Yuri Network News – (百合ネットワークニュース) – December 6, 2014

December 6th, 2014

YNN_MariK

Yuri Manga

There never was an original Nanoha manga. The series got short interstial volumes that summarized the previous anime series and included additional gag comics. Well that’s been rectified, with a two-volume retelling of the first series.  ORIGINAL CHRONICLE Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The 1st (ORIGINAL CHRONICLE 魔法少女リリカルなのはThe 1st) Volume 1 and Volume 2. Two volumes seems fair for the relatively short first series.

Hirari collections Fuji Tamaki’s  Kono Yo ni Tada Hitori, (この世にただひとり), Hakamada Mera’s  Riyuu (Wake) monaku Kanashikunareno (理由(わけ)もなく悲しくなるの), are out now and Isotani Yuuki’s Sayonara Mutski-chan (さようならむつきちゃん) will be out at the end of the month. Comic Natalie reports that Comic Yuri Hime have picked up and will be putting out several formerly Hirari series, as well.

The third and final volume of Omoi no Kakera, (想いの欠片) by Takemiya Jin-sensei is getting a Christmas Day  release.

The same week sees the second volume of  Anoko ni Kiss to Shiroyuri wo (あの娘にキスと白百合を), a surprisingly good series. Here’s my review of Volume 1. I didn’t expect a sequel. That’s cool. ^_^

Woops, I missed reporting this in a timely fashion by taking last week off. Comic Yuri Hime celebrated it’s 10th anniversary last week. Congratulations! Here’s to another 10!

And squeeee, Nishi UKO-sensei’s new collection Tonari no Robot (となりのロボット) is out.  ^_^

There is growing interest in Yuri among Chinese readers! A manhua with Yuri, All Hail Empress Her Majesty (拜见女皇陛下) is a title that has got growing popularity among Chinese Yuri circles. (And for Chinese readers, the Okazu interview with Takemiya Jin has been translated into Chinese with my permission. Thanks Tsukasa!)

I’m a terrible person…I forgot in my overview of Sparkler Monthly, to mention another comic starring a lesbian – a trucker, no less! For Peace by Alexis Cooke, is up for you perusal for free! Go try it! The tagline is “The interstate of true love never did run smooth. ” You gotta love it for that. ^_^

I got my copy of Eureka‘s Current State of Yuri Culture issue (ユリイカ 百合文化の現在) today and I am extremely chuffed at seeing my name in the book. And for those who asked – the cover illustration was by Shimura Takako-sensei. ^_^

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I was thinking about what I can offer folks who have subscribed to Okazu on Patreon as a special holiday gift. How about an early look at the English version of this article?

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Other News

MOON POWER! A Sailor Moon fanzine is available for free, alongside some of the artist’s other works. Again, there’s no reason to not try. Thanks to Senior YNN Correspondent Erin S. for the link!

YNN Correspondent Simon B wants me to remind you all  Wandering Son Volume 8 is up for pre-order. It’ll see a May 15th release. I’m glad that Fantagraphics is sticking with this title after it brought in a good chunk of contributors to their last Kickstarter. Volume 7 came out in September, so catch up before the new year!

On Crowdfunding watch as always, We Need Diverse Books! is addressing the very real problem of lack of diversity in children’s books head on.  WNDB is providing educational kits to libraries and schools, travel funding for writers and artists to attend conferences and funding for diverse interns at publishing houses. All to promote all kinds of diversity in children’s lit. They’ve already reached and exceeded their goal, but they’ve got a few days left – and we really need diverse books.

There is a Shingeki no Kyoujjn/Attack on Titan spinoff series called Lost Girls in the works. The first volume looks depressing as hell and has Mikasa and Annie on the cover. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for some Ymir/Krista time. But I’m not holding my breath. ^_^

Geeks Out is putting together a queer comics anthology called Power! that will debut at their now-funded Flame-Con in spring of 2015.

The Mary Sue has dedicated an article to the awesome trans character in Dragon Age Inquisition, Krem. Which then led to an article on Visual representation: Trans characters in comics. A good, if Sandman-focused article.

