THE yuri manga. As of writing this, it's been a few years since I've read it, but I really enjoyed the story. Its characters feel alive, each having their own complex feelings that are explored in a way that makes the reader truly understand where they're coming from. Has a very satisfying ending and I highly recommend reading it, especially if you're new to yuri. Edit: Read it again, and it's still as incredible as I remember. I was honestly worried it wouldn't be as good as I thought it was after reading so many other stories, but it just hits all the right feels. By the end all I could think was that I wanted more chapters, more of these characters, more of their life. I always recommend this first to people new to Yuri and this reread has only confirmed that it's the best choice. Time to go read the anthologies! One of my all time favorites. Not exactly a single story; it's moreso a compilation of interconnected stories as each couple is given a few chapters to explore their relationship. It includes a wide variety of relationships, both romantic and platonic. None of them feel glossed over or rushed, and each is a great story on its own. What really makes this special to me is the overarching couple, which executes the idea of "enemies to lovers" perfectly. Full of wonderful fluff and cuteness, give it a read! Literally the definition of fluff. Adorable couples that show their love for one another clearly. While there is drama, none of it is the "do they like me? can I trust them?" drama that so many stories have sunk into. Rather, the drama is caused by actual plot and not only requires the characters working together to overcome, but also makes the characters closer with every difficulty overcome. ~~Translation is unfortunately very behind the raws. However, a new translator named Hazazel has been pumping out chapters quick on [Bato.to's non-official version](https://bato.to/series/192610/my-food-looks-very-cute) and [Mangadex](https://mangadex.org/title/b98c4daf-be1a-46c8-ad83-21d532995240/my-food-seems-to-be-very-cute). If they keep up their current pace, the translation should be caught up in around 2 months as of July 2025 (I doubt they'll keep the current pace though, it's way too much for one person).~~ Edit: As of February 2026, My Food Looks Very Cute has been fully translated!! All thanks to the incredible efforts of KurinoKuro, who managed to translate 50 chapters in only about *3 weeks.* Still one of my all time favorites and I just really, really, really want more! I highly recommend checking it out. Incredible manga. Insane, mindbending visuals and an excellent story which had me by the throat the entire read. Monster designs are some of the best I've ever seen, invoking both horror and a sense of awe. Somehow, the protagonist having a gun that deletes everything in front of it for 70-odd kilometers is actually pretty balanced. However, I think most of the quality of this manga comes from the settings it takes place in, which could even be considered the "main character" -- most of the actual meat of the manga comes from panels with no dialogue or real story, but rather the incredible atmosphere of the environment. The best example of this is towards the end of the manga, where the protagonist walks through a "room" (if you can even call it that) which is ***literally the size of Jupiter***. Truly a megalophobe's worst nightmare. The true definition of fluff, in more ways than one! This is just a really nice comfort story... nothing too angsty or dramatic, just a story about a princess and her butler falling in love. It never feels "fake" in its characters or story and has a great sense of humor which peeks out occasionally. Overall a great pallete cleanser or just something to relax with. If you enjoyed this, check out its sequel oneshot [*Himesama to Watashi no Kekkon Ryokou*](https://mangadex.org/title/943cde7b-87bc-415d-b2b1-4b814eb6df04/my-honeymoon-with-the-princess). This is an incredible manga with some of the strongest storytelling I've seen. One of the most compelling parts of its core story to me is the pairing of a beast girl and a blind girl -- it feels pretty reminiscent of queer struggles and how outsiders perceive a relationship they don't understand. If that's intentional, it's conveyed masterfully. The story is ripe with emotion and love in a way that hits you deeply, even more so once you come to the ending. That made me sob the first time I read it. I highly recommend this manga to pretty much anyone even slightly interested. Edit (another read): A story about consequences and forgiveness. How revenge and "making things even" can prolong hurting, and forgiving people who can't atone for their sins in spite of what they did. It shows this in several different cases, with many different responses towards those that caused pain -- all of them valid, and all done very well. The ending is absolutely beautiful and makes me sob every time I read it. A surprisingly good coming to age story of learning about oneself and how to properly communicate with your partner. The main character is initially attached to the idea that homosexuality is unnatural or wrong, creating a lot of internal conflict as she cannot accept her own feelings and necessitating open communication with her partner. It's a pretty decent representation of internalized homophobia, more societal in nature than personal. I also really loved the art style, particularly in the little chibi character portraits which are adorable! The only issues I have with it largely have to do with the main characters being underage in more adult situations, but it's to be expected from a coming of age story. Gorgeous art and a wonderful story. The story isn't particularly original, but the emotions in it are powerful and conveyed expertly. The art style is the highlight of this for me, it has a level of detail that isn't seen in many manga but it never feels overly detailed or visually crowded. Recommended for a short read. A relatively short story that makes me tear up every time I read it. Such a simple story, but one of the best portrayals of love and loss I've ever seen. How you learn to love the little things, no matter how small. The pain of never experiencing them again. Just a gorgeous story. High recommendation if you're open to heavy stories about loss. A super fluffy story with an airhead and a girl she mistook for a guy. While it takes a while for them to start properly communicating, their relationship is very healthy and fun to watch with minimal drama. Solid queer representation outside the main couple. If anything, I wish there was more of it! It kinda stops right around when the main characters get past their communication issues, which is a real shame because their dynamic would make for a wonderful slice of life story and they no doubt have more to overcome in the future in the form of parental approval. There are also very obvious hints at side character romances that never go anywhere. It almost makes me wonder if it got axed early. Overall a very sweet manga with a great story, I just wish it kept going. An actually good take on the "will they won't they" trope. Everything feels believable as a natural progression of events rather than filler to draw out the story as these kinds often do. Very good representation of how societal attitudes towards queer people can be internalized by queer people themselves and the struggles that come with it. Namely the instinct to reject people automatically out of fear that you might get rejected based on differences in sexuality or other societal factors. Overall a great read. A ridiculously cute autobiography of an age gap couple which they write and draw together! It's packed with fluff and the art is superb. Mostly slice of life, though there are dedicated chapters to telling the story of how they got together and whatnot. The only thing holding this back for me is that I want to see more stories from them! The bite-sized slice of life is nice, but the art and storytelling truly shines in parts like the story of how they got together. Maybe this is addressed in future volumes. The fan translation is unfortunately 2 volumes behind, but Koharu and Minato post in Japanese and English on [their pixiv](https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/82480735/artworks)! This is a really special one for me. The first season of the anime was some of the first yuri I was exposed to, and it has a really strong charm to it. Fantastic comedy, great characters, and overall you can feel the amount of love the creators put into it. I think it has one of the strongest overarching stories for a slice of life manga I've seen, which is really being leaned into later in the series where it starts to take a more serious tone. It doesn't have much romance in it, but there is a very clear "main couple" (even if they aren't explicitly together) and the love characters have for one another is palpable, even if their words say otherwise. The only struggle I've had with it is the 4-koma layout, which is difficult to read on a phone, but once you get past that it's pretty smooth sailing. The author, Izumo Ito, has been struggling with health problems for a good portion of the manga's runtime, leading to substantial delays in chapters. As of writing, it's been over a year since the last chapter was released. However, [she posted on Twitter](https://xcancel.com/izumo_ito/status/1911073094418252087#m) in April that she's still alive and working on the manga, so we should hopefully see updates soon! Cute little shorts of a high school couple. Not much to be said. Art style is pretty good, if not a bit rough. Some light S/M. Overall a pretty good quick read. Truly one of the greatest yuri stories, hands down. It's fantastic at telling its story, especially with conveying its characters' emotions and motivations to the reader. The characters feel truly real and are very charming in their own ways. As for the story itself, it does an incredible job at showing the struggle of passion: not only how fulfilling it can be, but how draining it can be even to the point of quitting. It also shows some aspects of queer love that aren't touched on very often: namely, the idea that love is just not meant for you out of fear of rejection or self-hatred. Not only that, it does a great job of showing the difficulties in just accepting that you *can* be in love. By the end of the manga, you can truly see the change the characters have gone through, and it gives a very satisfying feeling. Another really unique aspect is the setting and characters: an office environment with characters well into their adulthood. That isn't seen super often in yuri -- most focus heavily on romance and less on life itself -- but it really grounds the story from the beginning and treats it as a "story about life," less so a "story about love." I highly recommend giving it a read. If you liked it, you should also check out its sequel oneshot [Still Life](https://mangadex.org/title/1b2f3e21-0991-4840-a47f-0f3026d7878a/still-life)! A very sweet autobiography of the author and her girlfriend. While it's definitely slice of life, it's more story focused than most autobiographical manga are; rather than having short little tidbits from everyday life, it focuses much more on actual stories from the couple and their internal thoughts/feelings. The art style is pretty good -- it's a far more unique style than most, though it can definitely take some time to grow on you. I do wish it were a bit more varied in the kind of stories it tells though, as the lovey-dovey stories can get a bit samey after 30 chapters. It's oddly paradoxical: while it shows the reader a lot of their stories and how they think, by the end I still felt like I hadn't really gotten to know the characters as well as I should have. Regardless, it's a very sweet story from a real couple. The stereotypical lesbian pacing is also hilarious (ch. 20 pg. 1). Can this even be called yuri bait when it's straight? While it doesn't have the most original story basis, this one is fantastic for what it is: a love story between a girl and the most androgynous person ever. Notions of "boyfriend" and "girlfriend," "guy" and "girl" are very fluid in this one -- and not only in our androgynous character. It's this fluidity that makes me feel, despite the main boy seeing themselves as a man (debatably), it reads very much like the story of a nonbinary person learning to accept themselves and finding a partner who accepts them for who they are too. The writing is great too; none of the characters really feel like shallow representations of stereotypes, which is difficult to pull off with subject matter like this. I really just wish that there was more of it!! After they get together there's like... 10 chapters left, it's ridiculous! I want 100! Give me more! Right, so this one is actually really interesting. It initially starts off with the boring, done to death trope of a voiceless, faceless male protagonist and a female protagonist that just repeats their words. It's annoying, it sucks. But as time goes on... the male mc makes his first real appearance in chapter 15, *gets his first real dialogue in chapter 19,* ***gets eyes in chapter 27...