14 Best Lesbian Manga For Every Yuri Lover Out There: A Matter Of Tastes!

Lesbian manga is quite a tricky domain to navigate. For starters, there are so many titles out there that it is often hard to pick and choose the good ones. On top of that, most of these lesbian/yuri manga don’t get the recognition that their anime counterparts do.

So, if you are someone looking for a good girls love manga to read, it is safe to say that I understand the struggle you are going through. The titles under this category come in varied forms – comedy, drama, fluff and sometimes plain antagonizing melodrama.

Finding the right fit for you can often be hard. Keeping that in mind, I have come up with a list of some of the essential lesbian manga recommendations that every yuri lover should read, or atleast be aware of to read in the future.

Before we get to that, let’s get done with some generic stuff:

What exactly does Yuri manga cover?

If you are a newbie to this genre, the term yuri can be quite confusing at first. Basically yuri manga are simply those which put a focus on lesbian romance. They are also known as lesbian manga, girls love manga etc etc.

So, instead of your traditional romantic development, here you have two girls falling in love and navigating through their emotions.

However, since the genre is unique, the characters have an entirely different set of problems and stuffs to deal with. And not every lesbian manga out there does a good job of depicting it.

Must read Lesbian manga (Shoujo ai):

Allow me to start off this list by suggesting some must read titles that have garnered a lot of fans. Some of these titles have gained popularity with the current set of readers too, and they will be a good place for to start, even if you are quite new to this genre.

Mind you, yuri themes are not just a subtext in these recommendations. Shoujo ai fans assemble!!

1. Girl Friends:

Author: Milk Morinaga
Status: Finished

Girl Friends, one of the best Lesbian manga out there

Girl Friends is a lesbian manga which follows two high-school students through their friendship and blossoming lesbian romance. It is your typical shoujo-ai series, with some ecchi peppered here and there.

But then all of themes that the manga aims to explore are handled pretty well, making it a good read!

The story revolves around main character, Mariko Kumakura, an isolated high-schooler who is struggling to come to terms with her feelings for her popular and bubbly best friend, Akiko Oohashi.

The narrative explores Mari and Akko’s deepening friendship, which eventually evolves into a romantic relationship.

Coming to the yuri part, you can expect the cliched ‘Oh we aren’t supposed to do this’ reaction from the main duo in the beginning, and it actually takes some time for Mari and Akiko to actually get to meaty parts.

But trust me, it’s not a drag in any way. Instead, everything that Mari experiences with her new friends helps in developing the plot. On top of that, she is written as a complex emotional character, so the slow burn romance helps you get in tune with her inner self.

This is where I have to point out how good Morinaga’s writing is. As the story slowly builds up the romance, you can’t help but relate with what Mari is going through emotionally. It hits hard!!!

While the majority of the manga does focus on Mari and Akiko, the other characters too have their roles to play, and overall I’d say this is a strong character driven manga.

I could keep going on about it, but yeah, you get the point already. Girl Friends is definitely one of the best lesbian manga out there and is a must read!!

2. Bloom Into You:

Author: Nio Nakatani
Status: Finished

Bloom into You, yuri manga

Bloom Into You is arguable the most popular lesbian manga out there, thanks to its anime adaptation. However, the anime doesn’t cover the whole story, so yeah reading the manga is always a better choice.

The plot of Bloom into You is quite similar to Girl Friends, as it focuses on two high-school friends who are exploring and discovering their lesbian side. And similar to Girl Friends, Bloom into You is also notorious for being slow paced, but maybe not as much as the previous one.

The story follows Yuu Koito, who unlike her peers, experiences a serious lack of romance when confessed to by a boy. Disappointed and confused, she enters high school still unsure of what love is.

Note that she is someone who wished to have a shoujo manga like romance.

Enter Touko Nanami, the charismatic student council president. Now this is where it gets interesting. When Yuu looks to Touko for some advice on love, she gets a harsh shock when the latter confesses her love for her instead.

It is safe to say that within a span of 50 chapters, Nakatani manages to create a well rounded story which highlights crucial issues like social acceptance, fear of rejection, and also loneliness, along with the sexual orientations of Yuu and Touko.

Bloom into You is more dramatic than Girl Friends, and for a change, the manga doesn’t just focus on its two main characters. A notable upgrade though is the art style, which is more detailed and refined in this case.

Other than that, the story is quite realistic, especially when it comes to the romantic development. You get a feeling that Nakatani had a definite story progression in mind and it reflects while reading the manga, as the plot is well constructed.

