Girl Friends

I give very few tens, but this is probably a 9.5... or perhaps I need to wipe my eyes to make sure I'm clicking the right spots :) I don't know if this is a "masterpiece" as the rating system would qualify it but I do think it's a master-work; if I didn't love Morinaga Milk already and want to find everything she's ever written, I certainly do now.

I won't claim this has ground-shaking originality but the emotional beats are, in general, perfect. And I absolutely could not put it down--read the whole thing in one sitting. It's just beautiful, and I loved the experience of getting to spend so long with these characters and watch the story really develop through a considerable amount of time. I actually found both of them--all of them--quite plausible, and the story is by turns funny, sincerely emotionally impactful and melodramatic, innocent and mature, sweet and beautiful. These characters are very clear and surprisingly well-rounded, going beyond obvious cliches and showing real development over the course of the series.

I'd like to say something more profound about the genre and this work's place in it, but it's 4 AM and I just finished it--which probably says more about this book than anything intellectual I could write.

I think it was beautiful, throughout, and now I feel wonderful.

=====EDIT:=====
I've decided to revise this rating upward. Purely subjectively. I simply realized as I was going about my life that I was comparing whatever I was reading or watching to whether I'd rather be rereading Girl Friends. And I'd almost always rather be re-reading Girl Friends. If that isn't a 10 I don't know what is.

First of all, I think this manga is one of the best mangas in the yuri community, just because of the story and the enjoyment.

1. Story 5/5
This story is about two girls who had never talk to each other in a whole course, but suddenly one of them invite the other to go home together, that´s a good start, in my opinion, they fall in love in a adorable and curious way, and that is why I love the history

2. Art 3.5/5
I really like this art, it isn´t the best I´ve ever seen, but it´s really good for the 2006, I find it similar to Elfen Lied.

3. Characters 4/5
Akko: She´s the girl who stars the friendship, I find this character really adorable and she´s also a very elaborated character.
Mariko: The shy girl in the relationship, I also find this character very elaborated, I love the way she recognise her feelings towards Akko, my favourite character.
The friends: They are true teens in 21st century, fashion, boys and that things, they are funny and good characters.

4. Enjoyment 5/5
I give it a 5 out of 5 because I really enjoy this history, I finished it without knowing because I read and read, and finished it.

Girl Friends is one of my first Yuri mangas I ever read, so the following review will be slightly biased towards it's favour.

It's not perfect, there is a lot of girl talk about make up and clothes and during the first few chapters there is little development. Mari is ridiculously oblivious in various points, but I can forgive it for that.

What makes Girl Friends great is the tension building between the two characters, the confusion with the lines between how you feel towards a friend and how you feel about someone you want as a partner, and the genuine love between them both - irregardless of if its platonic or if its romantic. Touching on the tension again, Girl Friends is one of the yuri mangas that gives me a little twist in my stomach when I read it, just because it builds up scenes so well as well as the awkwardness and obligatory yuri angst.


Plus, Akko is just an angel, it's worth it just to read for her. The two of them are both a little dense and trip over things awkwardly, but for me, that just sums up a typical teenage love story and these two have a great love story.

This manga was the first yuri I was able to find that didn't feel like it was trying to pander to males. It always feels so refreshing to see my sexuality portrayed as more than just a male fantasy. Not that I'm against it, but it's not in my interests whatsoever.

The characters are fun and lovable, the story is pretty much your basic sweet first romance story. It's very pure and the art and the way it is written makes if feel gentle the whole way. Not that it doesn't bring any emotions, but the whole reading feels velvety and comforting.

Milk is great at writing lesbian romance and if you are as much of a romantic as I am, you will gobble it up. If you are looking for something more naughty, you won't find much here. But you'll probably be charmed by the characters before you even get to those (few and short) parts.

Ok here is the breakdown
Story
What i like the most is that the manga recognizes that lesbianism is still not accepted by the society. At the beginning the girls deny their feeling for each other and dismiss it as strong friendship.
At one point Mari even dated a boy to convince herself that she is straight. Even when they are officially a couple, Mari hides it from their friends because she fears of social alienazition and critism. In my opinion this manga managed to capture the real problem faced by couples like Mari and Akko so i give it 8.
Character
It's not a story about cinderella meeting princesses charming who is the most beautiful, popular and the richest girl in school. The two leads, mari and akko, are just two ordinary girl, none of them looks like a man (bishounen).
The characters also graduate to next grades, they don't have time to be idle ponder and day dream. The characters evolve because the clock is ticking for them and they are forced to make important deicisions. 8

Art
The artwork is nice and consistent , it's also quite detailed unlike other shoujo ai that don't have any background at al, it's plus point to mel. After finshing Girlfriends, i browsed for other Milk Morinaga's works and to me this is by far her best art work. 8

Enjoyment

I still read again, because i enjoy the artwork and the story 8

If there is ever a manga that knows how to play with your heart, it would be Girl Friends.

This manga is a beautifully illustrated, enjoyable and emotionally involving chronicling of the lives of Mari, a young girl with a girl friend who she starts to wish was more like a girlfriend instead. And yes, the space does make all the difference.

For that is Mari's dilemma. She falls for a friend. A girl friend. This manga covers all the drama, feelings and confusion that one feels while falling in love. What is worse for Mari is that she is in love with not only someone who doesn't know it, but with her best friend. And to top it off, that friend is a girl.

Issues of sexuality are perhaps hard to deal with. It's scary enough to fall in love, and sorrowful enough to be in love who doesn't return it - but then there is being in love with someone who you cannot afford to lose.

The writer of this manga is brilliant. The scenes are never dull and every scene packs a punch.

