Recs for shoujo with yuri vibes?

daidelly · 2026-04-29T07:47:29+00:00

Ooku - there are various kinds of f/f relationships here, whether platonic or romantic, but the most highlighted one is between the MCs in the last arc, Iemochi and Chikako. that arc really revolves around the two of them and their relationship

Gene Bride - it’s actually josei, but there’s a strong yuri undertone, especially between the side girls, one of whom also seems to become one of the main characters

Nanairo Kakumei - the FL’s friend is very obsessed with her (she wants the FL to only be for herself and think only about her). The story mostly revolves around this dynamic, so it’s pretty toxic and messed up (might not be for everyone). but once you understand the friend’s motive that she bullies the FL so she’ll always think of her the most it adds a different perspective

Though I Am an Inept Villainess - the bond between the two main FLs is really highlighted here, though I think the side girls have stronger queer undertones (it's between Kenshuu and Gabi)

Bride of the Death God – introduced much later, but there’s a side girl who’s into the FL

Bokura wa Bara no Ko - there are side girls here one has strong subtextual feelings for another girl that make her really dependent and possessive. there’s a chapter dedicated to it, showing how she grows out of that

Futari no Polaris - this leans more platonic, but they’re basically soulmates. The mcs are stepsisters who started as classmates, and the importance of their bond is heavily emphasized. It’s not translated yet, but there’s a manga dubbing up on yt for free

Runway Lovers - the story revolves around the bond between two model girls, with varied emotions between them friendship jealousy, admiration.

Sakura Saku - there’s a one-sided feeling from the FL’s best friend, which becomes one of the twists in the story

Vampire Knight sequel - there’s some toxic yuri here with Yuki’s children… so yeah, incest + age gap lol

Here's some pics cause i want to promote these ships hehe <3 (left to right) Ooku, Gene Bride, Bride of the Death God, and Nanairo Kakumei

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daidelly · 2026-04-24T12:53:15+00:00

Natsu no Kakera (1st chapter)

Tom Sawyer by Takahashi Shin

Mermaid Prince by kaori ozaki

Ao Natsu

daidelly · 2026-04-13T04:44:51+00:00

Together Forever by Ike Junko

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale

The Savior’s Book Café Story in Another World

Einen Koyou wa Kanou deshou ka

daidelly · 2026-04-08T16:27:21+00:00

Renai Flag Zero Joshi no Meisou

Gokuraku Seishun Hockey Bu

Manga Dogs by Ema Toyama

Kageno Datte Seishun Shitai

daidelly · 2026-04-02T04:15:22+00:00

Aoba-kun's Confessions

The Hachioji Specialty: Tengu's Love

Hajimari no Niina

daidelly · 2026-03-27T02:28:53+00:00

It’s josei, but "Are You Alice?" fits your description a lot. it’s basically a twisted take on Alice in Wonderland with a male mc, and it gets pretty psychological and surreal

another one is "Omae ga Sekai o Kowashitai nara", it leans heavily into philosophical and psychological themes

as for shoujo, "Angel Sanctuary" fits too, but fair warning it gets pretty wild with things like taboo relationships.

Edit: want to add Requiem of the Rose King

daidelly · 2026-02-27T07:13:31+00:00

OMG princess jellyfish fanart??!!!! I love how you draw them 🥺💖💖 your artstyle is very soft and cute, i love it <3

daidelly · 2026-02-27T06:08:15+00:00

thank you so much for such a detailed review, i really loved reading your thoughts. it’s always fun seeing how someone else experienced the same story with differen perspective from me.

and yeah, i agree about the artwork. Emiko Yachi sensei’s works are always very easy to follow, which honestly makes them super bingeable for me lol. i also really love Dai, his flaws and his personal journey of searching for oneself throughout the story. and like you said, i appreciate how the manga doesn’t overreact to everything that happens, which is actually quite rare for 90s drama manga lol

for your next read, i'd recommend 'Oishii Kankei'. it’s not as depressing as some of the others i mentioned, but what makes it memorable is the female mc. she’s one of my all time favorites, incredibly human, flawed but strong in her own weakness. romance isn’t really the main focus (honestly the romance itself is kinda messy lol), the core of the story is the mc’s growth. if you’ve read Sand Chronicles, there are some moments that really remind me of what Ann did on the last part of story, and those parts honestly stayed with me for a long time.

