The topic of whether everyone (relevant) in a story being gay is good or bad by default is a bit pointless, because it actually highly depends on the tone and setting. The degree of realism a story dabbles in varies and sometimes even overall grounded stories choose to not be grounded in aspects that matter to it.

Setting: A normal modern high school will on average have only very few lesbians, more in all-girls schools than in co-ed ones at least, though. On the other hand some sci-fi or fantasy world may have completely different standards, so being against "overrepresentation" by default is not useful when you want to go for different kinds of settings in fiction. Even modern settings could be worlds similar to our own that have 10% homosexuals instead of 3%. I think this criticism is clearly limited to stories that are set in a perfect mirror of our real world, which already makes the trope criticism overly specific.

Tone: A comedic story will distort whatever it wants with the innate pre-conception that the reader can suspend their disbelief. But this does not only apply to comedies, even grounded stories have things that are not realistic for the sake of its plot and tone. A slice of life story that wants to tell stories about lesbian romance will have lesbian characters be the focus. It can be completely realistic in every aspect, from artstyle to emotional drama, to setting and psychology, but it will take a liberty of probability to suit its set-up. This is normal for any type of fiction.

Some writers circumvent the strain of your suspension of disbelief by making clear that the only reason the reader perceives this world as one with an overabundance of gays is that the focus of the "camera" is on them. We all acknowledge that for children to exist, parents must too. This means for every single gay character there are two heterosexual(or bisexual) characters behind them. Similarily in a school setting you can very well assume every single person not shown is het. Every background girl, unless specified otherwise, is het. The convenience of the plot is not that there are too many gays, it's that the gays overwhelmingly interact with each other. Yet that is something that does legitimately happen in the real world. Similar people attract each other.

If it truly bothers someone that lesbians are drawn to each other like Stand users in Jojo, then that is their right of course, but it seems that hating on such a basic story device is awfully... limiting. Similar to having a sports manga full of people who have an interest in that specific sport is done for the sake of logistics (and believe me, nobody in my school ever cared about mountain biking, despite what the absolutely real new summer sports anime MOUNT!!! will tell you with its 7 mountain biker pros in the same class). Unless different sexualities are a direct factor to the story, why bother including them like you are trying to fulfill a nebulous het quota?
At least that's how I see it.

last edited at Jan 9, 2022 2:26PM

This may sound very close-minded of me and I will accept that it is merely my personal preference that does not have to apply to anyone else, but... I am so very tired of the trope that a lesbian doesnt know she is into women until she is in her late twenties onward and slept around with dozens of men always not getting she is not into them. I know that this does happen in real life and that internalized homophobia and heteronormativity cause such misfortune, but in a lot of stories it is not even treated like that's the cause.

Most girls will understand their sexuality after one or two mistakes at most, if not before those ever happen. I dont like when it is exacerbated for the sake of making the story seem more "mature" or giving the "relief" of the woman finally finding her happiness with a woman. The 10 years of throwing herself at guys was not necessary for that, thanks.

PS: This is not an issue if the protagonist/love interest is bisexual. Of course I prefer if they are happy with a woman, but I won't feel bad when a bisexual woman is male leaning.

Secondly, and this is far worse as a trope, but also rarer... the idea that a lesbian sleeps with/dates her crush's male love interest to drive them apart or """protect""" her. It sickens me to the point that I have to immediately close the story.

Well from yuri specific ones I can think of rn (still it's not exclusive to yuri I guess) is the "Characters need to be separated for X years for whatever reasons". Majority of the time it comes out of nowhere and feels incredibly forced, because it only exist to increase tension and drama for finale of the series. I don't think I ever saw it done well and even if, it always feels bad.

I fully understand this criticism. The utter waste of lifespan that is committed to in some manga for the most trivial reasons is infuriating to me. Many authors pull this card merely for the sake of making the story "bittersweet" or more "profound", but to me that is nothing but forced. There have been (a few) examples where a long separation made sense and was justified and those do hit very hard, but it is incredibly rare.

To add to that point, it is ten times worse when the partners drop all contact with each other alltogether. I will never understand this idea that people cannot call each other long distance or stay in contact. I suppose it would take away from the "tearful reunion after years of separation" if those two girls actually, you know, still heard from each other every day. That doesn't make it more bearable though.

It is the absolute most unforgivable when two characters had a minor misunderstanding and just split up, only to resolve this issue by "chance" years later.

last edited at Jan 9, 2022 5:20AM

And she could be worried sick about how Nanasawa just disappeared off the face of the earth. The last we saw of her in chapter 1, she seemed like she really wanted to see Nana again.

