/ fandommusings Today we're talking about anime! Queer anime specifically. Ones I like even more so. Be sure to leave your own suggestions in the comments!
Ok but yes, yes and yes agreed about Citrus. Just make them roommates, coworkers, or ANYTHING BUT ADOPTED SIBLINGS. The gyaru versus perfect student dynamic is enough of a conflict in and of itself. I really think that idea has legs and hope someone makes a spiritual successor without the “not technically incest” layer.
You know, even if they were TECHNICALLY step-sibs, I would have been ok. But Yuzu just KEEPS EMPHASIZING the sibling thing. She even buys an incest yuri manga! Girl, you met her 3 days ago, chiiiiiiill
@@fandommusings5302 A manga called Shinmai Shimai no Futari Gohan basically does Citrus but in a way that isn't awful. It's two step sisters who bond over their love of food and cooking, and while there's nothing explicit between the two of them, every member of the cast is a girl and both the sisters have very close "gal pals" by this point, one of which was initially really upset and afraid that her friend had left her for someone else when they stopped hanging out as much. Downside is there's nothing textually gay just yet, but given that the author is a bi woman who made her name doing cute lesbian porn doujins, I would not be surprised if that changed assuming the editors let that happen. Same author also got to write and draw the first story in the official Bloom Into You manga anthology that came out recently.
@@fandommusings5302 One of the classic types of yuri stories are between siblings and step-siblings. Of course she would buy something like that, because she's seeking for information and something, anything to mirror her own situation to. She seeks representation where she can find it. Schools won't usually help either, as the whole subject is often treated like it didn't exist where it comes to sex ed. At start of the manga, Yuzu doesn't personally know ANYONE who is LGBT as far as we know. Sadly a common occurrence in real life Japan too, as most people stay tightly in their closets and often even deny themselves in order not to stand out too much. Later on she finds that she had a friend (Matsuri) who is, but who had not talked to her about it because she had thought Yuzu was straight. As for Yuzu's situation, it's really not that unusual by itself. There are lot of people whose parents divorce and remarry and their kids fall in love. That is a pretty confusing situation, even if you can square your own attraction as something that is not shameful or completely wrong. Even more so if this is your first love. Wanting to bang someone who was supposed to be your sister or brother, even if you just recently met and are not biologically related in any way, can feel weird. Yuzu is also trying to defend herself by repeating the sister thing. She has a fear that Mei will not accept her, so her feelings are pointless and she's going to get hurt even more if she just lets it happen. Rationalize, suppress and deflect.
I feel the movie Classmates is a good queer anime movie. The two main boys are not only adorable together but it actually deals with the topic of sexuality and coming out
@@fandommusings5302 That is the only downside. I have yet to come across an official stream of it even though Aniplex US holds the license. I can only find the DVD for sale.
It does include an adult teacher trying to seduce a teenage student, but that doesn't actually happen, so it's up to you whether you're bothered by it. The story, romance, and animation are amazing tho
Also, I want to throw a major recommendation for the manga Our Dreams at Dusk! The story is a coming out and coming if age story centered on a queer teenage student who has just moved to town and is afraid he just got outed as gay. As he struggles with the stress of the situation he meets a strange woman who invites him to visit a public lounge where several members of the queer community come, meet up, and relax. It's a stunning manga with outstanding visual metaphors, probably the most breathtaking I've seen in a long time. The story is well executed and highly respectful of the queer community. On top of that the mange has A TON of canon queer characters. They also don't just focus in one aspect of the queer community, but showcase a lot of different aspects from both sexual amd gender identities. On top of that they have a canon Ace character, which is a delightful surprise considering how rare a canon, let alone well done, ace character in Japanese media is. Also, to top it off the manga author is also an out and open member of the queer community! They identify as Ace and also are on the aromatic spectrum. They seem like a really nice and humble person who deeply cares about and tries to incorparate queer themes in their stories. The first offical english volume is gonna come out early May, so please go out and support an amazing queer story written by a pretty cool queer person!
Being a gay man I can wholly agree with how much of a fucking minefield anime is for finding canon rep that isn't fetishy or otherwise gross as hell. I really hope more like No.6 comes out. For promising wlw anime, I'd HIGHLY recommend Carole & Tuesday. So far at the time of writing (ep 8 being the most recent), it has canon lesbian side characters and the promise of there being a main romance subplot between the two female leads; though this is not entirely known at the moment. The only gripe I have with it so far is that the show contains a questionable trans-coded character yet since it's only 8 episodes in this may be improved upon - I don't think it's worth dropping the show over.
