Two Yuri Manga Get Anime

Whew! On this Thanksgiving Day, I'm thankful for getting my Pokemon Sun and Moon review getting released when I did! Okay, so although my family is over in the kitchen right now, socializing like the social butterflies I somewhat wish I could be like, I'm still sitting at my grandmother's computer, blogging away. (We had our Thanksgiving dinner already.) Well, in the spirit of this holiday, I should probably mention something else I'm thankful for.... but what? What could I possibly be grateful for?

The recent announcement of the anime adaptations of not one, but two yuri manga, that's what!

Just for the record, I am not a lesbian; in real life, I have a guy friend who I have a crush on, and a lot of people know that, albeit few know exactly who. (I'm not going to tell you who it is, either!) I just happen to enjoy yuri and prefer it over yaoi. My yuri fangirl-ness came from a young age, actually; I secretly used to ship May and Dawn from Pokemon. Although AdvanceShipping (Ash x May) and PearlShipping (Ash x Dawn) were definitely bigger priorities for me (even now, I prefer straight couples over yuri), there was a part of me that wanted to see those two kiss, for some reason! After I got past that phase and started to get into anime, I tried to push my interest in yuri and yaoi anime to the side, but after watching YuruYuri and taking an interest in anime like Sakura Trick and Candy Boy, I couldn't push the former away anymore! (Yaoi hasn't caught my eye yet, but with me having two fujoshi best friends, I'm pretty sure it'll grow on me very soon.) Still, I try to hide it in real life, as I hate to be judged as a lesbian; my best friend and I were mistaken for lesbians a couple of years ago, and trust me, that annoyed both of us! I feel like I've been figured out, though, and the Christmas presents from two years ago in the forms of Strawberry Panic DVDs are hints of my feeling. The fact that I already asked for the manga and novel adaptations for Christmas this year aren't helping, either.

Enough about me being a yuri fangirl, though. I'm here to talk about the two yuri manga that I'm anticipating the anime adaptations of (albeit one of them I don't like so much and the other I haven't even read yet), Netsuzou Trap and Citrus.

First of all, let's talk about the one of the two I've actually read, Netsuzou Trap. The main protagonist, Yuma, is nervous about her new boyfriend, Takeda, and turns to her best friend, Hotaru, for help. Despite the fact that Hotaru herself has a boyfriend, she offers to help Yuma "practice" by kissing her and doing.... sexual things.... to her. Just for the record, I don't enjoy yuri for the sexual themes, and this is definitely one of the more sexual yuri manga out there, at least as far as I've read; however, that is not why I don't like it. I don't like it because of its unlikable cast of characters, or it could just be that I can't stand cheaters; as if Yuma and Hotaru cheating on their respective boyfriends with each other wasn't enough, Hotaru's boyfriend, Fujiwara, is a heartless, unfaithful prick who I was ready to punch pretty early into the story. The only somewhat likable character in this manga - and ironically, the only one who isn't a cheater - is Yuma's boyfriend, Takeda; I really felt sorry for the guy. This manga actually had potential, and it's one of those rare yuri manga that actually feature male characters; however, those two factors couldn't stop its characters from dragging Netsuzou Trap down quite a bit.

If I don't like this manga, why am I watching its upcoming anime adaptation? Well, it was tagged with "Shoujo Ai" on MyAnimeList; that most likely means it's at least going to be on my "Plan to Watch" list. (Not every yuri anime is like that, though!) Who knows? Maybe the anime will be a bit better than the manga! That's actually what happened with Hatsukoi Monster for me, albeit not by much.

Next, we've got Citrus, the one of the two I haven't read. However, I have heard of it literally everywhere, and I've even listened to a drama CD of it on YouTube; needless to say, my excitement for this one is genuine. It's apparently about a girl named Yuzu, who is excited for a high school romance but ends up in an all-girls school and butting heads with the Student Council President, Mei. However, as it turns out, Mei is Yuzu's new stepsister.... and as it also turns out, the two stepsisters are developing feelings for each other! As the cover for the first volumes shown to the right hints, this manga seems to be another one of those more kinky yuri manga; as I said before, I don't watch or read yuri for the sexual themes, but to be honest, I don't have a huge problem with it. Kinky or not, I'm still going to watch the anime adaptation of Citrus once it comes out!

It may be over a week since these two yuri manga anime adaptations were announced, but the excitement of them is still fresh. Now, if only "Girl Friends" would get an anime adaptation.... I may not have read it myself yet, but out of the yuri anime and manga I haven't seen yet, it's the one I want to see the most!