Shoujo manga powerhouse magazine Nakayoshi is celebrating 60 years with the help of some of our favorite magical girls. ANN Editor Lynzee Lamb has the story.

Action Labs is debuting a new Comic – Fight Like A Girl, by David Pinckney and Soo Lee, which looks darned good!

I just want to end with this fantastic video from Feminist Frequency, starring all male gamers, discussing the nature of the privilege that being male in gaming provides that people might just not be thinking about. It left me feeling better about the gaming community overall.

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Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? Become a Yuri Network Correspondentby 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 | 5 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Himitsu no Kakera (秘密のカケラ)

December 5th, 2014

himitsunokakeraFujisawa Makoto’s Himitsu no Kakera (秘密のカケラ) is the pleasantest thing I have read all week. ^_^

The cover story “Sore wo Omoi no Kakera” features to goat-horned school girls. When one hands over what is clearly a love letter, her love interest eats it. Yuki tries to explain that Yoru’s feelings tasted delicious, but it’s not until Yoru gives her Yuki gives a love letter in return and is immediately driven to eat it that she understands.

This is followed by two very short, average stories. I was getting a bit worried that this would be just another Yuri manga, when we hit “Hontou to Uso to Himitsu.”

The bulk of the book is taken up with this truly delightful story about a witch with a secret identity and the girl she meets one night while out riding her broom. This story was adorable and fun in every way and it made me feel good while reading it.  Even the set up turned out better than I thought it might – at first Sakurako seems like she’s going to be following a step along, but once she and Misors (the witch) meet at school, the story flips the script and she’s  an active participant in their tale. Even Bianca’s apparent tsundere behavior sort of wanders off, so by the end of the story, there isn’t anybody left to not like and one is rooted hard for the protagonists. As I said, a real delight.

Ratings:

Art – 7 Very Comic Yuri Hime house style, not overly infantilized, but still moe.
Story – 9
Characters – 8
Yuri – 7 Like, mostly
Service – 3

Overall – 9

Good, good, good all around. Buy it – read it, look at the pretty pictures, whatever, but do get Himitsu no Kakera!

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime, Yuri Manga | 3 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Ashita no Kimi ni Hanabata wo (明日の君に花束を)

December 4th, 2014

AshitanokiminiKatakura Ako’s Ashita no Kimi ni Hanabata wo (明日の君に花束を) is a collection of shorts from Comic Yuri Hime and while there are a number of reasonably typical setups – sempai and kouhai with varying levels of complexity – but there is one story that really stood out.

“Lily Maguerite to Kasumisou” – which supplies the cover image is a multichapter piece about a girl who falls for her friend’s mother…and another chapter about the friend’s feeling about this. It’s hard to feel completely comfortable with the story, though, as the mother is married and the father is alive and well. This story fills most of the middle of this volume. It both likable and unlikable in mesure – and often for the same reasons. For the feeling of being made uncomfortable by a story one is actually enjoying, this is worth reading. It’s good leavening.

All the stories get one-page epilogues in the final section of the book, and to be honest the epilogue for “Lily Maguerite to Kasumisou” is no less unsettling.

Katakura-sensei’s art is pretty solid, vaguely reminiscent of Konno Kita, without the air of refinement.

Ratings:

Art – 8 YMMV, but I like it
Story – 6
Characters – 6 We have no time with anyone, except Yukuko, through whose eyes we see the relationship between her mother and friend
Yuri – 7
Service – 3

Overall – 7

I probably would not suggest this book to a Yuri beginner, but it’s a decent enough collection.

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime, Yuri Manga | No Comments »


Light Novel: Oshaka-sama mo Miteru: Hotaru no Hikaru (お釈様もみてる 蛍のヒカル)

December 2nd, 2014

hotaruThe path splits before you. On the right it goes straight up a steep hill, right through the forest in a direct route. On the left, the path is less steep, but it makes a wide detour. A young man stands in front of the split in the road, with a student notebook with a black cover visible in his pocket.

