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By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga
The Untold Story of Lesbian Love in Japanese Anime and Comics
From the pen of Erica Friedman, lesbian icon and possibly the foremost expert on Yuri (lesbian) Anime and Manga in the Western Hemisphere:
"By Your Side is the complete Yuri resource I only ever dreamed could exist. Decades in the making, this glorious collection surveys, analyzes, and contextualizes Yuri with unparalleled detail and enthusiasm. Friedman graces readers with illuminating insights as they follow her through a century of the genre’s evolution and revolution. By sharing her extraordinary knowledge, she provides inquirers, scholars, and aficionados alike with a deeper appreciation and understanding of lesbian anime and manga while galvanizing them towards the next era of Yuri."
-Nicki Bauman, Yurimother
"The first in-depth study of Yuri in English."
-James Welker, Professor of Cross-Cultural and Japanese Studies, Kanagawa University
From the pen of Erica Friedman, lesbian icon and possibly the foremost expert on Yuri (lesbian) Anime and Manga in the Western Hemisphere:
"By Your Side is the complete Yuri resource I only ever dreamed could exist. Decades in the making, this glorious collection surveys, analyzes, and contextualizes Yuri with unparalleled detail and enthusiasm. Friedman graces readers with illuminating insights as they follow her through a century of the genre’s evolution and revolution. By sharing her extraordinary knowledge, she provides inquirers, scholars, and aficionados alike with a deeper appreciation and understanding of lesbian anime and manga while galvanizing them towards the next era of Yuri."
-Nicki Bauman, Yurimother
"The first in-depth study of Yuri in English."
-James Welker, Professor of Cross-Cultural and Japanese Studies, Kanagawa University
271 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2022
31 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 20, 2022
A thorough, very readable examination of the roots of yuri as a genre, this is a must-read for fans who want to understand it better. I can safely say I have a much broader understanding now (and an even stronger desire for the early works to be translated into English). There's some repetition, but Friedman acknowledges that, and the included appendix of recommended reading is a nice touch.
May 2, 2022
What an incredible work, twenty years in the making. Erica knows her stuff, and she conveys century-long history of Yuri entertainingly, conversationally, and with real scholarship.
The first book of its kind-- definitely a must for anime fans, yuri fans, queer studies scholars, womens studies scholars, or just folks who want a cool non-fiction book to read!
The first book of its kind-- definitely a must for anime fans, yuri fans, queer studies scholars, womens studies scholars, or just folks who want a cool non-fiction book to read!
Read
June 14, 2022Really interesting essay collection about the past, present and possible futures of yuri manga and anime. I learned a lot and also increased my TBR. I also got to feel old! I remembered a lot of the historical moments and it was really interesting to see an American perspective on them.
I also appreciated that the book didn't shy away from topics like yuri as fetishization, can yuri even be called queer, how does yuri relate to queer comics etc. And plenty of commentary from someone who was there as a creator and organizer at many of the key moments (e.g., Friedman published the first yuri manga translated into English).
Overall a great read, my only issue was that the book read less smoothly in the beginning, the editing was slightly inconsistent IMO. This is a minor issue, if you're interested in the topic, this book is great to have. Keep on reading and it will become smoother.
____
Source of the book: Graduation present from Charles A. Tan. Thank you so much!!
I also appreciated that the book didn't shy away from topics like yuri as fetishization, can yuri even be called queer, how does yuri relate to queer comics etc. And plenty of commentary from someone who was there as a creator and organizer at many of the key moments (e.g., Friedman published the first yuri manga translated into English).
Overall a great read, my only issue was that the book read less smoothly in the beginning, the editing was slightly inconsistent IMO. This is a minor issue, if you're interested in the topic, this book is great to have. Keep on reading and it will become smoother.
____
Source of the book: Graduation present from Charles A. Tan. Thank you so much!!
May 4, 2022
This book is literally like sitting with Erica, as she tells you about her favorite topic of conversation. Each article stands alone so you don't have to (or should) read from cover to cover, and at the same time each article builds upon the last.
The firm foundation begins 100 years ago, and each subsequent level enhances your experience and knowledge of yuri. Yes, you will read about Utena, Sailor Moon, Maria-sama ga Miteru, and other well known yuri titles, but you'll also be adding lesser or little known titles to your to-read list like crazy.
The scholarship is solid, the source list a yuri mine, and the recommended reading list worth every cent paid for this amazing book. I have no doubt I will reference it time and time again.
Yes, it was 20 years in the making, as Erica says, but it was SO worth the wait!
