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anime-of-the-day · 2 years

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Anime of the day: Pride Watch List

Last Pride I did character spotlight; this Pride, I’m kicking it off with a list. Here is a list of some of anime in the LGBT+ category. Is this all of them? No. Is this a large list? Yes, yes it is.

Yuri on Ice

Junjou Romantica

Sweet Blue Flowers

Revolutionary Girl Utena

Hourou Musuko

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi

Sakura Trick

Love Stage

Dakaretai Otoko 1-i ni Odosarete Imasu

Kase-san and Morning Glories

Given

Citrus

Doukyuusei

Yuru Yuri

Hitorijime My Hero

Kämpfer

Yagate Kimi ni Naru

Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru

Strawberry Panic

Ling Qi

Urasekai Picnic

Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san

Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai: The Clouds Gather

Sasameki Koto

Kono Danshi, Mahou ga Oshigoto Desu

Maria-sama ga Miteru

Kono Danshi, Uchuujin to Tatakaemasu.

Hyperventilation

Dounika Naru Hibi

No. 6

Kono Danshi, Ningyo Hiroimashita

Adachi to Shimamura

Sasaki to Miyano

Akuma no Riddle

Umibe no Étranger

Manaria Friends

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yuripoll · 1 month

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S3 ROUND 2

NOTES: Aoi Hana contains some nudity and sexual scenes, as well as depictions of cousin incest, adult/minor relationships, and homophobia. Savior contains violence, bloody imagery, self harm and toxic relationships, as well as touching on other sensitive subject matter such as religious bigotry, misogyny, child abuse, and kidnapping.

#matches #polls #yuri #gl #girls love #wlw #manga #manhwa #webcomics #aoi hana #sweet blue flowers #takako shimura #savior #jo9 #junqi #junchi #guju

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pinkarachnia · 2 months

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Not even an anime review

I’m just thinking about these lesbians again. Still going to use the tag though.

So I watched the contrapoints video about twilight and it’s got me thinking about Sweet Blue Flowers again. Specifically, I’m fixated on this one scene, where “prince of the school” character Yasuko Sugimoto is at home with her family and her older sister calls her a bisexual and Sugimoto, clearly offended, gets up and leaves to go to her room.

I’ve been stewing on this after having some time to think on the contrapoints video because of its discussion of typical heteronormative gender roles in relationships, and because of what this accusation means for Sugimoto and what her sister is actually accusing her of.

For those who haven’t watched the anime or read the manga, Sugimoto is a character with a complex internal struggle going on. At her all-girls school she’s occupying the role of the handsome girl acting as the kind of male surrogate and she’s fawned over by a lot of her schoolmates who frequently vie for her attention and affection. She embraces this role and will often flirt back, and at one point in the plot pursues a relationship with one of the main characters, Fumi Manjoume. The bisexual scene happens when she introduces Fumi to her family as her girlfriend.

It’s more complicated because throughout this plot, it’s revealed that Sugimoto has long been yearning for a relationship with Masanori Kagami, a male teacher at her school who is engaged to another of her sisters (not the one who calls her bi). Sugimoto does not broadcast this information about herself and largely keeps it hidden. It’s the fact that she keeps this relationship hidden when juxtaposed with how she projects herself in public that I find fascinating and it’s key to why she’s so offended at being called bisexual.

Sugimoto is confronted by the two sides of her that are in conflict; her confident, dominant and masculine Prince persona who maintains a kind of position of power through her popularity and reputation, and the side of her who yearns for someone unattainable for whom she wants to be seen as a woman and a potential lover.

In her dynamic with Kagami, Sugimoto isn’t in the position of power; she doesn’t get to choose her partner like she does when she’s at school, she’s the one who wants to be chosen. And it’s clear that her feelings for Kagami are hurting her - with his wedding looming and no apparent changes to their dynamic, it seems highly unlikely that her feelings are going to be reciprocated, but even when she starts a relationship with Manjoume, those feelings don’t go away.

I think it’s because she holds onto these feelings despite how they’re clearly bad for her that makes this Sugimoto feel like the more authentic one. It makes the face she wears at school feel like an act, like she’s performing a role, and in considering why she would play this character it seems like it can only be for herself. It doesn’t seem like anyone else really benefits from it, unless all her fans getting to have a crush on her counts as a benefit.