Just like Girl Friends, Bloom into You is an amazing yuri manga, and you should definitely check it out!!

After reading the above two lesbian manga, if you have a thirst for reading similar high-school girls love, then I’d suggest the following:

Whispered Words: This one is a similar slow-burn romance between two high-school girls. Starts off in a light-hearted way but then as the story progresses, it gets into the struggles of the two leads and the issues they are facing. It has also touched upon homosexuality and how it is viewed as a stigma in Japan and by the society. This one’s definitely one of the best yuri manga out there. Slow-burn and deep!

Kase-san Series: Once again, a manga which focuses on the relationship between two high-school girls. It is more on the wholesome light-hearted side. So if want to enjoy your day without having to pull your hair out from the drama, this is what you should go for. It does do its own share of tackling problems and issues, but then, it is quite smooth read overall!!

Whisper Me a Love Song: Another high-school lesbian romance manga which is making a good name for itself. It has great art and starts off in a very cute manner. It has the same senpai-kouhai relationship as you see in Bloom into You. However, steel yourself for drama as much of it comes in the later volumes of the manga. Definitely a great read if you are into this genre!!

3. My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness:

Author: Kabi Nagata
Status: Finished

My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness

My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness is an autobiographical account of author Kabi Nagata which chronicles her life as a lesbian woman dealing with loneliness and depression.

The memoir starts off with the author dropping out of college and her life taking a turn for the worse. Constantly being hounded by her family to become ‘normal’ doesn’t help her case at all and it leads to her becoming depressed and developing an eating disorder.

Desperately trying to hold her life together, Kabi comes to the solution that belonging to a community would help her solve her problems, and that hiring a lesbian escort would help transcending her into adulthood, and understanding her sexuality.

Having been an utter virgin till then, her encounter with the escort does give her a completely new look on whatever is happening to her.

Unlike the other titles in the series, the focus is not on romantic developments, so if that is what you crave for in your lesbian manga escapades, then this is not the right pick for you.

The art too is quite minimal and comes with a blast of pink everywhere. Check out the panel below to get a better idea.

Instead, through this autobiography, Nagata bravely opens the doors to her personal struggles with depression, identity, and societal expectations, providing an intimate and raw exploration of her experiences.

While she uses satire and deadpan humor to narrate the story, the author’s struggles with her mental health are far too relatable. It is soo vulnerable at times that it makes reading the manga quite a bit hard.

I won’t say the author makes any particular social commentary via the work, however, there are a lot of things we can glean just by reading it.

If you crave for more autobiographical works after reading this, feel free to check out The Girl That Can’t Get a Girlfriend by author Mieri Hiranishi, in which she talks about her struggles of winning back the girl who crushed her heart.

4. How Do We Relationship

Author: Tamifull
Status: Ongoing

How do we relationship manga cover

How Do We Relationship starts with a good sensual scene, and is bound to pull the sapphic lovers straight into it.

It is one of those manga which establishes right at the beginning that their two main characters get together. So, if you want a change from the slow burn romances that I have recommended above, then How Do We Relationship would be a good one to pick up.

Like seriously, by the end of the second chapter our main characters have started dating each other. But then, does the fact that they are dating mean that they are in love too? Well, this is exactly what author Tamifull aims to explore in the series too.

The story revolves around two college students, Miwa and Saeko, who have contrasting personalities. When they realize that they are both into girls, Saeko suggests that they date each other because it’s not like they had any other options (Saeko’s words, not mine).

Miwa agrees and the two of them embark on a journey to explore their feelings for each other.

What sets this manga apart is its realistic portrayal of the challenges in starting a relationship, particularly for individuals navigating their feelings and societal expectations.

Also, Miwa’s introspective nature and Saeko’s outgoing demeanor create a delightful character dynamic. The interactions between the two feel very natural, and the art is very cute.

On top of that, I was happy that How Do We Relationship didn’t have a host of toxic homophobic or misogynistic side characters who were against Miwa and Saeko’s relationship.

Tamifull has done some good research and portrayed the LGBTQ+ aspect realistically. It definitely is one of the better portrayals of queer relationships in manga and it is something that you should be on your shelf!! It is also one of the longer manga titles in this list.

5. Even Though We Are Adults:

Author: Takako Shimura
Status: Finished

Takako Shimura is a well known name in the lesbian manga circle. Her most recognized work till date has to be Aoi Hana (also yuri), a manga that broke some stereotypes within the genre when it released.