*** it slowly morphs from generic slop to a genuine story with real, developed characters. While the male mc doesn't get the most attention, he still feels like an actual person unlike so many other self-insert shells. The real highlight of this story is the female mc who is fucking adorable. The art plays a massive part in this, giving her really fantastic expressions that just show her character so well... literally the most down bad girl I've seen in a manga in the best way. The two main characters make an adorable couple, and their dynamic is honestly worth the slog of the first 30 chapters. The story isn't complex at all, there's barely a pretense for why they fall for each other, but it turns out great. The best slice of life ever. Hands down. Bar none. It doesn't get any better than this. I think the core of what this manga does so well is the way that it utilizes space. So many manga, slice of life or otherwise, feel this need to constantly have *something* going on, whether it's dialogue or action or what have you. But here, I'd say a good portion of this manga -- easily 25% of it -- is solely made up of quiet shots and interactions with minimal to no dialogue at all. It has this calming presence to it which is really hard to convey, but it pulls it off perfectly. I don't think there even is a more relaxing manga than this one. The art is also absolutely phenomenal, easily some of the best I've ever seen. Not because of its detail, but just how believable it all is. It's hard to properly explain, but it feels much closer to the style of real people while maintaining the manga style and not looking disconcerting. It's a very comfortable story. There are ups and downs, everybody has their own worries... I mean, that's life. The romance is a bit discreet at first, with the only truly explicit romance showing up at the very end, but you can definitely see the love from the very beginning. I really just wish that there was more story and romance after the end! The girls' romance stories are just getting started at the end, and there are hints towards where it could have gone in the omake... I would ***die*** for a sequel. Even just a oneshot. The best way I can describe this manga is with a single word: comfortable. It's the best of the best for a reason. Give it a read. The biggest shame is that this author has written very few other works. There is a prequel/pilot for Our Wonderful Days called [The Other Side of a Blank Page](https://mangadex.org/title/f1cb8ebf-d00d-4a49-9eb0-1b70bf5e39bf/the-other-side-of-a-blank-page), and a oneshot in the Syrup Yuri Anthology which I can't find. If the author ever makes another work, I will die happy. One of the best story-focused yuri that still has some romance in it. The world building is incredibly well thought out with tons of cool details you'll notice on a second read through. The story is super engaging throughout and I never really felt my attention slipping; there were a few parts that felt slightly rushed or hand-wavey but with 100+ chapters that's to be expected at some point or another. Still tons of great mysteries, can't wait to see where the story goes in that regard. There are some serious flashback sections that allude to **(TW)** ||child abuse, murder, child sexual abuse, child death|| but it handled it really well and didn't give me whiplash like other stories have; it worked its way up to the reveal and nothing really feels out of place. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to see where the story goes. Plus it had a crossover with the best manhua! Edit: The story really started slipping not long after I wrote this review -- very long and drawn out with barely anything happening each chapter. I won't change my review or rating until I read through it again but it's been difficult to stay engaged with the story. Absolutely adorable manhua from the authors of Straight Girl Trap! This one has a really fun concept which I don't see often, which is really leaning into the "demon" aspect of characters trying to integrate into human society, but with the twist of the love interest being a significantly more high ranking demon than the main character. The characters bounce off one another super well and the dynamics are really fun to watch, especially as they shift over time. The art is also some of the cutest I've seen, it's a real step up from their previous work in terms of cute factor! Especially chibi Tang Ran, she makes my heart melt. The cameos from different series/authors are especially cool in this. Chapter 0.1 has an awesome sequence where the main character of this manhua is walking through a city and passing by the main couples from various other popular GL manhua! And then she meets with her love interest in this sort of, "we got a new story on the block! it's gonna be the same quality as the greats!" way! References and collabs are peppered throughout the rest of the story, and it's really awesome seeing cameos or references to other manhua I'm reading at the same time. Of course, the most seen cameo is the goat My Food Looks Very Cute. The authors even did a collab in a recent chapter where the author of My Food Looks Very Cute drew some bears for the story since the authors of this manhua aren't experienced with furry art (and our goat clearly is, lol). I just love this one and I'm excited to see where it goes. Actual peak. The highlight has gotta be the art style, which is adorable as hell, and the super expressive character interactions and dynamics. Kawa-chan and Pyon-chan are so cute with each other and the side characters all have their own charm; none (except for like one or two) feel looked over. The story is pretty compelling and I can't wait to see where it goes in the future, especially with some of the most recent developments that have really added depth to the character dynamics in play. Most of all I just want to see more adorableness between our two lovebirds! Especially after that kiss threw a wrench into the established rules... Unfortunately, the future of Garuru Girl is a bit up in the air. It hasn't received enough attention from a Japanese audience to have a very long runtime, and it's unclear if it will receive more than 3 volumes. As of writing, it seems likely that volume 3 will be the final volume and there will be ~5 more chapters at most. As is, the story feels like it's beginning to tie up some loose ends (though not coming to a conclusion yet). Which is such a shame, I want to see more of these characters!! They're so cute! I feel like even if this ends at volume 3, it'll be one of my all time favorites. I highly recommend this one. Edit: Chapter 17 marks the end of this manga, and while abrupt it was a great story. It's just too bad that it ended so soon. A fairly wholesome age gap relationship between a student and office worker. There isn't a whole lot in terms of an overarching story for this one; instead, it leans much more into the slice of life genre with short little vignettes in each chapter. The art is pretty cute and the dynamic between the main couple is enjoyable, but there isn't too much more compelling than that. It's a nice read. God I love this one. Just from a technical standpoint, the art is really good and I love the character designs, both in style and personality. However, the story is where this manga really shines. It has a pretty cliche basis -- "what if we pretend dated to experience love?" -- but the emotional maturity of the characters is what makes it unique. Instead of resulting in tons of drama where the characters can't be honest about their feelings, and it all feels drawn out for no reason, the choices each character makes feel well thought out and make sense for who's making them, regardless of if they're wholly logical or not. It's a great story of these girls learning about themselves and who they are, helped by the other whether that's intentionally or not. They clearly love each other and make for a funny couple. I especially love how much of a (in Nagi's words) degenerate Manatsu can be, like she is so down bad for Nagi and it shows so much. Love their dynamic, can't wait to see where the story goes especially after chapter 10. I ironically just wish it were a bit more drawn out because as-is it feels like it's going way too fast! Edit: Story has been completed! It was great. One of my recent favorites. Just a bunch of super cute shorts between a prince-type popular girl and an introverted Gyaru, as the title would suggest. The art is wonderful and the characters are adorable. There isn't a whole lot going on but it's a very enjoyable read for one sitting. The only reason why I don't rate it higher is because there isn't a whole lot of it; if there were more story or chapters it would be much higher. It feels like a 7.8 for me, not quite an 8 but much better than a 7. Same author as Boyish Girl x Gyaru, very similar story. Pretty much everything I said in that review can be applied here. 'Nuff said, it's a good one. Pretty standard cliche of "wait... the boy who asked me out as a kid was a girl??" but it goes in a pretty fun direction. I have a feeling that the original was intended to be a oneshot, then covid hit and the story moved more towards that direction to set up the romance. I guess it just wasn't compelling enough alone since it got axed pretty quickly and forced to wrap up in a chapter. Still a pretty good read. A super cute, short and sweet oneshot of a couple and their daughter and some of the difficulties in being a parent with a demanding job. The characters feel real and the story is well thought out. That's about it. Good stuff. Adorable little vignette of a couple and their daughter who finds herself a girlfriend. Not a ton of substance to it but it's a nice read. Apparently there's a related oneshot, by the looks of it it's about the parents when they were in school? I'll need to give it a read. A pretty unique story surrounding an ex-idol moving to the countryside after being shunned by the public. It depicts the sort of social anxiety that comes with that kind of situation really accurately, especially with how long it can take to open up to people again. The art is really cute and the two main characters have a really nice dynamic of the more energetic, outgoing type and a more reserved and shy type. Basically yapper and listener, lol. Wow this one is great. Just a vignette of a pianist and a deaf girl who loves to sing, and how they become close to one another. But the story is written so well, and of course the art is incredible as with all of Itou Hachi's work. I almost wish there was an entire series for this one. It's really, really good. I'm obviously going to be biased on this one, being a craftsman myself, but this manga is ridiculously good. Not only is the art great and the story solid, but the information in it about coppersmithing is well researched and genuinely cared for. This is one of if not the best "artisan manga" I've read in terms of information quality. It also touches on different industries and histories for all kinds of topics! This is actual gold for any artisan who is also into manga. In terms of the story, it definitely doesn't take a backseat to the information; both aspects of the content feel balanced well and neither is given more weight than the other. All of the characters are charming and unique; none of them feel like stereotype sit-ins or copy/pasted templates, but rather genuine people with real lives. And of course, the dynamic between Shuu and Shiina. They are so adorable together. Like really, one of the best couples I've seen. This especially seeps into the rest of the story/industry aspects, where you can really see them maturing into the next generation of the industry which is *so satisfying.* I love the overarching generational themes, which are especially apparent with the references to each generation of craftsmen having their own focus, each generation of head clerks contributing to the business's products and identity in their own way. It's so, so good, and is one of my highest recommendations. Also, Shiina wears KMNZ merch! Peak recognizes peak. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this manga. The art is adorable, I love the characters, the story is cute... but there are a few oddities. Namely the gross goblins and orcs. Some sexualization of characters. It puts me off for some parts of the story. It also appears to have been axed? Maybe? As far as I'm aware, it hasn't received any updates for over a year by now, and it doesn't appear to be completed, but hasn't been officially cancelled either. Regardless, I really like the story concept (despite not being the most original) and the characters, it just feels incomplete and not very fleshed out. By my count there are only like 3 real sections of the story that go for a few chapters each. It's a shame, but I enjoyed it for what it is. A good story about societal pressures surrounding being queer and coming out in general. The art style can definitely take some getting used to, but overall it's great. As with many romance stories, I just wish there was more story after the couple actually gets together! There's clearly a lot going on between them, but it just ends. The aggressive, pursuing junior is such a fun dynamic and Ayaka pulls it off really well. In general it's a great story for what it is, but it could be so much more. This is a tough one to rate. Its concept is... alright, the "love rival who isn't a rival but actually is head over heels for the protagonist" is compelling enough, but good lord the execution. It's not great. The story starts out around a 7/10, pretty good but nothing special. It dips to a 6/10 for the majority of its runtime because it's just. The same shit over and over and over. There are only so many ways you can do the bait and switch of "wow, you seriously think you have a chance with him? How pathetic, you should know that you only have a chance **with me!!!