Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – February 10, 2017

February 11th, 2017

Wow, it’s Saturday already! What a week. What a month! Geez, it’s going to be a crazy year. ^_^ Tons of news this week as I catch up on a backlog!

 

Yuri Manga

Saborouta’s Citrus has made it to Volume 5 in English and Volume 6 in Japanese.

Volume 4 of 2DK, GPen, Mezamashitokei (2DK、Gペン、目覚まし時計。) is going to hit shelves next week and it’s going to raise some eyebrows! Ohsawa Yayoi’s adult life series has just taken a very interesting turn. ^_^

 

LGBTQ Comics

YNN Correspondent Brendan B has written in to share some exciting news. “The series Superwoman from DC has a pair of supporting characters named Natasha Irons and Traci 13 (some teen superheroes from the 90’s) who have now been reimagined as a couple. It made me really happy to see and I just thought some people might be interested to know. (Also sidenote a rare example of a black/Asian interracial couple since I rarely see that in fiction either.)” I’d like to also note that Superwoman is being written right now by Phil Jimenez, who also contributed to LGBT Comic anthology Love is Love (which is available in print and also digitally on Comixology and Kindle).

And while we’re talking DC, I want to mention that Mariko Tamaki (Skim, This One Summer) is working on Supergirl with Joëlle Jones right now!

If you liked Jem and the Holograms (or liked the idea of Jem and the Holograms, but not the actual thing itself) Kim & Kim, Volume 1: This Glamorous, High-Flying Rock Star Life looks like it’ll be for you!

For our Japanese friends, you can get Nakamura Kiyo’s Rezu to Shichinin no Kanojo-tachi (レズと七人の彼女たち) on Kindle or read it online for a per-chapter fee on Note.mu.

 

Yuri Articles

YNN Correspondent Mudakun of Hearts of Furious Fancies, reports on “A fan translation of a discussion by three shonen-ish magazine types about Yuri-ish titles.”  You can find the original on Akiba Blog.  He has this to say about it, “At least One editor-san seems to be worried that Yuri was too “removed” from their readership’s understanding or experience for the reader to have much sympathy (I’m abstracting here), where I’ve been under the impression that the distance is what makes these tales attractive to jaded male-gaze types (like me).”

In my experience of Yuri fandom fans are very invested in the couple, but it’s not surprising that the editor would “other” it to make it make sense to him. ^_^

Via Jennifer Robertson, The Japan Times has reported on a symposium at the California Institute of the Arts:  Female animators breaking down male-dominated cartoon-women stereotypes. It’s a refreshing look by western female animators at some of the tired tropes of women in animation.

 

LGBTQ Podcast

In case you missed it, this week’s ANNCast was a lively discussion about LGBTQ representation in anime and manga. Hope you’ll take a listen.

 

LGBTQ Webcomics

YNN Correspondent Michaelangelo H wants you all to know about Flipside, by Brion Foulke, about a lesbian couple, Maytag and Bernadette. 

Chii on Twitter, posted a little 4-panel strip about the differences between Yuri and Lesbian and BL and Gay. ^_^ The accompanying blog post also discusses the differences in LGBTQ culture and BL and Yuri fandoms. (In Japanese.) 

 

Yuri Games

Michaelangelo also wants you to know that game company Winter Wolves has two Yuri projects in the works.  One of them is a Yuri dating sim called Summer in Trigue.  The other is a Yuri version of an already-released otome game called Nicole. 

 

Live-Action News

I’d completely forgotten, but March will see an actual Silent Mobius Stage adaptation! All I care about is whether Rally Cheyenne looks suitable. She does. ^_^ If you’re in Tokyo and can see it, do let us know how it goes!

 

Yuri Goods

You need this FiguartsZERO Sailor Moon Crystal figurine of Sailor Uranus. I know you do. Heck, I know *I* do.

 

Resistance News

I start my week now with a call to my spineless and disinterested Representative. How about you? Check out 5Calls.org to help you communicate with all 5 of the offices your Senators or Representatives maintain.

Also, let me be plain about this – resistance is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. Be kind to yourself. Stop reading news when it becomes too much for you. Get as many hugs and cookies as you can. Walk away from non-entertainment media when you have to, do not feel guilty about that.  You’re allowed to take a break and have some fun.

