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Yuri Espoir Manga #1
Yuri Espoir, Volume 1
After finding out she is to be forced into a marriage of convenience as soon as she graduates high school, Kokoro sees her life ending before her eyes at her father's wishes. And so, in her final year of high school, she decides to indulge in her love of other women and create an incredible sketchbook of lesbian romance to leave behind as her legacy. As she observes the young women of her town, she learns more about their desires, their struggles, and the unpredictable whims of love.
212 pages, ebook
First published July 13, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
May 29, 2022
Kokoro's father is forcing her into an arranged marriage as soon as she finishes high school. To Kokoro, this feels like a death sentence in more ways than one - she actually describes penetrative sex as being slain with a bladed weapon. To make herself feel better about never even having had a girlfriend, she enlists her art club friend Amami to accompany her as she draws yuri couples in a notebook and tells herself stories about the girls and women she sees.
This could have been bad - the idea of using real people for your fantasies isn't one that sits well with me, and neither is the fetishization of LGBTQIA+ couples. But Kokoro has no illusions about what she's doing; she's well aware that she's making things up and creating fantasies out of whole cloth to suit her own needs. It's the only way she's able to cope with the heteronormative life she's being forced into. Naoi makes that clear in the art very effectively: whenever someone talks about how great her marriage is going to be, all the light goes out of Kokoro's eyes and her expression freezes. It's like watching her just die while talking.
All in all, this is kind of grim for a book with "hope" right in the title. But it's not entirely without it - Amami (who naturally is in love with an oblivious Kokoro) has a four-bubble rant that strikes to the heart of the entire story:
Why do we have to get hurt because of people who can't differentiate between their happiness and someone else's? Why do we have to pay the price because those dinosaurs think that young people having the freedom to make their own choices negates the ones they made?
That's the heart of the book right there. Kokoro's fantasies aren't negating any choices or imposing her thoughts on anyone else; they exist only to soothe her. So why is her family and the world forcing their choices and dreams onto her?
3.5 rounded up. I like getting the realities of the people Kokoro's daydreaming about and there's a real point here hiding underneath the fluff.
This could have been bad - the idea of using real people for your fantasies isn't one that sits well with me, and neither is the fetishization of LGBTQIA+ couples. But Kokoro has no illusions about what she's doing; she's well aware that she's making things up and creating fantasies out of whole cloth to suit her own needs. It's the only way she's able to cope with the heteronormative life she's being forced into. Naoi makes that clear in the art very effectively: whenever someone talks about how great her marriage is going to be, all the light goes out of Kokoro's eyes and her expression freezes. It's like watching her just die while talking.
All in all, this is kind of grim for a book with "hope" right in the title. But it's not entirely without it - Amami (who naturally is in love with an oblivious Kokoro) has a four-bubble rant that strikes to the heart of the entire story:
Why do we have to get hurt because of people who can't differentiate between their happiness and someone else's? Why do we have to pay the price because those dinosaurs think that young people having the freedom to make their own choices negates the ones they made?
That's the heart of the book right there. Kokoro's fantasies aren't negating any choices or imposing her thoughts on anyone else; they exist only to soothe her. So why is her family and the world forcing their choices and dreams onto her?
3.5 rounded up. I like getting the realities of the people Kokoro's daydreaming about and there's a real point here hiding underneath the fluff.
February 24, 2024
“If I can’t be among them, I at least want to create them in my art. I want stories of all types of girls blooming queer and beautiful in my mind. I’ll draw them all tenderly, and doing that, I’ll give them futures.”
4.5 stars. I really didn't expect to enjoy this SO much, but apparently it was just the kind of cute that I was in the mood for? My heart feels full. I was so charmed by this, in a way that not a lot of YA can charm me these days. (At least, I think this would technically be classified as YA.)
After being surprised with the news that she'll be forced into an arranged marriage with a man after graduation, in one year, Kokoro is determined to spend the rest of her free time cataloguing lesbian love. She enlists the help of another girl in the art club, Amami, who is secretly in love with Kokoro. This... was genuinely so cute. I love the format of it, where we spend some time with the characters, then we see Kokoro observing people in real life, drawing little comics about them, and then we get to see the actual lives of those women and girls. It ended up being really engrossing to me, and again, really cute. There were several moments where I laughed out loud?? The humour is a little OTT, a little cheesy, but in a way that perfectly works with the characters and the art style. I freaking love when Amami gets all weirdly intense about her crush/obsession. Somehow even that is charming to me. Especially when she gets really protective of Kokoro. And even though it's simply written, there were a lot of moments that I found really profound and sweet, especially with regard to sexuality.
Honestly, my prevailing emotion right now is still pleasant surprise, because this trulydidn't seem like something that I would love. And, I mean, it wasn't perfect by any means. But I was still really charmed, and very happy to read it. A solid win, for a book I only borrowed on a whim. Will definitely continue this series soon.
Content warnings:
September 1, 2022
Overwrought by an engagement forced upon her by her father, aspiring artist Kokoro vows to her best friend Amami that she will spend the last months of her senior year in high school sketching nothing but women loving women. As she secretly draws strangers across cafes or train cars, she spins a love story for them from her imagination, and then the point of view changes to that of the unwitting models and we are witness to their actual loves, crushes and losses. While Kokoro is resigned to this situation, Amami quietly looks for some way to break Kokoro's engagement for her own benefit.
It's an engaging meld of a serial with a short story anthology. I do hope we'll revisit some of the sketchbook characters down the road though, as most of their stories are more interesting than Kokoro's.
It's an engaging meld of a serial with a short story anthology. I do hope we'll revisit some of the sketchbook characters down the road though, as most of their stories are more interesting than Kokoro's.
June 29, 2023
2.5 out of 5 stars
This was very interesting to say the least. I am still not sure quite how I feel about this even after finishing it a few days ago now. I do love a surprise psychological thriller moment but I'm not quite sure I enjoyed it much in this because it was barely touched on. However, I did enjoy how sudden and unexpected it that element was. I don't really like the premise of this but I knew I most likely wouldn't when I picked this up, but I didn't want to leave the bookstore empty handed haha. I don't really like the whole side stories within a main story kind of thing that this had going on either but I will try reading a bit more of this digitally before I completely drop this series.
This was very interesting to say the least. I am still not sure quite how I feel about this even after finishing it a few days ago now. I do love a surprise psychological thriller moment but I'm not quite sure I enjoyed it much in this because it was barely touched on. However, I did enjoy how sudden and unexpected it that element was. I don't really like the premise of this but I knew I most likely wouldn't when I picked this up, but I didn't want to leave the bookstore empty handed haha. I don't really like the whole side stories within a main story kind of thing that this had going on either but I will try reading a bit more of this digitally before I completely drop this series.
October 14, 2023
Review for vols 1 & 2. This was so much more than I expected. While it's for sure a sugary slice of life, dipping into the various romances of female friends (or couples), it's also a little bittersweet especially as we gradually learn more about Kokoro and her upcoming marriage that she feels will "end her life." I especially like how we get two versions of each relationship and somehow they're both always intriguing and well thought-out: Kokoro's shallower, often sillier imaginings, and then the real story of these strangers' lives.
February 15, 2023
It's amazing!
I love Eve. <3
A very original concept; Kokoro sees two strangers/women together, sketches their love story from her imagination and then we get a POV of their actual lives.
So it's basically like a Yuri anthology, while going back to the first story after every short. (Imagine you're watching a show on TV and get interrupted by ads every now and then – the ads being the short stories and the show being Kokoro's story.) And all of the stories are interesting! I'm surprised some of them don't have their own manga series.
Also, Kokoro's lesbian radar definitely is strong – at least one woman from the pair always turned out to be lesbian/into women (in their RL).
I love Eve. <3
A very original concept; Kokoro sees two strangers/women together, sketches their love story from her imagination and then we get a POV of their actual lives.
So it's basically like a Yuri anthology, while going back to the first story after every short. (Imagine you're watching a show on TV and get interrupted by ads every now and then – the ads being the short stories and the show being Kokoro's story.) And all of the stories are interesting! I'm surprised some of them don't have their own manga series.
Also, Kokoro's lesbian radar definitely is strong – at least one woman from the pair always turned out to be lesbian/into women (in their RL).
March 22, 2024
This book had potential but I did not enjoy it. I think this is just not the style for me because I attempted another similar book and didn't enjoy it either but have loved other graphic novels.
August 14, 2024
there’s yuri everywhere for those who have eyes to see
February 21, 2024
I think I have found a new genre of manga I like 😅 surprise surprise!
July 11, 2023
Pretty dumb fun! I hope they continue some of the stories introduced here.
(I can’t decide if i hate the teacher guy or not… I think i do?? Idk the twist with him made me scream 🫣 I do hate the mc’s fiancé though like GET AWAY FROM HERRRR GET AWAY.)
(I can’t decide if i hate the teacher guy or not… I think i do?? Idk the twist with him made me scream 🫣 I do hate the mc’s fiancé though like GET AWAY FROM HERRRR GET AWAY.)
August 9, 2022
4.5* Art leaves a lot to be desired but I liked this way more than I should.
February 1, 2024
3.5 stars
My dumbass has been reading the title as yurt esper as in like psychic SO IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN THE GIRL GOES IN HER ROOM AND THERES POSTERS AND SHIT OF THE GIRL SHE WAS HANING OUT WITH AND SHE HAD CRAZY HEART EYES. I’m still in shock tbh that I don’t know how to rate it I’ll prob give it a 3.5 bc I was intrigued and I liked the art style. I was t the biggest fan of kokoro imaging romantic seniors that star gets have with each other.(bc it reminds to much of people shipping real people and not even celebrities but like your classmates) But I also get this is a way of coping for her bc she’ll never get to be with a girl so I get (it’s just a personal ick or mine) I’m debating if I wanna pick up volume 2 probably will because I’m so curious.
My dumbass has been reading the title as yurt esper as in like psychic SO IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN THE GIRL GOES IN HER ROOM AND THERES POSTERS AND SHIT OF THE GIRL SHE WAS HANING OUT WITH AND SHE HAD CRAZY HEART EYES. I’m still in shock tbh that I don’t know how to rate it I’ll prob give it a 3.5 bc I was intrigued and I liked the art style. I was t the biggest fan of kokoro imaging romantic seniors that star gets have with each other.(bc it reminds to much of people shipping real people and not even celebrities but like your classmates) But I also get this is a way of coping for her bc she’ll never get to be with a girl so I get (it’s just a personal ick or mine) I’m debating if I wanna pick up volume 2 probably will because I’m so curious.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2024
I find the story telling to be a bit messy... and theres a lot of time in the novel spent on the characters that aren't the MCs... So im all for a the daydreamer/matchmaker vibes from the MC but the transition between her ideas and whats actually going on feels a little clumsy and it took me too entirely long to figure out what was going on... I'm also unsure how to respond to her talking about being dead at the end of highschool... I can't tell if its suicidal or just talking about shutting down the real her and being a shell... either way its hard to back the novel in the way that it seems to barely be addressed in novel 1.
July 19, 2023
Not for me. This just felt like a man writing about his weeby lesbian fantasies. Very creepy vibe overall, and not realistic at all. Don't get me wrong, I like flowery romances and some drama in my fiction, but this wasn't it. Also one of the main characters is just a creepy stalker? That room of hers, YIKES. Not spending my time on reading vol 2, that's for sure.
(The reason it still gets two stars is that the art was good and I liked the initial premise, even if the execution ended up being terrible.)
(The reason it still gets two stars is that the art was good and I liked the initial premise, even if the execution ended up being terrible.)
January 1, 2024
This was an interesting premise and I really enjoyed the way we saw Kokoro’s fantasy stories and then the real versions of her muses alongside her own real life Yuri playing out (that of course she’s oblivious to). I love Kokoro’s personality and I’m really rooting for her and Amami. It’s not so full of plot that I’m *dying* to read the next volume immediately, but I’ll happily continue just to spend more time with the characters and see their relationship develop.
January 11, 2024
Genuinely, a masterwork of fiction. Kokoro creates a bubble of happiness for herself to experience queer joy while she can, creating the comedic parts of the manga, but always lingering behind her coping mechanism is the reality of her tragic situation and its insidious layers forming and tightening.
While this manga touches on darker themes, the comedy aspect keeps it swallowable and enjoyable, without taking away from or diminishing the impact of the seriousness of the themes.
While this manga touches on darker themes, the comedy aspect keeps it swallowable and enjoyable, without taking away from or diminishing the impact of the seriousness of the themes.
July 26, 2022
This was a very interesting read. I feel like there are a lot of good conversations to be had from the topics covered in this story. I enjoyed this read for sure, I thought the characters were all interesting and felt very realistic. I'm not sure if I will personally continue with this one but I think others would really enjoy this series.
September 28, 2024
4.5 stars
Such a unique volume. It's an anthology but each couple flows so well into the main story. I really enjoy that aspect. Plus I love a new cute couple to learn about with every side chapter. Not sure how I feel about some of the main story yet but I'm curious enough to definitely check out another volume.
Such a unique volume. It's an anthology but each couple flows so well into the main story. I really enjoy that aspect. Plus I love a new cute couple to learn about with every side chapter. Not sure how I feel about some of the main story yet but I'm curious enough to definitely check out another volume.
May 11, 2023
This. Is. So. Stinking. CUTE. I absolutely adore the art, the story, the characters, literally everything about this manga is just good as hell. I read this volume on KU just to see if I’d like it and I’m immediately grabbing all 3 volumes and pre-ordering the 4th.
February 13, 2024
It was a fun read with something potentially darker going on in the back ground with all the other stories. It is cute and follows a variety of different girls as they go towards their romance and hopefully happiness.
February 27, 2024
4 stars. This first volume was chaotic and so much fun! I really like this so far and all of the messiness. The humor is good and had me laughing quite a bit and I find the characters to be interesting. I even like the weird dark undertone this has. On to volume two!
August 13, 2024
The arranged marriage, the age gaps, and the weird behind the scenes situations make me give this a 2.5. I wanted to like it more, I liked the stories between the art inspiration characters, but the other aspects really pulled me out of the story.
September 25, 2024
I like the concept of this but not really the execution. There's a few random creepy moments that just made me very confused, including stalking, inappropriate age-differences, creepy teachers. I also wasn't a huge fan of the art style.
I won't be picking up the second volume.
I won't be picking up the second volume.
August 28, 2022
Cute, a bit hard to follow with the fantasy VS reality at time but overall a cute story so far.
July 1, 2023
Very cute! I loved the art style and the side couples
August 13, 2023
Honestly, surprisingly good.
November 6, 2023
Cute
This was really cute. I hope she's able to confess her love to her soon and hopefully stop that arranged marriage.
This was really cute. I hope she's able to confess her love to her soon and hopefully stop that arranged marriage.
December 3, 2023
live laugh love yuri
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews