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This is arguably one of the best yuri fluff works you could ever read. This fluffiness creates a tingling, bubbling sensation somewhere in your heart. And it's not boring or repetitive by any stretch.

I could call it a series of one-shots set in a shared universe, but basically, the entire first volume is a set of several stories segueing into the next one. They all are about happy yuri marriages, obviously set in an alternative Japan where same-sex marriages are legal. The second volume continues the storylines that started in the first one and adds a few new characters.

The timeline is a little messed up, ... though, but if you don't care about minor details, it shouldn't bother you. As I was reading this, a silly and happy smile almost never left my face. So, if you enjoy yuri fluff, don't miss out on this one. It's a true gem.

I'm really amazed that nobody has written a review for this one so far. I'll do the honors, then.

Many people avoid anthologies because they don't like getting invested in a 20-or-so-page-long story. I used to be one of them until I read this one nearly 10 years ago.

Here's a little disclosure. Unlike serialized manga, anthologies are basically editor-led projects. It is the editor's duty to come up with the overarching theme, select authors for this theme, supervise their works so that they would fit in, and generally make sure that the entire anthology gives off a certain feel. Which, again, is decided by the ... editor. In other words, an editor here is the producer. The head coach. Someone who calls the shots. An anthology is the only way for a manga editor to truly shine.

I say this because I'm an editor myself and I know how this thing works.

And, as an editor, I have to say that this series of anthologies is absolutely brilliant. I don't know the name of the editor who supervised this, but that person is a genius. Bringing together several stellar authors, making sure that the entire feel of the anthology remains consistent, and, eventually, presenting a collection of amazing short stories depicting different genres, but still undeniably high-level yuri, is a feat worth praising throughout centuries.

If you're into yuri but never tried anthologies, this is a great place to start. If you're into yuri and tried anthologies, this is a brilliant collection, I assure you.

If you're not into yuri, well, maybe you went into the wrong corner of the internet. Sorry.

The hype preceding this anime was totally poised to oversell the whole thing, and, as it seems, it did. From what it seems, people tended to expect an explosion of postmodernist insanity. What they (well, we) got was something completely different. It's not bad. It's just something else.

In my eyes, there are several anime that are blindingly beautiful in their postmodernism, albeit for different reasons. Those would be Nichijou (which actually features a deer), Wasteful Days of High School Girls, Sabage-bu, and Asobi Asobase. And the hype surrounding this anime even before its release obviously led some people to believe that it would join their ... flock.

From the looks of it, it didn't. And get me right, it is not bad by any stretch. This anime is quite funny, nice, and kind-heartedly silly. The postmodernism and lots of easter eggs and anime references are all there. There is not a single reason to drop it.

But does it reach the stellar heights of exquisite, exuberant postmodernist absurdity like Asobi Asobase or Nichijou? I'm afraid not. So, actually enjoying Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan requires you to abandon those expectations and just go with the flow. This way, it's quite funny. The thing is that it's just not funny enough. Not even remotely on par with Nichijou, Wasteful Days, Sabage-bu, and Asobi Asobase.

It is a hauntingly beautiful and honest work. Unlike the prevailing majority of yuri stories, this one deals with women who are, let's say, in their golden years. The protagonist has just lost her husband and seeks some new things to fill her life with (simultaneously realizing how empty and bereft of self-care it had been before). But instead, she finds a new love in a cosmetics store.

Telling a story like that is no easy task since it involves more than just truthfully depicting a budding romance between two old ladies. It also has to explain their background and how they see the modern world, ... having been raised in a completely different environment, of which this manga is quite critical. But the author does an incredible job at that. Very respectful and honest, as I've already said.

I've read only the first volume so far, but I can't see how a story written with so much care and attention to detail could go wrong. Totally recommended.

This manga's protagonist is your friendly neighborhood yandere, stalking her crush, constantly cutting her own hand, and dreaming of the day when she'll finally be noticed. She desperately clings to the past that matters almost nothing to the object of her adoration. That's mostly because her crush is a very oblivious and somewhat ditzy girl who fails to notice not only the protag but also a whole web of craziness slowly surrounding her.

Saji-chan no Yami Nikki is written in a very quirky style. It combines comedic bits with an increasingly dark exploration of insanity, abandonment, and conscience. The comedic bits are usually drawn as ... a 4-koma, while more dramatic parts follow the regular manga format. This may seem confusing to some readers, but I personally think this continuous switching between comedy and seriousness indicates the growing mental instability of the manga's main character. I also think it's quite a witty way of representing the onset and development of madness.

Ah, and the ending is absolutely brilliant. So, if you enjoy dark, toxic, and slightly confusing stories with lots of a tad goofy grim humor, this manga is right after your heart.

Alright, it's only a preliminary review, but I seriously recommend this manga, especially if you're into yuri comedy. It is so funny that it made me actually laugh out loud a few times, which is something insanely rare for me. Then again, my monty-python-fed sense of humor and strong affinity for postmodernism may have played a role in it.

Anyway, on the surface, it's more or less like this. The protagonist is so madly in love with a comically serious girl she can't even speak in her presence, instead reverting to endless drooling, performing high-level acrobatics, and gods know what else. The comically serious girl takes ... it, as expected, too seriously for her own good and makes a completely ungrounded conclusion that the protag is a desperate junkie. A situation comedy with this amazing Japanese flavor of absurdity and insanity follows.

There is some intangible resemblance between this manga's style and the style of jokes you get in an anime like Sabage-bu. The protagonist's completely deranged antics and the absurd situation comedy they generate can potentially lead to this manga becoming GL comedy gold.

