2015 is slowly coming to an end, which is why we’ll have to stick to our old traditions and hand out my personal Yuri Awards for the year. Enjoy!
This one was actually the first big Yuri show of 2015, and it more or less blew our minds, for many different reasons. For many, this anime is one of the greatest shows of the whole year, due to the way you really had to invest some time and even re-watch episodes to really get what certain scenes were supposed to explain to us. For others, this was simply too much, making the show hard to follow, and thus easy to drop. Personally, I had a blast. I can’t say I really got all of what this show had to offer, but it was a real fun ride nevertheless~
Can we really say that this is a non-Yuri Anime? Well, not really. But then again, is this a Yuri show? Nope, it’s not. So what is it then? It’s a show with heavy Yuri subtext. So even if it’s not exactly a non-Yuri show, please let me just have my way this time, since I really, really wanna name this show in this list.
As my favorite show of the whole year, Kantai Collection is still definitely not a show for everyone. Many Yuri fans didn’t recognize the show as one with a high Yuri potential, and thus never even touched it. Though, we know better now. So after having watched the show, we’re left with a handful of absolutely amazing new Yuri pairings. Other than Ooi x Kitakami, they might not be canon, but I couldn’t care less, since in my eyes, pairings like Akagi x Kaga or Nagato x Mutsu are already perfect, even if they don’t obviously point out their relationship to us.
Just like last year, Citrus just has to win this one again. We can’t do anything about it, really. They won the award for the Best Yuri Pairing in November, as well as the award for the Best Yuri Character in summer that Yuzu easily managed to win. So is there really any other manga capable of coming even close to being able to compete with the popularity this manga has gained right now? No, there is not.
Despite the fact that you guys voted for someone completely different in our tournament to decide the Best Yuri Character, I just can’t help but want to name someone else this year. Sun Jing is both cool, yet totally adorable at times, which is a deadly combination for me. No wonder her crush fell in love with her so easily. Seriously, I think she’d make one of the most caring, fun, and adorably cool girlfriends ever. I sure hope Their Story will go on forever~
Don’t judge me, but ever since I first laid eyes on her, I’ve been crazy about her. The fact that she didn’t talk much, the fact that she so easily decided to protect a stranger, the fact that she has such a sexy voice… it’s all making me weak in the knees. If we now add in the fact that she’s also gorgeous (with some slightly over-sized boobs), she makes great girlfriend material, even though I’d usually prefer people talking to me instead of keeping quiet for the whole time. Though, as we witnessed, she seemed to slowly warm up to Mamori, always talking a little more until the last episode. I like that about her too. What a surprise~
For me, the current anime season didn’t seem to feature any good shows, other than the three yuri and yuri-ish shows we’ve already talked about so much. But just because I often stumbled over Saitama’s face on sites like 9gag and Twitter, I actually thought about giving this show a try, and I didn’t regret it one bit.
I’m in love with this amazing show, but despite the great humor, the awesome fighting scenes, or Saitama’s unparalleled bored face; the one thing I like the most about this anime is definitely Genos. He’s amazing in many ways, and probably the most badass character in the entire show—if we actually disregard Saitama, that is. He’s not the strongest, but his moves are amazing, and he’s probably the greatest hero of them all.
I have to confess something. I still haven’t played the game…. Don’t judge, I just didn’t have the time, and I don’t want stuff like the urge to study or any other annoying feeling such as this one getting in the way of enjoying this visual novel. But still, even if I haven’t played it yet, the visual novel that needs to be listed here is none other than Sono Hanabira – Remembering How We Met. There is simply no way I could go with anything else, since the mere fact that we now have an official English translation of this is absolutely amazing~
I don’t think I actually have to explain why this is the best opening of the whole year. I mean, just listen to it. It’s so catchy~
I bet you didn’t see that coming. Me neither, actually. I thought very long about which pairing to pick, and then it came to me. I couldn’t got with Kureha x Ginko, since it just wouldn’t feel right, and I also couldn’t go with Mirei x Mamori, since I often felt like Mamori was a pain in the ass. So who is left, really? I can neither go with Akaga, nor Kumiko x Reina, since none of them is canon. Yuru Yuri characters won’t work either….
Long story short, it was hard to decide, but I think I did the right thing by going with these two. For one, these two ladies seem to have a bond strong enough to get them to Drive from pretty much just thinking about each other. That’s pretty nice, if you ask me. And then again, these two just match perfectly, don’t you think? I always squealed a little when they appeared on screen, hoping for some chu-chu time to happen, which usually followed~
Unfortunately, I still have to list them as an unofficial, or subtext, pairing, and I believe that even a second season won’t change much about it. In fact, most of us seem to already be sensing that something horrible will happen in the upcoming season. My yuri senses are tingling as well, and it worries me….
Well, anyway, this pairing managed to positively surprise a lot of us with the unexpectedly high and straightforward subtext we got between them. The simple expression “confession of love” will be burned into our memories, and I’m pretty sure it’s really hard to get it out any time soon, so let’s just all pray that Kyoto Animation will do the right thing and continue the Yuri story instead of letting it drift into oblivion….
So after hearing my personal highlights, it’s your turn to spill the beans. Which of this year’s shows, characters, manga, or games would you hand out awards to? Also, if you’re interested, check out my Yuri Awards of 2014.
YuriReviews and More 
That's good! Thank you for the info!
I think i may give that sono hanabira a try… and maybe citrus and valkyrie drive…
I never read citrus but so many says it's a good story but i don't want to watch het scene (they say there's one in chapter one)
For valkyrie drive, i watched untill episode 4 then dropped it…
And sono hanabira… well i was planing to download many time but always failed…
Anyway, Have a nice yaer ending and happy new year “en avance”
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Best Yuri anime (And AotY): Yuru Yuri
I just love this franchise to death. The anime was no slouch, and I'm sad we didn't get a certain chapter animated, but still, it was handled superbly, and I'm fully confident in the new studio to do well with season 4 if/when it happens.
Best non-yuri anime: Gakkou Gurashi AKA School Live
This show really surprised me how good it was. I already knew I'd like it from the 20 or so chapters I read before, but the presentation and everything for this was just…amazing. Some of the best horror scenes I've seen in an anime, while also being one of the more enjoyable slice of life shows at the same time. Really looking forward to when they have enough material for another season~ Special mention goes towards: Castle Town Dandelion A really surprisingly enjoyable show with a good amount of yuri subtext (and a character whom definitely is in love with a girl. And it's not 100% one-sided exactly either, but it's definitely not mutual canon), lots of hilarity, and really touching scenes~
Best yuri manga: I dunno. I read a lot. And it's hard to tell when series start/end. I'd go with Yuru Yuri normally, but that took a break in 2015, so i can't T_T I'm really enjoying Shinozaki-san and Gamma was pretty great (I think that ended in 2015…???). So it's probably between those two. If Majyo Megane ended in 2015, then I'll definitely say that one though. That manga was so good~
Best yuri manga character: Yeah I dunno. Refer to above, it's really hard for me to keep track of who was in 2015
Best Yuri anime character: Akariin~ Yuru Yuri being in 2015 really gobbles up the show xD Special mention goes towards: Kirin. A girl who knows what she wants, isn't ashamed in the slightest about it, and knows how to get it.
Best non-yuri anime character: Hmm….I'll go with Stella from Rakudai. There was just something so refreshing about a “firey tsundere” character type that actually communicated with her love interest instead of 'shoot first, ask questions later' which goes around. It was also just nice to see the two of them have a much more well-done romance than you ever see in these shows. And, while Ikki was great too, Stella was this really interesting combination of pervert, tsundere, and ojousama. It's a bit hard to explain. This was probably my surprise of the year. So thought I was getting into a harem show… Special mention goes towards: Akane from Dandelion. You have to watch the show to get why. And you will possibly become part of her fanclub too!
Best Yuri visual Novel: I guess I'll just go with the same (even if I haven't played it either >.>)
Best anime opening: Ehhhhhh….this is really really hard. There are A LOT of openings to think about/remember. GG's probably. It was also great how it changed as the show went on. Man I loved that show~
Best yuri canon pairing: Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…You mean AkaChiina isn't canon? Darn. Must think more….AH! RaiKiri! Those two were the best~ Too bad the show didn't use more of them…But yeah, definitely Raika and Kirin from Hidan no Aria AA. Watching it is the only way to really understand why they're so great~
Best yuri non-canon pairing: I wanna go with AkaChiina because I OTP them so hard, but the anime didn't push them enough yet, so I'll spite the studio for not animating 94…And who am I kidding? I love those two together too much! Special mention goes towards: AkaKare (from Dandelion) If I wasn't so OTP about Akari and Chinatsu, I'd definitely pick those two. Though, that's slightly made better by the manga. I wonder if we'll get another season since the manga actually continues after the elections?
And thats' my own list
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I bet L's glad she could be of help. 🙂
As for Citrus, once you get past that one scene, you're safe from het. I almost never read anything, but I've read a lot of that, and I like it.
Valkyrie Drive is definitely not for everybody, and that makes quite a bit of people that aren't fans of it.
About SonoHana, have you tried Listless Ink? The link is over near the bottom of the sidebar on the right. I've forgotten which one I downloaded from there, but it worked for me.
We wish you a happy new year, too~
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Not a bad list~
And it seems like I kinda missed out by not watching Joukamachi no Dandelion. I thought about it, but didn't for whatever reason.
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Best yuri anime: Yuri Kuma Arashi
Yep, even if this is just an average anime with overused symbolism and metaphors that mostly doesn't makes any sense. It was explicite yuri. Under camouflage of symbolism and metaphors but still yuri. Fucking Ikuni and his obsesions with overusing this shit. I can only imagine how good it would be if Morishima Akiko didn't refuse to working with Ikuni on the anime. She would hold him in check and aid him to write better characterisation and make better yuri overall. Her manga version of YKA is much better in my opinion.
Best (yuri) anime opening: Yuri Kuma Arashi
This opening is awesome. The song and the visuals are hypnotizing.
Best yuri manga: Eventually, I Will Become Yours
The first volume is just briliant and very cleverly written. I heard that volume 1 is selling really, really good and is crushing every yuri manga in Japan.
Best yuri visual novel: The Sad Story of Emily Burns
Yep, a small vn written for yuri game jam. Good writting, nice story, georgeus art and music. It's free so anyone can download it from here: http://ebihime.itch.io/emmeline
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I tried to watch the entirety of YKA, but I dropped it about halfway, only to pick it up again, then drop it once again. It seemed better the second time to me, but it was still too different for my liking. 😦
We have a list of possible posts to publish on here, and Eventually, I Will Become Yours is on the list, so L might do a review at some point.
Oh yes! YKA made me lookup who did the OP, and as a result, I became a fan of Bonjour Suzuki. She's awesome.
*downloads the game*
Thanks for the link~
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Thank you for the info!
I will try sono sanabira first and then watch valkyrie drive…
But do you think i may understand citrus if i don't read chapter one… i kind of don't want to see one of the girl kiss a guy…
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I think so, but if you were to read the first chapter on Dynasty Reader, you could just skip pages 19-23 and 28-29. It's just one kiss, but it's stretched out a little bit.
19-23 is Yuzu watching the kiss happen (while she's hiding behind a bush and in shock at what she's seeing), and 28-29 is Yuzu remembering seeing that kiss and how Mei is acting like nothing happened.
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Best Yuri anime: Yuri Kuma Arashi or Yuru Yuris third season, don't know which one to go with.
Best Yuri manga: The Real Her! I just felt genuinly happy while reading any of the chapters 😀
Best Non-Yuri anime: DBZ Abridged if that counts, didn't watch any other non yuri content this year.
Best Non-yuri manga: All that I have ever followed have either ended or gone shit.
Best doujin: My true feelings (AkaChin). For me this one won't be easy to top.
