Your first yuri manga/anime?

@LilyBlueCat It's lovely that you brought up Shuninta Amano. Her works seem to be often overlooked by newcomers, even though I could easily say that most of them are classics at this point. What I always loved about her style is her relentless desire to tell layered stories that rely on a complex network of references. In "The Feelings We All Must Endure," for example, she does this amazing thing where the characters representing seven deadly sins evolve to become their own antipodes, which is basically in line with Jung's enantiodromia concept. What I mean to say is that you don't often get yuri as nuanced as that (I think the only other author who seriously invests in the intellectual level of their yuri manga is Sal Jiang, although her approach is different). And Shuninta Amano does this sort of thing even in something as silly as Ayame 14, even though it's a lewd coming-of-age comedy.

I completely agree that, to many people, yuri equals fluff. That's why, for example, some people go as far as to say that CGDCT counts as yuri, too (a take I personally find absolutely ridiculous). Yuri is often defined as a genre about close (and not necessarily romantic) relationships between women, and technically, CGDCT falls into this category, but it is clear to me on a purely intuitive level that those are very different things. Something like a convergent evolution, maybe?

Personally, I love any form of yuri as long as it's a good story. It's not always the case, but it would be weird if all works in one genre were only good. What concerns me a little is that, with the abundance of gorgeous contemporary yuri like Amayo no Tsuki or the vice queens of toxic yuri (by them, I mean the triad of Destroy It All and Love Me in Hell, My Girlfriend's not Here Today, and The Face You Shouldn't Show), it may take years for a newcomer to finally get to read something a bit older, like Shuninta Amano, Takemiya Jin, or Ajiichi's classic doujins, such as Dear My Teacher. Hell, even Ohsawa Yayoi's earlier output is like that. It's not like anyone can do a thing about it, but it's still a pity, at least for me.

Kannazuki no Miko way back in the day. Really liked the show back than but now looking back on it the show was kinda a mess and all over the place, still was a good introduction into yuri.

@DarK-LaW the ending theme was such a banger though

@ecb1005 personally, I agree. Citrus is a terrible introduction to yuri, and Amayo no Tsuki is a beautiful one. But you know... There are so many people who entered the genre through Bloom Into You, so you didn't have it dramatically bad, if you ask me

I would love to do a club Anime Music Quiz (AMQ) night, but I don't think there is much interest. I'll definitely get this into the featured songs on the front page though. I forget this show exists sometimes. To me it felt like it was written by a man whos girlfriend left him for a woman. The perfect guy has his girlfriend stolen from him by a crazy lesbian or something. I was not a fan. Not trying to hate on it or anything though. Really cool that it was a gateway into yuri manga.

@HaruHaruLove Yes, most yuri anime have been authored by men, but that is changing, and in some ways has already changed. Looking at the 8 upcoming yuri anime that I am aware of, 6/8 are authored by women and the gender of the other 2 I couldn't find anything on. A lot of these are adapting yuri works that are genuinely good, so I am quite hopeful for the future. Also, we are getting a lot of lesbian characters, even main characters in anime lately. It's not really important and mostly a source of comedy, but pretty interesting nonetheless. Ninja to Koroshiya no Futarigurashi GL tag when though lol.

I have not watched the Strawberry Panic anime. I enjoy the setting and imagine it's pretty good(it's in the queue). I did read the manga, which was honestly okay. A bit underwhelming. I know the anime has a lot more content and I am excited to watch it.

I get your point and agree with it completely, but the times ARE changing.

@Colorfulmouse if you don't mind my asking, what would those yuri books be?

@JennyAysgarth "Some girls do" by Jennifer Dugan, "I kissed Shara Wheeler" by Casey McQuiston, "Love Frankie" by Jackqueline Wilson.