I have a good friend on MAL and she specialises in Shoujo oldies and CLAMP manga, so she's been a great help in which titles would suit my taste. Vintage manga is cool because I really like historical themes and also you can't get drama like that on modern anime/manga. I will get to RGU, it's just that I have other unfinished manga and plan to reads that have been sitting there for 2 years. The problem is, should I read or watch RGU?
That's one of the things I like about Yaoi! It's the romance and the character dynamics that make me interested in their relationship. Even though I'm gay, I actually like the aesthetic of pretty boys (which links back to why I like vintage manga and their vintage pretty boys). But nothing will ever beat Yuri. It's just so damn good and it's too bad that there aren't so many Yuri available out there. Yeah I get you, the tragedy thing has been an issue since the first Yuri ever. Yaoi back then was very angsty and tragedic too but now it's taken an interesting path and begins to be more different to Yuri. I learned all my lessons from Yaoi and now that I read Yuri, I'm extra careful and picky. I don't quite like the 'Onee-sama' cliche, or the 'moe' Yuri where it's more popular for the male audience or that tragedy of the character being bi-curious and then dumps the MC as she finds a guy to settle down with.
I've come to the rescue Neo! Here are my recommended Yuri manga:
Love My Life: Tells the story of the lesbian mc who contemplates her life, her family life, her love life and how society accepts homosexuals. It's not your typical Yuri, it's more to do with the protagonist's thought process and experiences. The themes are pretty similar to the American comic and musical 'Fun Home'.
Pieta: An oldie, but a goldie. Warning though, it contains psychological themes like self-harm, depression and hints of suicide. The main character has a strong mental affinity with her 'friend'. It is a tragic one, but it has a happy ending.
Philosophia: I really like this manga for being able to flesh out the character's personality because sometimes Yuri have this tendency to mesh the couple's personality together and they'll end up looking like two peas in the pod. It's set in University, so if you like older (but not old) women, this is it!
Plica-chan: Not sure if this manga is finished or not. It is a 4-koma (4-panelled), manga so the art is very simple. It tells the story of the queer author as she deals with her day, sometimes living with a girlfriend, or sometimes being friend zoned. It's a cute read, I'm not even sure if it's classified as Yuri.
The titles I just gave you are Josei-type of Yuri. So expect independent women in their 20s (my type ❤) and are actually in or plan to have a serious relationship w/ girlfriend. Notable Mangaka are Yamaji Ebine and Haruno Nanae
My friend Lady Freyja knows a lot more Yuri than I do. She has a lot more in her collection, so pop in and say hi if you want some recommendations. Just tell her that I sent you to see her ;D
Shimanami being published is really great timing right? If I'm not mistaken it was first published in 2015, where LGBT+ issues have become a growing topic in mainstream media. I really like how there are references to America trying to get marriage equality into their country and it's both amazing and heartbreaking for people in Shimanami Tasogare.They even dedicated a chapter highlighting that gender=/= sexuality! Remember when Misora said "You like guys, does that mean you want to be a girl?" to Tasuku and I was like 'damn, Misora' (sassy finger click). Speaking of Misora, I hope that they are okay. I have high hopes on the author so that Misora's life will have a happy ending because that kid is so precious. I appreciate that Kamatani doesn't sugar coat anything at all (which worries me about Misora, uhh) and just show LGBTQ representation beyond Yuri, Yaoi and Gender bender because it's more than just that.
Real question though, will there be a pan/bi/etc character? Because I kind of hope that Tsubaki is, haha. You know, I heard a rumour about Tchaiko possibly being gay because Tchaiko=Tchaikovsky, as in the classical musician who was thought to be homosexual irl. That's some time travelling sci-fi conspiracy right there xD
And also Anonymous is so mysterious, I can't wait for a chapter that talks about her.
Platonically yes but ily all the way!! I'm trying to get into vintage shoujo too!! The art styIe..the drama...the tropes... they can be cheesy but overall they're really great. I def recommend RGU.. it means a lot to me. Though you've probably heard/read RGU has some pretty heavy themes that actually made me take a break from it for a bit, but I was too invested in a lot of the character so I came back to it!
