So far the winter 2014 anime season is shaping up to be a good one, with several decent shows I want to follow. In addition to a Super Sonico anime and new seasons of the moe-tastic Saki and Chuunibyo, there’s a new girl’s love show in town. Being a card-carrying fan of yuri, or anime, manga or games about the drama that’s created when girls fall in love with other girls, I was happy to see Sakura Trick, a no-holds-barred show about girls who become obsessed with each other and with kissing. There are several approaches to telling a good yuri story, for example with uplifting and stylized characters (Revolutionary Girl Utena), showing us the realistic nitty-gritty of relationships (Aoi Hana), or delivering both emotional and physical satisfaction, a trademark of the Sono Hanabira ~ A Kiss for the Petals series. You can also base your show around fun slice-of-life gags like Yuru Yuri, which seems to be the approach Sakura Trick is taking. While watching yuri anime is always fun, you can enjoy these themes in just about any anime thanks to the tradition of fans creating romantic relationships where none exist, which is known as “shipping” in case you’re not familiar with the term, a word that comes from “relationshipping” which supposedly got started on X-Files discussion boards back in the 90s. Some usage examples include “I can’t stop shipping Toshino Kyouko and Sugiura Ayano, orz” or “a certain swiming anime has changed the meaning of ‘free shipping’ forever.” If you want to see some great yuri fanart pictures, follow J-List’s Facebook, Tumblr or Twitter feeds!
Sakura Trick is a new yuri kissing anime I like a lot.
