Buckle in folks, we have a *lot* of news this week.
Yuri Anime
The top story this week is definitely the formal announcement of Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou. anime for 2023! Do check out the trailer on Youtube. Rafael Antonia Pineda has the details on ANN. The official page doesn’t give us more than “2023,” as a release date, so stay tuned!
This is especially exciting in the light of the fact that we’re also getting several other Yuri anime next year, including another series running in Comic Yuri Hime, Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu! and Kadokawa’s Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei. Volume 3 of the light novel is out now and on my to-read pile!
2023 is, as it happens, the 20th anniversary of the first Yuricon event…and I think we’re going to be able to say that it’s an extraordinary year for Yuri. I *intend* to do something to celebrate – keep June 2023 open on your calendar. I have some thoughts about these series and would love to chat with you all about them. ^_^
Not-Yuri, but worth a mention for the intense sports rivalries, Aim For The Ace Blu-Ray is up on RightStuf for a very reasonable price. Thanks mateo for the heads up! mateo also noted that the team who created the VN Summer’s End cite Aim for the Ace as an inspiration!
Yuri Live Action
Via Sr. YNN Correspondent Sean G., Sugoi Lite has the news that a live-action movie of Oshi ga Budokan Ittekuretara Shinu, will be made with Matsumura Sayuri reprising the role she played in the TV version of the series (which I have not yet managed to watch, so if you have and would like to review it for Okazu, let me know!)
We’re currently enjoying the marvelous live-action adaptation of Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna, (作りたい女と食べたい女) and I hope to review tomorrow. ^_^ It’s so good!
Via Sr. YNN Correspondent Cryssoberyl, here’s a link to a Korean GL live-action series, She Makes My Heart Flutter.
Via YNN Correspondent st. owly – meb, a Thai bookseller, has an English-language edition of Pink Theory: GAP, the novel that has inspired the live-action Gap The Series – which you may watch legitimately, with subtitles, for free on the Idol Factory channel on Youtube. There’s no reason to hunt for subs for this. st. owly and I have both done some research and this does appear to be a legitimate translation. The publishers apologize that it’s not great English, but I imagine we’ll get the idea. And this way we can let the author know we appreciate their work in a way that gets them some money. ^_^
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Yuri Light Novels
Bookwalker Global announced the top 100 English=language Light Novels this year from their platform. Yuri came in at #31 The Executioner and Her Way of Life from J-Novel Club and #45 with The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady from Yen Press. Read the full ranking list on BOOK☆WALKER Global!
In Japanese, Yuri didn’t really have much of a showing this year in the top rankings, with only Yuri-adjacent series like Lycoris Recoil and My Next Life As a Villainess making it into the ranks at all. Check out what did make the top on the JP Bookwalker site.
GL Bunko has released the second Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou Claire-P.O.V. light novel, Heimin no Kuse ni Namaikina, Volume 2 (平民のくせに生意気な) on JP Kindle. No link yet for a US Kindle version of this Japanese-language LN (we do have volume 1 available as a JP-language novel on US Kindle, which I reviewed last February.) We’ll be seeing She’s So Cheeky For A Commoner in English next year from Seven Seas.
Speaking of ILTV, as we find ourselves doing so often these days…. Volume 3 of Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou -Revolution- (私の推しは悪役令嬢。-Revolution-), is now available. (This is the print edition of the light novel series from Ichijinsha. GL Bunko is the publisher of the original digital editions.) IF you pre-order this volume and Volume 5 of the manga at the same time, Melonbooks has a special offer with clear file and other gewgaws. Of course…I ordered that. ^_^ It’ll probably be here by March. ^_^;
Yuri Visual Novels
YNN Correspondent Patricia B. wants you to know that Oleander Avenue has been released on Steam. She says of the game, “one of my favourite games of the year and an excellent piece of interactive fiction. That being said it is a queer horror, with extremely graphic content throughout,” so she says some content warnings are in order. Here are the CWs on Steam: “body horror, portrayals of child abuse, religious abuse, unreality, homophobia, transphobia, suicide, and other potentially disturbing topics.” Patricia also suggests a photo-sensitivity warning, as there are some scenes with a lot of flashing.
Patricia also notes that The 13th Month (十三月のふたり姫) is out on Steam. This also has a 18+ warning for “sexually explicit sex.” Of this game she says, “This is a visual novel adaptation of the fairytale “Sleeping Beauty”, with the core focus being on the witch and the princess she curses to an eternal slumber. Apparently, the story is good, but there are some odd technical issues hampering the game.” Just glancing at the trailer made me a little nauseous from vertigo, fwiw. ^_^;
Yuri Doujinshi
I cannot express how happy this particular piece of news makes me. Miduki Monica has resurrected her doujinshi series Lavender of Romance and has a new issue out Lavender of Romance neo.1. This digital edition is available as a download from Melonbooks’ digital service, Fromagee. Miduki-sensei created the Lavender of Romance series back in the early 00s, where I met her at Winter Comiket in 2002. I have 6 of the first 9 issues. I was honored to be able to publish her manga WORKS as the second Yuri manga in English in 2004. I’m so delighted to see her working again! This one is important enough that I put it on the Yuricon Store.
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Yuri Manga
We have a bunch of titles up on the Yuricon Store!
Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna, Volume 3 (作りたい女と食べたい女) continues this utterly delightful tale of two women (and the women who intersect with their lives) who bond over food.
Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 5 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。) of the manga is out now and begins the a pivotal arc for Rae and Claire, as Rae’s greatest rival – future-Queen, quadcaster and Claire’s first love – Manaria arrives!
Kimi to Sekai no Owari o Tazunete (きみと世界の終りを訪ねて) is a collection of science-fiction post-apocalyptic shorts that ran in Comic Yuri Hime.
We have two titles from Galette magazine and, for the first time, one of them is coming out in English. ^_^
My Cute Little Kitten, Volume 1, by Milk Morinaga follows Yuna and Rena as they – and their cat – build a life together. This is hitting shelves in English this week from Seven Seas!
Ogawa Masumi Short Story Collection (小川ますみ短編集) is collected from Galette magazine and Galette meets doujinshi.
Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu!, Volume 11 (私の百合はお仕事です!) is when things are starting to get really real. Yuri is My Job!, Volume 10 is out now in English from Seven Seas.
Patricia B also points out that Girl Meat Girl, (ガールミートガール) as reported on by Joanna Cayanan on ANN, “looks pretty likely to be something yuri-ish based on the title and one of the two lead girls being named “Yulily” (yuri + lily). This might also be less a wholesome romance & more a thriller/sci-fi/coming-of-age romp with yuri elements, but it’s too early to tell just yet.”
Other News
My publisher wrapped up my year with a look at a bunch of the stuff we’ve done this year for By Your Side: The First 100 Year of Yuri Anime and Manga in On The Road With Erica Friedman.
Laneha House recognized a number of key comics folks in this year’s awards. Among them, I want to congratulate some folks, I consider friends. In their Community Pillar awards, Laneha honored Jennifer Camper, co-founder of Queers & Comics and an amazing comic artist, and Annie Koyama, whose Koyama Provides grants encourage Canadian comics creators, and the Community Inclusion award Mari Naomi, founder of the the Cartoonists of Color Database, the Queer Cartoonists Database, and the Disabled Cartoonists Database – and also a talented comic artists and writer. These are amazing people, doing amazing work. They deserve these honors.
Last thing – I am asking you all to please follow me anywhere else than Twitter now. I’m moving my Twitter activities over to Mastodon, because both Twitter and it’s owner are becoming increasingly unstable. The Yuricon Links page has a list of where else you may follow me for news and conversation.
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