The Original English Language Yuri Manga
It might seem for some readers today that yuri manga has always been with us, as old and as beautiful as the stars. But there has to have been one first yuri manga, and at least in English, we (arguably) have a definitive answer as to what it was: Rica’tte Kanji!?
Although it’s from decades long past, it remains a manga where you can get some insights (both practical and emotional) about life as a queer woman in Japan, from the first visit to the gayborhood of Shinjuku Nichome to starting a relationship with that girl who caught your eye and captured your heart. Let’s take a trip through time to where real Japanese lesbian comics in English all began!
What is Rica’tte Kanji!?
Rica’tte Kanji!? tells the story of Rica Takashima, and is a semi-autobiographical retelling of the author’s own experiences. While it is retrospective in nature, it could certainly be considered to fall into the now-popular genre of diary manga, with the author taking us through the events of their life, and their internal monologue. Interestingly, we also get insight into the inner lives of other characters, as we learn that, after a while, the characters become close, and so, one assumes, they have disclosed to Takashima how they were feeling in that moment.
As the story progresses, we get a chance to not only see how Rica (the character) navigates life, dating, and university life in the late 1990s, but also how their relationship with barhopping buddy turned friend turned lover, Miho. This includes the highs (the ecstatic high of moving in together) to the lows (realizing after you’ve moved in that your partner can be seriously annoying) to the inbetween (the misery of getting sick softened by the bliss of being cared for).
Later in the story, we also get insights into their younger years, opening up a window into what it was like to be a child who knew they were different towards the end of the 20th Century.
The First Yuri Manga in English?
As mentioned, Rica’tte Kanji!? holds the distinction of being arguably the first yuri manga to be published in English — however, we will need to unpack this a little bit, for clarity. We are not claiming that this is the first manga to portray lesbians: published in 2003, it was preceded by manga such as 美少女战士, first published as a collection of manga in English from 1998 to 2001, for example.
However, what is meant by this is that it is the first manga to be published that portrayed the express and explicit identity of the characters as unambiguously lesbian, without either largely glossing over the social difficulties and personal joys of being a queer woman, nor being an eroticized depiction of lesbians for the pleasure of a presumed male reader. Instead, Rica’tte Kanji!? spends its time exploring and illustrating the every day lives of lesbians, with their sexuality being neither an incidental part of their personality, nor being their defining attribute.
Additionally, it was published by ALC Publishing, an arm of AniLesboCon, which was the first dedicated company for yuri media opened in the USA, and which also organized Yuricon.
What Do We Think?
First of all, the artwork is utterly adorable. Rica’tte Kanji!? sets itself apart from other yuri manga by not going for a “traditional” style, and instead takes a more symbolic yet not simplistic approach that makes the characters more approachable and, therefore, more relatable. This, for me, went off without a hitch, as I found it simple to put myself in the shoes of Rica, Miho, and the other characters.
This is enhanced, additionally, by the specificity of both the situations and the time period. As with 一年之春, the more precise a situation is, the more easily audiences can map themselves onto the characters: after all, you may not have personally experienced (as Miho did) a sense of relief that your crush had accidentally gone on a date with a disinterested otoko no ko, but you’ve probably felt good that the person you like isn’t actually dating someone you thought they were.
The only thing that kind of got to me, in the light of the year 2026, was when the character Michiru — a self-assured, intelligent, and energetic young law student — is revealed to take women on first dates where she buys them booze, but her “usual” is a non-alcoholic drink, before inviting them back to her place.
Where Can I Read This Yuri Manga?
Having been assigned to many reading lists at universities in the time since publication, Rica’tte Kanji!? can often be found at university book stores, but where else can you get it? Well, you can buy it from Yuricon’s website directly 这里, and for Kindle 这里. However, given the historical importance of the work, Yuricon have also decided to let readers check it out for free! What could be fairer than that?
As an important part of yuri history — and given that it costs nothing — Rica’tte Kanji!? is an easy JGG recommendation. So go! Read it now!
Author: 托比亚斯-沃特斯
托比亚斯从事编辑和作家工作已有十余年，最初在伦敦一家法律出版社工作，2019 年移居东京。 搬到日本首都后，他撰写或编辑了各种主题的文章，包括汽车、医药、电子游戏、经济、葡萄酒、教育和旅游。他甚至评论了日本推出的首款 CBD 啤酒！ 业余时间，他喜欢看电影、玩电子游戏、唱卡拉 OK 和去当地的温泉。他最喜欢的神奇宝贝是神狐，最喜欢的食物是咖喱。他从不谈论 2008 年金融危机如何影响了现代世界的一切。
