Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime, May 2012 (コミック百合姫)

June 11th, 2012

The May 2012 issue of Comic Yuri Hime (コミック百合姫), has a decent amount of good. For once it doesn’t begin with Yuru Yuri, it drops directly in to some one-shots.

“Sotsugyou Kinshi” by Ohsawa Yayoi reminded me of the good old days of doujinshi Yuri where the threat of graduation is tempered by handing over an apartment key, so separation need not be experienced.

“Inukami-san and Nekoyama-san” continue with that same kind of goofy 4-panel nothing really we’ve become used to from Kuzushiro-sensei.

“Fu~Fu” was sweet and really hard to swallow. Komugi is supposed to be seen as tsundere, but as usually with that type, she’s rarely, if ever dere and is mostly just physically abusive. It’s really not that cute. But Hayase loves her anyway and manages to get the point across.

“Rock it Girl” brings the band right up to their debut night. Despite Kaname’s self-esteem issues, they do indeed rock it.

Morishima Akiko-sensei’s “Futari no Milky Way” was an exposition of de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince and why life with people doesn’t suck all that much, really. ^_^

The story with the incredibly long title that I can never be bothered actually reading by Amano Syuninta actually seems to be settling into a plot. Lost, Sa-chan and Ruki get very close to talking about Sa-chan’s awful boyfriend, and I’m betting next chapter brings a climax to that bit.

“Step Up” by Takemiya Jin has introduced the phrase “Oppai-o gozaimasu” to my house and I may never forgive her. ^_^;

“Kimono Nadesico” is more fun to read than to write about.

And…we’re gearing up for something big in “Love DNA XX” as Erika gets confirmation that Sakura and Aoi like each other…a lot. Too much. I really, really hope this story gets brave and confronts the horrible glaring problem with itself before it wraps up. If this goes all tidy wrap-up on me, I’ll scream.

As always, there are other stories, some of which I read. For a full variety of the styles and stories, get a copy of the magazine and enjoy it for yourself!

Ratings:

Overall – 8



Yuri Network News – June 9, 2012

June 9th, 2012

Look at the exciting things that came my way this week!


Yuri Game

By email from Rinnne Aokaze, who is a scenario designer for games in Japan. He wants us to know about a Yuri 18+ game that has just launched 「彼女と彼女と私の七日」- Her and Her and Me – Seven Days With the Ghost. They are on Twitter here, if you want to chat with the circle who created it. Those of you who buy and play ero-games, I hope you’ll try this one and maybe write up a review, huh?

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Yuri Manga

Comic Yuri Hime has a few new titles coming soon: Kanojyona Maid  (かのじょなメイド) and Takemiya Jin’s newest,  Koi no Kaori (恋のカオリ) among them.

Hakameda Mera’s Salomelic (さろめりっく) from Hirari is slated for a July release and so is Asagao to Katou.

Itazura Choucho (悪戯ちょうちょ) looks Yuri, but it looks depressing as hell, too. At least the mope on the cover does little to convince me it is full of light and joy.

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Other Yuri

From Twitter: Yuriko, Das Vidanya, a movie set in the Taisho period about a married woman who has an intense relationship with her husband and with another woman.

Here’s a timesink for when you’re bored, Yuri Yuri Douga, a blog of Yuri-ish themed videos from Japanese video site Nico Nico Douga.

Lily Friend  (リリィフレンド) is listed as a “Yuri Novel,” but as the main character is a guy who has a sis-con, I’m not convinced it’ll be a “good story.”

Katherine Hanson has an interesting look at Yuri characters who are out to their families in Manga on her Yuri no Boke blog.

Vertical is taking votes for license requests and Aoi Hana is on the list. If you’re on Facebook, let them know you’re interested!

Don’t forget to let JManga know you’re interested in Yuri from Hobunsha, while you’re at it. Drop by their free previews page and “like” Himitsu by Otome Megane. Read the free preview, while you’re there!

Last and totally least, Okazu has won the next round whatever Aniblog Tourney totally pwning Reverse Thieves. Thank you to everyone who voted! Next round will be against some other blogs, because this kind of thing is as endless as the NCAA tournament. In my imagination, Okazu and Yuri no Boke go head to head for the championship and then we’ll see who is loyal or not………….. (^_^)

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Other News


The Japanese government is soliciting overseas entries for the 6th International Manga Awards. The site is in English, so if you are an aspiring artist, give it a try!

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That wraps it up for this week.

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.



Yuri Artbook: Miyabi Fujieda’s Color Illustration Collection 2000-2006

June 8th, 2012

In 2010, you may remember that Kazami Akira-san was very kind to let me know of an art show in Akihabara, featuring the work of one of my favorite artists, Fujieda Miyabi (who sketches live sometimes on his Ustream channel.) We happened to be free that day, and were delighted to be able to see the art we love so much live and in person.

That day I picked up a copy of Fujieda-sensei’s first color artbook collection, 千紅万紫, which would probably translate to A Thousand Reds, Ten Thousand Purples, but it beats me how it might be transliterated, Senbeni Manmurasaki? I have no idea. The title is not the point, so I won’t belabor it.

The book is page after page of delight for the eyes and, to some extent, it’s my own history in Yuri, illustrated. From the covers of ES~Eternal Sisters, the second one of which featured Sarasa and Seriho,  to his costume designs for Himitsu no Angelis, an Iono-sama picture, art for Twinkle Saber Nova and a ton of derivative work from series like Fate/Stay Night, Mai Otome and pages of Maria-sama ga Miteru among others. Not every picture is Yuri, of course, but there’s quite a few that are and others that are simply a delight to see.

Unfortunately, I do not see any legitimate ways of purchasing this artbook outside of Japan, and I’m not going to scan it in, but of all my Yuri artbooks, this one is the top contender for first place. It never fails to make me smile.

Overall – 10

 



Chance to get More Yuri on JManga! Your vote counts

June 7th, 2012

Hobunsha, which publishes Tsubomi Yuri anthology in Japan, has a new page of free previews on JManga. Among the titles they are offering a free previews for is Otomo Megane’s Himitsu.

Clicking the “Like” button for that title is considered a “vote” – so is any other interaction with JManga – reading the preview, telling  them by contact form, on Facebook, on Twitter, sharing the info on Twitter, etc. Make sure you let JManga know you’re interested and let them know you want to see more Yuri from Tsubomi magazine. ^_^

 JManga on Twitter

JManga on Facebook

JManga contact form



Yuri(?) Novel: Sexy G-Men Maki & Mina (セクシーGメン 麻紀&ミーナ)

June 6th, 2012

I didn’t make it past the first chapter of Sexy G-Men Maki & Mina (セクシーGメン 麻紀&ミーナ). It wasn’t good enough to be called “dire.” I’m guessing I bought it because there was Yuri in it, but I couldn’t make it far enough in to find it.

The plot, what there was of it, is that in the future all marriages must have sexual relations in order to make babies and it is illegal for a marriage to be sexless. When a relationship isn’t working, Maki and Mina are dispatched to teach the couple how to make babies and enjoy it.

Yep.

So…

Ratings:

Overall – 0

What *was* I thinking when I bought this? I do not know. Yes, I do – it was on all the Japanese Yuri lists and I thought it might have Yuri aside from the painful breast grope on the cover. In other words, I really don’t know what I was thinking.

I can say this – Mori Minako is no Mori Natsuko.