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Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime, Volume 16 (Part 2)
2009-06-05 19:18:00
The second half of The Comic Yuri Hime , Volum 16 starts off with what I consider to be an interesting turn of events. In "Honey Mustard" Morishima Akiko details a silly little story of two careerwomen, Kaori and Mitsuki. Some years ago they were lovers, but are now good friends - then rivals, as they fall for the ubercute server at the window of what we used to call in college a "grease truck." Mai finds both women attractive in their own way, but her coworker, Chiho is less enthusiastic because she is, quite clearly jealous. The story itself is cute. It's nice to see more adult characters, but that is not particularly what interested me. What interested me was something Chiho said. In response to Mai's comment about how attractive both Kaori and Mitsuki were, Chiho says "My gut tells me that those two aren't like us." In fact, she uses a phrase "Kocchi no Ke." I'm not sure I'm going to be able to explain this right, so my apologies if I cock this up but in this sense "ke" is a...
More About: Manga , Part , Volume

Event: ALC Publishing at MoCCA
2009-06-05 16:04:00
The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival is taking place this weekend at the 69th Regiment Armory at 68 Lexington Ave. (Between 25th and 26th Sts) from 11-6.ALC Publishing will be at the PRISM Comics booth - Table 516 - and Rica Takashima will be there in the afternoon! Drop by, pick up a copy of YM6 and get it signed by the artist!If you love illustrative art, sequential art or paper craft, MoCCA Fest is a must-attend event. We'll look forward to seeing you there!ALC Publishing - where the girl always gets the girl
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Yuri Manga: Comic Yuri Hime, Volume 16 (Part 1)
2009-06-04 21:01:00
The 16th Volume of Comic Yuri Hime starts off with a big "Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan" presence. Sarasa, Seriho and two new characters, Mana-chan and Shiko, adorn the cover. Inside the cover is the "Pink Princess" Drama CD in which we are introduced to Manako and Shiko.This is followed by something I do not particularly care for. There is a thing that Japanese seiyuu do, to play with the images of their characters and as a form of service, where they pose or imply Yuri between them and the other actress(es) who voice characters in the same show/CD. It's pretty popular among fans, there's even blogs that track this fake lesbian coupling among seiyuu...but it really kinda squicks me. They aren't a couple, and they don't look like they even want to touch each other. It strikes me as icky, not cute. Nonetheless, those kinds of pictures accompany completely banal interviews with the voice actresses of "Pink Princess," and more ads for the delayed first volume of Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan...
More About: Manga , Part

Yuri Manga: Negima!
2009-06-03 17:40:00
It's Wednesday, which must mean it's time for a Guest Review! Today Sean Gaffney will catch us up to date on the Yuri in Negima ! Magister Negi Magi. Take it away, Sean!I haven't done a review going into the Yuri in Negima in a long time. Mostly as there's been almost nothing to say. The only Yuri couple with any subtext, Setsuna and Konoka, have remained pretty much at a stasis for about 20 volumes. However, this new arc in the Magic World seems to be finally showing some character development. Tsukuyomi, the Evil Psychotic Lesbian of Negima (whose psychotic crush on Setsuna is shown even more blatantly, to the point of verging on attempted rape), notes that Setsuna is weaker now that she's more 'human', and notes that she'll never be able to protect her ojou-sama that way. (This will be in Volume 25, which should be released here in early 2010.) We're now 3 volumes later (i.e. what you'll see at the END of 2010), and Setsuna is still worrying about this. This is unsurpris...
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Yuri Manga: Hayate x Blade, Volume 3 (English)
2009-06-02 20:56:00
I told you, didn't I? I've been telling you for years now and you *finally* realize that I haven't been lying. Hayate x Blade , Volume 3 is...awesome.In this volume, two major things happen - we start to learn that the characters we all thought were idiots are in, fact, amazingly, stupendously cool. And we also learn that as amazingly, stupendously cool as they are...they are still all idiots. :-)You are not alone when you decide that Jun is the most amazingly, stupendously cool character, by the way. As you will see in the next volume. You may also be amused, but not at all surprised, to learn that Jun is voiced on the Drama CDs by Toyoguchi Megumi. Yes, she *is* the Sei of this series - it wasn't just your imagination.So, in Volume 3, we realize that Ayana is deeper than just being a grumpy old grump and Hayate has a lot to learn and Jun has a very important person in her life and that person is quite amusingly broken. We also learn that Hitsugi and Shizuku are awesome. We actu...
More About: Manga , English , Yuri

