LGBTQ: Oath, An Anthology of New (Queer) Heroes

January 29th, 2017

I’m horribly backlogged on the books I backed on Kickstarter in 2016. Today I’m going to take a look at Oath, An Anthology of New (Queer) Heroes. 

Created by a lineup of talented creators, this book is a fully diverse anthology that takes a look at the stories of people who are or have become, heroes and whose gender, sexuality, race and body size do not in any way negatively affect their ability to function as heroes.

My two favorite stories were Theo Nicol Lorenz’ story “Lunch Break” in which two people with secrets learn to trust and love one another – a theme that repeated throughout the book and Lee and Ty Blauersouth’s “Safe House” which broke age barriers as well and had a truly joyful ending.

“The Fourth Option” by Adriana Ferguson and K. Van Dam actually made me laugh out loud with it’s quirky “information assimilant” who makes packets with key information, including her name. 

And Jenn St-Onge’s No Sugar was a tale that would be familiar to any manga fan of magical girl stories.

As one might expect (and for me, desire) in an anthology, the art styles are varied, but I’m going to  say that the story telling as tighter then usual for an anthology. Especially one that has such a broad overarching topic as “Heroes.” I don’t think any of the stories left me feeling as if anything wwas missing and almost all of them felt scripted exactly as they needed to be – enough to tell the story, not too much to preach, not too little to leave us wondering what as going on.

Ratings:

Overall – 9

As Kickstarter anthologies go, Oath was one of the best I have read. Oath is available digitally on the Oath shop or softcover in print.

 

Posted in LGBTQ, Western Comic/Comix | No Comments »


Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – January 28, 2017

January 28th, 2017

Sailor Moon News

The fourth season of Sailor Moon Crystal has been announced, according to Rocket24News, as part of the official 25th anniversary of the series.  At this point, we have to just assume that they’ll be completing the series. Then they’ll have to figure out something new for the 30th Anniversary. 

Here’s a piece of amazing news – ANN Reports that the Sailor Moon Musical is coming to Anime Matsuri in Houston Texas! I think that’s spectacular. The cast includes several former Takarisiennes, including Yamato Yuga who plays Tuxedo Mask and Shiotsuki Shuu who plays Sailor Uranus. This is a fantastic chance for American fans to experience a Seraamyu event.

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Support Yuri News and Reviews –  Subscribe to Okazu withSubcribe with Patreon

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Yuri Manga

I’m pleased to report that the independent Yuri anthology Galette (ガレット創刊号) is now available for pre-order on Amazon JP and will be shipping mid-February. This book includes illustrations and manga by Takemiya Jin, Hakamada Mera, Amano Shuninta and many others.

Takashima Hiromi’s Kase-san and Morning Glory, a book that made Top Ten here on Okazu is hitting western bookshelves in English at the end of February.

Momono Moto has a new collection called Akane-iro Kiss. (茜色のキスは屋上で)

Yasuda Kousuke is a new name here on Okazu. His book Watashi no Kanojo no Otomari Eiga  (私と彼女のお泊まり映画 1) appears to be about two college students who have a standing “Movie night” date. So half movie review, half Yuri manga.  ^_^

Morinaga Milk’s Hana to Hina no Houkago  (ハナとヒナは放課後) continues into a Volume 3, with a lovely cover. ^_^

Goofy body switch with a heart manga Swap⇔Swap, (すわっぷ⇔すわっぷ) gets a second volume, which is pretty amazing as they clearly ran out of content by the end of Volume 1.

 

LGBTQ Comics

YNN Correspondent Mariko S want to make sure you know about the IDW anthology by some leading lights in the comics industry, Love is Love. It was created to raise money for the families of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting victims and has been so popular that the first printing sold out!

Women’s comic pioneer, Roberta Gregory, has been named as a possible honoree at the Eisner Hall of Fame this year. This is fantastic news for those of us who grew up with her life-changing Bitchy Bitch. ^_^

And while I was looking for a link to Love is Love, I found this absolutely awesome-looking illustrated history of LGBTQ activism called Queer: A Graphic History by Dr. Meg-John Barker and Julia Scheele.

I know we’ve mentioned this before, but Marvel has a queer Latina superhero, America Chavez and it’s worth checking her book out.

Thanks to Mr. Mochizuki, who I met out in Michigan, I learned about another LGBTQ comic running in a mainstream comic magazine in Japan, but this one really surprised me. Sorairo Flutter (そらいろフラッター) by Okura and Hashii Koma, is about bisexuality. That in itself is interesting, but it is running in Gangan Joker magazine, which shocked the heck out of me. It is a pretty “otaku-ish” magazine, which spends much more time on violence and treating women shitty than it does, usually on young men’s feelings. Count me surprised, but very pleased with this.

 

Other News

I haven’t read it, but if you want an attendee perspective of my lecture at University of Michigan, Patricia F. Anderson has passed along a Storified version of her live-tweeting “Alt-Manga, Queer Manga”! Thanks Patricia!