The firm foundation begins 100 years ago, and each subsequent level enhances your experience and knowledge of yuri. Yes, you will read about Utena, Sailor Moon, Maria-sama ga Miteru, and other well known yuri titles, but you'll also be adding lesser or little known titles to your to-read list like crazy.
The scholarship is solid, the source list a yuri mine, and the recommended reading list worth every cent paid for this amazing book. I have no doubt I will reference it time and time again.
Yes, it was 20 years in the making, as Erica says, but it was SO worth the wait!
May 29, 2023
First off, I want to note how accessible this book is to for readers like myself who, while aware of Yuri, have not read or watched most of the titles covered in this book. Friedman covers everything from the proto-manga forebears of the genre, to common tropes and evolutions up to modern date. She debunks the myth that Yuri has only ever been written for men to explore woman on woman sexual fantasies, all the while offering Japanese cultural context, as well as including history of Yuri coming to the states, as well as other countries. In short, there's a lot of good information here, coming from an author who has been an active part in the genre for a good chunk of the history she writes about. However, I wish the book was a bit better organized. A disclaimer at the beginning states it isn't intended to be read cover to cover, but jumping around sections isn't a reading style that works for me. This results in a lot of repeating explanations that I wish were pared down (or point the readers towards the part of the book that covers it) Other sections I wanted more details than was offered.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic.
February 17, 2024
Fascinating collection of essays on the history of yuri in Japan and within US fan culture, bit repetitive at times due to the nature of it being an essay collection, but still a great time capsule of trends and the evolution of the genre
March 30, 2025
Incredible work on the history of yuri and I just couldn’t put it down! So thankful for resources like this out there and I have been reccing this where I can!!
Want to read
July 4, 2022***who sucked me Inc**
The Questyen on YouTube in their Manga Haul June 2022 Part 1! Hino Horror & More! video published on 19 juni 2022
At first it looked like a manga but it actually is a collection of essays.
I do have to say I'm always somewhat hesitant when a western author (based on the last name)write about something not from their culture. Even is they did do their research. Somehow I'm more forgiving when it's fiction than nonfiction.
Still the topic is fascinating and I actually know nothing about the author so maybe I will have to eat my suspicions. Which would be awesome.
The Questyen on YouTube in their Manga Haul June 2022 Part 1! Hino Horror & More! video published on 19 juni 2022
At first it looked like a manga but it actually is a collection of essays.
I do have to say I'm always somewhat hesitant when a western author (based on the last name)write about something not from their culture. Even is they did do their research. Somehow I'm more forgiving when it's fiction than nonfiction.
Still the topic is fascinating and I actually know nothing about the author so maybe I will have to eat my suspicions. Which would be awesome.
September 21, 2022
Honestly... I cannot help myself but be honest no matter if my words hurt the author or anyone... But besides being thankful to the author for probably helping out the lesbian genre in manga and anime (which she for some idiotic reason separates with word yuri in this ...book... and throughout her worklife) by propagating it and fighting for it , its visibility and change into the more appropriate artwork and genre... And besides thanking her for compiling things that are or might be yuri/lesbian ( she made quite a few mistakes in that as well)... I have to say that all of the compilation issued under this name reeks of homophobia , ignorance, misunderstanding , empty guesses and personal, not objective view on the genre. Glorifying one detesting the other , depending on the personal preference, calling our (lesbian) romantic, emotional, sexual experience lesbianism like all the homophobic violent psychologists,psychiatrists, humans throughout the history of humankind.... who tried to cure us from that lesbianism....
"We’re going to take a look at some series in which lesbianism is linked, either directly or
indirectly, with an unstable mental state. "
or
"By 2010, Lesbianism was much more rarely linked directly with mental insta-
bility."
These are the quotes aka authors words from this very book .
I hope the author will review her work and apologize to the community for harmful behavior expressed through her own work and also shallow subjectivity expressed throughout her work on yuri genre.
It is sad that a person who is I guess a lesbian, is not understanding some issues in the yuri works, which are I think clear even to a blind person (with all due respect to blind people) and is only relying on Freuds explanation of being homosexual throughout her work. It is sad she does not understand nor find any other explanations for the behaviours of protagonists in the yuri works besides Freud... And even sadder she uses the derogatory term lesbianism this freely in her work and no one is citing and attacking her for this, while if someone straight used the term that person would probably put on a cross by the lgbtq community, but hey this is one of ours so lets turn a blind eye because she is a lesbian.