Breaking News: Yuricon on the Daily Kos
2009-06-02 00:46:00
I was fully prepared to do a review today, but instead would like to nod in thanks and awe at Okazu Hero Bruce McF for his article on today's Daily Kos:What Can News paper Reporters Learn From Yuricon ?For one thing, Bruce really *gets* what I say about niche marketing, and he shows an understanding of social media that far outweighs most Marketing Directors'. It's a very good article and I hope you will read it all the way through and vote Bruce chocolate chip cookies at the end, because he definitely deserves a cookie for his efforts.The comments interest me, as someone almost immediately tries to diminish the impact of the message by forcing it back into the anime box - and not just that, but the "oh, it's those gals talking about Yuri, how cute and pointless" box. Bruce deftly points out that my social media skills are useful for more than "just Yuri." I would have commented myself but new accounts are embargoed for a week on Diary posts. :-)This is not an isolated behavior, e...
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Top 7 Things Every Young Artist or Writer Needs To Know
2009-05-31 15:55:00
The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival is next weekend. I believe I have said this before, but I will keep saying it - if you go to one comic event a year, it should be this one. Comic-Con is fun, and it is interesting and cool and overwhelming, and it crosses a crazy number of media boundaries right now. But MoCCA is *AMAZING*. This is the home of independent, original, unique illustrative art in America. I get a total contact high off the sheer energy, talent and electricity of the people who gather there.ALC Publishing will be there at the PRISM Comics booth. There'll be fabulous, fun times there, so please drop by and meet some amazing comic artists from the only LGBTQ comics consortium that is full of awesome and win. If you love independent comics, original ideas, meeting young artists and people who do what they want, the way they want, because they want to - the hardest row to hoe, but the most rewarding - MoCCA is the place to be. I feel more at home there than at an...
More About: Artist , Young , Things , Writer

Yuri News This Week - May 30, 2009
2009-05-30 19:35:00
Once again, we are off in a blaze of Yuri !Yuri MangaFrom a conversation on the #lililicious channel on IRC, Erin S is pleased to report two new Yamaji Ebine books, Aoaza Shimi and Ai no Jikan. Be warned however that the second is not Yuri in any way - it's about a possibly gay girl who falls in love with a definitely gay man after he saves her from being stabbed by a rapist. (It was a really depressing story, I read it for many chapters in Feel Comic.) The first title looks more promising.Anonymous says that Gunsmith Cats Burst Volume 4 in English is tentatively due out in Autumn 2009 , while Volume 5 is planned for Spring 2010. (Yay!!!!!)Coming next month from Ichijinsha is Butterfly 69, the collection from Natsuneko. Woot.And double woot for Hayate x Blade 10 also hitting the shelves next month. The current arc is amazing, btw. :-D***Yuri AnimeSean reports back from the Funimation panel at Anime North, where he dutifully asked them about things that I care about. Sadly, they have...
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Yuri Drama CD: Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan ~ Pink Princess
2009-05-30 02:15:00
Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan Drama CD: Pink Princess is the Drama CD that came with the most recent volume of Comic Yuri Hime as a bonus. It's meant to be a little taste of things to come for the ladies of the Ame-iro Kouchakan and, as a result, I had very reasonable expectations for plot, characters, running time, etc. The CD blew me away on everything but plot. It wasn't that the plot was bad - it was that there is, in fact, very little plot possible when the entire story is a bunch of people talking about tea. :-)The Ameiro Kouchakan has been developing a reputation, it seems, and two new customers have wandered in because of mysterious rumors about the place. It turns out that the newcomers are Saotome Manako-sensei, the author of the St. Lotecia books (first introduced in "Otome-iro Stay Tuned" from Yuri Hime S and her number one super fan and new editor Shiko. Mana-chan-sensei wants something to bring excitement and happiness to a girl's heart, so Sarasa creates an disgusting ...

Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime Wildrose, Volume 3
2009-05-29 04:10:00
Let's get the most damning thing about Yuri Hime Wildrose, Volume 3 out of the way right up front. When I picked it up today to review it, I couldn't remember a single story in it, although I had only re(!)read it a week ago. After I picked it up and flipped through the volume I remembered a few of the stories, but having set it down again more than ten minutes ago, they are already slipping from my mind. This is not a good thing. But that aside, it's a fine addition the the Wildrose series.Mistukuni Hachime, of Gokujou Drops fame, brings it on with "Netemo Sametemo," which seems just about the most straight-on schoolgirl item in the book. "Closet Daisakusen' started off with action and I thought, "woo-hoo, we're gonna get us some girls with guns," but no, it was a peeping tom/sex in the closet story.Nanzaki Iku, aka Doropanda Tours, brings in entirely new, yet completely identical ShizNat stand-ins for more semi-public sex and a mild plot complication.Amano Shuninta's "Sweet ...
More About: Manga , Volume 3

Ray the Animation (Polish)
2009-05-28 00:10:00
My brain is doing its weekly explosion and so it is with relief pleasure that I turn to our Guest correspondent, Winterbraid, for another fun-filled review of a Polish anime release. Once again, everyone please welcome Winterbraid!The company which released Haibane Renmei also did Ray the Animation recently. I picked it up on impulse as a gift for a Black Jack fan - at that time I didn't even know that the manga had been previously reviewed on Okazu, but also rated 5 in Yuri! Well, I can't speak of the manga, but... Although the anime Ray now officially uses the full name and image of Black Jack, everyone`s favourite rogue surgeon gets a cameo only in the beginning and towards the end of the series; Akaribon totally fails as a Pinoko substitute; plus, once again we are reminded of the ancient truth that sekuhara=love.The plot is in fact a lot of massively overused cliches blended together into an only occasionally edible meal. The bad guy is the spitting image of Ano Hito from Ex...

