#SHWD

[ladyloveandjustice]

Yuri Manga for New (AND Not-So-New) Readers

I was talking on discord about some good yuri for beginners, and figured I'd repost here.

I get way more detailed some of these recommendations in this post, and there's great recs from another person too! Check it out!

I'm doing this accounting to various tones and tastes, so what works as a beginner yuri for one person might not for another, just read the info to figure out what your jam is.

I'll put a star by the ones about adults (which is the majority of them) since I've found that's always something people want.

Goodbye my Rose Garden (Victorian yuri w/ beautiful art, just beautiful all around)*

How Do We Relationship? (messy adult relationships and lots of actually realistic intimacy)*

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat- (A woman loves to cook but doesn’t have a huge appetite, only to find the woman next door to her does! She cooks for her and they really start to bond over food and the trials of being working adults. Yes, this is the one where the woman googles lesbian. It's really good)*

Bloom into You- a common go-to yuri for beginners for a reason, about a girl who believes she can't fall in love meeting a girl who wants to date her specifically BECAUSE she can't fall in love. Find out more about it and hear my thoughts here. It has a gorgeous anime that doesn't cover the complete story.

Doughnuts Under the Crescent Moon (sweet office lady romance, ace rep) *

Catch These Hands! (These two women were delinquents and rivals in high school, they meet up again, one reveals she was always into the other, she challenges her to a fight on the condition that if the other woman loses she'll date her. Lots of slapsticky fun and great for any lover of girl delinquents)*

Run away with me, Girl (there's some abuse shown in this one, but it's a story about healing, the premise is these girls dated in high school, but one of the pressured herself "normal" and marry a man, that man turns out to be abusive, so when the former lovers reunite, they decide to run away together. It's got beautiful art and a well done story)*

The Moon on a Rainy Night (absolutely spectacular, explores the relationship between a hard of hearing girl and her closeted classmate, the characters are complex and the writing is so good!)

Kase-san And...- Starting with Kase-san and the Morning Glories, this is a very fluffy and sweet high school romance. It also has a short movie. (as the manga goes on they become college students, too)

The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This (slice of life about a voice actress and anime screenwriter who live together as a couple. Unfortunately the ending is a bit abrupt (and likely premature) but I love their relationship)*

My fave Otherside Picnic is great for scifi and (mild) horror lovers. It's Scifi creepypasta adventure yuri. It's a slow burn but does truly spectacularly deliver on the gay. Has an anime, it's not great, you should start with the novels. Wrote an article here. https://www.animefeminist.com/how-otherside-picnic-masterfully-uses-horror-to-explore-abuse-and-show-healing-queer-love/ *(v young adults, college students)

The Guy She was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All: (A web manga about a girl who works at a record shop. Her classmate , Aya, wanders in but doesn't recognize her because she has her hair hidden with a hat and is wearing a face mask, and Aya assumes she's a guy. They bond over music and slowly start to get closer...and Aya's finds her heart is fluttering not only over this mysterious boy, but her female classmate that seems a lot like him...) It's got a physical release too!

This Monster Wants to Eat Me: (A depressed girl who's been searching for death gets approached by a mermaid who wants to eat her...but the thing is, our monster mermaid is a gourmet who wants her to be as delicious as possible, which means she's going to make her happy first (as apparently that enhances her flavor), and fight off all the other monsters who want to kill her. This is TOP TIER yuri horror and a must read for any lover of monster girls, especially monster girls drenched in the blood of their enemies, it's so good)

I Married my Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up (girl and her friend get married simply so her parents will stop bugging her about being single. You can probably guess where it goes from there) *

I Married my Female Friend (similar premise, except no parents involved, it's a platonic marriage they both agreed to with the promise they'll divorce if one of them falls in love. But one woman has decidedly not platonic feeling for the other that she's hiding from her, so things start turning a bit romantic...the ending is a little rushed but good)*

