2020 has been a decade of a year and, frankly, we all deserve a treat. I’ve picked a handful of series that I think will appeal to different kinds of Yuri fans. All of these items and moreYuri Manga, Light Novels, VNs and Anime and other stuff are on the Yuricon Store, so if you’re looking for something, drop by there. The Yuricon Store has most comprehensive selection of Yuri online.

Here are my suggestions for great Yuri gifts for the Yuri fan in your life!

The Rose of Versailles

This classic, historical manga has been a holy grail for ages and now that it is out in English, I am absolutely blown away by the work that went into it. I am proud to have been the editor, but that is not why I am recommending it. I’m recommending it because Udon did everything right in this edition. I could not have asked for better.

If you or your Yuri-loving friends want to enjoy one of the most iconic cross-dressing Girl Prince characters, and the melodrama of the French Revolution, you’ll want this series.

Kase-san Series

When this sweet Yuri school romance story began running in Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari almost a decade ago, I would have been surprised to think that it would persevere though multiple changes in publishing and the radical growth of the Yuri market – and stay one of my favorite series throughout!

Readers have had the rare chance to grow along with Yamada and Kase-san and watch them become young women, making their lives in the big wide world…together.

Bloom Into You / Regading Saeki Sayaka

The school series Bloom Into You surprised me over and over. What it was, what it wasn’t, what it became, all seemed so obvious, but in the end, everyone became something more than they were. As an added bonus, we have the Regarding Saeki Sayaka novels, which give us an intimate first-person look at a women learning to understand and accept herself.

This series will appeal to folks who like coming-of-age stories with characters who are relatable and fun, separately and together.

Kabi Nagata’s Comic Essays

Maybe you’ve had it with sweet, sappy romance. Maybe you or your giftee prefer non-fiction.

Kabi Nagata’s highly personal comic essays don’t shy away from in-depth looks at her life, her choices, her attempts to connect with others and her failures, while also documenting struggles with physical and mental health in a way that is very readable and easy to engage with.

Devilman Lady

This classic horror anime by Go Nagai is intense, dark, violent, and very, very gay. If you’re looking for something less cheerful, and want tortured sexual tension and a closeted, but sympathetic, protagonist and some grade-A music, and Go Nagai’s particular brand of art, this is right up there with Devilman Crybaby.

With a star voice cast and evocative writing and art, Devilman Lady will be sure to send chills down your back and make you think twice about humanity.

Eclair Series

What if the Yuri lover in your family has no idea where to begin? The Éclair anthology series is a terrific place to start! Get short stories by new artists and established ones, that cover a wide array of Yuri situations and characters. School, office, fantasy, life, and love all get touched upon and in this anthology format, it’ll give readers a chance to decide who and what they want to look for more of!

For folks looking for more of their favorite artists or folks who have no idea where to begin, this anthology provides a wide range of art and story so the get a feel for what “Yuri” in 2020 is like.

Otherside Picnic

Yuri science-fiction in Japans is still a new-ish sub-genre. This series combines netlore, a frisson of horror, a dash of science fiction and a light sprinkling of Yuri for a fun, fraught and deeply weird story!

Great for folks who are feeling jaded from Yuri romance and want some adventure and mystery in with their opposites meet and maybe fall for one another stories.

Sexiled: My Sexist Party Leader Kicked Me Out, So I Teamed Up With a Mythical Sorceress

Another light novel series, this one is purely fantasy. In a world of mages and knights, Sexiled contains relevant social commentary, and some of the best feminist revenge scenarios I’ve ever seen.

These novels are eminently quotable, very satisfying and have just enough Yuri to keep it sweet. But where these books excel are in creating spaces by and for women that are about women supporting each other and creating community that is both heart-warming and empowering as heck.

I’m in Love With the Villainess

A fantasy isekai light novel with lesbian identity? It seems impossible, but there is is. This book was outstanding. Isekai writing is so rife with already over-used tropes, but this book is highly self-aware, openly queer and surprisingly excellent.

The series is ongoing and looks like it will be very fun and possibly quite emotional!

Curse of Kudan

Kendoka Kudan finds herself drawn into a local occult mystery and the mystery of an older woman who seems to need a lot of saving!

This brand new Visual Novel by SukearSparo looks good, has a confident and fully-developed protagonist and an interesting bit of mystery/occult plot. I’m pretty impressed with what I’ve seen, both in the VN and in the manga.

Sailor Moon Stars

It’s finally out and it’s better than ever. And you know I have to have a Sailor Moon on every list. ^_^

Finally, the long-awaited, almost legendary, fifth season of the original Sailor Moon anime is out and it looks as good as it can possiblly look. Viz Media did a brilliant job with the past. Now I can settle in and wait for Sailor Moon Eternal and see what the future will bring.