This is, of course, assuming that there is any "time" for her to pass. If Nanasawa returns to her timeline the instant she left there could be no worrying in the first place. Time does not flow linear in both time axis, as we have no specified return point (if there will be any at all).

As I hedge my bets on the timeline having changed if Nanasawa does indeed return, there will be no depressed Seto waiting, but instead the now lover/wife of Nanasawa. It is the kind of wish fulfillment this story revels in. If I am wrong and she returns to a similar state of affairs and has to win Seto's affection and make up for lost time, then I will certainly be impressed.

last edited at Jan 9, 2022 3:00AM

If you ever wondered what the faceless extras in the background of Yuri manga think about observing public flirting, there you go. I like the analyst who read way too deply into it, but was proven instantly wrong by glasses girl's assertiveness. At least his gaydar was working halfway, unlike the rest of the peanut gallery.

Also nice to see the couple being aware of being observed and breaking the Subtext tag with sheer queer energy.

They kissed on the pages of this manga. There is no room for "vagueness" there. For the claim about Yukiko saying they have sex I would need to see proof though, because my guess is that it was by far not such a direct and clear statement.

That’s fair enough, but all we have to do is connect the initial confession scene with their later conversation with Abe-chan to infer their basic reasons for keeping their relationship secret:

When the other girls heard that Abe-chan had confessed to Yoshida-sempai, their first reaction was, “Let’s all go over there and tease her!” And that scene is literally repeated when Nonoha and Chidori reveal that they know about Abe-chan’s relationship on the Tokyo trip, and she says, “Of course! Those damn rumours!”, indicating that the two of them have also been keeping their relationship at least somewhat quiet.

So avoiding “teasing” by their friends may not literally be about changing the group dynamic, it’s certainly reason enough for a private person like Chidori to want to keep things private from their immediate circle of friends.

I also thought about that teasing line ever since it happened, because that was the moment they decided to keep quiet, but it feels... very lackluster. No amount of teasing from their friends could compare to the trials and pain they've accumulated for a ridiculous act like this. The reason it becomes less and less acceptable with time is that their friendship with the others has grown so strong that it is impossible to believe they would have averse reactions or overdo it with the teasing at this point (not to mention they were okay with Abe/Yoshida from the start).

What is important here is that I am not saying they should announce to the entire world they are a couple. Just to their immediate closest friends who can keep a secret if you reason with them. Abe and Yoshida most likely didn't put the writing on the wall, but they are obviously not hiding their relationship either. The fact that this spreads throughout the school as rumors is to be expected I suppose.

And it’s a reasonable inference that Abe-chan’s remark about “rumours” relates to, at least, the generalized societal homophobia they would face if their relationship became known. Igarashi-senpai’s own internalized homophobia made that point clearly enough.

Yes, homophobia in general is an issue and always will be, which is why I admitted they have to keep it a secret from teachers and family most likely. But the friends showed no sign of homophobia until now, so there is little weight behind that part, unless they don't trust them to keep quiet about it in front of strangers.

But I think the extra-textual element is by far the most significant one—the “they’re keeping their relationship a secret” premise may have worn out its welcome with some, perhaps many, readers, but, as is the case with many episodic slice-of-life romantic comedies where readers are anxious for game-changing “progress,” to remove it requires that the author turn this into a different series. Perhaps a plausible continuation of this one, but not the same one, and a change that I can understand why the author of a successful series would be hesitant to make.

Of course on a meta level it is clear why this worn out premise does not get put to rest, it's the same reason why it was used in the first place... drama/thrill. But I think the author is doing a disservice to their writing skills here. There have been several very strong character arcs and developments in this manga that were nearly completely disconnected from the secrecy aspect. And it's not like it has to be dropped entirely (again, family/teachers/other classmates still should not be aware of it, that is plenty for secrecy content). All I am asking for is the courage to change the status quo in a way that serves the story, not because I desperately need them to move to the next level of their relationship, but because I can't stand sloppily applied tropes in what I consider one of the best yuri manga I've read.

In the first place my patience for this dragged out idea would be so much higher with proper motivation and consideration . I am not asking for much there I think. NanoChido have exhaustively discussed so many aspects of their relationship, yet they haven't said one word about the most important thing that constantly dictactes their actions? It's hard to swallow.

last edited at Jan 8, 2022 1:42AM

"There is no mic Sui-chan."

