Girl Friends

Favorite Main Character: Akiko Oohashi
Favorite Minor Character: Satoko Sugiyama

I recently bought these books while browsing the manga section at Barnes & Noble. The reason I picked it up, to be quite frank, is that I'm interested in yuri genre as of late. I found both volumes as an omnibus, so I could get the series as a whole.

-- Story --
The overall story was pretty good, but it often got lost in the day-to-day antics of school days.
The romance is very raw and new to both characters who are struggling with their identity, so it is easy to relate to even if you haven't personally been in a same sex relationship or ever had those feelings. It was interesting how the evolution of their relationship blossomed: From friend to lovers.

--Art--
I love this type of anime style!
I honestly think the art inside is better than the colored covers, which isn't necessarily a bad thing when you see more of the inside anyway. I would give it a higher rating if there were more scenes that required intense details and showcased complex backgrounds... But then again, there wasn't necessary a need for either.

--Character--
The main characters and interactions were a tad predictable, though this should not downgrade their complex internal struggle to understand the other girl. I liked when the point of view shifted to Akiko the best. It's fascinating to read the thoughts of a girl who can easily make friends and ended up choosing a quiet girl for her best friend and eventual lover.

To be honest, the minor characters weren't that memorable, with the exception of Satoko Sugiyama. I think it's fun to see a girl player.

--Enjoyment--
I had a fun time journeying with the characters and turning the pages to find out what is to come next. I honestly wanted to get to the heated moments, but took my time to cool down with the comic relief as well. The big intimate scene near the end was not overly done and tasteful.

--Overall--
I found it an enjoyable read and I didn't regret buying it.
There were no real mind-benders or plot twists, but it's a heart warming story for anyone interested in a romance manga. It is a good, light read.

Warning: spoilers ahead

So I am a huge fan of yuri. If asked, I couldn’t explain it to you. There’s just this magnetic attraction in me to the two-girl relationship. And so, when I discovered Girl Friends, I ate this up like an obese kid with a pack of Skittles. This is, in my opinion, the best yuri manga ever written (and by that I mean it’s the best yuri manga I’ve heard of). Sono Hanabira doesn’t count because that’s a VN. The drama, the romance, the characters, everything feels so very real and human. And, from looking at the other reviews on this page, I don’t think I’m alone in thinking this.

Plot: 10/10
The plot starts out slow, maybe a little bit too slow for some people, but for me, the gradual buildup works great. Over the course of the story we learn more and more about these characters, their likes and dislikes. The world is interesting and the events that happen are entertaining, even if they aren’t all immediately important. The example that comes to mind is in volume one when the group of girls go shopping for clothes or talk about nail polish. But even that kind of comes into play later on in the story. It’s not until volume two that the gayngst really starts to come into play. There’s several plot twists that happen in volumes 2-3 which do a nice job at throwing a wrench into the story without feeling forced. And the ending. Dear god, the ending. I thought 5 centimeters per second had a feelsy ending, but this one takes the cake. And it isn’t even sad. It’s heartwarming as hell, but still so full of feels. I cannot express how wonderful it is. And it doesn’t come apart when you start thinking about it like a lot of the stories I’ve been reviewing recently. This one holds itself up soundly throughout all 5 volumes, without, in my opinion, wavering even once.

Characters: 11/10
Every single character in this manga is memorable and interesting. Even the side characters all have distinct personalities and, while I can’t remember their names (I’m bad at remembering names), I remember all of them and their personalities. It’s a huge accomplishment to write all these characters and make all of them different and memorable on their own. Sometimes they do act irrationally, but there’s always a justification for it. Characters never act irrationally just for the sake of the plot. The author manages to make you root for every single one of the characters, but especially Akko and Mari. You really, really want them to get together, which just makes it all the more satisfying when it happens.

