Manga | 1 Comment »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – October 11, 2025

October 11th, 2025

In blue silhouette, two women face each other. One wears a fedora and male-styled attire, one is in a dress and heels. Their body language is obscure - they may be dancing, or laughing or fighting. Art by Mari Kurisato for Okazu

Yuri Manga

Yume to Koi de wa Tsuriawanai (夢と恋ではつり合わない) is the story of a girl who believes that she cannot be in love and be successful who, on the eve of exams, falls in love.

Not a manga, per se, but K to M Kamokamen Illustration Collection (KとM　かも仮面初作品集) is a collection volume of online and original art that follows K and M as they are friends, then more.

Galette Vol. 4 Special English Edition Kickstarter campaign is set to go live on October 15. I know we’re all excited to support independent, creator-owned Yuri! 

Via LumRanmaYasha on Bluesky, the Yen Press retailers panel was full of good news for Yuri fans. First, The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All is one of Yen’s Top 10 best sellers with only 2 volumes so far. Compare it to other top selling series which have 2x-10x more volumes. Additionally, Yen is saying that Love Bullet is expected to be their biggest seller of 2025, with a *December* release. It’s not yet on the Yuricon Store, as a cover has not yet been revealed, but you can pre-order it now on Amazon, Bookwalker, Crunchyroll and Bookshop.org. Read the whole thread, it’s good news and we can all use good news.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All was nominated for a Harvey Award this year. It lost out to Witch Hat Atelier, which…if you gotta lose, that’s a good one to lose to. ^_^

Mangaalerts is doing a Sailor Moon manga box set giveaway. Check out their post on Bluesky for details!

Hanakage Alt took to Bluesky to announce that their manga, On’ni tte yonde mo īdesu ka? (オンニって呼んでもいいですか ?) is #1 on Comic Walker in the Yuri category. Woo!

ANN’s Rafael Antonio Pineda has the news that The Summer You Were There creator Yuama has a new series beginning in  Comic Yuri Hime, Tayutau Koi no Chirigawa ni.

Via YNN Correspondent akatsukinoluna, a new Yuri imprint has launched in Japan. Bunkasha has announced the orSis label. Some of the names are familiar, Nomiya Rion, Yoshitomi Akihito, Akegata Yuu. I am wondering if this is related to the closure of Futekiya’s Manga Planet, as Akegata Yuu’s Tsuki to Suppin had been one of their titles, and Nomiya Rion had also had some work there. Keep an eye on these!

 

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Yuri Goods

The Love Bullet pop-up has reached Kinokuniya’s online store, for those that can’t make it to a con or a Kino location. Grab some fun Love Bullet merch, and check out the The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All shop as well. 

 

LGBTQ Comic & Novel

The Fanboy Factor reports that the sold out Adventure Time Bubbeline College Special #1 is going into a second printing in November. 

Christine Love, game dev known for Ladykiller in a Bind, has a novel out. Star Sword Nemesis is about “the most fashionable girl in a utopian collective of Trans-Neptunian Objects falling in love with her fencing instructor, the deadliest turncoat milf in all of space,” featuring art by Max Schwartz.

 

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Yuri Anime

Anime Feminist’s Vrai Kaiser takes a look at two of this season’s Yuri anime in This Monster Wants to Eat Me – Episode 1 and A Mangaka’s Weirdly Wonderful Workplace – Episode 1.

I also reviewed This Monster Wants To Eat Me anime this week here on Okazu, ICYMI. ^_^

 

Yuri Live Action

Via backer notification and Comic Natalie, Yorita Miyuki’s crowdfunded live-action film adaptation of her manga, Kanojo no Kuchizuke Kansen Suru Libido (彼女のくちづけ 感染するリビドー)  is getting a theatrical release in Ikebukuro on November 7. How exciting!

 

Other News

Via Anime News Network on Bluesky, here’s a metal version of the Sailor Moon theme by Powerglove for you to enjoy. ^_^

 

Your support for Yuri journalism and research has never been more important. Patreon and Ko-Fi are where we currently accept subscriptions and tips.  Our goal now, into 2025, is to raise our guest writers’ wages to above industry standard, which are too low!

Your support goes straight to paying for Guest Reviews, folks helping with videos, 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 | 1 Comment »


Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord, Volume 5

October 10th, 2025

Two women stand in the yard of a Japanese home, laundry in a basket behind them on the veranda, as they dance. A woman with short dark hair, draped in a sheet as a dress, laughs as she is dipped by a taller woman with long blonde hair, wearing denim jeans and jacket.It has been a bit of while since we took a look at Suga Asako and her landlord, former idol group leader Miyako. This adult slice of life story by Yodokawa is the perfect manga to sink into for some emotional comfort food. 

Asako and Miyako are comfortable now thinking of themselves as a couple. After visiting Miyako’s family, Asako is looking forward to her days with her landlord, but when Matsuba stops by and makes her truly consider what that future means, Asako finds herself once again at a loss. 

But all that needs to be put aside, because Miyako has been found by paparazzi hanging out with the current Elm members and it has created instability for all of them. Miyako and Elm suggest a bold plan to quell rumors and set the past behind them.

There is something charming and special in this slice-of-not-everday-life. Few among us are ever going to have to live the life of an idol, or be partner to one. (I admit to spending surprising amount of time thinking about just that, as our Yuricon mascot Yuriko is exactly that kind of mega-popular idol and I think about the next novella about her when I am not able to sleep, which is frequently. ^_^;) But there are so many things in this story which might resonate with anyone – navigating complex feelings, letting someone into one’s life, meeting family, building a future. All of that is something any adult might experience, even if one’s partner is not mega- (or even micro-)famous .

Yodokawa’s art has grown into this story, as well. Along with fantastic expressions, body language here is exceptional, particularly as the story builds up to the climax.

Ratings: 

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 9

Overall  – 9

This is an immensely satisfying end to an entertaining and satisfying series. I look forward to more from Yodokawa-sensei, for sure. 

Posted in English Manga, Yuri Manga | No Comments »