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Girl Friends [ガールフレンズ] #5
Girl Friends [ガールフレンズ] 5
百合コミックの第一人者が描く百合コミックの最高峰作品。〝友達同士〟とは違う想いをお互いに確認しあったまりとあっこ、誰にも言えないけれど幸せな日々が過ぎていく。しかし時の流れは彼女達に卒業後の人生も意識させていくのだった…。女の子同士の恋、その行方は!? ついに完結の第５巻！
187 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 12, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 10, 2012
This is a review for the last three volumes.
Girlfriends is very slow-moving, and it seems sometimes never to be going anywhere, or taking two steps backward for every step forwards, with lots of time spent on the irrelevant minutiae of life, but in the end that might be why it’s so real and so emotionally involving. The tight focus on Mari expands to include Akko in these later volumes, as she finds herself confronting her feelings for Mari, and finds herself in the position of chasing someone that she thinks declared love to her, but she’s not quite sure, especially as Mari is trying to make herself fall in love with a boy and have a “normal” relationship. As a result, Akko becomes far more of a developed character, and less the cute and popular Barbie doll. The uncertainties and insecurities of are very convincingly and movingly handled, especially the awkwardness of working out if they are friends or in a relationship and the first jealousies and sexual exploration.
A lot of the five stars comes from the fact that they are given an ending that confirms that they are lesbian, that their feelings are real,
Art is lovely, as always. Sex is handled with a delicate, non-pornographic touch. The angst is lightened with humour. There’s a bit less emphasis on how to put on mascara and choose makeup brands than in the earlier volumes, and what there is makes more sense in regards to Akko’s character development. She has awful music taste, though. (Perfume! I have to admit that it’s in-character.) All in all, Girlfriends feels real, as does its characters, and I ended up caring very deeply about them, including the supporting characters.
Girlfriends is very slow-moving, and it seems sometimes never to be going anywhere, or taking two steps backward for every step forwards, with lots of time spent on the irrelevant minutiae of life, but in the end that might be why it’s so real and so emotionally involving. The tight focus on Mari expands to include Akko in these later volumes, as she finds herself confronting her feelings for Mari, and finds herself in the position of chasing someone that she thinks declared love to her, but she’s not quite sure, especially as Mari is trying to make herself fall in love with a boy and have a “normal” relationship. As a result, Akko becomes far more of a developed character, and less the cute and popular Barbie doll. The uncertainties and insecurities of are very convincingly and movingly handled, especially the awkwardness of working out if they are friends or in a relationship and the first jealousies and sexual exploration.
A lot of the five stars comes from the fact that they are given an ending that confirms that they are lesbian, that their feelings are real,
Art is lovely, as always. Sex is handled with a delicate, non-pornographic touch. The angst is lightened with humour. There’s a bit less emphasis on how to put on mascara and choose makeup brands than in the earlier volumes, and what there is makes more sense in regards to Akko’s character development. She has awful music taste, though. (Perfume! I have to admit that it’s in-character.) All in all, Girlfriends feels real, as does its characters, and I ended up caring very deeply about them, including the supporting characters.
August 30, 2018
Girl Friends is the enormously popular manga by Milk Morinaga, that is not just one of the more popular and best examples of the yuri genre period, but in the West is almost the DEFINITIVE example for many years until other examples have cropped up recently. Even now, it still is what many might think of when they think of this genre.
The story is a simple one adjusted for a same-sex couple, with the caveat that neither of these girls realizes this is how they feel yet. So the stylish and beautiful Akko is drawn to the quiet and bookish Mari when she imagines how she'd look if she changed some things about herself. So she curiously asks Mari to take the train with her since they travel in the same direction. In Japan, this isn't uncommon. Those who don't bike to school will mostly (and I think fewer bike than these two ways) walk, ride subways, or both. It's part of the social fabric and method of growing mature to be trusted to navigate to school and back this way.
Anyways, the two become fast friends, and are quickly seen as the best buds they have come to be, with everyone recognizing that each is the closest to the other outside of their actual families, and maybe then some.
