What has a history over a hundred years-old, goes beyond genre, and gets its name from the Japanese word for 'lily'? If you guessed yuri, you and our guest would be in good company! This week, we had special guest Erica Friedman to help us wrap up the season and educate us on the fascinating world of yuri... for the revolution of the world?!
Next week, it's season eight; what changes will we have in store?! One thing that won't change is that we'll have a new episode, this time with Justus R Stone talking about fans of light novels!
## Where can I learn more about Erica Friedman?
If you want to learn more about Erica Friedman's fantastic work on yuri, you're in luck!
- The Yuri New Network (now with podcast!): [okazu.yuricon.com](https://okazu.yuricon.com)
- YuriCon: [yuricon.com](https://yuricon.com)
- Facebook: [@yuriconalc](https://facebook.com/yuriconalc)
- Twitter: [@okazuyuri](https://twitter.com/okazuyuri)
And, you can help support the continuation of that work by becoming a patron of her work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/okazu
## Episode outline
### Fandom Facts
**History and Origins:**
Yuri, or Girls' Love, is a genre of manga, anime, and other Japanese works involving lesbian relationships. It can focus on the romantic or sexual aspects of the relationships (or both). The word itself literally means 'lily', a common Japanese feminine name, and may be derived in parallel to the pre-existing association between the word for rose ('bara') and gay men.
...And of course there's a lot of history, which is why we have Erica to help us out!
**Search Data:**
Interest in Yuri has been [relatively constant since 2004 with some slow growth](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0jb0t,%2Fm%2F0f9s9). Most spikes in interest appear to be erroneously associated with the genre: a spike in December 2016 most likely corresponds to the finale of _Yuri!!! on Ice_, for example, as does a spike in August 2011 referring to cosmonaut _Yuri Gagarin_.
A quick comparison to Yaoi puts Yuri as just under half as popular but with similar trends.
In terms of search data by country, the top ten are: Japan, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Cambodia, Phillipines, Malaysia, and El Salvador (Canada is 30th, and United States is 32nd).
**Fan Demographics:**
Based on a fan survey conducted by [Floating into Bliss in 2017](https://floatingintobliss.wordpress.com/2017/10/14/report-on-the-yuri-fandom-demographic-survey/), we do have some rough data from its almost 700 respondents.
- Gender: A plurality identified as women (47.19%), but fairly equal representation of those identifying as men (44.31%) with the remainder identifying as non-binary / other.
- Sexuality: Of the women who responded, 96.04% listed their sexuality as something _other_ than heterosexual (compared to 23.38% of men)
- Age: The mode age group is 21-25 (though, 16-20 and 26-30 are also fairly represented)
Other neat facts from this survey include:
- Most responses came from Twitter (and there was a higher proportion of responses from women than men on Twitter; a higher proportion of men responded from Reddit)
- Most respondents prefer to read Yuri manga (55.39%) vs watching anime (16.97%) or visual novels (4.46%). 18.56% don't care about which medium.
- The vast majority (84.9%) read both original and fan works
- Over 80% enjoy shipping, and over 50% enjoy shipping but don't see it as a key aspect of their enjoying Yuri.
- Over 40% read both pornographic and non-pornographic content and have no preference for which
The survey also lists favourite manga by groups... so I would highly recommend checking out the survey!
A slightly different survey from the [International Anime Research Project](https://sites.google.com/site/animeresearch/past-results/2016-results) also happened to ask about interest levels in Yuri (and other genres). Of the 300+ respondents (~54% identifying as male), approximately 25% listed Yuri as "Do not like" with approximately 12% identifying as "Very much like" and another 12% as "I don't know" (the remainder being evenly divided between the 5 other rankings).
### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/36597267af48ca/) Famous Last Words
**Z**
Is there a Japanese version of Tanya Chalkin's "the Kiss"?
**G**
Who is Yuri for?
**T**
What is the first canonical Yuri manga?
[// Possibly 'Shiroi Heya no Futari' (Our White Room) by Ryoko Yamagishi in 1971 might have been "the first manga involving a lesbian relationship ... as it was "prototypical" for many yuri stories of the 1970s and 1980s" ]: #
**Tyler**
What is the primary focus of Yuri (since Yaoi seems to be focussed on the seme / uke relationship)?
### This week's spotlight
**[Yaoi / Yuri North](http://yaoinorth.com)**
> Yaoi / Yuri North is the annual LGBTQ-centric programming track that runs as part of Anime North. Programming features a variety of informative panels and events including fandom-specific discussions, queer lifestyle, and yaoi/yuri fandom topics as well as evening / overnight viewings and a multitude of contests.
**[YuriCon](http://www.yuricon.com/what-is-yuricon)**
> Yuricon was founded in 2000 by Erica Friedman as _AniLesboCon_, with the mission of bringing together fans of lesbian images in Japanese animation and comics. Initially, ALC was designed to be a “virtual” convention only, with real contests to foster community and creativity. This mission gathered people from all over the world; to discuss and create stories that represented an entire continuum of lesbian experience, from youthful crushes to adult relationships.
**[Race Against Time IV](http://raceagainsttime.io)**
> Now in its fourth year running, the Race Against Time is an annual charity marathon to raise money for the Alzheimer Society of Canada by beating the SNES classic, Chrono Trigger, as many times as possible in 24 hours. This year, the event is running every week until August 11 and 12 for the main event (see website for detailed schedule).
>
> Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that slowly robs those afflicted of their memories, and, eventually, their very sense of being. We are racing to help preserve those memories of loved ones and for a cure to stop it once and for all!
>
> All donations go directly to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.
### Famous Last Words
This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, Light Novels!
**Erica**
What do you think are the qualities of light novels as a genre that makes them so interesting as reader and reviewer of light novels? (Thoughts about genre as a whole, and personal interpretation of why you like them)
**G**
Why light novel? Why are they called light novels?
**T**
Why have they become so popular in North America?
[// because Kurt Hastler likes them -> Border s -> Brought manga sections to North America -> Spice and Wolf ]: #
**Z**
Is there a magic ratio of pictures to text for it to be a light novel?
## Where can you find us online?
We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media:
- If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every Monday at 20:00 Eastern Time!
- For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast)
- To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast)
- For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast)
- We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating!
- if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [
[email protected]](mailto:
[email protected])
- You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff.
- Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that!
## What is "Fanthropological"?
How did you read this far without asking this question?!
Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish.
## Who is "The Nickscast"?
*We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative (dare we say, the _most_ creative).
*Ahem*
We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more.
We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.*
## Thanks
Special thanks to Erica Friedman, who despite losing her voice the day of recording managed to tough it out and help us learn a lot more about the world of yuri!
## Credits
### Sources
- [Wikipedia - Yuri](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_(genre))
- [Google Trends - Yuri vs Yaoi](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0jb0t,%2Fm%2F0f9s9)
- [International Anime Research Project - 2016 Preliminary Results](https://sites.google.com/site/animeresearch/past-results/2016-results)
- [Floating into Bliss - Report on the Yuri Fandom Demographic Survey](https://floatingintobliss.wordpress.com/2017/10/14/report-on-the-yuri-fandom-demographic-survey/)
- [Anime Feminist - [Feature] Consider the Lilies of the Field: The Case for Yuri Manga](https://www.animefeminist.com/feature-consider-lilies-field-case-yuri-manga/)
- [Behind the Nihon Review - The Structure of Yuri: the Shift from Female to Male Audiences](http://behind-the.nihonreview.com/20100215/the-structure-of-yuri-the-shift-from-female-to-male-audiences/)
- [Brobible - The 21 Most Cliche Dorm-Room Posters](https://brobible.com/college/article/the-21-most-cliche-dorm-room-posters/)
- [Complex - The Most Famous Kissing Photographs Of All Time](https://www.complex.com/style/2013/07/famous-kissing-photographs/kiss-by-tanya-chalkin)
- [Everyday Feminism - Am I a Queer Woman Looking Through the Male Gaze?](https://everydayfeminism.com/2017/07/queer-woman-male-gaze/)
- [Everyday Feminism - We’re Taking Lesbian Sexuality Back from the Male Gaze and the Result Is Awesome](https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/04/lesbian-sexuality-male-gaze/)
- [Fanlore - Yuri](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Yuri)
- [Floating into Bliss - Yuri isn’t Made for Men: An Analysis of the Demographics of Yuri Mangaka and Fans](https://floatingintobliss.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/yuri-isnt-made-for-men-an-analysis-of-the-demographics-of-yuri-mangaka-and-fans/)
- [Japanese Studies - The Sexual and Textual Politics of Japanese Lesbian Comics: Reading Romantic and Erotic Yuri Narratives](https://japanesestudies.org.uk/articles/2010/Nagaike.html)
- [Momojob.net - Introduction to the Customs for Lesbians! Basic Knowledge for Lesbian Women to Work in Customs](https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://momojob.net/blog/post-5179/&prev=search)
- [Quora - Why Isn’t Yuri as Popular as Yaoi Anime](https://www.quora.com/Why-isnt-yuri-as-popular-as-yaoi-anime)
- [Stack Exchange - Anime - Who is the Main Target Audience of Yuri Titles?](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/13482/who-is-the-main-target-audience-of-yuri-titles)
- [Vice i-D - Article Title](https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/nenb5w/the-kiss-15-years-on-meet-the-models-and-creators-behind-the-iconic-image)
- [YouTube - A Very Brief History of Yuri by Erica Friedman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8Te2epyC_4)
### Music / Sound
- ["Threshold of Insanity Super Bass Mode"](http://teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_3.php?q=1024) by TeknoAxe used under [CC BY 4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!
### Artwork
- ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)
