Yuri (genre)

Yuri(Japanese:百合,lit."lily"), also known by thewasei-eigoconstructiongirls' love(ガールズラブ,gāruzu rabu), is a genre of Japanese media focusing on intimate relationships between female characters. Whilelesbian relationshipsare a commonly associated theme, the genre is also inclusive of works depicting emotional and spiritual relationships between women that are not necessarily romantic or sexual in nature.Yuriis most commonly associated withanimeandmanga, though the term has also been used to describevideo games,light novels, andliterature.
Themes associated withyurioriginate from Japanese lesbian fiction of the early twentieth century, notably the writings ofNobuko Yoshiyaand literature in theClass Sgenre. Manga depicting femalehomoeroticismbegan to appear in the 1970s in the works of artists associated with theYear 24 Group, notablyRyoko YamagishiandRiyoko Ikeda. The genre gained wider popularity beginning in the 1990s; the founding ofYuri Shimaiin 2003 as the firstmanga magazinedevoted exclusively toyuri, followed by its successorComic Yuri Himein 2005, led to the establishment ofyurias a discrete publishing genre and the creation of ayurifan culture.
As a genre,yuridoes not inherently target a single gender demographic, unlike its male homoerotic counterpartsboys' love(BL, marketed towards a female audience) andgay manga(marketed towards a gay male audience). Althoughyurioriginated as a genre targeted towards a female audience,yuriworks have been produced that target a male audience, as in manga fromComic Yuri Hime's male-targeted sister magazineComic Yuri Hime S.
The wordyuri(百合)translates literally to "lily", and is a relatively common Japanese feminine name.White lilies have been used since theRomantic eraofJapanese literatureto symbolize beauty and purity in women, and are a de facto symbol of theyurigenre.
In 1976,Ito Bungaku, editor of the gay men's magazineBarazoku(薔薇族,lit."RoseTribe"), used the termyurizoku(百合族,lit."lily tribe")in reference to female readers of the magazine in a column of letters titledYurizoku no Heya(百合族の部屋,lit."Lily Tribe's Room").While not all women whose letters appeared inYurizoku no Heyawere lesbians, and it is unclear whether the column was the first instance of the termyuriin this context, an association ofyuriwith lesbianism subsequently developed.For example, the male-male romance magazineAllanbegan publishingYuri Tsūshin(百合通信, "Lily Communication")in July 1983 as apersonal adcolumn for "lesbiennes" to communicate.
The term came to be associated with lesbian pornographic manga beginning in the 1990s, notably through the manga magazineLady's Comic Misuto(1996–1999), which heavily featured symbolic lily flowers.When the termyuribegan being used in the west in the 1990s, it was similarly used almost exclusively to describe pornographic manga aimed at male readers featuring lesbian couples.Over time, the term drifted from this pornographic connotation to describe the portrayal of intimate love, sex, or emotional connections between women,and became broadly recognized as a genre name for works depicting same-sex female intimacy in the mid-2000s following the founding of the specializedyurimanga magazinesYuri ShimaiandComic Yurihime.The Western use ofyurisubsequently broadened beginning in the 2000s, picking up connotations from the Japanese use.American publishing companies such asALC PublishingandSeven Seas Entertainmenthave also adopted the Japanese usage of the term to classify theiryurimanga publications.
In Korea and China, "lily" is used as asemantic loanfrom the Japanese usage to describe female-female romance media, where each use the direct translation of the term –baekhap(백합) in Korea andbǎihé(百合) in China.
Thewasei-eigoconstruction "girls' love"(ガールズラブ,gāruzu rabu)and its abbreviation "GL" were adopted by Japanese publishers in the 2000s, likely as an antonym of the male-male romance genreboys' love(BL).While the term is generally considered synonymous withyuri, in rare cases it is used to denoteyurimedia that is sexually explicit, following the publication of the eroticyurimanga anthologyGirls LovebyIchijinshain 2011. However, this distinction is infrequently made, andyuriand "girls' love" are almost always used interchangeably.
In the 1990s, western fans began to use the termshōjo-ai(少女愛,lit."girl love")to describeyuriworks that do not depict explicit sex. Its usage was modeled after the western appropriation of the termshōnen-ai(少年愛,lit."boy love")to describe BL works that do not feature sexually explicit content.In Japan, the termshōjo-aiis not used with this meaning,and instead denotespedophilicrelationships between adult men and girls.
Among the first Japanese authors to produce works about love between women wasNobuko Yoshiya,a novelist active in theTaishōandShōwaperiods.Yoshiya was a pioneer in Japaneselesbian literature, including the early twentieth centuryClass S genre.Her works popularized many of the ideas and tropes which drove theyurigenre for years to come.Class S stories depict lesbian attachments as emotionally intense yetplatonic relationships, destined to be curtailed by graduation from school, marriage, or death.The root of this genre is in part the contemporary belief that same-sex love was a transitory and normal part of female development leading intoheterosexualityand motherhood.Class S developed in the 1930s through Japanese girls' magazines, but declined as a result of state censorship brought about by theSecond Sino-Japanese Warin 1937.Thoughhomosocialitybetween girls would re-emerge as a common theme in post-warshōjomanga(comics for girls), Class S gradually declined in popularity in favor of works focused on male-female romances.
Traditionally, Class S stories focus on strong emotional bonds between anupperclassman and an underclassman,or in rare cases, between a student and her teacher.Privateall-girls schoolsare a common setting for Class S stories, which are depicted as an idyllic homosocial world reserved for women. Works in the genre focus heavily on the beauty and innocence of their protagonists, a theme that would recur inyuri.Critics have alternately considered Class S as a distinct genre fromyuri,as a "proto-yuri",and a component ofyuri.
In 1970, manga artistMasako Yashiropublished theshōjomangaShīkuretto Rabu(シークレットラブ, "Secret Love"), which focuses on alove trianglebetween two girls and a boy. Noted as the first non-Class S manga to depict an intimate relationship between women,Shīkuretto Rabuis regarded by some scholars as the first work in theyurigenre.As both Yashiro andShīkuretto Rabuare relatively obscure and the work focuses in part on male-female romance, most critics identifyShiroi Heya no FutaribyRyōko Yamagishi, published in 1971, as the firstyurimanga.The 1970s also sawshōjomanga that dealt withtransgendercharacters and characters who blur gender distinctions throughcross-dressing,which was inspired in part by theTakarazuka Revue, an all-female theater troupe where women play male roles.These traits are most prominent inRiyoko Ikeda's works,includingThe Rose of Versailles(1972–1973),Dear Brother(1975), andClaudine(1978).Someshōnenworks of this period featured lesbian characters, though they were typically depicted asfanserviceandcomic relief.
Roughly a dozenyurimanga were published from the 1970s to the early 1990s, with the majority being published in the 1970s.Most of these stories aretragedies, focused on doomed relationships that end in separation or death.Owing to the small number of works published during this period and their generally tragic focus,Yuri Shimaihas referred to the 1970s and 1980s as the "dark age" ofyuri.Several theories have emerged to explain the bias towards tragic narratives present in this period. Writer and translatorFrederik L. Schodtnotes that the majority ofshōjomanga published during this period were tragic, regardless of whether or not they wereyuri.James Welker ofKanagawa Universityargues that these narratives represent a form of "lesbian panic", where the character – and by extension, the author – refuses their own lesbian feelings and desires.Verena Maser suggests that the decline of Class S removed the only context in which intimate relationships between women were possible,while Yukari Fujimoto suggests thatpatriarchalforces were responsible for tragic endings in these stories.
By the 1990s, tragic story formulas in manga had declined in popularity.1992 saw the release of two major works for the development ofyuri:Jukkai me no Jukkai(1992) byWakuni Akisato[ja], which began to move the genre away from tragic outcomes and stereotyped dynamics;and theanime adaptationofSailor Moon(1991–1997) byNaoko Takeuchi, the first mainstream manga and anime series to feature a "positive" portrayal of a lesbian relationship in the coupling ofSailor UranusandSailor Neptune.The immense popularity ofSailor Moonallowed the series to be adapted into anime, films, and to be exported internationally, significantly influencing theshōjoandyurigenres.Uranus and Neptune became popular subjects ofdōjinshi(self-published manga, analogous tofan comics) and contributed to the development ofyuri dōjinshiculture.
The success ofSailor Moonsignificantly influenced the development ofyuri, and by the mid-1990s, anime, and manga featuring intimate relationships between women enjoyed mainstream success and popularity.Sailor MoondirectorKunihiko Ikuharawent on to createRevolutionary Girl Utena(1997–1999), ashōjoanime series with female same-sex relationships as a central focus.This period also saw a revival of the Class S genre through the best-sellinglight novelseriesMaria-sama ga Miteru(1998–2004) byOyuki Konno[ja],which by 2010 had 5.4 million copies in print.Another prominent author of this period isKaho Nakayama, active since the early 1990s, with works involving love stories among women.The first Japanese magazines specifically targeted towards lesbians, many of which contained sections featuringyurimanga, also emerged during this period.Stories in these magazines ranged from high school romance to lesbian life and love and featured varying degrees of sexual content.
Faced with a proliferation of stories focused on homosociality, homoeroticism, and female homosexuality, some publishers sought to exploit theyurimarket by creatingmanga magazinesdedicated to the genre, coalescing aroundyurias the preferred name for this genre in response to its popularity indōjinshiculture.In 2003,Yuri TengokuandYuri Shimailaunched as the first manga magazines devoted exclusively toyuri.This was followed by the female reader-orientedComic Yuri Himein 2005 and the male reader-orientedComic Yuri Hime Sin 2007; the two magazines merged under the titleComic Yuri Himein 2010.
Stories in these magazines dealt with a range of themes, from intense emotional connections such as those depicted inVoiceful(2004–2006), to sexually-explicit schoolgirl romances like those portrayed inFirst Love Sisters(2003–2008),and realistic tales about love between adult women such as those seen inThe Conditions of Paradise(2007).Some of these subjects are seen in male-targeted works of this period as well,sometimes in combination with other themes, includingmechaandscience fiction.Examples include series such asKannazuki no Miko(2004–2005),Blue Drop(2004–2008), andKashimashi: Girl Meets Girl(2004–2007). In addition, male-targeted stories tend to make extensive use ofmoeandbishōjocharacterizations.
The publication ofyurimagazines had the effect of nurturing a "yuriculture" that influenced artists to create works depicting female same-sex relationships.Further, articles in these magazines contributed to the history of the genre by retroactively labeling certain works asyuri, thus developing "a historical canon of theyurigenre."Specifically, Verena Maser notes in her analysis of issues ofYuri Shimai,Comic Yurihime, andComic Yurihime Spublished from 2003 to 2012 that eight of the ten most-referenced series in the magazines predate the 2003 formalization ofyurias a publishing genre:Apurōzu - Kassai(1981–1985),Sakura no Sono(1985–1986),Sailor Moon(1992–1996),Cardcaptor Sakura(1996–2000),Revolutionary Girl Utena(1997–1999),Maria-sama ga Miteru(1998–2012),Loveless(2002–present), andStrawberry Marshmallow(2002–present).
While schoolgirl romances remained popular into the 2010s and 2020s, notablyKase-san(2010–2017),Citrus(2012–2018),Bloom Into You(2015–2019), andWhisper Me a Love Song(2019–present),yuriworks during this period began to incorporate new genres, themes, and subject material.The mid-2010s sawyuriworks expand to genres such as science fiction andisekai, as well as the formalization ofshakaijin yuri(社会人百合,lit."member of societyyuri")as a subgenre focused on stories involving adult women.The growth of digital platforms likePixiv,Twitter, andShōsetsuka ni Narōallowed for the creation and widespread distribution ofyuriworks outside of traditional manga magazine anddōjinshipublishing:My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness(2016) was originally published as aweb comic, while theyurifantasy worksSexiled(2018–2019),Roll Over and Die(2018–present), andI'm in Love with the Villainess(2018–present) began asweb novelson Shōsetsuka ni Narō before being adapted into other mediums.Yuristories by openly lesbian creators also became more prominent, such asMy Lesbian Experience With Loneliness.The genre of comic essays, stories that focus on the author's life experiences, have also become popular, including the aforementionedMy Lesbian Experience with Lonelinessand Hiranishi Mieri'sThe Moment I Realized I Wasn't Straight.
