The ‘Citrus’ Yuri Effect and Why It’s Not A ‘Sexual Abuse Anime’

Yuri and Girl’s Love fans have been raving over the airing of the first two episodes of Citrus. After so many years of waiting, they have finally got what they wanted as the anime series is closely accurate to the original manga series created by Saburouta.

One of the Most Popular Yuri Manga To Date

In case a lot of you were not informed, Citrus is one of the most successful and popular yuri manga series to reach internationally. In fact, it is even a New York Times Bestseller in 2015. It’s one of the few manga series that some yuri fans start out aside from other popular yuri manga titles like Girl Friends by Milk Morinaga and Strawberry Panic by Sakurako Kimino.

Citrus focuses on the life of the upbeat girl named Yuzu and the serious student council president Mei. Yuzu’s life changed forever when Mei moves in with her—and to realize that they are both stepsisters! Both girls have lingering feelings for each other and they are tested with the random school and slice-of-life situations that both have to face.

The Misinterpretation

When the first episode of Citrus was released a few weeks ago, the amount of praise this anime received in the Yuri and Girl’s Love communities was also the same level of hate it received from other viewers. Some were criticizing the anime for “showing sexual abuse” when that wasn’t the case. These are two confused girls wanting to find out if they liked each other the same way or not.

It seems that people see it this way because they think that “girls doing such actions to each other in an anime is wrong” but it’s not much of a big deal if it’s a situation that involves hetero characters. You just watch along like any other anime series.

Based on observation, others strongly comment against Citrus mainly because it’s yuri—which shouldn’t really be an issue. The past years, anime fans were bombarded with series that had yaoi vibes and people didn’t really make a huge fuss about them regardless if people implied that their ship is canon when it really isn’t yet on the surface. It’s puzzling, really.

Two episodes have aired so far and people (and various anime websites) have started to comment like they know what’s going to happen next.

Impact and a Tribute to the Fans

Even way before the announcement of this anime adaptation, Citrus has been making waves as one of the most discussed and highly recommended yuri manga series ever. Saburouta successfully created a different kind of yuri story that gets anyone to read it at the edge of their seats waiting for the next chapter. The cliffhangers in almost every chapter might get us to flip our tables but it is an indication that the story is good and worth looking forward to.

The manga reached the international shelves for a reason—it’s a yuri story that has its own uniqueness to other selections out there.

Looking at everything in a big picture, the anime adaptation is a tribute to the fans and this is something well-deserved. There hasn’t been much yuri series out lately and thankfully Citrus was one of those that filled that void. With a great production team and a powerhouse cast, it’s enough to make sure this adaptation is close to the original source.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of how some view the series and how it is being interpreted by media outlets recently, nothing can really beat the growing impact of Citrus on its loyal yuri followers. The anime is still airing with only the first few episodes out and it’s still too soon to make a conclusion. However, the manga is definitely something else and it’s recommended to give it a read. It may or may not change your mind, but you can never stop its zesty yuri hype.