**" especially if you're already expecting it because of the past 20 chapters or so. The final volume jumps up to an 8/10 and is actually pretty damn enjoyable, it's just a complete slog getting there. I'm not really sure if I can recommend this one, but it does have its moments. A really strong story about friends turned rivals turned lovers. The dynamic between our two main characters is really fun, especially as Shen subtly messes with Jiang to make her realize her feelings. Jiang is also such a good autistic-coded character; she doesn't feel like a stereotype in the slightest and it actually plays a lot into her character. The side "couple" is also pretty enjoyable to watch, though it's far less romantic and more S/M focused. Overall it's a super solid story with great characters and art, it doesn't do the shitty thing and end as soon as the couple gets together and it actually shows them grow together as a couple. I always wnjoy coming back to this one and definitely recommend it. I'm struggling to write my thoughts on this one, especially without spoilers. This is a very good story. I enjoyed it a lot, and from a literary standpoint it's incredibly strong. The big turn off for a lot of people: it's an incest story. In my eyes, it's a story about broken sisters beginning to actually live their lives with support from one another; it's just that support comes in the form of codependency and incest. And in this case, I think the incest actually helps from a story building perspective. The sisters never go beyond kissing, and I truly believe it to be less romantic love and more a codependency formed to support one another in the aftermath of their parents' divorce. They truly care about one another and are the most important person to each other, which I think is kind of the point of the whole manga. The ending lines are specifically addressing the question of "does it matter if we see one another as sisters or lovers, or just that we can live with the one we love the most?" It challenges the idea that your most important person must be a lover and can't be something else to you, like your sibling. The lines are blurring between the societal expectation that your number one is your lover, but your lover can't be your sibling. It's a difficult and at times uncomfortable topic to discuss and I think it pulls it off really well. I'm sure I butchered my take so if you're interested in discussing, feel free to contact me. I'd love to hear what you think about it. I don't know if I can recommend this story to anyone, but I really appreciate it and find a lot of value in it. So cute. So so cute. It's literally the title, but the dynamic between our adorable idiots works so well. I loved watching Kumada progressively became more and more conscious of Sayaka as he developed feelings for her, and the eventual confession... absolute gold. Totally recommend for a short and sweet story. I just wish we got a chapter where they get married! They talk about it so much and it sucks to never get that payoff. I also wish we could've seen more of Kumada's siblings and family interacting with Sayaka, but overall those are my only complaints. Love to come back to this one. Wow. I'm sobbing. This story is just... so good. One of the best depictions of grief, terminal illness, love, hope... It's a bit difficult to get into. The first few chapters are glorified smut (within reason) and have little substance. But after that, it blossoms into an incredible story. A story about making the most of your time left, about love despite hardship, about inevitability. There are many angles that I could see the story being a metaphor for; off the top of my head there is subtext of societal pressures against queerness and it being "forbidden love", as well as the story's terminal illness being an allegory for HIV. This story genuinely is one of the most captivating I've read in the past few years. It's varied in themes and story despite its overarching deadline, and all of its emotional punches hit hard. Some of the hardest I can remember, and all of them feel earned. I truly cannot express enough how much I love this story and how incredible it is. I recommend it so, so, so much. It's a story about death and grief, but just as much life and love. After all, grief is love persevering. Oh my god the sweetness of this one is going to kill me! Seriously, I had a massive grin on my face the whole time I read it. The biggest strength is definitely the characters, specifically how *alive* they feel. Each character has a strong sense of personality and they all get plenty of individual focus! Not a single character feels shoehorned in or otherwise "flat." They're all very expressive and the art complements this massively making some really adorable moments. The diversity in this work is incredible. Like I know that's the whole point of the world building, but none of it feels half assed! Our main couple is a blind woman with an invisible man, one of their coworkers is in a gay relationship, and they're friends with a dark elf husband and light elf wife. Even in smaller side characters there's such a commitment to diversity. I appreciate it all so much, it makes the story feel so much more lived in and real. And of course, the adorable main couple. They're so cute. Words can't do them justice. It's very hard to think of a couple as lovestruck as them. One thing I really like is that our invisible man is very emotive and expressive! Often in straight romances the male protagonist is rather flat or plays off of the female protagonist's emotions, but here they complement one another so well. I just can't get enough of this couple and want to see more of them. More! Highly recommend, check this one out. It's so hard for me to write a review of this one because it's just so good. There's so much to talk about that it does incredibly well. I'll try to keep it succinct. Every character is truly "lived in." They all have an incredible amount of depth that is explored thoroughly, not only in dedicated sections but also just in passing during other moments. Rather than info dumping about a character whenever it wants to develop them, the story often shows little changes in their behavior or how they react to things. Honestly it's all done expertly, I can't think of a manga that does it better. The only possible criticism that I have is that several characters are introduced pretty late into the story (chapter 50+) which seem like they'll become a core part of the group, with proper depth and everything, but they basically disappear never to come up again. There's also a character introduced to the main group in this period which has barely gotten fleshed out despite the length of the manga. She still feels "real," and I understand that she is comparatively inconsequential to the rest of the story, but it's still a bit of a bummer. These are very minor nitpicks though. The story is incredible. Not only in general themes and overarching plot, but even just how it's told. I felt wholly immersed the whole time I was reading it and would get completely engrossed to the point I'd lose track of time. I love the themes and lessons it touches on -- they're general life lessons, it's definitely a coming of age story, but they are told in a way that feels so genuine and with great depth. Rather than just saying "you should open up to your friends," the story makes this an overarching theme which is rarely directly stated but the power of it is always shown in how thoroughly the characters trust one another. I am so excited to see where the story goes and I'm dying to see the next chapter!! (At time of writing, latest is currently 159). The art style is wonderful and so expressive. You can feel the warmth in the faces of these characters, and I often find myself grinning whenever they do. It's just so wonderful. This one is definitely a keeper, one of the best "slice of life straight romance coming of age story set in high school" I've seen, because it's so much more than that. Give it a read. Good lord, where do I even start? Incredible manga with an incredible story. Like some others I've reviewed (notably Vampire x Junior), this starts off as a slice of life romance without *too* strong of a focus on story. However, something I really like about it is the very beginning. It sets the tone of everything to come with the death of Ichika's grandmother and the aftermath she's left in, full of grief and confusion. But also with a surprising amount of levity from Aria's antics. All coalescing in Ichika falling in love with Aria, just for Aria to ask for Ichika to kill her. It sets up so many themes and overarching plot points in such a short amount of time. Really well done. The overall plot takes a pretty strong tonal shift around halfway through, but it doesn't feel abrupt at all -- everything is in line with what the reader has already been presented. It becomes so dark and powerful... truly a masterfully done story. I can't say much without spoilers, but it had me hooked all the way through and my heart pounding up until the very end. The ending does feel a bit rushed. Given that every volume is 5 chapters except for the final volume, which ends on chapter 46 (6 chapters), it seems to me that the author intended for the story to end on chapter 50 but it wasn't given the green light for the final volume. As such, there are quite a few questions left ambiguous or unanswered. Some pretty major ones too. However, it doesn't feel "robbed" per se... I'm pretty satisfied with the ending though I would of course prefer if it had gotten that final volume. Overall I highly recommend this one if you're into more gritty stories with some lighter romance. I can definitely see the depictions of violence being a turn off, as well as the kissing scenes between Ichika and Aria (who are both ~14), but nothing explicit occurs between minors and it all feels within moral boundaries. It's a great read, and I hope you don't let any of that deter you. Pretty good one. Super fluffy romance that occasionally turns to a serious story that doesn't pull its punches. It's an interesting take on same-sex couples; one that still uses gender norms in some form or another (still "husband and wife" despite both being women) while also normalizing queer love. I think overall it's done very well and has a good amount of depth to it. I especially appreciate the more unique start to the romance, beginning with an arranged marriage which blossoms into love. The side couples are also sweet. As is expected with the author, there is a plot line of an elementary school girl and her teacher. It's a bit uncomfortable at times but didn't put me off from the story as a whole. I think if it truly committed to the self-awareness surrounding society's views on it, it could've been very interesting. But instead it felt kinda half hearted with some indications of depth but nothing really compelling to me. Overall it's a sweet story. I wish it went more in depth into its various plot lines and really committed to them, but alas. A fantastic historical romance. Really, just incredible. The highlight for me is definitely how you can see each character growing and changing as you read, down to the details of how they talk. Every character has a depth to them that isn't seen in many other stories; it's amazing to me just how much care is put into keeping them consistent and realistic in how they change. I really don't know what else I can say about this, it's just so good and I genuinely can't think of any criticisms. It's a well rounded story from start to finish. I highly, highly recommend reading it. I honestly wasn't super excited about this one from the start. The first few chapters were setting up a ridiculous drama with cheating and two timing, but as the story goes on it's actually just a really nice story about two pretty crazy, cunning women mellowing out and making a life together. From what I can tell, the first chapter is unrelated to the main story and the second chapter (first "real" chapter) is depicting one of Emi's previous relationships. After that, though, the story is much more comprehensive. In the end, I really enjoyed this. I recommend it, just wish that the beginning was a bit more clear. Pretty cute, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Feels like it got axed pretty early, though, as it sets up a whole romance plot then throws it all away in a chapter. I would rate this much higher if it followed through with the plot -- even with the same chapter count. Decent for a light read. Do not the lizard. This one was pretty okay. I think it could've been much better if it had more chapters -- the ending was way, way too rushed and made no sense with how the characters were being set up. Might be worth it to check out the author, but this one isn't really worth it if you're looking for an actual story. There's so much I could say about this, I don't even know where to start. Definitely one of my all time favorites. All of the characters are super lovable, the art is gorgeous and playful, there are rarely any "filler chapters" at all. The only possible criticism I could have is that the further I get the more I long for the beginning of the story, where there weren't a ton of characters. But that's not really what it's trying to do. This is ultimately a story about finding your own family. It's very thematically true-to-life, I think. There is no one way to find lasting relationships--each character's introduction and place in the family is unique to their own situation. Just the concept and execution of creating a family from nothing is heartwarming to me. By the time you catch up to the latest volume Azusa will have found herself: sisters both older and younger, a mother, twin daughters, a stepdaughter, many friends, apprentices, and mentors... the list goes on. Each relationship is fleshed out and feels true to the characters. It's all incredibly well done and I loved every second of it. Honestly I couldn't recommend this manga enough. It really scratches the "yuri family without a focus on romance" itch for me. Everything is super fun and enjoyable to read. I love every character and it's always interesting seeing them faced with different challenges to overcome and bring one another together. It's just fantastic. If you like warm stories with low stakes I highly recommend it. Only things I can see being a deterrence for some readers is the genre of "overpowered isekai," but it's honestly done very well and the "overpowered" part isn't annoying at all like most stories. It's very good, give it a read. Pretty standard story basis (delinquent girl and loner boy learn to be true to themselves), but it pulls it off really well. The emotions are raw and the art style definitely helps. I may look into more of this author's stuff -- they seem incredibly skilled both in drawing and storytelling, there's just only so far this kind of story can be taken. I'm sure they've written some 10's. Definitely a good read and there's so much potential, it's just the basis of the story that holds it back a bit. Good lord. I had to give this oneshot another read to write this review, and... ugh. It hurts. I love it. There's only so much I can say about the story since it's so short, but this is one of the best stories regarding grief and moving on that I've read. It really feels like the idea of "the ones you love will always be a part of you, even when they're gone" but in literal form. I really liked how the mini-stories are out of order, but you can easily put them all together into a timeline of sorts, starting with the beginning coming right after the end. Writing it out like that, it definitely feels intentional lol. Spoilers to better explain: ||Haru tells Aoi at the end that he'll be there the next spring for the sakura blooming, and he first reincarnates as one of those sakura blossoms the spring after he passed. He fulfilled his promise.