Yuri That Surprised Me in the Best (and Darkest) Ways
I’ve noticed over the years that it’s a lot more difficult to find Yuri anime—mostly because they aren’t labeled under “Yuri” even though they are. Plenty have gone under the radar because of the lack of labeling. So, I have to rely on online forums to see what’s going under the radar.
Last year, I watched There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover! Unless… and oh my gosh, I never thought I’d be watching a Yuri version of polyamory. The thing about Yuri is that the characters are rich in complex emotions. I related a lot to the main character, Renako Amaori, since she’s an introvert with special interests that aren’t well received—gaming, manga, anime, and cosplay. She’s also neurodivergent. Renako gradually develops close relationships with each girl in her high school friend group, having a history of loneliness before. She masks and hides her true self from the other girls so she can finally have friends and not feel lonely anymore. I think a lot of people can relate to that—because I sure do.
Mai Oduka is the only rich girl in the group who consistently pursues Renako, not only romantically but physically as well.
However, Renako has a crush on Ajisai Sena, which she hasn’t acknowledged to herself throughout the series because she doesn’t want to pursue romantic relationships—she just wants close friends. So, most of the episodes revolve around Renako proving to Mai that friendship is just as important, or even more important, than romantic relationships. Mai tries to prove the opposite.
The concept of trying to prove things to each other is fun to watch—one day they hang out as friends, and another day they date like romantic partners. Viewers often take Mai the wrong way because her character is built around always getting what she wants. She uses that privilege a lot to get her way, crosses boundaries too much, and pays the price for it. We can’t tell the actual sexuality of each character because it’s not stated directly—it’s shown through the story and dialogue exchanges. I laughed a bit when I realized Mai has demisexual traits. She never showed romantic or sexual interest in anyone until she talked to and got to know Renako. Renako treated Mai like a person, not based on her socioeconomic status. They developed an emotional bond, which prompted Mai to pursue Renako romantically and sexually.
Basically, without getting any more into it—because I’d like people to watch it and maybe read the manga—it’s best to experience it firsthand instead of taking my word for it. It taps into deeper, complex emotions about girlhood relationships and the shame we feel when we don’t fit the mold.
Another Yuri anime I watched earlier this year was Roll Over and Die. This one is a darker-themed story about Flum Apricot, who is sold into slavery by one of the hero’s party members. She was part of the hero’s party. Long story short, she’s sold to a black-market slaver who brands her with a slave mark on her cheek and locks her in a cell to die with other unsellable slaves. For entertainment, ghouls are set free in the jail cell with Flum and others. One of them is Milkit—a girl with marks all over her face, covered in bandages. To raise the stakes, a cursed sword is placed in the cell. However, anyone who picks it up bursts into flames and melts. Flum, being attacked by ghouls, has no choice but to go for the sword. It turns out she can wield cursed items, and she kills all the ghouls and the slaver. That scene was very satisfying to watch. Milkit is the only other survivor, and Flum takes her into her care and protection.
The story is really good in terms of world-building, and Flum develops a romantic relationship with Milkit as the episodes progress. Flum does everything possible to make Milkit happy and feel safe. So, even though there’s a dark undertone to the anime, it has a warm-heartedness that comes from the growing bond between Flum and Milkit.
Then there’s This Monster Wants to Eat Me. When I tell you this anime stomps hard on Twilight and does it so much better, I mean it. I’m not joking. This anime sets the tone for a love triangle—but in the most terrifying and delicious way possible. Our main girl is Hinako, who is deeply depressed because, as a child, she survived a devastating accident that killed her mother, father, and brother. She wears long sleeves year-round to cover the burn scars on her body. Hinako attracts a lot of yokai and malicious spirits who want to eat her. Her body rings the dinner bell, and we don’t understand why at first. Then we meet Shiori, a mermaid glamorizing around in human form to meet Hinako. Shiori claims that she alone should be the one to eat Hinako, but she convinces Hinako that she needs to “sweeten up” more. So, they make a pact—Hinako will not allow herself to be eaten by any other monster except Shiori.
Later, we learn that Hinako’s childhood friend, Miko, is a Kitsune and just as powerful as Shiori. Miko has been killing off all the other monsters that wanted to eat Hinako. She’s the one who protected Hinako after the accident. Because of that accident, Hinako’s scent changed, attracting all the yokai to her.
As the story progresses, we learn how willing Miko is to stay by Hinako’s side to protect her from other monsters. Because she herself also yearns to eat Hinako due to the unknown scent, every time it becomes too much to handle, Miko bites off one of her tails and eats it to satisfy her craving for Hinako’s flesh. However, doing that weakens Miko, making it harder for her to travel long distances in human form. As the story moves along, we learn more about Shiori and the true story of what happened to Hinako—and why her scent became so delicious to other yokai. I highly recommend this anime because it just hits the spot.
For now, these are at least three yuri anime I recommend.
