Updates about anime and Western animation, new Doctor Aphra series, my two recent pop culture reviews, school musicians, apothecaries, and more
This newsletter will focus on pop culture, including a deep dive into some current and upcoming animated series, my two-part review of the classic "Dear Brother," other LGBTQ+/queer content, & beyond
Hello everyone! My last newsletter issue on this topic came out on March 14th. As a reminder, if you want to read my newsletters about recent issues, including reactionary policies hallowing out the federal government, LGBTQ+ people, U.S. foreign policy changes, disappearing people, reactionary efforts to control U.S. society and stigmatize LGBTQ+ people, the Smithsonian coup d’etat and more, or those about libraries, archives, genealogy, and history, those are either available on my substack on my WordPress, where all these newsletters are reposted. There’s been a lot of news about anime, animation, and queer content more generally, including two reviews I wrote, which I’ll note in the paragraphs below. The next posting about recent issues will be coming later this month. Each section of the newsletter can be individually subscribed to, including this one.
Most recently, I published a review about Love Live! Sunshine complete series (seasons 1 and 2) and the 2019 film Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over the Rainbow. It’s a music series often with slice-of-life scenes, and the second part of the Love Live multimedia franchise created by Sunrise animation studio and novelist Sakurako Kimino. It begins when the exuberant Chika Takami, who is enamored with school idols/musicians, tries to start a school idol club at her local high school, but encounters obstacles along the way, such as hard-ass school president, Dia Kurosawa, as she attempts to recruit more fellow students at this all-girls school. As the series go on, viewers are introduced to more bubbly, bookish, mysterious, shy, or moody characters, whether Chika’s childhood friend You Watanabe, school librarian Hanamaru Kunikida, or fallen angel Yoshiko "Yohane" Tsushima. Although there are some unfortunate fan service shots, the series primarily focuses on a group of girls who try to win a music competition. This is accompanied by clear animation, catchy music, expressive voice acting, absurd/funny comedy, and strong (and blossoming) female friendships, and emphasizing the value of self-acceptance.
Surely there are shippable moments between some of the girls, whether Riko and Chika, or Kanan and Mari, and the series has yuri (lesbian romance) subtext, but the main focus is winning a music competition and keeping their school open. While they fail at the latter, they succeed at the former, and their camaraderie remains strong, even as fellow students support them. They help others, like Lia and Sarah (their former competitors in a group called Saint Snow), and have a fun time together. While the film is not the best thing ever, it has more Blu-ray features than the complete series, and a major part of the plot is the right of a woman to do what she wants, i.e. women’s independence, whether rejecting arranged marriage or some other scheme by parents to keep their parents penned in. It also concluded unresolved plot threads from the series, whether six of the nine girls (of the newly constituted musical group) garnering the support of skeptical parents at the school their former school is merging into, or Leah and Sarah participating in a mock musical competition, singing a rock song and making a memory together. Hopefully one day they have a spinoff. I will always remember this series, and the film, not for the yuri subtext, but the female friendship between the nine main girls, and their determination to move forward despite all the obstacles in their way, which is, in and of itself, inspiring.
This differs from my two-part review of the classic series, Dear Brother, published in two parts here and here, noting the focus on mental health, drug addiction, divorce, bullying, harassment, psychological violence, incest, and abusive relationships. At the same time, there is a wholesome friendship betwee the protagonist Nanako Misonoo and her friend Tomoko Arikura, and a burgeoning romance between Nanako Misonoo and the smoking and pill-popping Rei Asaka, who is intertwined in an abusive relationship with her controlling sister Fukiko Ichinomiya. While this series is dated in some ways, in terms of causing a tragic end for Rei and ending in a positive heterosexual way, it does stand out in terms of its yuri themes, its focus on challenging hierarchies and structures which hold you in (many of the protagonists work to abolish the sorority on their campus), even as the characters go through a lot of hurt. Through it all, Nanako writes to her “brother” (her cram teacher) about her life, a person she doesn’t have romantic feelings for, and is drawn into intrigue at her new school.