|| I love this story and want to read more from the author. It looks like they primarily write about death/tragedy/etc? I'm definitely interested. This story fascinates me. While I feel like the story basis has been done before (kinda like in Ranma?), I don't think I've ever seen it done in this way. The concept of a nekomata that involuntarily changes form depending on time/exhaustion has a lot of potential for interesting character interactions, and this manga definitely utilizes it well. It's really fun seeing Iori gradually shift from seeing the cat and human Mii-chan as completely separate entities, to seeing them as the same (which gives him the social and health benefits cat Mii-chan provides regardless of if she's a cat or not). The elephant in the room: Iori is a man in his 30's and Mii-chan is 17. And a major plot point is that (spoilers) ||if Mii-chan doesn't lose her virginity before she becomes an adult, she will be trapped as a cat forever.|| So it's pushing them into this very uncomfortable situation... but I think it actually does it incredibly well and not in a *weird* way. As time goes on, they become reliant on one another and have (mostly) *platonic* love for one another, especially on Iori's side. He wants nothing to do with the human Mii-chan because he has his morals and, well, what he's being asked to do is societally and morally wrong. But he also becomes reliant on human Mii-chan and wants to prevent this change. He comes at it from every logical angle (more spoilers) ||by telling Mii-chan to find a partner her own age rather than himself, but this understandably hurts Mii-chan as the only man she's truly comfortable with and willing to give that responsibility to is Iori.|| In the end, he has to make a choice: do something extremely uncomfortable to keep Mii-chan, or stick to his morals and lose his only support. And all of that isn't even considering how Mii-chan feels about it, which at the moment is appearing to be in favor of staying human. There's another really interesting angle to this, which is how queer love comes into all of this. While we have this straight "couple" with their issues, there's another couple of Mii-chan's sister Tama-chan and her female guardian Makio. While also (mostly) platonic, there is definitely something between them. The best I can think to describe the relationships in this manga are *intense* platonic love -- each person is the other's most important person and they would (in theory) do anything for them. Anyway, the relationship between Tama-chan and Makio is very similar to Iori and Mii-chan, but with the issue that they don't even have the choice that Iori has since ||Tama-chan needs a male.|| It definitely feels like commentary on how queer couples often don't have the same opportunities as straight couples, whether in societal acceptance or the "seriousness" of their relationship. Like how queer relationships can be seen as a stand-in or "play relationship" until each person gets into a straight relationship. Anyway. It's a really interesting reationship. Overall I think this manga handles its subject matter really well. It takes everything seriously and comes at it from a realistic angle every time. I can't wait to see how things are resolved, because while I have my preference for how things should end I'm really curious to see what the author thinks the ending should be. If the subject matter doesn't deter you, I'd really recommend checking it out. It's a fantastic story. Edit: The manga has now completed, and I actually think it handled the ending pretty well. It says a lot without showing or saying much at all, and it doesn't feel like a letdown to me. I only wish we could've seen more from the yuri couple and how they turned out since that was one of my biggest interests in the story. Maybe we'll get an extras chapter about them at some point? I don't have a whole lot to say about this one yet. I've read other manga from this author and I love their stories and art style. I think there just hasn't been enough story yet for me to give a proper review of it. That said, I am curious to see where the story goes, especially with the **nananana** part of the title referencing this old friend group. It seems like they're all gonna get back together after drifting apart? We'll see. Super cute story about an otaku girl, Airi, who decides to become a gyaru so she can be the person she's always wanted to be there for her: a gyaru who's nice to otaku. While a massive cliche in itself, this manga does a great job of subverting my expectations at damn near every cliche. It starts off with her trying to hide that she used to be an otaku from her gyaru friend Nagi. While not directly stated, definitely has to do with her self-loathing of her otaku tendancies. Rather than making up some crazy lies to keep her identity secret, she just... admits that yeah, she is an otaku. And you know what? Nagi doesn't care. She even says that nothing would change between them just because of what Airi likes and, if anything, she's just happy that she can finally talk to the real Airi. And that's adorable. As the story goes on, there have been increasing romantic undertones between Airi and Nagi. Specifically with how jealous/posessive Nagi can get over Airi. It very much seems that she likes her, but either doesn't realize or can't admit it. I'm really interested in where that will go because, while I'm inclined to believe that it will be dragged out with drama and miscommunication, if this story has taught me anything it'll be that the complete opposite will happen. I feel like this is one that's really hard to write a review for. I think, in a sentence, my thoughts are this: it does a *really* good job of subverting cliches that would make the story more romantic but *a lot* less healthy. At pretty much every step, Yamamoto sticks to his morals. He takes in an abused classmate, Hayashi, who used to treat him like shit for nothing in return. He denys anything and everything that could be "romantic" with her since she is in an incredibly vulnerable state and has a very twisted perception of things due to the abuse. Overall, he's put in a classic "white knight saves the damsel in distress" situation but he reacts logically and with real, true care for Hayashi. The direction it's taking is interesting... Hayashi definitely has feelings for Yamamoto, but probably doesn't know it. She's very overprotective of him and gets jealous way too easily. Her friend also *might* have a crush on him, but it's not super clear. Either way, she's messed up about it. I'm really just curious to see how this turns out, because I can't see Yamamoto accepting her feelings in this state. But I also can't see him accepting her friend's feelings. He doesn't know the friend well enough to do that, and he also cares way too much about Hayashi to do that to her. Perhaps he'll return her feelings after she becomes more self sufficient and gains her agency back? Who knows. I've enjoyed this quite a bit so far. It feels realistic and you can really see the care these characters have for one another. We'll have to see where it goes, though. Just so incredibly mid. Starts with an interesting idea (kid gets saved from debt collectors by being bought by someone who wants to marry him), but then just goes nowhere with it. Most chapters don't even reference the whole idea of the manga -- just lots of suggestive stuff for the sake of it. That basically becomes the whole manga: suggestive scenes that could be in pretty much any manga. Also a rather odd amount of NTR jokes. The manga was cancelled prematurely due to the author, Shino, passing away. It makes me appreciate the manga more, and I think it could've been better if it kept going and started to focus on the story. RIP. Oh boy. This one is going to be really tough to write a cohesive review for, especially as I just wrote like 5 others... but here goes. I like this. I like the author's other works. This manga is definitely good, maybe even higher in quality than most. I just wish that I could say more about it, but it's hard. The story is fairly interesting and I especially enjoyed the part when Ookami visited Yuuga's house and got to see him closer to how he really is as a kind brother supporting his family. I'm really just disappointed with the conflicts present. Most of them feel very superficial, like. The whole reason why Ookami hates Yuuga is because he's super laid back and ditzy at school. Why is he like this? It's never satisfyingly explained. Much of the conflict thus stems from Ookami falling in love with Yuuga's serious side, but still hating his sloppy side. While I understand that he doesn't want to tell Ookami because she might stop liking his serious side... dude. Why do you need to stick to the unserious side in the first place. Why can't you just... be the kind guy you always are? I don't think this is ever properly explained. Then there's the whole thing with Ookami being super sloppy, but that just kinda gets forgotten? Like a big part of the beginning was how both of them had this "alter ego" that's their polar opposite, but her side just kinda gets forgotten. Regardless. The story is pretty enjoyable and these are mostly only an issue if you don't buy into the story's logic. I still rate this pretty highly and think it may go even higher as more chapters are released. Maybe the aforementioned issues will be explained too, who knows. Super cute manga about humans being pets for some alien race, much like the relationship humans have with cats (and maybe dogs). I think it's really cute, but especially interesting looking at human behavior and philosophy from the lens of "a nervous pet" rather than "waking up in a terrifying foreign world." Feels very posthuman. I really enjoy this one and can't wait for more chapters. I... don't really know what to say after reading this. Straight to my all-time top picks. I've tried to get into this manga several times over the years, and each time I would get a bit into it and lose interest (or could that have been the original..?). This time I stuck through the slow start and, well, this is one of my favorite yuri manga of all time. I really don't want to spoil too much, but I loved the dichotomy between the characters that make each couple. It almost feels like each is the other's foil. There were so many points where Mikoto and Nekozaki would approach the same issue in polar opposite ways, but always from similar starting points. I really don't know how to describe it. There's also how, at the beginning, it really seemed like Mikoto only saw Nekozaki as a friend -- but I'm glad they clarified later that they loved one another pretty much from the very beginning. I don't really consider that a spoiler though lol. Mikoto and Nekozaki's relationship is so oddly angsty and a bit stressful but also somehow heartwarming. I think the reason why I like it so much is because all of the conflict that stops them from getting together throughout the story is 100% valid. None of it is just for the sake of padding out the story; all of it is very well thought out with considerable depth. I felt particularly moved by Nekozaki's self esteem issues, causing her to not want to "tear Mikoto down" but unintentionally hurting her in the process. All of it felt so... real. There's so much more I could say about this story that I have no idea what *to* say, so I'll leave it here. I really, really love it and already can't wait to come back to it in the future. This version is actually a rework of the original story which was published several years prior and focused more on comedy, so I'll need to give that a read too (I think that's the one I struggled to get into). I didn't even touch on the art style which is a major highlight for me! It's all so cute and fluffy... anyway. Give it a read. Super cute oneshot that's now being serialized! There really isn't a ton of story to it, just fluff and good vibes. But that's perfectly fine! I do like to relax with lighter manga that aren't really heavy or serious as over time I'm reading more and more of them. And that's exactly what this does for me. The art is really good and there are beginnings of a nice, low stakes story. I reall recommend it for a light read. A story that doesn't do a lot new, but does everything incredibly well. The characters are likable, the story is believable and overall it goes down really nicely. Probably my favorite part of this manga is that the characters actually communicate and so many cliches to drag out the plot are avoided because of that. This does mean that there are far fewer chapters with our main couple together, but they're very refreshing knowing that it's going fast because the characters aren't dragging it out by being stupid or dense. I also really liked the attention to the main conflict between our characters, being that one of them is an actress. It doesn't feel glossed over at all. My only real criticism is that it felt like the time these characters spent realizing their feelings was way too long, and by the time they figured it out it still took a bit for them to get together. None of it was for stupid reasons or to draw out the plot, except maybe for the "veranda rules" thing. But I just wish we could've gotten just as much time with them together as they were before. Overall, though, really solid story and I definitely recommend it. Pretty decent yuri comedy with fairly likable characters. Most of it was enjoyable to read, though some parts stuck out to me as particularly rough. Specifically, everything involving Mary. I can kinda understand it as "flipping the tables on Nanase," as up until then Nanase has been the only one teasing Momo, so Mary is sorta giving Nanase a taste of her own medicine, but... most of it just goes