How she puts Mei from Citrus and characters from NTR and all other animes and mangas under the same Freudian umbrella is scary, and how she remains blind to why characters act the way they are. To me it seems like Erica is not human at all as she doesnt recognize emotions and troubles of people growing up and becoming adults in a very , even nowadays, homophobic, transphobic, unsupportive world we live in . Nor she knows it seems anything about being extroverted, introverted, this type of a character and that type of a character.
If the author (no matter how many years she has) suffers nowadays subconsciously from some type of internalized homophobia or something , I ask her politely not to cure it by being openly blind, ignorant and the worst of all homophobic toward her own community, but resolve it on her own and come to terms of what and how she is on her own.
"We’re going to take a look at some series in which lesbianism is linked, either directly or
indirectly, with an unstable mental state. "
or
"By 2010, Lesbianism was much more rarely linked directly with mental insta-
bility."
These are the quotes aka authors words from this very book .
I hope the author will review her work and apologize to the community for harmful behavior expressed through her own work and also shallow subjectivity expressed throughout her work on yuri genre.
It is sad that a person who is I guess a lesbian, is not understanding some issues in the yuri works, which are I think clear even to a blind person (with all due respect to blind people) and is only relying on Freuds explanation of being homosexual throughout her work. It is sad she does not understand nor find any other explanations for the behaviours of protagonists in the yuri works besides Freud... And even sadder she uses the derogatory term lesbianism this freely in her work and no one is citing and attacking her for this, while if someone straight used the term that person would probably put on a cross by the lgbtq community, but hey this is one of ours so lets turn a blind eye because she is a lesbian.
How she puts Mei from Citrus and characters from NTR and all other animes and mangas under the same Freudian umbrella is scary, and how she remains blind to why characters act the way they are. To me it seems like Erica is not human at all as she doesnt recognize emotions and troubles of people growing up and becoming adults in a very , even nowadays, homophobic, transphobic, unsupportive world we live in . Nor she knows it seems anything about being extroverted, introverted, this type of a character and that type of a character.
If the author (no matter how many years she has) suffers nowadays subconsciously from some type of internalized homophobia or something , I ask her politely not to cure it by being openly blind, ignorant and the worst of all homophobic toward her own community, but resolve it on her own and come to terms of what and how she is on her own.
June 11, 2023
At best, this is an engaging history of yuri that traces its roots to the early 20th century feminist literary movement Class S, as well as the more radical Year 24 Group of '68 that featured lesbian commie mommy Riyoko Ikeda—a mangaka that wrote gay, lesbian, transfemme, and transmasc characters into the French and Russian Revolutions.*
At worst, this is a tedious string of synopses, tvtropes, and reviews of various yuri fictions in the mode of Lovecraft's The Supernatural Horror in Literature—an exhaustive list of symbols, encounters, and narratives, without deeper engagement with or concern for themes, historical context, and political implications.
It's a fangirl fangirling out, and your mileage will depend on how much you can stand that.
—
*Friedman ignores the classed aspects of Year 24's intervention on manga to focus on gender—men's control over the narratives of women, the positioning of women's bodies in relation to the male gaze, voyeurism and fetishism vs. the constitution of autonomy through sisterhood. Not once does Friedman critique the influence of class and capital on mangaka and manga narratives. I find this absurd. Early on, Friedman mentions how Class S stories iterate a yearning for women's independence from patriarchal relations (marriage) and expectations (domesticity). While the circulation of women's bodies through arranged marriages is a factor in restricting women's autonomy, another factor would be what jobs and careers are even available to independent, let alone queer, women—the lumpenproletarianisation of deviant persons in a world structured, not just by men, but by men with capital. Conversely, there's the ideological weight of yuri's fetishised setting of rich bitch private schools on the reader. I wonder what effect this pastoral paradise has on yuri's predominantly proletarian and debt-ridden audience, hmm?
At worst, this is a tedious string of synopses, tvtropes, and reviews of various yuri fictions in the mode of Lovecraft's The Supernatural Horror in Literature—an exhaustive list of symbols, encounters, and narratives, without deeper engagement with or concern for themes, historical context, and political implications.
It's a fangirl fangirling out, and your mileage will depend on how much you can stand that.
—
*Friedman ignores the classed aspects of Year 24's intervention on manga to focus on gender—men's control over the narratives of women, the positioning of women's bodies in relation to the male gaze, voyeurism and fetishism vs. the constitution of autonomy through sisterhood. Not once does Friedman critique the influence of class and capital on mangaka and manga narratives. I find this absurd. Early on, Friedman mentions how Class S stories iterate a yearning for women's independence from patriarchal relations (marriage) and expectations (domesticity). While the circulation of women's bodies through arranged marriages is a factor in restricting women's autonomy, another factor would be what jobs and careers are even available to independent, let alone queer, women—the lumpenproletarianisation of deviant persons in a world structured, not just by men, but by men with capital. Conversely, there's the ideological weight of yuri's fetishised setting of rich bitch private schools on the reader. I wonder what effect this pastoral paradise has on yuri's predominantly proletarian and debt-ridden audience, hmm?
October 29, 2023
This was a highly anticipated book for me, as a fellow yuri enthusiast. However, it did end up disappointing in some areas, and I will start with those.
My biggest issue with this one, is that it often read more like Erica Friedman's memoir, rather than a book about the history of yuri. This is somewhat understandable, as the book is partly a collection of her essays and blog posts through the years. For the same reason, many parts of the book are repetitive, and sometimes out of order. I do think these issues could've been helped by some heavier editing. Her frequent personal opinions about this or that series could've also been completely left out, as they made the information in this book even less objective.
My second issue with the book is that its history of yuri "in the West" almost exclusively focuses on the US and, as far as I remember, never comments on this fact.
Despite these thorns, I was happy to learn some new facts about the yuri genre and its origins that I didn't know coming into this. I especially appreciated when the book delved into popular tropes of the genre, how they came to be in the first place, and how they have persisted or changed throughout the years.
I appreciate that this book got made and despite its flaws, it's a valuable source for information about the origins of the genre in Japan, and about its complicated relationship with classical demographics and publishers on one hand, and real life experiences of queerness and the longing for representation on the other hand.
I also want to add that the cover art by Rica Takashima was very fitting, and it was nice to hear her story about the research she made for this commission. It made me appreciate the art even more.
My biggest issue with this one, is that it often read more like Erica Friedman's memoir, rather than a book about the history of yuri. This is somewhat understandable, as the book is partly a collection of her essays and blog posts through the years. For the same reason, many parts of the book are repetitive, and sometimes out of order. I do think these issues could've been helped by some heavier editing. Her frequent personal opinions about this or that series could've also been completely left out, as they made the information in this book even less objective.
My second issue with the book is that its history of yuri "in the West" almost exclusively focuses on the US and, as far as I remember, never comments on this fact.
Despite these thorns, I was happy to learn some new facts about the yuri genre and its origins that I didn't know coming into this. I especially appreciated when the book delved into popular tropes of the genre, how they came to be in the first place, and how they have persisted or changed throughout the years.
I appreciate that this book got made and despite its flaws, it's a valuable source for information about the origins of the genre in Japan, and about its complicated relationship with classical demographics and publishers on one hand, and real life experiences of queerness and the longing for representation on the other hand.
I also want to add that the cover art by Rica Takashima was very fitting, and it was nice to hear her story about the research she made for this commission. It made me appreciate the art even more.
November 2, 2023
Regretful purchase
Not only are the claims incredibly repetitive, but you could obtain the same information from a cursory glance at Erica Friedman's blogsite "Okazu" and her youtube. I recommend checking those before deciding to picking up this more detailed essay compilation album. The essays themselves also fail to be noteworthy. I was personally looking forward to reading Erica Friedman's lived experiences within the English yuri community in its early moments (2000s), something that only a few like her would be able to document comprehensively. Instead, the book is presented as some objective literary genre analysis riddled with regurgitated generalizations and shallow research at best. It is also noticeable that Erica Friedman's writings may have underlying agendas and will deliberately ignore events and subgenres in yuri history. Please do not trust this text as authoritative.
Not only are the claims incredibly repetitive, but you could obtain the same information from a cursory glance at Erica Friedman's blogsite "Okazu" and her youtube. I recommend checking those before deciding to picking up this more detailed essay compilation album. The essays themselves also fail to be noteworthy. I was personally looking forward to reading Erica Friedman's lived experiences within the English yuri community in its early moments (2000s), something that only a few like her would be able to document comprehensively. Instead, the book is presented as some objective literary genre analysis riddled with regurgitated generalizations and shallow research at best. It is also noticeable that Erica Friedman's writings may have underlying agendas and will deliberately ignore events and subgenres in yuri history. Please do not trust this text as authoritative.