^ I think it is pure shyness in-text, especially on Chidori's part, and simply the conceit (premise) of the story outside of the text, and you're making way too much of it.

I don't think it's that they don't trust their friends to accept them or are afraid of their reactions, but that they don't want to break up the dynamic of the group, as almost inevitably happens when two people in a group of friends pair off--they start acting differently and being treated differently.

As far as the art goes, I do agree that the facial expressions and body language in this manga are as good as I've ever seen--absolutely world-class.

No offense Blastaar, but can you actually base this interpretation on anything said or expressed by the characters themselves? Because I can't. Ironically this feels a bit like your usual conundrum of "People filling in plot points for the author". I can logically understand that such worries could exist, but neither Chidori nor Nanoha have ever given a hint that their fear lies in ruining the group's dynamic. All they've been doing all manga is be annoyed that they have to hide it and tried to find excuses to ditch their friends for alone time, with the only conclusion being "Yeah being with friends can also be fulfilling in its own way (even if I really want to make out with my girlfriend instead)".

While shyness is certainly a factor as these two blush over the slightest thing even when alone, Nanoha has always been pushing the boundaries and Chidori has given zero reason for why she is so adamant about it outside her initial fear of being rejected by other people for being different. Or to put it differently... if either of them had a boyfriend, do you really think they would act this secretive about it? I don't think so. This is definitely not about shyness alone, but because it is them.
The manga started on a premise that existed for forced drama/thrill, but has failed to actually back it up... and eventually it just became the accepted status quo. All I ask for is that characters have clear motivations for actions, something this manga generally excells at in every other regard.

---

On a more positive note, I absolutely adore the consistency of their matching bracelets. I've been paying close attention to it and Nanoha has basically never taken it off for even a single chapter. She wears it when she showers, during sports, in her alone time, everywhere. Chidori's is far less consistent, because she wears it on her ankle and the bulge is not visible under her sock in a lot of chapters. But it does occasionally appear anyway, like during the beach chapters where she wore several ankle bracelets in the shower (a subtle detail showing how she hid they are matching with just visuals, brilliant). And of course in the recent New Years chapter she is wearing it after coming out of the baths... though on the left leg for some reason.

It's this effort that separates the manga from a lot of others.

last edited at Jan 7, 2022 11:29PM

About the current chapter: To be called by a name instead of a role is truly the sweetest Valentine's gift. Good for you manager Miyuki. I've figured that Mai-chan would go after her all the way back when Miyuki was introduced. It's good to see just how supportive Chidori is too, it's clear she wants the best for her and always did. I never saw this as a triangle, because NanoChido wanted her to be happy and would never waver. It's extremely wonderful.

Now... Reading all of this in one go is probably not how it's intended, but it gave me all kinds of emotions. The art is too amazingly expressive, the relationship is sweet as diabetes and every interaction is priceless. Honestly, what a brilliant manga.

But that doesnt mean it doesnt have issues. Above all that hiding the relationship never had a legitimate reason.If there was any reason at all, it would at least be good if either of them finally talked about the how and why. From the very start Chidori just said "We have to keep it secret" and that was it. There was not even a single reason given. She continues to be paranoid of PDA even in places with only strangers and reduced their closeness to a standard below their original friendship pre-confession. At the very beginning I was kinda on board due to Chidori still suffering from her ex-crush's "We're both girls" PTSD, but that was exorcized alongside said senpai's screen time. They have resolved themselves to be "more honest about their feelings" and to value their friends more, but they aren't even close to doing that. Fears and pessimism are one thing, but to keep this from their friends and constantly lie to them is no good. Not to mention how they constantly hurt their own relationship this way. To have to act like friends in romantic times, to even forcing Nanoha to pretend she has a secret "boyfriend"... this is a migraine that marrs a good thing.

Homophobia is clearly not an issue at this point and while having to limit their interactions outside of their friend circle is still annoying (teachers and parents may not be remotely as understanding of same-sex relationships after all), it would have helped during about 6 different outings by now if at least their immediate circle knew. The friends also would be more considerate of them if they didn't act like spazzes.
If the fear is that the friendship circle will be broken... they all were 100% supportive of glasses girl getting a boyfriend. They all constantly talk about wanting partners, this is clearly not an issue the friends concern themselves with, so it's unfair to act like Nanoha and Chidori would be a different case.
To be plain, people who would not accept their relationship are not real friends. And lying to friends is not what real friends do either. This plot point has run its course about 50 chapters ago. I get that it was a big draw and causes a lot of "heartpounding" situations, but it is cheap drama entirely unneeded with writing of this caliber.