way too far? Like, ***way*** too far. Far past teasing and into sexual harassment, stalking, and abuse territory. To the point that it feels like her "redemption" is completely undeserved and she should have become a social outcast for the things she did. She didn't even learn and grow from it either, according to the extra chapters. Looking past that, though, it's overall pretty good. I do always have gripes with stories ending right as the main couple gets together but eh. This time there are a sizable number of extra chapters that fill that hole in my heart. Super cute and short office worker romance. There's not a ton of depth, but it doesn't really need it. No unnecessary drama or dragging things out to keep the story going, no miscommunications... just nice, wholesome romance. Unsure if this is actually ongoing -- the current latest chapter would be a pretty good endpoint, and the current number of translated pages matches the JP version. But it says it's ongoing, and I would love to see more, so... Regardless, it's a short and sweet story that can be read in a few minutes. I recommend it. This manga definitely crosses the threshold from "suggestive" to "erotica," so much so that I'm considering adding it to the tags (I now have). It goes *heavily* into BDSM, both consensual and non-consensual. It's a heavy read, but I actually really enjoyed the story. You have this cold, broken-by-the-industry caberet girl named Misa forced to work for straight customers despite being gay herself, which definitely has an impact on her as she spends pretty much all the rest of her time "blowing off steam" at a lesbian bar. But she starts to pull out of her shell after meeting a shy girl at the bar who attaches herself to her -- this girl, an actress named Io who's been abused by her manager all her life, trying to find an escape in Misa. And while they develop an incredibly unhealthy relationship (mainly stemming from Io stalking Misa), it's still a step in the right direction for both of them: Misa finally starts caring about someone else again (whether or not she recognizes it as actual care or dominance), and Io begins making steps away from her abusive situation (even if the situation she's stepping into isn't healthy either). I can kinda see them being able to eventually work this into a stable and relatively healthy relationship, though it would take a lot of work. I've mainly really focused on the story here rather than my thoughts about it, but I really want to make it clear that this manga isn't just erotica. It has an actual, interesting story underneath it all and I'm genuinely interested in where it's going. I don't know that I'd recommend this to many people, especially considering some of the violence and abuse present, but it's a good read. It's been a bit since I've finished this one, and I only just now realized that I never wrote a review for it. It was pretty good I think. There's not a ton of drama and it feels pretty cozy throughout. However, there were quite a few chapters that just kinda felt... boring? Almost? Like, don't get me wrong -- I love cute, low stakes stories -- but sometimes it just felt like nothing really *happened.* Or like it was a redo of a previous chapter. Idk. Overall I enjoyed it and it does a good job of turning an old fairy tale into a cute, role-reversed romance, but I really wanted more out of it. More commitment, more variety, stuff like that. The final volume is incredible though, I loved it so much. Usually not a fan of time skips but in this case the time skip to them adopting a child was awesome. (Unfortunately using the first volume cover art because the final volume's was really low res for some reason.) This feels like *the* classic yuri manga. I don't know exactly what it is about it, but it feels so... cozy in a way that I can't quite describe. Maybe it feels so unique because, unlike current yuri manga that focus heavily on romance, this story primarily centers around companionship. In fact, I don't even think I can put the romance tag on this one. Like, I'm pretty sure the main characters never even kiss or anything, and now that I'm going back over it as of writing I'm pretty sure they don't even explicitly say they love each other either! Sehiro definitely knows that she loves Sarasa, and they say their feelings are mutual, but like... no romance to it. Well, actually the whole thing where they promise to be with one another for 50 years and then some is pretty damn romantic but it's nothing like romance today. I think that's why I like it so much. I've barely even talked about the story, but it makes everything even warmer and cozier. I especially found Sehiro's explanation of the Teapot-san and Cozy-san to be a perfect representation of it: Sehiro is the Teapot-san who makes the tea, but gets sad when she has nobody to serve it to. And Sarasa is the Cozy-san who keeps the Teapot-san warm until somebody is ready to be served. The character dynamics work so perfectly and they're just wonderful to read. I really wish there was more; I'd love to see their dynamic after Sarasa completes confectionary school and becomes Sehiro's equal. Maybe they would even move in together? Who knows... I'm so tempted to give this one a 9 -- I put it as an 8 right after reading but going back over it feels like so much stronger of a story. Maybe the 8 is due to the large number of chapters unrelated to the main couple once their story was completed because that definitely killed the momentum. I understand why they're there, because they're part of the same "story universe," but I really just wanted more of the main couple and to only get other couples I know nothing about really sucked. Oh well. It's a really good manga, I highly recommend it. A short and sweet story about laundry that turns into cats. The story isn't super out there in terms of originality, but it's very cozy and enjoyable for a quick read. Peak. This story is so so good and the art is incredible. I especially love the character designs -- I don't know exactly what it is, but they feel really cute and cozy. The whole "is she gay or is she straight?" feels soooo accurate and relatable. It's not done in an annoying way either; it's really engaging and actually believable. The funniest part is that two of the three "straight girls" actually ***are*** straight... or rather, in the beginning they are. I feel like the story does a really good job of showing multiple sides of questioning your sexuality, namely how people deal with feelings that conflict with their assumed sexuality. The development these characters go through to resolve this is really fascinating, especially with varying emotional ties to their "straight identity." Every relationship is so cute though, I was grinning the whole time I read it. I really don't know what else to say about this story right now, it's wonderful and whatever I say can't do it justice. I really recommend checking this one out. So, I'm writing this a long while after I reread it for this review. I may have forgotten some details but I hope this does a good enough job explaining what I think. I'm also a bit scatterbrained as I write this, so hopefully it's coherent. I think the biggest thing about this manga that puts people off is the "800 year old loli" trope, which I totally get. I mean, the manga is even self aware about it -- there are a lot of jokes about how Senko-san looks like a child and how weird of a situation it is. I think what differentiates it here compared to other, less acceptable uses of the trope, is that Senko is a completely non-sexual character. There isn't anything that tries to use her age to excuse pedophilia or the like, and honestly after a while you kinda forget about it. In terms of the story itself, it's honestly fantastic. It's a really good critique of the Japanese work culture where the protagonist, Nakano, needs *literal gods* to step in to help him... and they can't even help him enough to contain the miasma his stress generates! There are too many things to get into in this review, but that aspect of the story is great. It all just makes you want to root for the well-being of the protagonist and the family he gradually forms. The ending is what makes me like this manga the most... I really don't want to spoil it, but if you're okay with it: ||Nakano's curse manifests in the form of a kitsune child which he and Senko decide to raise!|| It's such a cool and unique idea and I want a whole 50 chapters of it. Publication concluded in November of 2022, but in February 2023 the publisher announced that the series would later resume publication. There haven't really been any updates since then, though the mangaka just recently finished the series they started around the time this one was completed. So it's still possible there will be more chapters! Overall, if you can get past the whole "800 year old loli" trope, I would highly recommend giving this a read. Started off pretty interesting, didn't know what to do with itself once the main conflict was resolved, now is going in a completely unrelated, generic school story direction and has lost all its identity. Plus there are a ton of new characters all of a sudden and with how infrequent chapters are it's really difficult to tell them apart, especially with how bland they are. Honestly don't recommend it at all. Maybe the first few volumes are alright? It's been a really long time since I've read them though. Pretty good story, though not particularly special. Not a ton of stakes and no massive character developments, though they do appear to be slowly changing. Not very much in terms of strong emotion which makes it feel a bit bland. It's good for a quick read, like 5-10 minutes. Pretty silly and fluffy romance between a classic dog and cat type. The art style is really cute and interesting too, I haven't really seen anything like it! Not a whole lot happens, but it's very sweet. Twisted but fascinating story idea, too bad it's a oneshot. I'd love to see this kind of story fleshed out into a whole series. Cute little oneshot. Not a whole lot to say, it's good but short. Emotions in this one are raw and brutal. Really encapsulates the feeling of a one-sided love, unable to swallow the feelings and keep them down but unable to let them out either. I should really add a "Psychological" tag for stories like this. Pretty basic plot, definitely not original. But it does it really well! I enjoyed it though there isn't a ton of depth. God. The emotions in this are so real, so relatable. I really cried the first time I read it. I won't give any spoilers as to not ruin the amazing story, but I totally recommend giving it a read. It isn't very long. The art style is also gorgeous!! Totally going to look into this mangaka more. Short and sweet. Nothing too high stakes, but nothing boring either. Just a nice read. Love this mangaka, and this is a very solid oneshot. Interesting plot, fun characters, good art. The afterword really captures a lot of my feelings about it. It does also have a lot of suggestive content, but I wouldn't say it crosses the line into erotica. So wholesome, so adorable. This mangaka is fantastic at writing queer platonic relationships, and this one definitely had a lot of those vibes even though it was moving towards a romantic relationship the whole time. It's just a really good read the whole way through and I'd highly recommend it. Heart wrenching. Quick read, but it hits like a sack of bricks. I'd recommend reading for the first time without any context or background since knowing the general plot (or even its themes!) ruins the impact. This mangaka never misses. With this being their most well known and popular work, I think it shows their skill set very well: the art is great, the characters relatable and lovable, and the emotions real. The plot isn't the most original (at least after the relationship is established), but I don't think that's a bad thing -- it reads like a really true-to-life romance and keeps you interested throughout. It just tells a romance story and does it well. I do really like the thread regarding Ayaka's testing anxiety and the expectations she's imposed on herself to be "good enough" for her family, despite them loving her regardless of what she studies or chooses to do with her life. I've had very similar feelings in my experience and this captures them very well. Edit: No longer available on MangaDex, search elsewhere! The story of this manga is familiar to many queers: falling for someone who believes or otherwise being told that your identity (gay, trans, whatever it may be) is only fictional and can't be real. And it's done well! Definitely captures the emotions and scars caused by such an experience. Outside the plot, I found the ideas of what "yuri" is to be very interesting. Many western definitions of yuri restrict it to "erotic GL," but I think this manga shows the essence of yuri best. At its core, yuri is "special relationships between girls." Doesn't have to be erotic or even romantic, just a bond far stronger than friends. Yeah, this is the one that finally made me make an erotica tag. Hilarious manga, so many good pieces of dialogue that sound wild in context and absolutely insane out of context. The entire story is based on and surrounds... well, obsession with boobs. It's not high brow, it's not even *good* at times, but it's incredibly entertaining and the story towards the end is actually pretty damn good! Not sure if I'd recommend it to anyone, but it sure is something. This one is really tough. Emotionally, and more so to even write a review for it. I really, really like this story. It has a pretty original idea... and it executes it with a fucking home run swing. Characters? Excellent. Art? Great. Emotions? Portrayed fantastically. My ass? Sobbing. This is the best "pregnancy yuri" I've read. I should reread that other one... it's been years... Such an interesting plot idea, phenomenal art, and wonderful characters! I love everything about this so much and I'm disappointed it didn't get serialized! The mangaka has actually started a new series at the time of writing, though, which is yuri... so I'm feeling very conflicted. I'm really not sure what to write for this one. The