Table of Contents

Not Yuri…But
All The Things
Top 10 Yuri Series
Top 5 Yuri Series of 2021

For many years, I have been splitting my End of Year Yuri Lists.  This year, has been so busy, and there is so…much…. that I’m switching back to one list that will cover a number of key series in a variety of media that have filled my world with much-needed joy.

This is not a countdown, but there is one series that absolutely stands above all others for this year. I bet you can guess what it is before we get there. ^_^ This is a long list, because there are a LOT of things worth rejoicing over, so settle in and let’s go! Or, use the links above to skip around. ^_^

Not Yuri…But

This year we had a couple of not Yuri (or Yuri adjacent, depending on how you wish to look at it) series that I think were very much worth mentioning.

Sailor Moon Eternal Movie, Parts 1 &2

I have joked now for years on end that if there is an end-of-year list, there will be a Sailor Moon on it. This year Sailor Moon became Netflix’s #1 watched series for a time as all three seasons of Sailor Moon Crystal were shown in preparation for the outside Japan global premier of both Sailor Moon Eternal movies. It had a disappointing theater run right in the middle of the pre-vaccine pandemic. Nonetheless, it was a delight to watch my least favorite of the 5 arcs in the super condensed format of two movies from my home, along with people worldwide. I do hope we get some version of the 5th arc. Then I want this whole story to be re-written so it makes some sense and the characters get an update…which will never happen, so I’ll just wait for the next iteration and watch it like a good girl. ^_^

Also, The Outers at the dinner table as a family and Haruka and Michiru in gowns. Nice.

Super Cub

Super Cub is not Yuri. It was a very emotional and deep look at the interior life of a young woman whose world is rooted in trauma, and the specific circumstances that change her whole existence. It was beautifully animated, intensely emotional and both frustrating and wonderful.

The reason it and the next entry are here is because we in Yuri fandom have always valued intimate emotional relationships between women portrayed with honesty. This is exactly that. In addition, as I say in my review of the series “At the heart of this tale is the power of a peer group, of fandom and of friendship – all of which make this something that the Okazu audience might find worth watching.”

As an excellent look at emotional intimacy between young women, it has a right to be on this list.

Aquatope on White Sand

Like Super Cub, this series is – in my opinion, at least – not Yuri in any romantic sense. It portrays a deep emotional connection between two women which then, delightfully, expands to become a supportive community of women. That alone makes it unusual and precious.

The animation was breathtaking, the characters (almost) all so fully fleshed out that, if asked, we could answer questions about their lives. Again, not romantic, but in every other way a story about women and the various kinds of intimate relationships that they create amongst themselves.

I would recommend this anime to anyone of any age, but for adult women, I think it will resonate strongly.

All The Things

Now we’re getting into the “All The Things!” portion of this list and y’know what, all the things are fabulous. ^_^

Western Animation

This year was punctuated with any number of western cartoons with wonderfully queer characters. Since Steven Universe shattered the shell, the world of animation this year really leaned into representation.

Not everything that was available has been reviewed here. I have yet to watch Owl House (although I have seen the asking out scene,) but I watched and mostly enjoyed Castlevania, Q Force and Arcane among others.

I’m all for western comics and cartoons embracing the world as it is and as it might be.

Okazu Patrons, Reviewers, Commenters & Readers

Every year you all have a place on this list. You are the reason this list exists. This year, when we have nearly 100 Okazu Patrons, we increased our number of Guest Reviews by about 500%, and had a post here 2 out of every 3 days all year long, there is more to thank you all for than ever. Okazu Patrons, you make all of this possible, thank you. To my Guest Reviewers, I love your work and love reading your insights and opinions!

Thank you so much to all of my readers and commenters. I appreciate your corrections, your comments and your agreements and disagreements! You all make Okazu a great community.

Thai, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese Yuri

I have only barely scratched the surface of Thai Yuri live action and comics and have barely had a chance to bookmark a Chinese Baihe novel. (Last night at the patron party we were given a link to a cool looking live-action series to watch, too.) I know of, but haven’t managed to watch any Korean Yuri, but I have read some webcomics and own my first Korean Yuri doujinshi now, thanks to James Welker. And of course there is Vietnamese Yuri about which I know nothing.

All of this is to say – there is a world of Yuri work in Asia outside Japan, and one day I’ll have time to read and watch and study it. Won’t that be fun?  I love that Yuri is global and I think it’s something we all need to celebrate.

Magazines & Publishers

Every year, I take a moment to note the publishers who are putting out Yuri, but as of last year, that was practically all of them. ^_^ So I want to note a couple of key things that really were worth noting.

