Yuri Manga Highlights of 2011

As with my anime list, I decided to list the titles in this post alphabetically (well, alphabetically within each category) rather than worry about ranking them.

Top 5 Finished Series: 

Ameiro Kouchakan Kandan by Fujieda Miyabi (2 volumes + drama CDs):
A Happily-Ever-After ending to a very sweet, very gay series. (The Amber Teahouse is simply awash with women of the yuri persuasion.) May we continue to see Sarasa and Seriho cameo in many more Fujieda series.

Even though this isn't manga-relevant, I'd like to mention again that I really appreciate Fujieda for writing a new story for every single drama CD based on his works. Excluding the Marimite drama CDs, my face falls a little every time I find that a drama CD I've gotten re-enacts an already existing story.

Blue Friend season 1 by Eban Fumi (2 volumes):
This story incorporates some of the less positive tropes of yuri but, in a way, transcends them. Blue Friend's themes about overcoming the past and the fear of opening up about the bad experiences in one's life to someone whose opinion one deeply cares about were poignant and well-integrated with the yuri between its two leads.

Nobara no Mori no Otome-tachi season 1 by Shirasawa Marimo (2 volumes):
This story is a love letter to many of the fun tropes of yuri, made for a shoujo audience with nods to the older folks who know what series Nobara owes its heritage to. Even though I know that "yuri" isn't synonymous with "lesbian," etc, etc, I love that something like this (or Blue Friend, Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, etc) can come out in Japan without the homophobes collectively getting their panties in a twist over "protecting" children from being exposed to the idea of same-sex relationships.

Octave by Akiyama Haru (6 volumes):
We loved it, we hated it, we loved to hate it. But really, we mostly loved it. I would have loved to see Yukino come out to her family (she seemed like she was just about to before this series ended), but the ending to this series was still great, and we know that Yukino and Setsuko will be happy. As not only a yuri series, but a series about growing up and sorting out one's life as a young adult, Octave was excellent.

Renai Joshika by Morishima Akiko (2 volumes):
Morishima Akiko knows how to hit all of the right buttons. She loves writing about cute, lovey-dovey adult couples, and I love her for it. Arisu was a hoot to follow, and I'm glad she got a Happily-Ever-After with the girl she wanted. (Among the other cute couples this series has covered.) I also love Renai Joshika for making same-sex marriage a prominent point of discussion.

Honorable Mention: 

Sweet Little Devil by Nanzaki Iku (1 volume):
My most "subjective" inclusion in this post. This was a highlight for me because it's the first time I've bought a tankoubon by someone whose doujinshi I have liked for years. For a very particular niche of the yuri fandom, this book's publication was a huge "OMG!" moment.

Top 5 Series That Have Been Collected Into Tankoubon This Past Year But Are Still Ongoing:

Aoi Hana by Shimura Takako (6 volumes so far):
For Fumi coming out as a lesbian to her straight friends- showing how much she has grown since she first came out- and Orie and Hinako getting married and coming out to Orie's family. I still love this series to pieces.

Fu~fu by Minamoto Hisanari (1 volume so far):
For being an sweet look at domestic bliss, starring Suu and her wife Kina. (Plus Komugi and Hayase, the lesbian couple next door, and Kina's sister Kana, the lesbian Don Juan who finally meets her match.) Watching Kina and Suu just makes me happy, the other characters are fun, and I love Minamoto Hisanari for making a case for two women to be able to use the term "wife" for each other.

Gunjo by Nakamura Ching (2 volumes so far):
Speaking of transcending negative tropes...but in this case, tropes that are ascribed to queer women across different media rather than simply yuri. Gunjo is a challenging read (in more than one sense), and that's refreshing when- as in this case- it's done well. I cried for the character who died in volume 2, and I'm on pins and needles waiting to see how things end for Gunjo's nameless lesbian protagonist and the woman she threw everything away for.

Omoi no Kakera by Takemiya Jin (1 volume so far):
Out of all of the titles I've read for the first time this year, Omoi no Kakera easily has my favorite protagonist. Mika is a loveable, intelligent, refreshingly self-aware lesbian, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her life. 

Sasameki Koto by Ikeda Takashi (8 volumes so far):
Sasameki Koto occupies a gray space between this category and the first category because it has ended but its final tankoubon hasn't been published yet. For its loveable characters and depiction of what it's like to be a gay teen in a way that rings true again and again, Sasameki Koto always deserves a spot on this list. I'm really looking forward to getting that final volume.