I receive:

Catharsis from emulating a position of power

Your love and attention

A girlfriend

You receive:

A crush on me

So when she’s told she’s bisexual it’s a bit more than an “I know what you are” moment. From the sister’s perspective it might just mean “I know you like/d that guy though”, but for Sugimoto it challenges her perception of herself. If she was a lesbian then she would only be her confident self, beloved by all, but the bisexual Sugimoto is hiding and wounded and masking her grief.

I don’t know whether I think this conflict bleeds into Sugimoto’s perception of the masculine and feminine self and I feel like it might be unfair to chalk all this up to internalised misogyny, but it’s a possibility. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that the version of herself she’s proud of is the one that displays her more masculine traits, gets cast to play men in the school play, and romances women, where the side she rejects wants to be perceived as a woman by an adult man. It’s entirely possible that she hides this because she’s just embarrassed to be the one doing the yearning and not because she’s embarrassed to be acting in the kind of role typically assigned to women in heteronormative romance dynamics, but I think it could be either or both.

I think that’s more or less all my thoughts out of my system. If you took the time to read it then cool, thanks! I don’t think I’m saying anything too groundbreaking or deeply insightful here but I needed to eject this from my brain so I can be normal again.

Next I’ll write a real review I promise.

#lesbian anime review #sweet blue flowers #aoi hana #yuri

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animebw · 8 months

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The Anime Binge-Watcher's Queer Anime Ship Tournament!

Just one more match-up before the first round is over! Will it be l8r boi for the sk8r bois, or sayonara for Wandering Son's underrated cousin? Cast your votes now!

All Round 1 Match-Ups

Rules and Full Bracket

#sk8 the infinity #aoi hana #sk8 #sweet blue flowers #reki kyan #hasegawa langa #fumi manjoume #akira okudaira #reki x langa #fumi x akira #queer anime #queer anime ship poll #QP round 1 #anime #the anime binge watcher #tabw

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amy-the-fairy · 5 months

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#sweet blue flowers #mangacap

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vixvaporub · 2 years

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Sweet Blue Flowers | Aoi Hana – Chapter 44 ✿ On A Spring Night

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morebedsidebooks · 11 months

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LGBTQ+ Characters in Comics from the 21st century I like

A few years back I did a post on LGBTQ+ characters in comics from the 20th Century I have a soft spot for. When it comes to the new millennium, the last two decades have seen an explosion of such comics and characters. So here is my short little follow up for the 21st century.

Jade

Starting off the new millennium the French comic series Djinn with Belgian writer Jean Dufaux, illustrated by Spanish artist Ana Miralles would run through three arcs for 15 years. I’ll never forget the first time during a comics exhibition I saw an absolutely captivating illustration of the character at the heart of the series, Jade. A fascinating, queer, and amoral enigmatic figure, Sultan’s favorite in the last years of the Ottoman Empire spoken of as a djinn who also seems the key to an immense treasure.

Fumi Manjôme

With little nods to Japanese girls’ literature and culture Sweet Blue Flowers by Japanese artist Takako Shimura is an enduring yuri series around high school girls and maturing. The shy lesbian Fumi and messy feelings are a major focus. Later adolescence can be an emotional time for anyone. Shimura softly explores when and how her characters mourn disappointments and disenchantment along with finding their identity.

Kevin Keller

Archie Comics were a staple of my childhood. The quintessential US slice-of-life comic focusing on a group of teenagers goes way back to 1941. However, the 21st century saw a reinvigoration of the Archie brand. Among the successes the gay Kevin Keller created in 2010 by US comic artist Dan Parent debuted in Veronica #202 and has since enjoyed huge popularity. Eventually, I was also drawn back as an adult reader with the gang grown up in the Life with Archie series. In 2012 Life with Archie #16 saw Kevin not only following in the footsteps of his dad as a soldier in the Army but marrying Dr. Clay Walker. Despite protests from bigoted groups the installment of the series would be another sold out hit earning Kevin the designation as “most important new character in Archie history.” Further a character that has also represented fighting the epidemic of gun violence in the US going on in the series to become a State Senator on the issue.