In this period, first Mari, then Akko begins to realize that she is falling in love with her bestie, and is uncertain how to proceed. Actually, this is an understatement, they are really put out of sorts and don't know how to handle things. This is because, as bad as same-sex folks are treated in the US (and it can be bad at times) this is not as bad as it is in some other parts of the world, including Asia. This means that some ideas that many in the US would never say about homosexuality are commonly said there. "Unnatural", "weird", "not normal", "freak", "that" (in the disasteful way you might imagine someone sneering as they say the word), so on.
So how these young women navigate their coming to terms with who they are, how they feel about each other, and finally being on the same page, is what is the crux of the story. It's really quite a lot better than I might have made it sound. It's quite compelling actually, and not really that angsty at all. The author is able to deal with some of these issues that some people face in real life, and get dramatic milage out of them, without really going super angsty and serious. In fact, the story is rather heartwarming.
Now, to be honest, the author can go more dramatic and serious yet, and border (but not cross over into, thankfully) angst, as her most recent finished series, Hana and Hina After School, shows, but here that is not even nearly that far.
Of course, some might not like this aspect and want something more serious. If so, there is nothing wrong with that. I can understand it, as we each have our own preferences. But if someone is like myself and prefers more light-hearted fare in most instances, then this is a great yuri series for you. And it is a great gateway into the genre.
One doesn't need to believe one way or the other about any issue to enjoy this series, because it doesn't get political or preach to you, and even if it did, I don't think that is always so bad, so long as it is written well enough to still be engaging. And sometimes it can be informative to read something we might disagree with. Or at least to show patience for such. I think that in our country here we are increasingly unwilling to simply kindly accept folks we don't agree with, and this is a sad thing. No matter one's own viewpoints, whether Christian as I am, or any other religion, no religion, and ideology, so on, kindness and love are good. And agree or not with one's choices, you can still wish them well and to be happy as they can be. That is biblical, and moral, and right, in my view.
Note that this is a general principle of mine. If some viewpoint or content is just too much for the individual to handle and they can't enjoy something, or it upsets them too much, then they shouldn't partake of it. There's nothing wrong with not doing so. This is more of a "try to be understanding if possible" and a "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" kind of notion of which I speak.
This art here is gorgeous. Though Morinaga does go heavily into the so-called moe style, so be warned if that is not your cup of tea. It's very sparkly too at times, so again a warning if that isn't your thing. If it is, or if you can tolerate, don't care, so on, it's enjoyable to look at, as she really is a great artist.
I loved this series and I can't recommend it enough. Though sometimes the characters can be annoying (well mostly one character: Sugi, who I find personally annoying and a bad person in general for a real-world plot), they are mostly sweet, relatable and ones you root for. The art is great and the story fun and touching.
Highly, highly recommended.
Ratings:
Vol. 1 - 5/5 Stars.
Vol. 2 - 4/5 Stars.
Vol. 3 - 5/5 Stars.
Vol. 4 - 4/5 Stars.
Vol. 5 - 5/5 Stars.
Series - 4/5 Stars.
The story is a simple one adjusted for a same-sex couple, with the caveat that neither of these girls realizes this is how they feel yet. So the stylish and beautiful Akko is drawn to the quiet and bookish Mari when she imagines how she'd look if she changed some things about herself. So she curiously asks Mari to take the train with her since they travel in the same direction. In Japan, this isn't uncommon. Those who don't bike to school will mostly (and I think fewer bike than these two ways) walk, ride subways, or both. It's part of the social fabric and method of growing mature to be trusted to navigate to school and back this way.
Anyways, the two become fast friends, and are quickly seen as the best buds they have come to be, with everyone recognizing that each is the closest to the other outside of their actual families, and maybe then some.
In this period, first Mari, then Akko begins to realize that she is falling in love with her bestie, and is uncertain how to proceed. Actually, this is an understatement, they are really put out of sorts and don't know how to handle things. This is because, as bad as same-sex folks are treated in the US (and it can be bad at times) this is not as bad as it is in some other parts of the world, including Asia. This means that some ideas that many in the US would never say about homosexuality are commonly said there. "Unnatural", "weird", "not normal", "freak", "that" (in the disasteful way you might imagine someone sneering as they say the word), so on.