ALC Publishing Manga

Get a piece of Yuri manga history with some of the earliest Yuri manga ever published in English. WORKS by Eriko Tadeno and the remaining volumes of Yuri Monogatari are being liquidated. Our friends at cheapmanga.com have a special sale and free shipping on ALC Publishing manga with the code ALC2020.

I hope this gives you a few good ideas for gifts to give and gifts to get in this pandemic holiday season! Enjoy. ^_^

Last year there was so much to suggest that I broke the Yuri Gift Guide into two separate articles, for manga and anime. Many of those series are still available, so do check out last year’s guide as well!

This year, I’m taking a different tack. There’s even more Yuri anime and manga than ever before and, as a result it has become difficult to list them all individually. (Not that I’m complaining, mind you!) So we’ll start with a few ongoing Yuri manga series available in English that I really think are worth the investment for yourself and friends who might be interested, if you or they haven’t already been reading them.

Bloom Into You 

This story about a young woman’s journey to figure out what she really wants for herself has been a blockbuster hit in Japan and America. Nakatani Nio’s writing and art have evolved significantly as the series has matured and I know I look forward to reading what will happen.

Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 | Volume 6 (in March 2019)

Kase-san Series

The Kase-san series is a charming, realistic look at young love. It feels…real, as it touches on issues of jealousy and self-esteem and body-image and other real-world issues that young women deal with, wrapped in a touching story about two young women building a relationship together.

Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 (February 2019)

Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl

The Yuri genre has plenty of ropes and plenty of series that spoof those tropes. At Shiroyuri Gakuen, there’s no end to the kinds of relationships we see, but there’s no mockery in any of it. Canno takes each Yuri trope and carefully crafts a unique tale of emotional connection, love or longing in this series.

Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 | Volume 6 | Volume 7 | Volume 8  (March 2019) 

Murcielago

This violent and bizarre tale of a lesbian psychopath hired by the police to hunt down other psychopaths is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re done with school girl romances and really want something for grownups, this may just what you need.

Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 | Volume 6 | Volume 7 | Volume 8 | Volume 9 | Volume 10 (April 2019)

From here on, this year’s Gift Guide is going to head down a slightly different road. I’m going to suggest a few subscription services so you can read and watch a metric ton of Yuri that you choose for yourself. This year, when your folks ask what you want, ask them for gifts that keep on giving. There are a number of subscription services you can choose from for a variety of media.

Comixology Unlimited 

Many Yuri manga are available on the Comixology app (which can be read on Kindle.) The app also includes pamphlet comics and non-manga graphic novels so, if you like to read widely, strangely, queerly, this will get you a bunch of stuff for one price, which is still cheaper than buying new shelves all the time. ^_^

Crunchyroll is still excellent value for your money, especially if you like a wide variety of series, not just Yuri. Their premium membership includes their manga simulpub collection, as well. 

But honestly, I’m going to tell you for Yuri anime, look at HIDIVE. They have all of Sentai Filmworks’ stuff and Sentai has been the company that is most likely to license Yuri – although I have a really complicated relationship with them, because long after every other company acknowledged Yuri, they were still acting like “hurh hurh, girl-on-girl! hurnh.”  It’s left me with less respect for them as a company. Nonethless, Sentai is the company that has licensed series like Bodacious Space Pirates and Bloom Into You. HIDIVE has series like Sakura Trick and Cutie Honey Universe, as well. 

So for Yuri anime as we head into 2019. I recommend HIDIVE streaming service as an option for a cool gift to give to a Yuri anime fan.

You can subscribe to Crunchyroll and HIDIVE on their own, or watch them each as a channel as part of a VRV subscription. Annoyingly online viewing is starting to be bundled into “channels” like cable networks. (-_-);

And, lastly, I am going to make a suggestion for the 2018 Gift Guide that I have never before done. I am recommending a Japanese Blu-Ray set.  

Asagao to Kase-san Flower Edition includes a 62 minute Blu-Ray of the Kase-san and Morning Glories Anime OVA, two disks with voice cast Dramas, the theme song sung by the lead actresses, a postcard set, for $60, including shipping to the US. The Blu-Ray includes English subtitles.

I don’t usually recommend you ship something from Japan but this time…I completely believe this is worth having. The story is beautiful, the love with which it has been made and how it is told is palpable. I absolutely believe that this is the coolest Yuri gift you can get or give in 2018.

Enjoy your Yuri gift-buying and getting and let me know what you’re looking forward to in the comments!