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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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. ^_^
I am definitely not one of those people who think that old anime are “too boomer” and are not worth attention without a trendy remake, but given current industry trends, every time I hear about the Rose of Versailles, deep down I feel a little sad that this franchise didn’t get any new anime for its anniversary. Especially against the backdrop of Sailor Moon, the Fruit Basket and the future Tokyo Babylon.
The Rose of Versailles Anime is practically perfect. A reboot wouldn’t add anything.
In a similar vein to Kase-san, I’d highly recommend ‘Whisper me a love song’ as a gift – just out this month, and I think it works really well both for existing Yuri fans (familiar feeling but so well executed), and as something I’d happily suggest as an entry point for new fans too.
So I just received the first three volumes of The Rose of Versailles from Right Stuf after a months-long delay — waiting on a second printing, perhaps — and the physical quality of these books is like nothing I’ve ever seen in a manga release. That it’s hardcover is one thing, but the pages are printed on heavy paperstock, with a glossy finish. As a result, the backgrounds are absolutely WHITE in a way that will surprise you after years of reading manga printed on recycled newsprint. And that means the black ink line work really jumps off the page because of the high contrast. I’m no artist, but I suspect the detail of the artwork wouldn’t even be visible had this been a run-of-the-mill release from Seven Seas or (god help us) Tokyopop. It’s not cheap, with a list price of almost $40, but for a title like this, it’s worth it.
Isn’t it exquisite? And the color art…I’m so glad you like it!