Sweet Mother of NERD, FANEXPO HANGOVER

Apologies for the late response to last weekend's epic nerdgasm that was FanExpo 2010. I do believe I am still regaining composure and crawling back down from the untold highs of fan-girling in a convention setting.

Serious.

I have spent the last week gorging myself on new anime series, classic science fiction titles, and stunning graphic novels in an effort to wean myself back onto the real world. I've stabilized enough to dedicate these fingers to the task of re-telling the tales of this pilgrimage, the first foray into the Major Convention Circuit.

And so, we begin in the golden hours of a Sunday morning on the hushed roads of Suburbia...

***

FanExpo, GO!

• Hit the road before 8 AM with a complete survival kit at hand. Sunscreen for the lines: Check. Clever specs: Check. Wads of cash for nerd-related purchases: Oh, sweet double check. I am never loose with my wallet, but, well, these were unchartered territories, kids.
• Arrived chez Advocate for 8:20 AM. Her River Song costume was abandoned last minute (on account of our late night at BuskerFest the night before). Never fear - her tried and true Rose Tyler costume fulfilled her cosplay requirement for the day. Seems the Sonic Screwdriver helped us manage the lines at FanExpo, too, as all Time Lord gear tends to.
• Hopped on the GO Train and made quick work with our navigation skills. We followed quick snatches of Star Wars conversations and neon-coloured cosplayers to Ground Zero: The Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

(Thank goodness the Advocate's lil' Sister advised us of the back entrance. Note: This is NOT the back entrance.)

• Stood outside in line for.... wait for it........ 2 hours. Realized the advantages of pre-order tickets, RE: Waiting in a shorter line for less time. Yes, we were the serfs who bought tickets at the door. This will not be repeated next year. Did I mention it was well over 30C on Aug. 29th?
• Charged inside where we waited for about another hour. The Gods of Long Lines smiled upon us as a Cash Express booth opened before us, placing The Advocate and I at the front of a huge swell of eager, over-heated conventioneers. Spotted a baby Wolverine and baby Iron Man while standing there -- baby Iron Man had the pose down and everything. He has been trained well.
• Experienced a false start to the day. Tickets were sold, then promptly stopped. The serfs were waiting on approval from the fire department. Egads. It is dangerous to toy with a crowd full of cosplayers who do, in fact, have replica weapons on hand. I'm just sayin'.
• I think The Advocate will agree with me when I describe the overload our entrance induced. The press of our people, the stalls crowded with all forms of merchandise, the literal tower of clever, sometimes ironic, pop culture t-shirts luring us with their bright colours -- it far exceeded our experience of Wizard World in March. And we had been inside for all of twelve seconds at that point.
• Met up with The Advocate's sister and another friend -- or, rather, we met up with Minnie Mouse and Sailor Jupiter, to be more accurate. I know, I hang out with all the celebrities at these events.

AND THEN THE BLUR BEGAN. The crowd outside caught up with us in about half an hour and the floors were flooded with staggering numbers of fellow geeks. I heard the first-hand accounts of Saturday's nightmare from Minnie and Jupiter -- the two-person entrance policies, the line-ups for escalators, the general inability to move across the convention floor. Sunday was another test of claustrophobia, but, despite the ruckus, there were still great times to be had and great finds to be made.

(The infamous "Fan Shuffle" was in effect for the afternoon.)

We prowled around the autograph area and - lo - we caught sight of the ever-gorgeous Felicia Day herself. And, I can vouch for the fact that she is even more stunning in real life. I know, I didn't think it was possible either, but, it is, my dears. It still boggles my mind that she is a gamer nerd on top of being an avid reader of current fantasy and sci fi fiction. *Amorous sigh*

Minnie and Jupiter found us a secret spot to eat our lunch in relative peace (we were hanging out with the folks in line to meet William Shatner. Organizers hid them all behind a huge curtain. Serious.) Turned out this was also the spot where the celebrities passed after their signings --> Summer Glau walked within mere inches of our group. I mean, we had to shift our weary legs for her to pass, we were that close. It was more than a little surreal.

Alas, I was out of the area when The Advocate and Minnie had their encounter with Spike (aka. James Marsters). I returned and knew what had passed before a word was even uttered -- their eyes were sparking with that "OHMYGOD, SOMETHINGAMAZINGJUSTHAPPENED ANDYOU'RECRAZYBECAUSEYOUMISSEDIT" energy that only girls can muster. I am told he grinned and said "Hello there" to the sisters. I love it when convention dreams come true, especially when pretty people are involved.