I'd rec Princess Jellyfish bc A.) even if none of the above characters are explicitly and canonically queer the themes are very queer-adjacent, b) it's uplifting and inspiring c) my college anime club president said not to rec things like PJ as it was too weird (and turned around and streamed the Walking Dead.) so also reccing as an f that noise.
oh my god i love princess jellyfish. ive never seen the anime because its really hard to find where i live (even on pirating websites) but the manga is so good and super adorable.
I’m currently watching bloom into you and even though I’m only 6 eps in this show means a lot to me. I see a lot of myself in both nanami and yuu and the way the show is presented is delightful. I also haven’t thought of you’d representation as exploration of being demiromantic until you mentioned it. That’s really cool
Thanks for this! I'm a big fan of the manga Shimanami Tasogare myself. It's by an X-gender (non-binary) author, and is about a sort of house of refuge for all kinds of LGBT characters, showing all their progress through life. Its observations about life for its characters is extremely real, and it's just recently been picked up for licensing in English!
I just read the manga a couple weeks ago and God I cried so many times. It was so bittersweet but portrayed their characters' struggles so well and that last chapter was so nice.
What are your thoughts on Given? I thought it was a really good romance story, where the focus was split equally between the romance, and dealing with self expression/grief. It was super wholesome and funny, made me cry, nothing problematic happened, and the music was really good. I haven't watched the movie, but the show was really good, and I'd highly recommend it personally.
The movie follows the manga further. SPOILER It does focus a bit on the other couple which has some problematic aspects but a lot of given focuses on getting past trauma which is does well. It's definitely still good and worth a watch. Ps the manga is further along than the anime so if you like the anime it might be worth a read
Bloom Into You is possibly one of the best anime of the last few years and it being LGBT+ too is just a big plus, and I'd recommend it to any anime fan in general. So I absolutely agree with this!
Of the 5 on the main list, the only two I've seen are Bloom into You and Yuri on Ice, and I completely agree with the placing of Bloom into You at the top of the list. I've largely avoided yuri in the past because most of it feels like a lot of it (or at least of lot of the yuri that gets adapted into anime) is made primarily with a straight male demographic in mind and fetishizes lesbians in ways that makes me uncomfortable, which is why Bloom into You was such a remarkable breath of fresh air. And on a more selfish and personal note, I also loved Bloom into You because it's the only time in any media ever that I've seen asexuality seriously broached. As an ace guy, I kinda just accepted that I'd probably never see that - or at least not for several more years. So to see not one, but arguably 2 characters being ace and have them approach their asexuality in different ways completely blindsided me. It was representation I didn't realize I wanted. Definitely recommend the show, one of my favorite anime I've seen.
I was thinking about this at work yesterday and I realized I had another recommendation- Land of the Lustrous is one of the most interesting depictions of nonbinary characters I've seen from anime. It _is_ evocative of Steven Universe, since the characters are somewhat-feminine genderless gemstone-beings, though their mysterious origin is not quite so simple or foreign. It's also not specifically _about_ being nonbinary, but it is nice to have a beautiful and fantastical show full of badass genderless characters.
I started watching No. 6 bc of this, & without even remembering they were the NB character you mentioned I IMMEDIATELY decided the Dogkeeper was my favorite character from their first appearance - thanku for making me know about this show & character
Regarding Banana Fish, I would add a further disclaimer that sexual assault does not solely exist in the past as a singular event. Rape is a looming threat over much of this series, so much so that I couldn't continue watching it. The main character suffers at the hands of at least three separate rapists in his past, but we are _with_ him during the prison arc. Not to mention the two other, young, attractive male characters who only escape rape by the grace of a phonecall. If anything else happened after that, I'm unaware. Granted, sexual assault is not romanticized, but I would caution viewers a little more about how much sexual violence there is in Banana Fish. On a lighter note, someone already mentioned it, but Doukyuusei/Classmates is a very charming short film about two queer highschoolers that's on my personal recommendations list, though for the life of me I cannot find any way to officially support it beyond buying the dvd.
Hey! I know that I'm super late and that this film hadnt come out yet at the time of this video but i think Given is also a very heartwarming/heartbreaking BL anime, and which also doesnt rely on any sexual scenes to build the romantic relationship (though there are two scenes that are obviously about sex, but these dont last more than ten seconds altogether in all 11 episodes)
I’ve just recently finished Cherry magic, which is such an amazing anime! It is based around two 30 year old male Office workers ( one of which can read minds through touch) as far as I remember cherry magic falls into all the categories that needed to be on this list. The only thing is that there is another couple ( not the main couple) who have an age gap of about 7 years( both are adults and out of college) but that would be the only thing. I loved this anime and wish there were more episodes.
"Also, it's really pretty". I know, right? That was the first thing that caught my eye about it when I first watched it...oh god, 6-7 years ago? It's like watching a watercolor painting come to life.
Nice list, but I've got to disagree that nothing awful happens to the characters in wandering son. It was hard enough for me to go through the wrong puberty without being aware that I was trans and that something could have been done about that. I barely made it as is. If I'd known that there is hope, but it was withheld from me that would have almost certainly pushed me over the edge.
I just watched bloom into you and it changed everything for me. I love it a lot but honestly I kinda resent it because I know I'll never be able to fill this itch for other anime/manga like it. The anime also ends very unsatisfyingly. The manga was so good though and I really really loved how they discussed identity throughout the stage show arch, an arch which is started but never finished in the anime. I just wish more yuri was like bloom into you and wasn't so sexual and uncomfortable.
Major thanks for this video! A tip for those who are looking for rarer animes - russian anime-streaming (pirate) sites almost always have english subtitles version for streaming, and often have a lot of old\less popular\obscure animes. I checked and found most of the anime mentioned in the video.
i have rarely related so much to a video, this brought up so many memories of suffering through gravitation and loveless as a teen dear god. i've seen 4/5 of the anime here but i will def check out bloom into you
no.6 is great, one of my favorit anime of all times and while the couple is not the most healthy ever, the problems they have are externaly caused and the way they overcome them is very wholesome. Nothing overthe top thereotyping whatever, just to kids falling in love against the shitty situation they are in
RECOMMENDATION ALERT: "i'm in love with the villainess" is a super cute anime that's currently airing about a girl who gets teleported into her favorite otome game (includes wand magic) so she can meet the villainous girl she loves so much. she actually even manages to become her bodyguard so far! as i have not yet seen the ending since it is currently airing weekly episodes, i can't say if they end up together and become canon, HOWEVER, it is very canonically in conversation between the characters acknowledged that our main character is a lesbian, and furthermore they also talk about how you should never discriminate anyone for who they love (even though the incest sibling side characters were really not necessary). also i am hoping that claire-sama finally lets go of her internalized homophobia and just FALLS FOR HER EEEEEEEE AAAAAAAA it is amazingly fluffy and very silly so far, and i can only recommend it♡
If you enjoyed the anime for Wandering Son then please go check out the manga! The Wandering Son manga is so good and well done! It's in my personal top five favorite manga and you'll get extra content from the manga that didn't make it into he anime.
So glad to see sweet blue flowers getting the rep it deserves. I do think compared to Wandering Son and Bloom into You it's not as strong but it's really sweet and I like that its makes it clear that at least one of these girls is canonically a lesbian. As for a recommendation I don't have anything nearly as strong as the majority of this list but Ms. Vampire who lives in my neighborhood is a moe slice of life anime with several pretty obviously gay characters. There is the level of plausible deniability but I feel you'd have to stretch it pretty far to claim that all the characters are straight. It's never stated outright anyone is canon gay but like... two girls who actively want to be in romantic situations with other female characters.
This week I found out about your channel because of your video about character design in Howl's Moving Castle and it was already so good that I subscribed immediately. And now you release a video about queer representation in anime?!?! You're basically on the way to become one of my favorite RU-vid channels. Please continue the great work, I will be here waiting for it.
Hi. I just wanted to say this is my first video I saw on your channel. I'm a gay artist/author that was on the look out for better queer media and your breakdowns are thoughtful and fantastic. Subscribed, and thank you for the No. 6 recommendation, this sounds extremely up my alley and I've never heard of it before!
I ended up picking up the manga of Sweet Blue Flowers, simply because the art style looked pretty and I'm a sucker for high school slice of lifes. Didn't even realize it was queer rep, so I"m excited to read it then watch the show!! I've also seen the first couple episodes of Bloom into You and Wandering Son! Been too busy with work to really sit down and absorb them so they're due for a thorough watch :D
I didn't know Wandering Son exists as an anime! I've read the first manga, I got it from the library and I'm waiting to be able to read the second one. Thanks for telling me!
I really appreciate Nakatani Nio's work in creating Bloom into You, and also the staff that made the anime such an excellent adaptation and piece of art on its own. The story has had an impact on so many people and means a lot to gay anime fans
For anyone else who's like me and has seen almost ever show on this list and is gonna need a lot more in the near future, Zeria (the queen of yuri on youtube) did two videos on specifically yuri anime and manga. One's a top 10 of yuri anime for beginners, and the other's a top 20 for people who want the really niche stuff. S.he's got some good stuff in general, but I'd specifically recommend those two videos if you're looking for more yuri media to consume
similar to yuri on ice, but, well, better, is hoshiai no sora! its a sports anime but there it manages to touch on trans and gay issues, there is a section about the struggle of sexuality and gender but its only on its first season so im sure there'll be more to come! its a genuinely really amazing show anyway, the plot and issues it tackles is truly amazing and id highly reccomend it!
What about adult lesbian stories? High school, coming out stories are cute, but I've been trough that phase, I just wanted to see some story about starting adult life and dating woman, much like my life. Is that too much to ask?
I know there's a married lesbian couple in a show called Two Car. I haven't watched it so I don't really know the context, but I remember that news making the rounds back when it first came out and did nothing with it since I'm pretty much completely disinterested in sports anime. From the looks of it, no one else did either, since Wikipedia has the barest of summaries on it and even the wiki has six whole pages and a default theme. I do know they make it a point to have those two wear matching rings, hold hands, and talk about how much they love each other, and also one of the main characters apparently slips up in one episode and says she wants to marry the girl she drives cars with, so there's that. All in all sounds pretty gay and at least somewhat what you're looking for.
@@BobLogical Two Car couple is mostly there for some light couple comedy. Best thing about those two is that they are openly a couple, which already is pretty rare in yuri.
I am excited to hear about Wondering Son. The only other manga I know of with f2m transgender is from a manga made to realistically show the lesbian nightlife in Japan.
I'd definitely suggest reading the manga or light novels for No.6, especially to anyone left confused by the anime. imo the anime is good, but the manga and especially light novels really flesh out the characters and the story makes more sense at the end. The light novels are my favorite but the manga is a very good read as well.
A show I’d wholeheartedly recommend is Given (which finished airing a few months ago). I really like all the characters. Besides being surprisingly well-written there is no ambiguity about their sexualities and it is so refreshing and relatable. My only complaint is that the first episode makes it seem a bit like a stereotypical yaoi (though it thankfully doesn’t turn out that way). But yeah, if you haven’t checked it out or dropped it because of the first episode please give it a chance, you won’t regret it. Also, minor spoilers, but there is mention of a suicide and I feel like they could’ve handled it a little better? It wasn’t a disrespectful or harmful depiction but the reason could’ve been more fleshed out. So be sure to watch out for that if you’re sensitive to that kind of content :)
This is a very recent anime compared to the video but I both watched and read “I’m in Love With the Villainess” and I adore it. It’s a gl and there is surprisingly a lot of content around it. The anime felt cut short to me, stopping before the confirmation of their relationship but especially the first 2 light novels are great with some good discussions on lgbtq things, trans and lesbian mostly but still! It’s got some iffiness in the straight relationships but they aren’t mentioned toooooo much. It leans away from the gl and into the plot in the second arc but it’s still a great read and a nice watch. The banter between the main characters are so funny and while there is a lot of teasing never truly pushing boundaries. I just really like the series and think others should watch it too!
@@fandommusings5302 A suggestion for the next pool. Instead of asking what the "next" video should be, ask what a "future" video should be. That way it won't feel you are cheating on your patreons when you do side projects while working on the script.
Nº6 was originally a book/novel (at least I'm like 90% sure the novel came first) and it's realy good! And long af and not particularly centered in Sion's and Nesumi's relationship cause the plot is so thicc, but still. The Manga does a very very good job as an adaptation. And the anime's ending disappointed me BIG TIME. Also, if you haven't watched it, I recommend Doukyuusei. It's a movie that I'm pretty sure it's based on a manga. And it's just so pretty and so cute and so good!!!!! I'm in love with it! (except for a character that's like a professor who is kinda... creepy and could like... be a little less into one of the main characters considering that they are high school boys. But honestly, leaving that aside, it's really good)
I agree so much with your assessment of the anime. Honestly, if I'd watched the anime first, I probably wouldn't have been as disappointed as I was, but going in knowing what it could have been just made it feel like a let down. And confused the heck out of my mom, who doesn't read manga, but was looking forward to seeing the anime version of it because I liked the manga so much. Now I just recommend the manga and include a "the anime goes off the rails" warning with that recommendation...
