At the Request of some of the people in the Anime Discussion Thread as well as self-motivation. I've prepared myself to write this guide. Blasterion's Guide to Yuri Yuri is.....according to wikipedia.....
Yuri (百合?), also known by the wasei-eigo construction Girls' Love (ガールズラブ gāruzu rabu?),[3] is a Japanese jargon term for content and a genre involving love between women in manga, anime, and related Japanese media.[4][5] Yuri can focus either on the sexual, the spiritual, or the emotional aspects of the relationship, the latter two sometimes being called shōjo-ai by western fans.[6]
Foreigners call this Lesbianism.
Why Watch Yuri?
Yuri is good because it is different from regular drama and relationships we see. Something that goes against the norms is enjoyable.
Also watching 2 girls go at it is never a bad thing
Sometimes it's hard to point out good things in yuri so let's evaluate a few good yuri series.
Strawberry Panic
There are several pairings of yuri in Strawberry Panic. And most of the time when I recommend someone a gate to yuri anime I recommend this piece. Now the main element of this yuri piece is the Characters Hanazono Shizuma (White hair) is mysterious, near superhuman level, and very capable, oh yes and she's gay. Nagisa (Red Hair) is more or less a klutz, she's shy, not very good at stuff, but tries her best, she's not exactly gay, but she is curious.
The way the ShizumaXNagisa chemistry works is that Nagisa sees Shizuma not as someone of romantic interest in the beginning. but she looks up to Shizuma, because she is this near perfect human being, who for some reason is especially kind to her. While Shizuma, sees Nagisa as a potential love interest. Now the way yuri in this anime works is that Shizuma leads Nagisa for most of the part and acts pretty much as the Prince on the White Horse for her. But at the same time Nagisa has her own part to do in the series. Both character gets action and plenty of interaction. And interactions is what drives yuri.
Kannazuki no Miko
Not the best example, but it's still a great yuri series. It kinda failed as a anime series but it's still a worthwhile yuri series. The main key in yuri of this series is the Himeko vs Male Protagonist struggle for Chikane. (Yes I have forgotten the name of the male lead lol, He didn't feel important for me to remember). Himeko is obviously gay for Chikane, and Chikane likes Himeko,, but doesn't see her as a potential love interest. At the same time. There is the threat of the male lead breaking the HimekoXChikane pairing. Himeko plays the lead in this pairing and Chikane plays the submissive role.
Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito
In Yamibou what makes this yuri compelling is the addition of more than one pairing girl. Unlike in Strawberry Panic where you had pretty much 1 girl x 1 girl + 1 girl that would be shafted and always be in a big disadvantage in terms of progress (ahem Tamao) In Yamibou, both Hatsumi and Lilith are both pretty good potential candidates for Hazuki. Even more Hatsumi and Hazuki are unbloodrelated sisters. This pseudo-incest scenario makes the series even more compelling. Hazuki's character is also great since she's is pretty much in self denial that she's gay for Hatsumi and early in the series she almost tried to have sex with her. And for most of the series Hazuki's mentality is "I need to apologize to Hatsumi."
Kuttsukiboshi Kuttsukiboshi (くっつきぼし?, lit. Stars that stick together) is a two part original video animation, The protagonist, Kawakami Kiiko is a person that has gained slight psychokinesis powers after her car accident, She's in love with the other female protagonist Aaya, whom like experimenting with Kiiko's powers, is in a yuri relationship with her, Her brother is a famous musician,+ Show Spoiler +
whom she actually shares an intimate incest sexual relationship with.
Part 2 is not out yet, I hope it'll be good
Sono Hanabira Ni Kuchizuke O: Watashi No Ouji-sama From the a Kiss for the Petal series, is the chapter My Prince. now personally, This is one of my favorite yuri piece. quoting the premise
'I am Kitajima Kaede, and I am not really good at dealing with people. I'm also the class rep. In school, I run into my cousin Kitajima Sara, and suddenly I find myself sharing a passionate kiss with her! In the years that I haven't seen her, she's grown into a cute, outgoing girl who has become a famous model. Even fashion magazines know about her, and many in my school idolize her. She makes me look extra dull by comparison.