Whisper Me a Love Song: (A girl named Himari sees her upperclassman, Yori, perform with her band and falls in love with her music. She confesses her love of Yori's music, and Yori mistakes it as Himari confessing to being in love with her. Yori falls head over heels at first sight. (if you don't like miscommunication, dw this is cleared up fairly quickly and new drama ensues) Has an anime covering early material)

Monthly in the Garden with my Landlord* (it didn't really hit with me but I might give it a shot again, it's solid despite the terrible title, a woman moves into a house and finds she'll be cohabitating with an idol) (Some more titles I haven't fully read that could appeal: Still Sick*, Cheerful Amnesia*)

Hana and Hina After School: (a cute three volume about a gyaru and shy girl working together at a shop after school and catching feelings)

After Hours: (A cool punk girl meets a girl who's been abandoned by her friend at the club, and she introduces her to the world of DJ'ing...and romance!)*

My Cute Little Kitten (two roommates adopt a cat...and maybe fall in love?)*

I think all of those work as solid intro- though it does depend on what flavor you're looking for!

This article also covers some of these recs and some manga I didn't mention due to not having completely read it. so check it out: The Beginners Guide to Yuri Manga.

Here's some titles to try when you're a little more familiar with yuri (or you can try them now! I'm not your boss!)

SHWD (action yuri that's taking forever to come out over here physically, featuring extremely muscular women fighting monsters. I think it was forced to end prematurely too)*

Kiss and White Lily for my Dearest Girl: (The main storyline is about two academic rivals, where one is determined to rank first in class, and the other is an effortless genius who becomes intrigued at the possibility of someone beating her. Honestly they have the kind of messy combative sexual tension I wish we'd see more often in yuri because it's so good. The story follows other couples too. However, big warning for some nonconsensual kisses in early volumes, and a storyline in volume 7 that has implied incest and an age gap, though the older sister doesn't go through with it onscreen).

Sweet Blue Flowers/Aoi Hana- (This one is a little bit dated, and boy is the ending weirdly paced, but a lot still holds up imo. A painful and sweet coming of age tale, it also has an anime that's good but ends too soon.

One teenage characters backstory involves some very heartbreaking statutory rape/csa that's also incestuous (older cousin). The perpetrator is extremely manipulative and she even pulls the "oh no did I turn you gay? thing" but it's definitely framed as a bad thing.)

The Summer You Were There: (For tragic and doomed yuri lovers. A deeply depressed girl starts her journey to healing thanks to a girl who courts her and enjoys her writing. Unfortunately, said girl is terminally ill. The manga is a heart wrenching meditation on grief, redemption, and how being sick doesn't mean you can't still be loved).

Yuri is My Job- a story about messy lesbians in a yuri-themed cafe, and how their real relationships differ from the personas they put on. Read more about it here. Big warning for sexual assault of a minor (by an adult villain) in volume 12. Has an anime covering early material.

[reverendclown]

She uses a battle axe 🫣🫣

(Manga is called SHWD)

[animefeminist]

The joyful affirmation of plus-sized leads in yuri

Content Warnings: Discussions of fatphobia and sizeism in media (not directly present in the manga discussed, but rather in general pop culture), sexism, and queerphobia.

Spoilers for the second volume of She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat

Character designs are one of the most crucial elements in a visual medium, as choices in clothing and hairstyle can be subtle references to cultural expectations and understandings. Body type is one of these indicators, as many protagonists are portrayed with idealized bodies, while antagonists are given “undesirable” bodies. This commonly results in unconscious examples of harmful stereotypical beliefs rooted in ableism, racism, cissexism, sizeism and/or fatphobia.  

Fatness, in particular, is commonly used as a shorthand visual cue for a character who has an abhorrent and insatiable appetite whether it be for food, power, sex, or some combination therein. Even secondary characters on the side of the hero(ine)s are not immune to this harsh perception, as their fatness typically makes them the butt of the joke to both the other characters and their creators. In this context, fatness is often something associated with clumsiness and incompetence in comparison to the rest of their group, and these characters can only be worthy of respect after they shed some pounds.  