Yeah the super stereotype-y characterizations are a no go for me too! I mean i'm bi so I do enjoy some yaoi (that isn't gross and toxic) for the aesthetics lolll but the romance of it all attracts me the most cuz u know gay solidarity! But yeah yuri tends to be wayyyyyy less issue filled. And Im like wow I just love girls so much... So girls loving girls and just being girls is great! The only thing that bothers me in yuri (which I think is more of a straight or cis author thing) is the tragic lesbians trope. Like don't get me wrong let gay girls be sad and sometimes life gets in the way but some straight authors do it for the tragic gay drama of it all. And Im sitting here like... let my girls live...let them be happy? Please rec me some good yuri tho Hiki!!
I agree shimanami is a holy grail ...a light house if you will... its like one of the few REALLY good and really progressive? or like up to date? gay story. Like a lot of the themes especially dealing with Misora are really thoughtful and considerate. Like the that Misora doesn't necessarily identify as a girl or the fact they just aren't sure yet is really cool. Like Misora's a kid and they get to explore that and the author which is from their personal experiences talks about those id's so well. It's really cool that the author is x gender, I love seeing lgbt authors make content!!
I just want all these kids to be happy!! And the adults too lol. I really do think Tsubaki's gonna show up at some point!! But I also really want Misora to come back and for them and Tasuku to reconnect. I really enjoy their scenes together and the lounge was so important to Misora too... agggg I can't wait for ch.11!!!!
Full homo indeed ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) but like platonically homo, you know.
I wanna go back to playing MM again, but then I'll have to go through all the routes and stuff. Jaehee in that special edition looks so hmmmmmmm, I'm so sad she's not real :'((. You know I'm trying real hard to get into old-school shoujo stuff, like RGU and Sailor Moon, but there's so many episodes/chapters! (cries). Like I've just recently realised that I prefer old-school yuri and yaoi, it's really cute and 100x more fabulous.
I don't read that much yaoi anymore because I'm super careful about what to read and stuff. I don't like the uke/seme/feminine/masculine idea, I'm not really interested in guys having sex and the BL fandom is pretty toxic. It took me 200 BL mangas later that I'm gay and I don't particularly like BL. You could tell that I was a stupid kid haha. I'm focusing a lot on Yuri right now and so far, they are much better than Yaoi. I don't know how well you know about Yuri but I find that there are not much about seme/uke and rape stuff - is it because I'm so good at picking 'good' yuri manga or is that just yuri in general?
Ahh, I legit read that chapter every single night! That glass shatter metaphor of Tasuku realising about the lesbian couple is just beautifully illustrated. Also when Tasuku says "I want to live happily with the one I love. That's all I want. What's wrong with that?" I sobbed like a baby. It's freaky how Kamatani just knows how to draw that feeling! Also, remember the illustration of the fireworks? That was so gorgeous!! I'm officially calling this book my Bible and Kamatani Yuhki is Jesus. Yes! That's a wonderful idea, please open a thread, that would at least encourage others about giving this manga a try because it is underrated. I want to spill all of my theories and headcanons about this manga!
I can't wait for ch 11 now that you've told me xD A bit random and probably won't happen but I speculate that Tsubaki (Tasu's crush) will come to the lounge and since poor Misora hasn't visited the lounge, Tsubaki will take care of the goldfish (because he said he liked them). Tchaiko would be like an awkward third wheel or something haha.
Oh damn, I just realised that Tasuku's summer holiday will about to end... The idea of school's reaction about the gay rumour is driving me crazy!! Would he be teased? Would his friends abandon him? How about Tsubaki? I want to know about my poor boy (; -;)
ily hiki full homo!!! God i loved playing mm too! I was pretty bummed that you couldn't like officially romance Jaehee but I heard there was a christmas(?) update that was more explicit i haven't replayed it though!!! Ahh im thinking what else.. well I know its cliche but neptune and uranus were pretty important growing up and then revolutionary girl utena was soooo gay I loved it, anthy and utena and a lot of the minor characters meant a lot to me like juri </3 shiori and wakaba..
I read a lotttttt of yaoi too when I was younger and I still do today! But I know what you mean. When I was younger it was any storyline I thought was cute or interesting but a lot of them were kinda stereotypical w/ you know the "uke" and "seme" trope. But now I feel you its easier to look for gay content in anime and manga w/ a more like discerning eye. Like you kinda know when some show or manga is gonna go "that way" and when it isn't and bless those that don't!
OKAY that page w/ tasuku's crush was a lot for me too! God you know which other one, the panel a little bit after where she reaches out and tasuku just shatters GOD. I really appreciate Kamatani's like magical realism?? Their visuals are really powerful and I love that because I feel like they say way more than words. I'm not familiar w/ Asano Inio, ill check them out! Gosh you reminded me Hiki! Im going to open up a discuss board for Shimanami and hopefully others will be interested and read too!!
I heard ch.11 is out already they publish Shimanami in this like bimonthly zine called Hibana Monthly...I think (Ill recheck that name). I can't wait to read it (when its translated lol) I can barely read Japanese though I'd like to learn more lol. Honestly i'd love for Tasuku's crush to show up at the workshop I feel like its hinted its gonna eventually happen w/ his dad mentioning the place and him saying "oh yeah Tasuku I know him"!! Ily hiki !
Just wondering, is there a character in manga/anime/games that just made you go "Oh crap, maybe I am gay". Cause I did, and that was Jaehee from Mystic Messenger. I don't usually play dating sims except for this one. I get you! I also felt that Western media portray hardly any queer representation - and they say that the West is a lot more progressive than the East. Though if you looked hard enough, there are series that are niched to the queer audience and I'm proud that in 2017 it's becoming more common to have a character that's LGBTQ.
You're right though, Yaoi and Yuri were in a format that was too heteronormative but it was either that or nothing. Trans people weren't portrayed that great, especially that cross-dressing is some sort of fetish common in Japanese media. It took me a year or two to identify which Yaoi/Yuri /gender bender manga are LGBTQ "friendly" which means yes, I read 'rape-y' stuff back then.
Especially this page, my heart breaks for Tasuku (and other closeted folks out there). Damn, Kamatani Yuhki is absolutely a brilliant author. Why are they not that popular (like Asano Inio)?
Man, wouldn't it be great if Tasuku's crush starts to hang out in Anonymous' place? Imagine the flustered Tasuku and aaa I would so root for them. If only the chapters come out quickly, unlike Tasuku's sexuality (no pun intended ;D)
Not gonna lie, even though Doukyuusei had so many sequels, I still want more stories of Sajou and Hikaru <3
Ily!! (no homo, oh wait..)
I loved the fact that you invited me to join! I'm glad that I am a part of a club that discusses themes that I and everybody else cared. All thanks to anime and manga that I was able to discover who I truly was. Ironically enough, I discovered that I am a lesbian after reading hundreds of yaoi manga but never had the desire to date these good-looking boys and my fujoshi friends thought that I was odd because they wanted to marry all of them. I think I was on a journey to reconcile my issue with sexuality just before Yuri on Ice started to air. And watching that anime felt so welcoming for a queer person like me, as cheesy as it sounds, it gave me hope to my life and hope for the future of the anime industry for queer representation. After all, Japan is becoming progressive with their LGBT+ issues and this makes me happy that other Asian countries will realise that too.
Oh boy, I remember bawling my eyes out in the middle of the night when I read Shimanami Tasogare. Unlike Tasu-kun, I was never bullied, but relating to the pain and the struggle as a closeted and confused young person was the reason this manga is something I put close to my heart. Re-reading every night like it's my bible.
My reply just got a bit dark there, hehe. I want to get the Doukyuusei dvd but I'm broke at the moment (the manga was amazing!). Your welcome, Ily too 💖!
Hello there :D I joined your LGBTQ group weeks ago and I really like it there. It's a nice space to talk about anime and manga that relates to queer issues.
Just wondering, what made you want to start this club? I'd like to hear your word about it.
