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Yuri / Shoujo Ai Recommendation Thread.


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Lili-Hime



Joined: 05 Jun 2014
Posts: 569
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 12:44 am Reply with quote
This is an alphabetical list of the shows that have been mentioned in this thread.

Each title is linked to its encyclopedia page.
The numbers after the titles are links to the posts in this thread that recommend the titles.

The index:
Blue Drop 1
Destiny of the Shrine Maiden 1
From the New World 1 2
Kasimasi - Girl Meets Girl 1
Maria Watches over Us 1
My-HiME 1
My-Otome 1
Revolutionary Girl Utena
RIN:Daughters of Mnemsoyne 1
Sabagebu! ;Survival Game Club! 1
Sakura Trick 1
Sasameki Koto 1 2
Simoun 1
Steel Angel Kurumi 2 1
Strawberry Panic
Sweet Blue Flowers
Venus Versus Virus 1
Yamibo - Darkness, the Hat, and the Travelers of the Books
Yuki Yuna is a Hero 1 2

[Edit]: list recompiled by Touma; added by Errinundra.


Last edited by Lili-Hime on Fri Jan 22, 2016 6:12 pm; edited 26 times in total
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 2:51 am Reply with quote
^
LOL, you've pretty much recommended every yuri anime ever. Leave some for the rest of us.

You've already mentioned it, but I too recommend Sakura Trick. It's nice to see a teenage couple who are actually serious and clear about their feelings and willing to act on them with some very passionate kissing. Too many romcoms have couples who are supposed to be together but act painfully shy. It's as if even looking each other in the eyes is a daring act, and holding hands is supposed to be the highlight of their romance. Sakura Trick says nah-uh to shrinking violets; if we're going to have a high school romance then we'll turn the hormone level up to eleven. Hell yeah.
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Errinundra
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Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6516
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 4:17 am Reply with quote
Great thread idea, Lili-Hime. Funny you should create it now: my order of Simoun and the Noir bluray arrived from the US last night. I'm chuffed I can mention a yuri title you didn't. I haven't watched Simoun yet but it boasts it's yuri credentials on the cover and on each of the disks. I know Key is quite the fan of it.

I endorse your recommendation of Sasameki Koto: the first episode is rather better than the rest but the female lead is one of my favourite anime characters. It and the manga are a tease, though - the will they/won't they is drawn out as much as possible.
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Night fox



Joined: 01 Oct 2014
Posts: 561
Location: Sweden
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 8:00 am Reply with quote
^ Concerning El Cazador de la Bruja, I'm a little reluctant to call it Yuri or Shoujo ai. I found it was only toward the end of the series that Ellis had matured enough to actually consider her feelings for Nadie to be romantic in nature. For the most part of the show they had more of an adult/child relationship, like an adoption situation of sorts, where Nadie was protecting Ellis who didn't have anyone else to rely on. If you're into that sort of relationship, you could probably read Shoujo ai into it (or at least a onesided Class S crush). To each his own, I guess. I think of it more as a road movie (series in this case) featuring two female leads, who develop a strong friendship over time.
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yuna49



Joined: 27 Aug 2008
Posts: 3804
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 10:12 am Reply with quote
Dormant military android Steel Angel Kurumi is brought back to life whenever she is kissed, and the one who kisses her becomes Kurumi's master. In the first season she is accidentally kissed by a boy, but in Steel Angel Kurumi 2 her new master is the lovely young meganekko cellist Nako https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwE31-rxeUw. Seeing them kiss upsets childhood friend Uruka who is herself in love with Nako.

You might see yuri themes in Najica Blitz Tactics as well. Some of them are stereotypes like the whip-wielding S&M mistress with her army of compliant young women. Najica herself appears rather "butch" and is complimented by a more girly companion. The show is better known for its panty shots. It seems like one goal of the staff was to achieve the highest rate of panty shots per minute of content in all of anime. They may have succeeded. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaGMuxwrTm0&list=PLqLi61mLeiusqT5-Zhn6k-zR0Gv7nvKHR&index=3


Last edited by yuna49 on Wed Sep 07, 2016 8:01 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Touma



Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 2651
Location: Colorado, USA
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 10:37 am Reply with quote
@Lili-Hime

This is a good list.
There are some shows on it that I have not seen, and others that I watched a long time ago and should visit again.
Thank you for bringing those to my attention.

I would like to see more of a distinction between shoujo ai and yuri. To me the difference is that a yuri relationship is sexual and a shoujo ai relationship is platonic. Unfortunately it can be difficult, or even impossible, to make the distinction in some shows.
I think that some creators like to keep the relationship ambiguous so that we can use our imaginations and decide for ourselves if the relationship is really yuri.
Judging from context I am guessing that "class S" is another way of saying shoujo ai. Is that correct?

I would call Maria Watches over Us shoujo ai, and definitely not yuri. I have my doubts about there being even one regular yuri couple, but Marimite is one of the shows that I need to watch again, soon.