However, the one I’ll be talking about is Even Though We Are Adults, which focuses on adults instead of high-school students, and that’s a welcome change. However, the uniqueness of this manga doesn’t end there.

Even Though We Are Adults revolves around the themes of cheating, and for that reason it is frowned upon by a certain section of readers (don’t ask me why). I, on the other hand, totally enjoyed what Shimura had to offer in her latest work.

The story follows Ayano, an elementary school teacher, who runs into an attractive woman, Akari, while visiting a favorite bar of hers. Sparks fly, and we get into sapphic territories in the first chapter itself.

While some of the manga I mentioned above were slow burn, this one starts off at a breakneck speed. The characters quickly realize their attraction for each other and act on it.

The downside? Ayano is actually a married woman. And this complicates her relationship with Akari.

Shimura’s signature style, realism mixed with messy and complicated situations, is peppered all over this manga. The plot is realistic and melodramatic. And it is one of those pieces of literature that will leave you thinking pondering for a long time.

As for the cheating aspect, I honestly think Ayano’s situation has been handled quite delicately by Shimura. She hasn’t portrayed it as something of a taboo, neither has she justified it in any way. A fine line, we are walking a fine line!

However, it is not without its downsides. You might question the portrayal of the bi-community, especially Ayano’s take on it. The art is also very basic, and if you are familiar with her previous works it won’t take time for you to get used to it!

Other than that, I feel Even Though We Are Adults is a must read yuri manga, and something that you should definitely check out.

Also, her previous work, Aoi Hana, is also something you shouldn’t miss out on if you are a fan of lesbian romance manga!

6. Run Away With Me Girl

Author: Battan
Status: Finished

Run Away With Me Girl, short lesbian manga

Run Away With Me Girl is an underrated gem. Those who read it will tell you that it is without a doubt one of the best lesbian manga out there, and there are others who aren’t even aware of this title.

Fair warning – Run Away With Me Girl deals with domestic abuse and other serious issues.

This yuri manga follows Maki and Midori who were high-school sweethearts. However, all of that was just a phase for Midori, who breaks off their relationship during graduation.

10 years later, Maki, now a loner living her mother, is still stuck in the past. However, a chance encounter brings Midori crashing back into Maki’s life. And Midori has two gut-wrenching news for Maki – one that she is engaged, and second that she is pregnant.

But then, as readers we quickly notice that there is no way Maki can stay away from Midori. And so a complicated emotional rollercoaster begins.

You won’t be the first one to feel that this manga is similar to Even Though We Are Adults. However, that one is a bit more nuanced than Run Away With Me.

At first glance, we feel that Midori has settled down and is living the ‘normal’ life that she wanted. In reality though, she still hasn’t figured anything out. She yearned for connections and ended up taking some bad decisions due to the fear of being left alone.

And one of those bad decisions is Midori’s fiance himself. He is a very toxic, misogynistic and abusive person (the toxicity extends to many of the side characters). Then there is the rampant homophobia which rears its head up now and then.

Battan has woven quite an interesting and captivating narrative keeping girls love at the center, while focusing on other relevant issues. The story is bittersweet and complex for most parts.

And as for how it ends, well that’s something you’ll have to read for yourself and find out.

The art style of Run Away With Me Girl is very peculiar and it’s something I want to point out and appreciate. It’s not as simple as what you’ll see in some other lesbian manga in the list, neither is it over the top. However, Battan adds a lot of symbolism which kinda compliments the characters quite well. I absolutely loved it!!

The manga is less than 20 chapters long, and if you are a voracious and fast reader, it should be done at one go!

7. Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon

Author: Shio Usui
Status: Finished

Doughnuts under a crescent moon, working adult yuri manga cover

Mature lesbian romance manga has been gaining more popularity in the recent years, so you shouldn’t be surprised to see another shakaijin yuri title in this recommendation list.

However, unlike the previous two adult yuri manga, Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon is more saccharide inducing, in parts that is.

The story revolves around Uno Hinako, an office worker who yearns for the kind of romantic love often depicted in shoujo manga (ring a bell?). However, her attempts at conventional romances with men consistently fall short, despite putting in a lot of effort to fit into the role of an ‘ideal woman.’

These experiences eventually leave her feeling disillusioned and questioning her own self worth.