Click Manhwa, Volume 2 (English)
2009-05-26 23:01:00
After the fiasco of Click , Volume 1, I was not very much looking forward to sandpapering my psyche with Volume 2. Although this volume was not my number one bestest read of the year, by the end I began to actually enjoy it.The volume begins with a light Yuri appetizer, as rich, powerful, popular, cute girl Yoomi falls for now-female Joonha. In the meantime, Heewon has finally tracked Joonha down. However, she's not *quite* gotten the whole story and thinks that Joonha is a boy passing as a girl. She will eventually be told a fake story that is quite intelligent and plausible - my favorite thing so far in the story, since it actually made some sense.Heewon and Yoomi spend the rest of the book catfighting over Joonha who isn't even remotely interested in either. Joonha is busy as her life becomes embroiled in the life of Yoomi's ex, the playboy Taehyun, who turns out to be way more than he seems.However, it is clear to all of us, except perhaps Joonha, that the true object of her l...
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Now This is Only My Opinion, Part 7
2009-05-24 22:51:00
Once again, I take some time out of my - and your - day to answer your questions about, well, anything. In doing so, I expect to befuddle, entertain and probably enrage. I've also organized the questions into categories, since so many of them run along the same lines (and are often the same question.) I apologize because it is very long, but I did want to answer as many of the questions as possible. Shall we dance?Yuri Manga/Yuri AnimeQ: I don't know if you can answer this one considering your tastes in Yuri, but what Yuri Manga title would you consider that could become an anime series and has a potential of becoming the Top 10 Best Selling Animation DVD in the Oricon ratings like how that Yaoi title Junjou Romantica has become in the past couple months?A: Hayate x BladeOther than that, none. The appeal of Yuri in anime right now is more as one fetish in a long list of fetishes. Few hardcore anime fans in Japan (which is to say, mostly adult males) are really that interested in a...
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Yuri News This Week - May 23, 2009
2009-05-23 16:30:00
Yuri MangaErin S nabs the headlines with a number of reports today. Starting off, gravure idol Ichinose Ayaka has come out as a lesbian, in manga form. Free previews of chapters of her story, Real Bian are available on her blog. You'll need to download the reader (of course) which is the second link under each chapter. This is a pretty "Real" story, so don't expect any typical Yuri tropes. Erin also points out that the editorial staff of Comic Yuri Hime have a blog of their own now. Speaking of Yuri Hime, Erin mentions that the Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan collection is once again delayed, both manga-only and deluxe version w/Drama CD. No details, but now we're looking at a June street date.She continues with the news that Kurogane Kenn is slated to do a Yuri one-shot for next month's issue of Comic High, the same magazine Morinaga Milk's Girl Friends runs in. A number of Polish correspondents are eager for you to know that Comix Grrrlz was pleased to recently interview Yuri Manga ...
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Yuri Manga: Gakuen Alice, Volume 5 (English)
2009-05-23 01:06:00
Gakuen Alice is a warped tale of children with immense, silly powers and what happens when stupid adults imprison them in the cage of a "school for gifted children." The heroine of this story, like so many shoujo manga heroines is cheerful, energetic, likable and not particularly intelligent - a lesson any child would immediately recognize as a warning against being the cheerful, energetic and likable person in their class. It's only going to get you into hot water. Just keep your head down and you won't get hurt.Mikan, like Bink of the Xanth series, has the really troublesome talent of nullifying other people's talents. But only when people's lives are threatened, and she can't do it on command. So of course, her life is a living hell, as students and teachers torture her for her lack of ability, both mental and magical.Again in typical shoujo fashion, Mikan converts her many enemies to friends by mostly bearing up under tremendous odds until people realize that she's actuall...
More About: Manga , English , Volume , Yuri

Manken Manga, Volume 1
2009-05-21 22:46:00
The Manga Kenkyuukakai (Manga Research Society, "Manken" for short) is composed of three people. The president, Shiina, the vice president, Reiko, and the lone member, Saki. Unlike the Manga Club, they do not create doujinshi, nor do they have an awesome output of academic research to their name. Mostly, in fact, what the Manken does is sit around and make Saki try on cosplay outfits. Ostensibly for research, but mostly because Shiina's got a thing for Saki in cosplay.Oh, sure, sometimes they think really hard about doing a thing. Like, maybe one day actually drawing something. But it always seems to get subsumed into Saki putting on a full-body stocking and doing extreme poses (for research on life drawing, naturally) or wearing cat ears or something else that caught Shiina's fancy. When they run into the school's "other" manga club at a comic event, the atmosphere is tense. The manga club has drawn many a doujinshi, and is there to see what's hot, while the man-ken is mostly t...
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Hidamari Sketch Light Novel: Youkoso Hidamarisou e
2009-05-21 03:15:00
Thank you, thank you George R. for providing us with another guest review. My head is exploding and I'm running out of the house, and like magic, there in my inbox is a review. Phew. Anyway, once... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://okazu.blogspot.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
More About: Light , Sketch , Light Novel

Hidamari Sketch Light Novel: Youkoso Hidamarisou e
2009-05-21 03:15:00
Thank you, thank you George R. for providing us with another guest review. My head is exploding and I'm running out of the house, and like magic, there in my inbox is a review. Phew. Anyway, once again, our applause and thanks to guest Reviewer here at Okazu, George! After enjoying Memories Off 2nd ~ Precious Hearts, I decided to find more that Higurashi Chaboh had written. A novelization of Hidamari Sketch caught my eye. I enjoyed the manga (the first three volumes are out in English as Sunshine Sketch, Volume 1 and Volume 2 have been reviewed here on Okazu) and was curious to see how the transition from 4-koma comic to light novel would work, so into my amazon.co.jp cart went Hidamari Sketch: Youkoso Hidamarisou E. The illustrations are spot on, though few, but that's to be expected since Aoki Ume, the original manga-ka, did them. While they're good pictures of the characters, they don't illustrate events in the story. I feel the strength of Hidamari Sketch lies in the char...
More About: Light , Light Novel