So how these young women navigate their coming to terms with who they are, how they feel about each other, and finally being on the same page, is what is the crux of the story. It's really quite a lot better than I might have made it sound. It's quite compelling actually, and not really that angsty at all. The author is able to deal with some of these issues that some people face in real life, and get dramatic milage out of them, without really going super angsty and serious. In fact, the story is rather heartwarming.
Now, to be honest, the author can go more dramatic and serious yet, and border (but not cross over into, thankfully) angst, as her most recent finished series, Hana and Hina After School, shows, but here that is not even nearly that far.
Of course, some might not like this aspect and want something more serious. If so, there is nothing wrong with that. I can understand it, as we each have our own preferences. But if someone is like myself and prefers more light-hearted fare in most instances, then this is a great yuri series for you. And it is a great gateway into the genre.
One doesn't need to believe one way or the other about any issue to enjoy this series, because it doesn't get political or preach to you, and even if it did, I don't think that is always so bad, so long as it is written well enough to still be engaging. And sometimes it can be informative to read something we might disagree with. Or at least to show patience for such. I think that in our country here we are increasingly unwilling to simply kindly accept folks we don't agree with, and this is a sad thing. No matter one's own viewpoints, whether Christian as I am, or any other religion, no religion, and ideology, so on, kindness and love are good. And agree or not with one's choices, you can still wish them well and to be happy as they can be. That is biblical, and moral, and right, in my view.
Note that this is a general principle of mine. If some viewpoint or content is just too much for the individual to handle and they can't enjoy something, or it upsets them too much, then they shouldn't partake of it. There's nothing wrong with not doing so. This is more of a "try to be understanding if possible" and a "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" kind of notion of which I speak.
This art here is gorgeous. Though Morinaga does go heavily into the so-called moe style, so be warned if that is not your cup of tea. It's very sparkly too at times, so again a warning if that isn't your thing. If it is, or if you can tolerate, don't care, so on, it's enjoyable to look at, as she really is a great artist.
I loved this series and I can't recommend it enough. Though sometimes the characters can be annoying (well mostly one character: Sugi, who I find personally annoying and a bad person in general for a real-world plot), they are mostly sweet, relatable and ones you root for. The art is great and the story fun and touching.
Highly, highly recommended.
Ratings:
Vol. 1 - 5/5 Stars.
Vol. 2 - 4/5 Stars.
Vol. 3 - 5/5 Stars.
Vol. 4 - 4/5 Stars.
Vol. 5 - 5/5 Stars.
Series - 4/5 Stars.
April 17, 2021
i loved this even more than the other volumes, while the entire time the story got a little repetitive and it seemed like sometimes it wasn’t going anywhere, i really liked it i think it was very realistic. two girls and they struggle with their feelings and they’re also kinda horrible at communicating with each other. i really liked the ending too, even tho i would’ve wished for a tiny detail to be smtj else but yeah
June 26, 2018
Lovely conclusion to the series!
I loved seeing Akko and Mari together. In this volume they are dating, there are a lot of discussion happing about their romance, about their future and life after graduation. The rest of the cast was adorable, I loved the realistic take on teenage girls, their feelings and experiences in high school.
The art style was cute, I'll be checking out Milk Morinaga's other manga, I'm sure I'll like them because lovely art & f/f romance.
I loved seeing Akko and Mari together. In this volume they are dating, there are a lot of discussion happing about their romance, about their future and life after graduation. The rest of the cast was adorable, I loved the realistic take on teenage girls, their feelings and experiences in high school.
The art style was cute, I'll be checking out Milk Morinaga's other manga, I'm sure I'll like them because lovely art & f/f romance.
February 13, 2023
Ja po prostu cieszę się że to już koniec
October 21, 2023
4.5/5**
November 17, 2013
Awww! <3 For my first taste at Yuri manga I can say that I am pleasantly surprised. I am happy I picked this up.
Of course I quite enjoy the relationship between the two girls, it just screams cuteness.
I am please over all with this one. Dare I say pick it up and read it for yourself? Please do.