All Comments (7) Comments
That's one of the things I like about Yaoi! It's the romance and the character dynamics that make me interested in their relationship. Even though I'm gay, I actually like the aesthetic of pretty boys (which links back to why I like vintage manga and their vintage pretty boys). But nothing will ever beat Yuri. It's just so damn good and it's too bad that there aren't so many Yuri available out there. Yeah I get you, the tragedy thing has been an issue since the first Yuri ever. Yaoi back then was very angsty and tragedic too but now it's taken an interesting path and begins to be more different to Yuri. I learned all my lessons from Yaoi and now that I read Yuri, I'm extra careful and picky. I don't quite like the 'Onee-sama' cliche, or the 'moe' Yuri where it's more popular for the male audience or that tragedy of the character being bi-curious and then dumps the MC as she finds a guy to settle down with.
I've come to the rescue Neo! Here are my recommended Yuri manga:
Shimanami being published is really great timing right? If I'm not mistaken it was first published in 2015, where LGBT+ issues have become a growing topic in mainstream media. I really like how there are references to America trying to get marriage equality into their country and it's both amazing and heartbreaking for people in Shimanami Tasogare.They even dedicated a chapter highlighting that gender=/= sexuality! Remember when Misora said "You like guys, does that mean you want to be a girl?" to Tasuku and I was like 'damn, Misora' (sassy finger click). Speaking of Misora, I hope that they are okay. I have high hopes on the author so that Misora's life will have a happy ending because that kid is so precious. I appreciate that Kamatani doesn't sugar coat anything at all (which worries me about Misora, uhh) and just show LGBTQ representation beyond Yuri, Yaoi and Gender bender because it's more than just that.
Real question though, will there be a pan/bi/etc character? Because I kind of hope that Tsubaki is, haha. You know, I heard a rumour about Tchaiko possibly being gay because Tchaiko=Tchaikovsky, as in the classical musician who was thought to be homosexual irl. That's some time travelling sci-fi conspiracy right there xD
And also Anonymous is so mysterious, I can't wait for a chapter that talks about her.
Yeah the super stereotype-y characterizations are a no go for me too! I mean i'm bi so I do enjoy some yaoi (that isn't gross and toxic) for the aesthetics lolll but the romance of it all attracts me the most cuz u know gay solidarity! But yeah yuri tends to be wayyyyyy less issue filled. And Im like wow I just love girls so much... So girls loving girls and just being girls is great! The only thing that bothers me in yuri (which I think is more of a straight or cis author thing) is the tragic lesbians trope. Like don't get me wrong let gay girls be sad and sometimes life gets in the way but some straight authors do it for the tragic gay drama of it all. And Im sitting here like... let my girls live...let them be happy? Please rec me some good yuri tho Hiki!!
I agree shimanami is a holy grail ...a light house if you will... its like one of the few REALLY good and really progressive? or like up to date? gay story. Like a lot of the themes especially dealing with Misora are really thoughtful and considerate. Like the that Misora doesn't necessarily identify as a girl or the fact they just aren't sure yet is really cool. Like Misora's a kid and they get to explore that and the author which is from their personal experiences talks about those id's so well. It's really cool that the author is x gender, I love seeing lgbt authors make content!!
I just want all these kids to be happy!! And the adults too lol. I really do think Tsubaki's gonna show up at some point!! But I also really want Misora to come back and for them and Tasuku to reconnect. I really enjoy their scenes together and the lounge was so important to Misora too... agggg I can't wait for ch.11!!!!
I wanna go back to playing MM again, but then I'll have to go through all the routes and stuff. Jaehee in that special edition looks so hmmmmmmm, I'm so sad she's not real :'((. You know I'm trying real hard to get into old-school shoujo stuff, like RGU and Sailor Moon, but there's so many episodes/chapters! (cries). Like I've just recently realised that I prefer old-school yuri and yaoi, it's really cute and 100x more fabulous.
I don't read that much yaoi anymore because I'm super careful about what to read and stuff. I don't like the uke/seme/feminine/masculine idea, I'm not really interested in guys having sex and the BL fandom is pretty toxic. It took me 200 BL mangas later that I'm gay and I don't particularly like BL. You could tell that I was a stupid kid haha. I'm focusing a lot on Yuri right now and so far, they are much better than Yaoi. I don't know how well you know about Yuri but I find that there are not much about seme/uke and rape stuff - is it because I'm so good at picking 'good' yuri manga or is that just yuri in general?