story isn't crazy original, just a standard "why don't we try going out to see what love is like?" It's done very, very well though -- which is no surprise since it's written by Shio Usui, the same mangaka that wrote Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon (will review soon), Our "Love" is Disgusting (currently ongoing, will review soon), and Trying Out Marriage With My Female Friend. It may not be a super original story, but Shio Usui is NOT slacking just because it is. Horrifying. Disgusting. Trigger warning for pretty much everything you can think of: ||vomit, choking, piss, force feeding insects, needle play, physical abuse, sexual abuse, stalking, obsession||, and more I'm probably forgetting. It's incredible, and one of the best character studies I've ever seen. Pretty much everything is done very tastefully and in a non-fetish manner. For example, the vomit which is a recurring thing: rather than being extremely detailed like pretty much all fetish art, it's just an undetailed liquid. It's all just tools to tell an incredibly twisted story. I don't know how I could properly write a review on this work. I need a lot more time to think about it. But it's one of the most complex and interesting manga I've ever read. Pretty sweet story, though it doesn't do a lot that stands out. The one sided love is very cute and it's interesting how that gradually turns mutual through the mc's affection. Same author as Can't Defy the Lonely Girl. Story is soooo good, and just once again a home run by the mangaka. Art is fantastic. I really can't give a proper review of it right now, since it's still ongoing and in the relative early days of the manga (at least I hope it is -- it deserves like 10 volumes), but I highly highly recommend giving it a read. The music production/singer and producer yuri is so original and it's suuuuper refreshing to read. Can't wait to see where it goes. Originally a oneshot titled "Yuzu and Rika" before getting a lot of attention and being serialized! Very very cute romance without a ton of conflict or anything -- just fluffiness. The English translation is unfortunately a volume behind, but what's currently translated is already really good. Hopefully it gets more attention in the future! Really, really interesting piece on immigration and authoritarian states, though it isn't directly presented much. Instead, the threat of Nene being found out as a mouse instead of a cat is ever looming. Much better way to express the setting instead of directly showing immigrants getting seized and deported. It's a threat, but can be forgotten with the fluffiness. All of the cats have their own secrets which could make them enemies of the state, making it a really fascinating look at how different minorities can hide themselves from one another despite being effectively the same in the eyes of the state. They lose a community they could have because they're afraid of their secrets being found out by the state. There's a mixed race cat, and a disabled computer whiz who may be an academic type? All in all fantastic look at trying to integrate into a society one immigrated to and how an authoritarian state can loom over everyday life despite all of the cats being great members of society. Very, very good manga and one of my long-time favorites. My favorite part is how trusting it is in the reader to read between the lines and fill in the blanks, especially when characters don't say what they're thinking. Far too many manga hold the reader's hand by directly showing characters' internal thoughts, but I love the ambiguity this manga creates. I did think that the cultural references dragged the pace a bit at times, mainly since many wouldn't be understood by a western audience. However, it's overall a slow manga so it didn't grate on me too much. Something else I found really refreshing about this manga is how little it relies on the "should I shouldn't I" trope which is so common in romance. Perhaps because there's much less of the characters' inner thoughts to read, but it's much more interesting to "feel out" what the characters may be feeling and only truly get confirmation when it's spoken aloud and put to rest. It made for a much more engaging, enjoyable read. Overall pretty good, definitely had some ambitious character dynamics which didn't get expanded on enough due to the story likely getting axed. One of the biggest (if not *the* biggest) driving forces of the manga was Tsumugu looking up to Ootori Kei, wanting to collab with her eventually, and that just never got resolved. I mean... it kinda did? But not in a meaningful way. If you read it you'll get what I mean. Also a new character was kinda just introduced late into the story and not much was done with her? I don't get why she was added. There's a lot more that could've been done, I think it was just too ambitious for its own good. Just... warm. Very warm. It really feels like the essence of Yuri: not explicitly romantic, but very clearly more than platonic. The characters are all super lovable and enjoyable to read about... it was especially wonderful to watch Himawari-san slowly become more open and emotive not only with Matsuri, but also with her family and friends. By the end I really just wanted more, which I think is a good thing especially for a series like this. It makes the most sense for it to end when Matsuri graduates high school, but the excellent story telling and world building just makes you want to see the fluffiness that ensues between Himawari-san and Matsuri as they move forward in life. I think the story also handles grief and moving on very well -- especially with its variety of perspectives. While everyone hurts, their support for one another allows them to move on while still cherishing their memories. I also want to emphasize that the vast majority of the manga is happy! It's not focused on tragedy or grief! But it is definitely part of the story and affects all of the characters. I feel like I could write a lot about how this manga is a masterclass in "traditional yuri"," but I'll spare you. Part of this is likely due to its publication length, as it started in 2009 and ended in 2022! It starting so long ago -- when yuri was typically more subtle -- grounded it in that style of storytelling and it only matured with age. Lots of great stories here, especially the first chapter of each volume (by Keyyan, fantastic mangaka)! The big focus of this anthology is Gyarus if you couldn't tell. Very mid. Great art style, but the story goes nowhere. Just lots of circular motion with no progress. Could've been good judging by where it started, but it very clearly did not use what it had going for it. Do not recommend. Great anthology, lots of fantastic mangaka in here. Some really good variety in the types of stories. There are some that are more explicit, like those by Itou Hachi (of course), but in general very good quality. Unfortunately not many translated chapters on MangaDex since it's been translated by YenPress, but that does mean it's been fully translated to English! Just expensive. Maybe I'll be able to find the digital copies somewhere. I love it so much. I can't give it a good score because it's honestly really not that good, it's slop, but it's so campy I love it. How is it not a comedy??? It's so funny! I can't wait for more chapters because it's just perfect campiness for me. Huh??? I can barely follow the plot. Nothing happens. What? I really wanted to rate this one higher. It's fantastic, I love the character dynamics and art style, it just needed more time. The ending was incredibly rushed (not because it was sudden -- chapter 19 was fine in my book). It tried to explain too much and really needed another volume of 5 chapters. I'm guessing that the mangaka was told at some point during volume 4 that they wouldn't get another volume and they needed to wrap it up there. It's a real shame, but overall I still enjoyed it. Just would have done the ending much differently. Love this mangaka. They're exceptionally skilled at pacing, drawing out the important moments, and really focusing on what matters in the story. Their art is also *adorable* and always makes me smile. I really just wish they did more "adult romance!" I've read (TEMP) The Girl I like Forgets Her Glasses as well and my thoughts on it are much of the same: they're really, really good at writing adolescent crushes and puppy love, but they've also demonstrated that they can write older and more complex characters just as well and I really want to see that! Nothing wrong with their preference, but it almost feels like wasted potential... Oh, did I mention how good the art is? It's fantastic! One of my favorite parts of their work, especially in the big moments where it really focuses on the characters and their expressions! In fact, their expressions are probably the strongest part of their work. Overall I did very much enjoy this work, but pretty much the whole time it had me wishing for more romance and complexity and depth. I haven't actually looked through their library of work though, maybe they've done something like that? Time to find out. GOOD LORD. When I wrote what I did in my last review, literally 5 minutes ago, I didn't mean LIKE THAT. It was good. It was yuri. I liked it. But good god. I... really don't know what to say. This is one of the best manga I've ever read, though maybe less "manga" and more "essay?" It's brutally honest and so, so impactful. Nagata has a talent for telling her story in a way that's easy to follow but doesn't pull its punches. I don't think I can write a detailed review of this any time soon; maybe someday, but for now it's going to live rent free in my head for a while. I'm especially struggling with the tags to be honest. There's quite a bit of nudity, but none of it really feels erotic. It also feels very wrong to give it the "Yuri" tag given that this is someone's lived experiences. There's a lot of trauma involved, so it's a heavy read, but it's incredibly well done. A fantastic story with a very original plot! Well, maybe it's been done before, but it felt very original to me. Everything in this oneshot is polished: the art, character development, general plot beats, etc. are all incredibly well done. Definitely a bittersweet ending, but one that I think everyone experiences as they grow up. Actually, wait, isn't this the plot of Toy Story? An anthology about working women. Good quality throughout, got some of my favorite mangaka in here. My favorite is definitely chapter 4 (Kiritani-san to Sasaki-san by Kitao Taki). Previous work by Amazaki Suika, who also wrote 7-Kakan Gentei Kanojo. This one is very cute, the art style is especially great (as with everything by Amazaki). I'm kinda struggling with the "Drama" tag for this -- I only added it recently, so I'm trying to figure out where I should apply it, and I feel like this manga has drama so it should apply? But the drama is just really normal (well, relatively) and never feels overdone or exhausting. Maybe I just have a really bad impression of dramas because I feel like they're all exhausting to read/watch? Regardless, this one is a light and good read. A nice and short story about confronting one's sexuality and learning to reject societal pressures. Characters were super likable and had a shocking amount of depth for how short the runtime was. I especially liked the self reflection from Shiina regarding her actions in chapters 4/5 and how they're tied to her self worth (and how her self worth is tied to the need for romantic physicality to be considered "normal"). Super cute! Not a ton in terms of story, but I liked the character growth. As the name implies, it's an anthology about high school girls who sit next to one another. Lots of cute little stories by some of my favorite mangaka. I don't remember much from the start and those chapters got removed. But I enjoyed it. The ending did feel somewhat iffy, like it's a happy ending and all, but I don't think a lot of issues got addressed? Idk. I would need to reread it from the start -- I've been following it for at least a year or two -- and I can't do that right now. I'll come back to it in the future. Edit: Dynasty Scans has all the chapters, so I linked that. I'll give it another read sometime. I really, really like this one for how short it is. Sweet, punchy, and with a really great twist. I especially loved how meek Shion became at the end. Adorable art, as is standard for Nekomura. And when I say adorable, *I mean it.