Of course I quite enjoy the relationship between the two girls, it just screams cuteness.
I am please over all with this one. Dare I say pick it up and read it for yourself? Please do.
January 16, 2018
I really haven't read a whole lot of yuri manga, but I liked this a lot. The story is pretty basic, Mari and Akko are best friends and eventually girlfriends, and there's really not any other plot than their budding romance and their friendship (both with each other and with several other girls in their class). But it was just really cute and didn't feel overly fanservicey or gross. I don't know whether the title is two words specifically to highlight the fact that it's about both girls who are friends and girls who are dating, but it even if it wasn't intentional, I really like that it's two words, because so much of the manga is about just being friends. Even once Mari and Akko are dating, there's a lot of focus on their friendship with the other girls. It's just a very cute series and I really enjoyed it.
June 19, 2020
This was a pretty good ending to a pretty good series. The reason I didn't rate it any higher was because I thought it was a little generic and fast-paced. The final volume had a good pace and really showed how Akko and Mari's relationship grew once it was finally "official". However, I thought the final chapter was really rushed. It was like the author just wanted to get to the end of the girls' high school experience in order to move along to a "satisfying" conclusion. But I didn't think it was necessary. I also really wanted the girls to . This series is certainly a great look at at a girl/girl relationship in comparison to many other stories, I just think there could have been a little more.
October 19, 2021
I absolutely loved this. <3 The genuine friendship between Akko and Mari blossoming into something more was everything to me. I also love that both girls are "feminine" and not the usual stereotype of one being more "masculine" than the other that I usually see in Yuri. It was refreshing and (although all dynamics are valid and I do love reading about a masc/fem dynamic as well.) 'Girl Friends' displayed a different type of lesbian relationship.
The ending was so sweet and I love the message of no matter what happens in their future these girls will be in each other's lives. I wish I could read more of this couple and I was genuinely sad when I finished reading but in the best way possible.
I can now understand the praise for 'Girl Friends' as a classic Yuri manga. 5/5 for me all the way.
The ending was so sweet and I love the message of no matter what happens in their future these girls will be in each other's lives. I wish I could read more of this couple and I was genuinely sad when I finished reading but in the best way possible.
I can now understand the praise for 'Girl Friends' as a classic Yuri manga. 5/5 for me all the way.
November 6, 2017
Hay cosas en este manga que no he visto en otros, problemáticas que suceden pero que parece que en ningún lugar aparecen, como las madres hablando del matrimonio de sus hijas con algún hombre y de nietos. También que una de las amigas se da cuenta del romance y sin embargo, sólo las molesta un poquito pero no las desaprueba o el momento en el que deben de separarse por las carreras que seguirán. En cierto modo es de lo más adulto que se ve por ahí y es continuamente dulce e inocente a la par. Un buen final que no es el estereotipado para dar cierre a la historia que en ningún momento pierde su toque propio o el ritmo con el que se maneja.
September 23, 2025
I'm so happy to see my girls together, I was reminded of my own baby gay beginnings in high school, it made me feel so fond and a bit nostalgic. I had a really good time with this series. The only thing that kept bugging me a bit is the diet culture and a few other small things, it's just a product of its time I'd say. I wish we could see our girls on their future paths and their adult relationship, I can't believe I have to say goodbye to all of them. 🥺
I believe I will come back to this series from time to time. 🥰
I believe I will come back to this series from time to time. 🥰
July 5, 2020
Bene, bene... Anche questa è finita!
Questo ultima volume è andato un po' meglio dei precedenti secondo me. La storia fluiva meglio e c'erano meno paranoie da parte delle due protagoniste. Interessante il discorso sul futuro delle due.
Questo ultima volume è andato un po' meglio dei precedenti secondo me. La storia fluiva meglio e c'erano meno paranoie da parte delle due protagoniste. Interessante il discorso sul futuro delle due.
January 9, 2024
The girls navigate their new relationship and then graduate high school! Sweet simple ending for a sweet simple story! I liked watching Mari and Akko fall in love with each other but it did get a little repetitive at times. But it’s a great yuri series that isn’t overly sexual and fetishized.