I attended a protest this week calling for a local town to be the Sanctuary city it is (the Mayor is on board, but ICE agents have been harassing people. This has been true since I was in college.) We protested in front of City Hall, then marched down the main street. While this was going on, the city police force were holding traffic for us and being very supportive. It wasn’t a big deal, but it gave me a ray of hope, especially since most of the protesters were PoC. It always makes me happy when the police refuse to participate in displays of white supremacy. In my own town, the police told George W. Bush and the Mayor at the time to pleasure himself when they wanted to deputize the police as ICE agents. ^_^

Celebrate every single victory, no matter how small or ephemeral. If you have any positive news from your corner of the globe, please feel free to share. Good news helps us be not overwhelmed by despair. ^_^

Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!

Posted in Yuri Network News | 2 Comments »


LGBTQ Representation in Anime and Manga on ANNCast

February 10th, 2017

I’ve been writing and talking about LGBTQ themes anime and manga for almost 20 years now and you know what? I never get tired of it. ^_^

Today’s ANNCast, El Gee Bee, you can hear a fabulous, and much too short, conversation about that very thing.

Thanks very much to Zac Bertschy, Jacob Chapman, Valerie Complex, and Jason Thompson for a fantastic and fascinating conversation. I’ll never watch Pokemon the same, thanks Jacob,  (and honestly, I liked La Blue Girl for what it was, but I was admittedly an adult. I liked the live-action even more because it was hilarious.) I was delighted to be able to mention Claudine, Murcielago (coming out this year in English from Yen Press) and Otouto no Otto, coming out this year from Pantheon Books. (I said it was IDW during the recording. My apologies.)

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I’m so honored to be back on the show and I really enjoyed the heck out of this conversation. I hope you all have as much fun with it as I did. Thanks, everyone!

Posted in LGBTQ | 6 Comments »


Torikaebaya Manga, Volume 10 (とりかえ・ばや)

February 9th, 2017

AUUUUGGGHH.

Sorry, but I got almost all the way through Volume 10 of Saitou Chiho-sensei’s Torikaebaya (とりかえ・ばや) without screaming and then I hit the final bit and AUUUUGGGHH!

Okay, so. The Mikado is being pressured to replace Toguu-sama as heir and Ginkaku, an evil priest with really evil eyebrows and Shikibu-no-miya (who you always knew had to be evil because of his eyebrows) pick a really cute kid called Yuzuru. Sarasojuu (as Suiren) is helping out with him and ends up playing the flute and almost, almost the Mikado clues in, but nope he misses it. AUUUUGGGHH I really wanted him to figure it out.

Suiren, as Sarasojuu, is away from the capital and, for the first time we see him as a man. He’s willowly and pretty, as one might expect, but is taking to his new role. 

To suss Ginkaku out, Sara as Suiren has her lady in waiting share a rumor that she’s pregnant. The Mikado is furious at her, but she explains why and, eventually receives a gift of poison from the evil-eyebrowed one. On her way to inform the Emperor, she’s pushed off a walkway and suffers a concussion. The Mikado tends to her himself and she finally has a chance to explain the whole deal.

Ginakaku visits her…and here’s the moment when I screamed. I want the Emperor to figure it all out! Really. I want him to “get” what the deal with Sara and Suiren is, but the person who figures it all out is none other than the evil-eyebrowed priest Ginkaku. AUUUUGGGHH. Sara, as Suiren, puts him off but knows this is not good. Not good at all.

MEANWHILE Suiren, as Sarasojuu, is off to Ginkaku’s temple to find evidence of his perfidy. They find an elaborate curse against the Emperor in place. It becomes instantly apparent what the plan is. Now that Toguu-sama has been neutralized, if they kill the Mikado, they will becomes Prince Yuzuru’s regents. As Suiren turns to leave, they are attacked. AUUUUGGGHH

Oh my god this story is killing me.

It’s pretty obvious that, if any of the romances are going to have a positive resolution, both Suiren and Sarasojuu will have to pass through life as their birth gender, which annoys me to no end. In my imaginary ending now, Suiren is able to live with Toguu-sama away from court as herself and Sarasojuu is able to live as a young man whom the Mikado takes to bed sometimes. ^_^ Wishful thinking, I know.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 1

Overall – 9

I’m really disappointed in the Emperor. He was *so* close there for a second. I thought he was good-looking and smart, but nope. Ah well.

Volume 11 doesn’t land until March, so I have a few weeks to recover.