Richard III

Japanese artist Aya Kanno inspired by Shakespeare’s tetralogy Henry VI, Richard III and the famous 15th century War of the Roses in her series Requiem of the Rose King goes in a different direction, making her Richard intersex. Only the first of many choices in this girls’ comic which has also garnered attention from other well-respected artists. YMMV but the saga of this Richard has consistently been one of the more compelling examples over the last decade.

Lisa Williams and Ally Carter

Beginning as fetishistic illustrations and short strips by Croatian artist Stjepan Sejic (under a pseudonym) on DeviantArt, BDSM comic series Sunstone was a notable read for me in 2015. With genuine class and smart use of humour, the characters Lisa and Ally and their growing relationship are wonderfully relatable on many levels.

Ace

If you love the movie Grease but crave something 1950’s vintage queer the webcomic Rock and Riot by Chelsey Furedi might fit the bill. The cast is as wide and beautiful as a rainbow. Among the many teenage delinquent characters is the 17-year-old agender, asexual, demiromantic Ace. And founder of their own gang the Bandits and who definitely does things their own way.

Ionel

Another of the top titles from the 2010s I first came across the exquisite mystery webcomic Heart of Gold in the (now defunct) digital magazine Sparkler Monthly. The atmospheric ongoing series features Ionel a panromantic asexual pianist with albinism who is losing his sight and a gay priest Father Dunant who is known as a faith healer.

Milagro Villa

I’ve seen feathers, wings, and birds stand in for representations about abuse and trauma before. In the short comic Songbird For A Vulture US artist Naomi Franquiz does exactly that. Crafting one of the most poignant examples of an abuse survivor, found family, and healing included in Power & Magic The Queer Witch Comics Anthology.

Ed Fiedler and Lucardo von Gishaupt

Forgive me the terrible pun but I’m a sucker for vampires, especially the queer variety. Letters for Lucardo by Finnish artist Otava Heikkilä is a delightful erotic comic series with a romance between vampire Lucardo and the older Ed.

Ryô Watari

I’ve gone on about self-actualization in fashion before. Series Boys Run the Riot by Japanese artist Keiko Gaku acutely presents a comic about trans teenager Ryô building confidence, friendships, and a street fashion brand.

#lgbtq characters #lgbtq comics #favorite lgbtq characters #djinn comic #sweet blue flowers #life with archie #requiem of the rose king #sunstone comic #rock and riot #heart of gold #songbird for a vulture #letters for lucardo #boys run the riot

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cubistemoji · 1 year

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I can and will defend each placement on this chart in a court of law

#yaoi #yuri #kase san #sweet blue flowers #aoi hana #old fashion cupcake #tricornered window I haven't actually read I can just Tell for that one

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eden-falls · 2 years

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took a photo of every single volume 1 i have. this was a huge hassle and i don't know why i did it. tagging this to find new mutuals bc i love all of these and would like to chat about them - however a lot of these i havent read in full (i have read vanitas, mtp, bsd, and cotw in full. the rest i've either seen the anime or just cant find the rest of the manga)

#neon genesis evangelion #sweet blue flowers #children of the whales #to your eternity #bungo stray dogs #a silent voice #carole & tuesday #chainsaw man #moriarty the patriot #toilet bound hanako kun #the case study of vanitas #a white rose in bloom #the case files of jeweler richard #doukyuusei #the girl from the other side #given #i hear the sunspot #otherside picnic

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sol-em-gemeos · 8 months

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Falei mais sobre grupos de garotas na literatura para falar sobre a multiplicidade em ser uma garota em minha Newsletter: Notas Muídas

#livros #girlhood #stories about girlhood #stories about female friendship #shoujo manga #webtoon #tomo chan is a girl #wandering son #kimi ni todoke #skip to loafer #odd girl out #girl from the sea #garden club detective squad #cheer up love and pom poms #sweet blue flowers #cheshire crossing #whispered words #girl love #girlhood is a spectrum

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randomlonelymusician · 1 year

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LGBTQ+ Anime Tournament Round 1

#lgbtq anime tournament #lgbtq anime tournament prelims #to your eternity #fumetsu no anata e #kahaku #sweet blue flowers #aoi hana #fumi manjoume

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yuripoll · 2 months

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S3 ROUND 1

NOTE: Aoi Hana contains some nudity and sexual scenes, as well as depictions of cousin incest, adult/minor relationships, and homophobia. Dark Forest, White Road contains depictions of suicidality and internalised homophobia.