February 4, 2018
I'm kind of sad that I finished this series, I'm gonna miss all the characters! I really enjoyed this manga!
June 17, 2018
This was cute but I liked volume 4 a lot more...The ending was good though.
October 20, 2020
Me a encantado ojalá hubiera más porque me e enamorado de las protagonistas
October 13, 2023
będę tęsknić :(( <3
October 18, 2023
4 stars. An excellent conclusion to this adorable series. Akko and Mari got their HEA and I loved it. This series was a fun time and I really liked how everything wrapped up.
December 31, 2023
A beautiful conclusion to this series! Be ye careful because series does include some graphic depictions of ~the saucy times~ but most manga does, sooo. All in all, really glad I read these!
March 29, 2024
Es un manga bonito, pero no destacaría nada en concreto.
May 8, 2024
Very cute ending ❤️
May 24, 2025
long live milk morinaga 🫡
November 16, 2025
this was peak
January 22, 2026
I liked the first and last book better than the middle 3. It’s a cute ending for these two.
Read
June 29, 2026So. Kuno's boyfriend(the one who tried to sleep with Akko when they were evn younger) is almost finished with university. And she's in highschool. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CREEPS AND PEDOS IN YURI?!?
In bl there are creepy fujoshis but at least they don't harrass the men sexually while that seems to happen extremely often in (older) yuri on top of old men always being attracted to minors/teen girls.
There's a lot to criticize bl for but at least they don't normalize a whole gender being attracted to minors like Yuri have the recipe for. (By hypersexualizing teenage girls & making a lot of them have inappropriate relationships with adult men and sometimes women too + always having creepy men lurking in the background & sometimes sexually assaulting the girls who never end up traumatized and just treat it as a normal occurence that happens often like wtf).
I hate this so much because it always en up overshadowing the story for me even tho they're just (horrible) things that happen in the background and there are a lot of very cute stories like this one that greatly suffer from it because they become no longer cute but propaganda for normalizing predatory behaviors & depictions of teenage girls as sexual beings.
In bl there are creepy fujoshis but at least they don't harrass the men sexually while that seems to happen extremely often in (older) yuri on top of old men always being attracted to minors/teen girls.
There's a lot to criticize bl for but at least they don't normalize a whole gender being attracted to minors like Yuri have the recipe for. (By hypersexualizing teenage girls & making a lot of them have inappropriate relationships with adult men and sometimes women too + always having creepy men lurking in the background & sometimes sexually assaulting the girls who never end up traumatized and just treat it as a normal occurence that happens often like wtf).
I hate this so much because it always en up overshadowing the story for me even tho they're just (horrible) things that happen in the background and there are a lot of very cute stories like this one that greatly suffer from it because they become no longer cute but propaganda for normalizing predatory behaviors & depictions of teenage girls as sexual beings.
March 21, 2015
I don't want their story to end... T_T Their relationship, their growth is just so beautiful I just want it to continue on and on!
That moment when their parents met at their graduation ceremony had me grinning from ear to ear -- It's the "meet-the-parents" moment! Of course they are still ignorant of how significant this moment is, but I am sure that Akko and Mari will come out soon.
The cuteness is through the roof! If one could die from aww-ing too much, I'd be reviewing from my grave. Honestly though, my heart stopped when the girls talked of their futures and how Akko declare Mari to be "My wife. <3"
That moment when their parents met at their graduation ceremony had me grinning from ear to ear -- It's the "meet-the-parents" moment! Of course they are still ignorant of how significant this moment is, but I am sure that Akko and Mari will come out soon.
The cuteness is through the roof! If one could die from aww-ing too much, I'd be reviewing from my grave. Honestly though, my heart stopped when the girls talked of their futures and how Akko declare Mari to be "My wife. <3"
May 14, 2013
Loved it! Adorable romance between Mari-chan and Akko-chan. It was a really great ending, and the pacing was excellent in my opinion. I'll definitely be reading other books by Milk Morinaga. (P.S.: Still a better love story than Twilight! ;)
July 12, 2013
Morinaga Milk has drawn many good manga books. But she will forever be remembered for this mediocre cliff-hanger.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews