Yuri Manga That Got It Right

A while back, I went on a spiel about my disappointment regarding Yuri, or lesbian manga, and a variety of other queer-coded romances in the media. To finally balance that out, I’ve compiled a list of some excellent yuri that portray healthy lesbian couples in dynamics that I can finally approve of! Check them out below and let us know which ones totally hit the spot for you, too!

Maitsuki, Niwatsuki, Ooyatsuki by Yodokawa

Status: 19 chapters - Incomplete

English name: Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord

The premise of this story revolves around a manga editor and an ex-idol who live together in the cutest little house while both of them try to move on from their past. Asako Suga, our manga editor, is trying to enjoy being single after repeatedly being dumped by her girlfriends for being too overbearing and caring. Miyako Kitano, our ex-idol, is trying to enjoy the live-in-landlord life while fighting her guilt of leaving her girl group suddenly after becoming overcome with the pressures of her career. A sugary-sweet love unfolds as they become accustomed to their lives together, and find a gentle romance that neither had ever had before.

What I love about this series is that the characters are both adults, although there is a slight age gap. I also love the forced proximity trope reflected in this manga and the ease with how the two fall in love so simply. There is no outside questioning about sexuality, just simple acceptance from their peers, all of whom are well-fleshed out as their own individual characters, which is a bonus. But the best part is the fan service, but it’s not what you think. There are no spicy scenes as of yet, and I doubt there will be any in the future of this series. However, Miyako’s face and her multiple disguises are all my type. I also find myself aligned with Asako, who has a weakness for pretty faces, and I also fell in love with the beauty and pet-like personality of Miyako.

Note: I suggest looking up the Japanese name for online reading sources since the English name is not as popular.

Asagao to Kase-San by Takashima Hiromi

Status: 5 volumes - Complete *Movie adaption by Zexcs Studio*

English name: Kase-San and Morning Glories

This sweet romance features Yui Yamada, a shy girl in charge of her school’s greenery, and Tomoka Kase, a tomboyish girl from the field and track team. Their story begins with the two in high school who find themselves slowly building a friendship although Yamada is instantly in turmoil over her attraction to *gasp* a girl. Before the two become a couple, there is a lot of denial of feelings mostly because Kase is, in fact, a girl, which, when considering the setting is in a Japanese high school, is understandable. As a sort of coming-to-age or coming-to-terms-with-the-fact-she’s-gay story, I appreciate this story for its tenderness and its soft exploration of queerness from youth to adulthood. It doesn’t help that Kase is totally my type.

Although it plays into a sort of ‘fem’ and ‘masc’ character dynamic, I believe that Yamada maintains her autonomy and Kase still has feminine characteristics which make the dynamic less stereotypical and more like aspects of their individual personalities. In fact, it actually plays an important role in the development of their relationship as Yamada sees past Kase’s masculine characteristics to her feminine side. This is especially important as the story first starts with Yamada’s disappointment that Kase is a woman but finds herself still attracted to and hopelessly in love from chapter 1.

In addition, you can watch a 58-minute movie adaption of their story! I haven’t seen it myself but there have been positive reviews of the OVA (original video animation) and how it portrayed the original story accurately. There is also a sequel series called Yamada to Kase-San which features the couple's lives in college and is still ongoing. It is currently at chapter 31 so I’m eager to continue seeing the lives of these two develop!

The Witch’s Marriage by Studio Headline

Status: 41 chapters - Incomplete

The Witch’s Marriage is about a pair of married witches who are working on strengthening their magic through their partnership which is nothing more than a contractual bond. This is all to open the Door of Truth, a mysterious passage to the ultimate witch’s power although what is truly beyond the door is a bit unclear to both the readers and the characters. Melissa has been married before to drain witches of their power and to steadily become stronger to follow her Master through the Door of Truth once she reaches her potential. However, her latest wife, Tanya continuously prods at her vain and cold exterior with complete devotion and the purest form of love for her powerful wife. Melissa consistently struggles with maintaining an emotional distance from Tanya to reach her goal but from the first chapter, it’s clear that she is fighting a losing battle. This story is fitted with short chapters that do an excellent job of setting up the chapter’s premise, Melissa’s internal conflict, and Tanya’s unflinching adoration for her wife concisely in just a few panels.

This is more of an honorable mention as it doesn’t fully encapsulate the same perfection of the yuri listed before this, but I felt it still had to be mentioned for the adorable romance between the two main characters. I have a soft spot for tsundere characters and their airheaded companions that constantly make them blush. I’m also a sucker for Melissa’s character type and the way she blushes at every sweet nothing her little wife throws her way. I do wish Tanya had a more adult-like appearance and that her age was more clear as she is depicted a bit younger than Melissa although it is not clear by how much. Otherwise, the story is worth the read for the laughs and the soft tenderness between these two characters in a magical setting. My descriptors for this story would be adorably and uselessly resistant since Melissa’s denial of her love for Tanya is literally challenged in every chapter and I live for seeing how she falls apart for her.

The official website where each chapter is released is linked here, however, there are other sources you can use to read the official English version.

Do you have any yuri recommendations that just got it right? Leave your recommendations below!