In the middle of last month, Erica Friedman reported, in her Yuri News Network posting, that there will be development of the Kamiina Botan, Yoheru Sugata wa Yurino Hana manga into an anime (ANN says that the manga centers on “Botan Kamiina, a 20-year-old in her first year in college, who becomes a little bolder and says surprising things when she gets drunk”) and Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games getting an anime, along with Look Back getting more awards, discussion of Amazon, Gundam GQuuuuuuX, and more on This Week in Anime, and supposed “4D” screenings in Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to be Loved film’s 4D screenings in Japan. Friedman said she doesn’t know what 4D means as a film term, and I don’t know either.
She noted the “possible Class S x Rock mashup” embodied by Rock is a Lady’s Modesty which “will be streaming on HIDIVE" and that hoped it will be “angry rock.” I hope so too! She also pointed out the debut of Mahō no Shimai Lulutto Lily magical girl TV anime for 2026, saying that while she does not believe it is yuri, it has been a while since “a studio announced a genuine new magical girl for girls series” and is “glad to see a new shoujo series in the works.” She noted similar topics in her Yuri News Network posting on April 5th, pointing to the end of Momentary Lily (dropped that series some ago and am not motivated enough to restart it), the arrival of the new Rose of Versailles movie to Netflix on April 30 and Sailor Moon on Amazon Prime, and the positive response to Rock Is A Lady’s Modesty (I am excited for where that series is going), along with news about licenses for the Rock Is A Lady’s Modesty, Lycoris Recoil series, and Lilies Blooming in 100 Days by Yen Press, along with Mage and Demon Queen creator Color-LES introducing her patrons to her upcoming GL/ Yuri manga entitled Detective Reaper Morrigan.
In her posting in the middle of last month, she also highlighted a review of the first volume of the I Want To Love You Til Your Dying Day, manga, noting that the series has potential (a reviewer for Okazu said the same), release of volume 10 of the Japanese version of Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou (also known as I’m in Love with the Villainess), the final volume of Doushitara Osananajimi no Kanojo ni Naremasuka! ?, licensed by Seven Seas as How Do I Get Together With My Childhood Friend? by Yusaka Syu, was “released this past month in Japan,” and a one-shot about a Gal Maid and Vampire Mistress entitled Suenai Kyuuketsuki no Zousho-hou is “available in Japanese.” She further pointed to other yuri events, like a book signing she is doing at The Ripped Bodice, the Lesbian Lives Conference in New York City in October, and more.
Otherwise, I read some good articles not just praising the development of The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All anime from the manga (see postings on ScreenRant, TheGamer, and ComicBook), for which two English-language volumes have been released, or those on the development of the yuri anime (based on a manga), I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day, that I mentioned in my last issue, but about the following:
a musical drama feature, entitled Trapezium, by CloverWorks following “the adventure of school student Yu Azuma who will do whatever it takes to become an idol”
April 12 debut of Food for Soul, which is a yurish anime
April 21 debut of the second chapter of Volicia of Pluto -Vapor Trail Another Age 2006- yuri-sci-fi indie anime
Original bowling anime Turkey! debuting in July, with a recent release of a new visual, and staff, of this series which centers on “Mai…and her teammates—Rina, Sayuri, Nozomi, and Nanase—members of the Ikkokukan High School Bowling Club”
There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless... yuri anime adaptation reveals a trailer and more cast, prior to its release in July
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to be Loved, a film spinoff from Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, revealing the film’s ending song; the film will be showing in Japanese theaters on June 27
BanG Dream franchise getting a mini-anime TV series this year, focusing on the Poppin Party members
Girls & Panzer: Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu! spinoff manga getting a four-part theatrical anime
new yuri manga licensed by Seven Seas, last month, which includes The Fed-Up Office Lady Wants to Serve the Villainess, My Goddess is Precious Today, Too, The Lying Bride and the Same-Sex Marriage Debate, and I Won't Let Mistress Suck My Blood
Sound! Euphonium franchise’s final movie slated for next year
Since the last newsletter has come out, a few series have begun airing on Crunchyroll: I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level Season 2 on April 5th, A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof on April 10th, Mono on April 12th, and Food for the Soul on April 13th. I am continuing to watch The Apothecary Diaries season 2 and You and Idol Precure♪. I plan to possibly watch Anne Shirley and Witch Watch this spring, along with Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?, Sound! Euphonium season 2 (then season 3), and Maebashi Witches. Of the above series, I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level, A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof, Mono, and Food for the Soul all have yuri subtext, but no outright yuri. The same can be said for Rock Is a Lady's Modesty.