Finding positive examples of representation within any genre is generally frustrating for many plus-sized readers and viewers, but the romance genre is perhaps one of the most disheartening as we typically are not present at all. This harkens back to common perception in various cultural contexts that larger, fatter, bodies are synonymous with being unattractive and undesirable, alongside other negative connotations. 

Mainstream manga with romance (sub)plots are no exception to this, with very few stories positively portraying a fat protagonist in the leading role. This is part of why seeing two recent yuriseries with plus-sized women in the leading roles was such an unexpected, long-overdue joy. These series are the action-packed, sci-fi-horror-romance SHWD by sono.N and the sweet, grounded, and unquestionably queer positive slice-of-life She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat by Yuzaki Sakaomi. In a media landscape where there are seldom women who have a body type like mine, seeing two very different series, in terms of genre and presentation, showcase plus-sized sapphic women as people worthy of respect and desire, was so impactful for me.

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[uh-mozzaza]

she put her best clothes on CAUSE IT'S A DATE YOU USELESS LESBIAN

[yuripoll]

CHAMPIONS BRACKET ROUND 2: D2

Kase-san and... is about the blossoming romance between a track star and a girl in the gardening club. SHWD follows the ripped women working in an organisation that destroys monstrous bioweapons.

[girlkisser3003]

[hugewomanpoll]

Contestant List

Scorpia (she ra and the princesses of power)

marisa (street fighter)

Kilen (pokemon XD gale of darkness)

Big Mama (rise of the tmnt)

Milly Thompson (trigun)

Koga (special hazardous waste disposal)

Brienne of Tarth (game of thrones)

Lady Dimetriscu (resident evil)

Pickman (friends at the table)

Mothra (kaijuverse)

Opal (steven universe)

Adora/She Ra (she ra and the princesses of power)

Bismuth (steven universe)

Giganta (DC comics)

She-Hulk (marvel comics)

Luisa Madrigal (encanto)

Noi (dorohedoro)

Glad0s (portal)

Urbosa (LoZ: breath of the wild)

Zarya (overwatch)

Granmamere (ponyo)

Jodariel (pyre)

Ambessa Medarda (arcane)

Rose Quartz (steven universe)

Jasper (steven universe)

Sybil Ramkin (discworld)

Cathleen Bate (my hero academia)

Susan Strong (adventure time)

Ursula (the little mermaid)

Huntara (she ra and the princesses of power)

Great Fairies (LoZ)

Sakura Ogami (danganronpa)

I will try to use as much official art as possible, however, some characters have no official depictions or are just hard to get screenshots of. Fan Artists, if you want to submit art to be used, message me. I will be a little choosy just so that art influences voting as organically as possible, and of course if your art is used you will be credited. The characters in need of art are:

Pickman Kilen Koga Sybil Ramkin Cathleen Bate Marisa

[engshoujosei]

SHWD

1 volume in English as of 4/18/2023. Ongoing.

Licensed by Seven Seas

A hardboiled yuri tale about two special agent women fighting supernatural horrors! Special Hazardous Waste Disposal (or SHWD) has a mission to destroy mysterious biological weapons left behind after the last war. Though SHWD mostly hires men, their newest recruit, Koga, a buff female operative, is assigned to Sawada, the only other woman in the Tokyo branch. Before long, Koga finds herself falling for Sawada, whose powerful psyche compliments Koga’s big muscles. Together, the unlikely duo must confront monsters beyond their wildest nightmares. Office romance meets buddy cops meets yuri horror!  

Status in Country of Origin

2 Volume (Ongoing)

Tags:

Fight/s

LGBT Themes

Muscular Female/s

Office Love

Office Worker/s

Romantic Subplot

Strong Female Lead

Supernatural Elements

Tragic Past

[peachybeins]

After reading SHWD, I've come to the realisation that the reason I don't give two shits about most yuri is because I hate reading about kids/teens & femmes.

So yeah more of this please.