What irks me is that they got several dozen opportunities for an epiphany moment to resolve this issue, like meeting Abe who is literally in the same boat, but exposed (and it clearly works) to the friends giving them about twenty seperate hints that they are open to anything. Not to mention Mai-chan who had every reason to be antagonistic being super supportive of their relationship.
If the anti-PDA angle has to be kept, I would much rather it was based on something like pure shyness (which does seem to factor in sometimes already). At the very least they could still plan with their friends based on mutual understanding if they are out.

last edited at Jan 7, 2022 4:43PM

What can be read as Sakurako being anxious about losing Kasumi, I've read as being in disbelief that she's been so lucky to have found Kasumi. That moment in Hawaii is one example of these different readings.

I do not want to reduce your post to this statement, I just don't have anything to disagree with for the rest of what you said. But this part, I think, is not as up to interpretation as you believe.

I would be hard pressed to say Sakurako being nearly stalkerish and desperate to go to the same university, the same course, the same job as Kasumi are signs of her "disbelief that's she's been lucky to have found Kasumi". She also was the one who wanted Kasumi to spell out that she loves her instead of staying vague. And I already mentioned all the times Sakurako has been purposely holding back, which are all signs of her trying not to make Kasumi unhappy and leave her behind.

There is a lot more nuance to this than I may have been able to convey, especially because I have no intention of just posting a dozen pages here, but Sakurako is hiding a more complex perspective behind an aloof act.

I may be a writer, but even I was impressed by LiLa's essay.

Ah... an essay, is it? I really didn't want to turn it into something so overblown. It's just my inability to be concise.

All I can add to this conversation is my own broad strokes of how I feel about labels. I personally think it's silly to be so averse to them, labels are descriptive not prescriptive, they don't tell you what to do they simply provide a name for the already present traits. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, talks like a duck, etc.

I tend to agree to a certain extend. I believe there are all kinds of relationships out there which may not neatly fit into labels, simply because they haven't been made yet. But the issue here is that Yukiko's storytelling says "This is a special relationship that cant be labeled", yet she just displays a straightforward romance about girls who claim their relationship is not what it actually is.

I would challenge them this way... Someone should ask Sakurako how her relationship with Kasumi differs from a romantic partnership/dating. I am convinced she will be hard pressed to actually give a proper response. The differences, if any exist, are diminutive. It's an aversity to labels that fuels this understanding more than the actual factual relationship they have. I have already (excessively) explained why I think Sakurako thinks this way though.

last edited at Jan 6, 2022 8:27PM

This really is a story of healing more than anything. This plot could have taken a turn for the worse at any point, a generic "We are fooling around to get over our personal pain" kind of deal. It's what both of them told themselves it was at first too, exactly because they couldn't believe they deserved more. Instead they genuinly love each other and form a solid bond.

Outcasts in several ways, but not actually bad people in any way. Kashiwagi who is treated like the worst delinquent is actually the one with more common sense and emotional stability. Kusumi is in a worse place, but she is also more honest about her feelings. Their dynamic is truly charming and this manga oozes cuteness between the pain. Definitely a far better read than what the tags would imply. Glad I read it.

Okay, let’s start out with a couple of diverse recommendations.

Kindred Spirits on the Roof ~ Full Chorus ~

Synopsis: The setting is Kokonotsuboshi Girls' Academy of Commerce, a school built on the site of an old castle, nicknamed "Shirojo." One day, the timid Toomi Yuna, who had been living a quiet life at this school, suddenly met two ghosts on the roof during lunch.

Enoki Sachi, who died in an accident before the war, and Nagatani Megumi, who died of illness 30 years ago. The two "kindred spirits" died with unrequited feelings in their hearts, met, and fell in love. They ardently wish to experience their "first time" together before their eternal rest... But they don't know how.

The two who are bound to the site of the school enlist Yuna to help them create more "yuri" couples at the school so that they can glean some sexual insight from observing them, and to assist the girls struggling with their hidden feelings.

Duration? Long (ca. 20-28 hours). Highly dependent on reading speed and whether you let the voice acting play out.