Yurias a genre depicts intimate relationships between women, a scope that is broadly defined to include romantic love, intense friendships, spiritual love, and rivalry.While lesbianism is a theme commonly associated withyuri, not all characters inyurimedia are necessarily non-heterosexual; Welker states that the question whetheryuricharacters are lesbians is a "very complicated issue."Characters inyuriworks frequently do not define their sexual orientation in explicit terms, and the matter is instead left to reader interpretation.
Rica Takashimanotes Western and Japanese fans often have differing expectations for the level of intimacy depicted inyuri, which she ascribes to cultural differences between the groups.She notes thatyuriworks that enjoy international popularity tend to be explicit and focused on "cute girls making out with each other," while Japanese fans "have a propensity for reading between the lines, picking up on subtle cues, and using their own imaginations to weave rich tapestries of meaning from small threads."
Thoughyurihas been historically and thematically linked toshōjomanga since its emergence in the 1970s,yuriworks have been published in all demographic groups for manga – not onlyshōjo(girls), but alsojosei(adult women),shōnen(boys) andseinen(adult men).Shōjoyuriworks tend to focus on fanciful andfairy tale-inspired narratives that idolize Takarazuka Revue-inspired "girl prince" characters, whileyuriworks in thejoseidemographic tend to depict same-sex female couples with a greater degree of realism.Shōnenandseinenmanga, conversely, tend to useyurito depict relationships between "innocent schoolgirls" and "predatory lesbians". Manga magazines dedicated exclusively toyuritend not to conform to any one specific demographic, and are thus inclusive of content ranging from schoolgirl romances to sexually-explicit content.
Often, works that are perceived and categorized asyuriin Japan are not regarded as such by international audiences. For example, while in the westSailor Moonis regarded as amagical girlseries with someyurielements, in Japan the series is regarded byyurimagazines as a "monumental work" of the genre.TheSailor Moonexample further illustrates how fans, rather than publishers or creators, often determine whether a work isyuri;Sailor Moonwas not conceived as ayurimanga or anime, but "became ayuritext"based on how the work was interpreted and consumed byyurifans.
Yuriworks generally do not depict graphic sex scenes. Unlike boys' love andyaoi, where explicit depictions of sexual acts are commonplace and stories typically climax with the central couple engaging inanal intercourse, sexual acts inyuriare rarely more explicit than kissing and the caressing of breasts.Kazumi Nagaike ofOita Universityargues that this general avoidance of sex "does not mean that female sexual desire is effaced" inyuri, but rather that the absence of sex "clearly derives from the importance which is placed on the spiritual female-female bond."
The majority ofyuristories published in the 1970s and 1980s weretragedies, focused on doomed relationships that end in separation or death (seeHistoryabove).Yukari Fujimoto, a manga scholar atMeiji University, notes that the tragic plot ofShiroi Heya no Futaribecame a commonyuristory archetype that she dubs "Crimson Rose and Candy Girl". These stories depict "Candy", a physically smaller character with lighter hair and a naive personality, who admires "Rose", who is generally taller, with long dark hair and a serious demeanor.The characters bond over a common unhappiness, usually originating from their respective home lives.The attachment between Candy and Rose becomes the subject of rumors or evenblackmail, even while Candy and Rose grow to acknowledge that their relationship has become romantic. The story concludes with Rose dying in order to protect Candy from scandal.While tragic story formulas inyurideclined in popularity by the 1990s,the Rose and Candy archetypes continue to influence contemporaryyuristories, particularly those that depictsenpaiandkōhairelationships such asBloom Into You.
InJapanese lesbian culture, the participants in a lesbian relationship are occasionally referred to astachi(タチ,lit."top", as derived fromtachiyaku, the male role inkabuki), which designates theactive participant, andneko(ネコ,lit."cat"), which designates thesubmissive participant.This distinction is comparable to that of thesemeandukedistinction in BL, or to thebutch and femmedistinction in broader lesbian culture.Characters in contemporaryyurirarely conform to these dichotomies,though the dynamic of an active partner and a passive partner that thetachiandnekodistinction represents does recur in the genre.
In the mid-1990s and early 2000s, some Japanese lesbian lifestyle magazines contained manga sections, including the now-defunct magazinesAnise(1996–97, 2001–03) andPhryné(1995).Carmilla, an erotic lesbian publication,released an anthology of lesbian manga calledGirl's Only.Additionally,Mist(1996–99), aladies' comic mangamagazine, contained sexually explicit lesbian-themed manga as part of a section dedicated to lesbian-interest topics.
The first publication marketed exclusively asyuriwas Sun Magazine's mangaanthologymagazineYuri Shimai, which was released between June 2003 and November 2004 in quarterly installments, ending with only five issues.After the magazine's discontinuation,Comic Yuri Himewas launched byIchijinshain July 2005 as a revival of the magazine,containing manga by many of the authors who had had work serialized inYuri Shimai.Like its predecessor,Comic Yuri Himewas also published quarterly but went on to release bi-monthly on odd months from January 2011 to December 2016, after which it became monthly.A sister magazine toComic Yuri Hime, namedComic Yuri Hime S, was launched as a quarterly publication by Ichijinsha in June 2007.Unlike eitherYuri ShimaiorComic Yuri Hime,Comic Yuri Hime Swas targeted towards a male audience.However, in 2010 it was merged withComic Yuri Hime.Ichijinsha publishedlight noveladaptations fromComic Yuri Himeworks and originalyurinovels under theirshōjolight novel lineIchijinsha Bunko Irisstarting in July 2008.
OnceComic Yuri Himehelped establish the market, several otheryurianthologies were released, such asYuri Koi Girls Love Story[ja],Mebae,Yuri Drill,Yuri + Kanojo,andEclair.HoubunshaandShinshokanalso published their ownyurimagazines,TsubomiandHirarirespectively, withTsubomirunning from February 2009 to December 2012 for a total of 21 issues,andHirarirunning from April 2010 to July 2014 for a total of 14 issues.After a successful crowdfunding campaign, the creator-ownedyurianthology magazineGalettewas launched in 2017.
The first company to release lesbian-themed manga in North America wasYuricon's publishing arm ALC Publishing.Their works includeRica Takashima'sRica 'tte Kanji!?(1995–1996) and their annualyurimanga anthologyYuri Monogatari, both of which were published in 2003.The latter collects stories by American, European, and Japanese creators, including Akiko Morishima, Althea Keaton, Kristina Kolhi, Tomomi Nakasora, and Eriko Tadeno.These works range from fantasy stories to more realistic tales dealing with themes such ascoming outandsexual orientation.
Besides ALC Publishing, the Los Angeles-basedSeven Seas Entertainmenthas also incurred in the genre, with the English version of well known titles such asKashimashi: Girl Meets Girl(2004–2007) andStrawberry Panic!(2003–2007).On October 24, 2006, Seven Seas announced the launch of their specializedyurimanga line, which includes titles such asStrawberry Panic!,The Last Uniform(2004–2006),andComic Yuri Hime's compilations such asVoiceful(2004–2006) andFirst Love Sisters(2003–2008).Between 2011 and 2013, the now-defunctJMangareleased severalyurititles to its digital subscription platform, before terminating service on March 13, 2013.As of 2017,Viz MediaandYen Pressbegan publishingyurimanga,withTokyopopfollowing in 2018.Kodansha Comicsannounced its debut into publishing bothyuriand BL manga in 2019, as well asDigital Mangalaunching a new imprint specializing inyuridōjinmanga.
Asyurigained further recognition outside Japan, some artists began creatingoriginal English-language mangathat were labeled asyurior havingyurielements and subplots. Early examples of original English-languageyuricomics includeSteady Beat(2003) by Rivkah LaFille and12 Days(2006) by June Kim, which were published between 2005 and 2006. Additionally, more English-developed visual novels and indie games have marketed themselves asyurigames.Some of these games includeHighway Blossoms(2016) andHeart of the Woods(2019), both developed byStudio Élan.This has been aided by theYuri Game Jam, agame jamestablished in 2015 that takes place annually.
By the mid-2010s,yurivideo games also began to be officially translated into English. In 2015,MangaGamerannounced they would be releasingA Kiss for the Petals, the first license of ayurigame to have an English translation. MangaGamer went on to publishKindred Spirits on the Roofin 2016, which was one of the first adult visual novels to be released uncensored on theSteamstore.
Whileyurioriginated in female-targeted (shōjo,josei) works, the genre has evolved over time to also target a male audience. Various studies have been undertaken to examine the demography ofyurifandom.