And yet she calls me out from afar and clings to me, heedless of the stares people give us. Because I don't like to stand out, I instinctively act coldly towards Sara. But then she suddenly pushed me down. She whispers to me, "I want everything there is you." Such joy, such bliss and such embarrassment. What's to become of me?'
The important part here is that the game puts you in the view of Kaede. Whjom is the submissive chara in the relationships. It's something I love from the Sono Hanabira series. Note, Kaede isn't really gay, but is actually lead around by Sara. Which the whole series builds upon the fact that Kaede is being lead into yuri. Can you imagine the story if Kaede was gay from the start? The story would suck. It's because of Kaede's resistance to yuri that makes the series interesting.
Sono Hanabira Ni Kuchizuke O: Tenshi No Hanabira Zome Another good Sono Hanabira, The key here is the Oujo X Oujo relationship. While RichXPoor is a interesting pairing. It's just too common. But here it's not just RichXRich. They're fundamentally different in character. One is a much more Yamato Nadeshiko type Oujo, The other more of a large Wealthy family, a more westernized Oujo. Definitely make for some interesting yuri.
Starting off Mangas we have my favorite Yuri series from Morinaga Milk-sensei Girlfriends such a short title but so good. It's a pretty long read, the Akko X Mari relationship pure and sweet, a good innocent type love story, And is mostly about the two resolving their differences and try to make a girl X girl relationship work, and should be what a yuri story be mostly about anyways, The cute art is definitely a plus.
Marriage Black Marriage Black-by Hayase Hashiba-sensei, this Yuri is kick ass, 2 rival mafia families, their daughters in love with one another, yet forced to fight each other while loving each other, comes out like once a year or something, extremely slow only up to 3 chapters so far but so good. Ludie is so cute, Lilithia, is pretty ruthless while cute, both girls have their for my family mafia thing going on but this yuri is so good, highly recommended Edit: 4th closing Chapter just came out, It was quite good.
Kuroyome WTB wife! hahaha, Single Hardworking women hhave it hard so why not rent a wife? this is a fun type story about A perfect girl, who was visited by a girl of the Global Wife Allocation Beareau. who is less capable and definitely too klutzy to be a wife. how will these 2 fare together?
Chatting at the Amber Teahouse Fujieda Miyabi-sensei! I must say Fujieda-sensei really impress me with her cute art work, making every piece of her work enjoyable to me, Chatting at the Amber Teahouse is just a very cute yuri manga of the relationship between Sarasa the main protagonist working at the teahouse and the master of the tea house Seriho. The story is very fluffy and slice of life paced. Slow but enjoyable. Cafe yuri with Miyabi art, what is there not love?
Blue Friend Ah Blue Friend by Ebin Fumi-sensei, This is yuri. When rejection is your best ticket to a soulmate, yes your heroine is cold hearted! and it's the job of the protagonist to melt that ice wall she has around her heart. A very story driven yuri and definitely one that I have trouble putting down without finishing. It is very satisfying. 2 Volumes so far but I see great potential
Blue Friend Season 2 \ The New Blue Friend with new Premise, Characters, and Plot, while not as engaging as the first one and leave alot more to be desired. It does deserve a mention, It's kind of hard to walk in the shadows of Blue Friend and shine, I would definitely give this manga higher feedback if it didn't have Blue Friend in the name. I guess I am kind of doing a Brood War vs SC2-esque talk now. Both Manga are great. The characters are pretty interesting. and with only 3 chapters out most of the story hasn't been fleshed out yet. But definitely worth the read, just Because Ao is so cute.
Iono the Fanatic Going back to Fujieda Miyabi-sensei, I really love this manga, it's great fun to watch a Queen of a nation go to japan incognito just to recruit sobame for her.....harem. My only complaint is her favoritism towards to main female heroine. When you are royalty, and have a harem,. you should always love your heroines equally, but that's just my personal belief.
