Now that an anime for Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu! is in our future, I think it’s important that we stop and evaluate just how far we’ve come with this story. The goofy set-up is that a Yuri Light Novel-themed concept cafe exists, in which the staff perform as students who form bonds as “schwestern” at a private girls’ school. It seems very silly, but almost immediately we were able to see that the relationships here are not at all what they seemed. Protagonist Hime found herself involved in an uncomfortable triangle made of her closest friends from past and present – two girls who cannot and will not like each other. This issue is relevant to the current arc.

And now, in Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto desu! Volume 10 (私の百合はお仕事です!), Sumika, the fourth inthe cast is herself bound by ties  that connect the cafe’s past and present. Former cast member Youko understood herself well when she, Sumika and Nene formed the first full cast with Mai, when she chose an “evil girl” as her persona.

Where Mitsuki’s love for Hime is pure and one-sided, and Kanako’s love for Hime is obsessional and not particularly healthy, what we learn lies between Nene, Sumika and Youko is far more adult, complicated and toxic…and breathtakingly sad. And so we watch the only lesbian in the story, Nene, navigate a complicated forest of thorns between Sumika’s cluelessness, Youko’s manipulation and her own desires. Only this time, Youko has help…and it’s not good for anyone. I read each chapter holding my breath.

In short, this volume is summed up with “Yikes.” But what amazingly scripted and drawn “yikes” it is.

Ratings:

Art – 10 Outstanding, Miman-sensei excels
Story – 10 Yikes, but I want to know what will happen
Characters – 10 Nene is now my favorite character. Sumika, you’re killin’ me.
Service – 5 Some more large breasts
Yuri – 9 Looking for love in all the wrong places.

Overall – 9

I’m waiting for the boots to begin dropping and trust Miman-sensei, but argh!. Again…what a long, long way we’ve come in this story from it’s goofy premise. At this point, an anime can barely scratch the surface. I expect a 3-season live action series next. ^_^