I confess. Even in my late 20’s I’m still into watching cartoons. I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow it, being addicted since childhood to classics like Astroboy, Transformers and Voltes V, as well as more recent diversions like Ghost Fighter, Hunter X Hunter, and a host of others. Japanese animation is very different in style and content to its Western counterparts. And perhaps being Asian, I can relate more to its nuances. So imagine how happy I was when I discovered that in the world of anime, there’s such a thing as yuri.

Yuri is a term Japanese used to describe works that have lesbian content, especially anime and manga. They feature more overt displays of affection between women, in contrast to shoujo-ai, which usually denotes subtle lesbian subtext. This is not hentai. I repeat: this is NOT hentai. A lot of these don’t get shown on TV where I’m at, so here’s another cheer for the Internet. YouTube and torrents rock my world!

Here’s a round up of the most popular yuri animes:

1. Sailor Moon

There’s a lot to be said about Sailor Moon yuri. I remember that when Sailor Moon was first televised, it became an instant hit. I was in high school then, which I guess was the target audience for these five short-skirted Japanese school girl heroes. My classmates loved them, both girls and boys (they were all probably waiting for the transformation scene). During the third season, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune appearred out of the blue, and it is almost immediately obvious that they are a couple. Sailor Uranus has short blonde hair and cross-dresses, wearing the boys’ uniform at her school. Her androgyny made me very confused then, because dubbing was also changed to a male voice. I’m glad I was able to clear that up (whew!). At first glance, their relationship appears to be the traditional butch/femme dynamic, but neither one can be considered dominant over the other. Sailor Moon yuri fan fiction is among the most famous on the Internet.

2. Revolutionary Girl Utena

This anime is a fairy tale gone wrong (or right, if you’re a feminist). A prince saves a girl, and instead of the princess falling in love, she decides that she wants to become a prince herself. Utena Tenjou and Anthy Himemiya from Revolutionary Girl Utena is another example of a well-known yuri couple. Now I admit that I’ve only seen the movie, but not the series, and boy did that weird me out (anybody else got a headache?). (02/27/08, UPDATE: I’ve already seen season 1 of the series, and I must say it’s easier to follow, and not as crammed as the movie) Similar to Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, Utena appears to be the more “masculine” of the two, also insisting on wearing the boys’ uniform and participating in the surrealist duels at Ohtori Academy. She is strong willed and athletic, and can beat the crap out of any boy who makes a false move. Anthy, in contrast, appears very submissive as the Rose Bride, and lets other people slap her around without a fight (but I suspect that with her power, there’s more than meets the eye).

3. Maria-sama Ga Miteru (The Virgin Mary is Watching You)

Maria-sama ga Miteru, or “Marimite”, follows the students at Lillian, an exclusive all-girls Catholic school. It focuses on the relationships between the girls, specifically those who become involved in the Student Council. At Lillian it is customary for upper class students to take a petite soeur (French for “little sister”). This soeur system is given immense importance and leads to intense bonds between the girls, paving the way for subtext. The main characters Yumi and Sachiko have a very complicated relationship because of their personalities, which sometimes works for them, and sometimes against them. At least one of the characters, Sei, is an out lesbian known to have had a lover in the past. Maria-sama ga Miteru is a mostly character-driven anime, hence the pacing is slower than most. If you want a laid back distraction, this is it. It’s a beautiful series to watch, and is currently in its 4th season.

4. Yami to Boshi to Hon no Tabibito

There has been a trend toward yuri being more out in the open. Yami to Boshi to Hon no Tabibito, or “YamiBou”, was the most notable example of this. It was based on an adult Japanese visual novel, becoming 13 episodes of non-adult anime. The main characters, Hazuki and Hatsumi, were quite obviously in love, and the story centers on Hazuki’s journey through time and space to find Hatsumi after she goes missing on the eve of her 16th birthday. The story is very deep and nearly entirely character-driven. It has been criticized as being hard to follow with its self-referential nature. If you’ve read Alan Moore’s Watchmen, its something like that. Before you fully understand the story, you may have to watch the series a couple of times. I say it’s worth it.

5. Strawberry Panic!

Ehem. OK, I know the picture is lesbilicious. You can thank me later. Strawberry Panic is very similar to Maria-sama Ga Miteru, but unlike the latter that tends to beat around the bushes, Strawberry Panic goes for broke (but still in a tasteful way). The story revolves around three all-girl schools on Astrea Hill, which all share a dormitory complex known as the Strawberry Dorms because of its shape. This series is full of lesbian pairings, but the main focus of the show is Nagisa, the friendly new girl in town, and Shizuma, the aloof but ever popular Etoile of Astrea Hill, a figurehead of the whole student body. Their relationship is complicated by character flaws, and the proverbial love triangle. It’s never gonna be smooth sailing for them, but the finale is quite satisfying. Not because of a “happily ever after”, but an honest ending that deals with consequences, making it more believable.

Was your favorite yuri anime left out of this list? Tell me about it!