Art: 10/10
Every single one of the characters are cute as fuck. The artist really knows when to use super deformed characters (chibis) and when to use realistic and detailed characters. The backgrounds are well done. Did I mention how goddamn cute the girls are? Because they are. The art in this is almost as good as the art in Sono Hanabira. The artist pays attention to the little details you wouldn’t notice unless you were observant. She details everything and you can tell she really loves drawing clothes.

Girl Friends is easily one of the best yuris I’ve read, if not one of the best romances period. The pacing is perfect, the characters are likable and memorable, even the side characters. The dialogue sounds like what real girls would say to each other. The art really brings the characters to life and makes them look adorable as hell. I’m still waiting for Mari Plushies. I recommend this manga to anybody who likes yuri and has some time to kill.

A tear-jerker that leaves you feeling good.

Everything about Girl Friends was perfect. First off, the story flows smooth as butter and it's an easy read from start to finish in one sitting. Character development is well done so that the reader is able to feel empathy for the characters which is crucial to this next point.

Even though we can all predict where the story is going and how the twists and turns will play out(lets be honest, its obvious even from looking at the covers), because everything is so well established the reader is able to commit emotionally to the characters and story and that is what makes this so enjoyable despite the lack of surprises or twists.

The art style fits the mood that the story is creating and allows for the story and characters to come together and create a fluffy paradise that we can immerse ourselves in for a brief yet satisfying 35 chapters.

If you haven't read this yet I would highly recommend it and I hope you will enjoy too.

Let me first get this out of the way, Girl Friends is my fovorite manga. On to the review.

Story- 10+
This is the part that I love the most about GF. It is what (at leas in my opinion) sets it above all the others. Basicly it goes: two girls meet, girls become the best of friends, girls start to feel feelings that surpass friendship, and then goes to the two of them trying to understand each others feelings and move their relationship along.

Art- 10+
This is the manga that got me into Milk and I have loved style ever since I first layed eyes on it. This is the second biggest reason why this scored as high as it did.

Characters- 6
Basicly the only thing that I didn't like about this was that the story really only focused on a few people and the rest were just kind of there.

Enjoyment- 10+
I was hanging on every word from begging to end. When I first sat down to read it I expected to only read a few chapters at a time, but I ended up reading the entire thing beggining to end in a few hours, I just could not get myself to put it down.

Overall- 10 (wish could go higher)
If you are a fan of yuri, or even not a fan, I highly reccomend this to everyone espically if you like yuri.

I started reading this manga at about 12:00 and could only stop when my head started to hurt at about 3:00. I got hooked right from the beginning.

Story (9): It is about 2 high school girls who become friends and then fall in love with each other. It also shows the difficulties they go through to realise, accept their feelings and finally become a couple. The reason story didn't get a 10/10 is because it could show us more about their life after school.

Art (9): The main characters are very well detailed. The supporting ones are also well developed but you could confuse one for another sometimes when they are called by their names but that isn't much of a problem.

Characters (10): First and foremost Mari (the first protagonist) is a shy girl who was alone until she met Akkiko (the second protagonist) and became friends with her. She is the type of girl who has very good grades, doesn't go out much and is inexperienced with love. Akkiko is a cheerful and very beautiful girl who is more ''girly'' than Mari (uses makeup is interested in clothing etc.) popular with her classmates (who are all girls) and boys, but also inexperienced with love. She changed Mari dramatically and made her even better than she already was in person and in the way she looks.
The other girls are typical high school girls who are interested in guys, mixers but are good in person and help throughout the story.There are almost no guys in the story but they play an important role in the plot (not all of them).

Enjoyment (10): Even though I hadn't ever read a manga or saw an anime like that before I loved this one and got hooked to it right from the start. In the end it made me cry ;D.

Overall (10): This is a manga full of emotion and if you are into romance you will almost surely love it just like I did. It also made me change my opinion about homosexuality.

**Notice that this is my first review and English is not my mother language so excuse me if I have missed something.

This review is based on what is out as of August 8th, 2010 (basically, 34/35 chapters).

I was initially turned off by Girl Friends. Not the premise, but the name. It's like buying generic cereal at the store. The generic brands don't taste nearly as good as the more expensive ones, that set them selves apart in some way, shape, or form. Bad analogy? Meh, you get my point. Girl Friends could have a more appealing title, but as it turns out that really isn't necessary. It was well received by MAL members, and I've been viciously hungry for some shoujo-ai. Here are my thoughts.

Having said that, I can't find a single bad thing to say about Girl Friends. So I'm sorry if the rest of my review comes off as a pitch to anyone and everyone who loves shoujo/romance to locate it online, and read through it, in what would (surely) be, a single sitting.

The thing that stands out the most, and what is the most important aspect of any good piece of entertainment, is the fantastic pacing that remains throughout. Just as you have had enough of the characters indecision and agony over their relationship, the author gives you sweet, sweet relief. I would go so far as to compare it to the author, completely in control, making love with her readers' emotions and only letting them orgasm at the very last possible moment, when the climax will be at its peak.

The other elements, for me, took a back seat to the amazing pacing and the relationship between Mari and Akko. The artwork improved throughout, which could be a negative for some people. However, I found the character designs, and the artwork in general, to be really appealing overall. By no means will the artwork blow anyone away, but the art is really quite good for a romance manga.

There is only one chapter left before Girl Friends wraps up, and (because of this) I'm left with a melancholy sort of feeling toward it. It's the same feeling I get when I finish reading a Haruki Murakami novel, or when I finished Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru, or even when I saw The Vision of Escaflowne for the first time. Long time anime and manga fans know this feeling well, it's what drives our fandom. My sadness doesn't stem solely from the end of Girl Friends, but the fact that I know I'll never experience it the same way again.

I enjoyed this one SO much! I saw (almost) every yuri-anime, so I was searching for some yuri manga. And this one was not the first, but it was one of the best I've ever read! It's cute and awesome, but the story was very slow. Even though, AWESOMENESS. Anyways *cough* if you like yuri/shoujo-ai manga, you should really check this one out. You will NOT regret it! :'D

I loved Girl Friends! It was refreshing to read a shoujo-ai manga that was very honest and realistic. All the characters are really lovable, and at times I found myself laughing out loud. It's also very contemporary, and paints a good picture of modern schoolgirls and their interests. It's not melodramatic, it's just a simple slice-of-life about falling in love for the first time. To me, it felt very personal and relevant. I recommend it to everyone, not just yuri or shoujo-ai readers.

Girl Friends was one of the first manga I read when I started getting into yuri. Strangely, rereading it made me realize I lost my passion for a romance with no guys. I don’t dislike yuri, but I can’t be bothered to read something anymore just because it’s a girl-on-girl romance. I say this because my mistake reading it the first time was expecting yuri right away, leaving me disappointed. Don’t do that.

Part of the reason Girl Friends can disappoint impatient readers who expect yuri right away is its story. It’s the classic tale of a popular fashionista—Akko—bringing an unassuming bookworm—Mari—out of her shell. But the more this bookworm steps out of her shell, the more she steps into feelings she’s never experienced. Much of the story focuses on Mari’s growing feelings for the oblivious Akko, so actual yuri events—whatever it might be—won’t be there to instantly satisfy readers.

Instead, readers will confront an emotional gauntlet. It’s easy to feel frustrated when Mari rationalizes wanting to kiss Akko by thinking of her as a cute pet, and there’s a certain hilarity in their friend Sugi who has a habit of stripping. Basically, Girl Friends teases out every emotion from jealousy to bliss. And that’s how it should go. People experience a variety of feelings, especially when dealing with teenagers, and moreso with a teenager who loves someone of the same sex.

The story itself smoothly flows from one emotion to the next. Partly because the story never hangs on the inner musings of a character for too long, and partly because the characters themselves show considerable maturation to resolve conflicts a little easier. Early in the story, Mari worries about something she did, and Akko casually breaks the ice saying it’s a natural thing for friends to do. Later on, a conflict between Mari and Akko involving college is resolved by the former’s own, indirect way.