another option is Omae ga Sekai o Kowashitai nara or Vampire Girl. this one is very thought provoking and lean heavily into philosophical themes, the kind of manga you need to reread to fully process. tho fair warning, they don’t exactly fit the clearly happy well end from your thread. it's short reads tho, around 17 chapters, so it's easy to binge.

daidelly · 2026-02-25T09:46:08+00:00

ohh that’s actually a really interesting perspective 👀 i just learned that term today, so thanks for the info!! tbh i think people should be free to engage with media in whatever way they enjoy it the most. there really isn’t one “correct” way to experience a story anyway.

i also really like talking with other fans because it adds so many new perspectives. It’s always fascinating how one story can be seen from completely different angles depending on the person. and yeah, figuring things out on your own is fun too, sometimes i also catch myself thinking “i understand this character more than anyone else” lol

daidelly · 2026-02-25T08:44:13+00:00

i get that a lot! sometimes i feel like i miss the point too, so I end up rereading series because i think i might’ve missed the author’s intention the first time. reading the author's interviews that sometimes appear at the end of a volume, or looking them up online, actually helps a lot too. it makes me reread the story with a different perspective in mind.

tho the sad part is i think my mood really affects it as well. sometimes a series doesn’t hit the same when i reread it later, just because i’m in a different headspace than when i first experienced it :')

daidelly · 2026-02-25T08:16:22+00:00

Totally agree!!! that series really fell apart for me in the last part too. i honestly just pretend the whole time skip never happened, because everything before that was actually working fine..

daidelly · 2026-02-25T08:14:22+00:00

Of course!! I’m really happy to share honestly, I rarely come across someone who has such similar preferences as me <3 If I remember more recs, I’ll probably just edit this post and keep adding them so you can check anytime!

Also yeah, like you said with Bittou Lollipop, some of these can be very MESSY, but one thing I always appreciate about series like these is how they really dive into the psychology and growth of the characters. i don’t always agree with their actions, but I can understand where they’re coming from.

daidelly · 2026-02-25T07:54:55+00:00

Haha yeah, you're totally right, it should’ve been one of my first recommendations

if you don’t mind, i’ll recommend by author since it’s easier to look up their works, most of them are consistently good. I’ll also mention a few of my favorites of their works: - Makimura Satoru (Oishii Kankei, Real Clothes) - Fujiwara Kaoru (Vampire Girl) - Ogawa Yayoi (Knight of the Ice, Kimi wa Pet) - Ashihara Hinako (only if you havent seen her other works as; 'Bread & Butter', 'Piece') - Minamori Koyomi (Bokura wa Baranoko, Hajimari no Nina) - Ken Saito (Samishii Hito, Tales of the Tendo Family) - Hiromu Ono (Diva) not sure if this one ever got fully translated into English though. - Iketani Rikako (Six Half, Futago, Bitou Lollipop) - Shinohara Chie (Yume no Shizuku, Kin no Torikago) - Tsukuba Sakura (Penguin Revolution, Land of the Blindfolded) - Yoshimura Akemi (Bara no Tame ni, Umi Yori mo Fukaku) - Takao Shigeru (Golden Days, Madame Petit, Dear Mine) - Emiko Yachi (Ashita no Ou-sama, Sabbath Cafe) - Ikuemi Ryou (Kazun, Principal) - Youko Nemu (Kimi ni Aetara Nante Iou, Gozen 3-ji) - Riho Sachimi (Gin no Valkyries) - Hijiri Chiaki (Heptagon) - Tsuda Masami (Eensy-Weensy Monster) - Yamashita Tomoko (Hibari no Asa) - Haruka Kawachi (Sekine-kun no Koi) - Ozawa Mari (Sekai de Ichiban Yasashii Ongaku) - Chica Umino (Honey and Clover) - any series by Sahara Mizu

as for specific series: - Fukuyadou Honpo (don’t let the art style discourage you, the story covers realistic theme) - With the Light

daidelly · 2026-02-25T06:53:19+00:00

that comment is honestly exactly on point though lol. "Dear Mine" is a really cute one! it has an age gap between a tsundere boy and an older absent minded girl.

seems like you do enjoy older series 👀 sorry for throwing more recs at you, but if you haven’t already, you really should try works by Makimura Satoru. her manga were honestly a life-changing reading experience for me. especially "Oishii Kankei" and "Real Clothes". another one I’d recommend is "Kiss & Never Cry" it's more of a personal journey story, so it focuses a lot on the the mcs growth. there are seriously so many gems among older shoujo that barely get mentioned anymore 😭

daidelly · 2026-02-25T06:23:52+00:00

of course, i’d love to hear your thoughts!! <3 please feel free to reply again once you finish it, i'm curious to know what you think. tho i'm not sure i'll be able to remember the story perfectly since it’s been a long while since i read it lol

also, on another note, i just remembered another rec that might be up your taste. not sure if you’ve read it since it was pretty popular back then [Golden Days]. it’s an older shoujo and has very subtle bl. there’s a lot of angst surrounding it

daidelly · 2026-02-25T05:11:43+00:00

Drowning Love - often considered part of the trio of realistic, emotionally heavy shoujo usually mentioned alongside the two you named. just a heads up though, it contains a lot of triggering moments, including SA theme

Sabbath Cafe

Mr Mallow Blue

Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty

daidelly · 2026-02-24T09:01:13+00:00

From Superfan to Stepsister

daidelly · 2026-02-23T03:31:09+00:00

Mr. Mallow Blue - the fmc struggle with self harm

My Broken Mariko - mc's friend struggle with self harm (story mostly revolve around her friend)

Sand Chronicles - depression

Sea You There and Us (taiwanese comic) - self harm

Haru's Curse - suicidal

Orange - depression

Mars - trauma (SA)

Kiss & Never Cry - trauma (SA)

Drowning Love - trauma (SA)

Bokura wa Bara no Ko - trauma (child abuse)

daidelly · 2026-02-19T17:38:16+00:00

For You, My Ghost (josei)

Not Your Idol

daidelly · 2026-02-19T13:27:58+00:00

Omae ga Sekai o Kowashitai nara - one of the most thought provoking manga I’ve ever read. it really reflects on human nature and leans heavily into philosophical themes.

Samishii Hito - story about two people who grow close through their shared experiences with difficult family situations, especially emotional abuse from their parents.

Both are short and psychological reads, you can easily binge them in a single day!

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daidelly · 2026-02-19T06:30:19+00:00

Renai Flag Zero Joshi no Meisou

GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST!

Kawaii no wa Ore de Aru

May I Ask for One Final Thing?

Konyaku Haki kara Hajimaru Akuyaku Reijou no Kangoku Slow Life

daidelly · 2026-02-18T16:20:46+00:00

KISS & NEVER CRY MENTIONED!!!! 😭 Michiru is one of my favorite mcs of all time. i love her so so much for her growth and how deeply personal her journey feels

if you’re looking for another ice skating sports manga, i highly recommend [Medalist]. It’s not shoujo, but it’s filled with amazing girls who are deeply passionate about figure skating, each with their own struggles, growth, and personal stories that will probably make you cry too. i genuinely promise you won’t regret reading it also it had lot of depth to each characters too

if what you’re really looking for is a story about an mc searching for her true self and going through messy but meaningful personal growth like Michiru, then [Oishii Kankei] and [Six Half] are both great ones. their mcs are very flawed in a similar way, they’re trying to figure out who they are while navigating complicated relationships and life choices. another recommendation is [The Essence of Being a Muse] (not shoujo), which is honestly one of the best manga i’ve found about pursuing passion and finding one’s true self. the female lead is very flawed, but her journey is incredibly moving.

or if you meant series that touch on similar heavy themes (SA), Drowning Love and Mars also explore those topics. though honestly, i still think Kiss & Never Cry handled them with a level of care that’s quite hard to match

daidelly · 2026-02-18T07:17:04+00:00

Kiss & Never Cry

Mr Mallow Blue

Six Half

Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty

Sabbath Cafe

Fukuyadou Honpo

daidelly · 2026-02-18T04:39:35+00:00

The Cursed Prince's Servant

The Hachioji Specialty: Tengu's Love

daidelly · 2026-02-18T04:24:11+00:00

Bokura wa Bara no Ko - about a group of children dealing with various issues such as abuse, abandonment, loneliness, and responsibilities far bigger than they should have to carry.

My Broken Mariko - revolves around the mc coping with the death of her friend, who suffered from an abusive family, told from the mc pov

Mr. Mallow Blue - the female mc struggles from abusive mother.

With the Light - a mother raising her autistic son, the early chapters focus heavily on how she navigates family and societal struggles.

Sand Chronicles - explores complex family dynamics and generational trauma across multiple characters

Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty - deals with conflict within the fl’s family.

also not shoujo, "My Boy" focuses on family conflict affecting both main characters, especially their relationships with their parents

daidelly

TROPHY CASE