Everything I've read talking about yuri seems to mention Girl Friends, so I thought it was time for me to read this quintessential yuri series. And I can see how it's the example of yuri! It's school girls, and a lot of blushing, and the typical "girls don't do this" heteronormativity. I read this in the omnibus, and talk about a slow burn! This is almost 500 pages, and mostly just about Mariko making a new friend, falling in love with her, and then (much later) realizing that she's fallen in love with her.
Girl Friends is super cute: exactly what you'd expect from the title and cover, though there is the melodrama of agonizing over a crush on a girl, but that should go without saying. It is also set in high school, so it does have some nudity, talk about sex, and underage drinking. (The cotton candy cuteness made me a little shocked by the nudity, for some reason.)
Interestingly, about three quarters of the way through, we get a perspective shift. After spending so long reading about Mariko's doomed crush on Akko, we get to see Akko's (mostly oblivious) reaction, and perhaps see the same thing happen to her? Maybe that's what's going to take up the next 500 page omnibus?
This is a fun, quick, addictive reading. I was craving it between readings. I'll definitely be continuing on with the series!