* Really the highlight of this manga. Not to say the story isn't good! It is! But If you read this one, it's probably for the art. It's been years and years since I first read this manga, so it's really interesting looking at it with fresh eyes and seeing how it differs from what I remember. The craziest thing is that I've seen people say this isn't yuri??? It totally is!! The whole story is about understanding love, the different ways people love each other and how it's okay to love people in a way that doesn't fit societal norms! How love doesn't need to be about kissing or sexual desire, it can be as simple as just wanting to always be with someone, and that's perfectly okay! It's aro/ace representation, it's the platonic ideal of queer platonic relationships (hah). Just because there isn't kissing or romance or what have you, doesn't mean it's not a love story! I really, really love this manga for what it is. It knows the story it wants to tell and it doesn't make concessions to make people more comfortable with it. I think that's really admirable, especially in the face of people saying that it can't be love because it's not romantic. Just in general it's a masterclass in queer storytelling. Usui Shio really is one of my all time favorite mangaka. I also have no idea whether to give this the "Romance" tag or not, because it feels like a romance even though there isn't any? I can't properly explain how this makes me feel. So many unique ideas, so much care put into the characters. I need to come back to this and do a proper review, but this manga is going to stick with me. Truly a phenomenal work. It also finally made me add a Sci-Fi tag. Adorable. So absolutely adorable. I really have no words, it's just so cute. My only thoughts of substance: is this yuri? Can it be considered yuri? I think it could be. Just so much drama and so little progress. It's exhausting. I've been following it for a while, but I'm not even going to go back and reread for a better review. Only thing it has going for it is its art. Super fun story with a surprising amount of depth! At a really basic level it's enjoyable seeing Melissa go from a tsundere to super head over heels for Tanya, but that's not even close to the whole story. The world building is excellent and everything feels very fleshed out, just in general very solid. Doesn't leave the reader with many questions by the end. I almost feel like I could give this a 10, but it doesn't *feel* quite like a 10, yknow? It's really fantastic, but not perfect. If anything I probably need to lower some of my 10's. In terms of what I'd like to see more of, I really wish there was more about adult Tanya! It was kinda glossed over but the way she grew to be stronger than Melissa for a second was really interesting (not to mention how cute her adult design is). Then there are just a bunch of fun ideas for their life after opening the door, but I understand why it doesn't go there: this is the end of one chapter of their life, and the beginning of another. The perfect place to end a story. I definitely agree with it from a storytelling standpoint, but maybe a spinoff would be nice? Anyway, I definitely recommend it for a fluffy read. Such an interesting story, really beautiful, oddly touching. I really don't know how to describe it, but the best I can think of is that it's a story of lovers meeting across time. Very similar to The Stone Gods, actually. One of my favorite parts of it is how it manages to tell such a complex story without a single word of dialogue or exposition or anything. The story is entirely visual, and can be understood by anyone. At some point I'd like to try and analyze each page for what it's referencing and the overarching plot/time progression. It almost feels like some pages are out of order though? I may have to buy the original. It also looks like there's a sequel or spinoff book? This is a pretty short read, only around 130 pages (which don't have text and are quick to understand). I would highly recommend giving it a look. What a moving story. I think one of the best nonbinary/gnc representations I've seen, and a really sobering one at that. It's rare for a story to directly reference or depict violence towards queer people -- especially with how common it is -- but this story does it incredibly well. That's not to say it's the biggest part of the story though, as the violence towards women is equally important. Most important, though, is the message that women/queer people/*people who aren't men* aren't just damsels in distress who can't defend themselves or need someone to protect them. Rather, they are fully capable of being independent from men and should not be looked down on. I think that's a message which needs to be repeated more often, that people who aren't men shouldn't need to be viewed through a lens that centers men, whether as aggressors or protectors. They should be the main characters of their own stories. And this manga conveys that perfectly. I also could've sworn this was by the same mangaka as *Ayaka-chan wa Hiroko-senpai ni Koishiteru* but they appear to be different? Very strange. I guess their art styles are just eerily similar? Really sweet and heartfelt story, with plenty of angst throughout. I think this is actually one of the first yuri manga I ever read and it definitely holds up to how I remember it. I think the only reason that this manga gets a 9 from me instead of a 10 is because of how little there is after the climax. I know it's the climax for a reason, it fits the story and what it's trying to tell, but I just wanted so much more from them. Like there is clearly so much thought out for how things would go after the story concludes, and I want to know more about that! Plus, there's the elephant in the room: this is a war story. The fact that loved ones die in war is a looming presence throughout, and I want to know more about how these girls would take that on. Would they retire early to try and avoid it? Would they serve in peacetime and never see battle? It doesn't seem so given the tank and airplane shown in photos in the last page -- we're definitely heading towards WW1 or WW2. I just really want a happy ending for these girls and while the story is fantastic within its own context, those questions just keep making me feel like the story isn't over and more needs to be said. Overall, though, fantastic story. I highly recommend reading it. What an interesting take on a yuri manga. So much emotion, so much story, and in only 5 chapters! Really a remarkable achievement, especially for the author's first yuri work. I do really love the story, especially the ending. So much said with so little. It was also very interesting seeing what the author's concept of "yuri" is in the afterword, which aligns pretty well with my own definition: "Yuri is subtle. Its beauty lies in its ambiguity." While I may disagree that Yuri *needs* to be subtle or ambiguous, there's a lot to be said about its presentation, especially with how emotions are shown. Regardless, really good work and I honestly just wanted more by the end. Very good ending though. I recommend it for a short read. Very sweet story and perhaps one of the best age gap couples I've seen. Definitely pulls off the "pure love" type well. The highlight of this manga to me is watching Hinano grow from a timid, anxious girl into a confident and courageous woman. Her hair is a not-so-subtle symbol of this, but I thought it was a nice touch. The art style is also adorable and it only gets better as the series progresses! I would've loved to see more of what Hinano does after graduation since that was a pretty big worry for a while. I could totally see her becoming a baker, but who knows? I've reviewed another manga by this mangaka and I think it's safe to say they're up there with some of my favorites. Very good storytelling and a wonderfully unique art style. Solid recommendation if you're new to the genre. I actually really enjoyed this one and I would love for it to get serialized! Just a really cute little oneshot, barely anything special about it. The only thing that I can see being an issue in the future is if it actually tries to go the "harem romance with competing girls" route because those never go well. This is much better suited as a story where the MC just gets brought into a new friend group and forms close relationships to them, without romance. We need more of those stories. Unfortunately I don't see it going there. Pretty sweet little story which feels shockingly full and fleshed out despite being only ~50 pages! Similar in tone to this mangaka's other work, though this time the couple starts out dating. Really good, the emotions are fantastic, but it kinda loses the plot near the end... like, they're so dependent on each other, but ultimately decide to part ways? And the bit about Konatsu reaching out to the other girl feels out of place, sort of like a "passing down relationship -- relationship with Koyuki is done, now she's reaching out to someone else" type older/younger sister thing. They still meet; how much? How close are they? Their life after that needs to be clarified if they're going to show anything from after they part ways. I loved the interwoven story of the frog and the salamander, it fits so well and it's a really cool tie to more historical literature! It was really neat how it put its own spin on the ending of the story, though I don't really necessarily agree with exactly where it went. Overall it's a pretty good manga, I totally recommend it for the ride, but the ending definitely takes it down a few notches. Even after finishing it, or rather getting caught up, I'm still not really sure how I feel about this manga. It's definitely more subtle and focused much more on platonic relationships than anything else, but it almost feels too subtle? Like even with stories like Himawari-San there's a good deal of nuance, and the subtlety comes from the nuance, but here it almost feels like the subtle feeling comes from the lack of anything there. That feels too harsh to say, though... I can really tell there's a lot of thought and effort put into these characters and their relationships, and I really appreciate that! I guess I'd just prefer more of a focus on the characters than their day-to-day? Maybe? I'm not sure. There's also the fact that the story has diverged so much from the beginning -- not a bad thing at all, and honestly great in terms of storytelling! But I can totally see people getting discouraged when they come for the tone in the beginning which is kinda lost over time. It does look like we're going back to that original tone as of the latest chapter (34) though! I've given this a 9/10 because of its storytelling and character building, but I honestly feel like it could be either a 7 or a 9. Like, one or the other. I'd need to think more about it to properly decide how I feel. I suppose its impact for me is a 7 and my analysis is a 9? Holy shit. I don't know what it is about this manga, but even in the parts where it's completely "normal" it makes me sick to my stomach. Now that there's a second chapter published and the dynamics are so much more fucked? I can already tell this is going to be a home run. Can't wait to see where it goes. There are also these tiny little details that change so much of the context around characters' actions; the visual storytelling is phenomenal. Pay attention to Mayu's phone in chapter 2 to see what I mean. I highly, highly recommend this manga if you can stomach the gore and psychological aspects. Oof, like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The characters, world building, art... all incredible. The art especially -- not only in characters, but monster designs are equally if not more incredible and environments are just as detailed. It's actually hard to believe the author is scared of whales when they can make such horrifying designs and visuals?? Also especially impressive how much use the author is able to get out of visual metaphors and storytelling with the visuals alone, like it's almost unbelievable how much they can do. The seal and the fish? Chef's kiss. The main conflict is taking a bit of a backseat for now (ch 55), but I'm very curious to see how the author resolves all the plot points. I can see this going in a variety of ways, but a more tragic route seems very fitting. As much as I want the best for these characters, it's just hard to imagine them getting a happy ending. I feel like there's so much I want to write but I just don't know how to organize my thoughts. It's a phenomenal manga though. Suuuper cute manga about car camping! While it's not the most complicated story-wise, it's still a lot of fun and the character interactions are really enjoyable to watch. The artstyle is also pretty unique! It took me a little bit to get used to, but it helps a lot with showing how expressive the characters are. The kitten and puppy characterizations for the main characters are also so cute! It fits their personalities so well. While not *explicitly* yuri... it's totally yuri yknow? It's just not a big focus of the manga. Maybe it will be more of a focus later on. I can totally see it going down the route of "not explicitly romantic but they become life partners." I am writing this in the minutes after I finished the manga, and I am sobbing. I have been sobbing throughout the entire last three volumes. Such an incredible story, so much impact and so many beautiful ideas and I just don't have the words to properly express how much this has touched me. The pain, the grief, everything about it is unlike anything I've read before. It gives me some hope, that humanity can be truly good... even if this is just fiction, simply the fact that a human was able to think of and express such an important story about goodness and life and death, it gives me hope. The part where the Emperor's brother is brought into Nausicaa's heart, and to see him change and become good and find peace despite his life. I will never forget it. I love Teto. I love him so much. Nausicaa, you give me hope. Even if I cannot comprehend the depth of your suffering, I feel your pain. Kushana, you are more good than you know and it gives me the hope that humanity may not need to be born good, or be engineered good, but can *become* good. Each and every character has impacted me, and I appreciate them for that deeply. Maybe at some point in the future I will have the strength to come back and give this incredible story a proper analysis. But for now, I need to rest. This is actually one of the better stories I've read, which I didn't expect from a random touhou doujin. It's a really great character drama, sort of returning to the roots of yuri with asking "what's the difference between a platonic relationship and something more?" However, it actually goes against the grain here -- while the resulting relationship is still ambiguous, it doesn't end with the reader still questioning if they're just friends or something more. It feels like a fresh take on traditional tropes and ideas in the genre, and for that I really appreciate it. I'd definitely recommend giving it a read, especially if you're already familiar with touhou. I have no words. Such an incredible story. I don't really know what to write immediately upon finishing it, so I'll just put down my notes from as I was reading it. It's a profoundly melancholic text. In terms of its environment and themes, my immediate parallel was to BLAME!, but it's so much more. Each chapter is a discussion of philosophy, of the human condition, of war and peace, of humanity and sympathy and goodness and what makes life worth living. It never feels pretentious; rather, it's just two girls lost in the world and asking the big questions we always try to ignore. Mainly because there are no good answers. And yet they're never discouraged by this -- they just continue on, enjoying life no matter how difficult it is and how little they understand it. It's a story that makes you cry out of empathy. Each character -- not just the main girls -- embodies humanity in some way. Even the characters who aren't human. The meaningless reasons we find to keep going, and how crushing it is when we lose them... so much that you want to die. The eternal hope for a better life, the struggle and drive to achieve it, only to come up with failure. Loneliness, depression, hope, joy, and so much more. These are the essence of humanity. There are so many things obvious to the reader that the girls just don't think about -- drinking water without purifying it (or knowing where it came from); making a bath from hot water in a nuclear power plant; eating a fish without preparing it which may be contaminated... so much invisible danger that's obvious to us but not to them. It's a reminder of how safe our lives are, where these are their only choices. There are so many moments that are just a complete punch in the gut for the reader, that the girls have no understanding of the weight of. The one that hit me the hardest was the ending of volume 4, where we're shown ||the photos from Kanazawa's life before whatever disaster occurred, with his wife and child... it puts into perspective how much he's had taken from him.|| Towards the end, though, it becomes so bleak that even the girls understand the weight, which just makes it even harder... *Notes from immediately after finishing now that I've had a bit more time to think:* It's mentioned a few times that their life during the story is like how it was before they were born -- going off into the dark. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but I think that's what the story is really about: that humanity will exit as it entered. With people huddling around campfires, enjoying the little company they have as they struggle to survive. Unknowing of the world around them, its dangers and its wonders. They are the last of humanity, and their story is that of humanity's. It's bleak, it's melancholic, and for as much hope as there is, there is no future. Humanity will not go out with a bang, but with a whimper. And that's okay. Super cute, super sweet. No notes. Very comfortable, pretty interesting story. The characters feel notably unique compared to a lot of other manga I've read, I just wish that there was more time given to the two main characters interacting alone (granted, there aren't many chapters). Good for a light read. A grand total of 55 pages, with most of them being single page chapters. They're... not particularly great, at least in my opinion -- very little substance with the same punchline every time gets stale very quickly. *However,* I do want to analyze it seriously in a few ways that I think it actually has some pretty interesting ideas. So, the elephant in the room: *everyone* falls in love with this woman. ***EVERYONE.*** Even high schoolers, even *elementary schoolers,* even *relatives.* Up to and including *her own sister and mother.* That's a pretty insane premise, especially given that she really isn't particularly interested in romance... she's constantly harassed by women who want her, and she can never escape it no matter how little she wants the attention. Thankfully none of it crosses boundaries into sexual assault and the like. Now, here's another fascinating choice: there is *one* character who isn't affected by her unnatural charm. It's this troubled high school girl (ch. 25,30,39-42) -- she hates school, doesn't feel like she belongs, etc, and this is a point that resonates with the main character. She doesn't feel like she belongs either, she doesn't have confidence in herself, and this actually allows for them to connect and *become friends.* Insane, unprecedented for our setting, and it's especially interesting given the difference in social standing and age between them. So much that could be done with this! Now, there is a hint that the high schooler feels some stuff for her in chapter 42... but it's subtle enough (especially compared to how **batshit insane** everyone else is) that I'm willing to let it pass. Overall I wouldn't really recommend reading this. It's not a particularly good read, albeit a quick one. I did enjoy analyzing it though, ironically a lot more than actually reading it... I don't know what exactly it is about this manga that's so sickening... maybe it's the part where these seemingly innocent high school girls are bloodthirsty and violent? Maybe the shockingly rampant child abuse, and the... "creative" ways in which the children are abused? The story is really, really good. It has a great balance of friendship and learning what it's even like to have a friend, juxtaposed with extreme violence. The story is definitely ramping up now too (ch 14 latest), so I'm excited to see where it goes. Not recommended if you're squeamish, but if you can stomach it it's a good read. This manga is really good at depicting imposter syndrome and self-loathing. Like, really really good. What would otherwise be an easy, drama-free romance has suddenly become so much more difficult -- I specifically point to the way Kanna is clearly in love with Yayoi at the beginning, but as soon as she discovers that Yayoi is an incredible designer from her own class that's surpassed her, she immediately begins downplaying her feelings. She can't love Yayoi because she's not worthy of her; their relationship has to be transactional because why else would they be together; why would Yayoi ever want to be with someone like her. Then, meeting the ex and finding out that she's an incredible designer too? Ouch. I'm giving this a 9/10 for now, especially with how early it is in the story, but my gut reaction is for it to be a 10/10. Probably too generous, but I really like this story so far. As the end of chapter 3 notes, this was originally planned to be 3 chapters! I was really bummed reading it the first time and seeing there were only 2, but I'm sure the reason it took so long for the 3rd chapter to be released was that Yuni started seriously planning out the rest of the story from after chapter 2. I'm very excited to see where it goes! Hooo boy, what an interesting story. I mean, it has a very compelling concept from the get-go: a human who's treated like a monster, surrounded by monsters who are better at being human than she is. What a great start! Then you actually get to the nature of these monsters, and how difficult it is to ascertain their true intentions... the most obvious example is of course Takahashi, who (spoilers for volume 1) ||fully intends to kill Itou and use her as a skin suit. Itou effectively stops Takahashi from using her as a skin suit *in that moment* by cutting herself, but after that wound heals (it's never brought up again actually) there is no reason for Takahashi to continue sparing Itou. There's also a moment where she blushes and "feels strange" from Itou thanking her...|| Basically, there's way more here than Takahashi is letting on but *how much of it can we really trust?* There is of course our second monster introduced later, which I'm not going to spoil too much because of how interesting it is. Final chapter of volume 2 is especially wild. I will say that there was a hilarious moment where the monster is first revealed, and I was like ||omg it's slender man|| **as a joke,** then a few pages later it literally says ||"have you heard of the slender man?"|| Absolute cinema type shit. Overall this story definitely has a lot of parallels with *Watashi o Tabetai, Hitodenashi*, but it does have its own identity. I'd recommend it if you like Watatabe, though be aware that the overall "vibe" is quite different. Oh my god. Ohhhh my god. U-temo hits a homer once again. I am in love with this manga. The yuri? So good. There's nuance, there's complexity, but the characters are still straightforward and communicative. Well, Suzu is at least -- very open about being in love from the very start. No "we need 4 volumes to sort out our feelings and decide if it's really love" here. U-temo's art does an incredible job as always at making it even more heartwarming and adorable. The subject matter is awesome. Japanese folklore *and* creepypastas?? Usually it's just monsters from folklore, but here we even get internet horror stories taking center stage! And the body horror... holy shit, this is mint. I'm sure a big part of its impact is from the fact that it's *U-temo, the wholesome yuri mangaka, doing gore and body horror,* but my god is it effective. Going from wholesome romance with ditzy characters to (massive spoilers for ch 6.2 and 7.1) ||our favorite character literally sliced in half by a train, completely dead, being held up by her horrified crush? Horrifying.|| The panelization is especially effective in that scene, ||splitting the gutter where she's been split||... I'm so, so excited to see where the story goes, especially with The Reveal in 8.1. This manga has shot U-temo up to an all-timer for me, and now that I look back I'm definitely going to raise their other work (yuri ota) to a 9/10. No idea why I made it an 8/10 before. I 1000% recommend reading this. It's currently 3:23am but I think I'm going to go on a U-temo backlog spree. Short and simple, with a really fantastic concept. So many implications for the ending; it could be solved with communication and understanding, it could become a living hell. Would've loved to see this fleshed out into a longer story, but this is probably best as a short oneshot. I actually read this one a long time ago and read it right before the previous review but forgot to write my thoughts. It's an extremely simple story, but with so much left to the reader's imagination there are so many ways to interpret it. I almost want to say it's autobiographical, but there's no way to be sure I guess. I rate this lower not because I don't like it, it's just not as peak for me as their other work. Still great, just not top tier. Actually maybe this won't be a 7, maybe it's an 8. I'll think about it in the morning. Apparently I've read this before? 4 pages, nothing super crazy interesting or punchy. Executed well. Not sure whether to give this a 6 or a 7. Huh. What an interesting premise. It's totally a play on the word fujoshi (lit. rotten girl), and for that I give it a lot of credit. The beginning gave me tonal whiplash though -- we've got a planned suicide, then the implication that Maria will kill Mikuriya (what kind of zombie is this??), then her hand falls off but appears back the next page, then it's like a completely normal tone for the rest of the manga. Dunno, but the wordplay alone makes this good in my eyes. I'll end it here for tonight (if reading in the future, this binge session started at *Okawari Itadaketa Darou ka?*) but U-temo evidently has another series I haven't finished before: *Kyou wa Mada Futsuu ni Narenai.* Apparently I read the first 4 chapters though? I'll give it a read and review it soon. Hm. What an interesting story. Not in the "engaging" sense per se, but in concept and execution. Even though it's more slice of life oriented over a defined story, I think the overarching ideas are really well thought out and done very nicely. The whole question of "what is normal?" which actually has a double meaning in this case -- "normal" in terms of people liking you, and "normal" in the romantic sense. Very interesting starting point. Both of the main characters are very abnormal, both in terms of their interests and life decisions, choosing to go against societal norms at every opportunity. Not only that though, they're also abnormal in the sense that they're in a queer relationship... and not exactly a romantic one either. It's a really interesting look at if one should even care about what's "normal" in the eyes of society rather than pursuing their own idea of normal. I actually really enjoyed the way the story kinda wraps back in on itself, starting with them at 27 before going back to when they first met in high school, then progressing through their lives together until it returns to the first scene. Not the craziest thing, but it's a really fun idea I don't ever see anyone really use. The progression of their relationship in this light was especially interesting, where it's *almost* romantic sometimes but always returns to that platonic love and familiarity. Two gals sleeping in the same bed and jealous they'll get stolen away because they're not technically dating. "And they were *roommates.*" Anyway, this review is long winded and the word "normal" doesn't look real to me anymore. I did enjoy this, it did a lot of things well and had some really interesting ideas, it's just not for everyone with how slow and meandering it is. Really not much to say about this. Not great, not terrible. Just very meh. Good god. I don't even know what to say. Just horrific. It's one thing hearing about the horrors of war, but it's another seeing them depicted like this. I think one of the biggest impacts for me is the art style. There's something about how raw it is, how vivid the gore is but when you try to make out the details it almost dissolves. It forces you to look at the bigger picture, it hits you with the punch of seeing such awful images but won't let you dwell on them. The choice to depict men as white shadows is especially interesting and impactful, with how it makes much of the horror intangible. It's not until it affects the girls themselves that it's truly real. That with the reveal about Mayu and how San is shown in the final chapter, it gives an interesting look at how people may get over trauma. Do I recommend this to people? I don't know. There's so much gore, it's horrific, it's sickening. But it's a quick read and a very impactful one at that. Very, very impactful. I plan to go back over and read it again sometime for better analysis, but yeah. It's good. Pretty neat premise, just fluff. Art style is very cute. Not a whole lot else to say. Really liked the drama in this one, very cool twist when it started going in a predictable direction. Cute characters, cute resolution. I used to keep up with this mangaka's other work, looks like they finished it? I'll need to give it another go sometime.

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