Interest Stacks

6/10 - In a word I would describe the first incarnation of the manga as incomplete. Yashiro felt completely unimportant to the story and they teased a potential love triangle but did nothing with it at all. The (non)ending was also drawn out and incredibly flat. Undoubtedly these obvious drawbacks are all due to the manga ending while the original novels were, and are, still ongoing. However, Adachi and Shimamura are pure magic together. Adachi, in particular, really grew on me pretty quick. Seeing her come out of her shell and open up to people and fall in love made my heart melt. The second manga and novels. . . will not get in this stack, though. Adachi's character changes greatly after the original manga story ends. I fully expect the second manga and novels to contain much, much more drama as Shimamura is 100% hiding a dark past as well.

8.5/10 - I have docked this title a little for Kanade's character. For the most part she is great. The problem really arises near the end. I do not want to go into detail as that would contain major spoilers but you really do not have to read very far to get an idea of what the issue is. Suffice it to say I found her actions and rationalization of them to be extremely misguided and it unnecessarily hurts the series a little bit. Despite that Kanade and Nanaki's relationship is a joy to watch unfold and I have already read this multiple times. I especially like Nanaki's transformation throughout the series. Her story was really one of epiphany, self reflection and redemption. To see her grow into someone who was even more beautiful on the inside than she already was on the outside was heartwarming. Why the hell was this never animated?!?

Adding this as I just finished Girl Friends (7.5) and am still debating if it fits the stack due to the almost neverending melodrama, however, I had to point out that Dekisokonai no Himegimi-tachi is so obviously influenced by Girl Friends. Even going so far as to copy almost exactly the bath scene and its aftermath from the school field trip.

6/10 - Not much to base on so far, only 11 chapters as of time of writing, but it is yuri fluff and so far it is just good enough to make my stack. I get the feeling that this may be a very short manga, though. The reason being it looks like the gimmick, and the potential love triangle, is already ending. Shuu Yasaka's other manga, Kimi ni Tsumugu Bouhaku, only got 20 chapters in 3 volumes. I am expecting something similar for this series. Unlike Bouhaku, though, Doushitara, at least so far, has 0 drama. Which is why only 1 is in my list even though I have both at a 6.

6/10 - Unsure if yuri or just yuri bait. It is 100% a "cute girls doing cute things" title. I have not read very far yet but everything I have read about it makes me lean more towards yuri bait. The "romance" seems to be very one sided and the series relies a lot on the stereotypical CGDCT tropes that many all-girl slice-of-life manga do. It is also a 4-koma which does not help. I think it is a passable series, but for some reason find it difficult to read. My rating could easily slip under 6 as I read more. At least that is the feeling I get. For now it barely makes my stack. Really hoping when I pick it up again they give me something to keep me coming back for more as right now the 6 is more for potential than actual content.

8/10 - Did you know that Nanoha and Chidori are dating but keeping it secret from everyone? Well not to worry, you will get a reminder every single chapter for the first 40 chapters. I wish that was an exaggeration. . . But that is pretty much the worst thing I can say about this series so far. That and the slow start. This series is mostly fluff and it takes quite a while before any drama happens whatsoever. With short chapters it is easy to plow through entire volumes in one sitting, and if you like fluff you will do just that. Nanoha and Chidori are perfect for each other. As the series goes on, though, it becomes more and more obvious that they really do not have to keep their relationship a secret which leads to a very predictable ending.

6/10 - Not exactly the most realistic yuri manga in this stack and definitely one of the most ecchi. It was written by a man and it kind of shows. However, intentional or otherwise, the manga covers its shortcomings well with incredibly cute and likeable main characters and not taking itself seriously. Having Itoha and Hime initially completely ignorant of and having to learn about yuri love the way the mangaka likely learned about yuri love, through manga, was a smart move and further covered his unavoidable lack of personal experience. That said, though, it is only enough to barely get it in this stack. It is light and fluffy, funny and enjoyable to read, but it is hands down the most unrealistic representation of yuri relationships in this stack and that hurt my rating quite a bit. I tried not to let the cheerleading stuff affect my rating, but I am not a fan of sports manga (yes, it is a sport) so it did not exactly help and felt a bit distracting to me as I was reading.

8/10 - This could have been so much better if it were longer. As it is this is a NSFW yet somehow still cute and wholesome title with a good story, despite a somewhat shaky start, that was never given the time and space it sorely needed to breathe. Because of this the character development and ending felt rushed. This is probably the title in this stack that I wanted to see more of the most. Some suspension of disbelief is needed in order to enjoy this though as the scenario is completely unrealistic. I swear every time I read this I end up falling even more in love with Ritsuka and my rating goes up. . .

7.5/10 - Cute, fun, fluffy yuri with a touch of (verbal) ecchi humor. Kohime is the unobnoxiously innocent type which enhances the ecchi humor as it is all over her head. Her and Luna are amazing together. Luna is a former delinquent turning over a new leaf and ends up becoming a motherly character for Kohime. Throw in a pair of jealous (for comedically different reasons) underlings/kouhai, an unflappable kuudere, a snobbish drillhaired tsundere and a fujoshi teacher trying to expose Kohime to the wonders of BL and you have something that should be a complete mess but so far everything is meshing together beautifully. If the ecchi humor stays verbal and Kohime stays the same then my rating is likely to rise.