Galette magazine is about to celebrate it’s 5th anniversary with Volume 20. For a creator-run endeavor, that is outstanding, truly. I hope they will be able to exceed their goals for years to come.

Comic Yuri Hime has just wrapped up its 5th year of being a monthly magazine.  In an industry where new trends mean things change all the time, that kind of consistency means the market is holding steady, or better.

I want to sincerely thank Seven Seas for their investment in Yuri, BL and queer manga. They’ve set high standards which means that as other companies invest in queer work, they are all reaching further and better heights. Kodansha, Yen Press and J-Novel Club have really made an impact this way as well. Good people, doing good things. Thank you all.

Top 10 Yuri Series

Now we’re getting into the series that made my year.  These series gave me – and, I hope, you – near-endless entertainment and conversation across multiple platforms.

Rose of Versailles

How could I not mention this? Yes, I disclaim I worked on the manga, but the end product is the joint effort of many hands and…wow. Udon Entertainment created something beautiful enough to display on any shelf.

Now you finally have the whole stor…oh wait! There’s another volume yet to come.  ^_^ The 40th anniversary stories are amazing and finish out the entire epic beautifully.

In the meantime, please also enjoy the anime editions of Rose of Versailles and Dear Brother from Discotek. They’ve never looked more crisp. We’ve come so, so far from the days of judgemental fansubs to Ikeda’s masterworks of animation and writing getting the treatment they deserve.

Otherside Picnic

Who would have guessed a science fiction/horror/paranormal series would have grabbed the Yuri zeitgeist? Everyone! We are/were *so* ready for an action story in Yuri fandom. This series hit a lot of spots in a lot of fandoms and had moments that were frightening and thrilling and tender.

We’ve had an anime streaming on Funimation, and both light novel and manga series are on-going in Japanese and in English from J-Novel Club and Square Enix respectively. I can’t wait to see where this story goes. It doesn’t matter where, particularly, it’s just that we know it will be an interesting journey.

Otona ni Nattemo / Even Though We’re Adults

I’ve long been a critic of Shimura Takako’s work, but this series is…amazing. 

Yes, the premise is uncomfortable – a lesbian falls for a married woman – but as it goes on, every individual story is also uncomfortable and pretty well relatable. The characters are muddling through a complicated adult life the best they can and which of us doesn’t feel that way?

Her art has never been tighter, her narrative (which I frequently think is Shimura’s weakest element) is on point.  I’ll gladly recommend this as her best work if anyone ever asks. In English from Seven Seas, this is a must-read series.

Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji 

When this series hit the Yuri lists, I hoped that it might not be too bad. You can never tell with second series and Ikeda Takeshi might give us something funny, he might give us something poignant.

What we got was a delightfully silly, yet surprisingly realistic, look at two women whose lives together are full of hard work to reach goals, and fun times and intimacy that looks awfully like actual people’s lives with friends and colleagues and trials and triumphs.

I’m loving it in Japanese, and you’ll get to read it in 2022 with The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This, coming this spring from Seven Seas. Yay!

Hayama-sensei to Terano-sensei ha Tsukiatteiru / Our Teachers Are Dating!

Can sex be adorable and heart warming? Yes, now that Ohi Pikachi’s sugar-sweet series about two teachers falling in love has shown us the way. Both Terano-sensei and Hayama-sensei are likeable, we can’t help but root for them as they move through uncharted waters of loving someone, doubting one’s self, and cementing that bond in a way that requires friends and family to view them as a unit.

It’s an adult series, but wholly rooted in they joy that being part of a partnership can bring. It never was a high-profile series, but I hope you will enjoy the final volume in 2022, when all 4 volumes will available in English from Seven Seas. 

Top Five Yuri Series of 2021

Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau / Whisper Me a Love Song

This list is chockful of adult experiences. And yet, one of my top five series this year is definitely, positively a schoolgirl romance.  Takeshima Eku’s adorable Whisper Me a Love Song is about first-year Himari who “falls in love at first sight” with cool Yori-sempai, but is it actually love? Over the course of the first three volumes they figure out that answer – and then the story keeps going!

How will the battle of the bands affect everyone? I’m on the edge of my seat! Not really, but I do love this series for it’s charm and warm-fuzzies. It’s in English from Kodansha and just. so. good.

Ride or Die on Netflix

Years ago, I said that my favorite manga ever, GUNJO, would make a poor anime, but would make a great night-time TV drama. Instead it became a super-intense Netflix movie and wow was it an interesting watch. Ride or Die is very much an adaptation of the manga, but every once in a while, the manga peeped out from within it and floored me.