James Whitbrook blew my mind with this fantastic article about character detail in Steven Universe.

I keep meaning to pass this along. Anime Feminist, which is a blog you should be following, has an interview with Masaki C. Matsumoto, queer and feminist activist, which you should be reading. ^_^

We’ll wrap up today with  a reading suggestion from YNN Correspondent, Guest Reviewer, Patron and dear friend Bruce, Daughters of the Samurai by Janice P. Nimura. Bruce has this to say about it: “It’s about a small group of provincial girls who were somewhat randomly selected by the Meiji government in 1871 to go to America, get some western schooling, and return to help establish women’s education in Japan. Shipped overseas with no family, no English, and no idea what they were doing (one was only six), three of the original five ended up kicking butt at Vassar and Bryn Mawr, and on return were instrumental in the development of Japanese women’s higher education. The description sounds a little dry, but it’s a fascinating cross-cultural story of some truly extraordinary women. Great book.”

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 | 6 Comments »


The Perqs of Okazu Patronage Lucky Box Contest!

January 27th, 2017

Hello my friends. I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for, well, everything. Thank you for reading and commenting (some fantastic comments on yesterday’s post! I think I replied to all of you) and guest reviewing and, not at all least for being Patrons. Your patronage has made it possible for me to review a lot of cool stuff and has helped me report on very cool events.

I’m going to be giving a talk in NYC in March and in April I will be flying out to San Francisco to participate in Queers & Comics 2017 with brilliant creators and writers and academics. And so, I am turning to you hoping to entice you to become part of my Okazu Patreon, with a little added incentive. ^_^

As a Patron of $5/month or more you get a badge that proclaims that you are an Okazu Hero or Superhero. At $25/more you get a nifty little omamori I made up special for Okazu no miko, which was the super dorky, yet loving, title I came up with for that level. ^_^

When you, as a Patron, have supported us for $25, no matter what the level, you are entitled to your own personal Yuri chat with me. I’ve done this a few times with Patrons at a couple of levels and it’s always a blast.  This year, we’re also adding something a little different.

As you know, every winter I put together eclectic collections of Yuri manga, toys, random items, candy, utter crap and other cool things and hold Lucky Box sales. This year, I’ve got a couple of boxes, jam -packed full of manga, magazines, candy, toys, stickers and random crap and I’m giving them away to Okazu Patrons. I’ll be holding two Lucky Box Raffles special for Okazu Patrons. 

One raffle is especially for current Patrons. (I loathe contests that exclude current customers. Aren’t they just so vexing?) I’ll be emailing them shortly about that.

And, this is where you come in –  I will be offering one exclusive Lucky Box raffle entry for new Patreon supporters who join before February 28, 2017.  

Become a Patron at any amount and you’ll be entered into a raffle to win a exclusive Okazu Lucky Box. People who have gotten them in the past have described them as “Amazing…in a couple of ways,” “Full of strange stuff, but fun!” and “I love it!” I always cram the box as full as possible.

Disclaimers & Restrictions

Sorry, but there has to be a few restrictions.

You *must* be over 18 to receive  a Lucky Box. I don’t police what goes in it and some magazines and manga are likely to be for not-children readers. I may throw in a lolly for your kid, or for you if you don’t want to share.

Lucky Box winners must be from the continuous 48 states. I use US Postal Service flat rate boxes, which means that I can cram a ton of stuff in the things, but it also means there’s limits on where they can go. However, if you subscribe from overseas, I will figure something out to thank you. I have really cool postcards and I’m not afraid to use them. ^_^

In conclusion, please consider helping me get to Queers & Comics, help pay Guest Reviewers and help keep up the work we do and the fun we have here at Okazu by subscribing on Patreon.

 

Posted in Okazu News | No Comments »


Yuri Manga: Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Volume 3 (やがて君になる )

January 26th, 2017

In Volume 3 of Nakatani Nio’s Yagate Kimi ni Naru, (やがて君になる) some very good things happen and some very not good things happen. 

I will begin with the not-good things, which is to say, the main plot continues to throw up some serious warning signs. In my reviews of Volume 1 and Volume 2, I have expressed very real concerns about this narrative. And generally, I’ve received a lot of flack for this opinion. To make my point I am going to review Volume 3, but I will pretend Touko is a guy. I will call him Tou-kun. It is very important that you play along with me, so you understand my point. Thank you. 

Yuu is very happy with her relationship with Tou-kun. She is pleased to accompany him as a friend, to support him in Student Council endeavors and to cheer him on in the club relay. But, Tou-kun clearly wants more from Yuu than she is comfortable giving. He coerces her into kissing him from time to time, without her express consent. And, on the eve of the sports festival he insists that, if he wins his race, she will kiss him for real, taking the lead. She does not dislike kissing him, but she does not like it, either and really is made deeply uncomfortable by this request.

When the time comes, Tou-kun drags her to a quiet place and demands his ‘reward.’ Yuu just cannot bring herself to do it….

