The “gal” is, in her own way, as stock a character in anime and manga, as the ninja. With her hair artfully asymmetrically arranged, her cell phones and nails intricately decorated, and her school uniform sweater tied around her the waist of her shortened skirt, we are accustomed to seeing the “gal” in a dismissive light, shone on teen girl culture by disapproving adults who nevertheless sexualize those same young women, even as they scold them for being young and carefree. The gal is Generation X’s “those kids are/do/too much…..”  You know, like…adolescent girls in every age. Creepy old dudes who creep, creepy old ladies who complain, when all the girls want to do is shop and eat, do karaoke and be left in peace.

So it was with some actual hesitation that I picked up SHIBUYA Gal Yuri Anthology (SHIBUYA ギャル百合アンソロジー), from Yuri Hime Comics. Named after the part of Tokyo which gals are mythically said to inhabit, was it gonna be filled with creepy hypersexualization or moldy morality plays about leaving that life? Thankfully, it was neither. With few exceptions, the stories in this collection are commitment free and fun and wholly lacking any kind of creepiness. I say with exception, because yes, there are a couple that are, by my standards, a bit creepy. YMMV.

I find I kind of like the one’s best where a gal has a normie alter ego, and then transforms into a hyper-fashionable gal at the behest of another girl. Which puts the first story of the collection right in my wheelhouse. Yoromo’s “Reverse Line” follows a gal’s encounter with a former Youtube Gal star at a makeup counter, which motivates the retired gal to resurrect her persona. It was very cute.

No surprise at all I liked the two older gals who live together and the story in which a gal changes a young woman’s life by visiting the izakaya she works at. I’m always going to be a sucker for food and romance between people who click. The final story, which follows a nice girl who falls for the gal at her school was surprisingly touching, as well.

Ratings:

Everything is variable as it is an anthology

Overall – 7

SHIBUYA is a pleasant, not-particularly-significant anthology exploring love between girls that includes gals.

Where I live, it’s spring and the flowers are blooming, and the trees are that particular shade of new-growth yellow-green that make you believe all is and will be well with the world. What better way to celebrate the energy and joy of this season than with an adorable anthology about lesbian weddings? Sadly we don’t have that, but we do have this lovely Yuri anthology – and it does actually include a lesbian couple. So, that works. 

White Lilies in Love BRIDE’s 新婚百合アンソロジー is one of the many current Yuri anthologies being heaved up by Kadokawa ASCII Mediaworks. Along with the multitudes from Ichijinsha and Futabasha, we are currently up to our neck in Yuri anthologies named after sweet and fragrant things. I am not complaining. ^_^

The first story takes a look at how important communication is in a new marriage, as newlyweds are not dealing with the gaps that have formed between them, and how they need to talk to work things out.

My favorite story, by the currently omnipresent relative newcomer, Miura Kozumi, (whose work I really enjoy) follows a couple who keep being completely blown away by seeing each other as their new bride.  I loved this story for so many reasons. The two actually came out to their families, they had a lovely wedding, parents bought them cheeseball wedding gifts… and they blush to their roots at thinking about how they are newlyweds. This one was cute as a boutonniere.

Tsuzura Ryo’s story was a close second. A young woman whose lover has died sees a fox’s wedding and is able to marry the spirit of her deceased lover. Of course, she’s left living with with both a fox and the spirit of her wife, but that’s okay.

In close third was Kiriyama Haruka’s story of a couple that fights over everything but are wholly suited for one another. I liked the art best from this story as everyone looked their (adult) age.

Ratings:

Art – Variable, none of it bad 8
Story – Same 8
Characters – Everyone is very earnest, except the art teacher 8
Service – 3 A bit
Yuri – 9

Overall, a strong 8

As a nice collection of Yuri wedding bedtime stories, this was top notch.

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!