It is worth noting that Mono is based on a manga by Afro, who previously wrote Laid-Back Camp. The anime is directed by Ryota Aikei, who previously worked on episodes of Encouragement of Climb: Next Summit and Is the Order a Rabbit?, which have yuri subtext, along with the well-known Kaguya-sama: Love is War. The series writer, Yoko Yonaiyama, wrote for Skip and Loafer season 1 (and will be series composer for season 2). The voice actors for Mono, particularly Aoi Koga (voices An Kirkiyama), Hikaru Tono (voices Sakurako Shikishima), Reina Ueda (voices Haruno Akiyama), and Maki Kawase (voices Kako Komada) are known for their roles in other series, which I’ll show in a below graphic.
Some characters they voice are in yuri series like Whisper Me a Love Song, Adachi and Shimamura, and This Monster Wants to Eat Me (upcoming), while other characters voiced are in series with yuri subtext (Wonderful Pretty Cure!, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Bocchi the Rock!, Flower and Asura, Soaring Sky Pretty Cure, Princess Principal, Asteroid in Love, From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated!, Ms. Vampire Who Lives in My Neighborhood, and I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, Rinkai!, and Little Witch Academia), or characters in otherwise strong series:
Haruna Mikawa, who voices Satsuki Amamiya in this series, will be voicing Satoko Kusagakure and Roboko in A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof, which is also airing this month, as I noted above. It is worth pointing out that Tono voices Eno in I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level (it began airing earlier this month). As for A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof, the series is written by the company, Shaft, and credited under the collective pseudonym Fuyashi Tou, which is the anime's production company. It has worked on series like Puella Magi Madoka Magica and RWBY: Ice Queendom, both of which have yuri themes to different degrees. As for the voice actors, apart from Mikawa, it includes Kana Hanazawa (as Konoha Koga), Yū Serizawa (as Marin Izutsumi), Eri Kitamura (as Kuro), Rumi Okubo (as Yuriko)
Hanazawa is known for many roles, like Elvira in Izetta: The Last Witch, Shirase Kobuchizawa in A Place Further Than the Universe, Satō Matsuzaka in Happy Sugar Life, Yuwa Akebi in Akebi’s Sailor Uniform, four of which have yuri subtext (Akebi’s Sailor Uniform is only confirmed directly in the manga), and one of which has direct/confirmed yuri themes (Happy Sugar Life), along with Nagisa Kubo in Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible and Tsubomi Haruno in Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms. Serizawa, on the other hand, voiced Mutsu in Love Live! Sunshine!!, Mika Kukuri in Let's Make a Mug Too, Ren Kurogane in Shine Post, Rae Taylor in I’m Love with the Villainess, and Miyabi Kushida in Narenare: Cheer for You!, all of which have yuri subtext, apart from ILTV, where yuri themes are confirmed. Additionally, Serizawa voices Mona Kawai in Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms. As for Kitamura, she voiced Miki Aono/Cure Berry in Fresh Pretty Cure!, Sayaka Miki in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Hinata Azuma in Kanamemo, and many other roles. Okubo voiced characters like Konomi in Whispered Words, Chinatsu Yoshikawa in YuruYuri, and Yuzuko Nonohara in Yuyushiki.
As for Turkey!, which I mentioned above, the character designer, Ari Takekawa, previous worked on Ippon Again!. Takekawa is also the chief animation director. Anime script writer Naomi Hirata is relatively new. Series director Susumu Kudo served as storyboard series director for several episodes of Chance Pop Session and directed a few other episodes. The cast includes Ayasa Itō, Yūki Tenma, Haruki Iwata, Kana Ichinose, and Hana Hishikawa. Prior to this series, Itō voiced Arisa Ichigaya in BanG Dream! and Michi Sonoda in Ippon Again! while Tenma voiced Ichigo Momomiya in Tokyo Mew Mew New, and Iwata voiced Towa Hanamaki in D4DJ. Ichinose voiced Tuesday in Carole & Tuesday, Miku "Purin" Suride in Do It Yourself!, Misaki Kumori in Flower and Asura, Isuzu in Otaku Elf, and Satsuki Koto in There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless... (airing later this year). Hishikawa voiced Kurumi Mirai in The Stories of Girls Who Couldn't Be Magicians and Yui Nagomi / Cure Precious in Delicious Party♡Precure.
