Some of the most popular genres of anime and manga are fantasy, adventure, and romance. Within each of these genres, there are many tropes that fans are familiar with - enemies to lovers, the overly powered hero, or even a hero with unknown powers.
Then there are genres that aren’t as familiar but are growing in popularity, like yuri, the intimate romantic relationship between two women. There are some amazing yuri anime that will make anyone's heart skip.
10 RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne: A Supernatural Horror Anime With A Passionate Romance
RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne follows the story of a beautiful and almost indestructible woman called Rin Asogi who works in an office. However, she takes on jobs as a private investigator and can somehow survive grievous wounds. Along with her partner, Mimi, they delve into the darker aspects of society.
The romance between Rin and Mimi is eye-opening and filled with love, passion, and a lot of cheekiness. As this anime is only 6 episodes long, it does gloss over some of the development between Rin and Mimi and the story itself. However, it’s still a great action-packed and horror-filled girls love anime.
9 Maria Watches Over Us: A Slow-Burning Relationship Between A Popular Girl And A Transfer Student
Maria Watches Over Us is an anime about Yumi Fukuzawa. She enters Lillian Girls' Academy, an all-girls Catholic School, and catches the eye of the most popular girl in the school, Sachiko Ogasawara. Sachiko offers to be Yumi’s "sister" and help guide her through her years at school.
Yumi and Sachiko grow much closer over the duration of the series, and the love between them blossoms as they get to know each other. It’s a very sweet anime with a romance that is slow-burning and fills the viewer with anticipation.
8 Kase-San And Morning Glories: A Sweet Animated Movie About A Girl Who Loves Flowers And The Star Of A Track Team
Kase-san and Morning Glories is an incredibly sweet, animated movie about Yui Yamada, a high school girl who loves flowers and plants, and Tomoka Kase, her girlfriend and the star of the track team. Despite their vast differences, the two work together to communicate and enjoy the magic of their first love.
Their romance isn't over the top, but rather sweet and slow-burning as they explore their feelings and the newness of their relationship. It’s set in modern times and more of a realistic and down-to-earth yuri anime.
7 Sweet Blue Flowers: Two Very Different Girls Find A Way To Rekindle Their Friendship
Sweet Blue Flowers is an adorable anime about Fumi Manjoume, a shy and soft-spoken girl, and Akira Okudaira, a loud and boisterous girl, who were friends when they were younger and reunite later in their lives. This anime follows the two as they navigate through their high school lives and attempt to rekindle the friendship and relationship that they once had.
From the animation style to the storyline, this anime was produced more for a female audience and contains a slow and secretive romance.
6 Adachi And Shimamura: A Slice Of Life Anime With Amazing Character Development And Artwork
Adachi and Shimamura is a slice-of-life, yuri anime about Sakura Adachi and Hougetsu Shimamura who meet by coincidence in their school's gymnasium. From that moment, they began their friendship that slowly blossomed into something more.
This is such a beautiful anime about two girls trying to navigate their friendship and figure out if being more than friends will bring them closer or ruin their relationship altogether. On top of that, the emotional character development and aesthetically pleasing artwork make this an anime worth watching.
5 Bloom Into You: An Unexpected Question Leads To The Blooming Romance Between Two People
Bloom Into You is a romance yuri anime about Yuu Koito and her obsession with romance. She always thought that her heart would flutter and she’d float away the day that someone would confess their love to her. But when it happened, that wasn’t the case.
When Yuu approaches Touko Nanami, the student council president, for advice on how to reject someone, the president confesses to her. This anime shows a sweet and charming blossoming love between two girls that is filled with ups and downs and self-discoveries.
4 Sakura Trick: Two Best Friends Who Push The Bounds Of Their Friendship
Sakura Trick follows the story of Takayama Haruka and Sonoda Yuu, who have been best friends since middle school and are practically inseparable. So when Yuu becomes popular amongst her fellow classmates, Haruka becomes jealous. So, to appease her friend, Yuu shares an intimate kiss with Haruka, which pushes their friendship into the unknown.
Their friendship becomes something more, and along the way, they share many kisses and discover more about their relationship and feelings. Sakura Trick is a sweet, funny, and heartwarming yuri anime.
3 Strawberry Panic: A School Anime That Focuses On More Than Just The Romance Aspects
Strawberry Panic is a school romance anime about Nagisa Aoi, who begins her new life at an elite all-girls boarding school. When she becomes lost, she meets a classmate who is so beautiful and elegant that she faints. This woman turns out to be the star of the school, Shizuma Hanazono, who happens to be interested in Nagisa.
This anime has an all-female cast and contains many elements of high school life like school politics, love and heartbreak, and betrayals, in addition to the blooming romance between Nagisa and Shizuma.
2 Love to Lie Angle: A Comedic But Sweet Take On Young Love
Love To Lie Angle is a school drama and slice-of-life yuri anime about Natsuno Hanabi, who moves from Tokyo back to her hometown for school. She was supposed to be living in the Tachibana Mansion, which is a beautiful dormitory, however, she was placed in Tachibana House, which isn’t as nice but is very lively. There, Hanabi finds herself situated between her old friend and a beautiful girl.
This is a much lighter and more comedic girls love anime, but it still has relationships that grow to be something sweet and heartwarming.
1 Citrus: A Controversial Anime That Has Many Questionable Elements And Tropes
Citrus is a very controversial yuri anime as it has a popular, although questionable trope - love between step-siblings. When Yuzuko Aihara’s mom remarries, she has to move in with her step-father and attend a new and very strict school. On her very first day, however, she makes an enemy in the form of the school's beautiful and strict Student Council President, Mei. As it turns out, Mei is her new step-sister.
This anime does have many controversial points and can be a hit or a miss for yuri anime fans. Despite this, the love that grows between Mei and Yuzuko is one that is worth watching over.