#matches #polls #yuri #manga #gl #girls love #wlw #aoi hana #sweet blue flowers #takako shimura #kurai mori shiroi michi #dark forest white road #chiyu yoshida

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pixeljade · 6 days

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I think if there was ever a cartoonist I would do *literally anything* to meet it would be Takako Shimura. The way she writes such beautifully complex and conflicted queer characters, the way her art is so delicate and expressive yet simple...I struggle to think of a cartoonist who I love more. I'd probably break down crying if I met her though 😅

#takako shimura #even though we're adults #wandering son #sweet blue flowers #hourou musuko #aoi hana

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historyhermann · 1 year

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From Lilith to Amity: LGBTQ librarians Shine Through

October 11 was National Coming Out Day, a day to celebrate the act of "coming out," i.e. when an LGBTQ person publicly shares their gender identity and/or sexual orientation. In honor of that, I'd like to highlight some LGBTQ librarians I've written about on this blog, this year and years previously, and others on the List of fictional librarians that I put together in late 2021.

This post is reprinted from Pop Culture Library Review and Wayback Machine.

Lilith in Yamibou

She is the caretaker of the Great Library (after Adam), and travels through much of the series with a girl she has a crush on, Hazuki, going through book worlds, looking for Eve. The latter is later shown as another caretaker of the library, who loves Hazuki. Part of her duty is to make sure worlds within the books are secure, an interesting job as a librarian. Due to the fact she is one of the protagonists of this series, who has considerable knowledge and wisdom, it means that libraries are still a key part of the series.

Anne and Grea in Manaria Friends

Anne is one of the protagonists who is a soft-spoken girl, Princess, and honor student at Mysteria Academy, a prestigious magic school. Anne even ventured through the "forbidden" archives of the library in order to find something which would cure Grea of a fever. She and Grea appear to enter a relationship later on. Both work in the library as assistants, although not as full-fledged librarians.

Sophie Twilight in Ms. Vampire who lives in my neighborhood

One of the protagonists of this anime, she drinks blood, but only when refrigerated, and she is shown weeding through her books in one episode. She has a refined appearance and liked going to comic book conventions. She brings in a high school girl, Akari, to live in her house, and appears to have feelings for her. Another vampire girl, Ellie, clearly is romantically attracted to her as well.

Fumi Manjōme in Aoi Hana / Sweet Blue Flowers

In one episode, she weeds books and remembers her kiss with Sugimoto. Later in the episode, she later talks with other students about the role and influence the Literary Club has on the library. In another episode, Fumi and Sugimoto go to the library and kiss there. Ultimately, Fumi at least knows some library skills, in terms of weeding, which is an important part of library work.

Chiyo Tsukudate in Strawberry Panic!

She works at the school library at Astrea Hill, known as Maiden's Garden, and is a member of the literary club. She looks up to her fellow students and undoubtedly has a crush on Nagisa, one of the show's protagonists. She checks out books and does other library duties well and efficiently. The library is a key location in the series.

Azusa Aoi in Whispered Words

In the episode "Did You See the Rain?," she serves as the librarian in this episode, while the Girls Club members go on a treasure hunt to find a message, coming in and out of the library throughout the episode. Later, Azuza joins them in their quest. Azusa is a studious person who reads during breaks and takes an interest in learning, perfect for a librarian. She is a fan of yuri and loves Masaka Orino, unaware it is Ushio's older brother.

Fumio Murakumi in Girl Friend Beta

Fumio and Erena

Although she was originally introverted and lonely, she got more friends after meeting Erena. She works at the school library. Erena appears to be the closest one to her and both may be in a relationship with one another, although its implied.

George and Lance in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

They call themselves historians, but run a family library/archives/museum. in a magical forest known as the Whispering Woods They are Bow's dads. They are two middle-aged men and help the show's protagonists translate an ancient message in the Season 2 finale. In a later episode, Bow and Glimmer meet George and Lance who tell them about an ancient rebellion and fail-safe on a superweapon. This information becomes vitally important going forward.