Taisho Baseball Girls. I believe I watched it on Amazon Prime video? It's about a bunch of school girls playing baseball back in the 20s or 30s or so. They face gender discrimination because they are pretty much the only female baseball team around. The protagonist is implied to be close to one of her teammates. It's been a while since I watched it so I dont remember how explicit it is, but it's good pure fun. There is a moment where arranged marriage is discussed. The protagonist becomes engaged or something with an adult man who works for her family and she has a dilemma over if she wants to marry him or if she even wants to get married, stuff like that. It is set in a time where this stuff happened and was normalized. If a straight person were watching they might assume she is destined to be with him. But to me it's clear she is supposed to be in love with her teammate.
For my favorite anime ever with queer characters is madoka magica Its not the point of the story, but the relationships between the girls in integral to it. It has two couples that are heavily implied in the original series and outright confirmed in the sequel. Its also a top tier magical girl show if your into that Its often misunderstood by people who aren't already fans since it deals with pretty heavy themes and none of the characters are perfect, but despite what some people think its not nialistic or a tragedy, its about fighting for this world even if people tell you not too If you want to watch it or read the side stories it its very important to know that this is not a happy series, bad things can and will happen in every single instalment, its a rollercoaster that can go from happy slice of life to existential horror or straight up tragedy in minutes or even seconds. But I still can't recommend it enough
Strawberry Panic, Oniisama E..., Rose of Versailles (had one of the first LGBT characters that was depicted in anime), Yurikuma Arashi, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (Part 5 was originally published in the '90s and had the first official gay couples in the series; this is explained better in a video called "Be Gay, Do Crime" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jVC-jncuuOk.html).
I think it came out after this video, but another good one is Given. You can find the first 11 episodes on Crunchyroll, and sometime this year the movie will be coming out. No English dub and (slight spoiler warning?) there is a trigger warning for talks of suicide. Nothing graphic is shown or spoken about but it is a huge part of the story. Otherwise, it's very relaxed and considered a slow burn. No sexualization of the high school characters either.
Great video! Kino's Journey has a main character who is strongly non-binary/transmasc coded. It also doesn't have any romantic themes that I can recall. As an ace/aro enby person it's very refreshing to see. (I am referring to the 2003 anime and not the 2017 reboot; I haven't seen the new one yet, so I don't know how it handles Kino's gender/gender expression or romance.)
Speaking about Utena, I have a recommendation, I think. Yuri Kuma Arashi was also directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara who was behind Utena and Mawaru Penguindrum. Like Ikuni's other works, Yuri Kuma Arashi is an allegory heavy on other metaphors within the story too. While I didn't particularly like the main plot of the story (or most of the characters, really), I did enjoy the symbolic way of storytelling, the themes explored (the relationship of the "other" in general and LGBTQ+ people in particular and the Japanese (or any other conservative) society), and its message. Yuri Kuma Arashi is also really ironic being partially a parody on yuri as a genre and on yuri fans, as well as on the cultural stereotypes about LGBTQ+ people. All in all, Yuri Kuma Arashi has a lot to unpack, even though I can see how a number of things in it can be disliked. Also, thank you for making this video! I agree with your list so much! Bloom Into You is the best yuri anime I have ever seen. And Aoi Hana was really good. Hourou Musuko, Yuri on Ice, and Banana Fish have been on my to-watch list for quite some time now. And everyone must see Utena! And Sailor Moon, for that matter (or at least its updated version).
GOD thank you for talking about banana fish. i was so irked that the only canon gay characters were abusers. it seems like everyone loves it so its nice to see a little criticism. also the fights felt really samey after a while like a endless game of cat and mouse. if you haven't seen it yet go watch given! super wholesome and probably one of the best lgbt anime ive seen in a long time. i don't really like slice of life stuff so i wish there was more anime like yuri on ice that had gay characters existing in an interesting plot. it feels so rare. ;_; i am still yet to find a yuri i enjoy. they always feel made for straight ppl. *angry gay noises*
Was that Papa to Kiss in the Dark (goodness I'm having flashbacks to being in middle school)? Also Zeria is a great youtube channel for Yuri topics (and other things she's great) but yeah, I think she's great and worth checking out! No, I didn't check out the comments to see if this was said already lol. (SPOILERS) On a side note, I think you should mention something about the Wandering Son manga . . . . . . . . So in the manga Tatsuki has a panel where they flat out state that they don't want to be a boy anymore. While I've come to view it as them potentially leaning more in the x-gender spectrum (i've read this series multiple times since high school so I've thought about it alot) I think it's good to at least warn trans men/trans macs people of what they could be in for if they decide to continue the story in the manga.
