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Battle
Athletes Victory
Akari
Kanzaki and Ichino Yanagida are best friends competing to
claim the coveted Cosmo Beauty title in the year 4998. This
is the most prestigious sporting event title a girl can
claim. Through the series, viewers become acquainted with
several of the competitors at the training school hoping
to advance to Satellite University.
The
plot allows for a great deal of slapstick, especially during
the somewhat over-the-top athletic events. But there is
also a more serious side to this show as well. At the beginning
of the show, Akari is sorely lacking in confidence, and
things only go from bad to worse. At one point, Akari quits
the school and goes home to her empty house in the woods
of rural Japan. In a true testament to her friendship, Ichino
goes after her friend and attempts to convince her to return.
But
there's more to this than meets the eye, and their friendship
is sorely tested as Ichino attempts to help Akari stop running
and face her painful past. Akari falls in love with Ichino
over time, giving the series its dominant lesbian love story,
but several other women of interest show up in the series
as well.
Shoujo Kakumei Utena
This
series is not for the first-time anime viewer. It stretches
the boundaries of reality and science fiction. The basic
storyline sounds harmless enough, but you must enter the
series with an open mind and an ability to accept that sometimes
things just don’t make sense.
When
she was small, Utena Tenjou received a visit from a prince
who gave her a signet ring with a rose crest. He told Utena
to keep the ring and promised that they would meet again
someday. Utena was so impressed by him that she decided
to become a prince herself. Not a princess mind you. She
doesn’t let the fact that she is a girl interrupt
her dreams. Utena grows up and begins attending Ohtori Academy
where she joins the dueling club.
When
Utena unwittingly wins the "Rose Bride" Anthy
in a duel, she finds herself in the middle of something
that just may lead her to her prince.
In
the series, the storyline is about emotional and punishing
obstacles in the characters’ lives. There is subtext
embedded within the friendship between Utena and Anthy,
but the real lesbian interest in the show comes from a duelist
named Juri. Her story is laced with her unrequited love
in fellow duelist, Shiori.
The
Utena movie places more emphasis on Utena and Anthy’s
pasts. The girls discover that their faith and love for
each other is the key to dealing with their history.
In a time where lesbian and bisexual women
are once again becoming unseen in television and other media,
it is revitalizing to find alternative media that can provide
some lesbian visibility.
Given
the number of English-language websites with news, fanfiction,
and forums related to Yuri manga and anime--both general
sites, like Yuricon.org,
KatandNekoManga.com,
and Shoujoai.com,
and sites that focus on a particular series, like SailorMoon.com--an
increasing number of queer American women agree.
Get
Sailor Moon manga
/ anime;
Battle Athletes Victory anime;
Utena
manga
/ anime.
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