Desiree in Too Loud

Desiree with her sister, Sara, and Sara's friends at a slumber party

She is a trans woman. In an episode which was supposed to end the show, according to series creator Nico Colaleo, she begins to explore her trans identity, as she had been a closeted in her usual workday. This episode, "Slumber Party Sneak-In" was praised by reviewers. Desiree works every day with her sister Sara and co-worker Sarah at the local public library, but has a voice which is so loud, hence the name of the series, smashing library stereotypes along the way.

Amity Blight in The Owl House

Luz and Amity blush at one another in the episode "Through the Looking Glass Ruins"

She is a librarian who works at the Bonesborough Public Library, is a witch, and a student at Hexside Academy. Over the course of the story, her relationship with a human witch named Luz Noceda develops and later they begin a romantic relationship.

Sabine in Sabine: an asexual coming-of-age story

Sabine working at the library desk in episode 115.

The protagonist of this webcomic, Sabine works in the local school library as a part-time job, beginning early in the comic. She a fully committed asexual girl who tries to make friends and not have any romantic relationships, just like the comic's author. The later also implies that she is, as a result, aromantic as well as asexual. Not all aromantic people are asexual, and vice versa. She is still learning more about herself all of the time, while she majors in history. As the comic's author stated, Sabine is unaware of her asexuality, and isn't sure she is aromantic, just that she isn't ready for sex.

Mo Testa in Dykes to Watch Out For

Mo and Sydney

As the protagonist of this comic, and later comic book, she is a graduate of library school who worked at a feminist bookstore named Madwimmin Books, and appreciated "literary connectivity." She is a committed lesbian feminist who later gets a job as a reference librarian. She has a lover in college named Clarice, but her eventual partner is a woman named Sydney. The comic's creator, Alison Bechdel, recognized she was a lesbian after checking out books from the library, stating that an apparent "a key characteristic of queer people [is]...shamed persons who are drawn to lonely stacks and secret research," and she worked at the circulation desk as a librarian while she was a college student, influencing the comic itself. She also stated that Mo had been drawn into “the pitfall of vocational awe, believing that her public library job is a religious calling."

Concluding words

It is undetermined if Azusa Aoi in Whispered Words is LGBTQ. You could also argue that Kaisa in Hilda, a feisty character with unmatched knowledge of mystical items and cemetery records, who is a mysterious witch, is asexual based on her color scheme. There will likely be other LGBTQ librarians in the future, since many anime series have characters who go into libraries. [1]

Notes

[1] This includes the Mysterious Library house base in Smile PreCure (an anime) and Marisa Kirisame frequently going to the library in Touhou Project (a video game). There are also apparent library scenes in Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke wo (a visual novel), Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka (Mahou Shoujo Tokushusen Asuka) (an anime), Himawari-san (a manga), Kimi to Tsuzuru Utakata (a manga), Maria-sama ga Miteru (a manga), Shitsurakuen (a manga), Kamitsure (visual novel), Märchen Mädchen (an anime), Flowers (manga), Roundabout of Yuri Hime Collection (collection), Lyrical Nanoha, Yuri Shimai (manga), BanG Dream!, Kuchibiru Tameiki Sakurairo (manga), Himewari-san (manga), Yuri Shimai (manga), Kyuuketsuki-chan to Kouhai-chan (Vampire-chan x Junior-chan) (manga), Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk and Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea (video games), Conflict Girl (visual novel), Watashi wa Succubus to Kiss o Shita (manga), Fuwafuwa Futashika Yume Mitai (manga), Please Be Happy (visual novel), The Caged Bird Sings Theme Of Love (manga), Sakura Sadist (visual novel), A Piece of Candy of Yuri Hime Collection (manga), Once on a Windswept Night (visual novel), Yuri Hime Collection (manga), The Three-Second Rule of Yuri Hime Collection (manga), Nuku Nuku Toshoiin (manga), The Three Second Rule of Yuri Hime Collection (manga), Man'in Chijo Densha 2 (manga), Nozomi Kanaetamae ~Daydream Reconstruct~, and Kohonya (visual novel), and Hanidebi! Honey & Devil (visual novel).

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oranges-and-pears · 1 year

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they're gay your honor. watercolors from reference

#sweet blue flowers #oranges art

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vixvaporub · 2 years

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Sweet Blue Flowers | Aoi Hana – Chapter 43 ✿ The Girl In the Mirror

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