It's not perfect, there is a lot of girl talk about make up and clothes and during the first few chapters there is little development. Mari is ridiculously oblivious in various points, but I can forgive it for that.
What makes Girl Friends great is the tension building between the two characters, the confusion with the lines between how you feel towards a friend and how you feel about someone you want as a partner, and the genuine love between them both - irregardless of if its platonic or if its romantic. Touching on the tension again, Girl Friends is one of the yuri mangas that gives me a little twist in my stomach when I read it, just because it builds up scenes so well as well as the awkwardness and obligatory yuri angst.
Plus, Akko is just an angel, it's worth it just to read for her. The two of them are both a little dense and trip over things awkwardly, but for me, that just sums up a typical teenage love story and these two have a great love story.
