The Japanese animation industry is no stranger to the yaoi or yuri genres. The genres have grown from the teasing tones of boys' love and girls' love anime to fully developed tellings of romantic same-sex relationships. For a while, LGBTQ+ representation was limited to yaoi or yuri. However, the past decade has welcomed more realistic portrayals of same-sex couples.
Now, the anime industry has become more accepting, opening doors for more LGBTQ+ anime in the future. With June being Pride Month, there's no better time to reflect on the best LGBTQ+ anime.
10 Adachi And Shimamura Is A Sweet Yuri Anime
Adachi and Shimamura follows the titular characters, Sakura Adachi and Hougetsu Shimamura, as they bond over their love of ping-pong. However, after spending more time together, Adachi and Shimamura find themselves falling for each other.
Adachi and Shimamura is a light-hearted anime series that embodies the "friends to lovers" trope as the titular characters navigate their feelings through a maze of confusion and ambiguity. The anime is a heart-warming and beautiful story of two friends risking their friendship to pursue what they know is underneath.
9 Wandering Son Is A Touching Trans Story
Unfortunately, the transgender community is vastly under-represented. It's rare to find movies or shows that focus on the struggles of accepting one's true gender. Wandering Son tells a story of two transgender kids who discover they were assigned the wrong gender at birth.
The protagonists of Wandering Sons, Shuichi Nitori and Yoshino Takatsuki, are both trans. The two bond over feeling like an intruder in their own body and hating the roles enforced upon their assigned genders. Combined with the watercolor art style, Wandering Son stands apart from films that represent the trans experience in a harsher light.
8 Bloom Into You Is A Lovely Anime About Gay Awakenings
Bloom Into You follows a girl who's obsessed with romance as she feels nothing when a boy confesses his love for her. Living in a heteronormative society and being told what and how to feel, Yuu Koito falls apart after feeling no love for the boy in front of her. Then, she meets Touko Nanami, and all the puzzle pieces start to fall into place.
Yuu and Touko navigate through their feelings and their relationship, unable to deny the tension that buzzes between them. Bloom Into You is a story of teens who are figuring out their sexualities during their first same-sex crush.
7 Sasaki And Miyano Have Undeniable Chemistry
Sasaki and Miyano follows the budding relationship of two boys who are fond of yaoi manga. Over time, they grow fonder of each other, too. Initially, Sasaki finds Miyano quite troublesome. While they bond over yaoi manga, their feelings grow deeper and the two fall for one another.
Sasaki and Miyano have a magical chemistry that'll make any member of the audience blush. Not only is Sasaki and Miyano a perfectly executed romantic anime, but it's also a testament to how significant representation can be.
6 Paradise Kiss Is All About Self-Discovery
2005's Paradise Kiss is a josei anime that follows bisexual George Koizumi and transgender Isabella Yamamoto, two characters who proudly embrace their identities. Like most coming-of-age LGBTQ+ films, Paradise Kiss explores themes of self-discovery and the struggles that come with questioning one's identity. It dives deep into every perplexing emotion that the characters feel.
Yukari Hayasaki learns from her friends who are unapologetically themselves, regardless of what the world thinks. Paradise Kiss is a great series, and many audience members will relate to Yukari.
5 Whispered Words Is A Case Of Unrequited Love Gone Right
A queer character falling for their heterosexual best friend is a frequently-seen storyline in anime. In Sumika's case, she doesn't fall for her heterosexual best friend. However, her unrequited love comes with its own set of issues.
Whispered Words is an underrated yuri anime that features a collection of relatable themes. It's filled with unrequited love, awkward high school romances, and the true meaning of friendship. Unfortunately, Sumika and Ushio have to tackle homophobia. Whispered Words teaches its audiences a valuable lesson: despite how hard it may be, being unapologetically themselves pays off.
4 Land Of The Lustrous Beautifully Represents The Non-Binary Community
Land of the Lustrous takes place in a unique and fantastical universe that's filled with ethereal characters. In this mystical timeline, sentient crystals called Gems live on Earth after it was destroyed by six meteors.
What makes Land of the Lustrous a staple LGBTQ+ anime is that all the Gems are non-binary. While some characters are more femme-presenting and others are more masc-presenting, all characters are visually androgynous. Both the sub and the dub use gender-neutral pronouns to refer to the characters and many audience members find Pho's coming-of-age story relatable.
3 Princess Jellyfish Values Having A Safe Space
Princess Jellyfish centers around a group of otaku women who live together in an all-female household. This is something of an issue for Kuranosuke Koibuchi because they're male. Kuranosuke finds comfort in dressing in feminine clothing, using clothing to avoid political obligations and to feel closer to their late mom.
The bubble the otaku women have built in their apartment emphasizes the importance of a safe space. Shielding themselves from the negativities of the world, they learn to embrace who they truly are. Kuranosuke also teaches the audience that gender is a construct, proving not everything is as binary as black and white.
2 Antique Bakery Makes Romance A Subplot To Tackle Workplace Homophobia
Antique Bakery centers on a flourishing relationship between a man who has never managed to settle down and a man who's had bad relationships with women. Following the lives of four men in a quaint Parisian bakery, Antique Bakery is a slice-of-life anime that addresses pertinent issues while maintaining its humor.
Antqieu Bakery is a calming and light-hearted anime with a unique art style. Rather than focusing on the romantic relationship, Antique Bakery focuses more on the day-to-day activities of the bakery. This gives the show a chance to emphasize the effects of workplace homophobia and harmful stereotypes, letting the characters evolve on their own.
1 Princess Knight Kick-Started Captivating LGBTQ+ Series
During Pride Month, it can be meaningful to reminisce about older LGBTQ+ representations. Overshadowed by the masterpieces that are Yurii!!! on Ice and Revolutionary Girl Utena, Princess Knight is the anime that started it all.
Sapphire was raised to be male-presenting but was born with both male and female hearts. Considering the time of the anime's release, Princess Knight is a progressive series that doesn't shy away from elements that were considered taboo. Having a genderqueer protagonist as early as the 1960s makes Princess Knight an incredible piece of art in queer Japanese media.