Enter Sato Asahi, Hinako’s enigmatic senior at work. Asahi possesses an aura that immediately intrigues Hinako. One night, as Hinako is crying on a bench, Asaki encounters her and offers her a bag of doughnuts and the two end up sharing their vulnerabilities.

As they bond overtime, Hinako finds herself drawn to Asahi, challenging her own preconceived notions about love and relationships.

Well, the manga is actually very wholesome, but then it does focus on some serious issues, especially when it comes to Hinako. Her struggles with low self esteem and her place in the society is highlighted quite well.

It is something that a lot of us might have gone through at some point in our lives and for that, the manga might make you shed a tear or two. Should I simply call it a slice-of-life drama?

Hinako and Asaki’s bonding and their relationship’s progression doesn’t feel forced at all. Once again, this is a manga that has kept everything realistic.

ALSO HINAKO IS QUITE OBLIVIOUS TO HER ORIENTATION SOMETIMES AND IT IS FRUSTRATING!!! FEELS LIKE A HIGH-SCHOOL DRAMA!!!

You might have heard that this manga does a good job of asexual representation. Read all four 4 volumes and find out if that’s really the case!!

Note: If you loved this manga make sure to check out Still Sick. It is considered of the the best mature yuri manga out there along with Doughnuts. I had half a mind to include that as a separate title in the list.

8. She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat

Author: Sakaomi Yuzaki
Status: Ongoing

She loves to cook, and she loves to eat

Remember how I said lesbian romance manga come in different forms. Well, in this one, cooking is a central theme along with the girls love. Finding the way into a woman’s heart through food? You got it!

The plot follows Nomoto, who loves to cook, even when she is stressed. However, she doesn’t have an appetite to match her extravagant cooking. One day she makes more food than required, and ends up inviting her next door neighbor, Kasuga.

Surprisingly, Kasuga is someone who loves to eat, and finally Nomoto has someone who is capable of eating what she cooks. Interestingly, Kasuga is also someone who stays alone. And so, these two bond over food and slowly love blossoms!

Once again, this is a slow-burn lesbian manga. However, what we get in that gap is some amazing interaction between the two characters. And also food. Plenty of mouth watering and amazing food!!

Manga usually have this penchant for displaying female characters with these perfect bodies in them. However, Kasuga breaks all those cliched tropes, and that’s something which attracted me to this manga at first!

Also, the way Nomoto and Kasuga become an emotional support for each other is quite heartwarming to read. Over the course of sharing meals, they also start sharing their problems and leaning on each other more!

Without a doubt, this manga definitely makes for a very wholesome read.

BUT.

She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat also highlights a lot of social issues. It has strong feminist undercurrents, and tackles subjects like misogyny quite well (especially when Nomoto’s cooking is typecast).

In the same vein, it also deals with traditional issues like body shaming, and the idea that women are supposed to look a certain way. Infact, the issues sometimes take the centerstage over the romance aspect. Sometimes. But yeah, definitely a yuri manga that is breath of fresh air and a must read too!

9. The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All

Author: Sumiko Arai
Status: Ongoing

guy she was interested in wasn't a guy at all, new yuri manga, must read!!

HEAR ME OUT!! This is one of the ongoing lesbian manga which caught my attention, because it came first in 2023 Next Manga Award’s web manga category.

Once I picked it up, I was even more intrigued because it had quite a unique premise, which already might have guessed from the title of the manga. The title might make it seem trashy, trust me, it is not!!!

The plot of the manga is this – a high school girl visits a record store and develops a crush on the cashier who is there. However, she fails to recognize that this ‘guy’ is actually the quite and studios girl who sits next to her in class.

The manga progresses as the two of them continue to bond over music and other things.

The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All, is not high on drama or emotions. It’s quite an easy going manga and pretty wholesome at times, thanks to the interaction between the two main characters.

This yuri manga is not as popular as some of the other titles in this list. In fact, Arai actually started serializing this as a web manga (just like Horimiya), which then got picked up for print in April 2023 by Kodansha.

However, the reason why I am recommending this is because you come across some amazing music recommendations while reading this. It is not just the characters who are bonding over music, even we, as readers, can join the vibe!

We saw a lesbian manga with some good cooking themes, why not something with music also for a change!!

If you are a rock music lover, then no need to have second thoughts, just start reading this one already!

On top of that, the author has an acute sense of fashion, which is portrayed in the character designs and also the get-up of the characters. It is quite a popular thing in the fandom, as the outfits are a frequent topic of admiration and discussion!

So yeah, overall, even with some cliched stuffs, the manga offers a kinda unique experience. Definitely one of those lesbian manga you should be checking out now!

10. Citrus

Author: Saburouta
Status: Finished

Citrus, popular yuri manga, weird and disturbing!

Finally, a lesbian manga for the ecchi lover in you. How Do We Relationship and even Girl Friends too has some ecchi content, but this one obviously is bit on the bolder side.

Citrus is quite a popular manga among yuri fans. However, it’s anime adaptation always gains more precedence over it. That’s a huge injustice to its manga, because honestly the art in it absolutely gorgeous.

Before you pick this up, it is only fair to warn you that it involves almost incest, and some noncon moments. So yeah, if that bothers you, steer clear!

Coming to the plot, the manga follows two step-sisters, who end up falling in love with each other.

Yuzu Aihara is a fashionable and spontaneous city girl who transfers to a new school after her mother’s remarriage. She is more concerned with boys and shopping than studying, and she struggles to fit in at the conservative all-girls school.

She frequently clashes with the student council, especially the beautiful but cold student council president, Mei Aihara.

However, she soon realizes that Mei is her step-sister and she is now forced to share a bedroom with a person she absolutely can’t stand. Mei is also feeling the same, and annoyed with the situation she finds herself in, the student council president forcefully kisses Yuzu.

Things start to get complicated, when Yuzu apparently likes what Mei did, and slowly the girls start to explore their identities.

Once again, this is a high-school students’ lesbian romance manga and has the cliched cold-bubbly pairing. Compared to the other manga in this list, Citrus is the one I’d least recommend. It is weird, deals with a lot of complex themes (including abuse) and somehow, it completely misses the severity of what it is implying.

It’s soapy and melodramatic and at points comes very close to being a softcore hentai.

Yuzu is the only beacon of light in the manga (along with the art and some actually good moments). Well, it IS QUITE POPULAR (it made it to the NYT best seller list), and there is a high chance that you might enjoy it way more than me.

11. Goodbye, My Rose Garden:

Author: Dr. Pepperco
Status: Finished

Historical lesbian manga - Goodbye, my rose garden

Goodbye, My Rose Garden is a lesbian manga that is best suited for readers who are looking for a girls love which is very much in the classic shoujo/josei domain.

The romantic development itself isn’t very rooted in realism. Yes, it’s historical, but more than that, the author adds some whimsical elements to the already prominent shoujo-ai tropes, which makes the story feel like a fairy tale romance

However, the manga starts on an ominous note, where Alice asks Hanako to kill her. Oh yeah, they are the main characters of the story.

The manga follows the story of Hanako, a young Japanese woman who travels to England to pursue her dream of meeting her favorite author and becoming and novelist.

Her life takes an unexpected turn when Hanako finds herself employed as a personal maid to Alice Douglas, a reclusive and enigmatic noblewoman. Alice, fascinated by Hanako’s literary aspirations, makes an unusual request: she asks Hanako to kill her.

Hanako’s initial shock and disapproval of Alice’s request gradually transform into a deep empathy and desire to help her.

The first chapter itself highlights the issues that were prevalent in England of 1900s, especially misogyny. And then there is Alice who gives off a hopeless ‘I-want-to-die’ vibes. Sad ending? You’ll have to read and find that out.

So, there is a sense of gloom that hangs over the mana constantly. Ignoring that, you’ll find that it follows the shoujo blueprint, with an art that matches the atmosphere. It’s quite gorgeous and very detailed.

The author evidently has put in a lot of research as claimed, and it reflects in not just the themes but also the backgrounds.

However, one unrealistic or whimsical element is the way Alice dotes on Hanako, which would be uncommon in the real world back in 1900s. There is a heavy yuri subtext to it, yes, but then it also feels like a fairy tale romance as I mentioned before!

Even so, its one of the better lesbian romance stories out there and definitely a must read!!

Classic Yuri manga to check out!

In the previous section I suggested some must read yuri manga. In this one, I’d like to recommend some of the classics which set the tone for the future works to come.

If you are in for some retro art, and storylines that shaped the shoujo-ai genre, with heavy Class S types, feel free to check out the following lesbian manga titles!

1. Oniisama -e

Author: Riyoko Ikeda
Status: Finished

In the realm of Class S literature, Oniisama -e (Dear Brother) is a timeless classic. Despite all its flaws, there are many who will tell you that this manga from close to 40 years ago still has better queer representation than many manga you find today!