Oh man, i was so desperate for queer storylines when i was a teenager, thinking back now shows like loveless and gravitation feel like a fever dream. I also really really loved/obsessed over the manga Fake. It only got a one episode OVA and that was tremendously disappointing. I'm surprised there were a few things on this list i haven't seen yet, so thanks for adding to my watchlist. :D
Also the thing that bothered my the most about citrus wasn't the incest-y stuff, it was mostly the fact that the dark haired girl (i forget their names now because i watched it a while ago) was so obviously fucked up and had a fucked up idea of how intimacy worked, and that was never really dealt with in the show. It could have been an interesting plot point about how abuse can twist a person's ability to interact in healthy ways with people they care about. But alas, it was only there as gross rapey fanservice.
I have this very clear memory of being almost in TEARS because the Barnes and Noble in the mall had a DVD of Gravitation. Being a 14 year old bi girl in Texas was hard times.
@@cravenlunatic1 I am 100% with you on Citrus. It is great to see that I was not the only one who thought so (because I really got the impression I was alone in this criticism of Citrus). Constant sexual assaults committed by Mei, the black-haired girl, made me genuinely uncomfortable. But I thought that there MUST be a SERIOUS reason for it, especially given the drama tag of the show. Something horrible must have happen to her to make her so broken. I was thinking along the lines of maybe molestation and abuse by one of her relatives when she was a child. That would explain her horribly unhealthy attitude toward sex and consent and the fact that anything sexually-related is clearly associated with trauma and negative emotions for her. After all, she engages in sexual assault whenever she is angry or frustrated or sad, and she is even occasionally crying during the process (and definitely not enjoying it in all the cases). I thought it would be a story about love helping one to cope with trauma. But nope. Mei's "tragedy" had nothing to do with her rapey behavior whatsoever. Yes, apparently all that was only for fanservice.
@@annajung1234 In manga chapter 6 Mei makes it quite clear that Amemiya had been taking advantage of her. If you look at the timeline, Amemiya had been doing that to her for at least 3 months already if not longer, as Yuzu arrives after the first yearly school holiday. When she tells Yuzu what's been going on, in her mind there are twisted faces of that guy. Did you want further exposition of her being abused? You do realize that abuse victims often hide the details in shame, even if it comes out that something bad happened to them? Lot of sexual abuse actually goes on completely unreported? If you wondered why she wasn't fighting against Amemiya or reporting his minor molestation happening at the school, it was because Mei thought it was her duty to accept even unpleasant things in order to fulfill her familial duties. Scandal might hurt her family. Fearing that the school and so her family's reputation would suffer if one of their teachers was publicly outed as a molester or a rapist. Yuzu eventually does out Amemiya. She dares to step up and challenge the status quo. Horrible things did happen to Mei. Not just sexually, but she was abandoned by BOTH of her parents one by one, which imprinted her with deep projected shame and unhealthy levels of duty and dependence towards her only remaining family member, Grandfather. She also knows that in order to properly inherit their family business she should marry a man, because she's too young and a woman. That's both the law and the prevailing custom. She is also seeking for someone to cling to survive. First it is her hope of her father coming back, but when that falls through she attaches to Yuzu. You can tell from her emphasis on "I need you to need me" and "accept all of me, even the darkness" once she gets closer to Yuzu and her seduction attempts. Over time she overcomes part of this, but then becomes laser focused on duty instead. Mei also shown to be extremely reliant on planning to feel secure. She has a lot trouble dealing with uncertainty. Her lesbian attraction is also not acceptable within this social convention of a girl in her station. It's viewed at most as childish thing that is to be discarded when she grows up (it's also mentioned by Harumi in early parts of the story and later by Himeko as well). At most a person like this might indulge in occasional cheating with a prostitute or a friend with similar leanings, but still staying deeply in closet until end of her days. This is another social convention from Japan. For the longest time girl x girl relationships were viewed as these temporary things, a practice relationships before actually going out with men. So in short, Mei: Her sexuality is treated at most as a joke or a child's game Must marry a man in order to be a good daughter of her family Was molested and shamed by at least one adult Was abandoned by both of her parents, who seemed to have an ugly divorce Is overly attached to her Grandfather and willing to sacrifice just about anything as a result of that Has a feeling of low self-worth and tendency to martyr herself, as she sees other people as more valuable Has to meticulously plan her life in order to feel secure Has workaholic tendencies and somewhat fragile health Does not even think of herself as a woman (ch. 17 in the manga, just outside the bounds of anime) That's quite a bit of baggage already.
while your point still stands about not having any official western releases, have you tried kissanime or masterani? all the stuff you've showed here and claimed wasn't even available illegaly online I have found on either or both of these streaming sites.
i'm glad you didn't forget utena because the tv show is probably my favourite anime if not favourite piece of media everrr. also isn't it available on youtube to americans?