The explicit nature of this story, especially in regards to the violence, works to drive home just what “Megane-san” was dealing with. The explicit sex was surprising and scenes went on longer than I expected, or wanted, which I kind of feel was also a message.

This is not a romance story. This is not an adventure story. But it is also not an object lesson. There are no morals here. Just people.

Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts / Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon

Usui Shio catapulted into my top ten with this series. Everything about it felt healing. A woman who has been living a lie in order to please others and a woman who has sacrificed most of her own life for obligation, meet one another and their lives change irrevocably. This is a gentle story that addresses the common everyday hurdles and traumas of an adult life and how devastating an effect those can have on our emotions and lives. You’re not alone. Other people feel that way too. And once you realize that, you can grow.

This is a beautiful series about adults who never had a chance to be themselves, as they find out who they really are with each other. I fully expected this is be my number one series this year, but then this year hit the accelerator. ^_^

Black & White

If you are a regular reader here on Okazu, you just nodded and said, “Ah, of course.” I never pretend my tastes are typical, or universal, as some critics do. I know what I like. I like adult women on equal footing beating the crap out of one another. Sal Jiang’s  -the opposite of romance- office rivalry series is perfect.

Two women, both lesbian, both rivals for not only being the best at their job, but also most beloved in their office, are at one another, literally tooth and nail. Sex is about domination. Outside their rivalry, they are both incredibly competent, friendly and helpful to everyone around them. Furthermore, if anyone treads on their territory, they will team up to take the intruder down, but once that’s over, they are at each other again. 

I loved this book so much. I just grinned and grinned. Should you want to give my world a try, Seven Seas will be releasing this in 2022 as Black & White.

At long last we are here at my Top Yuri series for the year and *surely* it cannot be that much of a surprise. I have written about it almost a dozen times just this year.

Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou. / I’m in Love With the Villainess.

It’s not often we get to watch the evolution of a story in real time. From free online webnovel only a few months ago, to a published series of illustrated light novels, with art that visibly improved from volume to volume, to a fully illustrated manga, and now on to a rebooted light novel series with art by the manga artist. Will we ever see an anime? I sure hope so. Even if we don’t, we’ve already had a pop-up shop and goods at another pop-up shop. All of this says something important – there is a market for this series. People want not just this media, but the goods associated with it. That’s the key for anime, usually.

The story begins with an isekai setting: An overworked adult woman awakens in the world of her favorite otome game in the person of the protagonist. Only this time she’s not going to play for one of the princes. This time she’s going to make the Villainess hers! Such a cute premise.

Initially we’re dealing with the stereotypical scenarios of a school setting. The festival, bullying, but with an adult’s take on such things. Then, the story turns more serious and becomes about class and money inequities, war, religion, betrayal, gender, sexuality, power, family, grief and loss. Each of these is handled overtly – there is no subtext here for important issues.

Overly queer stories are as important to the overall narrative as war and famine. As the story becomes more serious, the characters exceed their initial parameters right through the climax of the series. Volume 4 of the light novels and Volume 2 of the manga are out in English in 2022 and Volume 3 of the manga and Volume 5 of the light novels are already out in Japanese.

This is a story that take all the tropes of an isekai, and flips them on their heads to become an honest (and sometimes scathing) look at modern Japanese life, with it’s inequities and iniquities, while never forgetting that it is a feudal fantasy world with magic. It breaks all it’s own rules again and again right through a breathtaking climax that rewrites all the rules one last time.

I repeatedly likened this series to a circus, in which the seemingly-random chaos was actually being executed with precision. This series is over, but the story is ongoing as we await the final volume in English from Seven Seas.

Unabashedly queer, with epic romance and epic battles and a happy queer family. This was the series we’d all been waiting for.

I’m in Love With the Villainess is my Top Yuri Series of 2021.

What an incredible year. Here’s to a 2022 that’s even better!

The last Okazu list of the year is replete with people and individual series that I felt were notable. This year there was a substantial set of changes to celebrate. As the second century of Yuri dawns, we are seeing massive shift in not only the quantity, but the quality of Yuri – and the multitudes of formats Yuri is available to us. There’s a lot to unpack here, and you’ll be given a lot of links to click, so let’s get to it!

Yuri Studio

Most years I find myself traveling to various events in order to participate on Yuri panels and take questions from folks. Well, obviously the pandemic put the kibosh on that for 2020. Instead, I decided to bring the panels to you – beginning with an actual online Yuri panel in May 2020, and from there, a series of videos to answer commonly asked questions. Yuri Studio videos were received well and I can’t see any reason not to continue! You may not get to see me at a local event, but you can still have your questions answered and hopefully have some fun watching!

Many, many thanks to the folks who have contributed to our videos so far with questions, our Patrons who have supported their creation, and the team who helps me make them reality. I’m definitely looking forward to our second season on Yuri Studio!

Yuri Doujinshi

In early years, many fans of anime and manga only knew Yuri through doujinshi, those self-published comics sold at periodic comic events, like Comitia and Comiket. Many, arguably most, of our favorite creators in Yuri came up through the ranks of artists selling both derivative and original works. Now that Twitter and Pixiv have made it easier than ever to encounter new artists, and platforms like Booth and Fantia, Pixiv Fanbox and Melonbooks has made it possible to buy their works,  the western audience is even more open to translated editions of these manga. Lilyka opened the door for this audience, and they are continuing to grow their library. This year they are joined by Irodori Sakura, a company focusing on LGBTQ+ as well as Yuri and BL titles – a sentence I would never have been able to write even a few years ago. As more gender and sexual minorities bring their stories out in doujinshi, the more people will have a chance to read those experiences and we’ll get to see more of those creators move into the professional world. It’s pretty exciting time to be a fan of doujinshi in general and queer doujinshi especially. ^_^

Yuri Webcomics
There are so many excellent Yuri we bcomics out there, and more every day. Platforms like Lezhin, Webtoon, Tapas all make it easier than every before to find fun, often free, high quality Yuri. It’s impossible to list all the Yuri webcomics I read and enjoy, but here are a few standout titles for this year: Mage & Demon Queen by Color_LES combines fantasy and gonzo comedy; Opium on Tapas, story by Aji and art by Junghyun makes a really pleasantly adult change of pace, and;  Shilin’s fantasy Carciphona  – and her alt-universe romantic comedy for the leads of Carciphona, Amongst Us, are both absolutely among the best art I have ever seen. For a ridiculously silly but well-conceived tromp through Shoujo Yuri stereotypes, I really enjoy Not So Shoujo Love Story, by Cutyuku.

This is not a “best of,” just a few titles I enjoy. There are far too many to list…and maybe one year they’ll get a list of their own. ^_^ But once again Yuri webcomics are on this best of year list.

Yuri Visual Novels

The past few years have been an absolute revolution in Yuri Visual Novels. From Studio Élan to SukeraSparo,  Aikasa Collective to Oracle and Bone Studios, and hosts of indie developers, I don’t think I have ever seen such an abundance of Yuri VNs. so many of them are good. Not just playable but actually good stories, interesting characters and great art. There are a ton of Yuri games and VNs coming out of Japan and over the ocean to you.

We are in an absolute Big Bang of Yuri VNs and I am so excited for those of you who enjoy them! As a reminder, if you’ve experienced a great Yuri VN and would like to review it here, I am open to pitches. Please take a look at our Guest Review Submission Guidelines and don’t hesitate! I would love to give your review a read and someone out there will love to learn about that new Yuri VN. ^_^

Okazu Family

Every year there is a spot on this list for you. Okazu readers, YNN Correspondents, folks who leave comments, folks who help other people out in the comments, our Guest Reviewers and, of course, our Okazu Patrons, whose support makes all of the things we do possible – you are all part of the Okazu family…part of my family. Thank you for for your support of Yuri manga and anime, for purchasing volumes in print and e-book, for subscribing to platforms that provide us with the Yuri we want. I can never thank you enough for your sharing and engaging and encouragement and interest,  You are always a fantastic part of the global Yuri network.

Yuri Sci-fi & Shakaijin Yuri

In 2020, we had a concrete sign that Yuri was maturing as a genre. We’ve had schoolgirl Yuri for 100 years, but in this second century, we can now say we have two more subgenres!

2020 is the year of Science Fiction Yuri. Hayakawa is putting out a second Yuri issue of SF Magazine, and Otherside Picnic is not only doing well as a Light Novel series, we will shortly see it realized as an anime. As a long time science fiction fan, I am ecstatic that horror and scifi are now established as a subgenre of Yuri, as it is with any other genre.