In terms of merchandise, I did quite well for myself.

The Haul:

• The first Torchwood tee of the collection. Alas, the smallest size for women's tees were medium. But, "medium" seems to be a rather generous description. Either it will be tailored soon or it will become a night shirt. Bah, I wish these companies would realize girls DO want to purchase apparel at these events. Men's XXL is no longer the standard, people.
• Shin's Vivian Westwood necklace/lighter from Nana. This is now the most embarrassing, yet awesome, possession I own. It is a replica of an item featured in the greatest shoujo manga series of all time. And it is MINE. *Cackles hopelessly*

• The first three volumes of Camilla d'Errico's Tanpopo series. I did not anticipate finding the artist herself with a premium booth at FanExpo, but I was thrilled to stumble across her work there. She is best known for her gorgeous, steampunkish Helmet Girls, but her portfolio has expanded quite a bit in the last few years. Regular readers might recall I first stumbled across her work back in May at TCAF (she did a cover for Cloudscape Comic's Exploded View Vol. 4). Her new series, Tanpopo, follows the adventures of a mysterious girl who makes a pact with the Devil in order to escape the analytical mind in favour of human emotion. Each installment is built around a famous poem drawing Tanpopo further down her path to potential enlightenment. It is gorgeous, as promised. AND, I got each volume autographed with an additional quick sketch in the back of Vol. 3 by Ms. d'Errico herself. *Grin*

***

*Dizzy with remembrance*

It's still such a swirl of wondrous geekery and general niche-based consumerism. It is staggering to see how massive FanExpo has become over the last decade. I know this was the first FanExpo I attended, but, I do know the marketing forces unleashed for 2010 are unrivaled by previous years. It was made quite obvious that even the organizers had not anticipated how far-reaching their advertisement campaign would be. President and CEO, Aman Gupta, even issued an official apology to 2010 attendees for the lines, the problematic floor layout, and the general inconvenience experienced on Saturday in particular. For 2011, the entire South Metro Toronto Convention Centre has been booked, so, here's hoping the event will be more streamlined.

Regardless, the nerds will be there.

And I will be among them.

... Probably sporting that necklace from Nana because I am a blight on all humanity....

** Edit (09/06/10): For those unfamiliar with the Convention Centre layout, here's an overview of the two buildings. FanExpo 2010 was in the North Building (dark blue); in 2011, it will be in the South Building (bluish-grey). Yeah. That's a whole lot of growth in one year.

Residual Envy Over Montreal...

While this post is one week late in reference to the event dates, the sentiment still rages on:

I AM OVERFLOWING WITH ANIME-INDUCED ENVY DIRECTED AT MONTREAL.

... And it's still running high since I first discovered what all I missed out on with Otakuthon 2010...

***

Regular readers will find this frenzied, age-inappropriate expression of love for anime/manga to be no surprise at all. New readers will more than likely cancel their subscription upon reading the depths of my otaku-ness for the medium.

In either case, brace yourselves for a decent amount of fan-girling.

In December 2009, I christened the 7th-11th as the First Official Ani-Manga Extravaganza!! here at Cute, Queer, Canada. With the help of the ever-reliable Wikipedia, I outlined the history of Yuri manga (aka. a genre catering to queer women and other "girls' love" fans) and even introduced readers to popular series including the melodramatic Aoi Hana and the parodic Strawberry Panic. In the past few months, I have scoured the vastness of the Internet to find more relevant series to share with readers and I have been rewarded nicely for my efforts (more to come on that front).

Anyhow, that week for Tunes for Tuesdays, I stumbled across the magical, almost manga-scripted tale of Catherine St-Onge (aka. HIMEKA), a French-Canadian girl who won the Second Annual Animax Anison Grand Prix in 2008 and launched her career as an anime singer with Sony Music Japan. Serious, it is one impressive story and I suggest you click over to the link before continuing with this post.

*Crosses arms, leans against the wall*

....

*Checks her watch, wonders when the 'rents will return with that promised Dairy Queen*

Welcome back.

.... Now, imagine the shock I felt when I read that one of the Guests of Honour for Otakuthon 2010 was none other than our girl, HIMEKA, herself.

.... Now imagine the welling frustration I felt as I glanced at the calendar and realized, "Oh. It's August 11th. And Otakuthon starts on Aug. 13th. Well, kuso..."

