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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. ^_^
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!
Other strange bits were the Luna ballets and Himeko making a comment about being pregnant, which would definitely have kept her out of space. Also the final thanks felt like there was stuff that was supposed to have been said, and instead we have “thank you very much” shouted a us an excessive number of times, even for one of these musicals.
