Yuri Manga Batch Review #1

This is going to be a new (irregular) feature, I think. I’ve been drinking and this post seemed like a good idea. In short, I’m going to write short reviews about various yuri manga every so often. I can’t promise that each yuri manga is cuddly and heartwarming. We sometimes need the bitter stuff to appreciate the fluff.

Series: Gamma
Chapters: 20

Before Boku No Hero Academia (and after One-Punch Man), there was a superhero manga known as Gamma. The premises is that Earth was visited by friendly aliens, who were being chased by hostile aliens. Humanity was the one who emerged victorious from the resulting battle, but a huge amount of alien energy was released into the planet as a result. In order to battle the supervillians and animals-which-turned-into-giant-monsters, the Earth Defense Force was formed. The main characters are two sisters, Miyuki and Yuri, who not only work as EDF counselors in order to help superheroes with psychological issues but also provide EDF personnel battle assistance.

If I was to summarize this manga with two words, I would say “homage” and “parody.” The author is a huge fan of Western superheroes, so homages and parodies are very abundant. However, I want to clarify that he’s not ripping off the Avengers or Spiderman. The references are intentionally obvious and are suppose to make you laugh out of recognition or realization. Every chapter is quite long (around 40-50 pages on average).

The yuri starts relatively light early on, but it grows as the series progresses. By volume 5, the yuri content reaches NSFW levels! Fanservice remains high throughout the entire series, however.

I really recommend this series if you’re a fan of Western superheroes.

Series: Cider to Nakimushi
Chapters: 7

A collection of short doujin stories by Canno. There are 3 separate stories spread across 7 chapters and each (potential) yuri couple have unique dynamics. I recommend this collection if you’re into open-ended stories and childhood friend relationships.

Series: Philosophia
Chapters: 6

A girl-meets-girl story involving a student, who’s tired of being lusted after, and her senpai, a frivolous woman who’s trying to find herself. Unlike the previous entries, this manga is about college students rather than high-school students.

The development between the pair stays slow until the latter half where things take a darker turn. The ending is bittersweet yet feels like a cop-out. Recommend for those who’s in the mood for a melancholic story.