I turned to YouTube and drowned the initial sorrow with a newish HIMEKA PV for the single, "Hatenaki Michi" (2009):

Oh, but the personal tragedy does not end there.

No, no.

As I explored the official Otakuthon website further, I landed upon a new section to this year's convention. It is the maiden voyage of an event dedicated to a certain sub-genre within the manga circles of the West, a singular set of titles that are often overlooked or otherwise ignored even at large-scale anime conventions across North America.

What on Earth could it be? What is it that could put Miz Moffatt's envious self over the edge?

.... 2010 is the FIRST TIME that Otakuthon has hosted an individual, stand-alone YURITHON for visitors.

YURI.

AN ENTIRE SERIES OF EVENTS FOCUSED ON YURI CONTENT.

*Choking on her own misfortune*

As far as I am aware, this is the first full-scale anime/manga convention in Canada to directly cater to Yuri fans with distinct programming separate from the massive popularity that is the Yaoi genre (aka. "boys' love," or gay boy content).

God love the French for being ahead of the times.

I have nothing against the gay boys -- in fact, I am a fan of a couple of series (including the Canadian-based, manga-styled series, Honeydew Syndrome, by autobrig, also known at Nuu and Schumie). It's here, it's queer -- I love it. But, as with anything related to queer women, there is not ever enough. At these conventions, Yuri is often paired with Yaoi, with a definite favoritism toward Yaoi in all cases (as in, there might be one airing of a Yuri anime to every ten airings of Yaoi anime). Finding vendors is even more difficult.

Ah, the plight of a nerdtastic, gay gal in the North. The things I suffer for my fandom, I tell you.

***

And now, readers are permitted to uncover their eyes and quickly click over to the next blog on their circuit. And I permit myself to start planning a trek to Montreal this time next year.

WEEKENDGOGOGO!

*Downs a bottle of water, doubles over in an out-of-breath fashion*

Need to... slow.... down.... for a moment....

It's been one of those weekends a gal needs a break from. It's been hectic, but a whole lot of fun. And it's not even Sunday yet.

That's how I roll.

I imagine the exhaustion stems from what can only be described as "The Worst Night's Sleep in Existence." Picture it: One night-owl of a brother decides to pump up the bass to his music around midnight and then lets the shower run for forty minutes at around 3 AM. Did I mention the head of my bed is a thin wall away from the shower? Did I also mention I am a wretchedly light sleeper? I might have logged 3 hours of sleep last night. 4 would be generous.

And then I had to roll into Toronto for a volunteer meeting at the Harbourfront Centre.

I shouldn't berate the morning too much, though. After all, I am a morning person. I'm most with it between the hours of 9 AM and 11 AM. The GO train rolled me into Union Station about 45 minutes before the appointed gathering, so I took the time to loll about at the harbour and watch the planes land on a strip close by. It was still and crisp and all filled with affirmations. I highly recommend the experience.

The meeting itself was a decent one. Most of the events coming up for May are kid-oriented which, I admit, I am not so comfortable with. Yeah. Kids and I don't tend to mix well. Granted, there are some literary events targeted for children approaching and I am decidedly good with books. So, perhaps not all is lost. I've got my eyes set on the summer/autumn months where the Heavyweights of the Can. Lit. Scene will descend on the harbourfront and OWN IT. *Excitement abounds!*

I'm also checking out other Toronto-based literary events and comic cons to volunteer for. I'm embracing my inner cheap bastard and am trying to weasel ways to get into events for free. And, volunteering benefits everyone, so I redeem myself in the same stroke. Impressive.

Anyhow, the meeting let out late and I missed the 12:43 PM train and had to wait an additional hour for the next one. I staked out a corner, bought myself a Smarties Blizzard from DQ, and flipped through this week's edition of NOW Magazine. Discovered Evelyn Evelyn (a recent profile for Tunes for Tuesdays) is coming to town in June. Yes, that is correct. I might have the chance to see Amanda Fucking Palmer on stage. Wicked excited about this one, no doubt.

As I waited, The Sister texted me in reference to taking a hike (in the literal sense). I confirmed, despite my later arrival time from Toronto. We headed out to a nice creek-ish area with her basset hound, Ruby, and walked the trails for almost two hours. I know, we are just mental like that. Poor Ruby, she was so tuckered out. Bassets have short legs, it takes a lot out of them to leap through puddles and dash across hills. Ruby was also terrified of a sow that snorted at her from the farm area at the creek. It was hilarious.