I read talks from Anime News Network about the Fuji TV scandal (and its possible impact on anime), the reality of school truancy in Japan, girls band drama (focusing on characters and plotlines from BanG Dream! It's MyGo!!!!!, Ave Mujica, Given, Girls Band Cry, Love Live!, Wake Up, Girls!, Liz and the Blue Bird, and Bocchi the Rock!), Japanese pharmacies offering free Apothecary Diaries prescription record books only for scalpers to sell them, and Sarah Fimm of The Mary Sue ranking what she described as the “best yuri anime.”
Their list included Birdie Wing at no. 10, Sakura Trick at no. 9 (while there are surely justified reasons to criticize this series due to fan service of fetishizing girls kissing, I still like the core of this series), I’m in Love with the Villainess at no. 8, Kill la Kill at no. 7 (haven’t seen this one), Maria Watches Over Us at no. 6, Aoi Hana/Sweet Blue Flowers at no. 5, Kase-San and Morning Glories at no. 4, Adachi and Shimamura at no. 3, Bloom Into You at no. 2, Revolutionary Girl Utena at no. 1. I would add, myself, some others, which I have physical copies of, like the following which are more focused on female friendship than romance:
K-On!
Asteroid in Love
Love Live! Superstar!!
Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club
Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for my Retirement
Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night
Flower and Asura
I’d add, when it comes to more romantic series, Cardcaptor Sakura, Dear Brother, If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die (subtext), Bocchi the Rock! (subtext), Otaku Elf (subtext), Harukuna Receive (subtext), Rose of Versailles (subtext), Adachi and Shimamura, Shy (subtext), Laid-Back Camp (subtext), My Deer Friend Nokotan (subtext), Girls Band Cry (subtext), and From Bureaucrat to Villainess (subtext) and that isn’t even including Ave Mujica, which has gone to extreme lengths at this point, but without reason. That series is getting a spinoff as well, which is exciting. I’d like to see other series listed by Collider in their posting on the “20 Best LGTBQ+ Anime Movies and TV Shows, Ranked,” one day. They list No. 6, The Stranger by the Shore, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Classmates, Junjou Romantica: Pure Romance, Heavenly Delusion, Banana Fish, Yuri!!! On Ice, Tokyo Godfathers, and Given, none of which I’ve watched, while some of those they list I have watched in the past, such as Yuri Is My Job!, Sweet Blue Flowers, Liz and the Blue Bird, Stars Align, Wandering Son, Sasaki and Miyano, Paradise Kiss, Carole & Tuesday, Bloom Into You, and Revolutionary Girl Utena.
(coming in July, entitled Harmony of Mille-Feuille)
Putting aside the various visuals, crossover comics, trailers, or recommendations, I enjoyed reading articles in Anime Feminist about: shoujo fantasy and the value of the noncombatant hero, and how women in The Apothecary Diaries navigate patriarchy and class. The latter is apt, since when I began writing the first draft this newsletter, I was watching the first half of The Apothecary Diaries, a series set in Imperial China, specifically season 1. On the latter posting, which discusses sexism, sexual violence, forced pregnancy, miscarriage, and sex work, I am reminded of the courtesan Veronica in Arte, and how she was portrayed. I’d even be willing to write a post about that in the future, if I ever had time, even though she has much more of a role in the manga than in the anime. Coming back to the posting, which is written by S. Chang, notes that Maomao shares similar experiences to courtesans, as both attempt to navigate the patriarchal society that they live in, with women not finding solidarity due to their competition.