Mari and Akko are excellent characters. Mari is our voice, and she feels all that insecurity and fear we would feel. Akko is just a fun, awesome, cool girl with a loving side and a silly side to her. She really makes you fall in love with her, and it's easy to see why Mari'd fall for her too.

This is an absolutely brilliant yuri manga. It is cute, the characters are lovable, and the situations are all too relatable, even if you're not gay or lesbian.

This manga is not easy to read, but it's worth it. If you like shoujo-ai, gather your courage and dive in. You will not regret it.

The author does a masterful job of including the subtleties of romance and love; so much so that you feel it.

The story is simple as are the supporting characters, as though they were a painting canvas for this wonderful story of two friends. I like that. Why bother with other complexities when love is so complex already.

When I found this manga, I had no idea what I was getting into. I finished all 35.5 chapters in less than a week with the last 10 chapters in one night.

I really enjoyed this manga. I just started reading GF only this summer, because I'm not really into yuri. But then after reading it, I fell in love with the characters and how realistic the plot is--from friendship to lovers. It may sound such an overrated plot, but, I assure you that this manga offers more!Simple things like Mari and Akko's simple conversations, lipstick/fashion talks, mixers, and boyfriend hunting are perfectly illustrated in a way that readers (mostly females) will feel that the whole situation really exist at some point somewhere in their lives.

What I like about the most in the story is the yuriness of its plot. I like how Milk Morinaga realistically reminds us that female-to-female relationship is such an unusual love. She have shown that this kind of is dramatic and problematic but then because of that the characters become more exciting. Also, I guess for most readers, they can surely see themselves in one of the characters.

I highly recommend this manga if you're open minded and seeking for realistic plot. Also, this is easy to read because the drama and seriousness are perfectly mixed with humor. For sure, you will end up smiling and hoping this series will never come to an end (you might also look for other Morinaga's works).

*=After completion

Anyone who can appreciate a good romance story will enjoy Girl Friends, even if they do not specifically love shoujo-ai/yuri.

*This is the pinnacle of the genre, in yuri romance for slice of life manga. This is the masterpiece of its era and is likely not going to be dethroned from most highly rated and best critically received yuri for a long time.
Most of my thoughts are unchanged. I am mostly just following up with the review to assure people that this is well worth it all the way to the end.

Story:

When it comes to school & slice of life manga, it often feels as if there is not much of a story, just a setting that you let characters loose in. What I can say is that unlike many shoujo-ai, Girl Friends takes a much more “true to life” approach, on the girl/ girl romance. The approach is fresh, interesting and helps the audience relate. The only complaint here is the amount of small talk involved can sometimes be too much.

*Story is solid, my only nitpick is petty… I wished that there was more. It’s usually the hallmark of a good story. (Unless there is a case of a rushed ending or unresolved plot lines) Might be a little spoiler-ish under, skip to art if you want nothing to do with it:
In this case I would love to see Morinaga pick these characters back up some time for a sequel exploring their college life and coming out story.

Art:

The art is as good as what you would expect out of a, decent manga series. Morinaga Milk’s art style and character designs are top notch.

*I have to say that the art really remained very consistent all the way through to the end, and a few panels where the quality was buffed up for a dramatic moment. Over all I have to again compliment the artist very pretty character design, nice backdrops and everything inbetween.

Characters:

The main character Mari, is one of the most emotionally complicated (different from other means of making a complex character) and troubled character I have ever seen. Emotional complexity comes from trying to understand why you feel the way you do, it’s feeling having a contradiction between the way you feel and the way you rationally think would be the best way to feel, it’s questioning your own motivations and intentions in the interactions you have with others. To some it might seem melodramatic but, that is the essence of creating great internal struggle, which is relatable in multitude of different ways.

The other characters are more, for the everyday interactions, kind of like a lucky star sort of thing but they are fun, unique, and amusing. At some point during the manga the main character changes to Akiko, the person of Mari’s feelings. Akiko stood out quite a bit as an eccentric, but when the main focus becomes centered on her perspective she starts to come to life, as a well fleshed out character. Her time in the spotlight is just beginning but there is much hope for good things in the future.

*I was right about Akko, she was awesome, as she was a much more confident character. That had to “catch up” to Mari in terms of figuring out her feelings for the sake of continuity, but once she did, Akko was much more sure of herself compared to Mari. She would made decisions on how she felt and stuck to them, as well didn’t mind putting herself out to get to the truth. The character dynamic, by the end is the most satisfying romantic interaction that I have read.

Enjoyment:

Emotional drama and self-torment in a realistic setting is a very gripping read. This isn’t something everyone enjoys but for the target audience, this series will be pure bliss. The small talk sections may be boring for some however, but it is forgivable. This manga will hook you in and have you honestly caring about its characters, which is a good measure to its enjoyment.

Overall:

If you are the type to enjoy the things mentioned above, you will love this, especially if you also have a love for shoujo-ai
Fan for life. I will read everything Morinaga, Milk makes for a long time just to hope that she can do something like this again.

Check in:

It's been Over 10 years since I wrote this review, I have remained a fan of the romance and yuri genres. I felt it needed saying that even with all the new content in the space GirlFriends remains completely undefeated in my mind. In 10 years I have not seen/read any yuri I felt was as good. If you are new to the genre and you are concerned that this one is old and may not compare to its contemporaries I’d like to offer confidence that it is still well worth it. It isn’t like modern yuri so I wouldn’t expect that, as well I’m becoming an old fan so this may just be my bias. Still it's my review and I don’t think there is anything better you can read in the genre.

This is my first yuri manga so I didnt know what to expect. The main objection is that when the things start getting interesting its over! I wanted to see reaction of their friends, social dilemma, parents reaction, their thoughts about children and marriage. Don't bother yourself with any of these cause its not there!