Kashiwagi Suguru is graduating from Hanadera Academy. Annoying as he is (and he is certainly that) Fukuzawa Yuuki has to admit that “Hikaru no Kimi” as his fans in the school style him, is leaving and Yuuki hasn’t had a chance to say “thank you.” Arisu is knitting goodbye sweaters, and everyone else seems content to let him leave the Student Council without any special  event – in fact, Andre-sempai has arranged a rock-scissor-papers tournament to give Kashiwagi’s stuff away – but Yuuki has nothing to give his important and influential sempai. This is the plot of Oshaka-sama mo Miteru: Hotaru no Hikaru. (お釈様もみてる 蛍のヒカル)

As incoming Student Council President, Yuuki is responsible for the farewell message on behalf of the student body at graduation. He’s warned that the Genji (athletic clubs) and the Heishi (culture clubs) are planning to prank him. As he writes the farewell message, a pressure builds within him to say goodbye to Kashiwagi. He runs around the school, looking for his mentor, at last finding him where they first met. He finally has his chance to say thank you. And to ask Kashiwagi who, exactly, gave him his nickname? Kashiwagi’s response is surprising – he had 4 eboshi oya – the Hanadera version of a sempai. (Just as Arisu has two – both the Yakushiji twins.) It was a former Vice President of the student council who gave him his nickname. As they part, Kashiwagi almost kisses Yuuki, but Yuuki stops him.

The graduation ceremony begins. As it progresses, Yuuki begins to get nervous. When he finally stands up on the dais, he notices that the room has become darker. And, suddenly, the nature of the “joke” the clubs were playing on him is made plain. Everyone has removed the red or white cover of their student notebooks that denote whether they are Heishi or Genji, so they, like him, are bearing a black notebook. Yuuki is moved deeply by this show of support for him. He realizes that this was the student body’s way of letting them know they are 100% behind him. He finishes his farewell and sit, dazed.

As he leaves the school that day, he runs into Kashiwagi once again. Standing just where the road splits, not thinking that he’d be seen by other students, Yuuki gives Kashiwagi the one farewell gift he has to give him – he kisses Kashiwagi. And immediately thinks that was his first and last kiss with a guy. ^_^

A chapter of his life is over, but as the book closes, Yuuki feels like something new has begun.

47 books – novels, short story collections, guides to the series, 8 volumes of manga, 4 seasons of anime and a live-action movie – later, the Maria-sama ga Miteru/Oshaku-sama mo Miteru has finally come to an end. Or has it? In the afterword, Konno-sensei says she’s not sayin’. The story as we know it is over. As Yumi’s story ended with Sachiko’s graduation, it fits that Yuuki’s ended with Kashiwagi’s. But she made no promise that she wouldn’t revisit Lillian or Hanadera in the future.

I had been reading this final chunk of the series a bit out of obligation, a bit because I wanted some connection, no matter how tenuous, but at the very end, Konno-sensei was still able to surprise and move me. In the end, it was worth every minute spent reading this book.

Thank you Konno-sensei, it was a blast. I look forward to your next series. ^_^

Posted in Light Novel, Light Novels | 2 Comments »


Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime, September 2014 (コミック百合姫)

December 1st, 2014

CYH1409The September 2014 Issue of Comic Yuri Hime  (コミック百合姫) was the most unreadable issue since Comic Yuri Hime S was re-absorbed into the main publication.

Unless you like sisters in love, animal-eared fetuses in frilly dresses, stories of friends in which no feelings of romance exist at all, and all the other not-two-girls-who are-together-and-the-story-happens possible permutations of “Yuri” there is very, very little for you to enjoy.

There was very little for me to enjoy here. Which is not to say there was nothing. Just not much. Continuing stores continue, there are a few bright spots here and there.

Comic Yuri Hime, having driven away almost all my favorite artists, and having boxed the remainder into “infantile moe schoolgirls” has set the clock back to 2000, with an audience who likes Yuri waiting for someone to publish a decent Yuri magazine. Even as Yuri as a genre is getting serious attention,Yuri anthology magazines have hit rock bottom.

Well, time to shake ourselves off and start again! I will be here when they get back. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 2

I’ll be honest, the continuation of Yuri Danshi and Yuri Yuri enrages me. Enough already. They are not funny, not entertaining and not Yuri. End them already and give that space to something with actual Yuri. Please.

Posted in Comic Yuri Hime, Yuri Manga | 20 Comments »