Taking a break from news this week, to start on my year-end lists. 2013 was not a strong Yuri anime season, and is basically a “oh look it’s out in English” year from last year. So, you could just go and read the 2012 version of this list over again. ^_^ But that’s not fair, I owe you a list and by gum, I’m going to find stuff to say, darn it!  It’s imperative you have the chance to be angry at me at this time of year for not noticing something you liked.  Go ahead and hit me with your Top Ten in the comments. For me, this year “Top” means, “I can squeeze it on this list, phew”. ^_^

Tied for 10  – Arpeggio of Blue Steel,  My Little Pony and Fate/Zero,  Kill la Kill, Attack on Titan, Freezing Vibration, Vividred Operation  and any other “Snatches of Yuri” we have missed here on Okazu.

A college professor of mine, in regards to the refinements made by classical Greek sculptors and architects, once remarked “If you know it’s there, you can say you see it.” In regards to Yuri in anime, I say to you, “If you see it…it’s there.”

Vividred and Fate/Zero especially, were selling the Yuri heavily through goods when I was in Japan.

6 – Bodacious Space Pirates (Part 1 and Part 2)

This was excellent and I’ve talked it to death, but if you are new to Okazu, let me reassure you that, as space opera goes, this series was everything we could have wanted it to be. This year it became available on DVD, Blu-Ray and is still available to watch legally, for free (with regional restrictions) on Crunchyroll. This series was so good that, not only am I looking forward to the movie, I’m toying with the idea of flying to Japan to see it when it comes out. It is *that* good. ^_^

5 – Serial Experiments Lain

This series was more interesting now that it’s old and out of date than when it was when it was new and talking about a yet-unknown future. I’m still on the fence about Alice and Lain, but I could see potential, given time and opportunity. Having a chance to rewatch this series really got me thinking about our  requirements for a Yuri couple these days. If there’s anything that has radically altered in the last decade, it is this – we expect our couples to be a couple, not a hint of a couple. That’s a pretty huge sea change, if you think about it.

4 – Psycho-Pass

Technically, this series is a “Snatches of Yuri” series, since the Yuri relationship was not much more than an aside. But in the middle of intense psychological drama, horror and violence – the lesbian couple live happily ever after. That counts for a lot in my book. The series is coming out on DVD and Blu-ray in English next year, and is still available to watch free, legally (with regional restrictions) on Funimation.

And now we roll up our sleeves….and talk about amazing, fabulous series that we can’t stop talking about.

3 – Aoi Hana

Aoi Hana/Sweet Blue Flowers was the epitome of the shoujo Yuri story. It starts off as a tale of an “S” relationship, but quickly segues into an honest – and therefore, sometimes painful – tale of growing up, falling in love and growing up some more.

In Fumi, we finally found the role model we’d always wanted when we were young and in Aoi Hana we, at last, have the perfect example of a genre romance Yuri anime, sans parody elements.  Aoi Hana is the Yuri anime we were all waiting for…so we could move past it to something even more amazing.

In 2013 everything old was new again, as RightStuf, Viki and AnimeSols all scrambled to bring us some of the finest classic shoujo anime that has ever been created.

2 – Rose of Versailles

Along with Princess Knight, Rose of Versailles is revered among Yuri fans, not for the small snigglings of Yuri within the story, but for the archetype of the Girl Prince, whom we have adored, desired and desired to be since she arrived.

We fully understand the adoration laid at Oscar’s feet by the ladies of the French court, although we ourselves are more like Rosalie, unable to express our interest. And who among us has not thought how different the ending of the series might have been if Oscar and Marie Antoinette had been lovers? ^_^

It’s still one of the very hardest things for me to watch, but compelling drama and a dashing Girl Prince make Rose of Versailles my #2 for the year.

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Probably not for the first time, we honor Riyoko Ikeda with a 1-2 combination this year. Okazu’s #1 Yuri Anime of 2013 is:

Dear Brother, by Riyoko Ikeda. (Set 1 and Set 2)

This year Anime Sols not only gave us the chance to watch this cracktastic shoujo drama  for free, legally (with region restrictions), but they gave us a chance to get it out on DVD…and more than 200 of us heeded the call, so that Sets 1 and 2 will be available  – for ourselves…and to those people who want it later. Set 2 was especially amazing as, in conjunction with Anime Sols double-up weekend, it was fully funded in less than 72 hours.  As a sign that the western anime audience is ready, willing and able to support decent anime with Yuri themes, I name Dear Brother this year’s top Yuri anime. (Japanese anime industry, we are *so* ready for you to swing back away from moe. Really ready. Any day now.)