Im glad i can enjoy male gay anime without it being fetishized, obviously there will be websites like deviantart and tumblr and wattpad to ruin that, but i can always not go on the internet 😅. I might give yuri on ice a try (i never watched it because my school was filled with those yaoi girls and asexual gay relationships didn't exist to them). Being someone who is a part of LGBTQIA, i find it hard to watch any anime where the focal point is the gay characters (same reason with yuri on ice). This list was a good eye opener and im particularly interested in the trans couple one. Thanks!
Oh my God, if Kase-san were available in the US, where would it be on this list? I adore the Manga so so so much, I have been a fan for years, and the anime was so cute also (I feel like it deserved a series tho, the movie felt a bit rushed)
Honestly as someone who likes Citrus (Though I admit I haven’t read the manga.) the incest didn’t even register as a problem for me. Like, yeah, it’s a problem and would be bad in real life but for the show I can overlook that. The biggest problems in my opinion are the constant sexual assault for the first half, the fact that Mei is unlikable as both a character and a love interest, and the plot itself being a badly written mess. Like I love Yuzu as a character and her relationships with most of the cast but as much as I think it is an enjoyable show it’s not something I’d recommend without the caveats I mentioned earlier.
I SO agree with you on the sexual assault thing, Mei being utterly unlikable, and the plot being a mess. Yuzu was the only ray of light for me in that horror. But I still couldn't finish the show; dropped it at the middle. Checked the manga plot to see if the original story was any better. Nope, it wasn't.
Thank you so much for voicing all my problems when it comes to trying to find good BL/GL anime. My most traumatic experience with watching a controversial yuri anime was wayyyyy back in the 2000s called, “Kannazuki no Miko” . Mostly because one of the leading characters SEXUALLY ASSAULTED the main girl (who was in a relationship with a boy at the time) and still gets with her in the end after pulling out a sob story of why she is the way she is. 😓🤯👎👎👎
About what you said on Yuri on ice ***spoilers**** they get married... how do they "let the sand to be there"? I'm not criticizing your opinion, I'm just genuinely confused about that particular statement, and would like to understand it better
They haven't officially gotten married in the show if I'm remembering correctly. They DO get engaged, though I think the only character who ACTUALLY says they are engaged in Pitchett, and its neither confirmed nor denied by the other characters. I've literally seen people go with the "the rings are just a promise to win gold!" route. Which is...some impressive denial. But I think the show always shies away from outright saying it.
Literally watch No.6, IT’S AMAZING!!! The manga had more depth in the plot and easier to get a hold of, but do give a go PLEASE. The characters are amazing and well written. It isn’t a bl and is more a sci-fi with queer main characters, but there is still romance there. The relationship between the two main characters (Shion and Nezumi) is so sweet and they’re so kind to each other. It’s very good WATCH IT.
'I don't even want to tell you what its called to spare you from it' Too late. Way too late, I stumbled across the whole thing on youtube forever ago... my mind is not the same.
How has no one mentioned sakura trick? It's adorable, not tragic, the visuals are beautiful and the main couple are canon. There are also like 2-3 background couples who are also lesbians.
I’d like to recommend Yukina Yuna is a hero! There’s no kissing unfortunately, but the LGBT rep is far more than subtext (and one of the VAs answered a tweet questioning the relationship by basically saying “are you kidding?? Of COURSE they’re girlfriends.” (It’s a little more openly gay than Madoka Magica and doesn’t carry that same baggage of Homura being a sociopath)
2:20 Unfortunately, I know the name of the anime (I won't say the name here either), and I agree it was pretty bad. I sorta have a love-hate relationship with it. It was one of the first yaoi anime I ever watched, and I'm grateful to it for introducing me to BL and queer anime in general. But I hate it for its subject matter.
Sweet Blue Flowers does have incest, although it's not portrayed as positive and it's something referred to in the past tense. Bloom Into You does feature some.... well, at least dubious consent.