Chang notes how Maomao uses her experience in the red-light district, in the inner court, with makeup being poisonous, and recalling, as she argues, many “self-destructive behaviors women fall into while trying to pursue unrealistic feminine beauty standards,” with social systems encourage them. Lihua herself echoes the “aftereffects of eating disorders that afflict many women in real life.” Chang goes onto note that Maomao only helps Lihua at the request of the Emperor, with her, and Ah-Duo, left in “a socially precarious position for failing their duties as consorts,” with the deeply entrenched misogynist, and classist, values impacting them both, and all women inside the court. In fact, Maomao literally tries to make herself ugly and less attractive as a form of self-preservation! The review goes onto say that in this show’s world, women exist “as commodities rather than people, knowing how to manipulate one’s worth is essential for them to navigate an oppressive social order,” with unattractiveness as a form of survival, with women able to “enact a sense of agency.” The series has parallels between Fuyou (a concubine in the Inner Palace) and Fengxian (a red-light district courtesan), with the latter as Maomo’s mother. She even has to “resort to sex work to make a living,” while syphilis goes “untreated for long enough to rob her of her mind and body.”
The review ends by noting that through Fuyou and Fengxian, you can observe how “women of higher status have more leeway to rebel against society and enact their agency,” with the series sympathizing with hardships endured by its female cast, with Ah-Duo as the real mother of Jinshi, but “swapped into the imperial family.” Chang ends by saying that a main element that underpins storytelling and character writing in the series is “solidarity and sympathy, even in the face of a system that endlessly dehumanizes women and pits people against one another,” recognizing cruel rules put upon women and “respects those who do their best to find happiness in spite of that…There will always be weird women who climb walls and dance.” A very good and well-thought-out review. This is what Anime Feminist is best for, in more ways than one. It is great to see that the series will be getting a spinoff manga about Xiaolan.
It was sad to see that although HIDIVE, despite the fact it barely rivals Netflix or Crunchyroll in its streaming cache, is expanding its service to other countries and beginning the dub of From Bureaucrat to Villainess, various anime will be leaving this month. This includes: Revue Starlight on April 2nd, Cutie Honey Universe on April 7, Yuyushiki on April 8, and Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions! Take On Me on April 30. Luckily I have Blu-rays of all of those. Otherwise, some anime will be coming to various streaming services:
Witch Watch (April 6 on Hulu) [also on Crunchyroll]
the new Rose of Versailles movie (April 30 on Netflix)
(A wonderful indie animated pilot/animatic entitled Pretty Pretty Please I Don't Want to be a Magical Girl, centering around a Black girl named Aika, by Kiana Khansmith)
The unfortunate news, recently revealed, is that Legend of Korra will be leaving Netflix on April 16th (today!). It’s been on there since August 2020, and in a slap in the face of the representation, themes, and story of Korra, the previous series, from which Korra was a spinoff, Avatar: The Last Airbender, will remain on Netflix for a few years, according to the articles I’ve read. Basically, Netflix execs are fine keeping a series aimed for kids & family, rather than keeping a series aimed at young adults and which is more mature, and has two bisexual protagonists, specifically Korra and Asami Sato. Surely, Korra is not perfect and has various issues, but this removal is narrowing the places people can watch the series, with Paramount+, I believe. As such, it may be the only place people will be able to legally stream this series going forward, and if that’s not possible, they’ll have to buy the official DVD set or Blu-ray set instead.
Michelle Jaworski recently wrote about Korra in fact, saying that the series could shape the future of queer animation, noting that Disney didn’t want to acknowledge that trans people existed in Win or Lose and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, while Inside Out 2 was edited to make Riley Anderson look less gay (as she notes rightly, these edits “did not work.” She adds that for every victory, like with Steven Universe and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, there’s been setbacks, like the almost-cancellation of Nimona (before Annapurna Pictures saved it), and concluded by saying something chilling:
If studios are so scared of backlash or can’t depict queerness in animated works, vague subtext could be the only way to go. You can argue whether queer inclusion in those films and shows is meaningful or operates more as a way for studios to pat themselves on the back. But nothing gives viewers—especially young viewers—the message that they don’t belong and aren’t welcome like being erased from the narrative.
