Yuri AnimeThe Subaru-sponsored short animation, Houkago no Pleiades, will be coming to movie theaters across Japan...as a series of "Mind your manners" shorts, before the movie plays.
YNN Correspondent George R submits this report on Yuri in the novel Moshidora, on which the anime is based:
Following up on an item from the April 9 YNN, I found the Yuri in Moshidora. It's not quite as imagined as I thought. It happens in chapter 3, page 77 (which is animated in episode 2). Yuki, the baseball manager who's currently sick in the hospital asks Ayano, the shy manager, why she joined the baseball team. Ayano's response is to tearfully admit that she wants to make friends with everyone and be useful to them, then adds "Watashi, Yuki-san ga suki datta'n desu!" [I do like you, Yuki-san], explaining that she's always looked up to Yuki, wanted to be like her, be useful to everyone like she is, make friends with everyone like she does.
So, with Yuri goggles on, I can interpret that as Ayano having a romantic crush on Yuki. On the other hand, when I read the novel, I left off my goggles and interpreted this as Ayano wanting to break out of her shell and not be the "expressionless android of a model student" that she was accused of in junior high. Sure, Yuki was someone she admired and wanted to emulate, but I didn't see it as romantic or Yuri. Given that interpretation, and a bit of fuzzy memory explains why I was shocked other folks saw Yuri in Moshidora. Welcome to the wonderful world of "the ambiguities of 'suki'." However I think this qualifies as Yuri just as much as a lot of MariMite does. Goggles-yay!
Yeah, it's about as Yuri as K-ON! Yuri Goggles help. ^_^
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Yuri Ero-game
There is nothing about the new Yuri ero-game that I could say that is not already captured by the title. The new game is called - and no, I am not kidding - Yukkuri Panic! Escalation. Yes, this is the story of Cream Escalation, with a new title. Yay.
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Yuri Snack News
Convenience store chain Lawson is promoting a series of K-ON! inspired snacks and goods through the end of May. I want that stapler.
But hands down, the best snack-related item on today's report is the Tohato Caramel Corn with eyes drawn by Ryoko Ikeda. ^_^
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Other News
Manga translator Dan Kanemitsu has worked with artist Nogami Takeshi to develop a bi-lingual Strike Witches doujinshi, Witches of Africa. Nogami also worked on the Bill 156 doujinshi, which Dan translated and Nogami-sensei's a friend of another translator I know, so he's kind of immersed in the idea of cross-cultural expression. I am very excited about the idea of bi-lingual doujinshi, as it seems like a natural progression. You can get this collection from Amazon JP, among other sales outlets in Japan. (And, if you run a sales outlet here, Dan and Nogami-sensei are looking for sellers here in the west, too.)
Also in bilingual news, Japanese art site Pixiv is creating an English-language encyclopedia.
Last up for today, YNN correspondent Jenna M. reports that Japanese seiyuu Ogata Megumi, who many Yuri fans remember fondly as Tenoh Haruka/Sailor Uranus from Sailor Moon, is on Twitter for a limited time, to promote a charity event and birthday concert.
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That's a wrap for this week.
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