I’ve been talking about Shakaijin Yuri – that is, Yuri that takes place in adult life in society  – for years. But this year, the dam broke open. We’ve had more adult life Yuri than ever before. And for the first time, Jousei Yuri has really been the breakout subgenre. We’ve had plenty of adult life Yuri by adult women for adult women, but this year, a new publisher entered the fray, putting the period on something they’ve been half doing for a long time.  Which brings me to…

Yuri Publishers

Shodensha is the premier Jousei magazine publisher in manga. They were one of the first publishers to do Yuri, in fact, with Sakarazawa Erica and Yamaji Ebine. Oddly, as Yuri became more popular, Jousei Yuri sort of faded into the background, which if you think about it is both understandable and maddening. (Understandable because as it became more popular, male otaku would predictably demand that their idea of Yuri was more “real” than work by women for women, but maddening because Jousei artists were there in the early days telling stories by and for women, so standing their ground would have been nice.) This year Shodensha threw down. On their MangaJam online platform they unleashed several of the titles that made my top Yuri manga list this year.  In English, we got Futekiya’s Manga Planet platform picking up these same Shodensha titles.

We have competition in Yuri doujinshi, and Web- and Light Novels, and Manga. Every major publisher in the US and Japan, and several smaller ones are investing in Yuri. I’m a huge believer in competition being good for all of us…it means we’ll get more choice and more chance to see something that is what we want to see, something that we don’t usually see  I offer my thanks to  Yen Press, VIZ Media, Seven Seas Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, J-Novel Club, UDON Entertainment, Kodansha Comics, Denpa, Lilyka Manga, Irodori Sakura, Manga Planet,  and in Japan, Ichijinsha, Futabasha, Shueisha, East Press, Seidosha, Hayakawa Shobo, Kadokawa Shoten, Akita Shoten, Shogakukan and Shodensha.

I didn’t get to visit Japan this year, but I also want to add my thanks to the various bookstores that have continued their Yuribu, which has made it possible for folks to find new Yuri during this time when we all need good stuff to read. ^_^

Yuri Webnovels /Yuri Light Novels

We’re here at the apex of the list and I am confident that you will not take issue with this or my top choice. ^_^

Yuri webnovels really broke into the conversation last year with a huge impact. This year, well, Yuri webnovels have taken their place as just another really terrific source for licensable materials.

Both J-Novel Club and Seven Seas have jumped on some of the best titles which had gone from webnovel to licensed light novel in Japan, giving us something I would not have been able to predict even a few years ago – a whole new Yuri media format to enjoy!

This year we enjoyed ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword!, A Lily Blooms in Another World,. We got Girls Kingdom just this month, the above-mentioned Otherside Picnic and many more very excellent and fun(!) Yuri light novels. And right at the end of the year, we have the super-light phone novels from Yomuco available to us on Manga Planet, like Two Guns Under the Sheet.

It is because of these media that I can, with absolute confidence, announce the best Yuri of 2020!

Bloom Into You Regarding Saeki Sayaka & I’m in Love With the Villainess

For years I have said that Yuri is “lesbian content without lesbian identity.” And for years I have longed for more queer content in my Yuri. Well, this year I had that handed to me on silver platters with Lily filigree, wearing little gold gay foil crowns.  ^_^

The Bloom Into You manga ended nicely but the side story, an intimate look at a young lesbian’s life, was superb. I loved the final volume – I am overjoyed that you all loved it as much as I did. Seeing Sayaka learn who she was, and learn to love someone who loves her back, was one of the high points of of the year for me. AND it has begun a collaboration that I’m honestly delighted about. In every way, Bloom Into You Regarding Saeki Sayaka, Volume 3 was exactly what we wanted.

Amazingly, Sayaka wasn’t alone in this. ^_^

Here was a webnovel, a fun little isekai story, another tale of a overworked career woman who wakes up in a game she’s played a million times, only instead of being in love with one of the game’s principles, she fancies the Villainess. It could have been dire and derivative. It could even have been fun and forgettable. Instead it was…amazing.

Rae Taylor, who might have been pitiable, might have been a stand-in otaku with no real personality, is instead so awesome a protagonist that even had this novel not included an actual conversation about sexuality, I probably still would have kept reading the series. It did, however, actually have that conversation about sexuality and Rae admits in this fantasy world what she kind of really never did in ours…that she’s a lesbian. The rest of the story is political and funny and emotional and snarky. I’m in Love With the Villaness, Volume 1 was outstanding.

Bloom Into You Regarding Saeki Sayaka  and I’m in Love With the Villaness are available from Seven Seas and they share the honor of being the Top Yuri of 2020.

Thank you all for a fantastic year –  on behalf of everyone at Okazu and Yuricon, I wish you a happy healthy 2021!