And now, I have come off another well-deserved anime binge. Tonight, it was the later episodes of Shugo Chara (which, I can't believe I admit to watching), and I've started in on re-watching the Nana series because IT IS THE BEST MANGA/ANIME/LIVE-ACTION FILM EVER. People are crying over everything and there's inter- and intra-band tensions and everyone has such freakin' awesome clothing -- I love it. I love it to unhealthy levels. More on that with a later post, perhaps.

So yes, a lively day. I am all tuckered out, myself. And Sunday sounds like a rush, too. Since it's April, it's National Poetry Month and I'm headed out to a local cafe for a reading (and to also rub elbows with a prominent poet in the GTA, FYI). Then, if plans are still in place, I will be sippin' tea with The Advocate and Ship Sharp for the evening. I need lady time, for serious.

Hope you kids are having fun thus far and I will check in again before the weekend closes.

Wizard World Toronto Comic Con

I cannot fathom a photo making me look nerdier/gayer than this one and I love it.

PEOPLE. OH MY GOODNESS -- I FOUND MY PEOPLE ON SATURDAY. Or, well, one important group of people, I should amend that. I would have loved to find a flock of queer women running around dressed as anime characters, BUT -- finding the Direct Energy Centre filled to the rafters with fellow nerds was an enriching, life-affirming experience.

This weekend was the official launch to a string of spring/summer festivals celebrating all that are comics, manga, sci fi, horror, gaming, and other such desirable pursuits. It was the inaugural Wizard World convention here in Canada and Toronto responded with great enthusiasm and even more cosplay. The Advocate and I were champing at the bit to cross the threshold into that magical Universe and were pleased with the outcome. It was also my first ever comic con and, yes, I have been converted to its wonder.

In typical Moffatt fashion, I must resort to point form notes as I have much ground to cover:

• 11:30 AM: Rendezvous avec The Advocate and The Bruce for a pre-game lunch chez Liberty Village Market and Cafe. I got lost at first, which is to be expected. But, once found, I was in for a delicious lunch. Veggie wrap with an odd drink concoction (aloe and mangosteen...?) The drink was chewy. It had aloe gel in it. Yet, oddly, it was satisfying.
• Note: The Advocate and The Bruce traded in their usual identities for some cosplay characters. The duo went as Rose Tyler from Doctor Who and Arthur Dent from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, respectively. I travelled with celebrities -- serious, we got stopped for lots of photos once we were on Con grounds. I was the mild-mannered queer in the crowd.
• Where to start? We headed for the indie comics and the artist tables. It was low-key and filled with up and coming talent. Artists sold their work and were commissioned on the spot for new pieces. Definitely a trip to see them all working and getting the chance to hear them talk about their projects.
• Next up: Vendors. There were A LOT. Our trio didn't spend a whole lot of time with the mainstream comics, but you best believe I meandered around the manga. We found cute plushies of Luna from Sailor Moon and I found Nana 2 (the film) on DVD (!!) -- I'm not sure if it had English subs or not, so I steered clear. However, the vendor selling it has a store around my house so I will be stopping in soon.
• Cosplayers: No convention is complete without 'em. There were some impressive costumes there. We found Wolverine, some of the classic characters from X-Men, the cast of Hellboy, numerous Storm Troopers, Jedi knights, Battlestar Galactica soldiers, a few Batmans, a few Jokers, Ghostbusters -- EPIC. Aww, and there was a kid dressed in a Captain America costume who was too adorable.
• Found a raffle for some Steampunk swag and you best bet I entered it. It was a monogoggle attached to a leather flyer's cap. SO COOL. MUST HAVE. Please, send all those good luck vibes my way. Serious, now.
• Autograph tables: Umm.... we were all rather confused with the "celebrities." There was "So-and-So" from America's Next Top Model, "Such-and-Such" from So, You Think You Can Dance, "What's-Their-Faces" from Survivor, and other reality show commoners. And there were random pin-up girls who looked rather... false. In all aspects. And wrestlers, equally false in all their aspects. Weird.
• REAL celebrities: I got a touch star-struck when we passed Doug Jones' booth. I mean, it's Doug Jones of Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth fame. And it's true, he's exceedingly thin in real life. And Ernie Hudson from the original Ghostbusters! (Hence all the folks running around dressed as Ghostbusters). His booth had a constant swell of fans around it, but it was still cool to see him from afar.
• Jewel Staite from Firefly -- I got to see The Bruce "fan-boy" in person. Ah, it's such an experience to see someone "fan out" in front of their idol. We all look the same when it happens and it still remains refreshing and humbling.
• Discovered The Bruce could cosplay as Ianto Jones from Torchwood with no issues. Serious, the two could be brothers.
• The Advocate stopped for a photo with one other fan who dressed as the Tenth Doctor... and we got sucked into an awkward, fifteen-minute conversation with said gentleman. It was the only awkward moment of the day, though, so not bad.
• I "fan-girled" when we arrived at the sword selection -- um, can we say replica swords from Bleach?! I saw Ichigo's bankai zanpakutō. And I even saw Kenpachi's katana. Mmm hmm. And as odd as that information might sound to most, I know of one reader who will understand everything I just typed.
• Met up with The Advocate's lil' sister and her boyfriend for a spell -- she dressed as Carmen San Diego, he dressed as Clark Kent mid-transformation to Superman. Again, we were stopped for photos every few metres.
• THE NERDIEST PHOTO EVER was taken at this event. Picture it: A Jedi knight took the photo of Arthur Dent and Rose Tyler having a light saber fight as Batman watched on in the background. I KID YOU NOT. This photo exists and I feel life is richer because of it.
• T-shirts: What the heck, t-shirt vendor guy. Girls like to purchase shirts from Doctor Who, Torchwood, and Battlestar Galactica. What's up with the men's medium shirts and larger only policy? It is archaic and does not reflect the current demographic of convention visitors. He tried to tell The Advocate and I that it was the gents who put down the cash, anyway, and that girls were only interested in these shirts because their boyfriends introduced it to them. As The Advocate stated, "Hey, I was the one who forced him [The Bruce] to watch Doctor Who. I was the influence." Not to mention I stumbled into anime on my own accord -- and I'm queer to boot! Whatev, t-shirt guy.
• On the upside, The Bruce found some sweet patches for his jacket -- a Viper decal from Battlestar Galactica and... I am spacing on the last one. I know it refers to another flight-related logo... from another series... ahh, can't recall it...
• The Advocate and I did some some sweet swag from Sick on Sin -- I got a cute rocket t-shirt and The Advocate got a pair of unmentionables with the Devil Cupcake on 'em.
• I somehow convinced The Advocate and The Bruce to watch wrestling. I thought there was going to be a match between Light vs. L (from Death Note) at 5 PM. There was. It just happened on Friday while we were there on the Saturday. Alas. We caught one match and, hmm. Well. It was.... hmm. It would have been far better had the opponents been dressed as anime figures or gaming characters. Ha, though, it was amusing that The Advocate's heckles for the guys to kiss did happen (partially). No make-outs, though. Still, wrestling is quite the homoerotic event.
• Note: I can't remember at what time the fire alarm was pulled, but, geeze -- talk about a buzz kill. Vendors had to jump ship and hope no one would make off with their merchandise. On the upside, we got to see a bunch of cosplayers we hadn't seen in the building as each one was forced to file out.
• Brainstormed what we could do for a group cosplay. Ideas included the casts of: Torchwood, Dead Like Me, Buffy, Battlestar Galactica (though, I think we might have to all cross dress for that one to work).... I think I am missing some. Argh, brain, you are failing me tonight.
• Once we were all overwhelmed with the might of the Comic Con, we shuffled our way to Brazen Head Irish Pub for some delicious pub fare to cap the night. Oh, veggie burger with hummus and a side of fresh cut fries. *Brain melts at the recollection* The companions savoured some classic Irish stew and meat pies. Serious, it was quite upscale establishment in there, despite the door people kept opening that chilled our group to the core. (Serious, it was cold out).
• I missed the 6:48 PM GO Train, so we hung out at The Advocate's office and drew on whiteboards until the next train arrived. I know I can't draw well, but I still love Hemoglobin the Hobgoblin (a character I created back in high school).

WOW. I know I am missing out on small details and other odd occurrences from the Con, but I was so saturated I could barely take it all in. Serious, I am so glad I went. As I said earlier, this is the first of event of numerous ones coming up this year. We've still got Anime North in May and The Toronto Comic Arts Festival and FanExpo in August among other conventions. And that's not including the literary festivals I shall attend in 2010.

I feel tired just reading all that. I need to look into volunteer opportunities for this locations. I mean, to get in there for free and perhaps mingle with the vendors and artists? Not a bad deal, if you ask me.

Thank you for your patience with this post (to those non-nerds out there). And for the nerds, this is just the tip of the iceberg. You best prepare for more updates in the coming months.

Ani-Manga Extravaganza: Strawberry Panic!

Strawberry Panic! (Girls' School in Full Bloom) -- Yes. This manga/anime/entertainment package comes with its own exclamation mark AND a subtitle. I mean, if you're going to title a work, you ought to do it right.

The original run of Strawberry Panic! first appeared in Dengeki G's Magazine in 2003 and the series took a good six months to build momentum and gather a following. Writer Sakurako Kimino and artists Chitose Maki and Namuchi Takumi focused their collections of illustrated short stories on a group of teenage girls attending three affiliated all-girl schools on Astraea Hill. Yuri content forms the basis of the storytelling throughout the entire run, often to varying degrees of explicitness. Two of the main characters, Nagisa Aoi of St Miator's Girls' Academy and Hikari Konohana of St. Spica's Girls' Institute, attract the greatest number of admirers and jealous competitors during their time on Astraea Hill (therefore, most of the plot lines revolve around them). However, some of the more minor characters are given their own story arcs and private dramas that are played out for readers as well.

I will be honest -- providing an overview of the plot line is a daunting task. There are main plots, subplots, sub-subplots, and so forth. Not to mention each school has four main girls in addition to various recurring characters, all with their own complicated histories. But try, I will.

***

Strawberry Panic! revolves around the romantic infatuations and the scholastic lives of adolescents attending three interconnected all-girl schools that happen to share a campus and dormitory (Strawberry Dorms). The schools include St. Miator's Girls' Academy (the oldest school, known for upholding Japanese traditions), St. Spica's Girls' Institute (known for advancing women's independence), and St. Lulim's Girls' School (the newest school, known for its relaxed teaching styles and its general freedom with knowledge).

Nagisa Aoi

Nagisa Aoi is a new transfer student entering her fourth year at St. Miator. As she wanders the campus on her first day, she accidentally stumbles downs a hill and becomes lost and disoriented. It is at this moment she meets an older student, Shizuma Hanazono, who happens to be Astraea Hill's Etoile. The Etoile acts as a representative between the different schools and is given specific responsibilities and ceremonial powers that she must fulfill. Both girls are overwhelmed by their attraction to one another to the point where Nagisa faints after Shizuma kisses her on the forehead. Shortly afterward in the infirmary, Nagisa meets Tamao Suzumi, her future roommate and the one girl who will pine after Nagisa no matter the circumstances.

Nagisa Aoi and Shizuma Hanazono

The series charts Nagisa's path as she negotiates the internal politics of each campus and befriends various girls across Astraea Hill. Strawberry Panic! encompasses the relationships the characters build with one another, climaxing after two girls court and eventually commit to one another.

Depending on the media outlet, the depiction of the girls' relationships are laced with more or less explicit fan service -- the anime adaptation depicts more sexually-charged imagery than the manga while the light novels focus more intently on emotional connections. In addition, Strawberry Panic! has spawned numerous other entertainment media products including audio CDs, a visual novel released on PlayStation 2, and an Internet radio show. So yes, whatever your taste is when it comes to yuri content, literally every media outlet is covered.

***

It seems as though the reception of Strawberry Panic! is quite mixed. I find that I'm a bit torn about the series as well. At times, it's quite poignant with its narrative -- I can think of one instance where Shizuma and her friend/student council president, Miyuki Rokujō, discuss the issue of Shizuma's fast-approaching graduation and the pressures to "straighten out" once finished with school. It seems that the girls are aware same-sex relationships are protected within the walls of their academies, but most of the girls are locked into arranged marriages even before graduation. There's a moment where Shizuma's concerns are hinted at and there's this potential for greater discussion that never quite takes place.

As for problematic aspects, well, I would have to rank the rape attempts on Hikari high up on that list. She is attracted to Amane Ohtori, an older student in the running to become the next Etoile once Shizuma graduates. Two girls at St. Spica, Kaname Kenjō and Momomi Kiyashiki, are plotting to take the Etoile position for themselves and, so, they target Amane through Hikari. I believe Kaname's actual logic throughout the attempted rapes are: "If I rape Hikari, she will love me and Amane will be heartbroken. Therefore, Amane will be out of the running for Etoile and I will have ALL the power." Hrrm. Problematic.

