Lesbian anime, also known as yuri anime, has been gaining a following recently. Yuri anime and manga is becoming popular not only in Japan but also abroad, and new yuri anime have been popping up left and right.
In this article, we’ll give you our top ten picks of the best yuri anime out there, explain a little bit about each one, and give it a rating, which is based both on audience reviews and our own personal opinion of it. So, if you’re interested in watching some lesbian anime but don’t know where to start, keep reading to find out which one you might want to dive into next!
1. Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night
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_Swim_in_the_Night
Synopsis
Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night is music/performing arts-themed yuri anime. It follows four women who each have their own creative talents: one is a former pop idol, one an illustrator, another a VTuber, and another a musical composer.
Together, they form the music group JELEE, which skyrockets to fame. The anime has a lesbian relationship, as well as various other forms of queer representation. Definitely give it a watch if you’re interested in both performing arts and yuri!
Our Rating
10/10
2. Yuri Is My Job!
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Synopsis
Hime is a girl who’s all about appearances. She wants to come off as a sweet, helpful girl who could do no wrong. But, inside she is a self-serving person who’s not concerned about helping others. However, when she injures the manager at a strange theme cafe by accident, she decides to take up shifts at the cafe to make it look like she’s atoning for her wrongdoing.
The cafe is kind of like a hostess club, where all the waitresses pretend to be students at an all-girls academy. One of her co-workers puts on the show of being deeply in love with Hime for the customers, but behind the scenes she seems to absolutely hate her.
If you’re looking for a yuri comedy with a unique premise, definitely give Yuri Is My Job! a try.
Our Rating
9/10
3. Maria Watches Over Us
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Synopsis
Maria Watches Over Us is an anime and a set of five OVAs all set at a fictional Catholic girls’ high school in Tokyo. It’s more of a slow burn show, and definitely not the anime to watch for explicit, steamy scenes. But it’s an anime that portrays romance between women in a more refined way.
While it lacks a specific plot structure, it instead centers around the interactions between the girls at the school, making it a true “slice of life” anime. The anime also has, as you may have guessed, Catholic themes throughout, as well as a fair amount of French used in the names of places and things. So, if you’re looking for an anime that’s heavy on aesthetic and theme, but not as intricate when it comes to plot, definitely check out Maria Watches Over Us.
Our Rating
8/10
4. Bloom Into You
wiki/Bloom_Into_You
Synopsis
Yuu, a female high school student, dreams of someone confessing their love to her. One day, a boy does just this, but she’s surprised to realize that she feels nothing for him. She then sees another female student, Touko, turn down a love confession of her own, and becomes determined to be friends with her, thinking that she can relate to her situation. The two do become friends, and eventually this develops into a romance of its own.
Bloom Into You is a slice of life yuri anime with a variety of interesting twists and turns along the way, and is consistently said by reviewers to be one of the most popular yuri anime out there.
Our Rating
9/10
5. Kakegurui
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Synopsis
Kakegurui is another anime with a unique premise. It follows Yumeko, a student at a special all-girls high school where students aren’t ranked by their grades, but by their gambling ability. Basically, students at this high-class high school gamble their fortunes to see who can make the most money to give to the student council, which then ranks them based on the amount of money they can contribute. While most students gamble for a high rank and general esteem, Yumeko does it for the love of the game, and she has a keen eye for picking a winning play. This makes her catch the interest of the student council president.
While this anime doesn’t overtly portray a lesbian relationship, it does show female characters’ intense admiration for each other’s gambling skills. So, this is an anime where you can infer a same-sex relationship, even if it’s not clearly shown.
Our Rating
8/10
6. Whisper Me a Love Song
Synopsis
Whisper Me a Love Song is another anime with a musical twist. On the first day of high school, Himari watches an all-girl band play at the school’s opening ceremony. Yori, a girl who’s subbing in for someone else as lead vocalist and guitarist, captivates Himari’s heart.
Later, Himari confronts Yori, saying that she’s in love with her, however, the two girls soon realize that their ideas of what love is may be different. Whisper Me a Love Song is a slice of life anime with many lesbian couples, so you won’t have to search too long before finding the yuri!
Our Rating
8/10
7. Gushing Over Magical Girls
Synopsis
Gushing Over Magical Girls is a yuri anime that combines a fantasy premise and a lot of fanservice. The story follows Utena, an incredibly average girl, who’s a superfan of the Tres Magia, a group of magical girls who watch over her city. However, when she happens to run into a spirit, she’s transformed into a villain who’s forced to fight against the Tres Magia. However, Utena begins to enjoy the process of torturing them.
Our Rating
9/10
8. Kase-san and Morning Glories
Synopsis
Yui is a shy girl who loves tending to her school’s garden, and is a prominent member of the gardening club. She runs into Kase, the school’s track star, and falls for her from then on. The story follows the romance between these two high school girls from very different social circles, and is a cute slice of life anime that also focuses on hobbies such as gardening.
If you’re interested in a yuri anime that also focuses on different hobbies and activities as well as a lesbian romance, definitely check out Kase-san and Morning Glories!
Our Rating
9/10
9. Sakura Trick
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Synopsis
Haruka and Yuu are best friends, and decide to enroll in the same high school together. Even though they end up being placed in the same classroom, they’re disappointed when they find out that their desks are on opposite sides of the classroom. Despite this not seeming like a huge issue, Haruka also becomes jealous when Yuu attracts the attention of other female students in her class. As the two besties fight to stay together no matter what, their relationship evolves into something more.
Our Rating
7/10
10. Adachi & Shimamura
wiki/Adachi_and_Shimamura
Synopsis
Sakura Adachi and Hougetsu Shimamura are high school delinquents who regularly skip class. They run into each other while skipping class, and quickly become friends. Over time, Sakura develops romantic feelings for Hougetsu, but can’t bring herself to say it. Sakura spends the course of the show trying to work up the courage to open up to Hougetsu about her feelings.
This anime is as “slice of life” as it gets, and is put in the category of “iyashikei” anime, which translates to “healing type”, meaning an anime that’s intentionally comforting and strives to heal the mind of its worries.
Our Rating
7/10
Conclusion
Well, there you have it! Here are the top ten lesbian anime that we recommend for you. We chose these ones based on audience recommendations and general popularity, so you might not always agree with our rating, but feel free to give any anime on this list a fair shot, to see for yourself how you like it!