Best visual novel: I've in my entire life played only one good visual novel (though all of them have been lesbian stuff) and that was Miras Magical Mishap
Best character: Moe (The Real Her). Absolutely adorable 😛
And as a note I'm terrible at telling why these were the best for me -_-
Well, have a nice new year. 🙂
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That wasn't bad at all, Ratbag (if you disregard DBZ, that is :P).
Have yourself a nice new year as well~
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Well, at least abridged is a parody 😛
Though I have to agree, it does need more lesbians 😀
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I've never actually seen any abridged series. 😀
Then more people would want to watch it, just not me. That's still waaaay too many episodes.
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great choices i love it
here are my choices with some things added to the list:
best yuri anime: yuru yuri san hai or yuri kuma arashi. i cant choose between the two
best non-yuri anime: nanoha vivid, symphogear gx or one punch man. i cant choose between these three because nanoha and symphogear have the huge yuri subtext along with my favorite ships (nanofate and tsubamari) while one punch man was just amazing
best yuri manga: obviously citrus
best non-yuri manga: nanatsu no taizai or one punch man. i cant choose since both are amazing imo
best yuri manga character: to be honest im not so sure
best yuri anime character: chitose for me i just love seeing her delusions of everyone else being all yuri and lovey dovey
best non-yuri character: saitama hands down
best yuri visual novel: yep sono hanabira
best opening song: either angel blossom (nanoha vivid op) and exterminate (symphogear gx op) i love both so i couldnt decide between the two since both are amazing and sung by mizuki nana
best ending song: pleasure treasure (nanoha vivid ed) by tamura yukari amazing song thats so catchy
best yuri canon couple: hmmmmm i really dont know
best unofficial yuri couple: ya definitely kumirei (kumiko and reina) i love nanoha and fate and i was going to go for nanoha and fate for this one but they were out shined by kumiko and reina this time for best unofficial yuri couple and plus nanoha and fate are in a way pretty much canon and official from what i have come to know
best returning yuri ship: of course nanoha and fate since its been so long since we last saw them on screen being all lovey dovey together and i was so happy to see them return
so here are my choices i hope it wasnt too long
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I liked Yuri Kuma Arashi, and I totally enjoy symbolism like that. I also liked the “shockkk” parts too. But the Valkarie drive anime made me waayyyy too uncomfortable haha I couldn't even make it through an episode tbh.
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Oh, please bear with me.
Best Yuri Anime: For me, Yuru Yuri takes the cake. I've always enjoyed the entire series as a whole (including the stories for side characters via manga/doujinshi), and S3 even became my favorite season thus far. Something about the pace of the show, the gags/skits, and showing more of the characters in the verse really appealed to me in every way possible. It was different from the first 2 seasons, but in a good, good way.
Best Non-Yuri Anime: As much as I loved One Punch Man, Noragami, My Love Story, and a few others, I'll say that Plastic Memories gave everything I wanted to me. Granted I'm a sensitive guy, it tugged on all of my strings in all the ways it could. My emotions were on a roller coaster through almost every episode; one moment I was happy, the next I was struck with sadness, and for me, it was a story that I very much enjoyed and could sympathize with the characters throughout it.
Best Yuri Manga: Ooooh boy, there's so much that it's hard to choose from. I have a love/hate relationship with Citrus, but its Yuri can't be denied. Hana to Hina wa Houkago a la the Girl Friends goddess Morinaga has been enjoyable. I might get some flack for it, but Netsuzou Trap – NTR has also been something that I have a love/hate relationship with. It's tagged Yuri, but of course as het and/or bi relationships occurring as well. I really hate NTR, and it makes me feel like crap when it happens, but perhaps because the Yuri is trying to fight the forces of other sexual preferences and love, it's calling to me.. Of course, I've also enjoyed Their Story, which I don't think needs much explaining.
I'd actually have to say that Swap Swap might be on the top of my list atm. It's very simple, cute and light hearted, and I like the growing chemistry between Haruko and Natsuko. Very recent, but I really enjoy it.
I didn't really pick a best, but…. You get the point..
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Oh my. I hit the 4k character cap, so time to spliteroo.
Best Yuri Manga Character: Picking a best manga/anime is one thing, but having to pick A SINGLE CHARACTER OUT OF ALL OF THEM?!