Series That Haven't Been Published As Tankoubon Yet:

Collectors by Nishi UKO:
Collectors is about Shinobu and Takako, two women who are complete nerds for very different things. Shinobu loves books and Takako loves fashion. They love each other despite, and to some extent because of their different passions. (Someone who isn't passionate about anything wouldn't make someone who is happy, imho.) I love the premise and look forward to seeing it in tankoubon form.

Kuchibiru Tameiki Sakurairo by Morinaga Milk:
The return of Morinaga Milk's first (and arguably most) popular couple! And it addresses an issue that Girl Friends, realistic though it was, tiptoed around- coming out! (Four for you, Morinaga Milk! You go, Morinaga Milk!) The announcement of Nana and Hitomi's return was the best yuri news of 2011.

Must-Read Manga of Yuri Interest Published in English:

Cardcaptor Sakura omnibus 2 by CLAMP:
For continuing to re-introduce Tomoyo, one of yuri's most iconic classic characters.

Go, go, Nanzaki Iku!: Sweet Little Devil

Whoo-hoo! I've been looking forward to this collection. Nanzaki Iku has been drawing fun Mai-Hime and Mai-Otome doujinshi under the name Doropanda Tours for years (the avatar he uses for his profile in this book is a panda), so it's nice to see him finally put out a collection of his own original yuri work. He's too good to stick to making slash doujinshi. (Or illustrating the Queen's Blade: Hide and Seek manga.) Sweet Little Devil, like most Yuri Hime tankoubon, is a collection of stories about several different couples- a veritable assorted chocolate box of yuri.

The first three chapters focus on SLD's alpha couple, Sayo and Ritsuko. When they were neighbors as kids, runty Sayo always followed (and crushed on) Ritsuko, who was two years older. After going their separate ways and then meeting again as teens, they fell in love and started dating. In the first chapter, "Sweet Little Devil", they resolve a misunderstanding over why Ritsuko never told Sayo about her ex, even though Sayo has been open about who she's dated. "Heart and Soul" deals with Ritsuko's upcoming graduation. In "Moment Like Fireworks", Sayo and Ritsuko go on a date at a summer festival, where they run into a friend of Sayo's who's on a date with her boyfriend. At first, Sayo introduces Ritsuko as a friend, but then backtracks and tells her friend that Ritsuko is her girlfriend. (My favorite scene in the book. ^_^ ) Then Sayo and Ritsuko continue their date.

In "Love Prep Room", Shiina is in love with her cheerful, athletic best friend since middle school Satsuki, but she won't confess and Satsuki doesn't get it. Instead, Shiina settles for a physical relationship with Eiko, who knows about Shiina's feelings for Satsuki and pretends to not have any feelings for Shiina. (The ending is hopeful for two of these characters.)

In "Our Future Plans", Azumi has a crush on Chiwasu, the owner of a pet shop she frequents. Azumi confesses to Chiwasu in a sputter-inducingly straightforward way and, after spending more time with her, gets together with her. I especially liked the ending of this one as well.

"Starting Over" is the one story in this volume that ran in Yuri Hime instead of Yuri Hime Wildrose. (I'm probably in the minority for wanting Nanzaki to draw more for regular Yuri Hime than Wildrose.) Haru decides to ask "Shima-chan", the cool, aloof-looking girl who she's had an eye on throughout high school but never spoken to, to sign her yearbook. They hit it off (Shima nicknames Haru "Yone-chan", as an abbreviation of her last name), and the story ends on a note of possibility. I would love to see Haru and Shima's story developed more.

"One And Only" is a really cute Happily-Ever-After-type epilogue focusing on Sayo and Ritsuko.

There's...something about Nanzaki Iku's story-telling style that charms me. His goofy sense of humor and the banter between his characters are both selling points, and he convincingly portrays the excitement and tension of being in love. This collection isn't ground-breaking in any respect, but it does a very good job of working within its parameters and serving up several likeable canon (duh, it's Yuri Hime) yuri characters, with a dash of queer identity to boot. The first four chapters are clearly influenced by the ShizNat dynamic that Nanzaki has spent years drawing (I imagined Sayo and Shiina speaking with Shindou Naomi's voice ^_^;;), but the last two chapters move into more original character types- which I found refreshing, as sweet of a couple as Sayo and Ritsu are. 

Sweet Little Devil isn't high art, but it's a fun collection. And it's a really cool feeling to see a doujinshi artist I'm familiar with go pro as a yuri mangaka.

Story: B+

Art: B+

Overall: B+

Update on 07/24: Nanzaki Iku's a woman. Whoops. ^^;;;; I shall keep that in mind henceforth.