Wife and Wife Serious plot and engaging yuri interactions are great but sometimes you just have to kick back with some yuri gag comic. From Minamoto Hisanari-sensei is Wife and Wife, where two girls' daily lives are sure to make you giggle for a bit just for some stress relief, Kinako speaks with an accent, It'll be the foreigner's version of, Texas speak I guess.
Kisses Sighs and Blossom Pink Once again Morinaga Milk-sensei, this is a collection of short yuri stories that are somewhat interconnected. The stories stand well by themselves as well. The yuri is pretty good as expected of Milk-sensei. "Even if We're Not Friends," "If I Kiss Her Ring Finger," "Chocolate Kiss Kiss," and "Wishing on the Moon" feature the same protagonists, and all the stories take place at the same school.
Dang...you actually did it....you made a guide to yuri. I have nothing to say heh. Appreciate the effort, though, and I'm sure many others will appreciate the content itself :X
Is it bad of me that I knew the names of the series just from the pictures before I even saw the titles?
I think Yuri is an under-appreciated genre. In many cases, the relationships can be considered to be very much emotionally pure and genuine if we discount the ecchi and H-scenes. Of course there's always the fanservice stuff, but then that's a given for any genre. I would say it's more deep than Yaoi which by it's very name is just all about action. With good yuri, the focus should not be on lust, but more on the love and emotional connection.
Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke wo is probably a good example of where it's done right. Even in the non-H-scenes you can feel the pathos from the interaction between the characters. When you watch it, it's hard not to feel the flames of moe burning.
Take this clip for instance. (No nudity but probably NSFW depending on your boss) + Show Spoiler +
Despite there being no nudity or anything terribly explicit, you can still see the emotional connection between the two characters. Even if you don't know the story and don't know anything about the two people (Mai and Reo) you can still feel the love they have for each other which is expressed in their own individual way.
Right, that's my thoughts on Yuri. This thread needs more ojou though.
Also this post took me so long to write I timed out of TL, lol.
But I shall leave highly disappointed. I may return out of curiosity, however.
Thank god I'm not the only one. People in this thread need to bow before Yuri. He's the master architec after all. Personally I'd give my life for Yuri... Currently I'm in Yuri tank division and I love the smell of gunpowder, I just transferred from Yuri construction company. Someday I hope to be promoted to Yuri's collection agency.
Your challenge, can you name all the units I referenced in that post?
The thing about Maria-sama is that there's alot to write about, I could probably write about the yuri in it if I did a new full sized blog post. I wass feeling pretty lazy last night.
Yeah, that would have been awesome, but it's Blasterion, so what do you expect? -_-
What dost thou infer by posting this post?
Blasterion creates threads about Visual Novels. This time, Blasterion creates something with "Yuri" in its name, so it was pretty much obvious what this would be about which means that expecting anything else is kind of...hoping for the impossible.
Well, I didn't want to read this thread because I expected it to be dirty X overly enthusiastic about japanese anime.
That and "sexy" japanese anime tends to seem extremely crass, cheap, and one dimensional titillation.
But if there's very well developed (and not horribly cliched) character development and attention paid to relationships, that fixes some of my complaints about some of the crappy animes I've seen. So unusual as it might seem to me and outside my own interests, that greatly raises my respect for it.
So what's the difference between deep friendship between two girls and yuri? Is Shinji and that last angel guy in Eva the male example (and how indisputable is it)
On June 17 2011 18:58 igotmyown wrote: Well, I didn't want to read this thread because I expected it to be dirty X overly enthusiastic about japanese anime.
That and "sexy" japanese anime tends to seem extremely crass, cheap, and one dimensional titillation.
But if there's very well developed (and not horribly cliched) character development and attention paid to relationships, that fixes some of my complaints about some of the crappy animes I've seen. So unusual as it might seem to me and outside my own interests, that greatly raises my respect for it.