And it’s moments like these that emphasize how far a character has come. Mari starts out introverted, tongue-tied, and not too worried about her looks. But by the end, she’s outgoing, speaks smoothly, and becomes a fashionista in her own right when she helps an old friend. The development itself is fantastic, not once going too fast. The blush crossing Mari’s face resulting from Akko’s honesty slowly becomes a flush of love, hidden behind a series of questions wondering about her own anxiety over Akko’s friends and lovelife.

There’s not much else going on with Mari, but it makes sense since Akko essentially gives her a social life. As for Akko, she’s got it going on being the center of attention, a fashionista, and generally outgoing, determined to bring Mari out of her shell. Later on, Akko’s backstory gives a sense of WHY she wanted to bring Mari out of her shell. But it isn’t until after a certain event a little under halfway through that Akko starts to change. She becomes noticeably more tongue-tied as she questions her feelings for Mari, and this change makes sense considering the suddenness of this certain event.

That said, the story doesn’t give a definite reason for why either character ends up feeling the way she does, nor does it draw a line—at least not until the end—for when friendship ends and love begins. But why does it have to be that way? One of the central conflicts on Mari’s side of the story is how she can’t tell if what she’s doing, what she’s feeling, is normal for friends. And it’d diminish their feelings if there was a definite reason. Love doesn’t happen because of one reason, but from a multitude of things unique to each person. In other words, Akko and Mari are believably compelling characters.

Rolling the third wheel from the side characters is Sugi. She doesn’t change much throughout the story, but she doesn’t need to. Beneath her extensive line-up of boyfriends is a maturity to match the body that unveils itself every time she strips. She’s very much learned a lot of harsh lessons in love, shown when she’s giving up-front and blunt advice for Akko on more than one occasion, or when reminiscing about how she used to act. Jaded but well-meaning, she’s Girl Friends’ most developed (ahem) side character.

The other side characters aren’t explored much, but it does show how the world still moves regardless of what Akko and Mari are feeling. They have their own aspirations (tennis), their own hobbies (cosplay), their own delusions (‘I’m going to see my Prince!’), basically their own things going on from ghost stories to boyfriend talk. When Akko, Mari, or Sugi can’t do it, anyone of the other characters will basically break the ice to stop the story from staying serious for too long. The story isn’t afraid to be heavy, but it knows when to lighten up.

Oops, I mentioned guys in a yuri story. In a breath of fresh air, Girl Friends isn’t afraid to fully explore sexuality by bringing guys into the mix. From Akko and Mari’s side, it explores the complicated feelings of loving someone of the same sex, while the male part of the equation poses a problem for Mari especially. That isn’t to say the story uses guys as antagonists but, for the two major guys it brings in, they are simply two, genuinely well-meaning people. Signs of deviancy still show from them, especially with one of their backstories, but the same can be said for Akko, Mari, and Sugi.

See, when I say Girl Friends explores sexuality, I mean that in every sense of the word. It very much addresses what lovers do, and doesn’t play cloyingly with its subject. It knows infatuation can create fantasy, as Mari can attest. It knows the cluelessly curious will look things up to not be clueless, as Akko will admit. And it also knows being drunk can cause strange behavior, as Sugi unwittingly demonstrates with Tama. Because of this, Girl Friends is a case where fanservice makes sense (save for that one moment in chapter two...); love is a sweet thing carried out by saucy actions.

Carrying every moment from the sweet to the saucy is Morinaga Milk’s artwork. Apart from being the most aesthetically pleasing thing you’ll ever see, character designs are distinct. Akko and Sugi are both fashionistas, but the curves greatly favor the latter. Tama and Mari are petite, but there’s a sense of energy only the former has. And when the lovely art isn’t sensually and sensitively expressing any of their feelings, it becomes a veritable fashion show for all the stylish outfits the characters wear. If nothing else, the story can’t be knocked for having school uniforms all the time.