I have to agree. After all, Disney removed a trans character named Kai from Win or Lose, they added a Christian character, and they censored a non-binary character named Hannah. How craven and disgusting. Even so, there’s been lesbian characters in AppleTV+’s Bearbrick [also known as BE@RBRICK] (Janet and Denise Hazard), lesbian and queer characters in Common Side Effects (Agent Harrington and Amelia "Mushroom"), gay characters in MTV’s Lil’ Kev (Darell and Omar), bisexual characters in Oh My God... Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances (Sunny Green, Tulip, and Ladi), and bisexual protagonist Nico Minoru in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. This contrasts to the gay vampire Ranmaru Mori in Baban Baban Ban Vampire, the bisexual protagonists in The 100 Girlfriends (Hakari Hanazono and Karane Inda), the gay protagonist Okuto Nakamura in the upcoming Go for It, Nakamura!, and the lesbian protagonists of two upcoming yuri series: This Monster Wants to Eat Me (Hinako Yaotose and Shiori Oumi) and There's No Freaking Way I'll be Your Lover! Unless... (Renako Amaori and Mai Oduka). Furthermore, some Western animations still airing with queer characters included Blood of Zeus, Helluva Boss (indie animation), Invincible, Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City, The Great North, The Legend of Vox Machina, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, My Adventures with Superman, and Hazbin Hotel.
In writing about the above, I am reminded of an opinion piece in The Pitt News by Danae Poteat about lesbian representation in animation, another in Lit Hub by Edward Underhill on why “good” representation isn’t enough, a posting on LezWatchTV by Mika A. Epstein asking where the queers in TV series have gone and saying that “adult animation…[is] the “safest” place to have queer content at the moment” (Hazbin Hotel and The Legend of Vox Machina as examples) and asserting that “TV is failing us, as queers, with anything resembling new, good, shows. I really hope that changes soon.” Another described the “fragile fringes of representation,” again noting The Legend of Vox Machina, the dangers of engaging in piracy and torrenting, with the recommendation to “download your media and keep it locally.” While Underhill’s article did not give any actual examples of meesy queer representation, Poteat did talk about Cait and Vi in Arcane, Korra and Asami Sato in Korra, Ruby and Sapphire in Steven Universe, Princess Bubblegum and Marceline in Adventure Time, Amity Blight and Luz Noceda in The Owl House, and Adora and Catra in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Also of note are some articles I came across:
“Bait, Code, and Censor- Queer Representation in Animation through Queercoding, Queerbaiting, and Effects of Censorship” (talks about many series, including positive representation in The Owl House, Gravity Falls (only confirmed in finale), Dead End: Paranormal Park, and the queerbaiting/bury your gays moments in Voltron: Legendary Defender)
An article in Advocate magazine on “the power and problem of [queer] visibility in media,” noting queer coding in some Hollywood films (The Wizard of Oz, Chicago, and The Maltese Falcon for instance), Disney queer-coded villains, and concluding that “understanding how coding us queer helps us to know that we are not the problem, that we are not alone, and that we can make intentional choices about how we understand and present ourselves”
Jerome Mazandarani answering if those in the U.S. (especially) are at risk for “censorship of LGBTQ+/adult material”,” noting that the “rightwards political momentum” of the U.S. on culture and identity, and anti-globalization economic policies will lead to “downward pressure on manga and comics publishing [which] will impact readers well beyond the USA's borders,” impacting manga printing, especially if “more states [start] banning more manga” and some books may be discontinued or not even printed. He also notes “based on the strength of some of…LGBTQ-friendly manga brands, it could be commercially damaging for some of the biggest names in manga publishing, too,” with a change undoubtedly coming
On the positive side, it has been reported that Harley Quinn is getting a sixth season. This series has two bisexual protagonists, specifically Harley Quinn (previously known as Harleen Quinzel) and Poison Ivy (previously known as Pamela Isley), and its fifth season wrapped up on March 20th. They officially became a couple by the end of season 2 and they also appear in Kite Man: Hell Yeah!, a series I have zero interest in. On the other hand, Warner Bros quietly removed Looney Tunes from their Max streaming service, only for another streaming service to scoop it up: Tubi. The CBR article on the latter obscured what not enough people know: that streaming service has been owned by the Fox Corporation (i.e. the Murdoch empire) since April 2020. Basically, this means that Looney Toons was “saved” by one mega-conglomerate from another. How is this a victory? After all, content leaves Tubi all the time. The fact that Fox owns Tubi tracks, because mostly there’s a bunch of drek there which isn’t worth watching.
