Yuri Anthologies are all the rage. This is not hyperbole. In recent days, both Ichijinsha and Kadokawa have announced multiple thematic Yuri anthologies. So many that I’m scrambling to get them all on the Yuricon Store!

Today I’m looking at one of the “working life” anthologies from Kadokawa, Anata no Soba ni Iru to Watashi ha Shakaiin Yuri Anthology (あなたの側にいると私は 社会人百合アンソロジー).

This is a pretty chunky 270+ pages of a variable variety of stories about adult women. Of all of them, my favorite was the second in the book, irua’s “Best Dishes” which I award top marks for both style and content. It is a simple story, told in the margins of itself about a chef and a food critic. It’s the best kind of story for an anthology – nicely drawn, intense feelings in a short one-shot.

There are names we’re familiar with here on Okazu; Seta Seta, Hisakawa Haru, Mikan Uji, Kururkuruhime and a host we don’t yet know. I quite like this collection, but for one complaint. I really do not care for the cover image. It’s just…not very good. I so rarely complain about art, but really, this is just subpar for a Kadokawa book.

Ratings:

Overall – 7

I’m sure you’ve thought (or perhaps said outloud) that you wished some of these anthologies would be localized for an English language audience. Well, you’re in luck. Yen Press is putting out a different adult life Yuri anthology in June, Whenever Our Eyes Meet…A Woman’s Love Anthology which is an English language edition of Anoko to Me ga Autabi Watashi ha Shakaiin Yuri Anthology (あの娘と目が合うたび私は 社会人百合アンソロジー) which I reviewed last spring. So give that one a try!