Gameplay? Kinetic.
The gameplay of Yurirei is basically kinetic. Although you pick events from the ‘calendar’ in the order you choose, the overall plot only progresses if you do a certain amount and choices have no true effect on the outcomes. So generally speaking you are just selecting events and following these different yuri couples that Yuna plays cupid for. To my surprise sometimes events get unlocked so far back in the year that I got somewhat confused about the context. I think this chaotic style of following the plot is hit and miss, although the couples never miss.
It has an abundance of CGs, which are beautifully drawn in a very unique artstyle. The sprites are very basic (static, no animations, small selection of outfits), but decent. Very much a representation of the VN conventions at the time (original release date: 2012).

Yuri? The central focus.
Everything in this story revolves around girls loving girls. The couples are diverse and face different types of challenges to their love. Except for one couple, all of the girls start out single and inexperienced, needing the help of Yuna and the spirits to get together. But it doesn’t stop at a confession scene for them, the relationships are fully fleshed out and elaborated on. Even though the synopsis makes it seem like Yuna is a neutral cupid of lesbian love, she also gets her very own yuri ending.
There is a student/teacher couple. If that is not to your taste, you can just skip through their events I suppose.
YouAki is the best pair objectively in my opinion.

Version? Buy the Full Chorus version/DLC. It is plain superior to the standard game in every way. Full voice acting, more CGs, drama CDs and more extra content.

Sexual content? Yes.
Every couple gets at least one sex scene. It’s all very tame, nothing to write home about, but all consensual (to a mind-boggling degree in one case) and cute.

Recommended? Absolutely. This VN is a classic that everyone should experience. Statistically speaking there must be at least one couple you care for and chances are you will love them all. This was one of my first Yuri VNs and it showed me the power of the medium. It gives more than enough content for the price. It’s available on Steam and MangaGamer and a few other places.

---

Synergia

Synopsis: Cila, a veteran cop with a sour outlook and anger issues expects nothing more from life besides the smell of ozone, blinding neon lights and the ever-present manhole steam. At least, until a shady friend replaces her broken-down housedroid as a favor. Advanced, more efficient and remarkably perceptive, unit M.A.R.A. begins to penetrate Cila's toughened exterior and possibly even heal her new owner's old wounds – if Cila can decipher the recurring nightmare the process brings. Soon Cila and Mara forge a unique if sometimes uneasy bond.

Unbeknownst to Cila, just as her life begins to find its new normal, the technological giant Velta Labs gets wind of Mara's existence and takes a mysterious interest in the android. A war unlike any before it is brewing on the horizon, its players are silently being selected and one android's fate may spell the difference between peace, war, the blossoming of a new religion, or a technological singularity beyond comprehension.

Duration? Short - Medium (ca. 8-10 hours)

Gameplay? Synergia is a choice based game with alternate endings and a late-game route split. The choices have long term effects that don’t become immediately obvious. The changes are unrelated to the romance, they only affect the plot.
The game has an extremely uniqe Cyberpunk/anime style and plenty of CGs to go around. The character designs are very unique and the presentation style takes some time getting used to. The character sprites are standard, but the portraits sometimes are a considerably odd representation and creep me out. Thankfully there are options to change colors of text boxes and make a lot of adjustments so your eyes won’t bleed after the 10 hour experience.

Yuri? The story revolves around the developing relationship between Cila and Mara, but nothing is quite as it seems. The game is more concerned with its world-building and plot than the romance most of the time, but their relationship is still very cute. Unlike in most Yuri VNs, Cila and Mara face more complications than just being same-sex lovers. There is a lot of focus on how relationships between humans and androids can truly work out and Cila is considered more of a deviant for being able to fall in love with a machine than being into women (but yes, Cila is a lesbian).

Version? There is only one versions of Synergia, so no need to compare.

Sexual content? None. The game has some minor nudity (nipples etc.), but that’s it.

Recommended? Synergia is a very high-concept story that goes rather deep into cyberpunk themes and transhumanism. It is a more intellectual experience than a straight-forward romance tale you might be used to in the genre. If those themes do not resonate with you at all then this VN is a rather hard sell in my opinion. I can definitely see how some of the topics in this story would make people uncomfortable, but I still recommend challenging those preconceptions! The story is not too long, but very detailed and even without the yuri aspect would still stand strong on its plot alone. If you found any of the mentioned themes even remotely interesting I would urge you to check it out on Steam, PS4 and a bunch of other platforms.

---

Starlight Vega

Synopsis: After moving into her grandfather’s old house, Aria and her best friend Melody accidentally unleash the flirtatious demon, Lyria, who spent the past fifty years in a stone. They are faced with the truth that magic is real and that there is a parallel world full of demons that has been separated from the human realm centuries ago.
Unfortunately Lyria was bound to Aria via a soul stone the moment she was freed, which causes her to feel intense pain if she makes too much physical distance from her. So she has no choice but to stick with the human girls and together they have to find a way to separate their soul bond and send Lyria back home to her own world where Queen Scherza awaits with even greater troubles.