Putting aside the news about Warner Bros. reportedly trying to save Coyote vs. Acme or the good news that Common Side Effects, a mature animation which I’m really enjoying, as it centers on devious pharmaceutical companies and those trying to exploit a magic ‘blue angel’ mushroom for their own ends, getting a second season, the list of “rising stars of animation” by Animation Magazine is illuminating. It profiles those who work on Batman: Caped Crusader (Christina Sotta), In Your Dreams (Alex Woo), BE@RBRICK (HeeKyoung Yum), Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (Wilfried Pain), Long Story Short (Alison Dubois), Lucy Lost (Joyce Colson), GOAT (Jane Lee), Billy the Cowboy Hamster (Cédric Guarneri), Marvel’s Iron Man and His Awesome Friends (James Eason-Garcia), Elio (Nicolle Castro), Dr. Seuss’ Red Fish, Blue Fish (Chelsea Ker), The Bad Guys 2 (Pramita Mukherjee), Krapopolis (Alex Rubens), Max & the Midknights (Josh Wessling), and Smurfs (Margaret Wuller). The influence of anime is strong among these individuals. The following are favorites of the most of above-noted individuals, apart from Dubois, Ker, Mukherjee, and Colson:
Sailor Moon (Castro) [TV series]
Kiki’s Delivery Service (Castro) [Film]
Spirited Away (Castro) [Film]
Dragon Ball (Guarneri) [TV series]
Dr. Slump (Guarneri) [TV series]
Bumpety Boo (Guarneri) [TV series]
Astroganger (Lee) [TV series]
Neon Genesis Evangelion (Pain) [TV series]
Revolutionary Girl Utena (Pain) [TV series]
Dragon Ball Z (Sotta, Woo) [TV series]
Princess Mononoke (Wessling) [Film]
Robotech [anime-ish] (Wuller) [TV series]
Future Boy Conan (Kim) [Film]
Also, Elena of Avalor, The Powerpuff Girls, Lilo & Stitch, Hercules, Mulan, Rugrats, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Rocko’s Modern Life, SpongeBob SquarePants, DuckTales, Batman: The Animated Series, X-Men: The Animated Series, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wallace & Gromit, Aladdin, The Cat Came Back, The Powerpuff Girls, Jonny Quest, Looney Tunes, Finding Nemo, Kung Fu Panda, The Lion King, Ratatouille, The Simpsons, Samurai Jack, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, The Wrong Trousers, Coraline, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and Hey Arnold! are noted as favorites by some of these rising animation stars, as is The Snow Queen (1957), a Soviet animation.
This news is balanced by the disturbing news about Amazon’s Prime Video and Netflix beginning programs to use A.I. for subtitles and dubs, especially when it comes to licensed TV series and movies (usually anime), and Media Do Distributor selling the MyAnimeList site to a Web3/AI company. There also was an article I came across, by Kevin Geiger, for Animation World Network, arguing that the modern animation industry “has fallen into a pattern of risk aversion that prioritizes established intellectual properties (IPs) over original, daring creations,” and argued that “the future belongs to grassroots content and consumer ecosystems.” They further said that animation distributors are gatekeepers, averse to risk, saying their reliance on established IPs creates “creative stagnation,” while independent producers find themselves “at the mercy of this broken system,” encouraged to pitch new ideas, but the they are turned down.
He goes onto to say that there are opportunities for creators to bypass these gatekeepers through cultivating a “dedicated audience” on platforms like YouTube, Patreon, and Kickstarter, while offering “creative freedom and a genuine connection with audiences,” with those creators who leverage this well gaining financial support and a group of invested stakeholders. He gives two inspirational examples: Hazbin Hotel and The Amazing Digital Circus. While he says that this process is not without its challenges, it pays off in the long term, creating a “sustainable creative career rooted in artistic integrity and audience trust,” and asserts that those series which are original and bold will eventually “take center stage, supported by audiences who value innovation over nostalgia and creativity over conformity.” I think he is overselling it a bit. Even so, there is surely a lot of promise in the area of indie animation. I can’t deny that, after the squeezing of smaller anime studios in Japan, as compared to bigger and more established studios, is equivalent to smaller studios struggling in the U.S.