Conflicted. I think it all boils down to interpretation. On a purely aesthetic level, the show is incredibly well made though. I can forgive a lot in a show that cares about camera angels and lighting.
This video is refreshing. For long time i thought that i was just very picky when it comes to queer anime, but some years ago i realised that just because the anime has queer characters or is popular, doesn't mean it's a good queer anime. (I have nightmares about Super lovers even after three years)
I can recommend "Mairimashita! Iruma-kun" (especially the manga, but the Anime adaption is nice too) not because of the main character (although he cross dresses multiple times, without being ashamed, and looks really, really good while doing so) or the general story, but because of many of the other characters and the very queer-themed world it takes place in. Gender norms don't seem to exist there, almost all characters are dressed very flamboyantly, wear nail polish etc. It has the best nyan-binary cat-butler, lesbian and bi side characters and one of the male leads simps really hard for the main character. In conclusion: I just love everything about this show.
Having to sift through problematic content when you just want to see canon LGBTQIA+ characters is a big mood. I watched some f/f anime that was popular like Strawberry Panic and Yurikuma Arashi and they always had yikes parts, unfortunately. I want to check Bloom Into You out though, that one looks promising. I want to put a disclaimer on Aoi Hana/Sweet Blue Flowers though. I think the anime is fine and it's actually the only anime where I have ever heard someone use the word "bisexual" so that's cool. But for anyone thinking about reading the manga I have a content warning. So MILD MANGA SPOILERS: Fumi, the main character, used to have a sexual relationship with her older cousin Chizu. That's why she is so angry upon seeing her cousin get engaged to a man (and being really smug about it too). I'm pretty sure that scene with her announcing she's getting married was in the anime as well but because you don't have the whole context yet, you can only assume that Fumi had a one-sided crush that Chizu knew about. In the manga you get more context as to the extend that Chizu manipulated Fumi. Their relationship was Fumi and Chizu's secret and it was really unhealthy for obvious reasons. Chizu seems to have just used Fumi for the hell of it, there's an age gap and also they're cousins. Real cousins, not Sailor Moon censorship cousins. Chizu is portrayed as a bad person but I don't think she's ever punished in any way but I didn't finish the manga so I can't say with 100% certainty. Also, content warning for Whispered Words/Sasameki Koto: Episode 7 is a train wreck. Skip it, seriously. It features a creepy paedophile stalker trying to take photos of one of the high schoolers (I think the crossdressing boy? But I'm not 100% sure. I've been trying to erase the memory). There's nothing plot-relevant happening in that episode either. And PPS: The 2018 Kase-san anime film is on masterani DOT me, but if anyone asks you didn't hear that from me.
I remember watching that scene from the Aoi Hana anime and thinking, "Was that what I think it was?". And considering the anime doesn't cover that part of the story, it felt really weird to just have that happen. I still liked the rest of it but... yikes.
@@fandommusings5302 No problem! I think the anime is pretty good as a stand-alone but that's exactly why I wanted to see how the story continues and read the manga and I'm sure other people might do the same so I wanted to mention it. The details of Chizu and Fumi's history are at the end of volume 4 and I read up until somewhere in volume 6. There are 8 volumes in total so if there's any critical development of this later on I hope someone will add to this comment. I read summaries of the last volumes because this part rubbed me the wrong way and I wanted to see if there's ever any sense of justice and I didn't see anything about it mentioned but maybe there is something wrt this in those volumes that wasn't mentioned in the summaries.
I haven't read the manga or watched the anime but I just want to put it out there that in a lot of non-western countries dating and marrying your cousin is not considered incest, nor is it illegal. I think Japan is in that boat. Other than that, what you described made me go wtf.
@@hajarmdn4883 It used to be very common and legal in most of the West too. Most people's perception of it has changed since then though. I think you might be right that it's not that taboo in Japan (and maybe legal?) so it might be perceived differently by the Japanese audience. Nevertheless every viewer should decide for themself how they feel about it.
Sweet Blue Flowers is my favourite on this list. I really have to see Wandering Son. If anyone is the slightest bit interested in yuri anime or manga, please, please, PLEASE check out Erica Friedman's blog Okazu. Yuri in all its forms is Friedman's life's work and no one outside of Japan knows more about it than her. okazu.yuricon.com/
Nabari no Ou (if I'm remembering the name correctly) has an intersex character. It's subtle and brief reveal, but not treated like a huge deal. I think the author has done other works with queer themes.