I'll again say that I'm not sure I can pick a best so quickly with so many of the manga not being finished/barely getting started down the path of Yuri. I very much like Nanami from Yagate-kun ni Naru and how she's approaches her love interest (and MC) Yuu who doesn't really undetstand what love feels like. The straight forward attitude and seemingly unshakable resolve to try to get the person you love to fall in love with you is admirable, among a slew of other traits and feelings. Some may see it as being pushy and what not, and I can understand that, but it doesn't seem nearly as bad as plenty of selfish, hopeless romantics. It's hard to describe, but characters like these, that aren't afraid to express themselves and understand what their surroundings are (for the most part) always appeal to me. Wouldn't say it's my best/favorite Yuri manga character, but it's in the right direction.
Best Yuri Anime Character: I'll make it short and simple: TOSHINOU KYOUKO! Well, I could list mo– ..
Best Non-Yuri Character: I really like the character development Yukine from Noragami has gone through. Having to understand what he now is, how he's adjusting/coping, still making mistakes because of his short life, the growth and loyalty he begins to obtain through his resolve makes me really like him as a character. I'm just gonna leave it at that.
Best Yuri VN: I'm 100% biased towards the Sono Hanabira series because it's… the only one I've read. Language barriers hurt me in relation to VNs, but I have been wanting to get more into them.
Best Anime Opening: I really liked One Punch Man's “The Hero” OP. It just gets me pumped.
Best Yuri Canon Pairing: I honestly can't pick one.
Best Unofficial Yuri Pairing: I'm completely on deck with Kumiko x Reina. You hit the nail on the head.
I've been lying in bed for the past 2 hours listening to music while I tried to seriously sort my thoughts out into this list.. I could say that some of these were made with tired uncertainty, but it's just so hard for me to pick “bests” or “favorites”, as I hate having to do that for almost anything and everything. Hopefully those that read this get the point, haha.
Have a Happy New Year everyone, and here's to a 2016 that we can hope will be filled with the beautiful waves of Yuri!
– Anthony
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It's not too long at all.
I wouldn't have expected Nanatsu no Taizai to get mentioned on here. Even though I didn't finish it, I kinda liked the anime~
I don't know how L could choose Genos over Saitama. Genos was awesome, but Saitama was the best.
“Pleasure Treasure”. That sounds like it could be the nickname of a character from Valkyrie Drive. 😀
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Kuma Shock!!! Yeah, that was great.
And I'm still a little surprised that I made it all the way through Valkyrie Drive. 😛
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Completely understandable (nods) 🙂
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One comment couldn't contain your thoughts, so you needed two! 😀
A lot of people have mentioned Yuru Yuri as their favorite. People are going to miss it, when it doesn't get new seasons/OVAs.
When the time comes to replace the Kyouko tomato pic on the side menu, I'm definitely going to be a little sad. So cute.
I hated Yukine in the first season of Noragami, but he was surprisingly tolerable for me in Aragoto. That said, putting him above Yato? That's crazy talk, man! I wouldn't even put him above Bishamon. 😛
Thanks for taking the time and putting so much thought into your choices. It's appreciated~
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I liked most of the characters in Noragami S2. I did a horrible job at explaining my “best” character, so I kind of went off on a tangent and used the “character that I thought grew the most” excuse. I agree that he was annoying af sometimes, but I enjoyed the growth he had.
If I just had to pick a best character, I'd probably have to go with Ikki from Rakudai or Saitama because they were characters that just didn't plain suck like so many MCs that blow at first/take forever to become better. Yeah, it gives a reason to make a story, but meh, I enjoy it sometimes when characters are just straight OP right from the get go.
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They don't get much more OP than Saitama. 😀
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really thanks. also i enjoyed nanatsu no taizai a lot, the anime was good imo but the manga is amazing also lol ya pleasure treasure does sound like a nickname for a valkyrie drive character also i just love that song so much its so catchy, also yes saitama is the best
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Glad that we can agree on all that~
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Maybe i will give it a try once i finish YuriKam…
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