Duration? Medium (9-12 hours)

Gameplay? Choice based route system. There are three routes and one harem ending, all based around specific choices. To be honest, the choice tree is actually quite complex and getting the harem ending is only possible after beating all three routes (and even then it is hard to get). The game has plenty of bad endings and some surprising flexibility in entering certain routes.
The game has a mediocre amount of CGs, but they are all very nice in my opinion. The artstyle’s quality is subjective I would say, because I actually quite enjoyed it, but it also has a definitive ‘indie’ feel to it. The sprites are basic, but serviceable.

Yuri? Plenty and good. The VN tackles same-sex relationships like they are normal for demons, so there is no conflict on that side (Aria being human is more of a challenge to be honest). With Melody there is more of a history as they are childhood friends and their love is more conventionally based on human society.
All three heroines are unique and have their own routes, so there is a lot to explore with them. The story justifies its harem ending pretty quickly by having some triangle dynamics in other routes too that make clear Aria is a bit indecisive and capable of loving several girls at once. That is not to say she isn’t loyal and exclusive once she actually enters a route. You can play the game entirely with a laser focus on each heroine.

Version? There is only one version of Starlight Vega, so no need to compare.

Sexual content? Minor nudity. Nothing explicit is shown, but there is some foreplay and erotic writing (The Scherza scene is almost a full-blown sex scene though).

Recommended? This one is near and dear to my heart. I can’t explain it well, but for such a clearly indie game with lots of limitations it’s actually incredibly charming and well executed. It was so good that I was left wanting for more, but what we got was great. I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who likes yuri and fantasy. It's available on Steam and Itch.io.

last edited at Feb 3, 2022 1:52PM

Yuri Visual Novel Recommendations

Seeing as there is a thread for manga recommendations I thought it would be nice to also share our experiences with Visual Novels on Dynasty as well. There is a section for this in the Yuri in Other Media thread, but I would prefer to make VNs the entire focus here.

In recent years the catalogue of Yuri VNs has grown considerably, not just in fan translations, but also official releases. These works also come from all over the world, be it Japan, the West or China. Seeing how this is an English site first and foremost I would prefer to talk about works with English translations in particular, but I would also not mind people talking about experiences with those that are not translated.

In this opening post I would like to just make a straightforward category list that I will update as more suggestions come in, but in the following posts I will take my time to recommend these works individually as well in much more detail. I have played every item on the initial list, so ask me for details if you are curious about anything.
Again, any kind of VN discussion is welcome, although if it contains spoilers, please tag it appropriately.

---

VNs with Yuri focus:

