>>log06012026

Hello! It's been a while since I've been able to work on this site (or since I've even touched my computer at all). I've updated my yuri news feed with some of the more relevant updates that came out of AX this weekend. I would have loved to attend, but a trip like that would not have sat well with my wallet. One day..!!

Some non-yuri announcements that I am looking forward to:

- Iwaaki Hitoshi's Historié is getting a print release by Kodansha.

- Tezaku Osamu's Phoenix is getting a rerelease by Kodansha.

- CLAMP's SHIRO and KURO are getting bundled together, unabridged, and with many new illustrations, in one large edition by Kodansha titled CLAMP Official Artbook COLOR GOLD 1989–2024. YEAH BABY!! I've despondently been putting off buying SHIRO and KURO because of the price tag that would come with buying both for their exclusive artworks, and now I am immensly glad that I did. No more forlorn, yearning gazes at the art books of Barnes and Noble's manga section for me.

- GKIDS is releasing a collector's edition set of Angel's Egg's 4K remaster. I went with the same friend I saw Tekkonkinkreet with to last year's theatrical release of Angel's Egg and really enjoyed it, so I might pick this up. I am especially intruiged by the Oshii Mamoru and Amano Yoshitaka interview bundled with it.

- A new Mononoke project has been announced. Now I finally have a good excuse to get off my ass and watch Mononoke.

- The Rayearth remake is looking good so far! I think I'd like to finish the manga and maybe watch the original anime before this new one starts airing in October.

- Dengeki Daisy... Yes, I am excited for Dengeki Daisy. The teaser video they released looks FANTASTIC. This is another one where I'll probably end up reading the manga before the release, especially because I've just been meaning to read it for a long time now. I love me a good melodramatic, morally objectionable shoujo.

- Ikkoku Nikki has been licensed by Inklore!

- Footsteps Through the Snow, a manhwa by SAISA, has been licensed by Ize Press. I hadn't heard of this before the announcement, but the premise hooked me instantly upon reading it. ("In a world where blue snow freezes everything it touches, humanity has long forgotten what warmth feels like. Seonu, a teenage boy with a prosthetic leg, carries the lifeless body of Iseo through the snow-covered wasteland, determined to bring her home one final time. The snow will soon erase his footsteps but not the promise that keeps him moving." Via Webtoon)

- Akira will be getting a theatrical release in Canada and the United States this September. Very funny, considering I just watched it at home for the first time about a week ago. My friend and I WILL be attending our nearest showing, regardless of how many miles we may have to drive to get there.

- The Rusuban short film adaptation looks very promising from the PV!

I've also started watching some of the seasonal stuff that has released so far. For the life of me, besides Kamiina Botan this past spring, which shouldn't even count because I only started watching halfway through its release schedule, I cannot remember the last time I've completely watched through a seasonal anime while it was airing. I'm thinking it must have been Given or Id:Invaded. I gave up on Beastars season two, Kakuriyo season two, and My Happy Marriage to binge them when they were completed, and have abandoned a lot of series that I genuinely love for really no fuckin reason. I am here to amend that! I don't want to be stuck in my old, pathetic ways! So I'm giving a few new anime a shot.

Goodbye, Lara has actually been on my watchlist since more of its promotional material was released last year. The story premise the first episode builds up is very compelling and the characters charming enough so far, but the art is the most remarkable thing about it. It's so warm, with a somewhat retro illustrative flair and the flat shading of my dreams. As it's very much inspired by the original "Little Mermaid" story, the fairytale atmospherics have been turned up to eleven, and the result is so dreamy and fluid, with vividly characterized colors and animation, and detailed backgrounds that take on lives of their own, or at least contribute to a sense of life beyond what we see on screen. Emotive, painterly goodness. It's gorgeous. I have very high hopes for this series.

Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia has also been on my radar for a while, but that's moreso been because of my interest in reading the manga. With two episodes out already, the story is a bit more developed, and what a story it is! I love historical dramas, especially ones where personal, more insular struggles are portrayed against grandiose epics, epochs, and turmoil. Think The Rose of Versailles, another series that I love dearly. Where Jaadugar stands out, though, is very much unlike The Rose of Versailles, or something like Tomorrow's Nadja or Vinland Saga (though I don't really care about Vinland Saga). Most historical fiction produced and acclaimed by Japan has either a Japanese (duh) or European setting, so I think it's really wonderful that a series that takes place largely in Iran (or, I suppose, Persia) and Mongolia, featuring many main Muslim characters, has received so much attention and appreciation from both fans and staff alike. A Bride's Story is the only other work I can think of that has a similarly unique setting. From what it appears like so far, most of the finer details and developments are pretty historically accurate, though I am no expert. My favorite choice made by the staff is that they actually have the Mongolian characters speak Mongolian. It was very unexpected — in the best way possible! Visually, the show is just as lovely as Sayonara, Lara. Jadugaar has similar painterly sensibilities, though the backgrounds seem more vibrantly watercolor to me. The characters are also very cartoonish in appearance, like a mix of anime and American cartoons. It's very cute. Tomato Soup's art style seems very Tezuka-inspired, who was, in turn, very much inspired by Disney animations, so this detail makes a lot of sense. Abel Góngora, the director, I have learned, has also worked on OK K.O. and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off as an episode director and storyboarder, which, like... yeah. That also makes total sense. Shimono Hiro also voices a character that has yet to be introduced, so I will be waiting on the edge of my seat for his arrival. I hope he speaks Mongolian. Jadugaar is definitely the work I am looking forward to following for the rest of the season. This and Lara are tied for biggest stunners so far.

To kind of cool off from the absolute heat being produced this season, I've also started watching The Ogre's Bride. It's not very good and I love it. The budget is maybe two cents more than what Gonzo was given for Kakuriyo season one, which, as anyone with taste would know, would not even afford me a single roller dog if I walked into a gas station with the intention to blow as much cash as physically possible. It's total mind-boggling, wish-fulfillment nonsense. Umehara Yuuichiro voices the main guy. BAKKYUUUN! It's awesome. What else is there to say?

Aside from those three, I also plan on watching Sparks of Tomorrow, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day, Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games, Red River, Draw This, Then Die!, and Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus. Maybe the new Ghost in the Shell. I am going to get totally burnt-out, but it will have been worth it.

Also, having recently completed One Piece: Heroines, Kamiina Botan, Akira, and several books — all of which I very very much enjoyed — I plan on doing some write-ups for those as well. I just figured this post was getting a bit long, so I plan on writing those later tonight or tomorrow. I hope you gleaned something of import from this rambling mess.

[at a middling point in the] p.m.<<