Hopefully, my point becomes plain in this scenario. If Touko was a guy, the lack of consent and coercion she is using on Yuu would be disturbing to most of you. It should be no less disturbing because she is a girl. Coercion is coercion and lack of consent is lack of consent.

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That having been said, as it must, a side plot has become very interesting. The book begins with an extended look at Sayaka, Touko’s Vice President on the Student Council. It has been very obvious to me from the beginning that her feelings for Touko are much more than merely friendship and that while she understands those feelings will not be returned, she resents Yuu for being the target of Touko’s attention, when she herself longs for it.

In Volume 2, Sayaka learned, quite unexpectedly, that her homeroom teacher is going out with the owner of the cafe they had visited.   In Volume 3, we see that the two women live together and are lovers. Sayaka’s nascent gaydar is activated and she goes back to the cafe to speak with the owner, who turns out to be a very decent person. Miyako admits that she figured Sayaka was gay, and confirms that, yes, she and the teacher (as we had ourselves seen in a lovely homelife scene) are lovers. Sayaka is thrilled to have an example of an adult woman in a stable relationship and I was likewise thrilled for her to have one as a person to get advice from and, as a role model. Miyako is very helpful and Sayaka feels much unburdened.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 3 or 8, depending on whose story we’re talking about
Characters – 9
Yuri – 8
Service – 1

Overall – 8….

…the beginning of the volume gave me hope, but the end of the volume was very frustrating. At *least* Nakatani-sensei has given readers a not-dysfunctional relationship with Riko and Miyako  and a smart, self aware young lesbian in Sayaka. Because what’s going on with Yuu and Touko is really not okay.

You can decide for yourself whether you consider this a problematic narrative or not, as Bloom Into You, Volume 1 is now available in English from Seven Seas.

Posted in Bloom Into You / Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Nakatani Nio, Yuri Manga | 19 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime February 2017 (コミック百合姫2017年2月号)

January 24th, 2017

Wow, it’s still so novel to have to review Comic Yuri Hime on a monthly basis! I can totally see this getting backlogged. I’m like 3 volumes behind on Rakuen Le Paradis and that’s still quarterly. orz

The opening salvo of  Comic Yuri Hime February 2017 (コミック百合姫2017年2月号) is a charming, Yuri-less situation comedy parody of a detective series called “Holmes-san ga suiri dekinai” by Nemachi Dorumaru. 

Skipping a melodramatic sister-in-law love story for which I like the art, but not the plot, I’ll turn my attention once again to “Watashi no Yuri ha Shigoto desu!” by miman. Not only does it plumb for the most popular Yuri tropes, it adds a few new ones, then trots it all out in front of a crowd of faceless customers, (I wish there were at least a few female customers) to make something wholly squirm-worthy and interesting at the same time. My wife and I agree that I would not survive five minutes in a “Yuri cafe.” ^_^

In Ohsawa Yayoi’s “2DK, GPen, Mezamashitokei” the story is finally taking a real turn towards a relationship, as Nanami finally has a name put to her nascent feelings. Unbeknownst to her, however, Shirayuki has overheard this name as well.

In the time-switch series “Ashita, Kimi ni Aetara” everyone’s breasts are absurdly out of proportion to their bodies and clothes and it’s almost hard to like the protagonist as she tries to fake her way through a day, until it becomes too much for her and she – quite naturally – breaks down in horror at having no idea what is going on.

Hitoto* presents an interesting twist on a relationship with “Shuumatsu nanishini ikou?” in which a couple is so busy doing things the one likes that the other feels quite exhausted.

“Itsuka Minoreba,” in which a girl who is good at video games finds herself taken on and taken in by another girl who is a savant at games is quite moe and I couldn’t remember if it was running here or Comic Cune until I revisited the magazine.

“Roku + Ichi Sodarashi” is pretty much Hidamari Sketch, by a different artist.

Mikanuji’s “Now Loading” jumped right into serious territory and I have hopes that it will now develop at a more sincere pace. As one of few adult-life comics running, I have expectations!

I really like Ohi Pikachi’s “Demi Life,” although the idea of a human girl in a school for non-humans has been done. But apparently I still like it. ^_^

And the final story, “Elena” by Tamasaki Tama is a gentle paranormal short tale of a girl and a statue,  that felt like something I might have read back in the 90s.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

I left out a bunch, much of which I read. Only two stories are wholly unreadable to me at this point, which is a good percentage.

Now, let’s talk Yuri. Quite a lot of the stories here are new and have not yet developed any.But then there’s “2DK, GPen, Mezamashitokei” which has taken a full 4 volumesto develop the very beginning of the relationship. So either, Comic Yuri Hime editors and readers have developed some patience, or they have longer term plans for some of these stories…or it’s just a fluke. Feels weird though, reading some of these and wondering “where’s the Yuri?” It’s not a complaint, really, just a comment and I’m sure that for some of these stories when the Yuri arrives, I won’t like that, either. ^_^ (I’m human, folks. I get to be fickle.)

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