And I would not have Cardcaptor Sakura on the list at all.
Even in the manga the shoujo ai was mostly just implied, and the anime reduced it to just a slight hint of a possibility.
I think that anybody who watches CCS for the shoujo ai will be disappointed. Of course there are many other reasons for watching it. CCS was the first anime that I fell in love with, and it is still one of my favorites.

But those are relatively minor differences of opinion.
As I said, this is a good thread.
Thanks again.

Kasimasi - Girl Meets Girl can be added to the list.
It has a shoujo ai love triangle.

Also, there are some shows that are not shoujo ai but do have a notable shoujo ai couple.
But I am not going to say any more about that because it might divert the thread and take it in a direction that you do not want.
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yuna49



Joined: 27 Aug 2008
Posts: 3804
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 10:56 am Reply with quote
Touma wrote:
I would like to see more of a distinction between shoujo ai and yuri. To me the difference is that a yuri relationship is sexual and a shoujo ai relationship is platonic.... Judging from context I am guessing that "class S" is another way of saying shoujo ai. Is that correct?

Read the Wikipedia article on class S for starters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_S_%28genre%29

There it is claimed about class-S relationships that, "This type of romance was typically seen as fleeting and more of a phase in growing up rather than true homosexual behavior; as long as these relationships remained confined to adolescence they were regarded as normal, even spiritual. These relationships were common."

I've always seen class-S as platonic, while shoujo ai to me has at least some implication of sexual longing. I thought the distinction between that and yuri had more to do with the age of the characters and readers, rather like the distinction between shoujo and josei. Like you, though, I have a hard time telling the difference between class-S and shoujo-ai themes in practice. The relationship between the girls in the much-discussed episode eight of Hibike! Euphonium is a good recent example, as is the relationship depicted in the opening episode of Mouryou no Hako. Both of those I see as class-S. Uruka's feelings for Nako in Kurumi 2 seem to me to fall more on the shoujo-ai side of the ledger.
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Touma



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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 11:21 am Reply with quote
^
Thank you, yuna49.
But after reading that I would prefer to avoid "class S" and stay with "shoujo ai" and "yuri".
But as far as I am concerned Lili-Hime gets to make that call.
This is her (I assume) thread and I will try to use whatever terminology she decides is appropriate to keep the discussion coherent.
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Lili-Hime



Joined: 05 Jun 2014
Posts: 569
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 3:08 pm Reply with quote
Touma wrote:
^
Thank you, yuna49.
But after reading that I would prefer to avoid "class S" and stay with "shoujo ai" and "yuri".
But as far as I am concerned Lili-Hime gets to make that call.
This is her (I assume) thread and I will try to use whatever terminology she decides is appropriate to keep the discussion coherent.


Thank you! Smile Wow I never expected so many other posts in here! I just made this thread because a mod pointed out one didn't exist and I thought hey I've seen tons of yuri and would like to see more^^ Yeah, Class S is a term not used a lot so... I may use that term to describe a show but I wouldn't want to make a category for it.

As far as I know, the whole yuri / shoujo ai dichotomy is a western thing. In Japan, they use use yuri for every female/female romance. Source. However for the purposes of this thread I could group things into yuri for canon, obvious romance... and shoujo ai for more of the 'romantic friendship', Class S type works? Maybe this would help for people that pointed out that series like Card Captor Sakura or El Cazador de la Bruja are very light on the yuri. I'll probably take Card Captor Sakura out. And Maria sama would for sure go into the 'shoujo ai' category. So is it ok if I add people's recommendations to the list and reference the poster who recommended it?

Touma wrote:

Kasimasi - Girl Meets Girl can be added to the list.
It has a shoujo ai love triangle.

Thank you! I will add this and be sure to watch it! Smile Also thanks for the nice comments on my list!

Touma wrote:

Also, there are some shows that are not shoujo ai but do have a notable shoujo ai couple.
But I am not going to say any more about that because it might divert the thread and take it in a direction that you do not want.

We could add these! I'm hesitant too though. There's some couple that get a lot of focus (like in Sailor Moon or Psycho Pass). But then others like in Attack on Titan where it's a passing mention. Things might get unruly Anime hyper

yuna49 wrote:
Dormant military android Steel Angel Kurumi is brought back to life whenever she is kissed, and the one who kisses her becomes Kurumi's master. In the first season she is accidentally kissed by a boy, but in Steel Angel Kurumi 2 her new master is the lovely young meganekko cellist Nako

Adding to the list, thank you! Smile I actually saw the first episode of this because my girlfriend recommended it. I should go back and finish it it was cute and fun.

yuna49 wrote:

You might see yuri themes in Najica Blitz Tactics as well. Some of them are stereotypes like the whip-wielding S&M mistress with her army of compliant young women. t seems like one goal of the staff was to achieve the highest rate of panty shots per minute of content in all of anime.

Is there any f/f couples or romance of any kind? I'm hesitant on series where it's only used exclusively for fan service. I mean, girls grabbing each other's boobs in the bath doesn't make it a yuri anime for example (and there's a loooot of anime with that in it).

errinundra wrote:
Great thread idea, Lili-Hime. Funny you should create it now: my order of Simoun and the Noir bluray arrived from the US last night.