Manatsu Labyrinth Manga: Volume 1
2009-05-18 23:32:00
The earth is, to all intents and purposes, the buxom blue-eyed blonde, the Suzanne Somers if you will, of the universe. Alien races cannot stop themselves from harassing us, stealing clandestine gropes from our human inhabitants and raping our natural resources. And, in Manatsu Labyrinth this lack of control will bring about just about the *stupidest* consequence ever since any episode of Charmed.Manatsu is a totally average girls high school girl who, one day for no good reason, finds herself sexually attacking a classmate. Her behavior is not the strangest thing to happen that day, because as Manatsu and Ah-chan try to leave school they find themselves - back at school. West, East gates, front door or back, as soon as they step out of the school grounds, they are right back in them.Ultimately they find themselves joined by savvy Midoriko, creepy Kaouin and loli Riri in their imprisonment in the school. For whatever reason, none of them can leave. They have plenty of food and water...
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Manatsu Labyrinth Manga: Volume 1
2009-05-18 23:32:00
The earth is, to all intents and purposes, the buxom blue-eyed blonde, the Suzanne Somers if you will, of the universe. Alien races cannot stop themselves from harassing us, stealing clandestine... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://okazu.blogspot.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
More About: Manga , Volume , Labyrinth

Yuri Anime: Maria Watches Over Us, Season 3, Volume 2
2009-05-18 23:24:00
I'm taking a risk here in calling Volume 2 of Maria Watches Over Us a "Yuri" anime, I know. Bear with me. (No pun intended.)Once upon a time, I was at an event. We had a number of imaginary beasts at the event - there was a dragon carried by a half dozen people, and a hobby horse and a rag man. (Not to be confused with the comic hero The Ragman.) Rag men are ambiguous human figures, covered in rags, and, although historically they are some neighbor, the ancient tradition of guising means that once the costume is on, you have no idea who it is. Nor did I, as the costume was passed around to any number of people.Then I looked across the field and I noticed that the ragman was my wife. I recognized her knees. From a distance. Despite the fact that she, like almost everyone there was wearing jeans, it was an immediate recognition.And that, in a nutshell, is why I think that Episode 3, "A Cool, Refreshing Breeze" is the *most romantic* episode in the whole of the Maria Watches Over Us ...
More About: Anime , Season , Maria-sama ga Miteru

Yuri Anime: Maria Watches Over Us, Season 3, Volume 2
2009-05-18 18:59:00
I'm taking a risk here in calling Volume 2 of Maria Watches Over Us a "Yuri" anime, I know. Bear with me. (No pun intended.) Once upon a time, I was at an event. We had a number of imaginary beasts... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://okazu.blogspot.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
More About: Anime , Season , Maria-sama ga Miteru

Yuri News This Week - May 16, 2009
2009-05-16 15:58:00
Get Okazu on your Kindle! It's a super cheap monthly subscription and will be delivered directly to your reading device with every update. Okazu is already not the only anime/manga blog - you can also get Mangablog, Anime Almanac, Comics Worth Reading and more. If I do say so myself, Okazu looks pretty cool on Kindle. ;-)***Yuri AnimeThe website for the Lyrical Nanoha Ist movie is open - now with trailer. There was some outrage at the character designs (why fans get outraged so easily over every little thing still fascinates and bewilders me) but they appear to look pretty much on model to me. Better than the inconsistent designs of the first series, to me anyway. This movie is a "retelling" of Nanoha and Fate's meeting, so I expect fans will be outraged at that, too. :-)Anonymous wrote in to point out that the finale for Candy Boy aired last week, inciting as much controversy here on Okazu as it does anytime we talk about it. The ONA was extremely popular and undoubtedly a succes...
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Yuri News This Week - May 16, 2009
2009-05-16 15:58:00
Get Okazu on your Kindle! It's a super cheap monthly subscription and will be delivered directly to your reading device with every update. Okazu is already not the only anime/manga blog - you can... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://okazu.blogspot.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
More About: News , Week , Yuri