Not that there wasn’t much to knock down the story over anyway. Even in its final volume worth of chapters, Girl Friends manages to stay fresh. It brings in new angles, commitment, and addresses the real amount of effort any relationship needs to last. That said, if the pacing was a little tighter, or if the story did something crucial that Akko and Mari need to eventually face, I’d have no qualms about calling Girl Friends a masterpiece.

But as it stands, it’s still an excellent, heartfelt story with a dash of honest naughtiness, not to mention easy on the eyes. Readers who don’t mind a slow but deliberate pace will find a lot to like, while people new to yuri expecting yuri right away might want to look elsewhere. It might not be a story everyone loves, but for these girlfriends, loving each other would be enough.

This was the first manga I've ever read, therefor this is my first time reviewing a manga. With nothing else to compare it to (besides anime) i can say that this manga was amazing. Anyone with the maturity level to read a yuri love story and take it seriously should really consider reading this no matter what your gender or sexuality. Being one who only has experience with anime I can tell you if you this manga was better than anything i've watched, the story seemed so real, the characters were great, and the end was satisfying. Now to break this manga down to find the sum of it's parts.

Story: When I first started reading this it was because of a nice review someone else had written that convinced me to try it. Going into the first chapter I didn't expect things to get as serioius as they did, I was expecting a standard love story but what I got was an epic tsunami of a story starting out with Mari, a quiet girl who spent all her time by herself suddenly being dragged into a social life by a popular and straightforward girl named Akko who was curious about Mari and wanted to be friends with her. Over time they become the best of friends until Mari starts developing special feelings for Akko. The rest of the story i don't want to spoil for you but i will tell you the reader goes through agony along with the girls in the story watching them discover their feeling for each other, not being able to tell each other, and not being able to have a normal relationship. Don't get the impression that this is some depressing story though, their is a lot of humor along with happy moments. From a guys perspective I will say it was interesting to see what goes on in the girls minds throughout the story and really shows that everybody has more to them than what you see. The only thing I didn't like about the story was sometimes getting to the conclusion felt dragged out by other characters and miscommunication which just made it seem too unreal.

Art: The art here was great, I loved both character designs for Akko and Mari, it had a really good flow throughout the chapters and really helped show the characters emotions like using tears at the right time and different types of blushing to show embarrassment or love. Within a few seconds of starting to read moving from picture to picture you actually see the scenes playing out in your mind. The art also shows changes in the characters appearance over time (like Mari growing her hair back out in the end). This was the only thing I didn't rate a 10 (I gave it a 9) because when they drew Akko on the colored covers and scenes it seemed like they would switch between blonde-ish and light brown, which I know is trivial but it caused a lot of confusion in how I pictured her which ate at me the whole time.

Characters: The characters in this story go so well together, when I was reading they seemed so close to being real that the only thing keeping them from hopping out of the story was that thin page. The emotions they convey the whole time just felt so real, the pain, the joy, the love was just so easy for the reader to feel, that is if you let it. All the supporting characters were good too since they all had their differences to set them apart but when talking about Mari and Akko they just seem to break the mold on what standard characters are since they actually seem like there could be people out there like them.

Enjoyment: I guess I don't have to tell you how much I enjoyed reading this at this point but I will say it was so interesting I came straight home and read this until I had to go to sleep, I completed it in 3 days. During class I usually am good at keeping focused but I couldn't stop wondering what would happen next all day and couldn't wait to rush home and read.

Overall: This manga is really more than the sum of it's parts, it takes all areas and uses them in a way that works so well together. The problems of their relationship not being conventional and their worries about that are real difficulties people face, although it will get better for them based on what I've seen from my generation. All in all if you consider yourself mature enough to handle realistic emotions from two girls who are attracted to each other than I urge you to check this out because you won't regret it (be aware it does get a little "mature" in the end *nosebleed*...you've been warned)