The first magazine to study the demographics of its readers wasYuri Shimai(2003–2004), who estimated the proportion of women at almost 70%, and that the majority of them were either teenagers or women in their thirties who were already interested inshōjoand BL manga.In 2008,Ichijinshamade a demographic study for its two magazinesComic Yuri HimeandComic Yuri Hime S, the first being targeted to women, the second to men. The study reveals that women accounted for 73% ofComic Yuri Himereadership, while inComic Yuri Hime S, men accounted for 62%. The publisher noted, however, that readers of the latter magazine also tended to read the first, which led to their merger in 2010.Regarding the age of women forComic Yuri Hime, 27% of them were under 20 years old, 27% were between 20 and 24 years old, 23% were between 25 and 29 years old, and 23% over 30 years old.As of 2017, the ratio between men and women is said to have shifted to about 6:4, thanks in part to theComic Yuri Hime Smerge and the mostly male readershipYuruYuribrought with it.
Verena Maser conducted a study of Japaneseyurifandom demographics between September and October 2011. This study, mainly oriented towards theYuri Komyu!community and the social networkMixi, received a total of 1,352 valid responses. The study found that 52.4% of respondents were women, 46.1% were men and 1.6% did not identify with either gender.The sexuality of the participants was also requested, separated into two categories: "heterosexual" and "non-heterosexual". The results were as follows: 39.5% were heterosexual men, 30% were non-heterosexual women, 15.2% were heterosexual women, 4.7% were non-heterosexual men, and 1.2% identified as "other".Regarding age, 69% of respondents were between 16 and 25 years old. Maser's study reinforced the notion of theyurifandom being split somewhat equally between men and women, as well as highlighting the differing sexualities within it.
The relationship betweenyuriand lesbianism is tenuous in Japan. Whileyuriwas strongly associated with lesbianism in Japan in the 1970s and 1980s, the correlation between the terms has weakened over time.Though Japanese fans, journalists, and publishers recognize thatyuriand lesbianism share common characteristics, they can specifically segregate the terms as concepts, withComic Yurihimeeditor Seitarō Nakamura stating that "in general, [yuriis] not [about] lesbians [rezubian] with a carnal relationship."Japanese lesbian andqueermagazines in the 1990s often opposed the conflation ofyuriwith lesbianism, likely due to its prior connotation with male-oriented pornography.
Erin Subramian ofYuriconexplains that most Japanese people see the term "lesbian" as describing either "abnormal people in pornography or strange people in other countries."Maser concurs thatyuriis a genre primarily focused on ideals of beauty, purity, innocence, and spirituality before sexual identity; focus is placed on "connection between hearts" rather than "connection between bodies."Nagaike notes in her analysis of letters published inComic Yuri Himethat many female readers of the magazine identify as heterosexual; she thus arguesyuriis more closely aligned withhomosocialitythan it is with homosexuality, even if the two concepts are not mutually exclusive.Maser analyzes contradictory sources and concludes that the "line between yuri and 'lesbian'/'homosexuality'" is...blurry". She notes that in her sources, "the termrezubian[lesbian] is used in many instances, but that it is almost never made clear what exactly it is referring to".
Nagaike argues thatyuriis a byproduct of theshōjo kyōdōtai(少女 共同体,lit."community of girls"), which formed in pre-war all-girls schools in Japan. Isolated from the influence ofpatriarchy, adolescent girls created a "shōjoculture" that used Class S literature to disseminate and share homosocial cultural codes. Though this culture was significant in informing girls' attitudes about femininity and independence, it was ultimately ephemeral; upon leaving the single-sex school environment, girls became subject to patriarchal expectations of marriage and family.
Asmixed-sex educationbecame more common in the post-war era and Class S literature declined as a means to disseminate homosocial bonds,  cross-dressing and BL emerged as the primary modes in literature for women to criticize and resist patriarchy.The emergence ofyuriallowed for a return to Class S-style homosociality, of which homosexuality is a component.Thus, Nagaike asserts thatyuridoes not conform to the political vision of lesbianism espoused by philosophers likeMonique Wittigthat sees lesbianism as overthrowing "the political and sociological interpretation of women's identity;" rather,yuriis closer toAdrienne Rich's vision of a "lesbian continuum" that seeks to overthrowcompulsory heterosexuality.