It’s complex characters, and the themes it explores are still resonant with a lot of readers. Also, another testament to the manga’s quality is the author herself. If you are not familiar, Riyoko Ikeda is the same mangaka who created classics like Rose of Versailles.

Don’t tell me you aren’t sold already!

However, the manga’s sole focus is not on a yuri relationship. As with the dark age of 70s, girls love is treated as platonic in this manga too (not as much as others though).

Even so, the tropes that Oniisama -e defined would continue to inspire a lot of lesbian manga in the future and that’s why it’s important to read it, or atleast be aware of it.

The story revolves around Nanako Misonoo, a young girl who enters the prestigious Seiran Academy, a girls’ school renowned for its academic excellence and social standing. However, beneath the school’s veneer of elegance lies a world of intense rivalries, complex relationships, and unspoken desires.

Nanako, initially drawn to the school’s allure, soon finds herself entangled in a web of deceit and betrayal. She is ostracized by her classmates, targeted by the school’s elite Sorority, and left grappling with the challenges of adolescence and self-acceptance.

Amidst the turmoil, Nanako finds solace in her correspondence with Takehiko Henmi, her former cram school teacher. In her letters, she pours her heart out, seeking guidance and solace from the man she affectionately calls “onii-sama”.

One thing I have to point out is this, the yuri subtext in Nanako and Rei’s relationship is more pronounced in the manga than in the anime.

Ikeda’s art in the manga is just as amazing, and mind you, at the end of the day, you will find it to be too melodramatic. However, it is a manga worth reading if you are looking for a classic shoujo manga with some good girls love in it.

There are people who call this manga a bait, but I’ll leave that decision up to you!

2. Shiroi Heya no Futari

Author: Ryouko Yamagishi
Status: Finished

Shiroi Heya no Futari first lesbian manga

Shiroi Heya no Futari (Couple in the White Room) has been exalted as the first ever yuri manga to release in Japan (1971). So, it’s status as a classic in this genre shouldn’t really be questioned.

It’s not like Japan had not experience queer work before this. In fact Yamagishi herself had touched upon male homosexuality in some of her previous works. However, a work solely focused on girls love? Now that was a direction which many manga authors didn’t think of taking.

It doesn’t blink when it comes to tackling complex themes related to lesbian romance, and given the time it released, it is a commendable feat. But then, it too falls in the same genre of the tragic and dark yuri manga, which were all to common in the 70s and 80s

Still, you can say that Shiroi Heya no Futari was a blueprint for all the shoujo and yuri-relationship themes that would dominate the Japanese media for some time to come.

Set in an all-girls Catholic boarding school in France, the story revolves around Resine, a gentle and sensitive girl, and Simone, a rebellious and outspoken student, who are roommates. Their contrasting personalities (told ya) initially clash, but they are soon cast as the leads in a Romeo-Juliet play at the school.

Resine finds solace in Simone’s strength and independence, while Simone is drawn to Resine’s kindness and vulnerability. Their connection deepens, blossoming into a love, (quickly that too, within mere pages) that transcends societal norms and challenges their understanding of themselves.

The story is tragic. Period. The Romeo and Juliet play should have given you enough hints.

In the span of 4 chapters, everything happens at breakneck speed. But, despite the pain it offers, the manga makes for a pretty good read, and is a nice title to have in your yuri collection!

3. Rows of cherry trees

Author: Makoto Takahashi
Status: Finished

Rows of Cherry trees yuri subtext manga

If Shiroi Heya no Futari was the first ever lesbian manga to be published (still contested by some), then Rows Of Cherry Trees was its precursor. While it doesn’t feature outright girls love, it does have some very heavy subtext.

Released in 1957, the manga follows two high-school girls, Nakahara Yukiko and Maki Chikage, who are part of the table tennis club. The two close ahem friends take part in a competition, and Yukiko is left wondering if she let Chikage win because of her closeness to her.

The manga’s art style, with printed color ink, reflects the time it is from (it reminded be of Dororo to be honest). It might captivate some of you, or it might put you off. It’s really upto personal preference here I feel.

The story itself is not too deep. But even with the simple premise, it will still manage to touch your heart, thanks to the warm connection between the characters.

Also, the manga’s only four chapters long, however, there are enough love motifs in there to last an entire full fledged volume. Do read this and let me know what you felt. Sailing the seas might be one way to check it out.

So that’s it from me for now. If you have any other yuri manga which you want me to check out and add in the list, do let me know in the comments below!!

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