Yay! I've never seen Simoun! I've vaguely heard of it though. Let us know how you like it! Very Happy Anyone else watched Simoun and can comment on it?

Also thanks for your comment on Sasameki Koto. I totally agree the first few episodes are the best, and it does feel stretched (esp. in the manga). I just wanna shake Ushio and be like 'there's a hot tall girl into you! wake up!' lol Maybe its just me and what I'm attracted to, but if I were in her shoes I woulda gone for Sumika in a heartbeat.


Thanks for all the recommendations!! Keep them coming! Smile Also I'm realizing that the mid to late 2000s were kind of a yuri Renaissance lol.
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Touma



Joined: 29 Aug 2007
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 3:39 pm Reply with quote
Lili-Hime wrote:
... for the purposes of this thread I could group things into yuri for canon, obvious romance... and shoujo ai for more of the 'romantic friendship'...

That would work for me.
What I would mostly like is consistency in the way the terms are used in the thread.

Quote:
I'll probably take Card Captor Sakura out. And Maria sama would for sure go into the 'shoujo ai' category.

That seems right to me.

Quote:
So is it ok if I add people's recommendations to the list and reference the poster who recommended it?

It is definitely OK with me.
Thank you.
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Calathan
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Joined: 27 Aug 2005
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 5:38 pm Reply with quote
Lili-Hime wrote:
Anyone else watched Simoun and can comment on it?


I watched Simoun, though personally I was a little disappointed with it. The show is very atmospheric and I liked the way it looked, but I was disappointed in the plot. The show is mostly set during a war, and also involves a significant amount of mystery about how the technology they are using works, the religion their country follows, and even about the very nature of their world. Yet none of that really felt like the focus to me, with the characters' relationships being the focus. I felt like each aspect drew too much attention from the other, and left me wondering what the intended affect was. It is definitely a yuri/shojou ai show, and I think anyone watching it for that aspect will be satisfied with that aspect (albeit possibly confused about what happened). One last thing I want to mention is that personally I really liked the hand-drawn backgrounds that looked like concept art . . . Key repeatedly said he didn't like them in his reviews, so I just wanted to mention that I disagreed.

A show that hasn't been mentioned yet that I liked a lot is Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito. It has been about 10 years since I watched it, so I'm not sure I remember all the details about it. Basically, there is a character who travels between worlds, and the main characters also travel between worlds looking for that character. I'm kind of hesitant to give details because I don't really remember which details are spoilers. It is definitely a yuri show, and also has an incest aspect to it, since one character is in love with someone she considers her sister, and another is in love with her actual sister.
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hyojodoji



Joined: 08 Jan 2010
Posts: 583
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 6:10 pm Reply with quote
Touma wrote:
...stay with "shoujo ai" and "yuri".

Actually, in Japan, the term '少女愛 shōjo-ai' does not necessarily mean (a kind of) lesbianism.
In Japan, 'shōjo-ai' just means a girl's being loved by her senior, and her senior is not necessarily a woman.
Probably some anime/manga fans in the West who had a smattering of Japanese thought something like 'When a man loves a boy, the term applied to it seems to be "shōnen-ai". So, when a woman/girl loves a girl, I guess the term is "shōjo-ai".' in the early days of anime/manga fan activities in the West and the misunderstanding spread.
I don't necessarily speak ill of the 'misuse', though. Just for your information.
 
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Lili-Hime



Joined: 05 Jun 2014
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 6:46 pm Reply with quote
hyojodoji wrote:
Probably some anime/manga fans in the West who had a smattering of Japanese thought something like 'When a man loves a boy, the term applied to it seems to be "shōnen-ai". So, when a woman/girl loves a girl, I guess the term is "shōjo-ai".


This is pretty much it I believe. People reversed the shounen ai terminology but the japanese don't use the terms in the same way. It'd be like making a female equivalent of bara; it doesn't really apply. BUT for purposes of this thread I'm going with the following defintions.

Shoujo Ai: Romantic friendship between two females. Any implication of actual homosexuality is vague at best. 'Class S' type relationships would fit into this catergory.

Yuri: Romantic relationship between two females. Sexuality is either outright depicted or implied heavily.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Calathan wrote:
A show that hasn't been mentioned yet that I liked a lot is Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito.


Ooooo I forgot I watched the first few episodes of this! I will add with your reccomendation! Thank you! Smile

EDIT- OK I listed everyone's reccomendations AND I linked all the series to their encyclopedia pages... whew X_X


{Merged serial postings. ~nobahn}
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Calathan
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 8:11 pm Reply with quote
About Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito, you listed it as "unlicensed", but it was licensed by Media Blasters. However, it looks like they canceled their scheduled release of it and haven't yet announced a new release of it. I couldn't find anything that actually said they no longer have the license, so I would assume it is still licensed but just hasn't been released yet. It is possible they will still release it at some point, or possible it just won't ever get released by them.
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Touma



Joined: 29 Aug 2007
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 10:25 pm Reply with quote
Lili-Hime wrote:
OK I listed everyone's reccomendations AND I linked all the series to their encyclopedia pages... whew X_X

Well done.
Thank you.
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