2014 is already primed with Sailor Moon and Sakura Trick coming in this winter. Here’s hoping for a great 2014 for Yuri!

Before we get started, I remind you that this is my opinion and no more authoritative than anyone else’s. It’s also my interpretation of the words “Top” “Yuri” “Anime” and “2012”. ^_^ As always, you are most welcome to disagree with me in the comments. I also invite you to share *your* top Yuri Anime for the year in the comments.  Okay then, let’s go!

10) Magic Knight Rayearth, Second Season – Damn, it was good to see this newly reissued by Media Blasters. Yuri is minimal, but Nova’s interest in Hikaru is just obsessive and persistent enough to make this list. There are some great moments in this series and until someone re-issues Card Captor Sakura, it’s nice to have a DVD release of an early CLAMP series.

9) Koihime Musou Otome Tairan – This sucked, but compared to the other two seasons, it was a work of art. Sonsaku and Koukin are a couple, so there’s actual Yuri.

8) Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb – While they are still in no way – other than in fans’ minds – a couple, the creators of Hidamari Sketch Honeycomb have at least realized that we like to imagine them that way and have added more Hiro x Sae service to the series. It even looks like they’ve got Hiro cluing in to her (oh-so-obvious-to-us) feelings, leaving only Sae as utterly unaware of how together they are.

7) Yuru Yuri – Not as record-shattering here as it is in Japan, this slice-of-no-life series is popular enough to have the second season streaming on Crunchyroll. Kyouko likes Chinatsu, Chinatsu like Yui, Ayano likes Kyouko and Chitose likes to fantasize about all of them.

6) Jormungand  – Yes, it’s about people who sell arms and kill people. It’s violent and nasty. But it’s also not at all coy about Valmet’s feelings for Koko and for that, it bumps up even further in my estimation. Plus its loads of fun. Streaming on Funimation.

5) Rose of Versailles – Currently streaming on Viki, you really should be watching this. Ground-breaking, award-winning, historical drama (something that rarely gets made into anime) this series set a lot of bars very high for…well, everything. Oscar cross-dresses beautifully and the girls go wild for her. There’s even a real bit of Yuri in there, small though it is. Honestly, go watch it.

4) Revolutionary Girl Utena – Rewatching the Apocalypse arc was, for me, a climactic moment. I still can’t believe we got the anniversary set. And the ring. Amazing series, amazing artboxes, amazing everything. Simply amazing. Once again, it says something that this is *not* my number one pick this year.

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3) Dear Brother – It was a  “holy crap!” moment for me was when Viki announced streaming this series. Dear Brother was a linchpin moment in my anime-watching life, a moment when everything else peeled away and I couldn’t catch my breath as Saint-Juste threw knives at the clocktower wall. I am beside myself with glee that you can all watch this series. Even if you don’t like it, if you care “about” Yuri, not just like Yuri pairings, you really need to watch this series. Like, Rose of Versailles, without this series there would have been no Utena.

2) Puella Magi Madoka Magica – I don’t have anything left to say about this series, except it is absolutely, positively worth watching.

In speaking to Bruce about it, I commented that the sign of a good series is that it holds up under repeated scrutiny. I have scrutinized the heck out of this series which streams on Crunchyroll (and still have a rewatch of the anime DVD release ahead of me) and the series holds up very well indeed. Above all, the thing that Madoka has that so few anime do, is that it tells a story from beginning to end. No unresolved issues, no threads left hanging. It ends and it ends well. In any other year it might be my number one pick, but not this year. ^_^

No, this year one series stood out for me above all others. It got me on one of my oldest hooks, and one of my newest, and a whole bunch in between. My number one top Yuri Anime of 2012 is…

1) Bodacious Space Pirates – Fun Space Opera – check. Great characters – check. Pirates in space – check.  Fabulous female characters. – check. Low fanservice – check. Great sweeping epic stories – check. Yuri – check!

Captain Marika and her crew are characters I loved spending time with and will be delighted to spend more time with. I can’t wait for the DVD/Blu-Ray release of this series. An amazing dark horse series all around. Jenny and Lyn for the win.

My number one anime of 2012 is Bodacious Space Pirates, available on Crunchyroll and in 2013 on DVD and Blu-Ray from Section 23.

For the first time ever in the history of this list, every single one of the entries is available in English. ^_^ Now that’s a good year for Yuri!