• A field of flowers and stars
• Adult Life Yuri Bundle - by Team ANPIM
• Aisling and the Tavern of Elves
• Akai Ito & Aoishiro (note that the official English releases are bad machine translations. For info on how to overwrite them with the fan translations go to this page of the thread)
• A kiss for the petals Series (Also known as Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke o)
• A Little Lily Princess
• Alice in Stardom
• Amelie
• A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986
• A Tithe In Blood
• Blackberry Honey
• Blueberry NOVA, Blackberry NOVA (no relation to Blackberry Honey)
• Chasing Tails ~ A promise in the snow ~
• Clear Skye Thinking
• Clover Reset
• Curse of Kudan
• Dorakone
• Dreamy Planet
• Escape From The Princess
• First Snow
• FLOWERS Series: Le volume sur printemps, Le volume sur été, Le volume sur automne, Le volume sur hiver + Supplementary Material for the whole series
• Fragile Feelings
• Good Luck Baby!
• Heart of the Woods (& its bonus game I Told You So)
• her tears were my light
• Highway Blossoms + Next Exit DLC
• Just Kiss Her Already (standalone yuri sequel to a BL VN)
• Kimi to Kanojo no LILYVAGANZA
• Kindred Spirits on the Roof ~ Full Chorus ~
• Lady in Mystery
• Letters From a Rainy Day – Oceans and Lace – (first game in an on-going series)
• Lilium x Triangle
• Lilycle Rainbow Stage!!!
• Lonely Yuri
• Love Bakudan
• Love Curse: Find Your Soulmate
• Love Ribbon
• Mizuchi
• My Cat Girl Lover
• Ne no Kami – The Two Princess Knights of Kyoto Part 1 & Part 2
• Night Cascades
• Nurse Love Syndrome & Nurse Love Addiction
• orangia
• Oshirabu Waifus Over Husbandos, Oshirabu Waifus Over Husbandos ~ Love * Or * Die ~
• Perfect Gold
• Please Be Happy
• Rituals in the Dark
• Roses of Love
• Sacrament of the Zodiac: The Confused Sheep and the Tamed Wolf
• Seabed
• Snowed IN
• Symbiotic Love, Melancholy Love (the first two games of an on-going series)
• Salome's Kiss
• Sakura Sadist, Sakura MMO Trilogy, Sakura Knight Trilogy, Sakura Halloween (and a whole bunch more Sakura games I haven’t read)
• Seraphim Slum
• Seven Days with the Ghost
• Sisterly Bliss ~Don't Let Mom Find Out~
• Soul Light
• Starlight Vega
• Suteki na Kanojo no Tsukurikata
• The Fairy's Song & The Fairy's Secret
• The Wilting Amaranth
• The Witch in the Forest
• Tied by your red
• UsoNatsu - The summer romance bloomed from a lie
• Wanting Wings & Faraway Feathers
• WataMari A Match Made in Heaven Part 1 (first game in a supposed anthology)
• Wheel of Innocence
• Who is the Red Queen?
• Without A Voice
• Yukkuri Panic & Escalation
• YumeUtsutsu Re:Master, YumeUtsutsu Re:After
• Yuri Dating Agency
• Yao Lai Dian Baihe Ma - Love Yuri
• Zeitz Machz √Rhapsody

---

VNs with majorly Yuri content:

• Fatal Twelve
• Iwakura Aria
• Katahane
• Life After Magic
• Lilja and Natsuka - Painting Lies
• LipTrip ~My Boss Is My Heat Suppressant?!~ (Omegaverse)
• Lucy Got Problems
• Synergia
• The Chrono Jotter
• The Expression Amrilato & Distant Memoraĵo
• The Waters Above – Prelude (sadly only a free demo, the full game was cancelled)
• Tokyo Necro (Majorly het and futa content too)
• Yurinate!

---

VN hybrids and VNs with selectable Yuri options/side-content:

• After I Met That Catgirl, My Questline Got Too Long! (RPG/VN hybrid)
• Bad End Theater (categorizing this game as a VN is perhaps not entirely correct, but it's worth it)
• Cute Bite (all romance options are yuri, but the majority of the game's content and endings is not romance related)
• Fate/Extra, Fate/Extra CCC, Fate/Extella, Fate/Extella Link (Gender of protagonist is selectable and actually makes a difference in dialogue, visuals and content. RPG or Musou games with very long Visual Novel sections, so the series counts to me)
• Find Love Or Die Trying (Gender of protagonist is selectable, but makes basically zero difference in dialogue or content) and its sequel Find Love Or Die Trying: Till Death Do Us Part
• Hush Hush - Only your love can save them (Gender of protagonist is up to player's imagination, but the characters do not in any way acknowledge it. It is a VN/dating sim hybrid)
• Little Goody Two Shoes (RPGmaker horror/VN hybrid. VN style dialogue and interactions, but features mostly survival/puzzle gameplay)
• Stardander Revenant (Full game Stardander School of Witches is now in Early Access on Steam)
• Stray Gods (VN/Musical hybrid, 2 yuri romance options)
• Volcano Princess (A raising game where your daughter can romance many female characters (but also boys))
• Wolf Tails (Gender of the protagonist is selectable, makes minor differences in dialogue, but a huge difference in sexual content)

---

Untranslated Yuri VNs:

Japanese

• Class Zen'in Maji de Yuri?! ~Watashi-tachi no Lez Oppai wa Anata no Mono Joshi Zen'in Shiofuki Keikaku~ (Beware! Do not use the optional sticky white liquid button)
• Evermaiden
• Solfege
• Sugar,sugar,sugarcoat
• YumeUtsutsu Re:Idol

Chinese

• Eternal Love & Unwavering Love (untranslated sequels to Melancholy Love)

---

VNs with Yuri adjacent content:

(This section could contain things like bisexual/trans stories or futanari content, things that most would not consider pure yuri. Incidentally things I also don’t read much of, so to be added later.)