You could say that the Star Wars franchise is in trouble. No new animated series are coming: Star Wars Visions is ending this year, as is Star Wars Young Jedi Adventures, Andor (the second season will be coming to Disney+ on April 22) [not an animation], presumably Star Wars: Tales (a third season entitled “Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld” is coming on May 4). One fan says that future of Star Wars TV appears dire and says it’s unlikely there will be “anything new, unique, or creative,” with executives wanting to play it safe. Although this could be possibly ameliorated by the premiere of two possible (and not confirmed) Star Wars animated series set during the Old Republic era, something is much more promising: the premiere of a new series focusing on wild lesbian archaeologist Doctor Aphra! Coming out in June, it will be entitled Doctor Aphra — Chaos Agent. The series writer Cherish Chen, Chinese American writer in LA who is known for comics like Radiant Red (about a “bank robber-turned-matter-absorbing superhero), and Radiant Black #6 (about a related superhero), calls Aphra a “fun character” she is excited to write for, adding:
Cooking up new adventures for her in this new era, throwing her into increasingly tricky moral quandaries, and testing her resolve (alongside some familiar faces) has truly been like playing in the ultimate sandbox. Our favorite chaos agent is back, and I cannot wait to share what we’ve been working on and for you all to see Gabriel’s incredibly dynamic art.
As a reminder, Doctor Aphra originally had a series which ran for 40 issues, from December 2016 to December 2019, written by Kieron Gillen (originally) and Simon Spurrier, following by a second series, which was written by Alyssa Wong and also ran for 40 issues, which released from May 2020 to January 2024. Aphra has also been featured in an audiobook, entitled Doctor Aphra: An Audiobook Original, and more recently in some issues of Battle of Jakku — Republic Under Siege (specifically Issue #2), Galaxy's Edge (issue #3), Revelations (issue #1), A New Legacy (issue #1), From a Certain Point of View, and some games (Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and Star Wars: Force Arena). I’m interested to see what the issue, releasing in June, will have to offer and am excited to read it.
Aphra is also getting a hardcover omnibus, entitled Star Wars: Doctor Aphra - Friends & Enemies, which will collect Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (Vol. 2) 26-40, the five-issue Sana Starros mini-series and the Aphra story from 2023's Star Wars: Revelations one-shot! So, excited for that too, when it comes out in December. Presently, the subreddit for Aphra is small (less than 400), but there are dedicated fans of this “bad girl” (disaster lesbian more like it) whether on Tumblr, Bluesky, or other social media, including those writing fan fics.
In terms of other queer content, there was were two contrasting stories: reported Netflix censorship of Love is Blind and fans of Our Flag Means Death raising money for trans youth. Queer fans can be strong if they want to be. There were other posts of note on the “prison lesbian trope” and a posting on March 1st, where Erica Friedman called, in her Yuri Network News update, the trailer for CLAIREBELL The Series, shown below, a “gritty Thai GL prison drama.” More than that, it looks melodramatic, but also involving wild lesbians working together toward a common goal, with one of them falsely imprisoned on drug charges. I’m interested to see where it goes.
There also was news about a yuri manga being adapted into a live-action drama this month, entitled Even Though We're Adults. The manga this is adapted from is by Takako Shimura, who previously wrote Sweet Blue Flowers (2009) and Wandering Son (2011), both of which were adapted into anime, but “this is the first time one of her works will be made into a live-action drama.” Rakuten Viki will adapt the K-Drama My Girlfriend is The Man!, which follows “Ji-eun Kim…a university student who wakes up as a man…[and] after explaining her situation to her boyfriend Yun-jae Park…the couple decide to stay together until a solution is found.” So basically Kim is trans, I think?
While it is unfortunate to see that Syu Yasaka's How Do I Get Together With My Childhood Friend? yuri manga is ending with a fifth volume, it is more disturbing to hear about the anime censorship in China leading to “broadcast woes” (will the U.S. be next?), which is impacting what series get produced and how they are presented, an A.I.-powered webtoon platform named Realtoon will soon launch, and Naver Webtoon joining an anti-piracy coalition and reporting increased losses in the last quarter. The latter could negatively impact queer comics on the site, especially those which get money as part of Webtoons Originals.
That’s all for this newsletter.
- Burkely