October 22, 2025
There’s a small section of my bookshelf dedicated to non-fiction books on anime and manga. Aside from the two my wife has contributed to, The Essential Manga Guide and The Essential Anime Guide, I’ve just always picked up essay collections, encyclopedias and academic works on anime and manga. Once upon a time in college I’d considered writing one myself or focusing on that with my Anthropology studies, but really it’s just because I love the mediums and everything that comes out around them. So reading other peoples’ analysis of these two worlds has always intrigued me. This book? I saw it at the bookstore one day and immediately bought a copy and dove in...
Read the full review at Well, Are They? A Queer Review Blog: https://wellarethey.blogspot.com/2025...
Read the full review at Well, Are They? A Queer Review Blog: https://wellarethey.blogspot.com/2025...
May 15, 2023
A collection of essays, By Your Side doesn't work particularly great as a cover-to-cover book, one might argue. After getting bored, I had to set it down and pick it back up again a month or so later. Content is covered multiple times, and not necessarily in a linear fashion. It does read, however, as I saw another reviewer comment, exactly like sitting down and having a conversation with Erica Friedman.
By Your Side is NOT a collection of reviews of specific manga and anime, as I anticipated, but the history of how manga, magazines, and anthologies in Japan came to be.
By Your Side is NOT a collection of reviews of specific manga and anime, as I anticipated, but the history of how manga, magazines, and anthologies in Japan came to be.
September 12, 2023
Not a long book but boy did it take a bit for me to get through! It was so cool getting to see an actual deep dive into yuri history and I honestly hope this book could be used for a college course of sorts focusing on queer stories.
I didn't get to find a lot of yuri manga that didn't feel male gaze-y when I was younger so I'm glad to look at the recommended readings after ( and also go see what Friedman's thoughts on Gundam's Mercury Witch were. We're in such a great time for yuri content!! )
I didn't get to find a lot of yuri manga that didn't feel male gaze-y when I was younger so I'm glad to look at the recommended readings after ( and also go see what Friedman's thoughts on Gundam's Mercury Witch were. We're in such a great time for yuri content!! )
January 15, 2024
My word, what a wonderful book! It's so informative without being too hefty and is so well written. I shall spend the next few days researching points you raised and animes and mangas Ms. Friedman mentioned. I've been going through a yuri phase for the past few months for reasons I don't fully know--perhaps spurred on by my friend introducing me to I'm in Love with the Villainess (did you catch the anime, by the bi? How about Relaire, amirite?) and this book is an invaluable resource.
I highly recommend this to anyone with even a passing interest in yuri, comics, lesbians, or manga!!!
I highly recommend this to anyone with even a passing interest in yuri, comics, lesbians, or manga!!!
November 9, 2022
A collection of articles that have overlapping information, there's too much redundancy. I wound up skipping portions. The history bit is interesting and I'm familiar with many of the manga and anime so it was easy to follow. The information on the fandom was new to me as well as some of the industry hijinks. If you're an otaku and/or a member of the LGBTQA+ community you will probably find it worth a look.
Just another amazing find at the local library.
Just another amazing find at the local library.
April 12, 2025
A very insightful look into the history of yuri manga and anime! I love how the subject matter is treated with dignity and care. This is a genre that gets taken over by cis male voices all too much. However, what I love is that we have a queer woman's voice discussing what makes yuri an acceptable genre in the anime / manga-sphere. It starts with with the earlier tropes and how they made its way to contemporary anime. As a millennial otaku, this was also a nostalgia trip for me with mentions of Sailor Moon, Rose of Versailles, Dear Brother, Utena, etc - the anime that have shaped my queer identity. Erica leaves us with a daunting question - is yuri queer? and what makes media queer? This is must for anyone in fandom studies and those with interest in queer media.
October 24, 2025
A really interesting collection of essays about the yuri "genre" so to say. It's also very clear the author is extremely knowledgeable about the subject and has had a personal hand in bringing the genre over to a western audience. The essays are intriguing to read, and the author acknowledges that there is some repetition as this is a compilation of essays over the years. I did end up skimming past the recommendations sections, etc. Definitely give it a read if you're interested.
January 11, 2025
A wonderful overview of the genre. My favorite parts were the sections where Friedman goes into her personal history as someone who was there (and, it seems, influential) during the early days of online yuri fandom. Unfortunately suffers from a good deal of redundancy as a consequence of most of the text being re-prints of blog posts that weren't meant to be read in sequence, but that's an easy issue to look past and I only really felt it during the first few sections.
December 31, 2023
The content is good but it really needs some good editing. Expect to read the same stuff over and over, because it's a compilation of blog articles going over the same stuff multiple times.
May 17, 2024
Excellent historical retrospective on the history of the genre written by a legend in the community.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews