guriyuri

[guriyuri]

Madoka help me I gotta record a under 30 minute podcast on madoka magica how tf is that gonna be possible. literally to much lore and cultural relevance in the himejoshi sphere. With madoka's strength anything is possible though. don't despair himejoshi. fuck

[guriyuri]

I’m In Love With the Villainess/「私の推しは悪役令嬢」

(Literal translation: My Oshi is the Villainess.)

🌸 8/10 🌸

Ordinary office worker Rei Oohashi wakes up one day to find herself as Rae Taylor, the heroine of her favorite otome game, Revolution. Surrounded by attractive men all vying for her attention would be any maiden's dream—but that is not the case for Rae! None of them can hold a candle to the villainess, Claire François, whose blonde, drill-shaped ringlets only accentuate her haughty irresistible charm. In the original story, Claire harasses and bullies the heroine, which drives the latter closer to the male love interests. But Rae has no intention of pursuing any of the men; her heart is set on Claire herself! Unused to being on the receiving end of affection, Claire is left at the mercy of Rae's endless teasing. With the power of true love, can Rae successfully convey her heartfelt feelings to the villainess?

(MAL Rewrite)

If I were held at gunpoint to assemble a crate of my most outstanding, bountifully nutritious crops of yuri harvested throughout my many years ploughing fields and milling earth as a humble yuri farmer this would definitely be in there. ‘Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou’ stands out to me as one of the funnest yuris to read. The main beef of the manga falls within the jurisdiction of the characters themselves and their world rather than a greater metacommentary, which allows you to just veg out a little and not feel like your about to explode your brain matter all over your screen. BUT it also does a very good job investing you into the plot so you can still sink into it and immerse yourself. The gimmick of Isekai and a simple but underexplored concept makes the world and storyline easy to comprehend and flows very well throughout the entire manga. I don’t want to spoil too much, nor do I feel it vitally important to discuss anything specifically about themes and characters so I won’t elaborate too much.

TL;DR: really really really really really solid

[guriyuri]

School Zone/「スクールゾーン」

🌸9/10🌸 (HIATUS)

A quirky yuri comedy about the chaotic daily life of high school girls! Yokoe and Sugiura have been together forever, and they've mastered the art of making trouble when life's a bore. High school might be a drag, but these girls in love know just how to inject a little chaos and comedy into their sloppy school life.

(Seven Seas Entertainment)

*occasionally listed as ‘School Zone Girls’

I fuckin LOVED school zone, man. There isn't a single character in it that isn't eeping out of their minds at all times. It throws almost all normal shonen/male-targeted troupes off of their kilter and is incredibly refreshing to read. One of its best qualities is its ability to maintain its identity outside of being a queer story- providing commentary on a wide range of topics relevant to high school, youth, etc. I can't really describe the effect of finally being able to read girls just being fucking stupid- other than saying its like running your brain under cold tap water, if your brain was a lesbian yuri enthusiast with a perpetual craving for full-cream milk. As silly as it may be, I actually genuinely enjoy its approach to w/w and adolescent relationship. 2 out of the 3 arguable 'main' three couples have one partner that is gender nonconforming/visibly queer, a rarity for contemporary yuri as a lot of works- to no fault of their own- fall into pitfalls of exclusively drawing hyper-feminine women to try present itself more believably or because it has no other way of proving to you that the characters are girls. The negative of this being that ostracises an entire group of people within the real-life lesbian community and disregards the instrumental role of butch lesbians in queer history by refusing them representation in a genre for them. Despite how I phrase this, though, I'm not exactly trying to present School Zone as a Magnum Opus or the pinnacle of political-correctness and singlehandedly defeating lesbophobia worldwide (which it did); I just cannot stress how badly we need diverse gender representation in yuri.

The main two girls are both fucking hilarious and strangely adorable in their own way (aside from being every gay couple to ever™). Their dynamic mostly consists of Yokoe being a combination of stupid, evil, and helplessly down bad and Kei being a single thread away from pulling a glock on her. If that can’t convince you to give szg a shot you’re a lost cause + I’m unplugging your life support. Anyways, they’re only one of the 3(ish) main pairings in the manga; but that’s where we get to the difficult part to talk about. Touched on some-what briefly, but too often to be able to ignore (iirc they have a handful of dedicated chapters), is Tsubaki’s incestuous crush on her sister Hiiragi. It’s kind of unfortunate this is in here and it sucks for me to have to mention but In this specific case I do think it’s worth overlooking for *so* many reasons. At its’ core their relationship is mostly focused on teenage adolescence and navigating complex familial relationships whilst still trying to grow up and find yourself. In isolation both Tsubaki and Hiiragi are very well written characters; on par with the rest of the cast and really are both very likeable. It’s when their relationship with eachother gets played up for fanservice is when they start to shit on your salad. Still, though, the author pretty clearly has no intention of actually writing them ending up together/Hiiragi reciprocating. So it’s highly likely Tsubaki’s character arc will lead her to move on, especially considering how she’s developed thus far. Last Couple worth discussing seriously is Fuji and Kishiya-san. While I was reading I was under the impression that Fuji + rest were high-school aged and Kishiya was in her first year at uni, but the only source I can find that lists their age says that Kishiya is a first-year high school student; which must make everybody else be in secondary school. Either way though, the age gap between them remains roughly the same and doesn’t really change my hot take on these two. Out of the entire cast Fuji is definitely the truest depiction of the experience of growing up sapphic, unknowingly. She is also my favourite :-). It was also refreshing to read about a girl who hasn’t figured it all out and is just kind of weird and off putting instead of elegant and tragic like the atmosphere of traditional yuri + made me feel weirdly heard? Call me biased, or a victim of grooming ALL you want but looking up to someone maturer, more in control, someone who feels above it all is someone you tend to gravitate towards when you’ve felt helpless and inept at understanding yourself your entire life. Much like Tsubaki and Hiiragi, Kishiya-san has yet to show any indication of reciprocating or even knowing of Fuji’s feelings and is what I think a genuinely positive influence on her. I can also imagine Kishiya-san fighting on the mental FRONTLINES to stay as patient and kind to Fuji as she is, aswell as taking the time to talk to her and treating her like a friend. Everyone please take a moment to acknowledge her service in the troubled youth industry.

There’s also Yatsude and Kaname but they’re pretty interesting so I’ll let you develop your thoughts independently on those two. They also have ZERO buisness being the most beautiful fucking women alive. The things I’d let Kaname do to me are to be repented for.

[guriyuri]

I See You, Aizawa-san! / 「見えてますよ！愛沢さん」

6/10 (ONGOING)

‘Mietemasuyo! Aizawa-san’ is a story about the recently-deceased idol Honami Aizawa and Kurotori Michi, a girl plagued by an ability to see ghosts. It follows the two as Aizawa explores the post-mortem, fooling around and watching over her classmates- while Michi desperately tries to pretend she isn’t able to see her.

It’s still in its infancy as a manga, but the concept is so unique and novel that I feel its work putting up here in its current state. From the chapters released, it’s a very well-executed light, fluffy read that is just plain enjoyable. The dynamic between the main two and watching what they think of each other develop is very satisfying, and overall doesn’t take up too much mental syntax. I’d check this one out if you actually read yuri for fun (you weirdo). PS. I’m in love with the mangaka’s art style as well.

[guriyuri]

SQ: Begin With Your Name / ''SQ从你的名字开始''

7/10

''Sun Jing has a massive crush on a girl she sees at the bus station—feminine, blonde, and absolutely adorable, Qiu Tong is everything Sun Jing desires. But the tomboyish, outgoing Sun Jing cannot bring herself to utter a single word in Qiu Tong's presence. Once she musters up the courage, however, Sun Jing successfully introduces herself and secures a friendship with the cute girl. Although they are only friends for now, Sun Jing will do anything to see Qiu Tong smile; and with her genuine kindness, she might just win Qiu Tong's heart.''

(MAL Rewrite)

I will be transparent with you. I MAY or MAY NOT be a little bit biased towards this one, given that it is the earliest official introduction to the yuri genre I can remember. I have vivid memories of talking about it with my ex- (and first) girlfriend, trying to convince them to read it. But I have tried to put on my objective pants by putting it a number lower than I usually would have !! The relationship between the two is honestly so adorable and likeable that you will have fun reading it even if it isn't your exact niche. I can guarantee you will leave feeling like it was an 8/10.

It's sort of put itself in a position where if your haven't read it and you like yuri, what are you doing?; If you don't like yuri and want to get into it, this is the perfect manhua to start with; If you don't like yuri nor particularly care for the genre, this will either win you over or at least broaden your horizons- if that makes sense?? I hope it does. Anyways, at the end of the day there really isn't any excuse to pass up on it. You'll have fun -source just trust me man.

[guriyuri]

Pietà / 「ピエタ」

4/10

TWs: self-harm, suicide

A story about two classmates who become friends, Sahoko and Rio. Rio is depressed and self-abusive and isn't loved by her "family" (which consists of her father, stepmother, and stepbrother), but Sahoko seems to be the bright spot in her life. Sahoko also seems to have a mysterious past and doesn't seem to have a good relationship with her parents; she lives with her aunt.

(Source: Lililicious)

''Pietà'' is the manga embodiment of attempting to shoot for two extremes simultaneously and ending up falling dead centre; mediocre. It gives the impression of sincerely wanting to be good, but has clearly been limited by the capabilities of its mangaka and the time in which it was conceptualised and published.

It's main theme is, essentially, mental illness- which as well as being depicted between a lesbian couple, does not sound like a work set up to thrive in the 90's Japanese manga scene. This factor almost makes me remorseful, I can easily see how it would have really thrived in modern yuri or independant publishing. That aside, the heavy themes aren't handled delicately at all. Though, this is a pretty common troupe for early/dated manga so in terms of content it's pretty mild if you're acquainted with this kind of manga (a hippie) and know what your getting into.

The relationship between the two main girls is okay. Nothing really of note, the relationship between the two is authentic enough to suspend your disbelief but not enough for you to particularly care about them as individuals. For what it's worth I actually enjoyed their relationship dynamic, it's not really all that common in modern yuri and I personally reckon we need more fucked up women in media. Real unstable ladies.