So, preliminarily, it's very good, but we shall see. Gods, I hope it doesn't derail.

This is a beautiful love story. It can probably scare some people away due to its focus on bugs, but in the end, it doesn't matter that much. It has a touch of magical realism, which adds a lot of depth to the entire plot. Additionally, it resonates deeply in the heart of every lesbian who craves rustic happiness with her loved one amid fields and vegetables (which, I admit, I'm totally guilty of).

I can hardly say that this manga is a masterpiece. Nor would I recommend it as the first yuri manga to anyone looking to read something in this genre. But I ... sincerely loved it, and I recommend it to any yuri fan who's into rustic simplicity, magical realism, and, of course, not afraid of several sad episodes along the way.

Personally, I think this work is an absolute masterpiece. I haven't given 10 even to works by my most favorite mangakas very often, but this time, I did. That said, I understand perfectly clear if many people would find this manga weird. This, however, won't ever make me change my mind. And I'll try to explain why.

If you read only the first volume, you will easily wonder, how come this silly thing could make anyone give it a ten. It does look stupid, indeed. A blonde woman and a dark-haired woman, both career-obsessed bastards beyond redemption, resolve their disputes by fighting and having sex at ... the same time. It looks like a manga specifically catering to the needs of people who have a fetish for catfights.

Over the course of just three volumes, this stupid premise evolves into a Dostoevsky-like tragic story of life choices, living with the darkness in your soul, and redemption through love. The actual struggle isn't between those women. The actual struggle happens in their hearts, torn between very strong urges, each with its own merits and demerits. And the choices they make are very different, even if the fight within them is very much similar.

Sal Jiang is known for her penchant for office settings, and this work in particular is in line with that. But, after all, it's nothing but a setting. I guess, showing this kind of story in a ruthless corporate environment is a wise choice. It brings to surface lots of subtle notions that would have been buried in non-professional realms.

In the end, I certainly don't have a slightest intention of spoiling you the fun. But this whole thing isn't just yuri. It's an ages-old concept of a struggle between good and evil told through a very intriguing yuri setting. I have rarely seen works in this genre as thought-out as this one.

The subject matter may be quite old and banal, indeed. But that's just one way of looking at it. The other way of looking at it is that, for the humankind, it is eternal and timeless. And in that sense, this manga gives a lot of food for thought.

Totally recommended, after all. But it still may seem weird. I loved it, though.

I loved Himawari-san.

It's not your typical GL. In fact, very little happens on the surface when it comes to GL. The story is told through slight movements, subtle hints, metaphors, flashbacks, and meaningful stares. It's like everybody understands everything, but they never say it.

You have probably heard that, in Japan, the phrase meaning "The moon is beautiful tonight" is a subtle way of confessing your love. Well, this double-layered, simply phrased, and profoundly meaningful narrative is what you should expect from this wonderful manga. It is absolutely brilliant. Poignantly beautiful. With its aching exuberance of veiled innuendos and barely concealed vulnerability, this whole story is ... a masterpiece where you get almost no action. It's not a CGDCT; it barely counts as a slice of life, although it bears traces of both. Moreover, arguably as a reward for being so invested, you even get the actual phrase about the moon at a certain point.

In the end, it is a very poetic and deliberately understated love story in which you hardly see any literal, obvious love. It is very gentle, kind, and slightly sad. There is an abundance of love under the surface, though. It is truly beautiful. But it's like a haiku stretched across 13 volumes. Minimalistic and painfully profound. Unless you are ready to read this mass of meanings between the lines, it would hardly impress you. Of course, it's alright if you aren't. I write this just to let you know what to expect from this manga, after all.

I can't recommend it enough. But, I understand it, not everyone is after things like that. If you're looking for a more "traditional" yuri with emotional struggle and self-doubt, this isn't what you're looking for. But if you are looking for an extended ode to love that retains the minimalistic essence of concise Japanese poetry, that's your best shot.

Okay, the only reason I decided to read this was the author. Ajichi is basically one of the yuri goddesses of our time. Her official works and doujinshi border on the divine. "Failed Princesses" is only a feeble reminder of this person's genius. I'm not very sure if I'm correct, but this one is either one of the first ones she has released officially or even the first one.

Either way, I believe this entire manga can be easily misread by a newcomer, but for someone well-versed in the world of GL and BL, this would be an insanely funny read—like, really funny. The author, very ... poignantly and wittily, makes fun of disintegrating the foundations of plot-building in both the GL and BL genres. This manga's premise is only an excuse to actually dissect those genres in a very, very entertaining way.

I admit I'm not a very big expert on BL, but I'm an avid fan of GL, and I can certify that all the commentary you get here is very, very much on point. My own acquaintance with BL also proves that what you see here is seriously good.

At the end of the day, I don't think that this work could speak to someone who isn't invested in GL or BL, but if you are invested in either of those genres, it is a must-read. It's funny, witty, poignantly correct, and, after all, a good laugh. Ajichi's signature meta-humor gets center stage here, which is very rare compared to her other works. You can get only a few specks of it in Failed Princesses or Dear My Teacher, but here, it undeniably shines. Her wit is so inspiring and enticing that you just can't decide if you should laugh or cry.

So, the bottom line is: if you're not into GL or BL, you can easily skip this, but I guess, with that premise, you won't be interested in reading something with such a title in the first place. If you like either or both, it is indeed a must-read. I say this as someone who has read over a thousand of yuri works. It totally deserves your attention if you're as deranged as yours truly.