Tokoharu (くりころ) is a doujin artist mostly known for her Nanoha x Fate, or in short NanoFate, doujinshi.

First things first, who are Nanoha and Fate? Well, those two are the main characters of an anime series with so far three seasons called Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, a very popular magical girl anime. If you want to read more about the anime, click the below links.

Nanoha Takamachi: Nanoha is the main character of the whole series, becoming a magical girl when she is still a child. While she was at first a naive and hesitant girl, she changes throughout the first season, becoming a strong magician and a graceful and responsible adult in the third one. One of her strong points is the fact that she tries to understand people before going up against them, even when those claim to be her enemies.

Fate Testarossa (Harlaown): Fate is one of Nanoha’s first enemies, presenting herself as a strong-willed and rather clinical person who refuses all of Nanoha’s offers to listen to her story before going against each other causelessly. But what she tries to hide with this tough act is her real self, a very insecure girl trying her best to gain back the love of her mother. In addition to that, when finally building up enough trust to people, she acts protective and also overly worried about the ones she cares for most.

Why NanoFate? Well, each and every season delivers quite a few yuri-ish moments between Nanoha and Fate, be it in a way of a very deep friendship between two children in the first two seasons, or in a way of a more intimate relationship as adults. Hints are hidden everywhere, and they go as far as to show the two of them adopting a little girl together. And let me tell you that this action leads to some really cute moments~

Tokoharu’s works: Baby! Baby! Baby!, Kissing Your Cheek, A Prince and Sweet Stars, Harmony, Koi wo Shiyou, Love Countdown.

Adult works: Evening Rain, Naked Feels, Sweet Sweet Time, and Sweetest Love.

The translated versions of all the mentioned doujinshi can be found at NanoFate.us

Now what makes these doujinshi so special? It’s the combination of many factors. For one, the couple itself is probably one of the cutest pairings that I have ever seen. They match each other perfectly, not only with their outward appearance, no. They also interact in a very cute and couply way, so it’s really nice to watch them simply interact. Another aspect worth mentioning is the art. I guess I have not yet reviewed a doujin or manga with an art style that doesn’t appeal to me, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that in Tokoharu’s case, the art is also very gorgeous. I mean take a look at these examples.

It’s cute, clean, and in just the right moments, even the art is dripping with love.

Now, on to the stories, since there are a lot of doujinshi by Tokoharu, we have a lot of different stories, but the genres represented are usually romance, slice of life, fantasy, and school life, where the two of them are usually depicted as teenagers. What we get to see is mostly a very, very sweet story that shows us, in one way or another, how much they love each other or how they show their love to one another. This doesn’t necessarily need to be presented in a sexual way, but there are some adult doujinshi by Tokoharu as well.

But she is one of the artists that draws adult scenes in a very sweet and romantic way, rather than in an erotic and overly perverted way. Personally, I prefer this presentation of love over any other (dirtier) ones. But please note that those are nevertheless works with very explicit images. I would say it’s a little more explicit than Vivit Gray’s adult work.

In conclusion, I again recommend this to every yuri fan. It doesn’t really matter whether you haven’t watched the anime yet. When I first read those doujinshi, I hadn’t either. I would even say the little background information you gained by reading this review should be enough to understand most of what’s going on in these doujinshi.

Personally, I enjoyed these works more than just once, since they really are damn cute. I can promise you that if you are into yuri romance, you will love these.