So what's the difference between deep friendship between two girls and yuri? Is Shinji and that last angel guy in Eva the male example (and how indisputable is it)
Yuri goes beyond deepend friendship it's pretty much like your regular relationship. There is a clear line drawn between friends and lovers. To be considered yuri there has to be some kind of mutual romantic interest in each other
So as with the case of a regular relationship, it can skip the friendship aspect? Usually in regular relationships, there's initial mutual romantic attraction, which doesn't seem to be the case.in the examples.
On June 17 2011 18:58 igotmyown wrote: Well, I didn't want to read this thread because I expected it to be dirty X overly enthusiastic about japanese anime.
That and "sexy" japanese anime tends to seem extremely crass, cheap, and one dimensional titillation.
But if there's very well developed (and not horribly cliched) character development and attention paid to relationships, that fixes some of my complaints about some of the crappy animes I've seen. So unusual as it might seem to me and outside my own interests, that greatly raises my respect for it.
So what's the difference between deep friendship between two girls and yuri? Is Shinji and that last angel guy in Eva the male example (and how indisputable is it)
Yuri goes beyond deepend friendship it's pretty much like your regular relationship. There is a clear line drawn between friends and lovers. To be considered yuri there has to be some kind of mutual romantic interest in each other
Pretty sure Bakuretsu Tenshi/Burst Angel is considered Yuri as well but there is no clear line drawn(in the anime at least).
On June 17 2011 12:35 MoonBear wrote: I would say it's more deep than Yaoi which by it's very name is just all about action. With good yuri, the focus should not be on lust, but more on the love and emotional connection.
Well, obviously. I mean, Yaoi is explicit while Shounen Ai isn't. Yuri combines those two, so it's kind of unfair to make a comparison. Same with the last statement, it's purely subjective. In that case it helps that westerners actually divide Yuri into Yuri and Shoujo Ai.
I came to this thread expecting ... exactly this. Good job :D I started with Strawberry Panic as well. It was actually quite random as I didn't watch much anime at that time and I just fell in love with the genre. I proceeded to watch a lot more then, including Kannazuki no Miko, Utena (), and whatever I could get my hands on. But my mind was forever blown by Simoun, and 5 years after it's out it remain my favorite Yuri anime.
I should start banning people for derailing the thread, as much as I love Yuri(singer) she's completely unrelated to the thread and the joke is getting old -.-"
I'll start with the guy who only has 15 posts, GTR, and the others are fine, but someone with less than 100 posts obviously doesn't have the privilege of posting terrible one liners.
Nice choice of visual novels there, I'd say; even though I don't really follow it much. Stylistically, is there anything about them that appeals to you?
On June 17 2011 23:22 Ciryandor wrote: I came. Enough said. /terrible(?) joke
Nice choice of visual novels there, I'd say; even though I don't really follow it much. Stylistically, is there anything about them that appeals to you?
I must say, art plays a large role. If I don't like the art generally I won't like the visual novel. What I really like are dynamic characters and moving storylines, Pacing is important, (the reason i dropped Sasameki Koto is because of bad pacing) Music is always a bonus, But as long as the story is there I would like it. Characters come in second because they drive the story if the characters suck then the story would too
K-On! is slice of life and the four girls are all underage (15) trying to start some band/club in their school. full of retards that i cant help but be attracted to because im a faggot
On June 17 2011 12:33 sob3k wrote: Oh god I just reaffirmed my primal uninterest in anime...you may now continue your day normally.
Haha, I hear you man. I don't get this stuff at all. I'll just keep my e-mouth shut.
Apparently there are a lot of TL people into this, check out the desktop thread sometime.
No need to post here if you don't like it. We don't exactly want to hear your opinions either. Rather ,if your going to post something lacking in content like that, don't post at all. With more than 1000 posts in TL you should already know that much.
PS PM me if you have a good excuse for me to why I should un-ban you from my blogs, it's my way of showing courtesy to people with more than 1000 post counts
On November 04 2011 15:40 KazeHydra wrote: I just had a thought while reading some yuri from my favorite yuri author Blast. Shizuka kaichou x Shiraume kaichou. Thoughts?
On November 04 2011 15:40 KazeHydra wrote: I just had a thought while reading some yuri from my favorite yuri author Blast. Shizuka kaichou x Shiraume kaichou. Thoughts?
Never watched Shiraume before ._. is it any good?
She's the seitokaichou from Ben-To. And she is very good. with girls.
On November 04 2011 15:40 KazeHydra wrote: I just had a thought while reading some yuri from my favorite yuri author Blast. Shizuka kaichou x Shiraume kaichou. Thoughts?
Never watched Shiraume before ._. is it any good?
She's the seitokaichou from Ben-To. And she is very good. with girls.
On November 05 2011 00:46 Blasterion wrote: The guide is slowly getting really really really long...
Needs more ojou imoimo.
Also, perhaps you could make it all tidy and pretty with some formatting if it's going to become really big. Maybe spoiler each series, and have the title in bold so like:
On November 05 2011 00:46 Blasterion wrote: The guide is slowly getting really really really long...
Needs more ojou imoimo.
Also, perhaps you could make it all tidy and pretty with some formatting if it's going to become really big. Maybe spoiler each series, and have the title in bold so like:
On November 06 2011 03:48 fishbowl wrote: Dunno how I missed this but it's good to know that there's a comprehensive yuri guide around. Your efforts are appreciated.
On November 05 2011 09:24 babylon wrote: What. Where is Aoi Hana? Best yuri, IMHO.
I am one of the few that never made it thru, for some reason I didn't feel interested and dropped the series
That's a shame. Beautiful art and writing. You should give it another try in the future; it's slow-paced and reserved, but the development is pretty damn good, and I really loved the background music.
On November 05 2011 09:24 babylon wrote: What. Where is Aoi Hana? Best yuri, IMHO.
I am one of the few that never made it thru, for some reason I didn't feel interested and dropped the series
That's a shame. Beautiful art and writing. You should give it another try in the future; it's slow-paced and reserved, but the development is pretty damn good, and I really loved the background music.
I'll give it another chance when I get the time, been trying to prepare for MLG Providence
simoun is pretty much the best 'yuri' show ever. it is so good that if you see someone liking simoun then it is probably true that that person also has excellent taste in every other area of life.
On November 08 2011 11:19 oneofthem wrote: simoun is pretty much the best 'yuri' show ever. it is so good that if you see someone liking simoun then it is probably true that that person also has excellent taste in every other area of life.
the anime or manga? I heard they had different storylines
It took me a while to realize that yuri was the girl on girl one, and it took me a lot longer than it should have to realize that those characters weren't all guys. Either way I was definitely thinking to myself "Wow that is a lot of hair."
It seems I have the opposite problem most people have when watching anime, LOL.
On November 08 2011 11:19 oneofthem wrote: simoun is pretty much the best 'yuri' show ever. it is so good that if you see someone liking simoun then it is probably true that that person also has excellent taste in every other area of life.
the anime or manga? I heard they had different storylines
On November 08 2011 11:19 oneofthem wrote: simoun is pretty much the best 'yuri' show ever. it is so good that if you see someone liking simoun then it is probably true that that person also has excellent taste in every other area of life.
the anime or manga? I heard they had different storylines
On November 08 2011 15:24 Geovu wrote: It took me a while to realize that yuri was the girl on girl one, and it took me a lot longer than it should have to realize that those characters weren't all guys. Either way I was definitely thinking to myself "Wow that is a lot of hair."
It seems I have the opposite problem most people have when watching anime, LOL.
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), and whatever I could get my hands on. But my mind was forever blown by Simoun, and 5 years after it's out it remain my favorite Yuri anime.![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ILzMb.png)
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