Once in a while I find some great (sometimes, almost never, some not-so-great) yuri. Rarely anime, mostly manga and VNs. I hope you don't mind if I share some (or most) of them here and ask you to do the same.
A few words for the opening: I rather go for
sweet than
hot. H-scenes are just a mere addition, I read these just for the plot, and that includes SonoHana (while I admit that ero-scenes sometimes help in development, just like in Katahane).
Let's then start with...
Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke wo series
There are two titles recognized as a pinnacle of yuri - one of them is
Strawberry Panic (with which I'll wait until I get my novels) and the other is Sono Hanabira. 10 eroge featuring 5 couples, one non-H spinoff (
Hanahira!), a bunch of short novels, some drama CDs, an OVA and an ONA series... and another spin-off, named
Xenocross: The Music Box of Memories.
Each of these short VNs tells a story of two girls connected through St. Michael's School for Girls, St. Michael's or Mikajo for short. Each pair is different than the others, and their views on the relationship with their lovers differ as well. Yuuna is pretty perverted despite her appearance and position in school, and she holds not-so-innocent after all Nanami dear. Sara looks up to Kaede, who was protecting her in the past, and views her as her prince (hence the title of the second game,
Watashi no Oujiko-sama -
ouji (usually with
-sama suffix) can be translated as
prince, with
-ko part usually meaning a female version). Reo is a tsundere, so you can't expect a honest opinion from her, even during intercourses, but the fifth game shows how much she thinks about Mai and tries her best not to be a burden to her (which, in fact, isn't easy for her). Runa tries to help Takako as much as she can, but her personality and young age (she's only 12) cause a misunderstanding and put Takako in somewhat uncomfortable position.
For some people the story might seem a bit rushed - it doesn't take long for one to confess to another, and usually every event ends with an
encounter. Well, that's this kind of game, unfortunately. However, after the beginning the story has a nice pace and remains a pleasure to read. That includes H-scenes, a bit different than most of hentai yuri content. Except for a bath scene in first novel, there are no signs of any hardcore material or fetishes. The best thing about these scenes is how they are erotic, but at the same time pure and full of love. Mikajo's environment is
very supportive to our couples, and has been for years. Fellow students
squee whenever they see a sign of affection, such as
kisses,
acts of chivalry,
kisses,
holding hands and
kisses. They even started adding
-sama to Mai and Reo's names. Did I mention how they love to see other girls kissing?
The art is really pretty, and that includes both
regular looks and
chibi versions. Backgrounds look great and are detailed, not distinct from characters' sprites. The only bad thing I can say about the looks is the lack of side characters (well, SH7 shows
two nameless girls, completely under Runa's charm), but it's nothing that would change my opinion too much.
As for sounds, they're great too. Apart from faultless in my opinion voices and sounds, the music is really catchy, as it's light, sweet and reminds of SonoHana when I'm listening to it. If I were to choose my favourite piece, it'd probably be
With a Light Feeling, but
As Always and
On a Good Day come close to that.
I should probably say something about animu versions, showing Mai and Reo relationship. There's OVA, bearing the same title as the third game (
Anata to Koibito Tsunagi), showing an intercourse in the infirmary (one might wonder whether this school has actually
hired a nurse, as she's never around, but that might be because of Yuuna's meddling), and after that Mai's visit in sick Reo's house. Even though the latter part didn't happen in VNs, at least this way - Mai got sick, not from
having some Reo, and our little tsundere was the one to visit, Reo's confession was adapted pretty faithfully. Despite irrelevant differences, such as Mai's room layout or the school building's view (different than both the original SH3 and the remake), this OVA successfully conveys the series' mood.
There's also ONA series,
Reo x Mai Diaries, where the girls are living their lives as lovers and Reo decides to buy a cellphone. She's stubborn and arrogant, so it's not an easy task. We also get to see Yuuna's influence, when they heard that some girls in Mikajo's uniform demanded to be sold the Lover's Plan.
What do you think about SonoHana? Did you like it? Do you disagree with me? Or maybe you can say something about a decent yuri? Feel free to share your opinion.