---

Choose Your Own Adventure text games with Yuri content:

• Fallen Hero: Rebirth and Fallen Hero: Retribution
• If It Please The Court
• Kitsune
• Samurai of Hyuga Book 1-5
• Vampire The Masquerade: Night Road
• Wayhaven Chronicles Book 1-3
• Werewolf The Apocalypse: The Book of Hungry Names

last edited at Sep 8, 2025 6:07AM

@random
If you wish to be pedantic then your oversimplification would only make it worse. The root of the word is disputed and its use varies greatly across the millenia. Using it gender neutrally is incredibly niche and has not been a common thing for a good 400 years if not more by the time J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings. In Standard English is is not treated as a gender neutral term.
Not that I consider pedantics relevant to such an obvious joke.

Finally the Witch King's title makes more sense. Witch Queen has a better ring to it.

People can be fans of themselves, Kronii is ample proof of that.

Spider-melia's superpower seems to be gravity manipulation, because those mammary glands do not not obey the laws of physics.

^Astounding. Games with sexual content (real sex scenes) are blocked in many countries, but only Full Chorus is inaccessible to those, which made me assume it is the version with sexual content on Steam at least. I originally got it from another site of course, but the trend of releasing All Ages versions and an adult patch is definitely present in every 18+ VN I played on Steam.

last edited at Jan 2, 2022 1:45PM

@karp Visual Novels with sexual content are generally refered to as eroge. If you prefer to call them visual novels with sexual content that is fine as well. The former is a lot more handy however.

@daydream_dog94
Is it really such a stretch that hormone filled high school girls (and an adult virgin teacher) are horny and want to consummate their love physically?

@Sakura Cartelet
Pardon, but I don't understand why you are telling me this. I specified "pornographic" Visual Novels for a reason and I call Kindred Spirits in particular an eroge because it has a lot of sex scenes, basically one for each pair at least.

last edited at Jan 2, 2022 1:21AM

^It's a matter of pairing the spares. I believe there was some content in the voice drama CDs that encouraged the pairing a little at least. Personally I simply always found Yuna more compatible with Ano and the game most definitely made it look like it could have been an option, but it wasn't. That is my only gripe with her role.

last edited at Jan 1, 2022 6:24AM

@RandomGuy
Steam established a policy for pornographic Visual Novels to have an All Ages version and a free adult patch. It's mostly legal stuff related to some countries. Considering how old this VN is, it may well have come out before that was established, but when you go to the store right now it should be separate as DLC called "Full Chorus" (which includes a bunch of extra content too, like drama CDs and voice acting). I personally played the adult version right from the start, so I can't even say how they managed to replace a certain plot vital sex scene.

last edited at Jan 1, 2022 5:58AM

An accurate depiction of both the fandom and the characters attitude at the same time.
Switches it is.

If only this VN had choices and an alternate route for Ano.

^^You couldn't be more off about that expectation. Though I find the implication that pure romance is somehow not worth someone's time saddening, it is an eroge with sex scenes. If you have bought it on Steam you will have to install the adult patch first to see those scenes though.
The plot follows many different yuri couples with different kinds of appeals and it does get quite lengthy. One of the only real criticisms I could bring up is related to that... you cannot exactly pick which couples you want to follow at your own pace. Everything else is nitpicky or spoilerish.

last edited at Jan 1, 2022 12:01AM

Anyway, there's no clean solution to time travel plots where you change your past.

This is the truth. Which is why I am not looking for a clean ending, but rather considering what the best wish fulfillment would be according to the author.

^ My point is not at all to make a joke but to specifically avoid the logical swamps of what constitutes “sexual harassment” in this situation—once you have “the same” person as an adult and an adolescent simultaneously, you’re in a Cloud-Cuckoo-land where logic does not apply.

Even in fiction there are things that are fantastical and things that are relatable. Magic is not real, but magic can follow a logical scientific system that the reader can understand and which should not be contradicted. Similarily time travel is (most likely) not possible and future Nanasawa molesting a past version of her crush is impossible equally. We do not have to understand the time travel, though, to understand the same rules of sexual harrassment apply no matter where Nanasawa came from.

To Seto it is an adult woman making sexual advances on her in an incredibly sleazy and exploitative fashion. I am not judging the moral character of the author or the readers of course. It is just a story and ultimately Seto is the "willing" victim more than not, so the fact that people do not feel appalled is understandable.
That being said, I merely brought it up to point out that someone who is on board with time travel and sexual harrassment/assault of minors in the narrative has little room to be incredulous about polyamory. It is all a matter of prefence I suppose.

last edited at Dec 31, 2021 9:02AM