 

Posted in Miscellaneous, Saitou Chiho | No Comments »


Code Name ha Sailor V Perfect Edition Manga, Volume 2 (コードネームはセーラーV 新装版)

February 6th, 2017

It’s well known that Sailor Venus was the first of the Senshi to appear, as I mention in my review of Volume 1. But it becomes extremely plain as one reads the second volume of Code Name ha Sailor V Perfect Edition, (コードネームはセーラーv-新装版) that, as Takeuchi Naoko finally had time to end the series, she intentionally sewed it neatly into the larger narrative of the Moon Kingdom and the rebirth of the Princess and her guardians.

But first Minako’s secret identity is discovered by the police chief who likes Minako, but secretly fangirls on Sailor V, as both Venus and the police continue to fight against the Dark Energy group.

One of the most intriguing chapters contains what I think of as the “mangaka meltdown”, in which the artist draws about how soul-crushing working as a manga artist is. In this chapter, not only does she have Minako grind as a manga artist’s assistant, she gets to reimagine the Senshi as sisters who run a wedding boutique in “Wedding Aurora,” a manga title which I hope was a nod to Wedding Peach. The image of Aurora and her 8 sisters look mightly familiar. ^_^

Also familiar are the cameo appearances of the Inner Senshi, casually passed by, on street or train. Even as Minako’s memories awaken, she’s not yet able to see past the glamour of magic around them, leaving that part of the story for another series entirely. These moments are absolutely the best part of this volume. I’m such a softie for the Senshi. ^_^

Ratings: 

Art – 7
Story – 5
Characters – 7
Yuri – 0
Service – 1 on principle

Overall – 7

So, while I would not call this a compelling series, if you’re a Sailor Moon completist, it’s worth taking a look at the shiny new Perfect Edition of Code Name ha Sailor V.

Posted in Miscellaneous | 2 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Gakuen Polizi, Volume 2 (English)

February 5th, 2017

Time is a funny thing. I first reviewed Gakuen Polizi, Volume 2 when it came out in Japanese. And, since then, I’ve found myself increasingly dissatisfied with the narrative. So much so, that I reviewed Gakuen Polizi, Volume 1 in English in 2014(!) and have been stalling on Volume 2 since.  Today, at last, I’m sitting down to talk with you about Gakuen Polizi, Volume 2 in English from Seven Seas.

Why? You don’t have to ask, because obviously I am going to tell you. ^_^

You know the phrase Women in Refrigerators? It was coined by comic writer and amazing human, Gail Simone. I’m going to be lazy and quote Wiki here:

It refers to an incident in Green Lantern #54 (1994), written by Ron Marz, in which Kyle Rayner, the title hero, comes home to his apartment to find that his girlfriend, Alexandra DeWitt, had been killed by the villain Major Force and stuffed into a refrigerator. Simone and her colleagues then developed a list of fictional female characters who had been “killed, maimed or depowered”, in particular in ways that treated the female character as merely a device to move a male character’s story arc forward, rather than as a fully developed character in her own right.

In subsequent years, we’ve had many discussions in comics and other popular media about “fridging” and Kelly Sue DeConnick’s “sexy lamp test” about which she said

“If you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.”

In a nutshell, these issues are part of the disenfranchising of female characters. And, to some extent, they are also part of the de-nuancing of the villains. In the weekend after watching Steven Universe “That Will Be All” in which we were gifted with fabulously nuanced and evocative performances from the villains of the story, it’s kind of brute-force narrative to have to turn to a manga in which a female character is almost gang raped on film just to show you how bad the nameless baddies are. UGH.

So, yeah, that’s why. ^_^

There are some other problematic things about the story. The relationship between a student and a teacher might be sincere, but will always be fraught. It was presented with some, but not enough context, just enough to make both characters sympathetic and the story less ham-handed, but the situation was still creepy.

Sometimes, when I write a story, I find it taking off into a dark place. I’ve cut out tens of thousands of words in stories when the idea needed to be treated with a light hand and kept crawling into a dark corner. This story needed that. It worked best when it was dealing with moments of human frailty and not big crime rings. 

The ending makes sense best if you recognize the characters from a doujinshi Morinaga-sensei drew decades ago. To be honest, I assumed from the beginning that that story was the kernel for this manga. 

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 6
Service – 8 Way more service than the first volume

Overall – 7

I would not rate this series among Morinaga-sensei’s best. I’m glad it’s in the past and that she’s moved on to Hana to Hina ha Houkago, which will be coming out in English as Hana and Hina Aterschool this spring. 

Posted in English Manga, Morinaga Milk, Yuri Manga | 6 Comments »