Lesbian Anthology: Sparkling Rain (English)
2009-05-15 22:46:00
Yuki pulled her face away. She couldn't get used to the concept that anything that lesbians made was wonderful. She did want to support lesbian work even if she thought it was ugly, and she couldn't... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://okazu.blogspot.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
More About: Lesbian , English , Rain , Anthology

Lesbian Anthology: Sparkling Rain (English)
2009-05-15 22:46:00
Yuki pulled her face away. She couldn't get used to the concept that anything that lesbians made was wonderful. She did want to support lesbian work even if she thought it was ugly, and she couldn't stand heteros mouthing off at lesbian work. Watching this bad piece of porn, however, was tortuous. - From "Monalisa Night" by Izumo MarouWell, you know, I am *so* right there with Yuki. I love to support lesbian work, truly, but so often wonder who the hell it's for? Not me, certainly. And Japanese lesbian works equally, if not more so, sometimes.And so I approached this anthology with a full measure of concern that I might find it teh suck. Instead, I have to say - with great pleasure - that Sparkling Rain : And Other Fiction from Japan of Women Who Love Women, edited by Barbara Summerhawk and Kimberly Hughes, is full of awesome and wonderful. With the exception of one story, every single story had at least a few magnificent gems. Not like diamonds in the rough at all, though - like...
More About: Lesbian , English , Anthology

Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime S, Volume 8
2009-05-13 22:55:00
It's been two full years of Yuri Hime S now and, as I sit here re-reading this volume, I find that it is definitely showing signs of maturity. Relative maturity, at least. The propensity for the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://okazu.blogspot.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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Yuri Manga: Yuri Hime S, Volume 8
2009-05-13 22:55:00
It's been two full years of Yuri Hime S now and, as I sit here re-reading this volume, I find that it is definitely showing signs of maturity. Relative maturity, at least. The propensity for the stories to include the most typical forms of service hasn't gone away. We are still subjected to swarms of girls in uniforms, maid outfits, bloomers (long gone in the real world, but unfortunately lodged firmly in the minds of LFBs) and of course, an obsession with bathing.Before I continue this review, I want to share an experience I recently had. My wife was researching something quite specific and I offered to help. We found ourselves paging through National Geographic magazine from the early half of the last century. I have heard many times about boys in the 40s, 50s and 60s who used these magazines to feed their desire for pictures of naked women. Well...if those pictures were what fueled your fantasies I can only feel very, very bad for you. :-) (My wife reminds me to mention that we...
More About: Manga , Volume

Yuri Anime: Candy Boy, End of Season Review
2009-05-12 21:00:00
I have asked you, my readership, to supply reviews of various things from time to time. Last weekend, I expressed a desire to have a review by someone who enjoyed Candy Boy. It is now my genuine pleasure to welcome Guest Review er Mara for today's opinion. Everyone, please give Mara your attention and support! Yay~ /applause/It was short.It was pretty.It was adorable.Those were my reasons for watching the first episode of Candy Boy, and really all anyone needed to have a reason to watch it. Sisters Kanade and Yukino (apparently twins) both are enrolled in the same art school and live in the same dorm. The ONA covers a misunderstanding that barely threatens their relationship for less than a week.As it was a small piece of promotional material it was animated surprisingly well with shaded expressive characters and shots taken from interesting angles. Part of this was to save money not having to animate so much movement; instead we are shown close-ups of held hands, someone?s eyes or ...
More About: Anime , Season , Yuri

Yuri Anime: Candy Boy, End of Season Review
2009-05-12 21:00:00
I have asked you, my readership, to supply reviews of various things from time to time. Last weekend, I expressed a desire to have a review by someone who enjoyed Candy Boy. It is now my genuine... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://okazu.blogspot.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
More About: Anime , Review , Season , Yuri