Ahh, I legit read that chapter every single night! That glass shatter metaphor of Tasuku realising about the lesbian couple is just beautifully illustrated. Also when Tasuku says "I want to live happily with the one I love. That's all I want. What's wrong with that?" I sobbed like a baby. It's freaky how Kamatani just knows how to draw that feeling! Also, remember the illustration of the fireworks? That was so gorgeous!! I'm officially calling this book my Bible and Kamatani Yuhki is Jesus. Yes! That's a wonderful idea, please open a thread, that would at least encourage others about giving this manga a try because it is underrated. I want to spill all of my theories and headcanons about this manga!
I can't wait for ch 11 now that you've told me xD A bit random and probably won't happen but I speculate that Tsubaki (Tasu's crush) will come to the lounge and since poor Misora hasn't visited the lounge, Tsubaki will take care of the goldfish (because he said he liked them). Tchaiko would be like an awkward third wheel or something haha.
Oh damn, I just realised that Tasuku's summer holiday will about to end... The idea of school's reaction about the gay rumour is driving me crazy!! Would he be teased? Would his friends abandon him? How about Tsubaki? I want to know about my poor boy (; -;)
I read a lotttttt of yaoi too when I was younger and I still do today! But I know what you mean. When I was younger it was any storyline I thought was cute or interesting but a lot of them were kinda stereotypical w/ you know the "uke" and "seme" trope. But now I feel you its easier to look for gay content in anime and manga w/ a more like discerning eye. Like you kinda know when some show or manga is gonna go "that way" and when it isn't and bless those that don't!
OKAY that page w/ tasuku's crush was a lot for me too! God you know which other one, the panel a little bit after where she reaches out and tasuku just shatters GOD. I really appreciate Kamatani's like magical realism?? Their visuals are really powerful and I love that because I feel like they say way more than words. I'm not familiar w/ Asano Inio, ill check them out! Gosh you reminded me Hiki! Im going to open up a discuss board for Shimanami and hopefully others will be interested and read too!!
I heard ch.11 is out already they publish Shimanami in this like bimonthly zine called Hibana Monthly...I think (Ill recheck that name). I can't wait to read it (when its translated lol) I can barely read Japanese though I'd like to learn more lol. Honestly i'd love for Tasuku's crush to show up at the workshop I feel like its hinted its gonna eventually happen w/ his dad mentioning the place and him saying "oh yeah Tasuku I know him"!! Ily hiki !
You're right though, Yaoi and Yuri were in a format that was too heteronormative but it was either that or nothing. Trans people weren't portrayed that great, especially that cross-dressing is some sort of fetish common in Japanese media. It took me a year or two to identify which Yaoi/Yuri /gender bender manga are LGBTQ "friendly" which means yes, I read 'rape-y' stuff back then.
Especially this page, my heart breaks for Tasuku (and other closeted folks out there). Damn, Kamatani Yuhki is absolutely a brilliant author. Why are they not that popular (like Asano Inio)?
Man, wouldn't it be great if Tasuku's crush starts to hang out in Anonymous' place? Imagine the flustered Tasuku and aaa I would so root for them. If only the chapters come out quickly, unlike Tasuku's sexuality (no pun intended ;D)
Not gonna lie, even though Doukyuusei had so many sequels, I still want more stories of Sajou and Hikaru <3
Ily!! (no homo, oh wait..)
Oh boy, I remember bawling my eyes out in the middle of the night when I read Shimanami Tasogare. Unlike Tasu-kun, I was never bullied, but relating to the pain and the struggle as a closeted and confused young person was the reason this manga is something I put close to my heart. Re-reading every night like it's my bible.
My reply just got a bit dark there, hehe. I want to get the Doukyuusei dvd but I'm broke at the moment (the manga was amazing!). Your welcome, Ily too 💖!
Just wondering, what made you want to start this club? I'd like to hear your word about it.
- A fellow gay female