Anyhow, I am babbling now, aren't I? I ought to show you the first episode so you can decide for yourself whether Strawberry Panic! is a hit or miss in your yuri library:

Watch Strawberry Panic 1 in Animation | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

It seems that the series is more of a yuri parody than a legit depiction of lesbian life. I mean, it's fun to watch the towering, surreal, almost ridiculous plot lines sometimes -- it's the ol' "shut the brain off and absorb" mentality. But hey, I'm still new to the scene and it was the second anime I ever watched that revolved around the lives of queer girls, so I've got to stay true to those roots. But definitely, I expect this series to ignite strong reactions for better or worse in its viewers, so take it as it comes, I'd advise.

Ani-Manga Extravaganza: Aoi Hana

Aoi Hana (also known as Sweet Blue Flowers) is the delicate, dream-like tale of a high school student navigating her secret crushes at an all-girls school and discovering her true identity as a lesbian woman. With the help of an estranged childhood friend, our protagonist learns to accept herself and her desire even while she finds the courage to let go of the women who have hurt her in the past.

The manga series was originally written and illustrated by Takako Shimura. It began serialization in November 2004 in Ohta's Publishing, Manga Erotics F. As of April 2009, four bound volumes of the manga have been released.

From July to September 2009, an 11-episode animated series of the yuri manga aired on Fuji TV in Japan. The light, subdued watercolours of the manga's illustrations gave way to a more realistic style under Kenichi Kasai's direction and under the directives of the J.C. Staff. However, the sweet melodrama and the epic amount of hushed blushing and shy glances survived the leap between manga to anime, making for an excellent starting point for new yuri fans.

***

Akira Okudaira

At the start of Aoi Hana, Akira Okudaira is entering high school at Fujigaya Girls Academy in Kamakura. On her commute, she encounters her old childhood friend, Fumi Manjōme, whom she has not seen for ten years. Fumi is attending Matsuoka Girl's High School where she meets and subsequently falls in love with the handsome third-year heartthrob, Yasuko Sugimoto. Fumi and Yasuko strike up a short-term love affair that ignites the gossip circles of both girls' schools considering Yasuko is the star of her school's drama club and basketball team.

Meanwhile, Akira joins the drama club at her school and befriends Kyōko Ikumi, another budding queer girl who was turned down by the charismatic Yasuko. At the moment, Kyōko has been promised to Kō Sawanoi and is set to marry him once she graduates. However, both sides of the relationship understand the unspoken reality that Kyōko is a lesbian and does not want to wed.

Kyōko Ikumi

Once Fumi and Yasuko are dating, Fumi comes out to Akira who is at first unsure how to react. Akira dedicates herself to cultivating happiness in the lives of those around her and she struggles at first to ease Fumi's worries.

Yasuko Sugimoto and Fumi Manjōme

Akira's drama club organizes an adaptation of Wuthering Heights in which the dashing Yasuko dominates as Heathcliff. Following the performance, Yasuko and Fumi reach an insurmountable obstacle in their new relationship -- it is revealed that Yasuko harbours deep-seated feelings for her older sister's finace and her former teacher, Masanori Kagami. With the heartbreaking understanding that she can never be with Masanori, Yasuko decides to leave Kamakura in order to study abroad in London.

In the wake of her shattered relationship and after a great deal of soul searching, Fumi realizes her first and only love has always been Akira, despite the fact that Akira is not interested in women. At this point, the manga and anime diverge -- while the anime ends with Fumi's epiphany, the manga continues on into the girls' second year of high school where Akira and Fumi's friendship is complicated after Fumi reveals her true feelings.

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To check out the first episode of Aoi Hana, click over to AnimeWoot.com. All eleven episodes are up and running with English subtitles for all you ladies who A) Can't speak Japanese and B) Like to read your television shows. I hope you find this post when you have ample free time as I'm sure you will get sucked in to watching the entire series.

Serious, I love the shyness and the blushing that goes on in Japanese yuri manga/anime. It's like the creators sat there and watched me stumble through high school and then animated it for fans across the globe. Oh, and you're going to notice fairly fast that there is a definite trend in the anime I will be showcasing this week:

• The energetic, gorgeous, shorter, social butterflies tend to be the young objects of affection.
• The reserved, tall, awkward, intelligent girls with long, dark hair and glasses tend to be the older, closeted queers who struggle to come to terms with their budding sexual identity. Oh, and you can bet your buttons that they will pine for the unattainable girls.

I love it for its accuracy. Perhaps you, dear reader, will find some commonalities between your own high school days (or present circumstances) and the characters from Aoi Hana. Oh, the quiet drama -- how I miss thee.

ANI-MANGA EXTRAVAGANZA!!

YOSSHA!!

It is time, my lovelies -- it is time to unleash a world of anime and manga on all of you for ONE SOLID WEEK. I have been planning this series of posts for at least one month now and, at last, the ideas are being realised in print.

Nerds, please rejoice. And for all the doubtful, concerned readers out there, never fear -- take note and open those horizons to a brand new scene with a whole lot of women, all queerly-drawn.

And I do underline the QUEER aspect.

As in Western culture, there is a definite genre in Japanese literature that appeals to women of the lady-lovin' persuasion and to the gentlemen who happen to support (and drool over) them. Yuri, or literally "lily," is a catch-all term used in Japan to denote all anime, manga, or other related entertainment media that features lesbian content. Yuri can either focus on the sexual and explicit aspects or the emotional aspects of the relationship, the latter often being denoted as shojo-ai (or "Girls' Love") in the West.

Now, as I am fascinated with language and the evolution of words, I found it interesting that North American audiences once used the term "yuri" to describe the most explicit examples of the genre, more specifically the hentai (or pornographic) section. According to the information I found on Wikipedia (I know, only the most reliable sources for Miz Moffatt! *Sarcasm*), the evolution of the West/Japanese terms is thus:

"Following the pattern of shōnen-ai, a term already in use in North America to describe content involving non-sexual relationships between men, western fans coined the term shojo-ai to describe yuri without explicit sex. In Japan the term shōjo-ai (少女愛?, lit. girl love) is not used in this meaning, and instead tends to denote pedophilia (actual or perceived) , with a similar meaning to the term lolicon (Lolita complex)"

Now, prior to reading this article, I was partial to the term "yuri" to describe works pertaining to queer women. Maybe I am just lazy and prefer two-syllable words over three-syllables, I don't know. But, knowing that "shojo-air" in Japan refers to another genre that I find entirely objectionable, well -- yuri will do just fine for this blogette.

In the early twentieth-century, Japanese lesbian literature took the form of Class S stories that depicted intense, though platonic, emotional attachments between a more senior student and a junior student. However, the ultimate message of these works remains heteronormative. While the girls experience powerful attractions to one another, it is understood as a transitory period that enables girls to flourish into caring wives and mothers in their adulthood.

In the 1970s, yuri began to appear in magazines targeted toward young girls, however the outcome was still quite similar. The formulaic conventions of the genre in this era prevented the couple from remaining together -- an older, more sophisticated woman pined after a younger, more awkward admirer, but the relationship was doomed from the start. Once their relationship was made public, both families treated the news as a scandal and the tales often ended with the death of the older partner. I find it interesting that queer narratives tend to conclude with partners dying or insurmountable odds prying the lovers apart. Even now, it's amazing how that plot structure persists in our cultural collective.

But, I digress.

It's not until the 1990s that yuri fans were introduced to fulfilling, sweet, and more genuine depictions of romantic and sexual bonds between women. Tragic outcomes and stereotyped dynamics weakened and allowed for series like the ever-popular Sailor Moon to introduce a more positive portrayal of lesbian relationships. Ah, Sailor Moon -- it was the first mainstream series in Japanese print and animation to not only depict powerful, ass-kicking, magical girls, it was also the first to depict an open lesbian couple. Of course, if you were a young'un in North America when the dubbed anime was released, you would have understood this relationship within a more sterilized, confusing fashion. Even with the censorship of queer characters, I know for certain that the show still influenced my proto-lesbian self and helped shape my perspective on attractive, fierce women.

From that moment onward, lesbian characters have garnered a wider following and are featured as the cornerstones of entire series and magazine serials. On one hand, there's the masterpiece Revolutionary Girl Utena, a shoujo anime series featuring a prominent yuri relationship. On the other hand, male-targeted works such as Devilman Lady began to explore the more "mature" aspects of lesbian relationships. The first magazines targeted toward lesbians appeared around this period and featured stories ranging from high school crushes to lesbian love stories played out in real time with varying degrees of sexual content. In the present day, it seems as though yuri content is free to blend with other genres including mecha and science fiction and thus generate new, diverse stories for readers in love with yuri manga.

And, here we are now -- right on the cusp of diving into the latest yuri series and a whole new stomping ground for creative, queer girls and male fans alike. I am busting at the seams to share more with you, but I need to pace myself here. I could easily inundate you given that the genre has expanded as much as it has in recent years. But no, we shall leave that until later this week.

Here we go, girls -- let the Ani-Manga Extravaganza BEGIN!