7/10 - The biggest issue has got to be the pacing. Time goes by way too fast and there are a lot of time jumps. The chapters can vary greatly in length too and sometimes it can be difficult to follow the plot in between chapters, mostly because of said time jumps. Yamada's character can be grating at times. She is the obnoxiously innocent type and seems to be jealous for most of the series. This is yuri fluff that is never given time to stretch its legs which has essentially turned what could be a great series into a good series. All of the stuff you want in a good yuri IS here, but it is presented at a "blink and you will miss it" speed.

7.5/10 - My 1st ever yuri title. So this title will always hold a special place in my heart. This is also, so far, the only gender bender in this stack. Being transgender I very much envy Hazumu. I also can understand the internal struggle she had to deal with coming to terms with her gender identity and sexuality. I wish they would have delved into that a bit deeper (as well as Tomari coming to terms with her own sexuality) but at least it was accurately portrayed in a serious manner. This is an over-the-top sci-fi comedy with a touching ending. I think the over exaggerated personalities of the supporting cast and Yasuna's confusing storyline takes away from the story a bit. I also feel like they left a lot on the table. They could have done a lot more with this story. So even with 5 volumes it felt like it ended too soon.

8/10 - First and foremost this a beautiful story about acceptance. This is essentially a much lighter, all girls Koe no Katachi with a much, much more subtle romantic plot and an added sci-fi element. Oto herself is probably one of the most unobnoxiously pure characters I have ever seen and Kikuno's growth throughout the series has been very well developed. Watching Oto slowly melt Kikuno's icy heart has been the very definition of warm and fuzzy. If you are a fan of CGDCT then you. have. to. read. this. manga.

8.5/10 - If this doesn't end with Shamiko and Momo together I just may incite a riot. They are absolutely perfect together and it is quite obvious that they very much are in love with each other. The humor is some of the best I have seen in a while and the story, when they finally got around to it, is really, really good so far. Which is kind of a minor miracle in and of itself considering this is a 4-koma. And this is also coming from someone who hates the mahou shoujo genre completely. This could easily get a 9 from me if it is handled well.

6.5/10 - Well this is a difficult one to rate. . . I have some issues with this manga that should be pretty obvious. It is a relationship between a doctor and her patient (who happens to be the hospital director's daughter) and there is a 6-8 year age gap (Touka is 13 or 14). Either of those things could disqualify Tsukisu-sensei from medical practice, especially pediatrics. The later could potentially get her arrested. Yet not only does no one seem to care about it, they are not even the only ones in the hospital with this sort of relationship. There are some other things near the end that I will not go into because spoilers. Suffice it to say this has to be read with a very open mind and considerable suspension of disbelief. Aside from that the story itself WAS good. I kept seeing death flags being raised everywhere, but they never really went close which was a relief. Unfortunately it had a bit of an open ending which leaves the reader begging what happens next. This was also way too short. The length did not hurt the story, thankfully, but it felt like it could have been better if it were longer.

6.5/10 - The last volume caused my rating to drop from a 7.5/10 to a 6.5/10 which is so frustrating as this had real potential to be a great yuri fluff manga. I do not want to say much, because spoilers, but there is pointless drama and then there is a very specific form of pointless drama that I absolutely loathe and that is the type of drama they tried to insert into the last volume. It is made even worse when it looked like they were going to go in a different direction with much more palatable drama, but did nothing with it, instead opting for a time jump to just ignore it completely. Also, Rio's ending is bloody awful. I remember having issues with how Kaketa Tsuki to Doughnut ended as well, dropping my 6/10 rating down to a 5/10, so my expectations for Shio Usui works going forward is likely to be low.

7/10 - The series is essentially split into 3 different arcs which, combined with the fact it is a 4-koma with short chapters, can at times make the plot seem directionless even though it is slowly moving forward. The character development in the 1st arc was also rather weak, however that changed near the end of the 1st arc and continued to improve right up until near the ending which unfortunately felt forced. The 2nd arc was a joy to read and the 3rd arc started strong. Somehow it manages to maintain a cutesy feel throughout which is probably its strongest point.

7/10 - I am only 2 volumes in. I am waiting for volume 3 to be finished getting translated before likely blitzing the rest of the series. This is 100% yuri fluff right from the start and Yuu and Haruka are absolutely adorable together. I really want to give this a higher rating and still might depending on how the rest of the series goes. However, I really think the 4-koma format is a detriment to the series here. In trying to make something happen, and, seemingly, trying to include as many of the 7 girls as possible, in every half page it makes the pace way, way too quick. And it starts right from the first chapter. You get all the girls with no introduction and it takes a few chapters just to get comfortable with who is who. It looks like it is starting to settle down a little now and I am hoping that trend continues. If it does this rating should go up.

7.5/10 - I honestly do not understand how Hikawa-sensei managed to make a series this ecchi this charming. It is chock full of 18+ yaoi and yuri references with occasional groping scenes, some mild nudity and sexually suggestive fantasies yet somehow, that I cannot explain, still felt somewhat innocent. All the more shocking is that it was, I believe, written by a man. The comedy is very well done, though at times it can be a bit over-the-top and unrealistic, and the characters are all likeable. The story quality drops off near the end so I am assuming it was a rush job and some characters, unfortunately, do not get the treatment they deserved because of this. The ending itself was also not very strong.

6/10 - Was good for what it was. The ending seemed a bit rushed. The biggest drawback is that it was too short. This definitely should have been longer to flesh out the characters more, especially Pure. At least the ending, as confusing as it was, was explained okay. Well, except for one thing. Either Pure looks the same as a 17yo and as an adult or the adult Pure went back in time and for some reason everyone thinks she looks like a schoolgirl. That did bug me a bit. Akira reminded me a bit too much of a female version of Keima from Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai which is probably not a good thing as this is nowhere near as good as KamiNomi.

6.5/10 - The first few chapters were a little bit of a whirlwind. It seemed like the mangaka was in a rush to get to the actual relationship. After that it settled down nicely. The note exchanging gimmick rarely featured after the first chapter, though. It would pop up occasionally as a reminder of how they got close in the first place. Kaori's personality also seems to undergo a rapid and drastic transformation after the first few chapters. She went from a seemingly toxic person to a warm and loving girlfriend almost overnight. Not complaining, it just looked a bit weird. There is a time gap between the last two volumes and they halfheartedly tried to wedge in a love triangle. This was yuri fluff almost from start to finish with occasional mild drama awkwardly shoehorned in making one or both women seem a little out of character at times. Good story all around that would have gotten a higher rating from me if it were more consistent.

6/10 - It is mostly yuri bait but there is some yuri and implied yuri. It is basically your typical CGDCT manga but with vampires. Akari and Sophie is the stereotypical super energetic/airhead and quiet/reclusive pairing that is seen in way, way too many CGDCT manga and it kind of hurts the series a bit. Add in that this is a pure slice of life and it makes them and their interactions too clichéd and predictable. For me the comedy is good enough to make up for the cookie cutter feel it gives off. The characters are cute all around so that helps. It kind of felt like the story ended in volume 7 and volume 8 reads like an afterstory. That (and Homura in general) ensured that this series would not get anything higher than a 6 from me, which is a shame as the character development before that was starting to get good and briefly had me considering a potential 7 rating.

7/10 - This falls into the same category as Mikazuki no Karte in that it is a relationship between an adult and a child. The age gap is just as large and the child this time is even younger (11-12). Miyako often ends up looking like a groomer, so consider that a content warning. What sort of saves this is that Miyako, somehow, does not realize that she is attracted to Hana. At least not yet. She has half questioned it a few times but it has not sunk in. I am assuming that the end game is them getting into a relationship on Hana's 16th birthday but so far it has been a fairly standard CGDCT title with yuri undertones and 2 very creepy adults (Kouko is openly stalking Miyako). If you can overlook the obvious creepy elements of the series the comedy is very high and the story is very fluffy. Enough to offset the creep factor? I think so, but that is very subjective and many would not agree and I completely understand why.

6/10 - I have been bouncing this one shot back and forth between a 5 and a 6 ever since I read it. I did like it, the problem is that I wanted to like it a lot more but was not really allowed to due to its brevity. There is a surprising amount of character development, however it just left me wanting more. A lot more. The characters are very cute and likeable and the story had promise. It looks like, if MAL is to be believed, Hara-sensei has not been active since Kiniro Mosaic ended in 2021, so this will likely remain a one-shot. This is unfortunate as adding a love triangle (or even 2) and delaying the obvious reveal of who Tsukihi's prince is could have stretched this story to 1 or 2 volumes easily without it getting stale.

7/10 - Kind of early to really give this a proper review, 20 chapters as of me writing, but so far so hilarious. Also so far, Claire does not look like a villain at all. She is very much looking like a tragic heroine tsundere and I can completely understand why Rei fell in love with her as if things continue as they have been I'm probably going to fall in love with her too before too long as well. With the influx of a ridiculous amount of isekai titles of questionable quality in recent years this is probably the only one that I am actually very excited about. Hoping they do not let me down. However, even if they do not, this series could still get removed from this stack as it could very easily get dark in a hurry which would disqualify it as a warm and fuzzy yuri manga.

10/10 - This is probably the 2nd best manga I have ever read, behind only Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. Considering it took me 31 years to figure out that I was trans, 9 of which I thought I was asexual, I saw a little of myself in Maki and Touko and a LOT of myself in Yuu. It really felt like Nakatani-sensei would actually understand what I have gone through in my life. This made it rather hard to read at times yet at the same time impossible for me to put down. Anyone who has questioned their sexuality should be able to relate to these characters. This is THE must read yuri title.