THE definitive yuri experience. To get your lesbian license you must watch every episode, even the weird filler ones. Deep, emotional, passionate, wrapped up in genre tropes that it then destroys. An elegant deconstruction of the patriarchal reinforcement of heterosexual attraction, neatly laying bare all the toxicity our society brews. This show ripped my soul to shreds. Watch the movie after finishing the show. Cry. Dedicate your life to Kunihiko Ikuhara.
A 1989-1990 adaptation of a 70s manga by Riyoko Ikeda, detailing the high school life of Nanako Misonoo at an elite private all-girls academy. Gorgeous art, beautifully directed, full of drama.
Another project from the director of Utena, Kunihiko Ikuhara, about a world that is divided into two; on one side, humans, and on the other, man-eating bears. The main character swears to never forgive the bears after her girlfriend is killed by them, but then two strange new girls transfer to her school... Yurikuma Arashi is a master class in the psychology of discrimination, compulsory heterosexuality, and homophobia. You'll see divided opinions on it; the people who don't like it are wrong. Yes there are toes in the opening. I don't give a shit, it's a good show.
A soft, realistic look at living as a lesbian in Japan, following our main character from high school to her life after graduation. Very slow and thoughtful. The mangaka has also made a manga about the transgender experience, called Wandering Son.
A CGI movie... But a good one. Not many websites list this as yuri, but it is very, very firmly lesbian. Sci-fi in the style of Blade Runner and other exploratory works, fundamentally concerned with human nature. Set in a world with no war, no starvation, no problems. Follows a peace officer, Tuan Kirie, who finds that her high school girlfriend may not be dead, and may indeed be instigating terrorism on a global scale. Tuan goes on a journey to challenge her own cynical beliefs and dredge back up the passionate beliefs she once had in the past, her desire to help society conflicting with her desire to be with her lover again.
A short OVA adaptation of the Kase-san manga. I actually haven't seen this, only read the manga, but every wlw I know loves it, so I will recommend.
A short 12 episode adaptation of the similarly-titled manga; a young girl who thinks herself incapable of love is relieved to become friends with her high schools student council president, who has the same issue... Then, to her surprise, the student council president falls in love with her! She begins to seriously consider not only whether she's capable of returning this affection, but what cost it might have for both of them in a homophobic society.
Another short series; this one is slightly older than the others.
We all know and love BRS because of her iconic vocaloid song, but did you know she is also an appreciator of feminine virtues? This OVA is chockful to the brim of lesbianism; as a matter of fact, it turns out that that's what the BRS and Dead Master scenes are all a metaphor for! Beautiful sentimental story with a crunchy morally ambiguous center. DO NOT WATCH THE TV SHOW, IT IS EXTREMELY ABLEIST.
All my distaste for series creator/director Gen Urobuchi aside, Madoka is a fairly solid title, though whether it brought any real innovation to its genre subset is questionable. At heart, it stands best as a high-stakes character drama- what lengths Homura will go to for the sake of the person she loves? Ya gotta watch it to find out. I havent seen any of Gaiden yet, so keep in mind this rec extends only to the original show and Rebellion Story.
YuYuYu is just Madoka Magica except with a different format, but it also has best girl Mimori Togo, who goes harder than anyone ever. Extremely anti-imperialist. The movies + second season suck so avoid them at all costs.
The peak 'girls with guns' show, following a pair of girls on a journey to unravel their mysterious past and their ties to an ancient hitman conspiracy. Lots of guns. Surprisingly not much conventional fanservice, with a pretty big focus on the relationship between them. They're basically canon at the end, but it's not kiss on screen canon, so. I mean. But it's gay.
Noir except it's about a magic witch girl trying to figure out her magic. Literally the exact same, from the same company. Only difference is that in El Cazador de la Bruja there's a man running around after them constantly getting cucked by Ellis and then getting the fuck beaten out of him. So if you like magic, watch this one. If you like the knights templar, watch Noir. It's that simple.
Fuck Blue Lives Kuranosuke is skinny. People will tell you this is a straight show and they're lying. I read the entire manga. Kuranosuke is a trans woman and Tsukimi's a lesbian and this show is lesbian propaganda in every single way. If you are gay you will understand. If you are not, after you watch this, you will be.
Canonically lesbian, but it's not really brought up until the last few episodes and the overall focus is more on sci-fi stuff like internet ethics. And God. God is in this. This show is ridiculously great for almost every reason imaginable, though if you're watching for Girl Reasons it might be a bit low calorie.
Two reasons this is on the list. One, canon lesbian couple that would inspire Ikuhara to create Utena. Two, Ikuhara. I fully believe in and trust his vision. I fully believe in and trust Ikuhara. Sailor Moon is what made Ikuhara #OneOfTheGirls. Legends only.