[mirimangarecs]

SHWD: special hazardous waste disposal - sono.N

women in a private military task force battle psychic horror bioweapons left over from a mysterious war

the couple: muscle woman x even bigger muscle woman. a jaded veteran on the force and an exceptional young newcomer who is pushing herself to the brink for revenge

story & setting: truly bleak tales of suffering as a a result of the bioweapons wreaking havoc on civilian populations. the disposal squad gets moments to bond during the mundanity of office work as well as action packed fight scenes

the art: there’s a disparate mix of cute, charming character design (protagonist is a total sweetheart) and serious, terrifying monster design that are difficult to look at

cw: gore

[rosycheekies]

Shwd by Sono N

[cosmic-aria]

MANGA FOR SALE

My bookshelves are full!

I'm doing a big downsize this month and these are among the casualties, sad to see them go but I need space for incoming books!

There's more than what is shown here as well!

I'm located in Australia so if there's any Aussies out there who need some new books, I have them all listed on my ebay (becca11389).

[nigeriabitcoincommunity]

4 Dirt-Cheap Coins That Will Make You Rich 

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[yuripoll]

CHAMPIONS BRACKET ROUND 1: D2

I Don't Know Which is Love is a harem following a girl going to college with the aim of getting a girlfriend, just to be spoiled for choice. SHWD is about buff women working in an organisation that cleans up (fights) monstrous bioweapons.

[ridley-was-a-cat]

256. SHWD, Vol. 1 - licensed - The dark, menacing action aspect of this workplace yuri series is a little undercooked, but I'm entirely willing to forgive it for the cast of tall, muscular women who are out fighting monsters as a day job. Absolute eye candy for those of us who appreciate a woman with a great smile who looks like she could bench press a Buick.

[ladyloveandjustice]

#tbh I need yuri recs because go knows the ones I'v read were boring as hell because one girl kept going 'what it this feeling ?'#and then saying to the girl they want to be friends forever#meanwhile I'm being queerbaited by sound!euphonium#so yeah give me recs because at that point I'm either bad at finding shit or yuri just aint for me and I need lesbian yaoi instead

I never understand what people mean when they say lesbian yaoi being better, since most BL also starts out with "what is this feeling" "I'm in love with a MAN???" and stuff. But based off guesswork, I'll list some stuff that might interest you.

(If you're reading stuff that ends with "friends forever" that's class S and plenty of yuri is not that. Sound Euphonium is also very much not yuri at all, it was never classified as such in Japan. But I will also never forgive it.)

If my lesbian yaoi you're referring to lots of sex, I've included How do We Relationship in my recs here. There's no what is the feeling phase for them. Akiko Morishima's work also usually has plenty of sex. There's probably a lot more than that but I'm an ace who doesn't really seek out erotica.

If you mean like, really rough sex that's kind of questionable, you might like Black and White: Tough Love at the Office. Too much for me personally, but could float your boat. That post also include SHWD which has lots of buff women and I like it. Unfortunately it did not do well, so only three volumes. Gunjo is a really dark story where a woman with an abusive husband asks her friend who's in love with her to kill him. Definitely grim and gritty.

A Kiss and White Lily from my Dearest Girl also might be your vibe. The mcs are academic rivals and feelings are borne out of that rivalry. Their feelings and approach to each other are volatile (at first, haven't read very far into it) with lots of animosity (on one side) simmering with sexual tension and some moments of questionable consent re: kissing. There's also a side couple who's already together. Very little what is this feeling so far.

Hope that helps. Maybe someday I'll figure out what people want when they ask for lesbian yaoi.

twitter making me want to eat glass

Do ya'll seriously think lesbian stories don't say basic ass things like 'i can't stop thinking about you, i want you." Are you that up your own ass.

Do you think there are not pick up lines in yuri.???do you think they don't have ~poetic lines~ in wlw media???~ that are way better than this shit?

Apparently if some basic ass shonen said stuff like this you'd be acting like it's the height of poetry. Too bad it's actual wlw stories that aren't queerbaiting you. so it will get ignored.